A cool breeze brushes against my bandaged face, as I sit on a wooden bench in front of Luna Nova.
The autumn leaves descend to the ground, completely covering the grass in a brown blanket. What was once lush green trees are now a shadow of their former self. The dead branches sway and occasionally fall, over time creating a pile of kindling. An occasional student passes by, either on their way to the dormitories, or hurrying to an after school club. Overall, the lack of life, both plant and person, makes the whole world seem dead.
Speaking of dead, tomorrow is Samhain. The wheel will turn, the veil will thin, and the dead will rise. But none of that will matter unless Lotte joins me. So, where is Lotte?
I doubt that she's the type of person to betray her word, but I can't be too sure. She's a quiet girl. I've never had a real conversation with her. Just a 'Hello' and a 'Hello' back.
However, I will not forget how she revealed a sad secret to make me feel not so alone. She cares for her friends. Yeah, she'll be here.
I let out a tired yawn. I just need to wait.
To pass the time, I open up 'The Brink of Salvation.'
Nowadays, laughs are in short supply, and this book supplies.
'The question that has been brought up the most is, why does Europe refuse to modernize? Well children, I have finally cracked the code. I know why Europe still fights with muskets and cannons. They refuse to modernize simply because they want to return to their glory days, to their colonial days. As we all know, Europe is just a massive slab of concrete. No plant life exists. They survive solely on American foreign aid. We are currently giving them 6.02 X 10^23 tonnes of aid every hour. Three-thirds of this is given to the King and Prince of Europe.'
Three-thirds of 6.02 X 10^23 tones of foreign aid every hour?
Yeah, that's roughly what we get.
I'm interrupted from my reading, as I hear footsteps echoing against the cement ground. Looking up, I spot Lotte standing in front of me, bag in hand.
"Hello Theodore, are you ready?" She asks, smiling warmly.
Finding it infectious, I return her smile.
"Yes." I say, putting my book back into my satchel.
Standing up, I notice that, like me, she's wearing the standard witch garb, minus the blue cloak.
Yup, both of us are ready for a day on the town.
"You said you had to do something first?" I inquire.
She nods her head.
"Mhm hmm, I need to refill my potions at The Magic Items Café." She states, holding out her bag, exposing countless empty glass vials.
"What kind of place is this, anyway?"
"They service various magic items, and you're served tea while you wait." Lotte informs me.
A magic shop that serves you tea? What comes to mind is a fancy French café, complete with big, comfortable chairs and an on call waitress, bending to the needs of the customers. Sounds interesting.
"Lead the way." I request.
She leads me through town, past many stores and restaurants, crossing multiple streets in the process.
Across one of those streets is The Cotton Lounge, and next to that is The Magic Items Café. I have to say, it's a bit disappointing.
In front of me is a small shop, squeezed in between two larger ones.
In the windows are magical related commodities, including a spider statue, numerous brooms, and a witch hat. Hanging from the roof are multiple skeletons, jingling in the wind. A sign reads 'Shop and Café.'
This isn't at all what I imagined.
As Lotte and I enter, a bell hanging from the door rings, signaling our arrival.
"Welcome!" A cashier from the counter shouts.
He is an overweight man, with long, shaggy hair, a beard, and dark circles around his eyes.
"I'm here to refill my potion bottle." Lotte informs him, handing him a ticket of some kind.
The man takes it, looking to over with his tired eyes, before saying
"Ah yes, Ms. Yanson. Come with me, please."
Lotte follows him into the back room, leaving me in this little shop of horrors.
As those two talk business, I wander the store.
One of the shelves bears creatures stored in glass jars of formaldehyde, one of a dragon, and another of a lizard. A second shelf contains many jars and urns, all empty, bearing etchings and symbols I can't even begin to decipher. A third shelf holds the skull of a unicorn and the jaw of some monster. All of this, combined with the dimly lit candle light, gives the store an almost underworldly atmosphere.
In a corner, I spot two tables, one having four chairs, and the other having two. Is this the tea area?
Very underwhelming.
The chiming of a bell echoes throughout the shop, someone has entered.
Turning towards the door, I spot an overweight, out of shape, balding, lonely man.
Is that…
"Beef Mc Whatnow?" I ask, hesitating slightly.
As he catches my gaze, his round face transforms into a mix of shock and terror.
What? Why is he looking at me like that? I put a hand to my face, touching my bandages.
Is it these? I've never had a problem with people staring, no one has. I'd like no one to point out this elephant in the room. I mean, they're there, that's obvious. No need to point out the obvious.
Beef Mc Whatnow suddenly, and violently shakes his head, trying to shake off his frightened look, his fat folds flapping around wildly.
He trots next to me, looking me over.
Please don't talk about my bandages. Please don't talk about-
"I have to apologize for something." He states innocently.
Of course. Why would I expect anything else?
"What?" I ask.
I'm beginning to wonder if this guy is joking around, or if he actually thinks he did these things. Trying to figure this guy out is really confusing, so I don't.
"When I walked in, I thought your nose was a banana slug."
This doesn't help my confusion.
"It's just that, from a distance, your nose looked like a huge banana slug." He explains.
How does one respond to such a statement?
"Looking back on it, I realize that's not a very nice thing to assume. So, I was wondering if I could have a quick hug of forgiveness."
I wonder what'll happen if I say yes.
Best not to, there's no telling what this character will do.
"No thank you, I'm fine."
"Alright, bud."
With that engagement over, I turn my attention back to the shelves.
Scanning each item, until I reach the back wall. Something there catches my eye.
A broom of some kind, strapped to the wall with metal chains, held in an iron cage. Walking towards it, I get a closer look. Interesting. The broom is longer than most, appearing to be made out of metal, with a red paint job. Even more unlike most brooms, this one has an arrow shaped tip, and feathers at the end. It also has two metal bars, probably intended for the rider to hold-
I'm drawn to a silence as the broom begins to shake madly in its cage.
It clangs and scrapes around, begging to be set free.
What is this?
I notice a picture frame next to the cage, containing a newspaper clipping. Perhaps, this will give me some insight.
'Legends of Shooting Star:
Not much is known about this magical object. It is theorized that this is the fasted broom ever conceived. It is said that it can fly across the Atlantic in one day. As its name suggests, when the broom reaches such speeds, it resembles a shooting star streaking across the night sky. The broom is filled with its own magical energy, allowing it to be out of range of The Sorcerer's Stone. Besides that, nothing has been confirmed.'
Fastest broom in the world? Legendary artifact? Why is such a thing rotting away in some shop? It has much more potential.
Why, I bet this broom belonged to Jennifer the Witch. She always manages to sneak her way into my day one way, or another.
Even still, I have to admit, Shooting Star is an epic name for a broom.
Getting back to myself browsing, I notice Beef Mc Whatnow scanning over multiple items, including something called chameleon tongue candy.
He takes it in his meaty hands, looking to over.
Once satisfied, he casually slips it into his coat pocket.
"I didn't take you for a thief." I comment nonchalantly.
Honestly, nothing he does can surprise me.
He looks at me confused, before giving a hardy chuckle.
"A thief?! Ho-Ho-Ha! Naw, this is my brother's store. I get free stuff." He explains.
"Your brother?"
"Yeah, my brother. Chicken Mc Whatnow."
Chicken Mc Whatnow?
"The cashier?" I inquire.
"Yeah. In a few hours we're going to have a family reunion, if you want to stay and meet the folks."
What kind of family reunion occurs at a shop?
"No thanks, I'm uh…"
My voice trails off, as I think of an excuse.
Thankfully, I spot Lotte coming out the backroom, Chicken Mc Whatnow in tow.
The two brothers notice each other.
"Beefy!" Chicken happily shouts.
Beefy?
"Chicken!" Beef Mc Whatnow responds.
The two giants clash, embracing is a deep and passionate hug.
Lotte and I meet halfway.
"Did you refill your bottles?" I ask, trying to ignore the two elephants in the room.
Lotte nods contentedly.
I eye the two members of the Whatnow family, both still hugging.
"Can we leave now?" I ask Lotte, slightly annoyed by the Whatnow brothers.
"Um…sure." She says, not understanding my annoyance.
Both of us begin to walk out, only stopping as Beef Mc Whatnow slides in between us and the door.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You absolutely must introduce me to your friend!" He happily demands.
Whatever will get us out of here.
"This is Lotte." I impatiently say, pointing at my companion.
Lotte extends her hand, offering a handshake.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Whatnow."
He accepts her handshake, violently and vigorously shaking her hand.
"Oh please, Mr. Whatnow is my dad. Call me Beef."
Lotte lets out an uncomfortable chuckle, gently rubbing her hurting hand.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Beef. But we really must-"
"Why don't you stay?" Beef suggests.
I decide to take charge of the situation.
"Oh no, that's fine. You're having a family reunion and all. We wouldn't want to hinder-"
"Oh nonsense!" He declares, waving my excuses away. "As far as I'm concerned, you two are already apart of the family!
If I was drinking water, I would be doing a spit take all over Beef Mc Whatnow.
I let out a nervous little laugh.
"Oh, well we can't. We're uh…on a date!" I blurt out.
Lotte stares at me, mouth agape, a shocked look in her eyes.
"Huh?" The Finnish witch eeks out.
"Oh, I see." Beef says, slightly saddened. "Well, I hope you two lovebirds have a good time!"
"But we-" Lotte begins, only to be interrupted by me.
"Thank you Beef, I hope you have a nice family reunion."
I put an arm around Lotte's back, gently pushing her out the door, as I follow.
Once the door closes, Lotte immediately begins to fidget in place, barely managing to form audible sentences.
"Th-this isn't…a d-date is it? I mean, you're a g-great guy and all, b-but-"
"No Lotte, this isn't a date." I inform her. "I just needed an excuse for us to leave."
Hearing this, she visibly calms down. She's still tense, just less.
"So, are you free now?" I ask, brushing that incident to the side.
"Yes." Lotte nods affirmatively. "What do you have in mind for today?"
I gaze around the street, taking in my surroundings.
I spot a convenience store, and a restaurant. C
ome on, I need to find some place for us to go. This whole trip would have been wasted otherwise.
Lotte notices my restless eyes.
"Are you alright Theodore?" She asks, slightly concerned.
"I'm fine. It's just that I haven't explored this town much, so I have no idea where anything is."
Lotte smiles happily.
"Oh is that all? Well, lucky for you The Magic Items Café isn't the only place in town I've been. So, where would you like to go?"
That's a good question. Where do I want to go?
Optimally, some place quiet with little to no people. A place without prying eyes, a place where I can tell Lotte my story.
"Let's go to a real café." I request.
"What would you two like to order?" The waitress asks.
"May I have French vanilla tea, please?" Lotte requests.
She nods at Lotte's request, before turning towards me.
"And you, sir?"
"I'll just have water."
After writing down both of our orders, the waitress walks back inside.
It's a nice day out.
The British weather has allowed slightly gray skies, producing a refreshing cool breeze, completely alien to the hot and humid Mediterranean so far from here.
I've always preferred colder weather.
The café is a small, but quaint coffee house situated next to a park. Given the cold weather, the inside is relatively full of people anxiously awaiting their hot beverage.
Only Lotte and I occupy the outside area, sitting around a circular table, both of us on either side.
Now, on to the matter at hand.
How will I go about telling Lotte about her possible dead dog dad? Getting straight into it may be a bad idea. Lotte is a sweet, but sensitive girl. I just can't force it, I have to ease my way in with small talk, use some of that Italian charm.
"Lovely weather we're having." I comment, trying to kick start our conversation.
"Oh yes, it is. It's much warmer here, than it is in Finland."
I give a little laugh.
"Funny, I like it for the opposite reason. It's colder here, than it is in Italy."
Lotte returns my laugh with her own.
"Yes, that is funny."
Good good, Theodore. You're warming her up. Keep talking.
"So, how has school been for you?"
"Oh, it's been fine. I'm passing all my classes. What about you?"
"Same, mostly B's, but I do have an A in Destruction Magic. That'll balance out the C I have in flying."
Oh Volare, how you always hinder me.
Whatever, she's the teacher, she knows best…I can only hope.
"So, when do you get your bandages and cast off?" Lotte asks.
"I talked to nurse PagetDaPanda after school. She said I'll get my bandages off next week, and my cast in about a month."
She nods at my response.
The Lotte from a few hours ago would have never asked such a question without a stutter, or a pause.
This is progress, but progress that needs to progress even further.
I'll try talking about her. Women like that, right?
"What do you do for fun? Besides commune with spirits, I mean."
She suddenly beams with new found charisma.
"I like to read. For example, I'm really into an amazing series called Nightfall."
Her eyes practically beg me to continue the conversation on this book.
How could I refuse her pleas?
"What's Nightfall?"
As these words slip from my mouth, Lotte skin grows gray, as she suddenly slips into an appalled state.
"What?! How could you not have heard of it?!"
This sudden outburst catches me completely, and utterly off guard.
I never thought she could get the volume of her voice past one decibel.
Remember how I said facing a disgruntled Diana was impossible? Well, knowing how to handle a loudmouth Lotte is impossible times infinity.
Answering her question would probably be a smart idea.
"Um…well, in Italy there isn't a big demand for foreign books. What's it about?"
At this point, it's as if Lotte is possessed by excitement itself.
"Nightfall is a series of novels that have been a huge hit all around the world! Belle, a high school science teacher who got cold feet just before her wedding, visits a manor house, and falls through a mysterious portal to the past, where she meets a handsome man named Edgar. But then she finds out Edgar is a vampire! Belle is thrust into a tempest that shakes the very foundations of history! It's a story of love, adventure, thrills, conspiracy, friendship, and youth! It's a literary epic encompassing every genre imaginable, and is presented as a historic fiction novel for girls! Up until now, there have been 364 volumes. My favorite character is Edgar's rival, the werewolf Arthur. No one is more charming than him! Get it?!"
I'm stunned, stunned and shocked.
Not by the description, but by how Lotte said the description, her tone of voice.
Every word was uttered with an amount of bravado and detail I didn't know she had. I never thought she could mutter anything more than a whisper.
But here she is, raving over her reading regiment. I never would've believed it, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
"Sounds like a New York Times bestseller." I comment. "But, 364 volumes? The author must be dedicated to her work."
"Yes! The author, Annabel Crème, is a witch who's been writing the series for 120 years."
Very dedicated!
The waitress return, handing Lotte her tea, and me my water.
"If you two need anything else, just flag me down." She offers, before walking off to tend to the other patrons.
Okay, I feel like I've made great progress bringing down Lotte's natural nervousness. Perhaps a little more dialogue, just to be sure.
"So, what did you need to fill up those bottles for?" I ask, pointing to her bag which is hanging from her chair.
"I need them for tomorrow, for Samhain. The potions help me attract spirits. They just get so lonely, being in the underworld and all…" She trails off, slightly saddened.
I know a spirit who might want to chat with Lotte.
This is a golden opportunity to start that conversation. How could I pass it up?
"Interesting…" I begin "…I'm communing with spirits, as well. Well, only one. A friend."
Lotte looks at me, slightly saddened.
"Oh, I'm sorry that your friend is no longer with us. Who was it?" She asks.
Nice Theodore, you naturally caught her interest.
Now, all you have to do is, with carefully chosen words, tell her. Tell her about your break, about Mendacius, about Bruno, Cooper, her dad.
"I only knew him for two days, yet he is someone I'll never forget…I don't think I could. You see…"
I stop, as I think. I need to choose my words carefully, very carefully.
"He died during the break…for the second time in his life. He died saving my life from the very thing we are supposed to revere, god. The Roman god of deception and lies, Mendacius."
"W-what?" Lotte whispers out, disbelief written all over her face, dripping from her voice.
I don't blame her.
"These injuries are from the incident." I explain, showing her my physical evidence. "The cuts underneath my bandages are from a magical whip, and the cast…hiding burns."
"I…I thought you got those from a study accident. That's what you said! You….you broke a mirror, right? And you burned your hand on the glass? Y-you lied?" She whispers out the last part, a hint of betrayal in her voice.
"Yes, I lied. I lied about my injuries, and what happened during my break. The day after the sleepover we had in your dorm, I came across something peculiar in the woods, a talking dog. This talking dog told me his name is Bruno, and that someone even more peculiar wanted to meet me, Mendacius. Mendacius tasked me to find John Diehl, a man whose ancestors, along with Jennifer the Witch, fought against him. Once I brought John to Mendacius, the god took possession of his body, and made me a deal. A deal that involved the death of the many, for a gain of the him. I refused, and, to make a long story short, Mendacius tried to kill me. I defeated him, but Bruno died in my arms-"
"Please Theodore, stop. My…my tea is getting cold." Lotte mutters, both of us knowing that's not the source of her discomfort.
I don't blame her.
Discussing death has never been good table talk. But, she needs to know.
I need to keep pressing her.
"But, I never told you his real name. In his final life, he was known as Bruno. But, before then, when he was human, he was known as…Cooper…Cooper Yanson."
I pause, staring at her longingly, expecting a response of some kind, any kind.
But I get none, as all Lotte does is stare blankly. Perhaps out of disbelief, perhaps out of wonder, but it isn't out of agreement.
After a long silence, I hear Lotte utter these words.
"Theodore…if that was a joke, it wasn't funny."
She doesn't believe me.
This is a perfectly reasonable, and entirely expected.
Even though I saw this lack of belief coming, just hearing her utter those words provides me with great worry. If I can't convince her, this whole crucible would have been for naught. And how might Lotte think of me afterwards? No, failure is not an option!
"No Lotte, I'm telling the truth. Your dad was a dog. He-"
"How can I believe you?!" She suddenly erupts, throwing me completely off guard. "You lied about your injuries! You sat there in class and lied straight to my face! Not only to me, but Sucy, and Akko! To Ms. Europa!"
Her face is red with anger, as her glasses glaze over with a silver tint.
This wasn't expected.
"Lotte, I-"
"And that's another thing! Do you have any idea how long it took Akko and I to convince Sucy to apologize?! And what do you do? You ignore her! How much of a pompous snob are you to do that?! Get off your Italian high horse!"
What's going on?! This whole plan is collapsing around me, and I can only watch!
I must act now before it is too late!
"No Lotte, please-"
"I don't know how you found out my dad's last name was Cooper, but don't talk about him like that! Claiming that he was just some dog! Do you have any idea how hurtful that is?!"
With the majority of her anger gone, she stops momentarily, sniffling as fresh tears drop from her tired face, from sadness, from rage, probably both.
Instinctively, I reach out to comfort her.
She bats my hand away with her own.
She gives me one last look, a look of sadness, disappointment, and depression before forcefully standing up, turning around, and walking away, not even look back.
That's it, she's gone, leaving me alone with my grief, as she leaves with her own.
No…no…no…NO! This can't be happening! Oh, why is this happening to me?!
I came to this school to learn about magic, not fighting Roman gods, and breaking hearts!
I swear, one day this school will be the death of me.
I want to feel angry at Lotte, but I can't help but be angry with myself. What was I thinking? I spent all this time putting her in a state of comfort, a state of trust, and what do I say?!
'Your dad was a dog.'
Disgusting, horrible, awful, worthless. T
hat's just what this day is…what I am.
Making Lotte weep? It's almost a sin to do that, such a low brow move.
I may have few friends, but that's the way I like it.
Quality over quantity is what I say.
But what happens when you have neither quality nor quantity? You're nothing.
I need to amend these fences that I have just destroyed, destroyed and pulverized without any regard!
I look down in shame, catching the reflection of my face in the water cup.
What greets me is a bandaged up, baggy and sunken eyed, sad man.
Funny, when I first entered this new world, I was a fresh faced boy, barely able to manipulate any kind of magic.
And now…my magical skills have increased, but everything else has decreased.
I may be a good wizard, but I'm a bad friend.
I need to stand by, and cherish the few friends that I have.
With all the energy drained from my body, I lay my head down in my folded arms, wondering just what to do.
Author's Note: Well this was depressing, huh? It has come to my attention that my one year anniversary for this fanfiction is coming up soon. I have been thinking that I may make an anniversary special to celebrate this occasion. It will be not be a part of the main story, a fanfiction of a fanfiction. Basically the main three think that Theodore may have some ulterior motives for joining Luna Nova (A boy attending an all girl's school). It's basically the plot of Mean Creek, that movie with Josh Peck. It's going to be full of strong language, out of character moments, and awkward laughs from the readers. But, you will pick your poison. Shall it be the anniversary special, or just the main story? You decide!
Don't forget to leave a comment! I need your constant love and admiration.
And of course my response to the man, the myth, the legend himself: Nightcore Miku
"It's me, Nightcore Miku. It's great that you can come! I'll bring my Mac10 and AK. We can do it the anniversary of Columbine. When we play, here's the point system: Jocks-5 points. Nerds-1 point. Popular People-4 points. Teachers-7 points. Administrators-8 points. Parents-3 points. I hope to see you then!"
School shooting is a bit unoriginal, don't you agree? How about a school bombing?
P.S. this meme has gone too far, Nightcore Miku. Maybe a bit more subtle next time.