Shadow and Stars

Twenty-Nine

It's been two days since I escaped the Crescent, and I am just wandering around Eureka Springs aimlessly. The night before last, I slept in our back shed, and I spent last night in the girl's locker room at school. Not the best night of sleep I've ever gotten, and definitely not a situation I ever thought I'd find myself in.

I had snuck into my bedroom to get the journals, and on my way out, I heard Dad and Luna eating dinner in the dining room.

Well, I heard the silence. Forks banging against plates and ice clinking in glasses. It's clear that he's still angry, and Luna is doing nothing to make it up to him. I have to figure this out soon, if for no other reason than to prove to my dad I'd never treat him that way.

Last night in the locker room, I pored over every page of the journal, looking for any hint to what the key may unlock but have found nothing.

And today at Eureka Springs High School is like any other day, but what no one knows is that an impostor is in their midst.

The one who cheats on boyfriends and tests, insults friends, and causes chaos is there, and I am powerless to stop her.

I pull the Eureka Springs Girls' Basketball hoodie over my head and slide on the sunglasses I had taken from my room. My curls are hidden under the hood and the rest of my body is covered, so no one takes notice as I blend in with the crowd that eats lunch outside. Sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria courtyard, I prop a textbook in front of my face and watch over the top of the pages. A few minutes later, Julian comes out, his arm draped over Luna's shoulders. She looks up at him and laughs, but the sound is almost forced, like it's not something she's used to doing.

Surely he notices that something is off.

I try not to think about what happened at the Crescent, but the image of Luna and Julian is seared into my memory. I couldn't stand seeing him kiss her; I can't bear to imagine what happened after she severed the connection.

And based on the interaction they're having today, it must've been something.

He's whispering in her ear, and she's shoving him playfully, very much like the banter he and I have shared since we sparked our friendship. It feels like a knife in my gut to see her taking him from me.

Taking my entire life from me.

Feeling a wave of nausea, I drop the textbook to the picnic table's wooden surface, putting my head in my hands. My stomach churns and I jump up, running to the nearest bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before vomiting everything I've eaten in the past twelve hours. I hold back my hair with one hand and heave until there's nothing left. I drop to the floor and lean against the stall door, resting my head against my knees. Usually after I throw up, any feeling of nausea I had leaves my body, but I still feel weak, and my spirit feels even more broken than before.

I can't focus on my crushed heart; I have to focus on figuring out how I am going to defeat my aunt.

I'm holed up in the girl's locker room again, reading through the journals for what feels like the twentieth time. There is nothing here about a key, and I am getting frustrated.

And lonely.

I have nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and sleeping in this locker room for the second night in a row makes me want to cry.

If only I could talk to my dad...he's all the family I have, and Luna's ruined that too.

I bolt upright and drop the journal to the wooden bench.

Dad isn't the only family I have left.

***

Sunny Acres Retirement Village is bustling today; there are far more visitors here than last time, but Grandma Pearl is still in her room, the curtains drawn on the bright sunshine outside.