Through Everything

Luna's Dead of Night

"You okay?" asked Jake in the car. Sophia sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. 

"I'm such an-" began Sophia, her fingers digging deep into her arm.

"No, you're not!"  said Jake with defiance. "And stop that!" He pulled away Sophia's claw like grip from her hand and interlocked his fingers in hers.

"You didn't know that would happen." he reasoned. "No one did."

"Soph, there is no reason for you to blame yourself." chimed in Laura.

"You have no idea what I've done!" yelled Sophia, turning all six eyes to her. She sank back in her seat, not having the energy or will to yell at Laura. She continued, her voice subdued and low. "I'm worried about Luna."

"She's tough." said Jake. "She'll work it out."

"You don't get it." said Sophia, sitting up straight. "The day I went to her house, I found that-" She bit her lip.

"What?" asked Jake, intrigued.

"All I'm trying to say is; she could live without everyone and everything. Except Jia."

"Why the emphasis on 'live'?" asked Laura.

Sophia let out an exhale and leaned back. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." she murmured to herself.

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"I'm home! Where is everybody?" exclaimed Mr Adair as he hung his coat on a hook. All the lights of the house were switched off, except for a column of light coming from the hallway.

"We're in the kitchen!" shouted back Mrs Adair.

The man walked into the kitchen to find his wife wrapping a thin towel around his daughter's arm.

The anxious father rushed over to Luna "What happened to your arm?"

Mrs Adair looked up at him. "I've asked her the same thing, but she says that she'll tell only when the three of us are together."

Luna sighed. She only said that because she thought that that would buy her enough time. Time to put together a lie. But right now, she didn't have the energy for anything. Luna looked up at her parents, wondering if she could just keep quiet. Nope, this wasn't one of those times. "Well.......I had a fight with Jia at the concert."

Luna saw her parents' worried eyes meeting each other's. "She tried to hit Sophia with a glass, so I jumped in and saved Sophia."

"You should be more careful, Luna." Her mother wrapped another piece of muslin over her arm.

"Does it hurt?" asked her dad. "Do you want to see a doctor tomorrow?" As he waited for a reply, he noticed Luna's teeth clench.

He put an arm on her shoulder. "Luna?"

"Jia's the one who doesn't understand anything!" She yanked her arm from her mother's grip and stormed out of the kitchen. A surge of emotions overwhelmed her as she ran to her room, her footsteps echoing through the hallway as she did so.

"Something's happened between the two. I think it's time......"

"No." he said with a firm voice. "Just like I told you before, she doesn't need good counsellors-just good friends. They'll help her."

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Luna's weary eyes peered from under the covers and ran up the wall. A threaded web of moonlight shone on the clock, enough to make out the time. "It's midnight!" gasped Luna, lifting her head up from the bed.