— • —
"How are you feeling?"
Luna's head snapped to the direction of the voice, though she was met with darkness. Slowly, she took in her surroundings, swallowing harshly as she was able to make out nothing, not even a silhouette. Before she could respond to the voice, they were speaking again.
"Silly question, since I know how you're feeling." Then he stepped out of the darkness. Peter. "You're scared, unsurprisingly."
Luna's brows furrowed as she looked over this Peter. His hair was tousled, something she rarely saw with the real Peter, cuts scattered across his face like the first time. She knew she was scared of seeing him hurt, but why this Peter always appeared for the sole purpose of antagonizing her was still unknown.
"You and I think we cracked it," he said quietly, Luna's breathe hitching when he stepped closer, "but we didn't." He stepped back, smirk tugging at his lips. "You're too dependent on people, and while I'm okay with that, you're not." He snapped his fingers, another figure forming in the darkness. "So let's tackle a fear right here, all alone."
Luna swallowed harshly when the person stepped into the light, exposing their identity. Danielle.
"You want to think you aren't afraid of your dear ex girlfriend," Peter continued, leading Danielle forward. "But you are. In fact, you're terrified of her, of what she knows, what she could do. So, let's get this over with."
Tears had begun to prick at Luna's eyes now as she was unable to tear her eyes away from the glaring hazel of Danielle's. "I don't want to do this," she cried out, trying with all her might to turn away, yet something held her head in place.
"Why? Need the real me to hold your hand?" Peter taunted her, eyes turning dark. "Maybe you need an extra push." With that, he snapped his fingers, this time the figure appearing in the light.
Together stood the father and daughter duo. Ernie Lakewood and Danielle Georgeson.
"How about now, Luna?" Luna shook her head. "Can you do it now?"
"Peter, stop," she begged, but he didn't let up. He gestured for the two to move forward, both following his instructions, taking another step forward. "Peter." Another step forward. "Stop." Her throat began closing, tears streaming wildly now. "Peter, stop!"
"No can do, babe."
That was all it took. Her crying grew louder as the two rushed towards her, the young girl still unable to move from her spot. She had no choice but to stand there and take what was happening to her. Allow his greedy hands to wander her body, while she stood lifelessly, not putting up a fight. The bruises on her hips appeared once more, the familiar shivers ran down her spine, the sick feeling in her stomach rushing back. She squeezed her eyes shut as Danielle's insults turned into threats, threats against her, against Peter, against anyone that meant something to her.
Her face was turned suddenly, two fingers holding her chin, forcing her eyes to meet the dark eyes of Peter. "Do something." A strangled cry left her lips when another figure appeared. "Do something," Peter repeated, stepping away from Luna to grab onto the other person. Her heart stopped as another Peter showed his face, this one lacking the cuts and bruises, resembling her own. "Or that's another fear you'll have to face."
"What do you want me to do?" Her voice was hoarse from all the crying, lip trembling as she yelled out. She let out a yelp as the grip on her hips tightened, hands beginning to shake at her sides.
Cut up Peter scowled before pulling the other Peter closer. "Time is ticking, Luna." Luna cried out when the other Peter let out a wince of pain. "You know what to do."
"I don't!" she protested, growing more and more frustrated as she was unable to move her hands. "I don't know what to do! I don't–Peter, stop!"
"You do!" He shouted back at her, dark eyes glaring at her while the other's squeezed shut in pain.
"You're hurting him!" She yelled out when Peter sunk to the ground, face screwed up as pain overtook him. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Her hands suddenly flew forward, shoving the grown man off of her, sending him to the ground. It wasn't long before Luna was throwing Danielle aside, the girl tumbling to the ground inches away from her father. Next, she was met with Peter, a smirk resting on his lips.
"Good job." He nodded his head to the two on the floor. "Now, it's time to wake up and do it all over again."
Confusion washed over her expression, though she wasn't given the chance to question what he meant, the girl awaking with a shrill gasp. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, cheeks wet with fresh tears, hands gripping her sheets. She was just sitting up when her bedroom door flew open, Diana Giraldo stumbling in with wide eyes.
"Are you okay?" She rushed forward, hands grabbing Luna's face, turning her head left and right to examine her. "I heard a scream."
"I–I screamed?"
Diana's features softened. "Yeah, isn't that why you woke up? You woke up from screaming?"
"No, Peter told me–" She stopped herself mid-sentence, all the pieces coming together now. Wake up and do it all over again. Let her fears make her stronger, not tear her down. For almost a year, she let her fears take over her and make her feel weak, like she needed to prove herself. What she needed to do was take those fears and fight them head on, not cower away.
"Luna, what's going on?" Diana asked softly.
Luna snapped out of her daze, swallowing harshly when she met her sister's concerned eyes. "I need you to take me to jail."
— • —
The car ride was uncomfortable.
The look of utter shock Diana wore after Luna's request was almost comical, and had the situation not been so serious, Luna might have laughed at it. It led to a lengthy, though necessary, conversation about what the girl's been going through. She told her sister everything–correction, almost everything. Things like the beginning of her feud with Danielle, her break with Peter, the Mario incident, even down to her failing her science test. If it somehow contributed to Luna's downfall, Diana now knew it. She wasn't entirely onboard with the plan, especially since it was constructed by three fifteen year olds who didn't completely understand the world yet, but she supported Luna. So she offered herself as the adult to get them in, doubt still swimming in the pit of her stomach.
Liz and Peter wasted no time making their way to the girl's house the following morning, awkwardly greeting an overwhelmed Diana. The awkward exchange led to an eerily silent car ride, the three teens in the backseat all sharing uneasy looks.
"So what else is there to this plan?" Diana broke the silence, locking eyes with Luna through the rearview mirror. "You go in there, ask to talk to the guy, then what?"
"Then, Luna and I–"
"No," Luna cut Peter off, "I'm doing it alone."
"What?" "No." "Are you kidding?"
Luna nodded, images of cut up Peter resurfacing. "I appreciate the moral support, but I need to face my fears on my own. I realized that now."
"Luna." She turned to face her boyfriend, his eyebrows knitted together. "If you think we have a problem going in with you, we don't."
"I know you don't," she said softly, Peter's features softening. "But in order for me to get full closure, I need to do this. Okay?"
"Are you sure?" Liz asked, eyebrows raised.
"Positive."
— • —
I SWEAR LUNA IS GONNA FINALLY BE HAPPY SOON
SHES LITERALLY BEEN IN PAIN A MAJORITY OF THIS BOOK AND I FEEL BAD ABOUT IT