Luna Winters

Memories

*Flashback*

"YOU ARE A WORTHLESS BRAT!!! SUCH A DISGRACE!" My mother shouted at me. I was only a child and she thought so much from a little kid, while my father thought so little of me my whole life. I was conflicted between doing what my mom told me to do, or my father. She obviously didn't like my choice. "ABBY! Take it down a notch. The neighbors are complaining." She gave him a death stare so he shut his mouth and turned on his heels. "I am your mother, Luna Callan Jones! You are supposed to listen to me and not think twice. I only do what's best for you. Remember that." I rolled my eyes at her. She didn't do a shit for me. I was only six. Such a shame a young body was covered in scars, cuts, and bruises. No one should grow up like this. It's unhealthy. I never thought about running away because I was a good kid that did what she was told. It would lessen the abuse on bad nights. But this certain night I was tired of the downsizing my dad did, the abuse they both did to me, mostly my dad, and the mental abuse my mom did to me.

It all built up and was about to crumble. I had to get out of the house, even if it wasn't permanent.   I packed an old backpack of things I thought I would need. Thirty bucks, spare clothes, teddy bear, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Ready for everything, right? I snuck out of the front door after they went to bed. I was always good at cardio so walking a few miles was nothing. I walked for what seemed like hours but I couldn't tell, I had no watch or phone. Soon enough shady buildings were coming into sight. They were a gray color and most had graffiti on them. As a kid, of course, it looked like a coloring book. The blank wall and brightly colored shapes. Just a grown-up color book. I skipped past those and moves on to a bunch of houses, buildings, and one that looked like a club. There weren't any clubs on the north side because it was known as reckless and south side-like. I personally didn't believe the sayings. I was different even as a kid. Due to the... vibrant colors, I walked right into the club. People were at the bar drinking and doing shots, others were playing pool or darts, small fights broke out, it was a mess. The building itself wasn't very updated. After a couple minutes of walking around, people began to notice me. One by one, they turned to look at the innocent child now standing in the middle of the building.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" One man said with a rugged voice. I just stood there observing his face. Observing every scar, cut, and bruise. In some twisted way, it was like looking into a mirror. He saw my scars and tilted his head. He was in deep thought. Who was this guy?  To most people, his mere appearance would scare people off. But not me. I was intrigued by his rough exterior. "Hmm" he hummed out. Everyone crowded into one big circle, even the bartender. "What do we do with her?" Someone in the circle asked. "I'm thinking." The one in front of me snapped. His backbones cracked as he stood up tall. He looked throughout the circle for any sort of idea. "Whats your name, little girl?" He asked. "It's Luna. Luna Jones." He flinched at the name. Wonder what for. "Who did this to you?" He asked gesturing towards my visible scarred skin. I looked at my feet as a tear fell down my cheek. "M-my mommy a-and d-daddy." I stuttered. He looked at me with pity. He understood what no one else in the room did. He understood the pain. Mentally and physically, how it affected a child when their parents, they once thought loved them, scarred them. He took in a deep breath as he looked around the room.

"EVERYONE! I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!" his voice boomed through the room, silencing everyone. "Luna here will be trained as one of our own. So treat her like one. As for the opposing sides here, no one fights or argues around her. Everyone got it?" Everyone nodded and some said, "yes sir." Though I didn't know what was going on, I knew he was someone of authority. Everyone agreed to train me and put their differences aside for now.

*4 Years later*

My fist hit the trainer's face and my second hit his gut, cutting his air for a couple seconds. I used this time to get behind him and trip him from the ankles. While he was on the floor, I grabbed his wrist and put it behind him, pulling it towards his head. He groaned in pain. Clearly, he wasn't too happy about a 10 year old beating him in a fight. A quiet clapping and whistle sounded as he begged for a break. I let go of the trainer and ran to Alex. Its the man's name that had the scars those nine months ago. I engulfed him in a tight hug. He chuckled and picked me up, putting me on his shoulders. We had grown quite close since the night at the club. He was like a fatherly brother. I eventually did find out that it was a gang bar that I walked into. But that didn't scare me. "Hows my killer nightshade doing" he asked me. I loved the nickname he gave me. It was a deadly berry that grew in the wild. The name meant all lot to me. So did Alex. I laughed at his question. "I beat the trainer six times today!" I said excitedly. He smiled in satisfaction. "Looks like we will need to upgrade him then." We laughed together. Panting, the trainer said, " y-yes, please! The kid is like a superhuman. SHES ONLY TEN AND SHE HAS THE SPEED AND STRENGTH OF A FULL GROWN MAN!!" I laughed at the slight fear in his voice.

While high ranking fighters physically trained me, Alex and the other gang leaders mentally trained me. They taught me how to avoid a conversation, to mentally manipulate people, to block all emotions. (Except, of course, my love for Alex. After all he was like the father figure I always wanted.) The gang leaders would be the last level in this lifetime of training. Before that, I would be learning how to seduce a man. I didn't know then how handy that would be in high school. The female fighters and members would train me after I signed off to go home. They would also teach me how to dress for certain effects or events. Mostly "how to dress like a badass." They would always say to me. We would make it fun by having a full-on fashion show.  I can't count how many times I've laughed during those. It was this way for years until I finished the training. I didn't know what to do with my new abilities so I got into street fighting. Oh, how my first fight changed my life for good.