Incubus

Three

With the funeral out of the way for them, next came the hard part: attempting to return to normal. Tyler was happy to get back to school, he wanted something to take his mind off of everything and knew that goofing around would do the trick.

Luna dreaded going back because high school wouldn't be the same for her. Though her friends lent their support when they heard the news, the rest of the school would probably be gawking at her with gazes of pity. After everything she went through before when her father left she hated the expression with a fiery blaze. It made her feel pathetic like she was the small little helpless girl watching her mother stare at a blank tv.

She had to suck it up, mid-terms were just around the corner and she couldn't risk her grades slipping anymore than they already had. She hadn't decided what she was going to school for yet but she knew that college was her ticket away from everything and a chance to start her own life.

So she got up and dragged herself to the shower then to her closet where she dressed in light-colored jeans and a sunset orange blouse with some floral flats. She unwrapped the braid that her mother had done for the funeral yesterday and was relieved to see that sleep hadn't ruined it. She stared at her outfit in the mirror and knew her best friend Samantha would kill her for the outfit but she didn't care to wear anything more complicated than what she had on.

She slung her periwinkle bag over her shoulder and headed down to the kitchen. Tyler sat in the dining room, right next to the kitchen inhaling a bowl of cereal.

"Hey slow down. The cereal's not going anywhere." Luna said as she pulled a peach from the fridge.

"Buth comin' thoon." Her brother replied with a mouth full of food, a piece of the colorful cereal flying out his mouth.

His sister rolled her eyes and bit into her fruit. At least he's chewing this time, she thought.

He hurriedly drank the milk and ran to the sink to dump his bowl, grab his backpack and dash out the back door. A few seconds later she could hear the bus doors open, close and the engine roar as the bus pulled away.

As Luna readied herself for the short walk to her school, she spotted her mother's briefcase casually on the counter with her cellphone next to them. It was clear she wasn't going to work for the day but she didn't have time to address it. She simply headed off to school and hoped for the best.

The walk to school seemed to only last a couple of seconds because she was walking through the front of the building before she knew it. She went straight for her locker with her head held down and set to get the two books she would need for her morning class.

"Luna!" she heard the unmistakable shout from one of her best friends, Sam.

As she approached Luna, she was reminded that they were proof that opposites really attracted. While Luna was quiet and kept to herself, Sam was never afraid to speak her mind and stand out from the crowd. She took time and effort to dress herself, keeping intricate outfits and impeccable make-up. Her black-blue hair, which didn't extend past her jaw, bobbed up and down as she jogged to her best friend with her jade eyes full of excitement as always.

Luna took in the purple cropped jacket and bleached jeans with a white top peeking from underneath. Everything fit snug, bringing life to her curves which was exactly what she wanted. When she got over to her friend she opened her locker right next to her to adjust the white daisy-adorned choker around her neck in the small mirror.

"You didn't text me back. Are you okay?" She asked through bright red lips.

"I will be. The funeral's over so I just want to get back to normal." She said as she zipped her bag shut.