Chapter 12
Luna's New Digs
Their father was no liar, and even if it disappointed quite a number of them, the reality was set in stone. The giant-conveniently-placed-and-also-partly-fashionable Clothing store arrived in their visions like their grandparents; lovingly embracing them the moment they showed up, even if it was an undesirable reaction.
Upon their feet meeting the tacky rug below, both parents stood before their children, looking like mischievous little rats knowing well they stole a whole year's worth from the pantry. With a roll of the brow, their father took out his wallet, looking like it was ready to explode at any moment. "All right, we did ourselves good this week! Seriously, I knew those talks about saving and not wasting will finally come in handy!"
Luna, standing behind the crowd, awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Heh... guess it did..."
Rita grimaced as she sorted out the bills, feeling her fingers get covered in something foreign. "Lynn, don't tell me you baked a cake with your wallet out again! I swear, you...," she stopped when she saw the pretty sparkles radiating off her fingertips. "... Oh. The glitter queen. Wait, they got into our reserves?"
It made their father grow tense. "Woah, woah, woah! That... That can't be! I bolt this thing down every night, thank you!"
Lola, whistling to herself, looked about nervously at the clothes racks lying about. How many did she strike prior to today? Oh, those lessons from Luan are starting to haunt her. Even the comedic sister seemed aghast at the destruction the glitter brought on. With a chuckle, the young superstar kicked up her heels and tried to look innocent. "Wow, yeah... what a stupid person! Make sure you run them through the wringer, daddy!" She bragged, face looking ready to break.
Rita took a deep breath, before handing each of the kids (yes, even Lily) a small amount. "Since we got the day off, how about you kids actually experiment with your clothes for once? You all look fine, but..."
Lynn tried his best to look cool. It never works. "... You sometimes gotta break the comfort to find your style being fly, ya dig?" He said, pulling out some comically-oversized glass from his sweater pocket. He slicked back some hair, hoping he'd look like a greaser; the baldness wasn't exactly a gift. Needless to say, no one cared, for having a wad of cash at their disposal was pretty swell.
And just like that, everyone was already off to the races. Rita smacked her face with a decent palm. "Oh boy... just remember to be back in ten minutes! And don't be too outlandish, Lana!"
"Plumber slacks, here I come!" the little one shouted enthusiastically.
Luna was the last to charge out, looking at the money in her hands. For once, it actually felt kinda nice holding it. No sense of burning, nor any thing resembling guilt, could be found. She looked at the presidents staring at her skull-embedded shirt, giving her a strange glare.
"Please spend us. You're scaring Washington!" Abraham lamented, feeling the one dollar bill shake in her grasp. Luna for some reason felt more fear that Lincoln was disappointed rather than his spirit randomly decided to haunt her that day. Her priorities were almost fixed; high school does tend to ruin the mind.
Before she stepped out towards the endless sea of clothes, she was stopped by her mom. A quick look brought a sense of comfort to the young rocker, looking deep into caring eyes that could soothe any ill-stricken child. Luna quickly straightened her gait out, hoping she wasn't in trouble. "Y-Yeah, Mom?"
"Honey, I... I just want to say you look beautiful today. I like that smile."
She didn't even realize she was smiling. Not a fake one, either. A true, genuine showing of affection. The past two days must've made her look like a total zombie, or at the very least, an extreme form of Lucy. Yikes. That thought brought Luna to remember that brief conversation she had with her mom on Lincoln's bed. Even after how she acted, Rita still made sure to help in anyway possible. She truly was a great mother.
And because of that, Luna gave her a rare showing in public; a hug that any child would be embarrassed to reveal to the public, even if they'd do it in a heartbeat everywhere else. "Thanks, Mom. I'm... I'm sorry if I-"
"Don't apologize!" She playfully bonked her daughter over the head. Even still, that smile remained. "Whatever's happening, just remember you got a whole family ready and willing to help!"
"Yeah... I definitely know that now!"
Another hug, and Luna was on her way. Naturally she flocked over to all the designs showing off rock legends and other topics involving the simplistic word of music. She gawked at all the strange and admittedly-ludicrous pictures, seeing them glow against the tacky lights that clung to the ceiling above. Mick of course was there, but then there were all the other classics that came before, and even some that were just starting out.
It was like she died and went to heaven; that, or the most grooving section of hell. Whatever came first. She looked at them all, and even noticed that somehow, most were on sale. An employee walked by, shaking his head. "Apparently the owner hates rock and such, so they want all of this out by morning. I swear, Royal Woods is falling apart. Janitor revolts, glitter..."
Well, insulting or not, it helped the Loud sister find exactly what she wanted. Mick's silhouette against a purple backdrop, hand pointing proudly towards an unseen audience, with white letters emblazoned like fireworks behind him. "Play it Loud!" It shouted to the heavens above. Luna was shocked seeing it. Someone mix up that one song she sang nationally with her idol, or perhaps did the older Rockstar adopt it as his slogan?
Either way, she couldn't help but squeal. A perfect design, a perfect price, and looking at the sized available, she was the perfect candidate to wear it. "Wow, Mick! I'm so wearing this to the concert!"
"You sure it's the right size? Looks like that belly of yours will tear its seams!"
She froze. Quickly her eyes darted around the store, hoping to find that disgruntled employee. He was spotted, but already he was at the cash register, beating his head against the desk as an irate woman scolded him for misspelling pants on her receipt. Other than him, the rest of her family was busy doing their shopping far off, with the closest sibling—that being Lincoln—too busy admiring a whole collection of comic book heroes together regardless of copyright. Even if it was him, the voice didn't match.
After all, it sounded just like...
Luna shook her head, double checking the size. "I-It's perfect. Gotta try it out!"
Making sure the coast was clear, she quickly snuck her way into the dressing cubicles, ignoring the employee sleeping on the "security" bench. Bringing over the curtain, she found herself alone with a mirror, ready to see just how awesome the design would look on her. With a quick motion, her old identity fell to the wayside, and the new cotton found its way over her chest. A perfect fit, snug against her skin as she looked at her reflection.
She couldn't have wished for a better shirt. She struck a pose, feeling like a true dream right now. "Dude, this is sick! Where have you been all my life?" She could imagine the Mick looking at her, perhaps winking underneath that trademark "do" of his. She really had to show the rest of her band. Oh, Mazzy would be so jealous, and Sam...
Her eyes grew wide, and she pulled out her phone. No further calls. She really must be worried by now, and Luna's heart sank just thinking about it. She cleared things up with her family, so why not finish it today by giving her girlfriend the greatest time of her life? It's only fair, she assumed.
"Gotta lot of work to do, girl," she chastised herself, but still tried to remain hopeful. "Sam's a one-of-a-kind angel. You better not mess this up!"
Her reflection winked. "Eh, I think I'm better, honestly."
If she didn't have restraint in her privacy, Luna would've hopped through the cubicle and flee with her life. A small scream came from her as she backed herself into the wall, looking directly at the mirror. At first, her actions matched perfectly with her other form, but that illusion was soon broken when she saw herself stand up, giving off a cocky smile that caused nothing more than harm.
Luna felt sweat cling to her brow. "N-No... gotta be dreaming. Gotta be dreaming..."
Her other side laughed, clinging to her stomach as if she was ready to puke. "Hah, you dreaming of me? I'm so flattered! I mean, I wished a skinny, attractive babe would, but I guess beggars can't be choosers!"
It's... It's her. That disgusting demon that wore her skin. The fake Luna that would love to see her other form jump down the stairs in the house, laughing in delight while the real girl perished in agony. The rocker slowly stood back up, trying her best to find the air she so desperately needed.
"W-Why are you still here? I-I... I-I..."
"I-I-I? Really? You think stuttering's attractive or something? I thought you were the one who said that it's annoying!" The mirror walked closer to the glass, her breath staining the reflection cleanly. "And what do you mean by that? What, you think I high-tailed it or something? I ain't something that leaves, girl!"
This didn't make sense. Luna couldn't begin to describe whatever this creature was, but her mind kinda concluded it was made over her guilt. Made sense, really: she thought she wasted money, and so this creature came by to make things worse. A personal demon brought on by her terrible emotions.
But that was over now! She talked with her sister, made up with Lincoln, and the whole thing was a stupid misunderstanding. Sure, she still had to see her band, but they were forgiving people. This should be over. So... why did it...?
The demon laughed at Luna's pale face, nearly leaping out of the mirror in the process. "What, you thought I was gone for good or something? Why? The heck gave you that impression?"
Luna felt fear, but anger was also a powerful force. She stomped her way over to her reflection, doing her best to look confident. "I got over my problems! You don't bother me anymore! So... get lost!"
"You really need to work on your banter, sweetie! Also, don't yell at me. That's kinda my schtick, ya hear?" The demon's head poked through the mirror. Luna nearly screamed again. "And also, my god, your breath stinks. Guess that has to match the user, right? Woo girl, you're ugly on the outside and the in! You got the bad luck all over!"
"Shut it! You don't bother me! Just... Just stop!" She brought up her hand, as if ready to smack. Hesitancy brought that attack to a close. "I... I didn't waste anything, and I'm tired of being hungry. You're the ugly one, not me!"
Her demon laughed harder. "Oh man, really? You do realize I'm you, right? Ouch!" Her arms reached out. "Then again, I guess that sucks. I mean, I hate looking like this! You're so flabby and weak and ugly and... ew, what is this thing you put on us? Is this supposed to be a shirt? Woah, that's embarrassing!"
Luna felt her stomach churn. No... don't fall for it. "This shirt is awesome! And your... your words are powerless!"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that!" Her chest was now out; the evil Luna was half in the real world now. "But hey, good on you for not actually wasting your father's cash before. Not bad for a dumb lunk like you! But...," she brought up a finger to her chin, truly boiling the blood of her real counterpart. "... I mean, this does look extremely expensive and tacky. Pretty sure they'll be mad if you buy it."
Luna shook her head. "And why's that? What game are you even playing?"
"Just protecting you! I mean, this looks way too much. Remember what your mom said? Nothing too much, right? You're already failing her, and what about your brother?"
Her eyes grew wide. "Don't you dare bring him up!"
"Oh, I so am! I mean, imagine at the concert, he wears something so sophisticated, and you come out looking like a monkey! Oh, I can picture the look on his face! Man, that'd be worth the price of admission by itself!" The legs stepped onto the tiled floor below. "A perfect bro with his ugly, useless sister. Aw, a match made in Michigan!"
Luna backed away. Did... did it look bad on her? N-No, don't falter now! "It... he'd want one too... I know he would!"
"Yeah, and he'd be ugly, just like you." Her doppelganger folded her arms. "Listen, babe. No matter what you do, I ain't going anywhere. Your dad's happy, but what if, and I'm just guessing here... what if that wasn't the problem to start with? Hm? How about that?"
Luna wanted to curl up and die. "W-What do you mean?"
"What if... I was hiding for a long time, and that small misunderstanding opened a whole bottle of fun for you?" She breathed right onto Luna's face. "What if... I'm with you the rest of your life?"
Outside the dressing room, the security guard finally woke up. All the commotion Luna was causing made him finally do his job, or at the very least made him look less like a slob. He straightened his outfit out, and looked proudly at the store before him. Still dazed from his impromptu nap, he nearly missed the young Loud approaching him.
"Um... excuse me, brah?"
He looked up at Luna. The young girl looked like she seen better days, and though it was hard to tell, it seemed glass may have sliced parts of her fist up. If he wasn't so tired, perhaps he would've noticed quicker. Sadly, today wasn't his day. "Eh? What's up?" He saw the Mick Swagger shirt curled up in her other hand. "Making a return?"
"Uh... yeah. Hey, is there any clothes here that are...," she looked disgusted at what she was about to say. In the end, her tongue failed her. "... extremely cheap?"
His eyebrow rose high on his head. "Hm? Uh, I guess so. Strange to trade down, but whatever." He took away the shirt, before pointing over towards a bin in the corner. "Over there are some of the more basic stuff we got. So basic, it barely costs anything! I mean, nobody really ever wants to wear-"
"That's... That'll be perfect. Thanks."
Luna left the man behind, feeling a hole form in her stomach. Her feet were weak walking towards the bin. It almost felt like she was finding herself a part of the earth she wanted to be buried in, right before she was to be executed cruelly. She groaned, but couldn't stop.
In her mind, she heard the demon speak. "Don't be a waste of money! You gotta do this, you ugly freak!"
She closed her eyes. "I... have to... have to..."
While everyone else was getting happy, Luna looked ready to cry as she finally found her "perfect" outfit.
