Luna Holzmann's Story

My birthday is tomorrow ... That's almost ... Sad. Eighteen years on this dreadful planet and I have yet to accomplish anything in life.

The porcelain-colored hand paused mid-comb. The brush clung to the golden locks as it was slowly pulled away, the hair falling gently back into waves around her neck, her hand dropping to the vanity before her. For a moment, all that Scar could see was the icy-blue of her eyes, chilling to the look but warm if one gazed long enough into them.

Why her? Why had she been chosen to live a damnable life such as her own? No family to call her own, and the only families that she had ever known had either not wanted her, or shown her only pain and sorrow. Why had God-

Stop that!

Scarlett snapped out of her moment of mental thoughts of misery, reminding herself that wondering such things could only bring two results: Sorrow and depression. Both of which, mind you, were not pleasant to experience.

Pasting a smile on her face, she pressed her index fingers into her two dimples.

"Besides, today is a happy one! The freshmen will be arriving any moment, and I am perfectly prepared in my first year of being the Head Girl!"

For a split second, her smile wobbled, as doubts clouded her mind.

What if she wasn't good enough? What if she failed as the Head Girl, and on her first day no less? What if the freshmen didn't like her? What if-

"Oh, stop worrying, Scar! One, it will give you wrinkles that you won't be able to get rid of. And two, all those are are a bunch of 'what if's'. Anyone can wonder 'what if', but it's the successful people who wonder, 'why not?', remember?"

Her inner argument settled and her doubts quelled for at least the time being, she brushed out her gold and purple uniform. A soft yip from her bed brought her attention to the puppy sitting upon it. With a beaming smile, she tip-toe ran to him and plucked him up, spinning him around as she fell backwards onto the bed, kicking one foot into the air.

She made a thoughtful, pouty-face at the dog, who gave her an equally-pouty face in return.

"What do you think, Mr. Teddy-Weddy? Should I stop worrying so much?"

A fat drop of slobber right on her cheek was her answer as the puppy continued to pant from above, a happy grin on his face.

Letting out a laugh, she placed him back on the bed and used a towel sitting on her bedside dresser to wipe away the slobber.

"Yuck, Teddy! Are you trying to ruin my chances of impressing my new freshmen or what?" she teased, rising from the bed. She crossed the room to the large rabbit cage that sat in it, opening the door to it and removing a small fluff of grey, which much resembled that of Thumper from Bambi. She nuzzled noses with it as it made little squeaking sounds of chatter.

"Well, obviously Ms. Sylvie has quite a lot to say today! Don't you, Sylvia?" she joked. She kissed the bunny on it's head for a long moment before replacing it in it's cage, tossing in a few rabbit treats and some carrots as she did so. After ensuring that the door was closed and locked, she stuck her finger between the bars and waggled it slightly. "Now, you behave yourself, understand?"

The rabbit looked at her like she was crazy before returning to it's delicious carrots.

Scarlett turned and placed her hands on her hips, looking down at the small puppy as it rolled across the floor.

"You behave yourself too, Teddy. Understand?"

Her only response was the dog pausing, perking it's ears up at it's name, and then resuming it's rolling. At one point, he stopped and attempted to stand, but only succeeded in stumbling and toppling over his head in the process. Letting out a laugh, Scarlet checked his food and water bowls, tossed a few treats on the floor, and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder in the same movement.

"I'll come by during lunch to check on you guys. Right now, I need to go and make sure that old arse weed is out of bed," she giggled, knowing that if Andrei heard that, he wouldn't understand what she had said, but would still understand that it was an insult - and a mighty one at that!

Locking her door behind her, she slipped the necklace that held her key back around her neck, freed her hair from the chain that held it, and started down the hall. She called gentle greetings to those who crossed her path, nodding her head and letting out a cheery 'Top of the mornin' to ya', laddie!' or 'Top of the mornin' to ya', lassie!'. Needless to say, she was nearly breathless by the time she neared Mutige House, having worn herself out of good mornings.

Slipping inside, she smiled at a couple of Sophomores lounging in the entrance to the House, who waved in reply. Scarlett easily made her way up the stairs to the floors that actually held the rooms, and after winding her way through the stairs and passing by several closed - and open - doors, she had seen enough of the male body to satisfy her for a life-time.

Stopping before Andrei's door, she lightly rapped on the wood just below the number bestowed upon it, avoiding the parts of the door that he had decorated himself, and stepped back to wait.

It was no surprise that after about a minute of standing there, there was no response.

Heaving a sigh, Scarlett reached between her breasts and removed a key from the same necklace that held hers. Not bothering to remove the entire chain from her neck, she instead leaned over, placed the key in the lock, and promptly threw open the door.

"Rise and shine, ye plonker!" she practically sang, moving over to the only window in the room and throwing open his curtains. Light instantly showered the messy establishment he called his living quarter's, but without allowing that to dampen her mood, she lithely navigated the travesty he called a room until she was beside his bed.

Leaning over him, she grabbed the edge of his comforter and yanked it clear off of his half-naked body, tossing the blanket to the ground.

"Time to get up, Andrei! If you don't, you'll be late for greeting the new students! And you know how the Headmaster will react if you're late for greeting the new students," she warned, winking down at him.

She paused, however, and took a moment to truly study his body. Of course she had seen it before, seeing as they had been friends for around four years now - trips to the beach often showed more body to people. Plus, she had been waking him up almost every school day since their freshman year. Yes, he had always been this lazy.

But still, the body that laid before her was definitely a delicious one, and for the time-being she allowed herself to get an eyeful.

He was definitely something that she wouldn't mind having on a silver platter as dessert.

Musing over this, she leaned down to poke his side, using her free hand to brush back a stray lock of her and tuck it behind her ear as she did so.

"Honestly, Andrei; why a grown man can't even get himself out of bed is beyond me. You can just be so lazy at times ..." She heaved a sigh.

{Luna}
{Vendette}



What do you think, Vendette?

What do I think? It's dreary, old, and ugly. I don't like it. Let's go home.

You know that that's not an option, Ven.

Sure it is. Just have the driver turn the damn car around and go back to the airport. The ticket was one-way, but Mother and Father gave you more than enough money to pay for another ticket.

I'm not going back to that place. At least, not until I have my power under control ... And you.

Don't you see, Luna? You'll never have me 'under control'. I'll always be here. Watching you ... Waiting for the perfect opportunity to take control. You may be in charge right now, but very soon it will be my turn, sister dear.

Go away, Vendette. Leave me alone!

After that, only silence filled Luna's mind, leaving her to herself and her own thoughts. The driver was a middle-aged man with a cold expression hidden only slightly by sunglasses, which eliminated any chance of beginning a conversation with him. Instead, she turned and chose to gaze out of the window of the limousine, thinking back to the goodbyes from a day before.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'll miss you, Luna!"

The wailing little boy before her was none other then Evan, her seven-year-old brother, who clung to her side with tears dripping down his face. Her other brothers - five more in total - stood around her in a circle along with her parents, and while Evan and her mother both were crying, her father and the rest of her brothers stood awkwardly around the three, unsure of how to convey their emotions in that moment.

Her brother drew her in, practically clinging to her.

"Oh, my poor baby is going through so much ... I'm going to miss you so much, dear! Get better soon!"

As far as her family was concerned, she was going to a school for 'special' teenagers. To explain it in simpler terms, it was thought to be a school for 'disturbed' teenagers like herself, those with 'mental disorders'.

Her eldest brother, Thomas, moved over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. "Have fun, 'sis. We'll miss you, but it's for your own good," he said softly, removing his arm.

Vander and Strom moved over, body slamming her between them, yet gently enough not to actually hurt her. She let out a laugh and rubbed her shoulders, punching them both in their upper arms.

"Come home soon, Luna."

"Yeah, it'll be quiet in this house without your big mouth yelling at us to pick up our stuff," Strom teased. She stuck her tongue out at him, before spinning and throwing her arm around Johnathon, who had been making a move to tackle her. She caught him in a vise-lock around the neck, laughing.

"Do you give? Do you give!"

"I give, I give!" he grunted. Luna released him and he took in a few deep breaths before laughing.

"At least we don't have to worry about anyone messing with her," he joked, causing Evan to giggle. Her brothers made their ways back to what they had previously been doing, and after another long hug from her mother, she too disappeared, undoubtedly to file paperwork.

Which left her alone with her father. For a moment, they both awkwardly looked around the room. Since the letter arrived and she had chosen to accept a week before, it had been different between them. No longer did they watch bad movies together while they ate unnaturally buttered popcorn; nor did they make ships in a bottle, or cook together. Instead, she had barely seen her father, who had been completely absorbed in his work. She had chosen to focus on her ballet and modeling, realizing that he wouldn't accept any offers from her in regards to them spending time together.

After several moments of uncomfortable silence, he moved forward and gently hugged her.

"Get better, Luna. I'll miss you ..."

After a second, her arms lifted and wrapped around him in return, tears threatening to spring to her eyes.

"I'll miss you too, daddy ..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stepping from the limousine, sunglasses guarding her eyes from the harsh suddenness of the sunlight, she hoisted her duffle-bag over her shoulder, grabbed her two suitcases, all of her books, sewing equipment, Fencing Equipment, Ballet and Dance equipment, and Playbooks having already been delivered to the Academy, and started up to the front of the Academy.

Once inside, it took her mere moments to find the place in which she would check-in for registration.

Approaching the desk, Luna released her suitcases standing up, and leaned over the counter to look down at the small woman before her.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she said softly, the word 'ma'am' sounding more closely to that of 'mum' as she spoke. The woman looked up and over her glasses, keeping her book open as she did so. Luna cleared her throat and shifted a bit nervously before continuing. "I'm here to register ..."

After a moment, the woman placed the book open, pages-down on her desk, before turning and rifling through a drawer of papers.

"Island of the Lost Girls, by Jennifer McMahon. 272 pages, published on April 22nd, 2008. Published by William Morrow Paperbacks in the United States of American, one edition. Main character is a middle-aged woman named Rhonda, and the author was born and raised in suburban Connecticut. She studied at Goddard College and graduated with a Bachelor's in 1991 before studying poetry for a year in the MFA in a Writing Program at Vermont College. After bouncing around the country, she ended up back in Vermont, living in a cabin with no electricity, running water, or phone. With her partner, Drea, she built her own house, and later gave birth to a daughter named Zella, in 2004. Over the years, she has been a house painter, farm worker, paste-up artist, Easter Bunny, pizza delivery person, homeless shelter staff member, and counselor for adults and kids with mental illness. She did, however, quit her last official job in 2000 to work on writing full time. Since then, they have been living in an old Victorian in Montpelier, Vermont."

When Luna blinked, the woman was staring at her over her glasses, holding the papers out to her expectantly. For a moment, she simply stared at her. Finally, she accepted and stepped back from the desk, turning to face the large entrance to the castle of an Academy.

She had been told that there were Head Students that would be there to meet the freshmen, but obviously said students weren't really taking their jobs too seriously, for there wasn't one in sight. Instead, the box that the woman had set on the counter of her desk which held her new uniforms - gold and purple in color - was the only hint at what 'House' she was. Unsure of what exactly to do, and missing her kitten and baby cougar terribly, she moved over to a nearby couch, dropping down onto it with her bags and box at her feet as she studied her schedule, rules, and other miscellaneous information that the woman had handed her. She crossed one leg daintily over the other, tossed her hair down her back, and sighed.

"But would I deny you chance to come into my room and gain an eyeful."

Out of nowhere her hand was grabbed and promptly yanked upon. She was tugged onto the bed beside him and easily pulled back and against his chest. He squeezed her, and as soon as his naked chest touched her back, her breath hitched. Her heart skipped a beat, causing her to inhale sharply and an instant warmth to fill her cheeks.

Why his mere touch made her feel like this was beyond her. The guy was a total tool - all he did was use girls for sex and popularity. Yes, he was a good friend to have. But he was a curse to develop feelings for.

When he finally released her and climbed from the bed, she was instantly on her feet, patting her cheeks in an attempt to rid them of the blush that had risen high in the bones there. Her back was to him, so when he spoke, she turned to survey his appearance.

"So you think the Headmaster wouldn't mind if I greeted the new students in a pair of shorts and and tank top? Not that you would complain. Come to think about I think only the headmaster might complain."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Scar rolled her eyes. "Presentable?" She slowly looked him up and down, and taking it to the extreme, she began to walk in a circle around him. Finally, she stopped in front of him and reached up.

"You need to learn to tie a tie correctly," she teased, undoing the tie and easily looping it around into a perfect one. Like she did every morning. Oh yes, she has tried for years to teach him how to tie one, but he seemed determined not to learn. Instead, she'd taken it upon herself long before to tie it for him every morning.

Patting the tie down against his chest, she sighed. "I have no idea what you'll do without me after this year, but I hope you'll find some way to survive," she joked, grabbing her bag from the floor and starting for the door. "Come on, we have students to greet and help. I'll come by after classes to help you clean your room. And I'm serious when I say help. I'm not doing it on my own. You will participate," she said threateningly, stepping into the hall.

{Luna}
{Vendette}



"Excuse me, but are you Luna Holzmann?"

Luna looked up and in the direction of the female voice. There stood a young girl, who could be no older than herself, with large glasses and a mouse-like face. She used her index finger to push up her glasses, adjusting her hold on her books in the same motion. Squirming nervously, her eyes darted side-to-side, as though she were looking for some unknown predator just waiting to pounce.

After a moment, Luna rose and extended a hand to the girl.

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

The girl bit her lip, looking at the hand as though it were waiting for the perfect moment to bite her. Luna slowly retracted it, allowing it to drop to her side, and the girl relaxed a bit.

"I-I'm Jezabel. I was sent to take you to our room, since ... Since we share one," she stammered out. The girl obviously had a stuttering problem - either that, or she just had a very severe nervous disorder. Nonetheless, Luna offered her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you. I could really use the help. I've been a bit lost since I was given my things, mate," she said cheerily, returning to her bags and grabbing her suitcases. Jezabel moved over and hefted up the box with Luna's uniforms, adjusted her grip on it, and started briskly away, leaving Luna to hurry to keep up with the fast-paced girl.

When they reached their room, there were already two other girls in the entrance sitting room, lounging back on the couch and watching some movie on the TV. They barely spared a glance up at the two girls, and Jezabel seemed to move even more quickly to the room that would be Luna's. Walking a bit more slowly through the room, she nodded at the two girls as they finally looked up, and continued on to hers. Jezabel had already hung up her uniforms for her, and her other things had already been delivered and were all sitting on top of the bed.

"Your stuff got here yesterday."

Luna nodded, propping her suitcases beside her bed and slowly looking around the small room that would be her home for the next four years or so. It was smaller than her one back home - no surprise there, since she had a huge room in Australia - but it would do.

Jezabel shifted uncomfortably near the door, rubbing her arm absently. Luna offered her a smile.

"Thank you for the help, but I should be alright now."

"Are you sure? Because the Academy is really big and can get kind of confusing sometimes ..."

"Oh, that's fine. I won't get lost, trust me," she said reassuringly.

Once Jezabel had left, Luna changed into one of her new uniforms. She freed her hair from the shirt, adjusted the sleeves, and did a once-over in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she shoved her key into the pocket of her skirt, slipped on her black shoes, and made her way from the room, history book tucked firmly under arm.

It didn't take her long to find the cafeteria, which seemed like the popular choice for the students at that time. It did take her a while to get through the line and buy her poppy-seed muffin, orange juice, and blueberry bagel, but once through, she paused.

Surveying the room, she frowned. Not knowing anyone made it difficult to find a place to sit at, seeing as there weren't many open places for just one. After some searching, however, she found a spot on a windowsill near the back of the cafeteria - the perfect place to read and eat. It let in the right amount of sunlight and gave the correct amount of space on the sill.

Winding her way through the slightly-crowded room, she hopped up and onto the sill. Turning her back to the wall, and drew up her knees, propped her book open on her legs, and munched on her muffin as she read.

Do you really think that you'll be able to fit in here?

Ignoring Vendette, Luna turned a page.

You know that you can't ignore me. I'll just continue to bother you until you respond in some way.

It isn't even worth trying, you know. They'll never accept you, because they'll never understand. They need to accept us in order for them to even consider being your friend, and we both know that they'll never accept me. I'm too 'unpredictable'. Too 'volatile'.

Don't you see, Luna? They'll never understand you. They'll never understand that it's me doing all of the things that I have planned.

Stop talking, Vendette ...

Why? Because you know that I'm right? You can't silence and stop the truth, Luna. You just need to accept your fate as a friendless loser.

I said, shut up ...

No. Because you know that I'm right and I just love to be right. You have no future with anyone else - because I'll always be here. Stopping you from being happy.

"I said, shut up!" she growled, snapping her book fiercely shut. A couple of students nearby looked in her direction, puzzled expressions on their faces. Clenching her jaw, she reopened her book, nestling further into the corner of the windowsill in an effort to ignore the whispers from that table that ensued.