Burning Phoenix - Saga 1

(Prominis 20, 56 / 6:08PM)

(Luna’s thoughts) Fucking coward…

Noticing that the door was dented and damaged, Luna lowered her fists and took a couple of steps back. Still having veins popping out of her forehead, she still wanted to see Luke.

(Luna’s thoughts) Why did he have to shut himself in!?

As Luna continued to wait for Luke, she saw from her peripheral vision Sean, who was about to get something from his room. About to open the door, he was soon stopped by Luna, whose anger was still dwelling inside of her.

(Sean) uh … hey beautiful?

(Luna) Is it true that you pulled the jack-in-the-box trick on Luke?

(Sean) Yeah! It was funny, wasn’t it?

Confirming to Luna that he was the one who pulled the jerkish prank on Luke, Luna’s anger quickly rose, walking towards the tall teen.

Despite being 5’6”, Sean was 5’8”, so for Sean, Luna wasn’t that tall.

But she was also—

(Luna) … You know what would be even more funnier?

(Sean) What? You going out with me—

Luna then landed a major blow to Sean’s face, causing him to fall cartoonishly. His nose launched a river of blood, combined with his right cheekbone turning purple from the horrible bruise.

Now unconscious, Sean had a similar setup to Gwen, but it was nowhere near as bad as hers…

(Luna) Never in a million years…

Walking towards her room, she opened the door and closed it hard. Alone in her room, she put her back on the wall, the room dark and humid as she looked up at the ceiling.

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(Prominis 20, 56 / 9:35PM)

(Fred) How long is he still in there?

(Gary) So he’s going to become a shut-in because of a mean girl…

(Diego) I mean, she's crazy man…

(Stan) … that damn bitch…

As Luke’s friends were outside his door, they weren’t happy that Luke decided to hole himself up, away from everyone. Shaking the door handle to his room, Fred tried to speak to Luke, his voice full of concern.

(Fred) Come on Luke, this isn’t you.

(Gary) The dude survived 20 days in the wilderness with barely enough food and water, but some psycho girl was enough to break him…

(Stan) Luke, I know you’ve been through a lot, but we could help you, you know. You don’t have to do this alone…

Alone?

(Diego) Hey, is Miles walking towards us?

As Diego noticed Miles, he noticed that Mile’s face was more chiseled, as if he was holding in anger or frustration. As Miles got closer to the group, he noticed Stan was in front of Luke’s door, trying to get Luke to come out. But Miles's aura was different, his sturdy and well-built body more hell-bent on trying to locate—

(Miles) Are you Stan!?

(Stan) Yeah, why?

(Miles) Did you punch Sean?

(Sean) … what?

Miles, his face keeping the anger from exploding, interrogated Stan, trying to get a solid and heavy evidence answer.

(Miles) Did you punch Sean?!

(Stan) N-no I didn’t!

(Miles) Then why does he have a broken nose?!

(Stan) Look at my hand! Tell me if it looked like I punched someone!

Stan showed his right hand to Miles, his knuckles and hands not showing any red marks or blisters of any sort.

(Miles) During lunch, I overheard you being angry at Sean for what he did to Luke.

Miles' voice faded to a lower tone, his face looking slightly downwards.

(Miles) What he did to Luke was horrible, and I told him to never do it again. I don’t know if he listened to that advice, but …

Miles then returned to his angry tone, looking at eye level with Stan.

(Miles) A broken nose is not meant to be paid by a bitten tongue!

Grabbing Stan’s t-shirt, Miles' body was ready to go full action, his hands shaking with frustration and anger that was coming out slowly from him.

But Stan had allies, because Fred, Gary, and Diego were ready to back Stan up, showcasing their fists that were shaking with fear yet resolve.

(Diego) Get your hands off of Stan.

(Gary) I may be fat, but I could punch!

As Miles noticed the three boys, readying their stances, he looked at them neutrally, hoping that they didn’t go through with their backup.

But there was one boy that made Miles nervous…

(Fred) Back the fuck off…

As Fred looked at Miles with controllable rage, Miles wanted to make sure neither boy would get hurt.

(Miles) You guys have nothing to do with this, I’m only here for Stan, not you three.

Showcasing that he doesn’t want to fight three kids four to six years younger than him, he remained his sights on Stan, trying to wait for Stan’s action. Sure enough, Stan gripped Miles’s hands, trying to pry them off of his collar.

(Stan) Take the shot!

Just as conflict was about to reach its peak, a girl came out of her room. Appearing to be not in a good mood, she had gray lines underneath her eyes, as she glanced at the commotion unfolding.

(Luna) What the hell are you guys doing?!

Walking towards the commotion, she glared at both Stan and Miles, her eyes and stare making both Stan and Miles stop in their tracks.

As Luna came forward, Stan noticed that Luna’s fist was red, marked with a hint of dry blood that could’ve led to—

(Stan) Wait, I think Luna is the one who punched Sean, take a look at her fist!

Surprisingly, Luna showed the fist that she used to punch Sean, her knuckles showing the dried-up blood, followed by the structure of her hard and pointy knuckles.

(Miles) So you were the one that punched Sean…

(Luna) Yeah and what of it?

Flabbergasted, Miles didn’t expect Luna to say this nonchalantly. Letting go of Stan, he moved his way towards Luna, not faltering at all.

(Miles) … Why did you punch him?

(Luna) Because he pissed me off.

Maintaining eye contact, she gave her answer to Miles, not caring about what Miles may say.

(Miles) You're a bitch you know that?

(Luna) … I’m not a bitch.

Ignoring Miles, Luna made her way to the door where Luke was shut in. With Fred, Gary, and Diego scared that Luna may pull something, the three made themselves seen as weak and pathetic, hoping that Luna may show any mercy in case of a scenario. Meanwhile, Stan and Miles made a stance in case that Luna decided to throw a secret punch—

(Luna) I just have anger issues…

In one kick, Luna kicked down the door to Luke’s room, forcing her way inside. Upon seeing the dark room, she noticed that Luke was hiding under the blankets of his bed, trying to ignore everything that’s been going on.

Stan was ready to go full swing, ready to throw a punch straight at Luna’s face, but—

Miles grabbed Stan’s arm, holding him back from his action.

(Miles) Wait … I think I see her intentions …

(Stan) Damn it, let go of my arm!

(Miles) Trust me on this…

(Stan) Trust you?

(Miles) Yeah, call it a gamble of hidden love…

With the five boys on standby near Luke’s door, Luna walked over to the side of the bed where Luke was hiding in. Hovering over him, she put both hands on her hips, her voice commanding and dominant.

(Luna) Get out from under there.

Luke didn’t budge, not wanting to enter the real world. This room was his sanctuary, his way of life, a life that he wanted to throw away but he crawled himself back into it yet again…

(Luna) Are you going to sulk and cry? Is that what you’re going to do here for the next four years?

(Luke’s thoughts) Leave me alone…

(Luna) I thought you would’ve had a better will, but I was mistaken. Guess I should’ve known … you're just a pipsqueak…

(Luke’s thoughts) Please…

(Luna) You’re a pushover, a toy, someone who can be taken advantage of.

(Luke’s thoughts) No more … please leave …

(Luna) How would your mom think of this?

Luke immediately stuck his head out of the blanket and glared towards Luna.

(Luna) I guess the word mommy got you out, let me guess, your mom died during the attack huh?

(Luke) Where are you going with this…

(Luna) Finally, you can speak. Do you think you’re the only one having issues?

Luke’s face contorted with brittle rage, his eyes glaring at Luna as his hands wanted to grab onto something.

(Luke) What about you?! I bet your parents spoiled you so much you think you can get away with anything! You think the whole world revolves around you just because you went through the same issues as all of us! You’re full of … full of … crap!

(Luna) …

Luna remained silent, her demeanor changed from teasing to neutrality as Luke turned the tides to her. Upon seeing that Luna didn’t want to answer, Luke sighed, and his eyes remained focused on Luna as she kept to herself.

(Luke) Exactly … you’re just a psycho … I was wrong about you … David was wrong about you…

Getting up from his bed, he ignored Luna’s reluctant body and was about to exit out of the room, his face tattered with frustration. Before long, Luna stopped him with just a simple sentence, her eyes looking downward while looking away.

(Luna) My father was killed right in front of me.

Stopping, he turned towards where Luna was sitting on Luke’s bed, his face focusing on hers as she looked down at the bed.

(Luna) And all four of my younger brothers were already slaughtered when I got there…

Slowly walking towards Luna, Luke kept his ears open as Luna opened herself to him. With each footstep that Luke drew, the more gentle his demeanor was.

(Luna) I could still see those faces, that figure that destroyed whatever was left of my neighborhood … killed and butchered my brothers … my dad … those scum … those bastards …

Luna’s fists started to shake uncontrollably, her rage slowly building as Luke was now next to Luna. Her body was uncontrollable, as she tried to remember that impure face.

(Luna) … those … those … those—

As Luna was about to explode, Luke put his hand on top of Luna’s. His face and hand showed concern, wanting to cure the pain, his voice frail and compassionate.

(Luke) … You should’ve told me …

Luna was caught off guard by this and her face turned red.

(Luna) Don’t hold my hand, you idiot!

(Luke) Wait I wasn't trying to—

Luna kept her hand close to her body.

(Luna) Dumbass…

Getting herself up, she started walking outwards to the hallway, looking downward with a mean glare. Stopping midway, she looked towards Luke who shyly avoided eye contact with her.

(Luna’s thoughts) Should I say I’m sorry? I’m not that evil … ah to hell with it.

Looking downward onto her hands, she put them inside of her hoodie. As she got to the hallway, she saw 12 candidates in the hallway.

(Luna’s thoughts) God damn it… maybe I should’ve just stayed a bit more with Luke.

Putting up a hard front, she glared coldly amongst them, trying to get them to leave her alone, but there was a certain candidate who wasn’t iced in total fear.

(Luna’s thoughts) Why’s this dumb blonde girl looking at me? Don’t tell me …

As Luna got closer to Hope, her height overshadowed her, trying to set her in line as the rest, but Hope didn’t falter.

(Luna’s thoughts) Is she mad about what I did to Luke? I never did get to apologize to Luke directly, just maybe …

She looked up, and quietly said …

(Hope) whore…

(Luna) YOU’RE DEAD!!

As everyone held back Luna, a major commotion happened right outside Luke’s door.

Meanwhile, Luke, still in the room, stood up from his bed, his eyes slowly sparkling.

(Luke’s thoughts) Why did I shut myself in my room … isn’t that what I fought against in the first place…

In the abyss of the room, he calmly walked towards the window that caught a glimpse of the city of Lagefor.

The skyline wasn’t anywhere as tall as Clastine’s, with most of the building being 20 to 30 stories high. Despite this, the skyline was bustled with lights, showcasing the economically hard-hit city of Lagefor.

Putting a hand to the cold window, the more he looked at the city that had many more issues than what meets the eye, the more he saw his reflection shown in the window.

(Luke’s thoughts) I won’t let this city be the same as Clastine…

Turning his head, he saw the tense yet joyful scene of the candidates trying to break off a fight that was ensuing, their yells causing the adults to come in curiously.

(Luke’s thoughts) I won’t let my friends die on me…

Walking out of the dark room, he entered into the hallway, the bright lights showcasing his resolve and tenacity, as he looked at them with regretful eyes. Everyone in front of them turned their attention to him, waiting for any response as their bodies remained still.

(Luke) Sorry if I was being recluse …

Nervously saying this, all candidates and even adults looked at Luke with neutral faces, some of them looking at him with worry, some neutral, and some (or one) glaring at him.

(Luke) How about we have another party … if it’s up to you guys? We all have some tension between us, so how about we unwind with at least food and drinks …

Timidly rubbing the back of his head, he awaited any answer that may come out of the 13 other people.

(Stan) Another party? Sure, my heart feels heavy from all that drama…

(Miles) Yeah, I could use a soda or two.

(Jack) I could stay up for a bit longer.

(Sean) … fine … but only for the girls and drinks … n-not for you…

The rest of the candidates agreed. Surprisingly, Luna also voiced her opinion, her voice slightly warmer than her cold demeanor.

(Luna) As long as there's donuts.

Hope didn’t say anything, or rather she came up to Luke and took his hand, which caused Luke’s cheeks to redden.

Sean looked away blushingly, his face signaling defeat upon the girl that he tried hitting on a day ago.

(Luna) Stop holding hands!

Perfectly, the rest of the candidates went downstairs, putting aside their issues and worries for the next day and after…