She grew up hiding who she was because of the threat of being taken away, like her father. Luca Hood, the daughter of Ruby "Red Riding" Hood, never trusted anyone, not fully and unconditionally at least, but when the soon-to-be King Ben decides to i...
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Her panting breath filled the silent enchanted forest as leaves, sticks, and rocks broke or shifted under her frantically moving feet. The wind tore through her raven black hair, dried her red-stained lips, and made the tattered red cape fluttering behind her. Her body was slowly gaining speed the longer she ran towards her destination, yet she felt she wasn't going fast enough. The young woman's inner beast broke through, her blue eyes engulfed by a starling yellow and her gums tingling as her fangs crept from below. Her feet were nearing the edge of the ground, but she didn't slow down as the deafening sound of the enchanted lake's waterfall crept closer.
Instead of slowing her pace, the young woman raced faster before leaping over the drop like she had every full moon before. A scream-like laugh erupted from her throat as she touched down on the other side before running through the dark forest. Tree branches scratched at her shirt and pants as she sped past. She didn't care enough to slow down or stop to check for tears. She had an unquenchable desire to make it to her destination before midnight. She needed to keep going because, at midnight, he would call out to her, and she needed to answer.
The top of the cliff was nearing, and finally, the young raven-haired girl slowed down. Her breath ragged as she skidded to a stop at the top. The pearl rays of the full moon finally reached the girl without the cover of trees in the way. The light on her skin sent shockwaves of energy through her veins, and within seconds, she was no longer short of breath, and her muscles no longer ached. She waited patiently for his call. And when it finally came, the young girl answered with vigor. Breaking through the sounds of the forest was a heartbroken, beastly howl. It rattled the windows of homes near its origin and scared birds in a ten-mile radius.
The sound was the call of a father to his daughter. It was a sad but loving call. He wanted to know if his beloved daughter still walked this earth. Once the call pierced her ears, relief flooded the young woman as she answered with a howl with the same power, driving it across an ocean. The young woman stood on the cliff, looking at the Isle of the Lost and its shimmering barrier that held her from her father. The moonlight shone down on her figure, and the wind blew off the red hood, allowing her black hair to drift freely in the breeze. The young woman liked the belief that her father was watching her from whatever hole he managed to secure on the rotting island.
As much as she would have liked to stay standing on the cliffside, basking in the moonlight, the young woman knew that the Fairy Godmother was a stickler for curfews. So, casting one last longing glance at the Isle of the Lost, Luca Ruby Hood raced back down through the forest and into her dorm at Auradon Prep.
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"Luca! Wake up, ya' lazy bum!" A robust Scottish accent cried out, waking the young ravenette as a pillow pelted her. Luca rose quickly and chucked the pillow back at her roommate, Blair. Being the daughter of Merida, Blair inherited her mother's wild spirit, so she rose at the crack of dawn to practice her archery, also inherited from her mother, and insisted her best friend must be awake with her. Therefore, every morning, Blair and Luca would walk out onto the tourney field and let Blair have her time to practice before walking up to their dorms to prepare for the day.
"Ugh!" Luca groaned and flopped back onto her bed, pulling the covers over her shoulders and trying to fall back asleep. Usually, Luca would have no problem waking up early, but the mornings after the full moon were always more brutal as she stayed out later than usual. "I know it was the full moon, but you have to ge' up!" Blair called as she clasped Luca's pale hand and tugged. The minor tussle continued for the next ten minutes, only ending when Luca realized there was no getting out of their routine.
Luca stumbled out of the warm comforter and stumbled to the connected bathroom. She brushed her dark hair before pulling it into a messy ponytail. Strands fell into her pale face. Looking in the mirror, Luca could see the tiredness in her hazel eyes and tried to rub it out. Giving a sign, Luca quickly dressed in a black tank top, black leggings with two red stripes down the side, and her black and red running shoes and threw her red cap and hood over her shoulders, the torn ends an inch or two away from her knees. Blair was already dressed in her workout clothes, a simple green tank top, black leggings with green running shoes, and had her bow and quiver hanging off her back. Blair bounced in her place, eager to get a move.
Chuckling at her friend's excitement, Luca hurried, and they both walked out of the dorm building. The air was slightly chilling in the early morning, but nothing the two young women weren't used to. As expected, the tourney field was bare, and a slight fog was rolling in from the surrounding forest. The targets were set, and while Blair shot expertly at them, only competing with herself, Luca watched the forest line from her spot on the ground leaning against one of the benches. Little woodland creatures peeked out of the trees occasionally to see what the thunking noise of Blair's arrows was before scurrying back into the woods.
"Did you hear the news?" Blair asked as she drew her bow once more. Luca had been digging into her bag to find the book assigned in her literature class. "No. What happened? Audrey got a new boyfriend?" Luca asked sarcastically and flipped to the page she had left on. Blair giggled and released the arrow. "No. Our future king has decided on his first royal decree."
Unlike her mother, Blair kept up to date on most royal happenings and took her position with pride. Due to their parents' closeness, Blair and Ben were close friends, much to Audrey's displeasure, and because of her relationship with Blair, Luca was more acquaintances with Ben than friends. "And that would be?" Luca asked, only half-listening as she flipped to a new page. "Ben has decided to invite four kids from the Isle to join us in Auradon." Blair's words were spoken nonchalantly but struck a significant chord within Luca. She almost couldn't believe the words. Her body froze on the chilly ground, and her book almost fumbled out of her hands.
With mixed feelings, Luca processed the information. She was excited to meet children from the island her father was imprisoned on. The young ravenette was nervous about meeting children from the island where her father remained detained. She felt this could be the start of something great that could one day release her father. We could be a family again...
The topic was not outwardly discussed the rest of their morning, but it reverberated in Luca's mind. It was now the next week, and Luca sat quietly in Mr. Deley's class, watching as he wrote atomic equations on the chalkboard. Luca wore black skinny jeans, a black off-the-shoulder blouse, black boots with red laces, a black choker, and her signature red cape. For some unknown reason to Luca, her sense of style was judged by many of her royal female classmates as she barely ever wore skirts or dresses. They saw it as improper and scowled at her when she passed in the hallway. Luca didn't care.
Luca rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn that tried to escape. Having Chemistry first thing in the morning had always annoyed Luca. Much to her enjoyment, the piercing sound of the bell rang out and dismissed the students, even if the sound resonated in Luca's sensitive ears and sprung up a slight headache. Packing up her belongings, Luca stumbled off her stool and walked down the hall to meet Blair in her English class. "Hey, girl!" Blair greeted Luca energetically once they met up. Her bright red, wavy hair bounced slightly as she strutted closer. Luca smiled and nodded silently.
Due to her known secretive and reclusive nature, Luca knew Blair was used to and didn't mind her best friend's familiar silence. As if by instinct, Blair struck a conversation. "Are you ready to meet Ben to greet the new kids?" Blair asked in her typical calm tone. Her words, like before, struck a chord in Luca's mind. That was today? Luca voiced her thoughts and made Blair laugh. "I've been talking about how Ben asked us to come and help greet them. Give them some friendly faces?" Blair said with a smirk, knowing her best friend had no idea the event was occurring that day. "I thought they were coming Wednesday?" Luca asked in a panic, grabbing Blair's arm to stop their walk down the semi-crowded hallway.
