Author's Note: Merry (Belated) Christmas and Happy New Year, Emo Cowboy! I didn't mean for the story to turn out so heavy. It sounded like a good idea until a third of the way through… I'll have the next chapter up soon.
Wait, what? You ate my cookies?! *flips table*
All for You
Luna furrowed her eyebrow as she carefully chose her steps, avoiding the puddles and slush along the path that had formed during the afternoon. If it were up to her, she would stay inside for the majority of winter but school continued regardless of the weather. The young girl wrinkled her nose in distaste as the half-melted snow splashed against her clean boots.
"Why couldn't all this snow go away?" she complained to her companion.
"It's not so bad," Candace replied softly, hugging her textbooks to her chest. Luna refrained from rolling her eyes. Everything annoying in life was not so bad according to Candace.
"It's not only horrible but super cold too! I just want spring to –Ahh!" The girl let out a surprised shriek when something smacked into her back. Whipping around, she scanned the streets of Castanet, her gaze stopping on two snickering boys hiding behind a tree. Red hair stuck out from beneath a hood, allowing her to identify one of the boys as Owen. The other boy was undoubtedly Luke because he was the only one who walked around with a bandanna tied around his head regardless of the temperature. Before the girl could yell at them, another pair of snowballs came raining down on her.
Staggering back, the pink-haired girl held her book bag over her head. "Hey! Would you stop that!" She glanced to the side, spotting Candace meekly holding her books above her head to avoid the snowballs being pelted at her. Obviously, she wasn't going to get help from her sister. Between retaliating and retreating, retreating seemed like the least messy option. "Gah!"
Still holding her book bag over her head, Luna began running back towards the tailor shop, snowballs following her half the way home. The girl took a moment to catch her breath when she arrived at the front of the store. Why were most boys so immature? Glancing back, she saw her sister slowly making her way up to the shop, snow crystals clinging to her hair and clothes. Luna glanced down at her own clothes, completely upset with the whole situation. If she were older and taller, maybe the boys would take her more seriously. Or if Candace was less of a pushover.
"Luna, are you alright?" Balancing her textbooks on the window sill, Candace began meticulously brushing the snow off the younger girl's hair and clothes.
"Does it look like I'm okay?"
Candace's hands stilled, her soft smile fading away. "Luke and Owen… didn't mean any harm."
There it was again. That complacency and lack of stance. Why did Candace have to wave aside every conflict like that? Nothing would change for the better as a result. Because of that, Luna had to take up the job of watching over the both of them, especially after their parents... Luna shook her head, breaking off her line of thought. Their grandmother was getting older and wouldn't be able to run the shop on her own one day. If they relied solely on Candace, Luna was sure that they wouldn't be able to get by. And so she studied diligently, working to gain the knowledge to make sure the tailor shop had a future ahead of it. She had hoped that her older sister would change over time –would realize nothing would change if she insisted everything was fine when things were not– but that hasn't happened yet.
"Forget it," Luna grumbled, yanking open the door and entering the shop.
Heading straight to her room, Luna dumped her book bag and jacket on top of her bed and snuggled against a pink pillow. The fiery emotions inside her slowly seeped away, leaving a dull sadness instead. She was trying so hard for both their sakes. Why couldn't Candace do the same?
Luna raised her head when she heard a knock on the bedroom door. She shared the room with Candace so her sister didn't need to knock when entering and leaving. "Yes, grandma?"
Shelly appeared in the doorway, looking slightly worried, as she usually did when she noticed her granddaughters were unhappy. "Luna, dear, are you alright?"
Straightening, Luna nodded. "I'm fine, grandma." She didn't want to worry the older woman, especially when nothing about the situation can be changed.
Knowing how stubborn Luna could be, Shelly accepted the answer. She gently patted the younger girl's hand. "Alright, dearie but you're always free to talk to me about any problems you have."
Luna smiled at her grandmother and enveloped the older woman in a hug. "I know."
"Do you have time to help out in the shop? I just finished making some accessories and need to put them on display."
"Of course." While she had no talent for making clothes and accessories, the young girl was able to effectively put together coherent displays that showed off the shop's newest items. Pushing off the bed, Luna smoothed her dress and ran her fingers through her damp hair –the snow Candace hadn't managed to brush off having melted away— before following her grandmother out of the room.
The box of newly made hair accessories lay near the entrance of the workroom. Luna made out some dark colored bows, flower crowns, and patterned headbands in the pile, each having been made with fine attention to detail. Even though they were the only store in town that sold clothes, their grandmother took care in ensuring that the items they sold were of quality and Luna took pride in that.
Spotting a pale flower barrette, Luna picked it up. The petals were intricately colored, smoothly transitioning from yellow near the center to ivory on the end. "Grandma, can I have this? I really like it." Luna could think of the perfect outfit the barrette would go with as well.
"Yes, of course, dearie."
"Hehe, thank you!" Not having a pocket, Luna placed the item back in the box and brought the container to the counter, where a small spinning rack display sat. Vibrant flowery accessories from the previous season sparsely decorated the rack, most of them having been sold. After rearranging the items on the bottom of the rack, Luna began picking out accessories from the box and hanging them on the rack.
A jingle from the bells above the door and a gust of cool air announced the arrival of a customer. "Welcome to Sonata Tailoring. Can I help you with anything…?" Luna stared oddly at the customer, who was bundled from head to toe in heavy layers. She disliked the cold herself but at least layered her clothes without looking like a sausage.
A pair of gold colored eyes gazed down at her. "I need five dresses, shirts, stockings… just get me five of everything you sell for women," her muffled voice demanded from behind her heavy scarf.
There was something about the woman's tone of voice that instantly rubbed Luna the wrong way. Telling the customer to get the items herself was on the tip of Luna's tongue but the girl refrained. While this was the first time she had encountered such a request, the request wasn't unreasonable. The girl instead asked, "Alright. What style do you like?"
"I like cute things," she answered, gloved hands tugging at her scarf. "Now hurry up! I don't have all day! And make sure they will look good on me too!"
"And how am I supposed to know what you look like under all of that?" Luna asked as politely as she could, finding more to dislike about this customer by the second.
"Do you think it's easy to take all of this off and put back on again?" the customer huffed.
"Here, let me help you with that," Shelly said in a placating manner as she emerged from the workroom. "You must be uncomfortable in all those layers."
It took some convincing but the woman relented. As Candace and her grandmother helped the customer remove the layers of unnecessary clothing, Luna began picking out stockings, hats, scarves, and other basic items that did not require her to know the customer's body type. Afterwards, she dumped the assortment of items on the counter and stood grumpily to the side as her grandmother and Candace picked out various articles of clothing. Luna listened wordlessly as the woman pointed at this and that in the store for her sister to retrieve. Was she buying a supply of clothes to last for the next decade or something?
"That should be everything," Shelly commented at last, neatly folding the last few items from the pile on the counter. "Is there anything else you would like, dear?"
The woman thoughtfully scanned the shop, her gaze lingering on the accessories near the counter. Picking up a flower barrette, she said, "I'll also take this as well."
"Hey, that's mine!" Luna protested, recognizing the item in the woman's hand. "You can't have it!"
Turning her nose up, the woman stated, "It doesn't have your name on it and was lying with all the other sale items."
Marching up to the counter, Luna glowered at the woman. "It's mine. Are you really fighting with a little girl for a barrette?" She was older than she looked but didn't mind pretending that she was not when it worked to her advantage.
Arms crossed over her chest, the silver-haired woman countered, "Have you paid for it? Either way, you should have taken it off the sales floor! Are you really this rude to all your customers?"
This demanding woman was calling her rude? What a hypocrite. Luna snorted, "Well, most of our customers aren't—"
"Luna, that's enough," Shelly said firmly.
Shocked eyes turned to the older woman. "But grandmother, you said I could have it!" the girl protested. She couldn't believe that the older woman was siding against her. She was her granddaughter and the other person was just a rude nobody. Even if they were to ignore that, her grandmother had agreed to give the item to her.
"Hn, apparently it isn't yours after all," simpered the woman, ignoring the increasingly angry girl beside her. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a bag of gold to pay for her purchases.
"L-Luna, you already have a lot of accessories," Candace said quietly, gently placing a hand on her sister's arm.
Luna angrily shrugged the hand off, ignoring her sister, and stomped her foot as she glowered at her grandmother. "This would go perfectly with one of my outfits! You're not being fair! You said I could have it! It wouldn't look good on her ugly hair anyway!"
"Hey! What did you say?" the woman demanded.
"You heard me clearly! Or are you as deaf and old as your hair makes you look?"
Shock crossed the woman's features, followed by spewing anger. "No one gets away with insulting me like this! Just wait!"
"I'd like to see you try anything!"
"Spoiled brat!"
"Ugly witch!"
"Enough, Luna!" Shelly ordered, raising her usually gentle voice. "Apologize to—"
"I'm not wrong!" Luna cried. She turned to look at her family's expressions, finding no support from either her sister or grandmother. Spinning around, the pink haired girl ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. The conversation continued without her outside though Luna was unable to hear a word through the walls.
Curled up on her bed, the pink-haired girl stared at the designs on her comforter. She wasn't wrong. She might have been unpleasant to the customer but she hadn't been wrong in standing up for what was hers. The stretching shadows were the only things that moved in the room as the sun sank in the sky.
A tentative knock sounded against the door. "Luna? …Dinner is ready."
It wasn't like she had wanted anything unreasonable either. It was just a little thing. How hard was it to keep a simple promise to give her a little thing?
"It'll get cold if you wait too long."
How hard was it to support your sister when she needed help?
"I… can listen, if you want to talk."
As if that would help with anything, Luna thought bitterly to herself. At last, Candace shuffled away from the door, leaving her sister alone in the darkness. Eyelids heavy, the girl sank into a restless slumber.
When she awoke, Candace was already out of bed. Changing out of her crumpled outfit, Luna proceeded with her usual morning routine. The girl slowed when she neared the kitchen, not sure how to interact with her family members but stepped into the room with her head held high. She still maintained that she had done nothing wrong even if her sister and grandmother disagreed. Sliding into her usual seat, Luna gazed down, surprised to find that there was no food in front of her.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this?"
Across from her, Candace nibbled quietly on her jam covered toast, eyes averted. Yes, she had ignored her yesterday but Candace didn't have as much a reason to be upset as she did. How petty, Luna thought, biting the inside of her cheek to refrain from saying something scathing to the older girl.
She turned to look at her grandmother, who was busying herself washing the frying pan. Maybe she should have joined the two for dinner yesterday but knowing that she hadn't eaten yesterday evening, did they need to not make her breakfast to make their point? She wasn't the one being childish here. Pursing her lips, Luna pushed herself off the chair and took a plate from a drawer and a slice of bread from the kitchen counter. Breakfast proceeded silently, with no one uttering a word; Candace usually didn't say much and Luna was still upset with the other household members.
After finishing breakfast, Luna grabbed her book bag and headed out without waiting for her sister. School also continued with the two not talking to one another. Once they were dismissed, Luna scrunched her nose up and began packing away her books. It's not like Candace talked that much anyways, so it wasn't like there was anything to miss. Nonetheless, her sister usually let go of disagreements with her fairly easily so the blue-haired girl's behaviour today seemed odd. Luna frowned as she watched her sister exit the building, not even pausing to search for her younger sister.
Making up her mind, Luna pushed open the door and trotted after Candace. "Hey, what's your problem? If anyone has reason to be upset, it should be me! All I did was ignore you while you failed to stand up for me again!"
Candace continued walking, her head held down, ignoring Luna's words. This only made Luna angrier. Cheeks tinted pink, she shouted, "You're my big sister and yet I need to stand up for you all the time!"
Her sister made no indication of hearing her or caring for her words. She had always ran from conflict but it needed to stop today. Luna had put up with it for long enough. Years of unspoken bitterness, words that she never wanted to say with such harshness, came flowing out like a broken dam. "You can hardly take care of yourself so I have to be strong! You never have an opinion so I have to make all the decisions! You're always content with the minimal so I have to work hard and somehow make sure the shop has a bright future. What have you done for me, Candace?"
Their one sided conversation was abruptly interrupted by a snowball sailing through the air, smashing onto the ground near Candace's feet.
"Hey, Candace! Do you want to play with us?" Luke shouted from behind a fence, waving his arms to catch her attention. "We're having an EXTREME snowball fight!"
A few metres away from Luke, Owen stuck his head out from behind a snow fort. Casually tossing the snowball in his hand into the air and catching it again, he said, "The more the merrier."
The blue haired girl shook her head, eyes darting between Luke and Owen. Her grip on her books tightened slightly as she replied, "S-sorry, I have to go home and help with the shop."
"You're always working, Candace," Owen observed.
Grinning, Luke linked his hands behind his head. "Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to take a small break."
"Unlike a certain someone who takes breaks all the time," Owen quipped, jerking a thumb at his friend. He was answered by a snowball to the side of his face, causing the boy to drop the snowball in his hand. However, the red haired boy was quick to hide behind his snow fort and return the attack with a volley of snowballs.
Candace smiled politely though her discomfort showed in the shakiness of her expression. "Thanks for the offer but… I really have to go."
Luna turned from the boys to her sister, peeved that they were acting as if she wasn't right there. Huffing, she decided that her issue with Candace was more pressing. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"
They were nearing the shop now and the other girl still hadn't said a word to her. Jogging up to Candace, Luna grabbed the other's arm, holding her back from escaping. "Candace, are you even listening to me?"
The blue haired girl's eyes were surprised when she was forced to face Luna. "W-what?"
"Have you listened to what I've said at all?"
The lack of response was accompanied by wide eyed confusion and a hint of fear. Furrowing her brow, Luna gazed behind her, trying to make out what Candace was afraid of because it surely wasn't her. Nothing out of the ordinary was found but when she turned back to look at her sister, the blue haired girl was trembling. Before she can ask, the other girl had pulled her arm out of her grasp and had run into the shop. The door slammed behind her, the force shaking snow off from the edge of the roof.
"Hey!" Luna yanked on the door handle but found the door locked. The girl pounded loudly on the door. "Unlock this door right now!"
After a full minute of pounding on the door, Luna leaned her forehead against the opaque glass panel. Had she gone too far? Candace's self-confidence had always been low. She hadn't meant to really hurt her sister. Her anger had gotten the better of her and while she was resentful for the burden she had to carry because her sister couldn't, she still cared for her sister because… well, because she was her sister. She hoped Candace was alright. After giving the door handle one more try without success, the girl stepped back from the shop.
Worried as she was, she couldn't help but feel a hint of irritation. Even after everything she said, Candace was still running. The thought left her feeling empty inside, disappointment eating at her. Nothing will change. Nothing had changed for the past thirteen years of her life. Why did she keep trying?
"I might as well do something else while I wait," she muttered to herself as she readjusted the strap of the book bag digging into her shoulder. Snowflakes sprinkled over the town as Luna trudged up the stairs towards the inn. It wasn't unbearably chilly at the moment but the dark clouds overhead seemed to promise heavier snowfall later during the day.
The warm scent of spices and stewing vegetables filled her senses as soon as she entered Ocarina Inn. It was still early so the inn was empty except for a couple sitting in one table and her classmate, Maya, doing homework in another. Settling down on an empty table by the window, Luna pulled out a textbook to study. After an hour of uninterrupted studying, the girl raised her head to look for the waitress. Surely, the waitress had noticed her in the nearly barren dining area after an hour of standing around. Sliding off the chair, Luna marched up to the blonde waitress. "Excuse me but I would like some service over here."
The waitress didn't respond, seemingly oblivious to Luna's presence.
"Hey, I would like some service here," Luna said, raising her voice but to no avail; the waitress continued to act as if she couldn't hear anything. Was this some sort of joke? Frowning, Luna raised her arm and waved her arm in front of the waitress's face. The young woman didn't even blink. Frowning, the student stepped back. Just what was going on here?
Running over to Maya, the girl slammed her hands down on her table. "Maya, what's going on?"
The blonde continued doodling on the margins of her book.
"This is a joke, right?" Luna asked, pleading for the girl to answer. The blonde reached for a cookie on the plate in front of her, munching contently on her snack. Luna's knees buckled beneath her and she would have collapsed onto the ground if not for her tight grip on the table. "Answer me!"
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Luna tried to figure out what was happening. This wasn't possible. She raised her hand, staring at her palm, half-expecting to be able to see through herself. She appeared to be a solid human being. Tightening her hand into a fist, Luna shook her head. No, there had to be a possible explanation. This had to be a joke.
"Hey, Maya, stop it. We get along as classmates, don't we?" Fear tinged her voice despite her efforts to remain calm. Her classmate didn't look up. Chest tightening, Luna reminded herself that she was a solid human being and could prove that as well. With shaking hands, Luna pushed the plate of cookies off the table. The plate shattered, causing Maya to jump in her seat and everyone else in the restaurant to look in their direction.
The waitress rushed over. "Are you okay, Maya?"
"Yeah," the girl answered, gazing curiously at the cookies on the floor and scratching her head. "I must have knocked it over somehow."
"Well obviously," the waitress replied. "How else would it have fallen off the table?"
"Good point." The young girl giggled. Her smile soon turned into a pout as she looked down at the floor. "Aw… they were really yummy cookies too."
"I'll get you some more. On a plastic plate this time." Grabbing a napkin and bending down, the young woman began picking up the larger pieces of the broken plate.
"Hey! I'm not that clumsy!" Maya protested. Slipping off the chair, the girl ran towards the back. "I'll go get the broom!"
"Thanks." The waitress shrieked when the textbooks on the table suddenly came crashing down onto the floor. Dropping the plate fragments in her hand, the blonde backed away from the table just as the chair violently toppled over next.
"Ghost!" she screamed, her voice slicing through the air and reaching everyone in the inn.
The owners of the store came rushing over into the dining area. Returning from the broom closet, Maya hid behind her mother while Jake accessed the situation. "What is going on?"
"T-the chair and books just suddenly flew to the ground, Mr. Jake," the waitress cried, pointing over at the table Maya had previously occupied.
"Nonsense, that isn't po—" The man's response was interrupted by the entire table smashing onto its side, causing everyone to scream in shock.
"I-I'm getting out of here," the waitress cried, scrambling onto her feet and running out the door. The two remaining customers in the inn quickly followed, the door slamming loudly behind them. Shocked silence stretched for a moment as the remaining individuals tried to take in what was happening.
"N-now listen here," Jake said, looking at a spot a few feet to Luna's left. "Ghosts aren't welcome in this inn!"
Grabbing the broom from Maya's hands, the man began to wildly attack the area above the table. With a surprised cry, Luna ducked behind the upturned table. She had definitely managed to catch some attention. Deciding to take advantage of that, Luna reached for a piece of paper and a pencil that lay on the floor. She quickly scribbled 'I'm not a ghost! I'm Luna! Help!' on the piece of paper and stood up to hold the paper for her attackers to see.
Screams erupted as soon as the piece of paper rose over the table. Before she could decide on what to do, the girl was met with a face full of bristles. "Ack! Stop it! It's me, Luna!" the girl cried, waving the piece of paper wildly. "Just look at the paper! Please, just look!"
Luna ducked just as a cup came flying in her direction, smashing loudly into the wall behind her. Dropping the piece of paper, the terrified girl scrambled out the door. The screams faded away as the door closed, leaving her in calm silence. Wrapping her trembling arms around herself, Luna tried to keep herself together. She wasn't really a ghost, was she? Surely, if she were dead, she wouldn't be able to feel the biting cold of winter. Then again, how would she know what a ghost felt and didn't feel? This was it then. She had somehow died and was now a ghost.
Luna didn't know how long she had stood outside in the cold trying to overcome her shock and fear –what will happen to her now?— but by the time she had snapped out of her stupor, snow was falling heavily to the ground. The girl shook her head, walking aimlessly along the streets. Hearing the laughter and jokes of passing villagers seemed surreal when her own world was collapsing on itself. Snow clung to her hair, weighing down her usual curls but the girl paid it no heed –there was no one to see it now.
The snow came down heavier and heavier as she walked. Looking at her surroundings, Luna decided that it was best to make her way back home. Was the tailor shop still her home? With slumped shoulders, Luna walked down to the lower district, minding her footing on the snow covered stairs. Arriving in front of Sonata Tailoring, the girl tried the handle again but to no avail. That's right, if she was dead, there would be no need to leave the door unlocked if she hadn't come home yet. Letting go of the door handle, Luna frowned at the tears gathering in her eyes. She hadn't cried in a long time but finding out that she was dead seemed to be an acceptable reason to tear up. She had so many plans for the future. How could things end so suddenly? Scrunching up her nose, Luna buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
When she was done crying, Luna wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and stepped back to look up at the shop. The cozy little building looked the same as she remembered it. Did her family miss her? They surely hadn't acted any different when she had seen them earlier today. Was her existence truly so insignificant? The painful thought tore at her chest. She knew that she could be annoying at times but she also thought that she had contributed a lot to her family. Who would stand up for Candace now? Who would make sure the store remained up to date and grew to be well known in the region? It mattered little now.
So I'm dead… What am I supposed to do now? Luna wondered. Would she disappear into the ether? The girl shivered as a blast of cold air blew past her. After a few moments of deliberation, Luna concluded that it was idiotic to wait in the cold to disappear into nothing when she could be inside waiting to disappear into nothing. Upset as she was with her family, Luna couldn't think of anywhere else she could go or wanted to be. Walking up to the shop, Luna pounded on the door.
Before she lost complete feeling of her limbs, she heard footsteps slowly approaching the door. "Hold on, dearie. I'll be right there." The door opened and taking the opportunity, Luna slipped inside as Shelly quizzically looked down both sides of the empty street. "I guess it must have been the wind…"
Standing to the side, Luna watched as her grandmother returned to the kitchen and rejoined Candace for their dinner. The pink haired girl trailed after the old woman, afraid to reach out to her grandmother in fear of scaring her but longing for her comfort at the same time. In the end, reason won out. She could still see the fear in Candace's eyes when Shelly had returned, claiming that the pounding noise had been caused by the wind. Sitting beside the fridge, Luna soaked in the warmth inside the building, the heat stinging against her chilled skin. Luna listened with half an ear as her grandmother asked Candace about her day –the conversation seemed pretty ordinary.
Her stomach rumbled but with the events of her previous encounter still fresh in her mind, Luna only snuck some food for herself when the other household occupants busied themselves with washing the dishes. Running into the room she shared with Candace, the girl sat down on her bed and began enthusiastically biting into the piece of bread. She would sneak out for more food later, once everyone was asleep.
The pink-haired girl raised her head when the door creaked open. Shoulders hunched and gaze darting across the room, Candace quietly closed the door and slowly inched forward. Undoubtedly, she was still wary of the ghost she had encountered earlier today. Luna resisted the urge to walk forward and hug her sister. Worry eating at her, Luna quietly asked, "What will you do without me?"
As Candace started her nightly routine, Luna brushed off the crumbs on her dress. There wasn't much she could do without spooking her sister so the girl merely busied herself with walking around. She stopped by the picture on her sister's nightstand showing Shelly hugging both of them against a beautiful starry sky in the background. They had just begun to enjoy living in their new home in that picture. Luna smiled sadly. There were so many things she would miss.
A thought coming to her, Luna turned to examine the room again. Her eyes fell on the calendar. According to Candace's neat crosses, today was the day after the day in Luna's last memory. Assuming the date was correct, when exactly had she found the time to die when she had went to sleep the previous night and woke up this morning? Unless she wasn't dead. But no, that didn't make sense either. Gaze falling on her side of the room, Luna saw that all of her items were still in the position she had last placed them. Everything was as they should be… except they weren't. What was going on? Seeing Candace make her way back to bed, Luna scrambled out of the way.
Was she dreaming up this entire thing? Raising a hand, Luna pinched her cheek. The action hurt briefly and when she examined her surroundings again, she was still standing in the middle of her room. No, this was neither a dream nor a nightmare. This confounding situation was real.