| harley |
"Hey, you ready?" Chase said after knocking softly on my door. I brushed my hair out of my face, after leaving it in its natural frizzy state. "Do I have to go?" I asked as I sat on the bed again.
He won't be in class.
He won't be on the court passing balls with his friends.
He won't be strolling down the halls with his arm over my shoulder.
I don't know if I can handle that.
Chase walked fully into my room and sat next to me on the bed. I closed my eyes for a few moments before snapping them open. I turned to look at Chase and his eyes were a dark grey.
"Don't try to get in my head Harley," He warned and I looked at my shoes. "What are you hiding?" I asked him.
"Who said I'm hiding anything?"
"It's okay to grieve Chase,"
"But you can't use my thoughts as a way of coping on your own,"
"I just wanna make sure you're okay. This is hard on everyone-"
"I thought you said you'd never look in my head again,"
Wow.
"Chase, I-" I protested and he shook his head. "Stop it. Okay?" He said over me and I didn't argue. He got up and held out his hand for me to take. I paused for a while before taking his hand and he guided me out of my room.
| khloe |
"Did Luna say whether she was coming in today?" I asked as I closed my locker door and adjusted my hoodie over my shoulders. It's only been one day but god, it feels like years.
Each lesson seems to just drone on like time is passing without me. I don't even know if I'm physically here anymore. I might as well be in my bed.
"No, she didn't," Athena answered monotonously and I knew she was feeling similar to me. We walked into the cafeteria and everyone was there. Nobody greeted each other.
We all just kinda sat there in silence at our table, whilst the noise from everyone else seemed to fly over our table. "Yo Chase!" One of the basketballers called as a group of them approached our table.
Oh no.
"Hey man, what's up?" Chase answered and they did a handshake. "Nothing much. What's up with you guys?" He asked as the other guys listened in. "Why do you all look like someone died?" He laughed and no one said anything.
"I'm gonna get some food," Harley said as she got up and left her full tray of untouched food on the table. "But she already-" The guy mumbled but stopped himself. "I'll go with her," Athena volunteered as she got up and followed. "Anyways," The guy said as he gave Athena and Harley a weird look. "Have you guys seen Carter?"
The question I was dreading.
The table fell silent and I planted my head on the table. I don't even want to be here anymore.
"No man, I haven't seen him," Chase answered and I raised my head slightly as Athena and Harley returned. "But I remember him saying how you guys all lived together-" The guy said before Harley cut him off.
"Well we haven't seen him," She said firmly and the table fell silent again. "Okay. Well if you hear from him, tell him we got practice tonight," The guy said awkwardly before he and his friends walked off. "Smooth," Chase said as he looked at Harley and she shrugged as she opened her can of fizzy juice.
| luna |
I kept my hands in my pocket as I walked through the halls. I don't even know why I decided to come here. It was hard enough leaving the house. I didn't have any way of getting here so I had to use his car.
Ever since the others left for school, I've been in his room. I don't know how I found myself there, but I did.
Found his car keys.
Drove here alone.
I pushed open the cafeteria doors and walked inside. Unfortunately, everyone noticed my arrival and proceeded to watch as I approached the others at the table. "I thought you were gonna stay home," Athena said softly as I sat next to Ricky and rested my elbows on the table.
"I couldn't stay there alone," I shrugged. "But I'm passing by," I added hoarsely as I tucked my hair behind my ears. It isn't brushed and I basically shoved it inside my hood so it's currently a mess.
"Where are you going?" Harley asked me and I sighed. "I'm going to my apartment," I lied.
I'm going to the police station.
"I have things I need to pick up,"
I'm going to give a statement,
"Then I'll probably wander around and stuff,"
Then I'm leaving Werveieme.
"I might not sleep at the house anymore cause it's too hard,"
I don't know where I'm going,
"But I'll be back eventually,"
But I'll figure it out.
"Well then I guess we'll see you around," Athena said and I nodded and gave everyone a small smile before getting up and leaving. I went to my locker to get a few things and put them in my backpack before heading out of school. I passed the sports hall and stared at the court.
I'll be honest, I don't know if I'm gonna come back here.
I was planning to skip town a long time ago. I was going to leave the day they saved me from that Natassia bitch that had my boyfriend killed.
We never ended up dating, but I've never had a boyfriend.
He will always be my first.
But then they found me in the middle of nowhere, so I couldn't exactly leave. And then I contemplated leaving again, but then Carter and I got close, and we know how that worked out, so there's nothing holding me back anymore.
"Hey," A tall basketballer said as he approached me in a vest and sweatpants. I gave him a weak smile as I stepped back and he shook his head.
"I'm not leaving. I just came to close the door. It's a closed practice," He said nicely and I realised I've been staring at the court like a weirdo. "S-Sorry," I apologised as I backed away and he paused.
"Luna, right?" He asked with uncertainty and I forced a smile and nodded. "You're not as cold as people say you are," He said with a smile and I took that as a compliment.
The rumors that fly around this school about me are atrocious.
"Well I'm having an off-day," I shrugged and he nodded understandingly "Well it was nice to meet you, Luna," He said with a smile and I smiled back. "And you are?" I asked. "Luke," He answered and I nodded and realised I was disturbing his practice.
"Oh I'm sorry, you were coming to close the door," I stuttered as I stepped back and he waved his hand. "Don't worry about it!" He called before the door closed.
I turned around and started walking to the exit. "Luna!" I heard Ricky yell and I cursed quietly before turning around. "Yeah?" I said with a tight smile and he didn't return the expression.
"You're leaving aren't you?" He asked and I remained cool. "Well, yeah Ricky. I'm leaving school to go to the station," I laughed dryly and he didn't buy it.
"Even though you hate the station and you think the officers are fat, doughnut-eating bastards, you're gonna go anyways; because you care about Carter and you don't want his death to go unnoticed." He said and I looked around the halls to see if any nosey freshman were listening in.
They do that a lot.
"If it didn't get to this point, you would've skipped the station, but you're going so you can get his home address and break the news to his family before the word gets out." I sighed as my grip tightened on my bag strap.
"And then you're gonna skip town. I know you've always wanted to, and you're gonna do it when they need you the most," Ricky said as he pointed back towards the direction of the cafeteria.
"Did you seriously have to mindread me right now?" I hissed as I looked up at him and he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I didn't have to. Because I know you, Luna. I didn't want to think of the many possible methods you would use to cope with this, but I knew that you were going to come to this solution."
"Ricky, I need to leave. I can't stay here anymore," I muttered and he sighed, "I just wish you could've at least said goodbye first," He muttered and I smiled as I accepted his open arms for a hug.
He pulled away before ruffling my hair and I didn't move his hand. "Do you want them to know?" He asked and I shook my head. "I'll come back when I'm ready, " I finished before turning away and walking out of the school.
𐐒𐐚 ° ˚ ₒ ∞ 𐐒𐐚 ° ˚ ₒ ∞ 𐐒𐐚
"So Miss Kendrick, what exactly are you saying?" The policeman asked once more and I sighed.
I really do hate these doughnut-eating bastards.
"I'm saying," I clarified once more into the microphone that he set up so they could listen back to the tape. "That there was someone in the building in the collapse," I said as I eyed him opening the large box of Krispy Kremes that was sitting on the desk. "And who was this person?" He asked and I paused.
Here we go.
"His name was Carter Wilson."
"And are you confirming that you were an eyewitness?"
"Yes, I was an eye witness. I witnessed him entering the building. I also witnessed the people saving multiple individuals trapped in the building." I lied smoothly.
"He never left the building," I added quietly as I stared at my hands. "Was he a relative?" He asked softly as I looked at my hands. "O-Oh no, we just went to school together, but he was a close friend," I mumbled.
"A close friend huh?" The policeman teased and my face hardened as I slowly lifted my head to look up at him.
Calm, Luna. Count to three.
"Excuse me?" I questioned rudely and he cleared his throat and stopped the recording. "That will be all Miss Kendrick," He finished and I got up. "Thank you for your time." He said as I smiled tightly. "Doughnut?" He offered and I grimaced slightly and shook my head.
I got out of there as soon as possible and climbed into his car. It gets harder and harder to sit in this seat.
I took a deep breath and turned my head to the empty passenger seat. I put his address on my phone and the directions came up. The drive was about 20 minutes, and it was the fastest 20 minutes I've ever endured.
I sat in the car and procrastinated for about 10 minutes before gaining the courage to climb out of the car and ring the doorbell on the house. A middle-aged woman in a dress and an apron opened the door. "Hello, how may I help you?" She asked politely and I gulped.
"I uhh need to talk to you," I stuttered and she gave me a curious look. I looked back at his car parked on the curb before facing her again. "It's not something I can really say out here," I added and she nodded before opening the door.
I followed her into their living room and sat down on the nearest chair. "Can I get you anything to drink..." She called. "Oh, It's Luna," I said and she smiled. "Luna, can I get you anything to drink?" I shook my head politely and looked around at the large sitting room.
"Mom!?" A guy yelled as he stumbled into the sitting room and paused as he eyed me. He looked a lot like Carter but way older. "Hey," He said with a smirk and I waved as he sat down next to me. "Do I know you?" He asked as he moved closer to me and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
"That's Luna," His mother said with a wide grin as she walked back into the sitting room followed by a small girl. "Hi, my name is Stacey," She said with a slight lisp and I smiled as I leaned down towards her. "Hi, my name's Luna," I said back in an enthusiastic voice and she giggled before disappearing back down the hall.
"So you're Carter's girl huh?" The guy asked me and I froze. "Marcel, stop harassing the poor girl. Go do the dishes," His mother ordered and he got up and walked out of the room and she moved closer to me. "So, Luna, what did you want to talk about?" She asked politely and I swallowed.
How would one even go about saying something like this?
"I'm here because I didn't want you to find out from the news channel or any neighbours, or something like that," I said and she listened intently. "Uhh two nights ago, as you probably know, there was an accident-" I said and she nodded her head, indicating that she already knew.
"I was there that night with Carter a-and there was an incident, and-" I continued but I couldn't form the words. "Go on dear," She encouraged and it made it even harder.
It was hard enough to look at myself in the mirror. I'm not prepared to see the look on her face.
"H-He was with me, and we were helping the people stranded on the top floors, a-and he didn't make it out." I finished and stared at my hands. I didn't look up and the room was silent, other than the faint background noise from the tv.
I looked up at her and she was turned away. She stayed like that before turning back to face me. Her eyes were stained red and she was trying to be polite, but how can you after hearing your son died.
"I just came from the police station to give a statement, because no one was aware that we were in the building, so they weren't aware of his death," I said quietly and her silent tears became more violent sobs.
Marcel and his sister ran back into the room and attempted to comfort their mother but she waved them away. "What happened? What did you tell her?" He asked with a harsh voice and I couldn't respond so my mouth just opened and closed.
"My baby's dead!" His mom proclaimed and Marcel froze. I squeezed my eyes shut and quietly waited for the chair to swallow me whole. "W-What?" Marcel repeated as he stared at me and I pushed my hair out of my face before sniffling.
"H-Him and I were helping the people trapped in the building and he went back in for one more search, a-and didn't make it," I said.
It would've been harder for me to explain the truth.
"Come on," He said as he picked up his confused sister and headed for the door. She had a sad expression on her face as she watched her mom cry.
"Does anyone else know?" Marcel asked and I shook my head. "J-Just the police. I wanted you to find out before the rest of the town," I said quietly and he nodded. His eyes were red but he gave me a tight smile before shutting the door behind him.
His mother dried her face and I stood up. "I-I don't want to take up more of your time," I said awkwardly as I thanked her for her hospitality and Marcel reappeared and shut the door behind him as he sat on the sofa.
"Are you like him?" She asked me and I turned to face her. "What do you mean?" I asked politely. "Are you powered?" She asked.
I would usually lie at this point, but I just couldn't.
"Yes, yes I am," I answered and her eyes widened. "There's more of you?" Marcel asked and I nodded. "I've heard stories but Carter was the only one I knew of," I answered as I clasped my hands behind my back and stared down at my uniform. "Do you mind?" She asked as she wiped her eyes and I looked around the room.
There was an empty fireplace at the far end of the room and I cupped my hands together in a ball. My eyes glowed as I opened them and a flame appeared in my hands. They both watched as I shot it in the direction of the fireplace and the flames grew as they danced around the logs. "Wow," Marcel whispered as the glow in my eyes diminished and I shoved my hands in my pockets.
"I-I should really be going," I stuttered and she nodded. "I'll walk you out," Marcel said as he got up and headed for the door. The mother thanked me and I gave her a tight smile as I followed him towards the main door. "Will you be in town?" She called and I stopped walking.
I turned to look at her and didn't answer. I clasped my hand and a piece of paper with my number appeared on the paper. I moved past Marcel and sat next to her. "One call and I'll come straight back," I promised her and she sniffled and nodded.
"Take care of yourselves," I mumbled as I stood up again and followed Marcel. "So you can make the paper appear?" He asked and I thought for a while. "Carter and I...aren't the same," I said in a steady voice.
"But-" Marcel protested as Stacey ran straight into my legs and I jumped slightly. "I've been around a lot longer than he has," I added.
A lifetime actually.
"Where's Carter?" She asked as she tugged on my skirt and I crouched to her level. "Carter had to go away for a while, but he told me to tell you that he misses you a lot," I said softly and her face fell.
I looked up at Marcel who gestured for me to continue. "He left a gift for you," I said as I clasped my hands together again and closed my eyes.
I imagined a gift and opened my eyes again. They glowed red slightly and her eyes widened as she looked at me. "Where's the gift?" She asked with a confused face. "Look at your neck," I gestured as I pointed to the necklace hung around her neck.
She gasped in delight as she gripped the blue lightning bolt pendant. She turned it around and frowned at the writing. "I-I can't read," She mumbled as she showed me the inscription at the back. I held it in my hands and read what it said aloud.
"You will never be alone. I will always be here," I read aloud as I stared at the pendant in my hand. I closed my eyes as my mind traveled to last year.
"You don't have to be alone. I'll always be here," He whispered as he pulled away and I kept my eyes closed as I relished this moment. I can't wait to have more of these moments. "Does that make you feel any better?" He mumbled and I nodded with a smile.
I was brought back to reality as Stacey threw her tiny arms around my neck and squeezed tight. "Thank you," She smiled and I smiled back as a tear fell down my face. "Don't cry," She whispered as she gently wiped it and took off towards the staircase and up the stairs. I adjusted myself and stood up.
I walked through the open door that Marcel was holding. "I've heard a lot about you," He began as I turned around and faced him at the doorstep. "He really liked you," He added and I sighed. "I really liked him too," I muttered as I bit my lip slightly to hold in the tears.
"Is that his car?" He asked, pointing to the car parked on the curb. "I almost forgot," I said as I pulled out his keys and handed them to him. "You keep it," He said and I gave him a confused look. "We don't exactly need an extra car around here, and I wouldn't want my mom to sell it," He said and I nodded slowly as I gripped the keys.
"Thank you," I said and I started slowly walking backward. "You take care," He said before walking back into the house and closing the door.
I hurried back into the car and locked the doors. I looked at the multiple bags of clothes that I packed before going to the police station. I guess I was sorta hoping that they'd let me keep the car.
I started up the car and started driving.
I have no idea where I'm going.
But I'll figure it out.