The Bad Guys in Blood Moon

Mother Minerva

"Wait a minute!" Alfonso interrupted. "How does Mami know who that crazy bird lady is?"

"So, you are interested?" Sofia asked with a cheeky grin. Alfonso just stuck his tongue out at his sister.

"Okay, okay, knock it off," Piranha said to the kids. "That's a very good question, mijo. And I think I owe you guys some answers. It all started in the summer of 2012..."

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It was Gabi's first trip to Fashion Camp, and her first summer away from the Rat Pack. She didn't know anyone, so that made the twelve-year-old angelfish particularly nervous. She was never that great at making her own friends, especially in unfamiliar environments. But Gabi knew she would have to push through if she were to have a chance to make Gala worthy dresses one day.

After being escorted to her bunk, Gabi unpacked and sorted all of her things. Including her favorite object: a photo of herself, Brenda, Monique, and Sapphire crashing a Forth of July party.

"Don't forget me, chicas," she muttered, already missing them. Just as she put the picture down on her dresser, however, a large, brown owl swooped down and crushed it with its talons! "Hey! That was mine!"

The owl stared at her with big red eyes and the picture piece with Brenda's face on it in her mouth. She spat it out and said, "Well, you drove me into doing it! Don't you know anything about owls? We eat rats!"

"They're my best friends!" Gabi argued, grabbing what was left of the photo. "I love them very much."

"Barf," the owl said in disgust as Gabi sobbed. "Oh, don't cry. If you were a blood thirsty monster, you'd do the same thing."

"I didn't say you were a monster," Gabi said defensively.

"No, but that's what people think of owls," she pointed out. "You're probably thinking it, too."

"Not at all," Gabi insisted. Even though she destroyed her picture, she felt sympathy towards the owl and shook her wing with her fin. "I'm Gabi. It's short for Gabriela."

"We'll have to work on that," the owl replied. "Mi-Na Huu."

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Minerva climbed down from her perch and approached Gabi with a raised eyebrow. After what felt like forever, she let the words pour out of her beak.

"You've put on weight."

"I've been on antidepressants," Gabi muttered, nervously hugging her body. She wasn't that much heavier, but she didn't like it when people pointed it out.

"That's no excuse," Minerva scoffed, then noticing the scars on her head and neck. "And what's this? Had a few accidents?"

"You wouldn't understand..."

Minerva just shrugged and gently stroked a few feathers down Gabi's face. “At least your eyes stayed the same. Who could forget that sweet look of naïveté?"

Gabi blushed for a moment, but shrugged it off and said, “You said you got job offers in Seoul and Paris. This whole time, you've been here?!"

“Well, not this whole time," she admitted. “I flew here and there across the country, finding poor, helpless souls to join my Flock and fight against the Oppressors."

“You mean, you lied to me?" Gabi asked in disbelief as they both heard a beeping sound. Minerva turned away to answer the call.

“What is it, Ismene?"