Eventually, Luna got up and started 'getting ready'. In reality, she just needed something to pass the time before Helen came. It was Friday and the school year was practically over, so there was no homework to be done. She felt Luan had already put up with enough of her antics for one afternoon. None of her favorite shows were on. Books didn't please her. And the PC downstairs (her only gate to the Internet) was never a safe bet, especially with the lack of smart phones.

For now, she decided to take out her phone and keep texting Helen. She knew she could always count on her one friend whenever she needed it. And besides, it could at least make her aimless wandering appear to have at least some purpose.

"U know anything about Mick Swagger" she typed.

Upon sending it, she clutched her phone and continued her walk. At this point, she was headed down the stairs to the main floor. As she passed, she saw the computer being used by her only brother, Lincoln. The only downside to texting Helen was that she was sometimes slow to respond; replies from her could occasionally take as long as ten minutes. She didn't dwell on why that was or whether Leni had a similar experience. What point was there when she knew that she would be meeting the real deal in person later that night.

Luna plopped herself on the couch, where Lana and Lola were squabbling over the remote. Right then, the TV was on the Bizney Channel playing one of those princess cartoons. Luna never bothered with learning its lore or their names (they all seemed the same, just with different colored dresses) but even she could use that to determine who was on defense.

"You're making me miss it!" Lola cried, pulling it in one direction.

"You're making me miss Crummy Ducks!"

As the twins continued fighting, Luna tried her best to tune them out (with limited success).

Then she thought about this situation. She liked Helen very much. She was gentle, endearing, considerate, and selfless. No wonder she and Leni became such close friends, she thought. And even more, she was grateful that her big sister opened the gate for her, to let her be in their tight-knit circle.

Still, it felt weird. She never had any doubt that Helen liked her; the girl smiled when she said something interesting or funny and she didn't seem like the type of person that could hold grudges or hatred. But at the same time, Luna never thought that she had her temperament. Luna never considered herself a "girly girl" and nothing about Helen suggested "tomboy". Why would Helen want to spend one-on-one time with her?

"Luna!"

She could feel the air being shoved into her cheeks. She could hear the unfiltered wail penetrate her right eardrum. She could smell the mixed scent of glitter and chocolate. She turned to face Lola, her hot-headed little sister.

"Lana's mean to me! Make her stop!" she whined, yanking Luna's arm. Behind her, Lana stuck her tongue out as she grasped the remote and flipped it to Channel 25. The screen flickered to the image of two Cartoon ducks waddling around.

"Alright," Lana said, grinning. She leaned in as her eyes focused on the screen. All Luna could do was watch the ordeal happen.

"Luna! Do something!"

Her arm was being yanked so much, she was surprised it didn't fly off. Maybe Lola should be one of those robotic arms when she grows up, Luna imagined. Or maybe a human megaphone. She couldn't lose her hearing now and it wasn't gonna be because of her family. Where were Mom and Dad at a time like this?

Luckily, her vision caught sight of Lincoln, whose back was slouched forward. She could immediately tell that the twins' quarreling was disrupting him just as much as her. It seemed the only thing keeping him from the action was whatever was on that computer monitor. As she witnessed this, Luna asked herself if the embarrassment of deferring to a boy four years younger than her for help was worth the tranquil resolution it would likely bring. Unfortunately, the arm pulling, screaming, and couch rumbling answered that debate for her.

"Lincoln!" she shouted from her seat in an effort for her voice to barge through the noise. Fortunately, the boy's head swiveled towards her. His face clearly illustrated irritation. Luna wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, "could you help me with this one? I'll pay you back!"

"But I'm busy!" he whined, pointing to the glowing monitor.

Maybe it should have been left at that, she thought. Luna could have filled however long it took for Helen to arrive spending time with one of her little sisters, perhaps even learn a thing or two about dealing with them. The possibility of her being a role model, a playmate, a guardian did appear fulfilling on that gilded surface. And for a moment, her heart even jumped at the prospect. However reality struck rather quickly (and fiercely at that). The sound of both of their protesting was unbearable, reminding her of the uphill battle that would await her should she try to take the task upon herself. Luna admitted that right now, she didn't have the energy or will to take it up. And besides, Lincoln was already so good at it (either one of them would be more inclined to listen to him than her, she supposed).

"Please," Luna begged. Her head lazily bounced against the couch's wall. Maybe she was the real nuisance, she figured. It's not like she didn't want the twins to settle down. It was just that her body was tired and unwilling to move.

Shortly after, the corner of her eye saw Lincoln walk around to approach the two girls.

"Now, you two. Can't one of you just DVR your show and watch it later?" she heard Lincoln say. Any annoyance his figure had displayed was suddenly replaced by patience, as if he were a government diplomat. How he was able to make that transformation at such a young age was beyond her.

"But I wanna watch Princess Matilda now!" Lola pouted.

"And Crummy Ducks is the only fun thing to do around here!" Lana shot back.

Luna's eyes rolled to Lincoln. As she expected, the younger brother quickly snapped his fingers and smirked.

"Lana," he said, upbeat. He then walked to the window behind the TV, "it's so nice out today."

Indeed, the sky was blue and everything outside was brightly lit.

"Yeah," Lana said slowly, her young mind unable to process where this discussion was headed.

"How about I DVR Crummy Ducks and the two of us play outside while Lola watches her show. And then later, we can go in and watch Crummy Ducks together," Lincoln said. He then approached Lana and knelt to her level, "How does that sound?"

Luna observed as Lana nodded and jumped from the couch. Lincoln casually took the remote and started recording her sister's show. Once a red dot appeared next to the show's name, the two raced each other out the front door.

"Finally," Lola said, relieved. She took the remote and switched it back to the Bizney channel. The little girl reclined in her seat, contented, while Luna looked on. How was it that a girl of her age already had herself figured out? She was four years old, yet she already proved herself to be the queen (or "princess", as the girl herself would insist) of beauty pageants. And while a lot of her attitude stems from pettiness and selfishness, Lola had a powerful image of what she wanted to become; she had a lot to learn about humility and patience, but she has some sense of ambition and direction.

Luna was ashamed to admit that was one thing she lacked. Sure she considered herself a non-conformist, someone that wouldn't play by the same rules as her classmates, but she felt it left her nothing to gain (even if she has resisted the sweeping changes that claimed her old companions). It didn't make her new friends (even with Helen, she felt more like a third wheel). It didn't win her awards or achievements. It wasn't answering a lot of interesting or important questions. And at times, the distinction didn't even make her happy.

Growing up, she heard a lot of voices tell her to be yourself (grown ups, teachers, TV shows). On the surface, it seemed like a decent and simple moral, one that many took for granted. But did any of those people that espoused it have any true idea of some of the challenges that came with applying that principle? Were they even aware that some may not liked what they saw when one chose to take a stand? Granted she had Helen, but there were still times where she felt troubled.

Should she open up to Helen about how she felt? She had that debate some time ago and she ultimately decided against it. While she never doubted Helen's ability to empathize, she always sensed an underlying fragility within that husky body and soft-spoken voice. As far as Luna was concerned, the girl had been an outcast for almost her entire life, never able to earn the admiration of anyone outside her family. Leni was her first friend (and Luna herself was her second after her big sister invited her into their little social link). But even with these established friendships, Helen still came across as nervous and reserved in most cases. She wouldn't be surprised if Helen harbored insecurities regarding her ability to be a good companion, ones even greater than her own. To risk hurting her feelings over some silly thoughts was too low. She would much prefer to accept her place as secondary to that of Leni within the circle, the position she felt she deserved.

Should she go to Leni on this matter? At first it sounded appealing, given how in some ways she admired her second oldest sister. On one hand, Leni shared much of the same background as her friend; much of her childhood was lonely and she often relied on members of her family (usually Lori) to encourage her to be social. It's possible she too could understand the worries that came with friendship and remaining true to oneself. But on the other hand, would she really? Luna loved her older sister very much and recognized the fact that she had nuances and surprises, however she also observed that the information that could be extracted from her was limited. As far as Luna was concerned, any concept that didn't fall under Leni's narrow list of interests (a notable one being fashion) ran the risk of not being understood. Sure she could pick it up if it the lecture were repeated or rephrased, but there was also the chance that it could entirely fly over her head. With that in mind, Luna was uncertain if these feelings were too complex or difficult to explain to her.

So was that just it? Luna feared that she would lack an outlet for this bile, granting it the liberty to fester in her.

Buzz.

A distraction. Luna eagerly grabbed her phone and saw the "new message" notification. She flipped it open to see her it was from none other than Helen.

"I asked my Mom. He's an old rock star. He's been around since the 60s."

The first person that popped in her head was her Dad. She never bothered to learn the specific artists, but she knew that he was a huge fan of older music, the type that he and Mom grew up with. So it was gonna be that type of concert, she figured. Still, she was bent on attending. That way, she could at least get closer to Helen and make her one friend feel good.

She then turned to her sister.

"Hey Lola. Do you know what's on after this show?" Luna asked, turning to face her sister.

"Yeah. I was gonna watch it until Lana comes back in," she replied.

"Okay."

It wasn't ideal watching some sappy show about Princesses and magic, but it was good enough to pass the time. She supposed the best balance was to half pay attention while shooting texts back and forth between Helen. Thankfully, a lot of the messages came with more frequency than before. Most of them were just routine, discussing how their day was, anything new, jokes, and other stuff. None of it was especially eye-opening or revealing. Still, it was comforting having someone like Helen to talk to.

Eventually, long after Lana came back in and saw her show, there was a knock at the door. Given the correspondence and lower light in the sky, Luna understood it all. She briefly scanned her appearance. Sure the outfit wasn't ideal for a rock concert, but it was good enough. Besides, this was Leni's friend too. She figured it would be courteous to bring a little piece of her big sister with her to this hangout.

Luna stood, took a deep breath, and strode to the door. She swung it open revealing two familiar faces, causing the girl to smile.

"Hi Luna," Helen said with a warm smile and wave.