22. That’s What You Get.

“We have to do that thing we all talked about.” Luna sat across from me at our table, flinging chewed gum at the ceiling. Orion dangled from the ceiling by sticky licorice, dodging the gum.

“LET ME DOWN!” Orion screamed.

“Scalp him?” I asked, leaning my chair back so that I could stare up at him.

“Don’t scalp me, let me down!” Orion screamed.

“I’LL LET YOU DOWN WHEN YOU PROVIDE ME WITH THE DESIRED INFORMATION.” Cassie screamed back then turned back to me calmly. “No, that party thing. Fenrisúlfur and Sirena invited us. It’s in an hour, I think?” she glanced at her watch. “I sit corrected, it’s in thirty-six minutes.”

“LET ME DOWN!” Orion screamed while he squirmed.

“DESIRED INFORMATION.” Cassie yelled back.

“Alright. I suppose we should leave soon then.” I sighed.

“LET ME DOWN!” Orion screamed while he squirmed then screamed again when he saw me point my arm at him. Two shards flew from the bracelet and sliced the candy, making him fall to the ground. “Ow ow ow ow.”

“You said to let you down,” I shrugged as he glared back. “Now what have you learned?”

“Not to say anything while you possess your twisted mind and a lot of candy.” He wriggled free of the yummy ropes and slowly got up. “I’m going…to take…a shower.”

“The information, please.” Cassie stared icily at Orion, who froze with fear.

He sighed. “I ran around the playground nude yelling ‘I am the gingerbread man’ alright?”

I snickered and Cassie burst out laughing. “That’s so…stupid…” she gasped for air. “You’re not made of gingerbread.”

“That’s not the funny part.” I rolled my eyes. “When the teachers were chasing him, he kept yelling ‘Can’t catch meeeee!’ then he broke out of the school and ran down the streets like that. Best day of third grade. Ever. He ran naked.” I pointed at Orion. “And I learned that if you dumped juice on an annoying girl’s dress while the teachers are distracted, you can also dump ants on it.”

“Yeah. Ha. It’s funny. Go on without me, I’ll meet you at the party!” He waved over his shoulder as he walked down the hall.

“Okay, Gingy.” Cassie yelled back.





“Nifty.” I mumbled, staring at all the colorful lights as they swept back and forth across all the people/things. The music invaded my head with a steady beat as I scanned the crowds. “CASSIE?” I yelled at the top of my lungs. It was so loud and crowded I just got weird looks and…a giant swirly color lollipop.

“LUNA!” Sirena waved a couple feet from where I stood so I wandered over. She led me past a good chunk of more people and bright thingamabobbers with those thingies. I saw Cassie fall in behind me and Sirena stopped and turned back around. “Can you hear me?”

“No, I’ve gone deaf.” I grinned.

“Well, I’d like you to meet my friends,” she laughed and gestured to a small group of people about three feet from me. She pointed to a super-tall girl with long and smooth dark purple hair. She looked like a vampire supermodel and had tattoo swirls forming a ringlet on both her arms. Her matching purple eyes danced with joy and mischief. “This is Vix. Don’t let her looks fool you; she probably eats more than half the people here put together.” She grinned.

I glanced back at the mashed together people, there were two hundred, easy. It made me laugh a little when Vix’s jaw dropped. “I do not!” she protested. “That’s Jolen,” she glanced at Sirena and grinned.

“I heard that, Vix!” A voice called from behind me, it sounded eerily familiar. My body stiffened as I faced forward, that is, until a hand grabbed my shoulder. Then I reflexively grabbed it and flipped the owner. “…I should’ve known better. Geez, always violent, Luna.” I stared down, cocked my head to the side and made the Quasimodo face.

“Jolen? What are you doing here?” I asked as he got up, brushing dirt from his black jeans.

Jolen was thin too, just…guy thin, you know? He peeked up at me from under his black hair with his mischievous ghostly blue eyes. We stared at each other for a good twenty seconds before he smirked. He was staring at me. I was staring at his snakebites changing colors from the lights. “I live here.”

“OH!” Sirena broke in awkwardly, “So you know Jolen?” she asked, really not knowing what else to say.

“Yes, we’re lovers--OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, LUNA?!” he rubbed his skull where I’d bashed a tree limb against it.

“For lying, you weirdo.” I stuck out my tongue and Cassie caught herself from laughing. “Don’t lie to people or I’ll do things you won’t like.”

“I like everything you do.” He looked me over then met my eyes while wearing a cocky grin. I whacked the branch against his head again. “OW! Okay, stop doing that!” he put his hand up in a ‘stop’ motion as if that would do anything.

I thwacked him again. “Like that?” I stared at him, ready to take another swing. Sirena stood there, shocked; Vix was on the ground laughing.

“Okay, sorry, sorry.” He held his hands up defensively.

I dropped the branch and turned to Sirena. “Yeah, he’s my--” I started to say when Jolen leaned uncomfortably close to my face, making me freeze in surprise. Suddenly a fist flew from the side and connected with Jolen’s face, knocking him unconscious.

“He is her ex.” Orion grinned, putting his arm on my shoulder and leaning on me.

I snapped back to normal “I’m not made for leaning on!” I slapped his arm away and stared down at unconscious Jolen.

“What’re we going to do with him?” Orion asked.

“Take him back to the house and wait for him to wake up?” Cassie offered.

“I sayyy we push him off a cliff and see if he wakes up fast enough to keep from turning into Jolen pancake.”

“What…what just happened?” Sirena asked blankly, clearly confused. Vix was still on the ground, now red and not looking like she was breathing but still laughing.

“WELL.” Fenrisúlfur started, making Sirena jump.

“Don’t do that!” she yelled up at him.

“Do what?” he stared back down at her.

“Sneak up on me!”

“Oh that. Right. Sorry.” He beamed, she blushed. I was bored.

“We have to go!” I said, picking up one of Jolen’s arms, Orion picked up the other. “Had a great time, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone now.” I winked and took off into the sky alongside Orion and Cassie with Jolen’s body dangling by his arms behind us.

21. We’ve All Got To Deal With It Sooner Or Later.

“ORION!” I screamed cheerily as I flew up from behind and crashed into him. “I’ve been looking ALL over for you, you big lug.”

“I’m neither clumsy nor unintelligent, thank you.” He stuck his tongue out then smiled, revealing his pearly whites. I stared. “What?” His smile faded into a questioning look

“You smiled.” I slumped over and squinted, making one eye look smaller than the other. I imagined it to look sort of like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

“What’s your point, Quasimodo?”

I sucked in air then started talking rapidly. “You never smile. It’s like you’re heart was made by evil elves who rebelled against Santa, determined to create an evil creature who feels NOTHING but evilishness. Hate’s a 24/7 job, anger, oh yeah, I’ve got some time tonight for that! Love? Throw it out the WINDOW!!! Disgust is my weekend pastime!” I took in another breath to continue, but he clamped his hand over my mouth.

“So,” He dragged the words out with a devilish grin plastered on his face, “you’re basically saying that I’m the evil ice god of the universe just that my heart was made by conspiring elves?” He waited a while then removed his hand before I bit him again.

“Yes.” I nodded seriously. He burst out laughing, slowly floating towards the ground. I followed after him.

“You’re something else, Luna.” He sat down on a nearby boulder.

“And you’re someone else.” I bumped him off the boulder and plopped down in his place. He glared at me. I propped my chin up with my arm and smiled innocently at him.

He got up shaking his head with a smile then walked about two feet and sat down on the boulder across from me. “Hey Luna?” he fidgeted.

“Yes, boss?” I stared up at him.

He took a deep breath then let it out. “What do you think about you and me?”

“Hmmm. I think I’m a smile and you’re a frown, therefore, you complete me.” I beamed and made a circle with my hands.

“…That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone say that.” He smirked. “But you know what I mean.”

I sighed and flopped facedown off of the rock, burying my face into the grassy earth. “Mrph.” I grumbled.

“Lunaaa, come on, talk to me,” he pleaded flopping down and lying sideways next to me, poking my side with a twig. Still face down, I reached out and poked him back, zapping him in the process. “OW!”

I turned so that I was face to face with him. “I got more superpowers.”

“Yeah, great.” He rolled his eyes, pushing my hand away.

“If you keep rolling your eyes like that, you’ll turn into a bowling ball.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Someone told me.”

“Who?”

“I did.”

“Oh. Well, I’m not sure if that’s a very reliable source…” He smirked and I punched him in the arm. “OW! Geez, you’re violent.” He teased.

“Yeah suuure. How can you be sure that mutant monkeys didn’t invade the planet and you’re in some illusion thingamabobber and they punched you?”

“You’re so weird.”

“But you love me anyways ‘cause I’m so darn adorable.” I beamed and looked as cute as possible.

He scoffed. “You’re like an evil stuffed animal. They look totally cute and all, but at the time you least expect it, you turn around and they go psychotically savage and kill you.”

“I won’t kill you,” I promised, “unless you turn into a zombie and I’m forced to.”

“You might not kill me, but you’ll probably tear me to shreds.” He smiled but his eyes looked so sad I felt a pang of guilt.

“Look, you know I’m not good with these things…”

“You mean emotions?”

“Yeah, those things.” I grimaced. “They’re unnecessary but somehow needed, unwanted but you know you need it, a circle of things that cause pain but at times completely make up for it with unbelievable amounts of great joy!” I started spinning around, pacing back and forth in the surprisingly short grass. “They’re, they’re just plain incomprehensible! It’s like--”

“Luna!” Orion firmly grabbed me by the shoulders in order to get me to stop moving.

“Uhhh…yes?” I stared back at him as he stared at me staring at him while he stared at me intently.

“I, um…” he searched for the words thoughtfully, breaking the stare and staring at the sky while he gnawed on his lip. Taking a deep breath, he gazed back at me, his dark eyes swirling with emotion. “You know how you’re not good at uh, emotions?” My heart skipped a beat, or two, or more, I think it stopped. His arms slipped from my shoulders and dropped to his sides. He stared down and glanced nervously back. “Well, I’m not so great with words, so I’m just going to say it.”

“Go for it.” I gave him a dorky thumbs up.

“I like you, Luna. A lot.” He blurted out, fidgeting nervously.

“Well, uh. I--” the words started to slip through my lips without my telling them to do so. “I--”

“HEYYYYYYYYYY!” Cassie screamed as she came crashing down through the trees like a pixie pilot who’s plane blew up. She smashed into they ground with a loud “THWAK” sound. “Okay, ow. Ow, OWWW. Oh my gosh, that hurt!” She said as she dusted herself off. “Oh, no. Don’t catch me,” she glared at the both of us, “I’m only hurtling towards the ground at thirty miles an hour. Catch her? Nah, the GROUND WILL BREAK HER FALL.” She yelled towards us.

“Oh.” I said. “That was a ‘catch me I’m hurtling towards the ground at high speeds’ hey? I thought it was the ‘watch this impact, it’s going to be hilarious’ hey.” I smirked, taking a couple steps from Orion and stretching my wings.

“Uh…” She glanced from him to me and back. “Did I interrupt something?”

I shared a knowing look with Orion, something we’d done for as long as I could remember. He smiled half-heartedly for a second before we both turned to Cassie and said in unison, “Yes. We were just plotting your demise by electric mind controlling gummi bears.”

“Freaky.” She grinned.

20. I Think You’re Too Serious.

I sighed as I stared down at the thick forest beneath me. Thinking back on it, my life had seriously changed in the past couple days. I always knew about the thing with Orion, but I figured I’d deal with it when I was forced to. Should I consider myself a freak now that I’d sprouted wings and gotten superpowers? I didn’t feel that’d be right. I was born like this. I just grew up somewhere… different. I kind of missed my old life, my parents, my friends… OK, so maybe Orion was pretty much the only friend that hadn’t moved away or anything, but still. And as far as the whole “crisis” here went, it was pretty lame for a world threatening situation. I couldn’t tell right now if my life was awesome or sucked. But like most times I start thinking, I jammed the thoughts as far back in my mind as possible and continued on like nothing happened.





“You know, Cassie, you really should think before you say something.” Orion sighed as he walked through the forest with her.

“Well, gee. My bad. I kinda thought when guys smile and say they love someone, they wouldn’t mind telling people.” She said, followed by Orion glaring and an awkward silence. “OK, so I didn’t think.” She grumbled.

“Uh huh. That’s something new,” he rolled his eyes. “You do realize that we need to find her since SOMEONE,” he glared icily again, “opened their mouth and scared her off.”

“I didn’t scare her off; she seemed perfectly fine when she left.” Cassie gestured with an arm in the direction Luna had gone.

“Yeah, well, she’s not fine. Luna ALWAYS plays it cool then takes off to think about stuff, and sometime wayyy later when she’s all alone, she’ll have a mini-meltdown. She doesn’t like to worry people and, honestly, I think you’d start freaking out if she cried.”

“I would not! ...Stop glaring at me like that. How would you know Luna so well, I’m her sister! You’re just--” she mentally sifted through words, clenching and unclenching her fists as if to actually grab a word from thin air.

“A bodyguard, peasant, guy?”

“YES! That one!” She pointed repeatedly at him while he just stared back. “Well, all of those actually.”

“I grew up with Luna, therefore I fluently speak Luna language, verbal and nonverbal.”

“Well, that’s not fair!” Cassie flung he arms up and cried out, exasperated.

“Life’s not fair, Cassie.” Orion grinned then flew upwards, piercing through the trees, his eyes scanning for Luna over the horizon.