NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: Introductions
"Luna." I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.
"Eep!" Luna shrieked, her small feet slowing as she moved away from her friends.
Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she looked back, clearly startled. However, as soon as she saw me, her face lit up with a warm smile. Despite her initial surprise, she quickly regained her composure, picking up her pace and pulling away from me.
This was definitely strange, so I frowned and accelerated my pace until I was again approaching her. When I caught up to her wrist, I pulled her slightly outside of her group of friends. "Why are you fleeing from me?" I spoke up.
Luna cocked her head sweetly. "Didn't you say you don't want us to be seen together?" She inquired, perplexed.
Uh... the me from this dimension had said something like that?
I decided to change that, so I stood next to her, shaking my head with a slight smile. "You can walk with me if you want, I want to get to know your... friends better." I ended awkwardly.
Like two shards of sunlight piercing through a cloudy sky, my sister's golden eyes bore into mine. When she heard my request, a faint crease appeared on her brow, giving her a concerned expression. "I don't think you want to... they're pretty nasty," she grumbled, her voice tinged with trepidation. I could see her pause for a moment, her gaze shifting to her friends before returning to me.
I noticed her friends observing us and whispering among themselves. I could almost hear the taunts directed at me, like a sixth sense for the bullied. I didn't like them, but at least I had to know them for myself; otherwise, I might have been judging the book by its cover. Something I really didn't want to do.
Misinterpreting Luna's look, the group of girls took it as a signal to approach us. The ringleader, a rather somber-looking girl, approached first, her posture exuding nervousness. Her hair was hidden by a hood, but I was struck by the light blonde locks that fell across her brow. Her facial features were visible despite the hood, revealing noticeable freckles and striking green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. She was quite attractive, not overly so, but a solid seven.
The girl in question cleared her throat. "A-Alex..." she said, her voice timid and unsure. I was surprised she knew my name, but since she was friends with my younger sister, I assumed it was normal. However, while I was lost in thought, the girl froze when she noticed my hand grasping Luna's wrist. "L-Luna, don't tell me you and he..." she began, her voice shaking with disbelief and rage. The girl's gaze shifted from my face to Luna's and back again, as if she was trying to make sense of the situation in front of her.
"We said virgins until thirty." A girl among the little group suddenly shouted, cutting through the growing tension and seemingly unashamed. "We said we would be great magicians!"
"Though it's a rumor, since our essence doesn't grow after seventeen" another mused. "Still!" She continued, pointing an accusing finger at my little sister. "Traitor!"
With a puzzled expression, I watched their back-and-forth accusations. I'm not sure why they assumed we were some sort of... couple. Why didn't my sister tell them about me? But how did they know what my name was?
Something crazy came to mind as a fleeting thought, which I dismissed at first, but now that I'm hearing her accusations again.... Maybe in this reality, incest was a thing? I couldn't make any rash statements at the time, but now I needed to get to my school's computers to figure out what was going on.
While I was thinking about these things, I noticed my little sister, who was gradually turning red, raised her hand, putting an end to the tirades of the girls in her group. Luna glared at them all, angry and embarrassed. "Quiet you bitches, you pieces of shit! My brother will now regard me as a fucking weirdo! "She spoke in hushed tones.
My eyes widened. What kind of mouth is that? I could find something cleaner down the drain. I won't scold her now though, I know how embarrassing it is to be scolded by your mom in front of your friends. I'm a modern big brother! I will be friends with my children in the future!
Luna, in question, didn't even notice that her flowery lexicon had taken me by surprise. "We're not like that." After they all fell silent, she explained through her teeth.
"Oh" They all said stupidly in unison.
Then there was an awkward silence between us, which was not broken until one of them cleared her throat and cast glances at my sister, who shook her head and pointed in my direction in what she thought was a discreet manner.
Luna exhaled a sigh. She reached out her slender white hand. "This is Beatrice," she introduced me to the stranger. Luna then pointed at me, her voice light with amusement. "And this is Alex, my brother," she said, and the with a playful grin, she continue "Although I'm sure you already knew that, you fucking stalker."
Beatrice, the black-haired girl with the bun, gave her an indignant look, as if she was surprised by Luna's remark. "H-Hey!" exclaimed the girl, her voice defensive. "It's nothing more than field reconnaissance and armed neutrality! That's not stalking, is it?" Her words, however, were met with silence, as if no one wished to respond. Except for the distant sound of a car honking in the distance. "Right?" Silence.
I just smiled uncomfortably at her, if she even took the time to investigate me, she must be a pretty desperate girl.
My younger sister ignored the girl who was trying to justify herself and introduced another girl, this time one with short hair and blue eyes, who appeared relaxed and average in appearance. "Ruby, this is Alex."
"W-what's up?" She said awkwardly, giving me an uncomfortable nod.
"Finally," Luna said, pointing to the girl I'd noticed earlier, the most beautiful of my sister's group, after my sister, of course. "Marie."
She gave me a nod but I could see her looking at me intently.
"Nice to meet you," I said as the introductions came to an end, forcing a smile. As the conversation seemed to die down and they began to look at me as if I were a zoo animal on display, I decided to start another conversation to break the awkward silence. "How did you first meet Luna?"
They all looked at each other, and I couldn't tell what they were thinking. Perhaps I was too nosy? I had my doubts, but they just laughed, and Luna's blushing didn't escape me.
"Actually-" Beatrice began, but was quickly interrupted.
"Uh, that's a story for another time!" Luna stammered, laughing awkwardly as she made a cutting gesture with her hand, directed at her friends. My sister then pointed ahead. "Look! We're here!"
"Huh..." I was dumbfounded.
When we arrived, I didn't even notice. However, looking at the building's entrance, I knew it was my school, albeit a little better kept than I remembered.
"See you later." Luna said, practically dragging the group of girls in tow who giggled at her nervous reaction.
I just nodded at her, letting out the probably amusing backstory of how they met for the time being. It was time to take a deep breath. Even if the reality is slightly different, a second chance is a second chance. I couldn't throw it away now.
