Reflection

That Day

Weeks had passed ever since Luna had been taken in by Ray and Jill, and she was adapting to her new home very quickly. She still missed Narcissa, Aunt Lydia and Uncle Clayton, but at the same time chose to move on, since she knew she would probably never see them again.

Her social life at school did not improve. It wasn't as bad as West Blue, but still no one liked her and they called her a loser. She was often ignored by her classmates, and whenever they picked on her they would always make sure the teacher was not around. Unlike West Blue, bullying was taken very seriously here. Luna always had Ray and Jill on her side, but of course, that would one day have to come to an end.

Today, the three of them had decided to go on a picnic. Luna was very excited since she had never been on one before. As she walked with her parents to the picnic site, all she could think about was what it was going to be like.

"Alright, we're here!" Jill announced as she sat the woven basket down. She opened it up and took the checkered quilt out, unfolding it before shaking it out and laying it down on the grass. Meanwhile Ray opened the cooler and took out the drinks. Luna gazed around and noticed a wooden swing that was hanging from a tree branch.

"Oooh, Mom, can I go on that swing over there?" Luna excitedly begged. Jill looked at her daughter and gave her a warm smile.

"Of course you can," she said. "Besides, your father needs to prepare the food." They began to walk towards the tree, with Luna keeping her eyes focused on the swing.

Jill helped her up onto the swing and began pushing her. Luna held onto the ropes as she could see herself going higher every time she was pushed. Even though there was gravity, she felt that nothing or no one could bring her down, including her bullies.

This was the first time she had felt so happy on a swing. When it came to the other times, all the swings would either be taken or she would be on one only to be bullied into getting off. But now, no one could stop her.

CREAK!

Luna thought she heard the branch move a little, but she didn't mind. However, Jill stared at it with caution as she continued to watch Luna. The branch was quite bulky, not to mention how old it looked.

"Hey Luna, maybe we should—"

"Ok, everything is ready!" Ray called out as he walked over to the tree. "Luna, it's time to take a break!"

"Ok!" Luna responded as she began to let the swing slow down. When she swung back, Jill grabbed onto the ropes, causing the swing to stop in motion so that Luna could get off.

"That was so much fun!" she cheered.

SNAP!

"LUNA!"

Before she could react, Luna was suddenly pushed away, landing about ten feet away from the tree. She stood up and that was when she saw it.

THUD!

An echo of blood-curling screams followed.

"NO!" Luna cried as she ran over to the tree branch that had Ray and Jill pinned under it. Using her gem, she changed back into a human to see if she would have a better chance of lifting the branch, but it was still way too heavy for her. She went back to being a bird. "Someone, please, help!" she sobbed. "Anyone, please, help me!" No response. What she saw next had caused her to freeze.

Blood had started to seep out from under the branch. Luna now knew that Ray and Jill were dead. She sat down and looked at the ground, watching her tears fall down. "This is all my fault..."