12. That’s...Pleasant?

“OOH, OOH, PICK THIS!” I waved a tiny ring in the air.

“A ring…really?” Orion grimaced and dropped the pile of random swordy things he’d gathered into the bigger pile of random swordy things. Walking over he stretched his arms, “Luna, we’ve been at this for half an hour and all you found was a ring?”

“Well. If you’re going to be like that then I guess I’ll take it.” I tossed my hair and turned my back to him.

“Ugh, don’t be like thatttttttt. Ooo, pretty shiny thing.”

I turned around to see him staring straight at me. “Liar!” I gasped, dramatically clinging to my chest. “And oh! Woe is me, for I am but a mere damsel in these times,” I stood up and started pacing, “These dark times of great distress, these dark times of horrid anguish. Mankind is suffering, but it shan’t end like this! I will fight! I will--”

“Luna.” Orion clamped his hand over my mouth and stared into my eyes.

“Mph?” I stared back.

“I’ll take the ring if you’ll stop that.” He said, gingerly plucking the ring from my fingers.

I grinned. Then bit him.

“OWWW! What was that for?!” he shook his hand, as if that would make the pain go away.

“I SHALL NOT BE SILENCED!” I hopped on top of a rock and struck a heroic pose.

“Yeah, great.” He picked up three similar looking rings to the one I’d found and stuck them on two fingers of both hands. He pointed at the wall and four beams shot through the cave wall. “Can we go now?”

“Sure.” I hopped of the rock and started heading back to the beach.





“Are you sure we have to do this?” Orion gulped as we stared at the gleaming fins, sliding through the water. “We’re gonna die.”

“We are not going to die. Ready?”

“No.”

“Too bad.” I aimed the bracelets at several fins. The sharks shrieked. “Since when do sharks shriek?”

“This is a different dimension?” he guessed.

“Whatever.” I sighed and flew up, above the water. “Can we breathe underwater?” I stared down as he flew up next to me.

“Duh.”

“Fine. Die alone.” I dove into the water without waiting for him.





“MRLBGL!” Orion shouted as I picked up a tiny pitch-black necklace, bubbles flying from his mouth.

“Shut up, you don’t know how to talk underwater.” The words came out bubbly, but understandable. I stared at the necklace. It was plain, just a pitch-black, flat oval hanging from a thin chain, but you could faintly feel energy coming from it. What’s that supposed to say, mom’s got a black soul? I smirked at the thought and swam back up with Orion, past all the dead diamond-like sharks.

11. Life’s Everything But Boring.

“THERE IT IS!” I shrieked pointing at a cave.

“Ow! My ear! How about not shouting in it for once?” Orion whimpered as he covered his ears. “There what is?”

“The cave!” I giggled excitedly.

“Yeahhhh…?”

“Oh, right. I saw my dead mom in a dream. She told me that we need to get this amulet thingy that she dropped in the water where the sharks were, but that the sharks were made of diamond. So we hafta get the weapon in the cave so we can go underwater and get the thing without dying.”

There was that look again.

“What?!” I threw my arms in the air dramatically. “You’re looking at me like I’m crazy or something.”

“Just another one of Luna’s crazy ideas, just another one of Luna’s crazy ideas, just another one of Luna’s crazy ideas…” he mumbled and wandered ahead of me to the cave.

“Well, glad to see he believes me.” I laughed and followed after him.





“So, here’s a tree…in a cave…what are we supposed to do with it?” Orion asked, walking around the tree and staring at it.

“We get that.” I pointed up near the top of the tree. “The question is, how?” I stared up, trying to think of an idea.

“Luna.” Orion stopped to stare at me.

“Yeah?” I asked, still gazing at the top.

“You have wings.”

“Ohhhh, right, right.” I flew up and grabbed the clear, shiny object then flew back down. “Well, what is it?” I asked, staring at the box.

“I dunno, I think that’s a button though.” He pointed to one side of the box.

“Alrighty then.” I grinned and pressed the button. There was whirring and a clunk then it sprung open with and explosion. “Well…that was unexpected.” I stared at all the different weapons on the floor. They varied from daggers, to swords, to spiky ball thingies with chains, to whatever that thing over there was. “Ooo, I like these.” I picked up two long bracelets and clipped them on. “How do they work?...”

“You look like Wonder Woman now.” Orion grinned.

“You. Dork.” I laughed and pointed my arms at the wall. “Whoa!” I fell backwards as something came out of the bracelets. Long, clear, shards stuck in the wall across from me. “Awesome.” I got back up and turned towards Orion.

“I swear if you point that at me, I’m leaving.” He stared at my arms while in “Ready-to-Run” mode.

“Chill out, I’m not going to kill you.”

“Alright,” he relaxed and started rummaging through the weapons, “don’t injure me either.” After a while, he picked up a sword and stuck it in his hilt.

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“That’s so old fashioned. We’re staying here until you pick something cooler.” I yawned then plopped down on the ground.

10. Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

“Where are we going?” Orion whined. He flew after me as we soared above the ocean. “We just get here, and then BOOM!!! You blow up, then act like nothing ever happened, get up on your wings and soar in an uncharted area where you’ve never been, by the way.”

“Will you relax?” I rolled my eyes and started spinning through the air. “You worry too much.”

“That’s because you don’t worry enough! You don’t even know where we’re going, for all you know this could be as safe as a death trap!” He waved his arms dramatically with bulging eyeballs.

“I’m sure it’s perfectly safe. We’re like, fifty feet above the water anyways, what could possibly reach…uh oh.” I stared down at a blindingly bright object from the water come closer and closer. “That looks sorta like a--”

“Shark!” Orion yelled, pulling me back right before the giant glistening creature chomped at the spot where I’d just been.

“Well…that was rude.” I stared down as the shark plummeted into the water.

“…You’re either the bravest or dumbest person I know.” Orion said as he stared at me like I’d just sprouted…never mind.

“Orrrr both.” I grinned. “Come on, we’re almost there!” I laughed and sped off again, higher this time.

“Where?” He squinted ahead then flew into a cloud and came out soaking wet. “Okay, ew. Why does all this happen to me?”

“There!” I pointed to the giant sparkling island barely in view up ahead. “And I don’t know. You’re just that lucky, I guess.”

“Lucky, right. Geez, oh man, look at that.” He pointed down towards the gleaming ocean. “Is that more of those things?”

I glanced down. “You want to find out?” I stared at him questioningly.

“Uh, nah, I’m good. Don’t really feel like being eaten alive today by invincible carnivorous sharks.”

“They’re not invincible, just almost.” I giggled.

“…I don’t even want to know why you’re laughing.” He narrowed his eyes.




“Polished diamond trees? This is unbelievable, how was this never discovered before?” Orion gaped at the island with wide eyes.

“Oh, I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything, y’know, DANGEROUS on the way here.” I smirked and headed farther into the blinding forest. “Ugh, too bright,” I grimaced then pulled a pair of sunglasses from my pocket.

“Where’d you get those?” he asked while shielding his eyes and walking behind me. “And where’d you get that?” he pointed to the diamond necklace around my neck.

“Meh, where I get most of my stuff.” I shrugged and handed him a pair of sunglasses too.

“Which would be?”

“Places that are of no concern to you.”

9. Anything Can Happen...Right?

“DUDE! That was so awesome! Let’s go again! Comeoncomeoncomeon!” I dragged Orion back towards the swirly portal of dark rainbow swirliness. “We were like shwoom! An it was all whoosh. Then the spinning and the falling! And, and, hey what’s up with you?” I glanced at the groaning Orion as he rubbed his temples.

“Dimension travel gives me a headache, okay?!” he snapped, ripping his arm from mine. “Now where’s the lights?” he fumbled around blindly, tripping over a step.

“What? The lights are on already, right?” I glanced around the dungeon looking room. “Where are we? And why are these stones purple and glowy? Where’s the furniture? Why is the room empty?! Except for that!” I pointed to a neon blue flower stuck to the wall.

“No, the lights aren’t on genius-…wait, you can see?” He spun around, tripping over his own feet. “And why the hell are you so hyper?”

“Duh, you can’t? Are you blind or something?” I rolled my eyes, and helped him up. Walking over to the wall, I poked the flower. A mechanical screech filled the room then it suddenly got brighter. “Ow.”

“I can see! Sweet, so-” He stopped short when he saw me, his face filled with confusion and terror.

“What?”

“Uh…Luna…don’t panic. Just, um…” He said, slowly inching into a corner.

“What do you mean don’t panic? IhavetonsofenergyandIfeelgreat!” I shrieked, suddenly I felt like a bouncy ball in hyper speed. Orion gasped and a giant boom sounded.




“Huh. All that changed was basically the paleness of her skin.” I heard Orion say from a few feet away.

“Yeah, and the fact that she, I don’t know, sprouted wings!” A girl cried happily.

“Ughhh,” I groaned getting up off the ground…wait, off the…oh, crap. I stared at Orion and a familiar looking girl from several feet up above them. “What the hell?! Orion, get me down!”

“LUNA!” Then girl shrieked and flew at me, knocking me off balance. “I knew you’d come, I just knew it. Because you’re my sister and you’d never abandon me and-”

“Cassie, shhh.” I covered her mouth with one arm and focused until I reached the ground. “Alright, why do I look like I’ve never seen the sun, and when did I get these?!” I flapped my wings, trying to look at them, but not succeeding.

“Because you turned into a shadow when you exploded.” Cassie grinned, still clinging onto me.

“Eh?”

“Dimension travel is different for each shadow, and deadly for humans. Orion gets headaches. When you traveled through, energy filled your human body to the point of explosion. After that, your shadow body broke free, so now you’re like this,” she nodded.

“Oh. Goody. Well, at least I can fly now.” I sighed, flopping back to stare at the sky. “I have to go. Orion, you’re coming with me.”

“But what about me?” Cassie frowned, putting on a sad puppy face.

“You can make us dinner, we should be back in a couple hours. If not, just assume we’re dead.” I smirked then took off with Orion dangling by my arm.