17

It’s a Love Story

 

Everything was so blurry. The aggressive rumbling of the truck as it rode downhill was the only thing informing Luna that she regained consciousness. That, and a voice calling out for her. It was faint, but it grew louder and louder until Melody’s words became clear.

“Luna! Please get up!”

Startled, all her senses returned after she rose from her near unconscious state. She saw that Melody was still behind the wheel, driving as far away from the mansion as she could.

“Oh thank goodness! Are you okay, Luna?”

All her senses returned, but so did all her memories of what transpired. Alongside that, she noticed a ruby beside her. It was the one Dominic offered. Aurora must’ve put it in the truck so they at least got something out of all this.

Luna slammed her first down on the ruby, crushing it to pieces.

“Luna?!”

“...I’m so sorry, Melody,” Luna quietly said.

“What?”

“I…I couldn’t protect anyone. Chloe, Aurora, they both gave themselves up for my sake. It hasn’t just been my powers… My whole existence is a curse on others!”

Melody slammed on the brakes. Luna’s lack of a seatbelt caused her to get knocked into the back of the shotgun seat. The pain was mild in comparison to everything she went through tonight.

“Take that back!” Melody yelled.

“Why did you stop? We have to keep moving or-”

“Not until you take that back! I could hear what Aurora said back there. Are you just gonna spit in the face of everything she told you?!”

“That wasn’t my intent-!”

“I don’t care what your intention is! I don’t need my only teammate that hasn’t been captured to talk to themselves like that! Now take it back!”

 “...I take it back. My apologies, Melody.”

A pure smile returned to Melody’s face. “This is what friends are for! Now, move up to the shotgun seat.”

Luna did just that. Even with that outburst of hers, she still had yet to shed any tears over everything that has happened, but she’d been bordering on the edge of that for quite a while. Her sadness was being overridden by frustration and exhaustion. 

Once she buckled in, Melody began driving again. It was so weirdly quiet in the truck as they rode together. If everything prior hadn’t occurred, it would’ve been like a typical late night drive.  

“I really do apologize, Melody. I’m the older one, and yet it was you who ended up consoling me.” 

“No need to be glum over something like that! I was in the truck the whole time. It was still scary, but I can’t imagine what this was all like for you.”

“Don’t discredit what you’re going through. You’ve been taking this pretty well.”

Melody chuckled, “That’s because I know one way or another, we’re gonna get our friends back!”

“You really think so?”

“Well, once we get the cool and confident Luna back, it’ll be a cinch! But first, we need somewhere safe to rest. Any places you have in mind?”

Luna couldn’t help but notice Melody’s voice didn’t sound completely honest with that first statement. As if she didn’t fully believe herself. For now, she chose to look past this to answer the question.

“I know where we should go. Follow my directions once we make it into the city. We’ll be taking some roundabout paths just to make sure we aren’t being easily followed.”

“Right!”

While continuing their drive, Luna thought back to what Melody said and had a new comment to make.

“I didn’t know you saw me as a friend.”

“As long as it’s okay with you!”

“It…it is, yes.”

The rest of the ride continued as expected. Luna knew Melody didn’t want to hear an ounce of self hatred coming from her, but this night had only made those thoughts more prominent than they’d ever been in her whole life. The logical paths her mind went down couldn’t escape the constant conclusion that this was all her fault.

This eventually led to one simple question.

Is this all because of how I was born?

***

 

Serene waited past midnight for Luna to return home. She promised previously that if she were to stay over at someone’s place again, she’d send her a text. She sighed and figured that she forgot.

I’m not worried enough about her, am I? Serene thought this before she heard a loud knock on the front door. She made sure to look through the peephole, but then opened the door without hesitation after.

“Hi Serene…” Luna said.

“Hello…Miss Lucero,” Melody followed.

One quick look in their eyes and all the bruises and cuts covering Luna’s body told her everything she needed to know.

“Come inside, both of you!”

 

***

 

Both girls sat on the large sofa. Serene came back from the kitchen with a first aid kit she stored in a drawer. 

“Here are some bandaids for you, Luna. Do we need to take either of you to the hospital? Should I call your parents miss…?”

“My name is Melody, ma’am. If you don’t mind, can you tell me where the bathroom is?”

“It’s down the hall to the door on the left. If there’s anything else you need, do not hesitate to ask me.” 

“Thank you, ma’am. If you would excuse me.”

As Melody walked towards the bathroom, Luna got up and followed.

“Melody, wait. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Totally! I’ll be out in a bit. Been holding it in for a while actually.”

“O-okay then.”

“I won’t take long! We can explain everything to your mom after!”

“She’s actually… nevermind.”

After Melody closed the door, Luna stood there in silence for a minute to continue processing that they’d lost two of their friends. They were in the comfort of Serene’s house while Aurora and Chloe were God knows where.

When she began to walk away from the bathroom, her ears picked up on something. She could hear the sound of sobs on the other side of the bathroom. Alongside that was hiccuping and short breathing, as if Melody was in a losing battle with her own crying. Luna could only clench her fist so tight she could feel her nails digging into her palms.

I’m so sorry, Melody.

“Luna, what’s happened?” 

Luna only just realized Serene approached her in the hall. She didn’t know what to say or what to really think by this point. All she knew was that she wanted to escape from all of this.

“If you don’t mind…can you comfort Melody first? I need a moment to myself.”

“Are you sure that you don’t-”

“I’ll be honest about everything, I swear. I just…need to lie down for a bit.”

Serene sighed, “Kid… Do whatever you need to do. I’ll be here to walk whenever you’re ready..”

“Thank you.”

Grateful for her compliance, Luna entered her bedroom and shut the door. Her bedroom seemed so much larger than it did before. This was her space separate from all else in the world. Still, this did nothing to leave behind all her worries.

If only this were all a dream… 

Her body gave up as she fell onto her bed. She didn’t bother changing out of her dirt ridden thief outfit. Her bed becoming dirty was the least of her concerns. Her eyes began to close on their own. 

She had yet to shed a single tear this night.

***

 

Luna’s eyes opened up. She was no longer in her home, but the streets of an Everfall from 100 years ago. The geography and shape of the mountains looked the same, but there were no towering buildings, nor modern-place iconography. 

Luna already recognized this was a dream, or more specifically, a memory tied to a girl she’s been linked to. A girl that walked right past her: Evelyn Eterna. She looked about fifteen years old at this point.

You again…!

Luna followed her as she was fuming with rage. She was absolutely sick of her supposed ancestor appearing in her dreams. This was the woman that Dominic brought up when she tried to kill Luna, so she must’ve done something to incur this long term revenge from him.

I already know that you cried as a kid over not having powers, that you resented your family once you finally awakened them, what else do you have to show me?! Why should it matter to what your life was like when mine has gone to hell!?

Her anger settled down when she took notice of how exactly Evelyn looked as she marched forward. The coat she wore was disheveled, and her walk was near zombie-like. Luna began to wonder how depressed she had become once she became the black sheep of her family. How much did it hurt knowing that she was unloved by her family for reasons out of her control?

Eventually, Evelyn stopped in her tracks from noticing something in the alleyway she was about to pass. A girl sat huddled on the ground with tears dripping down her face. It was hard for Luna to make out any of her features from where she stood. She wondered what Evelyn would do at the sight of this girl. Her answer came in the form of Evelyn continuing to walk as if she didn’t notice anything. Vanishing away into thin air the further she got from Luna.

You’re not gonna do anything? Well… maybe it truly is for the better if us Eternas don’t get involved in others- Luna’s thought was quickly cut off when she saw Evelyn rushing back, now with a small loaf of bread in her hands as she entered the alleyway.

“Are you hungry?! I brought you… a bread!” Every word that came out of Evelyn’s mouth was louder than she intended. 

The girl looked up with widened eyes, “Uh… yes. Thank you.”

“Okay! Well… have a good day!” 

Evelyn said this with hesitancy in her voice. It only took a few steps before she inevitably turned back to say more. 

“T-the woods nearby are really relaxing. I was on my way there to clear my head. Would you like to join me?”

The girl tilted her head as she looked at Evelyn. “...Mhm.”

She rose from the ground and walked towards Evelyn. The sunlight shone brightly on her melancholic face. Her hair was long and silvery, completely contrasting the harsh black of Evelyn’s hair.

Evelyn opened her hand out to the girl. 

“My name’s Evelyn, what’s yours?” 

Luna noticed how all the nervousness had evaporated from Evelyn’s face. Her smile made it clear that the young Eterna was in her element as she cared for someone she had just met.

The girl slowly accepted and gripped Evelyn’s hand. 

“...Celeste is my name.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

A small tint of red emerged on Celeste’s face, “R-really?”

“I mean it. Now then, the forest is this way.”

“O-okay!”

The two girls disappeared from Luna’s view. She pondered why she saw a vision like this. This was the most explicit dream she’s had yet. She expected her dream to stop here, but it kept going.

In the blink of an eye, she was in the very forest Evelyn mentioned. Just by taking a quick glance around, Luna understood why Evelyn found this place so calming. The trees and all their branches covering the sky were like a shield from the rest of the world. 

Luna heard two voices approach. Preparing to see the same Evelyn and Celeste she just saw, what came into view instead were older versions of the two girls. The dresses they wore were both refined. Evelyn’s in particular had a sense of elegance to it. Despite that, they walked so carefree within these woods, crushing the fallen leaves without a second thought.

“Are you finally going to tell me the reason you took us out into these woods?” Evelyn asked.

“Ah! That’s because…” Celeste mumbled.

“That’s not to say I don’t like hanging out with you! I was simply curious if there was any sort of occasion.”

“There’s… I just wanted to come back here with you. It’s already been three years since we first walked in these woods together. I guess I got a bit nostalgic.”

“I’m just glad you enjoyed doing that. In all honesty, I had no idea what I was doing.”

Evelyn’s face appeared so much brighter than when she was fifteen. These past few years seemingly did wonders in boosting her spirit.

“Well, ever since you’ve entered my life, school has become much more bearable. Though you ended up spoiling me much more than I could’ve expected.”

“You said it yourself that others would belittle your lack of wealth. It’s not like my family really cares what I do with the money I receive. Besides, you look prettier in those dresses than I ever could.” 

“Don’t say that! We both know who’s the pre- ah! I mean the more fashionable one here!”

Hm? What was she about to say? Evelyn and Luna both thought simultaneously. 

“Anyways!” Celeste continued. “Very soon… I’ll be graduating soon, and we’ll both be eighteen by the summer.”

“That’s correct. I expect my family will be pressuring me to leave the house once I come of age. My younger brother should be manifesting his gift soon. There’ll be no point for me to stay any longer.”

“Then… perhaps… we can spend our lives together once that happens…?”

Evelyn looked puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… gah! Screw it!” Celeste grabbed both of Evelyn’s hands and clasped her hands together with them.

“I want to spend my life with you! Will you be my lover?!”

WHHAAAATTTT?!?!?! Evelyn and Luna both shouted this within their heads.

“Lover?! W-wha-I- where did this come from?!”

“I’ve felt this way for the better half of a year! It’s hard for me to explain, but being around you makes me feel so warm. This flame in my heart, it isn’t the kind that burns due to simply friendship. I want to stay by your side no matter what happens to you!”

“T-this is happening so fast. I don’t know what to say…”

“U-um! If that’s because your romantic preferences aren't…”

“No! It’s not that… At least, I don’t think so. I just… I don’t know if I ever saw love as a real path for me.” 

I’m an Eterna that has never got the Starlight Gift. Do I really… deserve this kind of thing? 

“Before I decide, can you answer something for me?” Luna

“What is it?”

“You know I can’t grant you powers despite being an Eterna. What worth will I have to you as a lover when I can't even do that?”

Celeste looked at Evelyn’s hands, and she only gripped them tighter. Her face was warmer and more beautiful than Evelyn ever believed it could be.

“There was something my grandma would always say when she was alive. It always made me comfortable with who I was.”

“What did she say?”

“Loving yourself is a journey about discovery.”

Everything froze in time for Luna. She heard these exact same words from her own parents. The conclusion that this ideal stemmed from this girl was mind boggling. Even Evelyn was not sure what to say to this.

“Love is all about finding both others and ourselves. Gift or not, accepted or unaccepted by the world, it makes us who we are, and that’s already special as is. I hope that all makes sense.” Celeste sighed. “Maybe I got ahead of myself. I-I got too bold-”

Her words were cut short by Evelyn’s embrace. Her arms wrapped themselves firm around Celeste. As if she’d never want to let her go.

“A life where my love is special… Can you show me this power firsthand?”

Caught off guard, yet excited, she hugged Evelyn back with an even tighter grip as she let out a joyous laugh.

“I thought I was the one waiting for the yes or no!”

Luna stared on in fascination. The intimacy these two held made even her blush. She hadn’t seen anything like this for herself in a long time. What really struck her in particular was the pure bliss in Evelyn’s eyes. She had yet to see this girl with such happiness before. Jealousy grew, and this confused Luna.

I don’t need this. If Evelyn awakened her gift, then she’d understand my position-

But that’s right. Evelyn did eventually become blessed with a gift around the time she turned eighteen. Her family found out and were planning on arranging a marriage for her. The question then followed: what happened afterwards?

The answer would come shortly for Luna. Another blink sent her to somewhere far out in the country. The fields were wide and green, hills far out in the distance, and wooden buildings strewn across this small town. In front of Luna was a small cottage that looked rather new. 

Sitting on the front porch was Evelyn. Looking not much older than before. All she did was stare towards the ground with a look in her eyes not far away from her soulless state before she met Celeste. Luna had a guess as to what happened. After all, she’s had this kind of look herself.

“You ran away and abandoned everyone, didn’t you? I guess you really are my ancestor,” Luna said. 

The more that Luna thought about this, the more irritated she got. From seeing this girl when she was ten years old to now, this outcome didn’t feel right. In fact, it upset her.

“I saw that look in your eyes! You were full of more life than I could ever hope to achieve! How could you abandon Celeste?! Were you too afraid?! Why would you make such a mistake!?”

Luna realized the implications of her last word. 

Mistake.

That wasn’t her yelling at Evelyn, she was yelling at herself. She finally admitted it after all this time. 

Abandoning Aurora, that wasn’t meant to protect the girl. It was her running away from everything she feared. The danger of her Curse and the guilt that manifested, the trauma she and Aurora endured, she really believed all these years that isolating herself and fighting purely for everyone else’s well being would somehow make everything better. It didn’t. It never would.

Luna never wanted to die. She’s been terrified of being targeted and killed for all these years. But…if she sacrificed herself for someone else, it’d be her best shot at forgiving herself for what happened in the past. She could at least go out knowing that someone she loved got to live, but that wasn’t going to help anybody. Least of all, the people who loved her back. 

Aurora…this is really why you reunited with me, isn’t it? All these plans, discovering my family’s history, you were just desperately looking for a way to move on from the past, while I wanted to rot away in it. 

Luna’s knees fell to the grass. All her senses were the same as real life, so it was like the wind here was actually hitting her face. Despite that, she still knew these were nothing more than memories from an ancestor.

“Can I just…wake up now? I don’t need to see anymore of this-”

The squeaks of the cottage door opening snuck up on Luna’s ears. Evelyn remained on the porch, but then came another girl who stood right beside her.

“The weather’s beautiful here.” 

It was Celeste. Her white dress flowed effortlessly with the wind. Her hair was wavy and messier than before, but she had the cleanest smile one could imagine.

“Yes…it’s quite nice.”

“Aren’t you gonna come in for dinner? You’ve been out here for over half an hour.”

Evelyn glanced at her watch, “It’s already been that long?!”

“So even you lose track of time, that’s kinda ironic.”

“If this is about my gift, it’s not like I really care about it in the first place.” 

Evenly stood up and walked forward. A blue glow surrounded her. In the next moment, she teleported a few meters away. 

“All I can do is have my body skip five seconds ahead of time.” 

In the blink of an eye, she appeared only a foot away from the porch.

“I wonder how my family would’ve reacted if they learned that my gift is different from theirs.”

Celeste rested her head on Evelyn’s shoulder once she sat back on the porch. 

“I didn’t know much about the Eterna household and their whole Starlight Gift before I met you, but why do you think you awakened these powers so late?”

“These powers are passed down from parent to child… Once you have a grasp on love at a young age, that’s likely how it happens. But by the time I was ten…I didn’t feel love. All I knew was that I had to become what my parents wanted me to be, and I failed. I never got their gift, I got something weird and new.”

Wait… Luna thought. She ended up with something different? Shouldn’t she have gotten the same gift? 

“Weird and new? That’s a poor view of it.” Celeste proceeded to open her hand. A red aura surrounded it. Red lines tracing back to her heart also glowed on her body. 

From her palm came a ball of fire. It burned with an unending passion. Her skin suffered no burns. It was perfectly one with Celeste’s own heart.

“...I think this is an amazing way of expressing love.”

No…No Way! 

Celeste had her own gift, but by how the Starlight Gift worked, that should’ve been impossible. If Evelyn gave her that ability, that would mean her gift gave other people abilities just like Luna.

Evelyn, she was like me? All this time, there was someone who understood? 

Evelyn looked on in wonder, and so did Luna. This flame looked like it had the potential to cause harm, and controlling fire seemed incredibly dangerous Even so, the flame she held looked utterly beautiful. 

“...I think you’re right,” Evelyn said.

Celeste closed her palm, putting out the flame. “Do you think your gift will be passed down like how your family’s gift worked?”

“Who knows. This variation is still new to me, and I’m still not sure why I ended up different. For all I know, our kid may not have any powers at all.”

“Imagine if it took generations for a kid to have powers quite like yours.”

“I would be wishing that kid as much luck as possible.”

“It’ll be fine. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve got the real Starlight Gift.”

“If you say so…”

“...There’s something still bothering you, isn’t there?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“You have your tells.”

Evelyn took a deep breath. 

“Am I selfish for running away? I’ve fled from all my responsibilities just so that I could be happy…” She needed a moment to cry. “I just…I’m sorry if I ended up dragging you into my life. All my issues, my history, I’ve made everything your problem too. You don’t deserve that-”

The soft touch of Celeste’s fingers met the tears on Evelyn’s cheek.

“I’m the one that chose to come with you. I was already planning to leave my household once I turned eighteen. Even if you did run off on your own, I’d scour the whole country to reunite with you if I had to.”

Evelyn’s blush was so apparent even Luna could see it from where she was.

Celeste continued, “Gift or not. If you could just love yourself even a fraction of how much I do, that would make me happier than you could ever imagine.”

Evelyn wiped the tears off the side of her face that Celeste didn’t have her hand on. 

“I’ll…try. No, I’ll do my very best! I’m sorry about all this. I probably look embarrassing right now.”

“You’ve comforted me an endless amount of times whether you’ve realized it or not. You need to let me return the favor.” Celeste pouted.

“I think you being here is all that I can ask for.”

“Nope! There’s still plenty more I could do! Even now!”

“Is that so? What else could you do in this mome-?”

Evelyn didn’t get the chance to finish her words, and this is because her lips had just met Celeste’s. She was pulled close by Celeste’s hand before she could even realize it.

“Mppphh!!!” Finally managing to release herself, she yelled, “Celeste!”

“The first kiss belongs to me, Celeste Santana!” she proudly yelled.

“Wha-?! That’s not something you do on a whim! Or…is it?” The two continued on with their playful conversation. 

When Luna heard the name “Santana,” the piece of the puzzle fell in for her. The beautiful woman in front of her was her ancestor. These women and their persevering love was the reason she existed today.

As Luna looked on, she realized that her own eyes were dripping tears of their own. Watching the Eterna, no, the Santana she learned about throughout this past week decide that even she deserved love, seeing her ancestors being together with such blissful happiness, this all struck Luna’s heart. Her walls were shattering into pieces. On the other side, a new light emerged.

With a small chuckle between her breaths, she let out these words.

 

“I’m not a curse, I’m just an idiot.”

 

Before she could get another look at the lovely pair, she was back in her room, staring up at the ceiling on her bed. She could tell the sun had yet to rise, meaning she couldn’t have been sleeping for more than a few hours. That didn’t change how it felt like she dreamt for a lifetime.

How much of that…was real?

She asked this in her head, but the sensations of her wet eyes and cheeks as she rose from her bed told her everything.

“Evelyn, I hope you lived a happy life. Now it’s time I try to do the same.”