Chapter 16
I Dream of Luna
No.
Luna could sit there all she wanted, that wasn't what her heart demanded. That chair suddenly became her enemy, snarling like a wild beast ready to chew down its unfortunate victim. Well, the rocker wasn't planning on being anyone's dinner that day, and sure as hell not to an inanimate object. She looked out the window, still seeing Sam crying her eyes out, both her other bandmates trying and failing to salvage the situation.
Her demonic friend chuckled beside her. "So? What, you actually think you can make a difference in this? You screwed up, toots. Might as well sit that fat butt down and waste away. Unless you want to hurt Sam some more! You're good at that, I hear!"
In her mind and ears, the words of that disgusting creature ran wild against her already-fragile thoughts. Her heart, however, forced her brain to recall a delightful remembrance she thought was long lost. The voice of her sister, dear Luan, dressed in that ridiculous clown outfit she always loved to wear.
"Sis," she called out, sounding like her old self, "Get off your keester and quit clowning around! You're making a circus out of your emotions!" She pulled out a balloon, making it somehow look like Luna. "This whole problem is ballooning out of control!"
The rocker side. "Get to the point!"
"Get out there and fix this! That creature over there? She can't stop you! You can do this!" Luan suddenly produced a horse and began making her way towards the front of the van. "Now, don't say neigh! Quit horsing about and head out there! Be the mane attraction! Hoof it! You can-"
"I get it!"
She stood up, noticing the beast was missing. Luan scare her off? Good. No matter what just happened out there before, Luna can't let it end like this. Get out there and be the teen she knew she was.
And Sam was way too much of an angel to lose now. Move. Now.
Luna's stomach growled as she stepped down the steps, suddenly feeling weak to the knees. A presence appeared behind her, one with evil intent, but the rocker managed to fight it. "Don't look back," she motivated herself, holding her hand against the van's wall, keeping that spirit steady, "I will do this. Nothing is stopping me."
"But yourself..."
"No... shut your damn mouth..."
She emerged from the van, fully in view of the three bandmates. All the while Sully and Mazzy still tried in vain to calm their fallen bassist. The pianist rubbed his hair, realizing quickly how bad he was with relationship advice. "Well, I mean, uh...," he tried again, "... what did she do? Not yelling at our bandmate, but Lunes ain't one for saying the wrong stuff, right? Is she?"
Mazzy shook her head. "Well, whatever she did, it sucked!" She continued patting Sam's shoulder. "Goddamn, what did... what's up with her? Look, I ain't exactly that type of girl, but I mean, if Sam wanted to be my girl, I wouldn't leave her like this!" Sully looked at her funny. "I mean, hypothetically, ya jerk!"
Sam shook her head. "I'm not good enough... I'm not good enough..."
Both her mates jumped. "Woah, woah, silence blondie! Where the heck did that come from?"
Their bassist responded with a sorrowful slam of the fist against the pavement. "That's what she said. She just... says that, you know?"
Sully folded his arms, unable to comprehend that info. "What? Wait, she called you that? That don't sound like Lunes at all. Look, I know she's been all loopy lately, but when did she get... like that?"
"I don't know," Mazzy's fist clenched, "But I'm ready to teach her a lesson if it's true!"
Sam's eyes rose up, looking bloodshot and pathetic. "No, she didn't call me that! Please, don't... don't hurt her."
"Well, then why are you saying she did then?"
Sam shook her head. "She did, but... not to me. She... she said that about herself..."
Mazzy and Sully looked at one another. A feeling of cold wind blew down their spines. "And I take it that lead to, well, this?" Mazzy hoped she didn't sound too harsh. Even still, this sounded rather farfetched to her. "Lunes can be all deranged for as long as she wants, what the hell? Why would she say that? What gives?"
"You think family issues, Maz?" Sully tried to think it out. All he got in response was a shrug.
Their small discussion threw Sam into a fit. "No! She's more than enough! She's everything! Everything!" Eyes closed, she slapped her own cheek, uncaring to the makeup running down her face. "I'm the problem, she just doesn't want to say it!"
Sully quickly hopped in. "Woah, you keep that mouth shut if you're gonna say crud like that! Last thing Luna would think is that, and you know it!"
"Then why did she break up with me then? It makes sense..."
Mazzy threw her hands in the air; somehow, those hidden eyes almost got exposed. "How, pray tell? How the heck does it all add up?"
"Because we got those tickets, and it just... it got bad right there. I pressured her to get those! If I didn't, she... she'd be happy. Do you think we pushed her too hard this summer? I pushed her too hard? What did I do wrong?"
Mazzy scooped her friend up in a hug, ushering Sully to join in. "You stop that, Sammy. For one, we all chipped in, and two, she was happy when she told you, right? How the heck would that lead to this, I don't know, total collapse in emotion? Seriously, how? It doesn't, babe, and don't you dare think you had anything to do with it. What did, got me, but we will get to the bottom of this!"
Sam buried her face against Mazzy's shoulder. "Well, what is it, then? She's losing weight, she lost her clothes, she doesn't even make a rock reference anymore, and I love those! It hasn't even been that long. What... what happened?"
As they hugged it out, Sully looked over at the Van the Louds always used. As Lincoln and Luan slowly emerged from the shrubs, Luna herself waved at her band. "Oh dear," he said to them, causing the two girls to look over. "Uh... so uh... Lunes is here, heh."
Mazzy nearly leapt in fright. "You serious? After all that, she actually shows her face?"
"Hey, give her a chance!" Sully tried to stick up for his bandmate. Mazzy wasn't having it.
"Yeah, I will when she, oh, I don't know, isn't pissing me off for causing this!"
But no matter the protest, Luna came over. Lincoln stopped himself just as soon as his shoes hit the parking lot. Luan looked at him confused, but her brother stopped her immediately.
"Lunes... please fix this... I know you can!" He cheered her on.
The rocker came up to her friends, though to an outsider, that looked far from the truth. Sully now consoled Sam while Mazzy extended her arms out, preventing her leader from getting any closer. "Yo, glad to see you, I guess, but uh, hey! Mind explaining why you stormed off like a baby and left your girl all shriveled up and bawling?"
Luna's guilt grew tremendously staring at her former girlfriend. Sam couldn't even bother to look her directly in the face. She knew this would be tough, but holy hell, it seems the devil was truly ready to drag her down fast. The searing flames from that dream crept back up, but the young Loud couldn't back down now. She passed the point of no return. She had to resolve this now.
And she did it the only way she knew how. "Hey," she calmly said. Okay, it was obvious that Lincoln inherited the strategy gene from the family. She really wished she had that right now.
Mazzy groaned. "You serious, girl? Hey? Sam is a crying wreck, and all you have is the thing horses eat?"
"Well, a lot of farm animals really."
"Sully, I swear I'm gonna beat you down!"
Ignoring their petty squabble, Luna looked over at Sam. "Sam, I... hey... uh..."
For once, the Loud who was generally considered the loudest was at a loss for words. What can she say? What Sam told her friends was true; Luna called it exactly as she felt. She wasn't enough, was she? She never was. Sam deserved better... right? Right?
"Well, answer that, babe," the demonic voice intervened.
Luna shook her head, extending her arms out as if ready for a hug. "Sam, listen. I'm... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to leave you like this."
Mazzy ended her almost beatdown on Sully, turning instead to her bandmate with only a scowl to show. "What? You serious right now, Lunes? You broke up with her over what? Whatever it is, you can't tell me you didn't expect this crap!"
"I... I...," again, tongue was completely tied.
Luckily, it was Sam who was ready to break the ice. "Just tell me something!" She shouted. Everyone, even the distant Loud siblings, couldn't help but feel that dread creeping up their bodies. Luna was at full attention. "Why? Why are you like this? What the hell happened to you?"
"Sam..."
"Don't say anything else, unless you tell me what's wrong! If you want to break up with me, well... fine. I can't stop that." She was barely audible; the tears were taking over. "But at least let me help you! I'll always love you, and I can't live knowing you're suffering like this!"
Sully backed away, finding this too hard to take, while Mazzy looked down, stepping aside and giving the spotlight over to the two of them. Luna was given the mic, and her mind and heart were barely synergized. "I... I..."
"I what? Just tell me! Look at you!" Eve through tear-stained eyes, she couldn't help but getting caught looking at the pure gray that her girlfriend had become. It's a shade that worked, but on Luna, it truly felt like she was a shade. "You look like... like nothing! You clearly haven't eaten, your eyes are swollen, you aren't even trying to smile... do you even play guitar anymore?" She quickly ran up, grabbing Luna's arms. The rocker was powerless as those lovely eyes fell upon the marks running down the wrist. "I mean... you're hurting yourself. Oh god, you're doing that."
"S-Sam, I..."
"You're hurting yourself, Lunes." It looked like Sam was entering shock, collapsing back to her knees. Her two friends quickly ran to her, both growing pale. "You're... you're hurting yourself, and I can't stop it, can I?"
Mazzy looked at Lunes. "Girl, what the hell? It's that bad? What's happening?"
Sully whistled, knowing full-well how disgusted he was with blood. "Lunes... holy hell, are you getting beat at home or something?"
"Bad grades?"
"Don't tell me Swagger died! I haven't caught up with the news..."
Question after question, all flung at her like bullets in the middle of a battlefield. Luna felt uneasy, weak stomach joining even weaker knees as Sam's cried filled her ears perfectly. The whole world began spinning, leaving the Loud in a constant state of vertigo, never to stop until the poor young lady was left with nothing but an endless feeling of regret and sorrow.
But one site was clear. The site of that demon, laughing as she came close, almost grabbing Luna by the throat. "Well... what is it? Go on, tell them."
Luna was ready to cry. The demon laughed harder.
"Heh, that's right, huh? You don't know. You got nothing, do you? Blame the money, and you'll have an answer as to why it's not. Blame angst, and they'll defend you saying how could it? Luna Loud doesn't suffer from that!"
Luna's eyes began to break away, the tears flowing.
"You have no idea why I'm here, do you?" She chuckled. "You have no idea, but you know one thing, and I know it too..."
She turned herself, allowing Sam to come into full view. Luna's heart leapt away into a deep, dark hole. All the more power to be given over to the demonic being. "You know that Sam is perfection personified. A girl that is a rare catch. Only those worthy of her presence could ever claim to have her hand in holy matrimony. She's the best thing to happen to you. Her, these friends of yours, and that little brother that gives you the strength to keep fighting. That singer, that concert, the family that adores you..."
"W-Why...," Luna let out weakly.
Another chuckle. "All of them would be better off without this lying, sneaky, little weak piece of crap known as Luna Loud." She nodded to Sam, who fully broke down at this point. "And when you told her that, you proved my point. You're worthless, and she's much, much better than whatever you even consider yourself to be!"
They never saw the demon. Luna couldn't even fight back. The tears of her girlfriend, the weakness from not eating enough, the feeling of Lincoln and Luan coming closer, the words of her friends trying to break through... it became too much. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and next thing she knew, she was down on the ground, losing her mind as the world faded away.
Lincoln immediately screamed. "Lunes, no!" he shouted, picking those feet up quickly. His words caught his family's attention, who quickly began heading over.
Her friends did their best, but they couldn't shake their friend back up. All Sam could do was shake her head, once more putting a knife deep into her own stomach. "Lunes... what's happening to you?" She cried.
The demon had the answer, and she chuckled as Luna's vision completely faded. "Oh, I'll tell you. She's realizing now just how pathetic she truly is."
And Luna had no way of fighting back.
