26

Until Tomorrow

 

A week passed since the infiltration of Eterna’s secret lab. Luna and everyone else were able to safely escape via the escape pods that led them to the shore. Besides what was stolen by the mysterious figure, all the blood samples created by Dominic were destroyed. When the fire eventually went out, there was not a single salvageable sample that remained. With nothing left to sell, the buyers lost interest.

The lab was abandoned after this entire incident. Serene did some digging into the state of affairs for Eterna as a corporation, and it seemed that the board of directors decided to sweep anything related to the Void and the Starlight Gift under the rug. Dominic was the one in control of everything, so with him now missing, they continued to keep the lab a secret, but all work there came to a sudden end. 

Dominic's disappearance would remain a mystery, and the original Starlight Gift continued to remain a forgotten legend to the public.

Due to the loss of Dominic’s funding, Chloe could no longer live in her apartment, and Katherine’s own quarters were shut down. 

Luna, Aurora, Chloe, Melody, Katherine, they all needed to take the next few days to heal both physically and mentally from all that they went through. 

It was during this time that Luna made an important decision. One that would affect her life greatly moving forward. In wake of this, her teammates met up at Aurora’s apartment in order to celebrate.

On this day, Luna would return back to Makewell.

“Happy Birthday to you!” Melody sang, laying down a cake in front of Luna.

“Uh, I appreciate the gesture, but… it’s not my birthday.” 

“Yeah, well, consider it an extremely late celebration.” Chloe chimed in.

“My birthday is in November…” 

“We’ll just celebrate it again when the time comes!” Melody responded.

Chloe and Melody had Luna at the table as if she was the center of the party for a little kid. She didn’t quite remember how they convinced her to wear a birthday hat, but that's how things turned out.

Aurora watched on the couch. Whenever she and Luna met eyes, she’d smile pleasantly.

“You guys really didn’t need to go all out like this.”

“Our precious teammate is leaving as quickly as she joined. We gotta celebrate all that you’ve done for us,” Melody said.

We kinda failed at all our goals in the end, though.

“And we know you’re probably thinking something like ‘but we failed all our goals in the end,” Chloe said.

“I was about to say that out loud, actually-”

“But hey, you already know that we’re making the most of it.”

This was true for the most part. For the time being, Chloe would live at Melody’s Grandparent’s home. She talked it over with her grandma, and she agreed she can live in the spare room they had. It’d be as long as Chloe needed it to be. She didn’t want to intrude on their lives for too long, but she was grateful for their hospitality. As for her sister…

Aurora heard knocking at the door. “I’ll get that.”

Upon opening the door, she jumped back as an immediate reaction.

It was the first time anyone but Chloe saw Katherine wear clothes that weren’t her Void uniform. She still seemed to dress pretty formally. The bags under her eyes were no longer as severe as they once were.

The air in the room became rather awkward, but that didn’t stop Katherine from approaching Luna.

“Miss Starlight.” Katherine bowed apologetically. “I came to properly apologize for all I’ve done to you and your loved ones. I won’t ask for your forgiveness. I know I’m not deserving of it.”

Luna looked at her with a face of discontent. 

“It’d be a lie to say that I didn’t hold any resentment towards you, but there’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Be completely honest. How does it feel knowing you’re free from Dominic?”

Katherine thought about how to answer for a few seconds. “...Like I can finally breathe again.”

“Then for now, I’ll take pleasure in knowing that.”

Katherine stood upright again, “You’re too kind.”

“I’m probably too forgiving if anything.” With all that I know, it’s hard for me to have the energy to hate you. I’d rather not be near you though.

“Chloe, there’s something I’d like to talk with you alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing, Kate.”

 

***

 

Chloe and Katherine stepped out of the apartment and into the hall.

“So… you’re really going through with this, aren’t you?” Chloe asked.

“That’s right. I’m gonna be leaving Everfall. I want to get away from this city. Thanks to some connections I’ve made over the last year, I got set up with something decent on the other side of the state.”

“This still kinda sucks for me, being real,” Chloe lamented. “I got you back, and now you’re leaving again so quickly.”

“I’m sorry, Chloe. It’s just… whenever I look at you, all the guilt builds up in me all over again. I think I just need some time to figure things out for myself, so that once we meet again, I can be the sister you believe I am. ” 

You already are! 

Chloe wanted to yell this, but she had another idea.

“Six months!”

“Huh?” 

“You have six months to see me again! That’s all the time I’m willing to give us apart! Let’s both use that time to work on our own lives, and when we meet again, let’s talk to each other about all the progress we’ve made!”

Katherine, bewildered at first, let out a chuckle.

“I’ll make that work.”

“Yeah, you better.”

The grip Chloe had on their handshake was tight. When they finally waved goodbye and Katherine walked away, she sighed.

Go kick ass out there, Kate.

 

***

 

When she entered the apartment again, Chloe was startled to see Luna leaned against the wall.

“You were listening to our conversation, weren’t you?!”

“That makes us even, does it not?” 

“What does… Damn, you got me there.”

“Regardless, everyone, I really am grateful for this send off, but I’m willing to stay here longer if you need me to.”

The swift standing up of Aurora and Melody made it obvious how they were about to react.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Aurora said.

“You deserve to see your parents again. They’re probably still worried about you,” Chloe added.

“But I’m also worried about all of you. Are you going to say that nothing that happened in the past week affected any of you?”

The room went quiet as the tension built up. They’d all been playing it off, yet the emotional scars from everything these girls experienced was something they could only avoid for so long. Melody’s fear that her only friends would die, Chloe’s intense fight with her sister, Aurora’s… encounter with Dominic, they had faced dangerous threats previously, but it had reached a boiling point.

“Seeing as how Chloe’s sister is leaving, it doesn’t seem fair that I also leave during this time of need. I know I said this is what I wanted to do, but looking at things more objectively-”

Standing right in front of her, Melody shoved a plate with a slice of cake in front of Luna.

“Whether you’re a city away, or on another planet, we’ll always be friends with you.” As Melody handed the plate off to Luna, she smiled, but at the same time, a tear ran down her face. It was a bizarre yet understandable juxtaposition. “We’re all gonna need time, and I think that’s okay. Go ahead and spend some time to yourself, then you can invest more in us after.”

Aurora walked to Luna as well.

“What Melody said! I mean, Makewell is only an hour long drive away, and we can message and voice chat whenever, can’t we?”

“That is true…”

“And if you’re still worried about Serene, we’ve already agreed Chloe and Melody will support her.”

“You got that right!”

“I’m gonna force her to show me all her gadgets!”

“See?”

Despite all these assurances, this wasn’t what Luna was truly worried about the most. “Okay, but if any of you need me or something happens, I’ll return back here without hesitation.”

The others agreed to Luna’s deal. Their hangout together continued without any issues. Luna and Aurora sat on the couch together. Whenever Luna would ask how she was doing, she’d say she was doing just fine. She wondered how long Aurora could keep up an act like this. 

After they escaped the lab, Luna became Aurora’s emotional pillar for the next couple of days. She didn’t want to imagine what kind of emotional spiral Aurora would’ve gone on otherwise. Now that Luna was planning on leaving, she was worried how Aurora would be without her there.

About an hour later, Serene arrived to pick up Luna. The truck was big enough for the other girls to also accompany her during her ride back home.

Melody sat in the shotgun seat, while Luna and Chloe sat on window seats in the back, with Aurora in the middle. 

Luna stared out the window, looking at the buildings and trees passing by. Everfall was all she knew for years, so this was like looking into a new world.

When she looked at Aurora, she was staring forward with an oddly serious face. The slight red on her cheeks on top of her twitchy hands made Luna aware that she was probably nervous sitting this tightly next to Luna.

She placed her hand on top of Aurora’s and clasped their fingers together.

“Wha- Luna?” 

“Do you feel more comfortable?”

The warmth from Luna’s hand transferred to Aurora.

“…Yes, yes I do,” Aurora said with a smile on her face.

“Good.”

With that, Luna continued to stare out the window as her hand was still on Aurora’s. Over time, it was Luna who grew more red as she processed this situation more.

During this, Chloe had an awkward look that screamed she did not enjoy being a third wheel by being beside what was happening.

An hour passed much quicker than anyone could’ve predicted. It was a rather quiet ride with only the radio left to fill the noise. There was, however, one moment of disruption.

“The Hidden Stars!”

Luna’s shout was so abrupt to everyone else.

“I’ve finally thought of a team name! The Hidden Stars! We remain in the shadows…but when given the focus, we still shine all the same…!”

Her face was red from saying this aloud. It was honestly harder than some fights she’d gone through, but after some awkward silence, the truck bursted into laughter.

“You only now thought of a team name?!” Chloe cackled.

“It’s not bad, though! That works pretty well!” Melody added.

“Look at you with your creativity still intact,” Aurora teased.

“This is what you all wanted, isn’t it? Tch….”

Perhaps they’d be able to use this name when they all got together again.

Not too long after, they stopped at the park near Luna’s house upon her request. Not only did she want to walk through this nostalgic place, she wanted to be on her own when reuniting with her family, and she would introduce the others over time.

Serene helped bring her suitcase down. “Are you all set?”

“Yeah… I am.”

“I want to thank you, Luna.”

“What for, exactly?”

“For allowing me to take care of you for all these years, but I agree that it’s time you returned to your real family.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. 

“I lived with you throughout the entire second half of my childhood and you always cared for me. It’s illogical to say you’re not my family.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I’m still curious about your own past now that I’ve laid mine open.”

“Then I’ll tell you anything you want when the time is right.”

“I’m content with that.”

This formal talk wasn’t doing their goodbye justice, and they both knew this, which is why they went straight into a hug.

“Don’t forget I love you.”

“...I won’t.”

Luna had her suitcase ready and was about to head off on her own, but she noticed there was some sort of commotion going on inside the truck.

“Come on!”

“Just get out there already!”

“W-wait, you guys!”

Pushed outside the car, Aurora looked awkwardly at Luna who was confused as to what even transpired.

“Is it fine if I walk with you for a bit?!”

“...I don’t mind.”

Luna looked into the car. She saw both Chloe and Melody giving her a cheeky thumbs up.

With everyone staying behind, Luna and Aurora were alone as they walked through the park. Luna made sure to walk side by side with Aurora. The only sounds present were their footsteps and the rush of the wind blowing against the trees.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…” Aurora said.

“Yes?”

“What do you plan on doing now?”

A rather vague question, but Luna understood what she meant.

“Maybe I should take some college courses this coming fall. Might as well do something considering I’ve graduated high school.”

“Now whatever happened to your ambitions of being a thief?” Aurora optimistically asked.

“Nothing about those lofty dreams worked out. It’s all kinda silly when looking back.”

“But you had fun being with us, right?”

“Hmmm.”

“C’moooooon.”

“It was fun, yes,” Luna admitted.

“We may not be acting as a group of thieves for a while, but perhaps we could get back together once we got something interesting to work with. Surely you’re not opposed to stealing from some rich old farts, are you?”

“As long as they don’t have Void level tech or are somewhere underwater, I’m willing to agree.” Luna didn’t want to fight another group of droids for the next decade of her life.

They continued to walk. Luna noted Aurora had regained some of her genuine playfulness. This was relieving to see.

“Is this place any different from how you remember it?” Aurora asked.

“All I’ve noticed is the addition of a few trees. Nothing quite sticks out.”

“Ahaha, well there’s something that probably will…”

A few feet to their left, the field of grass turned out to be what Aurora was referring to. Upon closer inspection, the ground was misshapen and bumpy. It was unnatural when compared to the rest of the field.

“Right… so this is where it happened.”

“Yeah. Feels like a lifetime ago already.”

As Luna looked on, the memories of that day flashed in her head again. The imagery of the bodies became blurry, but Aurora’s frightened face remained as clear as ever. Her breath quickened as a result.

Stop it, you said you were going to move forward…!  

“Luna. Look at me.”

Replacing the young, heartbroken Aurora in Luna’s eyes was the one standing in front of her. Unafraid, and smiling.

Luna could no longer hide her own worries, and they finally showed on her face.

“Aurora, answer me honestly.”

“I will.”

“You’re still shaken up about what happened back there in the lab, aren’t you? How you were capable of something that not even I could do...”

“I figured you were gonna ask me that. Guess I wasn’t doing a great job hiding it earlier, huh?” Aurora lightheartedly said.

“I know blaming myself for everything isn’t gonna help either of us, and I don’t resent you for anything that happened, but I also don’t want you to feel alone!”

“But it’s only fair, isn’t it? The words you told me the day we parted ways, while still soul crushing, did ease my heart to a degree. It’s about time I start feeling responsible for myself. I can’t always be the helpless girl that relies on you, heheh.”

This all sounded logical to Luna, but this still wasn’t enough. This wouldn’t satisfy her.

“I have an idea.”

Aurora tilted her head with curiosity.

“We’ve both done things we regret. Some we wish we could undo, and some where we felt we had no choice. But for all those actions that we did for each other’s sake, let’s bear the responsibility together. Let’s be each other’s accomplices in life.”

A gust of wind went by after Luna said this. There was surprise in Aurora’s eyes, and resolve in Luna’s own. Aurora tried opening her mouth to speak a few times, but it took a bit for the words to properly come out.

“I understand what you mean, but….”

I should’ve known that’d be too much of a stretch… “Sorry. That was probably a weird thing to say-”

“I have a suggestion though.”

Aurora stepped closer to Luna. Luna almost instinctively stepped back, but stopped herself.

“Full transparency, it’s probably going to be pretty selfish on my end.”

 She’s so close… “I’m… I’m okay with that.”

Aurora lifted her hand. “Instead of just being accomplices…” 

Luna felt the touch of Aurora’s fingers under her chin.

 

“I also want to be your partner as we both go through life.”

 

Luna had goosebumps from how gently she said this. Aurora’s eyes shined right in her face. It was hard to tell whose cheeks were redder at that moment. 

Luna closed her eyes out of embarrassment. Aurora must’ve taken this as the signal to not go any further, as she became doubly embarrassed herself.

“Sorry! Sorry! That probably sounded even weirder.”

 Luna opened her eyes, Crap! Was I supposed to keep my eyes open the whole time? I was prepared for her to- um…

“Anyways, I’ve probably walked with you long enough. I’m gonna go back with the others now! See ya around!”

Time slowed down for Luna when she saw Aurora begin to turn around.

There’s an invisible barrier between us. One created by my indecisiveness.

Luna’s feet moved on their own.

But now…

She tapped Aurora on the shoulder. Her face was now staring at Luna’s.

I’ll shatter it with my own hands!

To Aurora’s complete shock, her cheek met Luna’s lips as she was on her tiptoes. Time froze completely around the two. This type of contact was foreign to both of them. 

Luna didn’t really know what she was doing, and Aurora was surely surprised. A few seconds went by, and then it was over.

“If this is the kind of partner you meant, I want to give it a try!” Luna declared.

Aurora’s legs turned to jelly. She almost fell over had Luna not kept her stable.

“A-are you okay!?”

She was like a malfunctioning machine. Luna didn’t remember Evelyn acting like this when she got kissed for the first time. She wasn’t quite sure what was so different.

“Y-y-y-yeah! Of course!”

“C-can you walk? Did my kiss affect your Curse somehow?”

“Nah! Nah! You…you do it normal!”

“Normal?”

“Mhm! Okay, yeah! Partners! HAHAHA! Glad that’s settled! I’ll call you tomorrow!”

Aurora bolted right out of there. Luna was perplexed if her message was even properly conveyed, but since she agreed to being partners, it sounded like that was the case. The feeling that this was any sort of goodbye between them completely vanished, though perhaps that was for the better.

All by herself, Luna was only a block away from her house, but she chose to lay on the grass for a bit in order to collect all her thoughts. The sky was so far away, yet it was like she could see the stars from high above as they watched over her.

Everything she’d gone through up until now sunk into her head. Both the good and bad were present, and although the path that led her to where she is now wasn’t the cleanest, there wasn't a point in being glum about that. 

There were still so many unresolved questions Luna had, but she accepted this. As long as she kept her loved ones close to her heart, it didn’t seem so bad.

I know my life isn’t the normal that everyone else has. But even so, deep down, all I’ve ever wanted was to be close to someone. That way, there’d be somewhere I belong. For so long, I felt that was far off for a person like me, but maybe it’s closer than I thought.

With nobody to hear her voice, Luna spoke these words with the most peace she’s felt in so long.

“For once, I think I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”