When the Water's Dried

Dreams of Redemption

A/N: As you may have noticed, the official cover is finally up! I'm very impressed with the artist's work and she really outdid herself. Enjoy the chapter!

All the attendees were now standing outside the Museum of Fine Arts, watching the Bad Guys be led away in handcuffs. Many had looks of hopefulness and relief on their faces, glad the five were finally captured. Others still looked afraid, simply due to being in the gang's presence.

Cameras were pointed at the small parade, where Tiffany Fluffit gave her report.

"The Bad Guys go bust!" She enthusiastically exclaimed. "The nefarious five have finally been captured. I, Tiffany Fluffit, am first on the scene!"

The police chief, however, was the most ecstatic out of everyone. She was practically on cloud nine.

"Wow," the chief said, unable to believe what she was doing as she escorted Wolf over to the van. "I just realized that I have devoted my entire adult life to putting you in jail. You are my purpose. Without you, who am I?" She looked up to the night sky, unsure what to do before she started to laugh. "Ha! Just kidding. This is the best moment of my life! It's the end of the Bad Guys! Alright, your chariot awaits."

Staying towards the front of the crowd so that she could see what was going but still blending in so as not to look suspicious, Luna stood there helplessly as she watched her friends being hauled away. She wanted to do something, anything, for this to stop.

If I pinch myself hard enough, will I wake up? This has to be a nightmare...

Using her thumb and index finger, Luna squeezed part of her wrist really hard.

"Ow!"

A few people next to her gave her weird looks, causing her to blush.

This was very well real, and she had to accept that.

Why? Why did it have to turn out like this? Is this really...how it ends?

As if time itself stopped, her life began to flash before her eyes.

Although the wreck knocked her unconscious, she had faint memories of being wheeled away on a stretcher whilst sirens were blaring in the distance. A few hours later, she woke up, devastated when the doctors told her the news.

Her parents did not survive the crash. On top of being the only survivor in the calamity of nine, she sustained no injuries aside from a few bruises and scrapes, which healed up gradually.

Word got out to her family, and soon enough, all of them were flying into town to help plan and attend the funeral.

With her black, brimmed hat shadowing her face, Luna stood as she watched the two caskets being lowered into the ground, never to be seen again. She wanted to remain strong, but could no longer hold back her tears as they finally gave way.

Aunt Lydia and Uncle Clayton revealed their plans to take care of her, but because they had to sort a few things out first, she was sent off to the local youth homeless shelter. That was where she spent the worst three weeks of her life.

During her stay there, she had encountered several kids her age, each of them experiencing hardships. Kids who had been kicked out, kids who had negligent parents, and some that didn't even have any family to begin with.

All of them were dreading their eighteenth birthday, the day they'd be thrown out onto the streets with nothing or nowhere to go. The governor didn't care about helping them get the resources they needed once this happened.

Then, one day, Aunt Lydia came to pick her up. Luna was glad that she was going to be taken in, only to find out that her aunt had bought a small apartment for her to live in. While it wasn't what she was expecting, she at least had a place to stay. Besides, she knew how to cook for herself and do laundry. Maybe being alone was best for her...