When the Water's Dried

The Witch Rises

Earlier– before Wolf and Diane broke into the lair

The meteorite's cyan charge conjured up by Marmalade circulated throughout the city, instantly taking over all the guinea pigs residing in it, both domestic and wild. Hordes of them ravaged the streets across Los Angeles, looking for trucks that carried the money raised from the previous night. As soon as they found one, they banded together to kick the driver out before making a getaway. It was a miracle that none of them needed a driver's license.

Making sure to avoid potentially being trampled over by any rogue guinea pigs, Luna hung back far from the action. For now, Marmalade wanted her to just experiment with her meteorite-given abilities. That meant avoiding doing anything that involved being affiliated with the heist, for that job was to come later. Although she had much to learn along the next few months, Marmalade gave her some starting pointers. Remembering the guidance he gave her, Luna closed her eyes.

"Oh dear god, I thought I saw the devil."

"Hey, witch. Going somewhere?"

"No buts. I've seen enough."

"Oh wow, I didn't know Halloween was moved to January."

More and more taunts and insults echoed in her brain, resulting in a few tiny sparks generating from her fingertips. Luna remained still, remembering every last moment where she had been shunned or humiliated, ranging from her teachers and classmates to strangers out on the street. And she was sick of it.

You want the evil witch? Well here she is.

Luna opened her eyes, the rings around her irises now glowing more intense. She pressed her back against a wall a little ways along the side of the nearby jewelry store to avoid the cameras. A much stronger charge escaped her hands, doing her best to steer around the side and strike the front display window. The shattering glass let her know she was successful, bringing a smile to her face. Scanning the streets for no near passerbys, she cautiously ambled out of the alleyway.

Shards of glass were scattered all over the wooden table which housed a myriad of jewels encrusted into rings and necklaces of various shapes and sizes, all of which were now left extremely vulnerable. She pretended to gasp, clasping her hands over her mouth. She whipped her head in both directions, before slowly backing away and taking off. Acting like someone else did it could help take suspicion off of her in any potential surveillance footage.

Pleased with her small accomplishment, Luna brought her hands up to her face, where she created a vivid yet controlled charge, taking in all its glory. As quickly as it was scrubbed off before the gala, black nail polish coated her fingernails once more, much to her delight.

She traipsed throughout the streets, humming happily to herself, not paying any mind to the weird stares from a few onlookers. She had to admit, although the black organza dress made her feel like herself more than anything, she was confused as to why Marmalade chose something relatively flashy. She was to keep a low profile for now.

"As I said before, heist must be done with style," Marmalade's voice echoed in her head.

Whether it was by fate or some bizarre luck, the shadow of an all-familiar building loomed over Luna. Noticing the orb-shaped silhouettes peeking out, she turned to see the front doors of the Los Angeles Police Department. She flashed a wild smirk.

Time to have some real fun.

🐺🐍🦈🐟🕷️🦊🐹🌙🖤