"Luna, Betty just called. Do you realize it's after seven?" Derick's mom said, poking her head into the room.

"Oh, no! I gotta go, Derick.We'll battle again, and I'll win, again." Luna said, getting up. It had been five hours since she had left the house. She had only one week to go, but not anymore.

"Oh, Luna. I told Betty that you must have lost track of time, with the games and all."

"Thank you so much." Luna said as she left. On the way home, Luna couldn't help but think of Derick. He was so handsome. She also noticed that the reason that she was winning was because he was always looking at her. They had been friends for a long time, but Luna had liked him for most of the time they had known each other. Was he seeing her as she was seeing him?

Maybe he is, Luna thought as she walked into the house. Betty was standing thre, a look to kill on her face.

"What did I tell you?"

"I lost track of time."

"That's what Derick's mom said. She said that you were in his room the full five hours. I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt. I'm only going to give you two days for forgetting to look at a clock."

"Ok."

The next day at school, things were going as usual. Luna was at her outdoor activity hour, relaxing under a tree when a boy, he looked to be at least 16, came up and said,

"Hey, aren't you the girl that went into the cloister of trails last month?"

"Yes. Why should you care?"

"No need to be snotty about it, little skank." That was the first time anyone had ever called her that. It hurt and tears came to her eyes.

"You can go into the cloister of trials, but you can't take an insult?"

"Leave me alone."

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so." Luna said, sounding as scared as she felt.

"No." the boy said as he kicked her in the side. She doubled over in pain and then he kicked her again. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She done the first thing that came to mind, she prayed to Yevon for help.

She opened her eyes when the boy when the boy stopped kicking her. She looked around herself and saw a mark on the ground that went all the way around her, spreading out for about twenty feet. the ground began to rumble beneath her and then she was thrown into the air. She couldn't help but to cry out. When she started to come back down, she looked down to see a creature on the ground, where she had been sitting. She fell onto it's shoulder and it reached up to steady her. It set her down gently and looked at her, seeming to ask,

"What's wrong?" Luna looked at the boy, who stood there, dumbfounded. She looked back at Ifrit and then pointed at the boy. His eyes grew wide and he took a step back.

"Please, don't hurt me. I was just playing around. I didn't mean it."

"You better be sorry. It's a lot different when you're the smaller one, isn't it?" Luna said, finding new courage. "I advise that you don't make my new friend here mad. If you know what's good for you, you'll go away."

"You don't have to tell me twice." The boy cried as he ran.

"Thank you, Ifrit. I don't understand. How did you know I needed help?"

"You summoned me."

"How?"

"When you prayed to Yevon for help." Luna heard Ifrit say, even though he never moved his mouth.

"Is that what you're for?" Luna said, realizing that he could talk to her telepathiclly.

"Yes. I must go now." Ifrit said as he jumped and disappeared.

"Young lady, what did you do to poor Micheal? He ran to me saying something about a fiend." A teacher said, walking up. Don't tell her about me, Luna heard Ifrit say.

"What fiend? I didn't see one." Luna said. It wasn't a lie. Ifrit wasn't a fiend, he was an Aeon.

"Don't you lie to me."

"But I didn't!"

"To the office. Now!" The teacher barked when Luna didn't comply.

"But-"

"To the office!"

Luna was sitting in a chair in the office when Betty came in.

"What's this about you bringing a fend to school?"

"It wasn't a fiend!" Luna cried, defending not only herself, but Ifrit, too.

"Then, what, pray tell, was it, Luna?"

You can tell him, Luna heard Ifrit said.

"Ifrit"

"You summoned him in school?"

"I didn't mean to! A boy was kicking me and then I prayed and then I was in the air, and he caught me and the boy was frightened and then ran off, and then a teacher was yelling at me and now I'm here." Luna explained all in one breath.

"Well, since It's almost the end of the school day, I guess I'll take you home."