Soul

Memories

Jazzy Stone's POV

I shook my head quickly. Those thoughts won't do me any good except for making me even more desperate to know the answers. For now, I could use this time to get to know this little girl I strangely formed a deep bond with the moment I saw her outside with her rosy cheeks and her curly black locks.

Her bright green eyes sparkled as she glanced up at me to see me smiling at her. Her little hand was intertwined with mine, hers holding on tightly like she was afraid I'd suddenly disappear.

I nudged her gently. "So...tell me about yourself, little one." She stopped in her tracks the moment those words left my mouth. Her head lowered to her chest and her black curls shifted to hide her face from me.

I frowned. I was pretty sure that wasn't the correct response when someone asked you to talk about yourself. When I stopped walking, she turned her head slightly to the side, and I brushed away her little curtain of hair to see her face.

"Luna?", I said tentatively.

Her glistening eyes shifted to look behind me, and my heart ached when big fat tears started to fall down her face. "Oh, little one. ", I whispered as I enveloped her in my arms tightly.

She silently cried while I brushed my hand over her hair soothingly. "It's fine. Let it all out.", I cooed softly. We were stuck in this position until she shifted back slightly, and I let her go. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she smiled weakly.

"I don't really wanna talk about it.", she said, her voice breaking at the end. "Oh, it's ok. I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to make you relive the memories.", I said ruefully.

"It's fine.", she said quietly. I stared at her tear-streaked face with guilt. I don't think she was fine. Now that the moment passed, I didn't know how to comfort her anymore.

When Luna was crying before, it just came to me naturally. Now though. I stood there awkwardly, brushing her hair in which I assume is a way how humans comfort their children or little ones.

But I understood how painful it was to live through the past in your mind with no way out. Eventually you'll just stuff everything and anything that could remind you of the dark times into a jar, both good and bad.

Luna seemed to have calmed down enough to grab my hand once again and continue walking like nothing had happened. But this time she wasn't chatting to me with a bright and cheery tone, wasn't even glancing at me from time to time, thinking that I wouldn't notice.

She just kept her now dull eyes straight forward and kept on walking. We continued walking, silence stretching between us, when suddenly a man with blood red eyes and black hair approaching us at a rapid speed, almost blurring.

I jumped into action and pushed Luna behind me. A few seconds passed, then he made contact with me by grabbing onto my shoulders and shaking me. I yelped, and the memories I tried to suppress flooded back to me with a dizzyingly speed.

I gasped and my legs started to give out. With a thud, I fell to the ground. A hand was reaching out towards me, flickering back and forth from a pale white hand holding a syringe to a hand with swirling black tattoos on them.

I shut my eyes, getting ready for the shot of liquid pain spreading through my veins, when the hand slapped me across the cheek, hard. I cried out at the unexpected slap, and the pain jolted me out of the memories I was stuck in.

"What the fuck was that?", I growled. The anger faded into realization, then to a burst of gratitude at the apologizing man. Before he could utter another apology, I raised a hand to stop him. "Thank you.", I simply said.

He blinked, before frowning. "Are you sure? Because it sounded painful. And looks painful.", he said regretfully. I waved a hand at him, getting to my feet.

"It does hurt, but I've been through worse, trust me.", I chuckled brokenly. "That is no less concerning.", he pointed out. We stood in silence for a few moments before a voice spoke from behind me.

"Stop blocking our way, Valerian.", a sassy voice said from behind me. I turned, surprised that Luna could muster such sassiness, when the man named Valerian sighed.

"Stop antagonizing people please, Luna.", he said tiredly. She huffed and crossed her arms, a haughty look coming onto her cute face. And now they seemed to have referred to something entirely different than the current situation when Luna quipped back, "Please. We both know that they deserved it." I looked between them. "What in the world is going on now?", I asked, confused by this little standoff.

They both looked to me, then Luna grabbed my hand and dared Valerian to say something with her eyes. Valerian pinched his nose, then forced a smile.

"My apologizes. Let me introduce myself. My name is Valerian, as you know. But just call me Val. And this little menace to society here is our dean's beloved daughter, Luna Gem. The 12-year-old girl who made a whole army of full-grown men cry.", he said with an exasperated tone at the end. I stayed silent in shock, then burst out laughing. "Wow.", I said, wiping tears from laughing, "I very much want to know what this little one here did to foster such a reaction."

She blushed and hid her face in my bloody shirt. "They were bullying a non-mancer. I had to step in." I cocked my head. "A non-mancer? What's that?", I asked curiously.

Luna and Val both raised their eyebrows at the same time. "What?", I said defensively. "We should go get you cleaned up, then I'll explain everything to you. That sounds good?", Val asked. I shrugged. "I don't mind."

We both looked down at Luna, who sniffed and said, "Add eating to the list, will you? Some of us don't have a grape-sized stomach." She looked pointingly at Val.

Val made a grumbling sound, and walked off to the direction of what I assume is a bath. Luna started to follow, but I grabbed her elbow to stop her.

"Are you sure you're fine, little one?", I whispered, not wanting the man in front of us hearing. She smiled softly, and her green eyes became soft and bright yet again. "I promise I'm better now.", she said softly. I sighed with relief, and grabbed her small hand, following Val.

Luna walked beside me, silent. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always available.", I murmured to her. She smiled happily at me and laid her head on my arm briefly before pulling away. "Thank you, Jazzy.", she beamed.

~I apologize for taking so long to upload another chapter. I'll try my best to upload a whole lot more frequently. :)~