Luna

Luna (Ch. 19)

Previously: Tony Grawl wants Travis to join his army. Travis doesn't want to stay there while Luna leaves. Luna finds the humor in Travis being a soldier, but insist on him staying and spending time with his dad. Tony accuses Luna of pretending to abandon her dad's army in order to kill him. He also tries to convince Travis that Luna is being deceitful. Travis doesn't believe it, and storms out in a fit of rage. Luna follows after him.

Chapter 19

Hmm...where would I go if I wanted fresh air after my father just tried telling me to leave my old life behind and start a new one in his army? The first place I think is the room we're staying in, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a balcony or anything like that.

A while passes and I continue to wander around the institute. So far, I haven't found him. I shake my head at this. Why am I even looking for him? If he wants to talk to me, then he will. I decide to turn around and go back to the room. This has been a total waste of time. Suddenly, when I turn to head back to the room, I see someone sitting outside near a pool.

Travis.

He sits on the edge of said pool with his feet in the water. His arms are outstretched behind him, allowing him to lean back. He's looking up into the now dark sky and letting the wind push his hair every which way. I quietly remove my shoes, already making the choice to join him. I sit my shoes by the door and make my way to him. He doesn't bother looking at me when I sit.

"I use to pretend my parents were watching me through the stars. I'd pretend each shooting star was their way of saying the love me," he says to me, never once looking my way. I almost told him that a shooting star is actually just a moving meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere, but I thought better of it. He shakes his head and lets out a sad laugh.

"And this entire time, my father, was still alive. How the hell do I cope with that?" he asks himself. I say nothing. Instead, I look out at the water now surrounding my feet. It's cold, but somehow, it's comforting. "I've been lied to all these years..." he trails off, still looking into the dark sky above us.

We stay quiet for a few seconds, both of us taken in all the information we've been given. I lean forward and dip my hands in the water, allowing the waves to run through my fingers.

"When I was eight years old, after my mother died, I didn't know how my life would turn out. I didn't give myself time to think about what happened. I didn't give myself time to heal. I just immediately went into training. Day in to day out. I trained. I did as much as I could to distract myself," I speak while still moving my hands in the water. I've never actually spoken about this to many people. Not even to Sarah. She's far too young to have to listen to the few feelings I convey.

I see Travis gaze my way from the corner of my eye.

"I trained so hard for years. I trained so much that by the time I was thirteen, I killed him. I killed the man the murdered my mother. It was my first time, and not once did I feel remorseful. My father always told me that showing emotion only shows your enemy your weaknesses," I continue to admit. I sit up straight again and shake the access water from my hands.

"Damn..." Travis chimes in, not fully knowing what to say. I don't blame him. I wouldn't know what to make of it either. How do you respond when someone tells you they killed someone at the young age of thirteen?

"That explains a lot..." he mentions, almost like an afterthought. I don't even bother responding.

Again, we grew silent. The cool breeze tossing my hair around, making me regret not putting it in a ponytail with I had the chance. It whips in my face and I force it behind my hairs, hoping it will stay there for the time being.