Arc 2 - Interlude IV: Luna Guerra

(Salemonath 27, 56 / 3:01PM)

A day before the attack on Ticia.

Two pale skinned girls walked through an indoor hallway. Their sneakers squeaking the floor, and wearing blue jeans and white decorated shirts, both looked to be teens.

And in their arms, were nothing but books. Followed by the many stickers plastered on their backpacks, with most of them being boys covered in love hearts, it meant that these two girls…

“I love New Kids In The Neighborhood so much! Their new album is so good! I mean, how many other boy bands do we claim as ours?”

“I guess it’s just that and Frontstreet Boys. I mean, there’s Jimmy Deep and that new coming hot boy Leonard Capro. Both are exactly my type.”

Were boy band fanatics.

Jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, geeks, loners, goths, band kids, theater kids, mechanic kids, agriculture kids; all were part of a hierarchy in a typical Tician high school. Combined with the many beast-humans mingled in one another, it led to a diverse array of teens and kids alike.

Even though it was rare to find a beast-human, bunny-humans were quite common to find. Passing through a large group of them, who wore baggy clothes and golden chained necklaces, as they looked to be more or less the gangster type. And for the uncommon elf, they usually had books lining their arms, leaving them to be inquisitive and formal. Finding only one or two horse-humans, who leaned their backs against the lockers, no shark-humans were spotted within their pupils.

As for the uncommon dog or cat-human, most of them find solace in the community of regular-humans.

Seeing a couple of boys run past the hallways, one of the girls brushed out a sigh while folding her arms.

“Where’s Luna anway? Do you think she stayed after class?”

“I think her last class is AP English, so she’s probably talking with the teacher regarding homework.”

Both of them checked their watches, and noticed the time changing from 3:01 to 3:02. From the main gate, all the way toward the back of the school, they felt the walk sore their heels ever so steadily.

“But still, why did they place her locker on the other end of the school?”

“Honestly, I feel bad for the poor girl.”

A few minutes went by, and they felt their feet go red from the excess walking. Feeling like they might walk forever, as many of the kids took the opportunity to leave school, they noticed something from the far end of the hallway. The silhouette had her head hunched forward, while she grazed her fingers against the books situated inside. Seeing that it was someone familiar, they both mad dashed toward her.

A girl with above-average height, and hair covering her nape and neck, it was garnished in black followed by her clothes.

“Girl where were you? Rachael said that you’d meet us at the main gate.” Said the girl with blond hair.

“And why can’t you take normal classes for once? You know Christi would haunt you if you date a nerd.” Said the girl with brunette hair.

The tanned girl turned around, while having a book enclosed within her right hand. Gently placing it into her backpack, she plastered a warm smile suited for her smooth skin.

“I’m really sorry. I had to speak with the teacher regarding study work. P-Please forgive me…”

Holstering the backpack onto her shoulder, she closed the locker gently while treading with sweat. Bowing down a bit, it was a formal show of forgiveness, a way to express one’s submission.

________________________________________________________________________

(Salemonath 27, 56 / 6:06PM)

“I’m home!”

Entering inside a middle-class home, and upon closing the door, she placed her backpack near the coathanger. Sniffling the air with her nostrils, she traced the smell of tomato sauce, as she creaked the floor with her soft sneakers. And as she walked through the darkened hallway, she had a soft smile on her face.

Dashing through the hallway, two boys slid across the wood until they reached in front of her. Settling her hands onto her waist, she ceased her walk as she looked at them. The tallest boy had medium-length hair, while the shortest one had short hair.

“Hey Lewis, hey Jacob. How was middle school?”

“Jacob got into another fight.”

“The dude started it.”

“Hey now, you gotta control your anger. Otherwise, it’ll kill you… so that means…”

Smirking at Jacob, who was the shortest boy, she stuck out her pointer finger from her hand. Having it pushed forward, she wagged it back and forth as if he was a little dog.

“No more donuts for you.”

“What! Oh come on!”

“Let’s just get back to the kitchen. Dinner is probably almost ready.”

Gesturing the two boys to return to the kitchen, they ran away from her to settle into their seats. Making her way into the kitchen, with the walls rimming with hardboard, she saw the table that held her brothers.

Seeing Jacob and Lewis sitting next to one another, Luna noticed a pair of twins on the other side. Seeing one of them poke against his twin, she pushed up a frown and tilted her head.

“Come on Daniel, leave Armin alone.”

“But he’s reading a book! At a table!”

“It’s just a hobby…”

“Daniel … what did I say?”

Making her way toward the kitchen, and into the small dining area, she reached to the youngest who held a book in his hands. Patting his head, as he had the longest hair out of everyone, Armin settled the book down flat on the table..

Jacob raised his voice, as he saw the unfairness in front of him.

“Why does he get special treatment?”

“Because he’s the youngest.” Said Lewis.

“You’re just saying that to cope.” Muttered Armin.

“Hey you guys, dinner’s ready!”

They all heard a low pitched voice drawn from the kitchen. All of their plates ready in hand, they all walked toward a man wearing a black apron. The man looked to be huge, as he stood more than 6 feet tall and had muscles the size of boulders. Along with having a moustache and a goatee, he had tan skin similar to Luna.

Letting his kids grab their dinners, it was none other than basic spaghetti. Steam hissing from the noodles, they all made their way back toward the six-seater table, with garlic bread stationed in the center.

“I barely made it right now, so enjoy yourselves.”

The four boys, and Luna in tow, began to devour the spaghetti that rested on their plates. Using their metallic utensils, they swirled the noodles and jabbed them into their mouths, and began mixing the spaghetti with their salivas.

Except for one boy.

“Dad, Luna said I can’t have your donuts!” Yelled Jacob.

Not only him, but Luna didn’t follow her brothers’ choice to devour her plate instantly. Instead, she had her homework beside her, and began to do it while slowly eating her dinner bit by bit; unbothered.

“It’s unhealthy for you anyways.” Said Lewis.

“Donuts aren’t that unhealthy … right?” Questioned Daniel.

“Uh yeah … they are. It has sugar.” Said Lewis.

“Come on now. Let’s not fight—” Said Luna’s father, before he was interrupted by Jacob.

“But Dad’s are different!”

“Sugar is still in Dad’s donuts you—” Said Lewis, before he was interrupted by…

“Quiet!”

Luna, who had slammed her fists against the table. Making the air grow silent, and keeping their lips sealed, they all side-glanced at Luna who darkened her face and lit up her eyes.

They all felt like time had stopped, as not even the kitchen noise was enough to penetrate the silence. Luna, who returned back to her normal face and eyes, swayed her head back and forth while returning to her homework.

“S-Sorry… I shouldn’t have shouted.”

They all returned back to eating spaghetti, as the clacking of forks with plates resumed. Luna, who felt the tension increase, kept her eyes down at her book while she felt her father’s stare. Furrowing his brow, he took a large forkful of spaghetti, and brought it into his mouth to munch.

“You could do your homework after you eat.”

“I know, but I want to get Saturday’s homework done. I uh … I plan on hanging out with my friends tomorrow…”

Her father stopped eating, and blankly stared at her daughter with mellow eyes. With a piece of spaghetti stuck on his mouth, he sipped it between his lips. Placing his fork onto the plate, he cupped his big hands, his fingers interlocking with one another.

“You know we’re going to the lake tomorrow.”

“But Dad—”

“You should have told me this sooner. Can’t you postpone your friends’ hangout to next week?”

She raised her hand to the back of the head, and began scratching it softly against her scalp. Smiling wryly at him, and closing her eyes, she looked to be the average cute girl people would see in an anime. Slightly tilting her head to the right, her cheeks began to sore a bit the more she held her smile.

“My friends have been dying to go out. If I reject them, then they’ll be mad at me.”

“I understand. But mija.”

His eyes soften tenfold, followed by a soft nod of assurance that made her blink twice.

Having the remote near his plate, he grabbed it and turned on the TV, with static first buzzing on the screen. Playing the news channel, which displayed a news reporter detailing a mystery case, her Dad let out a fresh exhale of air from his nostrils.

—“Always do the things that you know you can do, and set some time to do things that you know you can’t.”—

“... yes Dad…”

Sitting next to her older sister, Armin noticed she gripped the base of her fork tightly. Seeing her creak the metal, along with her eyes staring blankly at the spaghetti in front of her, he also saw her quivering smile. Like she was trying to maintain the mask, it left him no choice but to tap her right shoulder with two fingers.

Letting out a soft smile, her mask held strong once she turned around. The contrast between her tan face, and his light tan one, a single trickle of sweat ran down her right temple.

“Y-yeah Armin?”

“After dinner, can I tell you about the book I’ve been reading?”

“Of course.”

While Luna and Armin talked, their father and their brothers saw the news unfold. The screen was drawn from a boxed style TV, with an antenna stationed on top. Turning up the volume, but not so much as Luna and Armin’s conversation would be drowned, the sound waves boomed across the kitchen and living room walls.

“We have another case involving a missing child. The Azazel region has reported many such cases, mostly from the cartels that operate there.”

‘That’s the same region where the lake is at …’

________________________________________________________________________

(Salmonath 28, 56 / 3:25PM)

Three girls walked on top of marble, as they glanced around the many shops situated inside. Looking to be in a mall, they walked past shop goers and teens, and many families alongst their Saturday hangout.

And as their sneakers kissed the floor, a couple of bags were gripped by their forearms and hands, while sniffing the air that was drenched in food. Opening their nostrils wide, the two girls were much shorter than the tall one in back, who was none other than…

[Just this once, I’ll let it pass. But remember to be back at 3:30.]

‘I need to get back now!’

Luna fiddled with her fingers, her thumbs and pinkies mingling with one another. Unfortunately, the two girls in front of her noticed a Cold Topic store to their right. Housing many merchandise, from series, movies, shows, and many other pop pieces of media at the time, there was one particular boy band that sparkled their eyes.

“Oh my gosh! New Kids In The Neighborhood merch!”

“Zachary! My Beloved!”

Both girls zoomed into the store, leaving Luna to be alone amidst the passbyers and shoppers. Almost as if they completely disregarded her, she was okay, even though she knew that she was a perfect example of a pushover.

Waiting in front of the store aimlessly, Luna continued to fiddle with her fingers ever so increasingly. Tapping her heel on the marble, and zipping her head left and right, her breath began to fasten.

‘I know I want to buy some boy band merchandise, but can they please hurry? They know I have to be back…’

Tapping her heel even faster, a couple of people noticed her hurried state, which made her stand out. Fortunately for her, it wasn’t long before her two friends came out, their hands full of bags and merchandise.

The both of them noticed her anxious state, causing them to tilt their heads and push down their lips.

“What’s wrong Luna?”

“Sorry, but I have to get back to my Dad.”

“Why so soon? You know, it’s ok to disobey your Dad from time to time.”

“I promised my Dad that I’ll be back at this time … but don’t worry, we’ll hang out more next week.”

It was like her feet were on the edge of a building, but with no adrenaline. Waiting for their answer, as her body began to run cold, both of her friends let out a huff of air from their throats. Looking at one another, one of the girls nodded.

“Fine. But next week, we’re doing karaoke.”

She ceased the tapping on the floor, along with her fiddling fingers that slowed to a halt. Raising her right palm, she swiped away a small amount of sweat, and let out a soft chuckle that pushed her lips upward.

“T-Thank you…”

The three of them began to walk back to the main exit, or where they originally entered from. Their sneakers clanking on the squeaky floor, Luna had her hands to her sides, while softly looking around the mall in a somewhat anxious state. But it wasn’t as bad when she was standing alone.

Meanwhile, both of her friends felt their arms grew weary, leaving them no choice but to pass them onto her.

“Can you carry this Luna?”

“Please? My arms are getting sore.”

“Oh uhm, ok.”

Putting on a reassuring smile, her anxiety faded slightly when speaking to the two of them. Reaching out her hands and arms, she let them place all of their bags and merch onto them.

Continuing along their walk, while having the weight be pressed down onto her, she didn’t huff a single sweat or groan. Because of this, many shopgoers from both men and women alike were stunned by the teenage girl’s strength. Even her friends were surprised.

“How are you this strong?”

“Do you workout? I hear boys feel insecure when a girl is stronger than them.”

“Well uh … I never worked out before…”

Pushing her head down, a mix of butterflies flourished from inside her stomach. Making her body feel light, she felt the stares began to burden her, but it wasn’t just the random people. In fact, most of the jaw dropping stares came from the arcade to their left.

Three of them took note of the many boys in there, with most of them being their age or lower. Wearing glasses, game-printed t-shirts, and most of them having side bangs or wavy hair, Christi and Rachael sneered.

“Hahaha … I guess Luna is popular with nerds.”

“If I was popular with nerds, I would cry.”

Luna let out a nervous chuckle, as she kept her watchful eyes at the gazing boys. Once the two turned their heads away, Luna felt a hint of anxiety spike up within her.

Because she noticed a particular boy, a boy whose eyes were blocked by his side bangs. By just barely looking at him, the boy immediately turned his head away, as his cheeks were redder than a ripe raspberry. He looked to be a couple of years younger than her, which pushed her cheeks to slightly blister a pinkish red, despite her skin being tan.

‘Why are those two always so harsh … there ain’t nothing wrong having a nerdy—’

—The sounds of an alarm can be heard. Squealing through the walls, caressing through the air, it was the typical alarm people would hear when a tornado strikes.—

Everyone in the mall stopped and laid their hands against their sides. Perking their ears up, they all glanced around the shopping mall with a dazed look, until they looked up at the ceiling. Sunlight still beaming through, and the sky still blue, it began to sway the shoppers heads.

“Is that a tornado siren?”

“It's sunnier than it was yesterday. How can there be a tornado?”

“The weather said it’s supposed to be clear skies until next week.”

Everyone in a blitz of emotions, Luna and her friends looked at one another with confused looks. Instead of falling for the alarm, and its necessary use, most of the shoppers tried to continue along with their day.

But some of them didn’t want to take any chances, considering if their guts told them the right thing.

“Luna’s right, we should leave.”

“Yeah, things are getting freaky here.”

They began to make their exit, as the kissing of the marbled floor intensified by their sneakers. Peering into the many confused people, who happened to ignore the siren and its meaning, Luna questioned her gut.

But she stopped questioning once she saw a pair of doors, which were shielded in glass and slid automatically. Nudging at her friends to continue walking, they ventured their way, step by step as some people had the same idea as them. Pushing forward, Luna—

________________________________________________________________________

She blacked out. But quivering her eyes open, she found her vision returning bit by bit.

‘W-W-What happened …’

Her back felt pressed against, with small pinches littering her neck down to her butt. Sensing that stone and wood were closed down on her, and bags laid next to her arms, it meant that something happened.

Tinnitus rang against her eardrums. Laying her chin on the debris, her eyes barely kept open, she tried to move her body. Doing it slowly, all of the cement and wood began to loosen, allowing her feet to fully grip the floor beneath.

Breathing in cement particles, which molested her throat down to her lungs, she kept it there as she pushed further and further up. Feeling all of her calves and thighs bulging and pulsating, it was like a hidden monster had burrowed within her. Finally, with the usage of all of her shoulder and back muscles, she grit her teeth, and exerted all her strength in an epic climax.

Pushing away the heavy debris, it cluttered down to the bags to her right.

“Christi? … Rachel?”

Her body wobbling, she looked around the shopping mall cluttered with dust. Replacing her tinnitus, chaos and panic cluttered the delirium of her eardrums, leaving her eyes to widen tenfold.

Seeing everyone in a hurry trying to exit out, she stood tight with a hunched back.

‘Did they leave without me…’

Once she took a single step forward, she felt something rubbery from underneath her shoe. Glancing down at the ground, she traced the object that was littered in white dust, and noticed…

It was a hand, a hand that looked way too familiar. And attached to the hand was an arm, and attached to the arm was—it stopped.

—Because the body was buried, underneath a pile of metal shards and concrete.—

“Christi…”

She began upheaving her breath. Placing her right hand onto her chest, as her throat convulsed, she turned toward the pair of exit doors riddled with people. Seeing them trying to get out, she ignored the bags below her; and the corpse, and pushed her feet toward—

She tripped.

Falling on all fours, her palms kept her face from slamming on the debris. Tightening all of her facial muscles, and pushing up her face, she turned her head to the left.

—And saw another corpse; trapped in the same pile of metal and concrete.—

“Rachael…”

Instead of getting up, she let her butt be drawn to the floor, and felt the miniscule shards of cement stab like pintacks. Ignoring the jibbering pain, she felt her vision go blurry, and her whole body began to go under a cold sweat. Her feet numb, her hands heavy, she couldn’t get herself up from the prickly floor.

‘What is going on … why … why can’t I …’

Move her body? She couldn’t, even when she was out of the debris. Hearing voices, seeing blurry figures, they tumbled and stacked onto one another as they tried to sprint.

But there was one figure running toward her. Despite her eyes dilated to a great extent, she tried to squint amidst her glued body. More and more, her vision began to flicker to normalcy, leaving her to widen her eyes at the man—no … it was a boy. Looking to be a couple of years younger than her, he had a long bang that covered his eyes.

“Hey! Hey get up!”

She heard his voice, clear as day once her ears returned to her. Her eyes attending the scrawny black-haired boy, she felt her breath stall in her throat, as the boy extended his right hand toward her.

“You have to get up!”

With his second luck doing the charm, it was like lightning had soared throughout her body. Everything into overdrive, from her nerves down to her bones, she felt the sudden push of … adrenaline.

“A-Alright!”

Taking his hand, she stood herself up, while shards of cement still lingered onto her knees. Patting away a couple of white dust from her pants, she glanced down at her two friends … who laid buried underneath the rubble.

She darkened her eyes once she saw Rachael’s purse, her fingers twitching heavily as her breath drew hot.

‘She was the one who drove us…’

But she knew that their death’s weren’t in vain.

Slowly walking toward the corpse, she crouched down and grabbed the purse without looking. Looking through the many lipsticks and makeup scattering the bag, she noticed a pair of car keys stationed on the side. Pulling them out with her trembling hand, she felt her eyelids begin to water, but a single sniffle was enough to put them out.

“Hey … we have to go.”

But it failed, as two tears rolled out from both of her eyes. Wrapping the purse around her right shoulder, she then let her quaking eyes stall on his. Extending out her hand, her voice broke, as it altered between high and low with each syllable.

“Please guide me.”

Grabbing her hand in an instant, he led her toward the pair of front doors that everybody used. The number of people decreasing, most of them already left.

Exiting through the front doors, they all took in the smell of …

Many small fires littered the buildings and shopping centers, leaving the streets to clog with cars. Trying to get out, as commercial blocks become looting centers, shrieks and yells torment the air into hell.

‘Just what is going on…’

________________________________________________________________________

(Salemonath 28, 56 / 3:45PM)

“W-Want me to take you to your parent’s house?”

“They’re gone for the weekend. I’ll just stick with you, you look strong.”

Driving through the crowded streets, she swerved around cars like a game of chicken, while taking notice of the many sprinting pedestrians. Carrying their luggage, savings, their memories, they fled with anything that had their name to it.

Combined with smoke rising from the city center, it painted the late afternoon sky dark. Small fires spreading throughout the horizon, it pushed her breath to go hot, and her eyes to lift.

“You don’t look good.”

“I’m sorry … I’m not good in these situations … or any of this in general.”

“I thought you’d be more of a delinquent. You’re pretty strong.”

“I get that a lot…”

She had her hands tightened on the steering wheel, as her anxiety began to rush within her. Tapping her left foot on the floor, increasingly, she continued to scan her surroundings, while swerving around cars.

Sensing she was anxious, he pushed his head on the headrest, and slightly tilted his head.

“And you have a good heart. Most girls like you don’t interact with a lot of boys like me.”

“I just … whenever me and my friends talk about boys, they always make fun of my preferences…”

He began scratching his cheek, he kept his calm and casual eyes at the tanned beauty. Making her fluster softly, he extended his left hand outward, and had his soft palm pressed onto her shoulder. Giving her a warm smile, with his monolid eyes squinting toward her, it made her loosen her breath.

“It’s ok to have preferences people will make fun of. There ain’t nothing wrong.”

“I just didn’t want to end up alone …”

Her eyes began to twitch bulgingly, all the while her cheeks pushed up amongst her muscles. Keeping her smile, which slightly quivered, it looked like she was pushing her worries … deep into the bottomless pit of her heart.

Sensing she was trying to keep it in, he moved his body to the right, and gulped loudly from his parched throat. Setting his eyes onto the many houses, there was something that stood out…

“Hey uhm, that’s one big fire.”

Luckily for her, most of the traffic had cleared, leaving her game of chicken to come to a close. Turning her head to the right, she saw a fire that burned within the boy’s eyes, and…

Her breath grew cold within her throat, as she kept her entire focus on the eyes.

“That’s…”

Feeling water swelling up her eyes, and allowing the gas pedal to be loosened, she squeezed the wheel with an utmost intensity. Followed by her body quaking repeatedly, a trickle of sweat dropped on her thigh, while her voice quivered within her stalling vocals.

But the breaking point was when her smile flipped to a frown.

—“That fire … it’s on the same block my house is…”—

________________________________________________________________________

(Salemonath 28, 56 / 3:52PM)

‘No…’

Parking right in front of her house, she turned her head to the left.

‘No … no, no, no…’

With her own eyes, she saw the spectacle of her house already charred to the ground. Looking to be burnt in a fire, she did nothing but stare.

Grabbing the handle, and opening it wide, she settled her sneakers on the black asphalt littered with dust. Along with the boy, who got out just the same as her, he had his arms motionless to his sides.

‘They’re still alive.’

Without moving her tongue, she kept it stall all the while she walked. Passing the bits of debris and char, her whole body began to go static the more she stared wide-eyed.

Reaching the porch, her sneakers felt the old concrete. Remembering, cherishing, all the memories that flooded her brain relinquished a tear. Her hands below her waist, her stomach churning and growling, she felt her skull be pounded against by her pulsating brain.

‘They’re still alive. They’re still alive. They’re still alive. They’re still alive.’

Softly trancing her steps, she entered through the door, and into the same hallway that she went through yesterday. It used to be saturated with vinyl sliding panels; now it was nothing more than just black.

Creaking the wood, screaming it by the strain of her shoes, she flared up her nostrils. A smell not too familiar with her, she couldn’t pinch her nose with her numbing hands, as she ignored the boy who hung back. Tracing the burnt walls, she finally reached the kitchen that used to be…

‘They’re still—’

Right in front of her eyes—

—Was her father; laid in a pool of his own blood.—

Next to his face was a crowbar, which looked to be dented from the handle. And right in back of the corpse, was a ginger-haired man, who gripped two chainsaws in both his hands.

With the rotating blades sequenced in blood.

As if a burden of luggage fell on top of her, she collapsed onto her knees and covered her mouth. Her whole body shaking tremendously, tears poured forth from her reddened eyes. Her throat parched, her mouth open, she gasped for air while she covered it with her hands.

Unable to turn back, the boy stood in back of her, and saw for himself the state of the burly man’s body. Cut open in the shape of the letter X, organs pushed forth from his chest down to his stomach.

The ginger-haired man turned towards them, and stared at them with softened eyes. Darkening his cheeks, and having his chainsaws pointed at the floor, he even loosened his grip.

“She didn’t give me a choice.”

A woman in all-white appeared to the left of them. Wearing a white cap, tuxedo, slacks, dress shoes, she also wore a facial mask to cover her face. Along with her hair being hidden, no one could tell the hair color, or skin tone of the mysterious woman.

Turning her head to the ginger-haired man, she folded her arms in his sulking state.

“What did you do to those four boys…”

“Hmm?”

Even though the middle-aged man spoke to her, she directed her head toward the two kids near the hallway. Tilting her head, she placed her hand onto her cheek, and eyed the boy like a special snack. Flinching at the woman’s seductive nature, he walked behind Luna, and pressed both of his hands onto her shoulders.

“Let me see… those two oldest boys knew when to shut up, so they’re ready to be shipped, but that twin … that twin … he was so annoying. So I just killed him.”

Luna instantly stood up, with the soles of her shoes digging steadily on the creaking floor. Despite her body being unstable, she wide-eyed the woman in white, all the while her vision began to blurry…

Seeing her in that state was enough to make her push up a devilish grin, a grin that wrinkled the folds of her mask.

“Awww, is someone sad? Don’t worry, I only killed one so you should be thanking me.”

“What about the other twin, at least let him off the hook…”

She turned her attention to the ginger-haired man, and moved her hands onto her hips as she began to walk. Moving her hips side to side, she reached in front of the man who honed chainsaws. Staring right in front of her, and without averting or taking a step back, he kept his composure cool.

Until she lunged her right foot forward. Launching him back several feet, he landed straight into the burnt kitchen wall. Once he made contact, all the dwindled strength of the wall was enough to collapse, leaving the debris to topple.

“You don’t have a say in what I can or can not do! Learn your place, you old piece of shit!”

Settling her foot down on the floor, she hunched her head forward. Seeing that he wasn’t getting up any time soon, she turned her attention onto the two kids.

Staring at the boy, she moved her hips side to side while regaining her normal breathing. Luna couldn’t bring herself to run and flee, once he felt the boy hiding behind her. Her knees buckled, her feet pushing the delicate wood to its limits, she only stared as the woman…

She saw her hand extending outward, her target being—

She grabbed her wrist, and pushed up a twitching smile on the border of insanity.

“What did you do … to the youngest boy …”

Many tears rolled out from the crevices of her eyes, which drenched her cheeks and tapped alongst the burnt floor. Her smile weakening, her grip tightening, the woman in all-white tilted her head to the right.

—“He’s just too cute, so I decided to ship him to yours truly. If you know what I mean~”—

She looked down at the floor, and let go of the woman’s wrists. Her knees sharply bent, all of her fingers curled into her palms. Her knuckles crackling, her hands growing white, all of her upper body shook back and forth like a frail motor. Clenching down on all of her teeth, her breathing went haywire the longer she stared at the creaking wood. Denting it with her shoes, which splintered onto her soles, all of her muscles bulged and pulsated from the inside of her skin.

Her vision went red. Her body shook. All she could hear was the cries of her own demons.

The boy stepped away from her, and shook in fear once he felt his shoes rumble from her strength. Meanwhile, the woman clad in white took the chance to walk away.

Which left the ginger-haired man no choice but to get up, as he barely kept himself firm. Barely recovering from the woman’s attack, he now was feeling the floor rumble…

He pushed both buttons on his chainsaws, leaving the rotating blades to flicker and ember. Seeing her slowly look up, and noticing her knuckles on the verge of self destructing, he took a step back. Awaiting anything, he put on a defensive stance that no one could—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

A death scream rattled the burnt walls.

Ignoring the boy, ignoring everything; all she focused on was the ginger-haired man. Lunging through the air, and passing through her father’s corpse, she grabbed the crowbar he used to defend his family…

Damaging the unstable wood, she allowed the man to stare at her eyes, eyes full of undying—

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!”

Rage.

Everything that she bottled up, was released in one fatal cry. The mask, that she wore for as long as she could remember, dissipated into the wind like the ashes of her hometown.

________________________________________________________________________

“Hey Luna! Can I show you the book now?”

“Ok, ok. I think I finished most of my homework for today.”

Her door already opened, a boy with medium straight hair walked into her room. Having a book within his hands, and having his chest be pressed against it, he softly walked on top of the lavished wood below.

Her walls were decorated with boy band posters, with movie celebrities and hot guys posted on. Combined with her bed being messy, many pillows and sheets all cluttered in a huge jumble. Followed by her clothes littering her floor, Armin shook his head as he continued walking forward.

Sitting right next to her on the bed, he showcased the book that he held.

“It’s about the ocean, it talks about the many rumors and myths regarding it.”

“The ocean? You know there’s only one continent in this world, and only one ocean.”

“I know, but someday … I want to at least explore some of it.”

His eyes sparkled at the cover, which was nothing but a drawing of the world, the world in which they lived in. Looking to have one continent, and the rest being water, the logo made it seem as if there was something more than just their big piece of land.

Opening up the book, he flipped through the pages that were infatuated with pictures. Tracing the numbers on the book, he did it so that a number of pictures flashed within his sister’s brain.

“There’s so many places we didn’t explore. Imagine the things we could find down at the sea floor? Not just that, but the world map only details land, not the actual world!”

“Because they stated that there is nothing on the other side.”

“But who decided that!?”

Flipping toward the last of the pages, he allowed the edges of the paper flutter onto his thumb. Once he reached the page he was looking for, he placed the butt of both of his palms underneath the base.

Leaning her head back, she didn’t need to squint her eyes or trace her finger. Letting the words, as well as the picture dawn within her mind, it revealed a simple fact. 25% of the ocean’s waters; not floor; have been documented officially.

As he still had the book open, Luna pushed it back to Armin’s chest, while giving him a warm smile.

“Look Armin, I know that you want to explore the ocean, but…”

Closing the book for him, she placed it safely onto his lap, and let her fingers trace the hard-cover. Staring up at her, while she looked down into his eyes, she moved her hands to his hands.

“Family is important in our culture. The longer you stray, the more you’ll be at risk of disconnecting with us.”

“But…”

“No buts. It’s nice to have a goal, or a dream, but sometimes dreams and goals have to be realistic.”

He pulled back from her hands, and settled them back onto the bed. Averting his eyes, he looked down at the lavished wooden floor, followed by the many clothes that littered her room. Darkening his eyes, but keeping his thoughts and words to himself, he tried to maintain whatever was bottling inside him—

He instantly jerked his head up; and turned toward Luna.

—“But what about you?”—

Silence filled the fake room, a silence that wasn’t natural.

He just stared at her, blankly, like something a robot would do when unrecieving a command. Making her stand up, she took a couple of steps away, and noticed that he didn’t move his head or eyes. The perfect way to describe him was as if time had stopped for only him.

‘Huh?’

She felt her whole body freeze, like she was standing at the end of a runaway train. Her reality before her—

Was gone.

Soon came the darkness that enveloped her. Taking away her room, her walls, her clothes, her entire way of life; she was an empty shell. A shell with no means to live, no means to carry on … what can she rely on …

To continue on living?

________________________________________________________________________

(Kalemonath 2, 56 / 9:03AM)

A couple of days later…

Everything returned to her at once.

Flinching her body upward, with her butt steady on the mattress, she blinked rapidly while glancing around her. Glaring at her surroundings, her vision enveloped clarity, leaving her to take in the room glowing in white. Noticing she was in a hospital, she then glanced down at her body. Blisters and bruises caressed her fingers, with her palms being in the same situation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man wearing a leather jacket, while sitting on a chair with a paper in his hands. Wearing a brown cowboy hat, with a couple of wrinkles stretching down his cheeks, he turned his head upward at the tanned teen.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

Luna didn’t respond. Instead, she settled her softening eyes down at her hands, and let them pin at the forming calluses. Ignoring the man, ignoring his causal demeanor, she narrowed her irises the more her memory played out before her…

“They were just here … my dad, my brothers … they were all here …”

Her voice came out a whisper, her breath already drying the inside of her throat. Feeling her vocals grow coarse, every word she drew only made her eyes sunk deep.

“We were supposed to go on a trip … but I didn’t make it time … so now they’re … gone. But Armin…”

She grabbed the sheets, sheets that covered her legs up to her stomach. Stabbing through the fabric, while feeling her body freeze up like ice, her vision blurred. Not allowing her pupils to pierce through, not a trace of clearness welled in her irises.

All the while she failed to take a single breath.

—“He wanted to show me something, but I never gave him that chance. Now that I have left … is a fresh nightmare born out of a fantasy.”—

Her whole body shook, once one or two tears rolled down her cheeks.

Pushing his body off the chair, he settled the paper onto his seat before walking toward her. To the left of the chair, a stack of donut holes sat in a container, leaving him to bring it with him on his trek. Reaching right next to her, he had the container out wide open, allowing her head to be slowly lifted.

“I don’t know if you like them … so you don’t—”

“Please…”

Carrying the container with his left hand, he picked up a single donut hole with his right. Placing it gently onto her hands, with her palms facing up, she brought the small donut hole up to her face.

Eating the donut in one bite, she swallowed it whole, and swiped away saliva that drenched her right lip. Folding his arms, he continued to stare at Luna, and pushed an exhale out his wrinkled lungs.

“Have you ever exercised? Worked out? Boxed?”

“N-No … I never lifted a weight… but my Dad was a boxer, until he had me…”

Walking back toward his seat, and having his container in hand, he moved the paper that clogged his seat. Placing onto the small table near him, he crashed down, while hearing the words draw from her whispered throat.

“And what about your mom?”

Her face began to turn casual, but not so much that she looked laidback. Moving her eyes away from the white sheet, she had them placed onto the cowboy, who ate with seriousness and sincerity.

“She abandoned us, after my youngest brothers were born. She wasn’t the bestest mom from what I remembered…”

Chewing up the last of his donut hole, he swallowed the rest of the sugar down his parched throat. Once it crashed down to the pit of his stomach, he nodded up and down at the hearing of her words. Softening his face, with eyelids circled in shadows, he continued to stare at her with a look of pure intensity and doom.

“Even though you’re strong, you don’t look mentally stable.”

“W-What…?”

She widened her eyes and slouched her body, followed by her hands lazed against her thighs. Glancing down at her bruised knuckles, with skin still entrenched by blisters and calluses, she grinded the back of her teeth. Pulling her fingers inward, she pushed them into the center of her palms.

“I’m an elite soldier, a man who knows a teen or kid’s potential to their fullest. Believe me when I tell you that your eyes don’t look healthy.”

Her hands softly shook. Pushing her eyes downward to the floor, she let her hands flail motionless with darkened irises. Unwilling to make eye contact with her, a single droplet of sweat ran down the cowboy’s temple, and into the latex floor.

“You glared at everything around you, until you saw me. Any normal person would be in shock, and try to control their breathing before making their move.”

A weak smile plastered on her face, as the tips of her lips twitched erratically. Her face growing red, followed by her nostrils flaring up, she had her hands on the edge of the bed. As if her whole body was holding her back, a small vein sprouted from her right temple.

“W-W-What are you trying to say?

“You failed, which means you aren’t ready for combat.”

She gripped the ends of her bedsheet, which wrinkled and tore apart the very material of the cloth. Her knuckles sticking out like sore thumbs, her voice came out a frail whisper yet again, but toned to that of a death metal bass.

“But I want to fight…”

He glanced at her unwavering frustration, which was seen from both sides of her temples. Veins scattering her skin, it was enough to place his attention onto her. Crackling them one by one, he narrowed his softened eyes at her.

“You’re not going to. So…”

“I want to fight.”

She began to glare, her eyelids pushed horizontally toward the cowboy. Getting out from the bed, she barraged her bare feet on the white floor, and had the tips of her toes sunk into its clean slate. Clenching her stomach, tightening her abs, the mask she had was long gone … unveiling …

“For the last time—”

With her right hand, she had her palm grasp a glass veil. Being soaked with flowers, she didn’t care as she threw it straight into the wall behind him. Shards splattering onto him, he had already ducked his head, and felt a pinch of glass pinch his neck and face.

“I want to fight!”

Glaring at her with narrowed eyes, he began walking forward ever so slowly. Seeing that she kept her feet glued, and her hands balled into fists, he then towered over her with his shadow. Placing his hand onto her shoulder, while feeling her bones quake, it was like her whole body reverberated to that of a car’s engine.

“Then can you promise me one thing…?”

The strain on her scleras began to loosen. Slow but steady, she felt her breathing hampering off, but it didn’t mean that her feet remained loosened.

Without exhaling air out, but instead of pushing his fingers into her shoulder, he kept them at an equilibrium point of tight and loose. Because in a way … she reminded him of someone …

“I’ll let you in, unless you know the promise I’ll give you.”

She saw a girl in him, a girl that she held once dear to him. Knowing he’ll never see her again, and knowing that she looked exactly the same, it was enough for him to trail the words slowly from his mouth.

As the scene turned to black.

“Don’t die.”