Pinning paper wings on problems

Hoping that they'll fly away.

Turn our backs, ignore the truth

If they can't support the weight.

We Are the In Crowd, Reflections (cont.)

•~•

Luna

When everyone was finally assigned a role, our class time was almost over. I started to pack up my stuff, shoving Hamlet into my bag, when I heard Matthias say, "Hey, Luna?"

It really got on my nerves how my body reacted whenever he said my name. I wanted to melt into nothingness just from the sound of his voice. Well, it was only second time, but still. I turned to him, unwillingly. Looking straight at him would only risk my composure, so I kept my eyes on the right side of his head at the poster behind him. "What?" I asked, fighting back the urge to shiver and to keep my voice emotionless.

"What class do you have next?" was his question. I really didn't want to tell him anything about myself, but it couldn't hurt. "World History."

"Me too!" He beamed at me, practically sparkling with happiness. Thankfully, I was wearing shades, or else I could've been blinded. . . Wait, no, if my eyes didn't hurt, then my chest sure did. Ughhh. "Can you show me the way there?"

Inwardly, I groaned. We had another class together? It made me happy, if you called this pain happiness, but I don't think I could stand to be so close to him again.

But, manners were manners. "Sure, why not?" I gritted out, and headed out the door as soon as the bell rang. He kept up with me every step of the way, chattering about his day and what he liked about school. Trying my best to tune him out, I focused on our path to the next class. Luckily, he was seated away from me in the front of the classroom, while I had a place in the back. But, that meant that he was still in my line of vision. Every time I looked up to see the board, there was my soulmate. It was so irritating.

I would have screamed if it turned out that we had the last class of the day together, but fortunately it wasn't so. He had Pre-Calculus while I had Economics. I directed him to the Math building and sighed with relief once he was out of my sight. If this was how the rest of year was going to be, I had no idea how I was going to survive.

At least the last class went by smoothly. As soon as I was free I quickly made my way to the Music building for practice.

On my way there, I found Alice, Alfred, Tina, Berwald, and, of course, Matthias. "Hey, Luna!" He called out to me, waving his arms around. "We're heading to the fields. Wanna watch?"

"No," I responded, careful not to look at him, "I have to practice."

"Oh, right," Tina laughed nervously. "I almost forgot we have a gig coming up soon."

"You better have been practicing." I narrowed my eyes at her. "If you mess up again like last time . . ." Technically, a threat like that was unnecessary, but from her shaky gulp, I knew she would take me seriously. Sighing, I was about to walk off when I remembered something.

"Oh, Alice? Can I have a word with you? Alone," I stressed, noticing the group's curious looks, especially Matthias'. I pretended not to see his disappointed expression.

"Sure." She affectionately pecked her soulmate's cheek before moving to my side. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Together, we went to one of our hangouts, the shady corner near the bathrooms. Nobody was around. Leaning against the wall, she turned to me. "Okay, what's up?"

"How could you do that to me in English?!" I demanded angrily, finally giving into my emotions. If Alice was shocked at my sudden outburst, she didn't show it, rolling her eyes at me. "What? If your soulmate is going to play Hamlet, you might as well be his Ophelia."

I scowled back at her. Like I hadn't thought of that. "You do realize that Hamlet is a tragedy, right? Or could you actually be mixing up great works of literature?"

"Your life is on the verge of becoming a tragedy if you don't do something about it!" She countered me. Touché. Alice was right though; I was ignoring the problem.

"Fine," I gave in with a sigh. It was just too much for me to handle. "But could you tell me how is being Ophelia going to help me?"

"Don't you see? This is your chance!" Alice placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see her green eyes blazing with confidence. "Acting as Ophelia will bring you two closer. It might even trigger his memories, helping him remember that it's you who is his other half!"

" . . . I guess," I said doubtfully. If he couldn't remember from just looking at me, how would interactions work? My stomach squirmed from the slightest thought of it.

"Don't worry about it!" Alice laughed at my uneasy expression. I fought the urge to hit her. Easy for her to say; she never went through what I was stuck with. "But if you want, you can come over to my place after school to do research on soulmates." She offered unexpectedly. I was touched; maybe she did understand after all.

"Sounds good. See you then." I waved her off as we parted ways, but then she paused and turned back. "Are you sure you don't want to come along to watch them practice?"

I was tempted, but . . . "You do know that Bella is going to be there, right?" That, and the fact that I knew little to nothing about soccer.

"Oh, right . . ." Alice frowned. "Well, I'll see you later then!"

But, after arriving at my room in the Music building (hello stairs!), I couldn't resist the desire to watch. By a strange twist of fate, the window of the room overlooked the sports fields. Coincidence? Ha, I think not.

Alice and Tina used to be happy sitting on the ledge and watching their soulmates from afar, but as time passed, they eventually left to get 'up close and personal.'

Now, I took their old place and watched our fellow classmates from above. Even though I had no idea what they were doing, I immediately spotted Matthias because of his hair. He seemed to be getting along with everyone, kicking the ball back and forth with Alfred, Berwald, and Gilbert.

Leaning against the windowsill, I had a quiet moment to myself to think. As I watched my soulmate, I wondered how did I end up with such a person. He seemed to love the outdoors, while I was more of an indoor person. He was open and friendly. I was closed and shut people out easily, save for family and the few friends I had.

Honestly, we were as different as night and day.

But then again, maybe the saying 'opposites attract' did tell the truth about soulmates. Afterall, grouchy Lovina was with cheerful Antonio. Tina and Feli, both social butterflies, were with caring and albeit intimidating guys. And no one would have expected Alfred F. Jones, the King of Jocks, to have a soulmate like Alice Kirkland, our lovely Queen of Darkness.

And now that I think about it, that described us perfectly, if we were ever meant to be that is.

Just then, high-pitched screaming caught my attention. Looking out, I saw Bella in her uniform, jumping and cheering from the far side of the field. Matthias noticed too, because he smiled and waved back at her. Watching them, I felt my stomach twist again. It wasn't right, for him to notice her and not me.

Turning away from the window, I threw myself into my music, pouring out the first song that popped into my mind, expressing my pain, frustration, and loneliness.

•~•

"Destiny is overrated

So I think I'll write my own.

I don't believe it's complicated

So I think I'll stay at home.

I'd followed the leader

Now I just follow myself.

Destiny is overrated

So I think I'll write my own."

•~•

After pouring out my heart and soul to no one, I made sure to keep an eye on the time so I wouldn't be late again. One less reason for my brother to complain, or so I thought. However, it seems like he found something else to complain about by the time we met up at my car. He began to rant about it after we got inside after I had asked him about his day. Something I regretted after listening to half of.

"Well," Emil began as I drove out of the parking lot, "There's a new kid in my class, right?"

"Uh-huh," I hummed, keeping my eyes on the road.

"Okay, so it turns out that he's in your grade, and he's only taking Pre-Calculus? That's really embarrassing!" My little brother continued.

"I see," I said absentmindedly as I changed lanes.

"And the thing is that Mr. Chen assigned me to help him out if he has any problems. Can you believe it? Me, of all people in the class!" Emil huffed indignantly.

"Well," I said slowly, thinking about what he told me, "Aren't you one of the top students in the class? That shouldn't be too bad."

"No, duh," he grumbled, secretly pleased at my acknowledgment of his smarts, "but there's other people he could've asked! I don't want to waste my time helping him catch up with the rest of the class."

I laughed at that. "Too bad there's nothing you can do about it though," I pointed out.

"That's true . . ." he sighed, slumping in his seat. "At least I'll get extra credit. How was your day?"

How was my day? Now, that was a good question. I silently debated on what to tell him as I waited to make a right turn, finally deciding on, "It was alright, I guess. Gilbert caught fire in Chemistry, we watched a movie in World History, and . . ." I wracked my mind for other things that happened. Anything other than my internal suffering, of course.

"We've moved on to Hamlet in English."

"Oh, really?" he asks only with a hint of interest. "Which part did you get?"

I snorted as I changed lanes again. "Would you believe me if I told you I got stuck with Ophelia, of all characters?"

"Nice." Emil snickered. "So who's Hamlet?"

"My soulmate, unfortunately."

"Right. That makes sense . . ." Then he suddenly jerked up, yelling, "Wait, WHAT?!" causing me to slam on the breaks. Luckily, it had been a yellow light, but a few cars honked at me. I ignored them, turning to my brother. "What?"

"I forgot you found your soulmate yesterday!" he facepalmed. "Who is it? What classes do you have together? When will I meet your other half?!"

"Woah there," I chuckled at his curiosity. "Calm down lil' bror." I finally pulled up to our driveway and parked the car. "I already told you what he looks like. He's in my English and World History classes." I paused to think. "Actually, I'm not even sure if you'll know him since he's in my grade. But don't worry, you'll meet him later."

"Okay," he said, but the look he gave me said he wasn't going to let go of this subject anytime soon. Emil changed the subject though. "So, do you want me to help you memorize your lines?" Emil, being a little bookworm, had already read Hamlet and most of Shakespeare's works. I blamed my parents and Alice's influence. Before social media, Leona's fault by the way, he read books for fun and could recite lines by heart. Still, it did come in handy sometimes, as in our Romeo and Juliet work last semester.

"If you have time for that, that'll be great," I told him gratefully. "Okay," he repeated and opened the door to get out of the car.

"But not right now," I added. "I'm going to Alice's place to work on stuff, so make sure you finish all your homework before going on any social media."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Mom," he rolled his eyes and waved me off. "Have fun at Alice's!"

That cheeky lil' brat. I shook my head and smiled to myself. But he was cute, so I'll let it slide, just for today.

I switched gears and pulled out of the driveway, on my way to Alice's place. She didn't live that far from me, but it was still a good mile away. Her large family didn't reside in the city; they preferred the countryside in a quaint cottage on a tall hill surrounded by nature. It was probably better that they did too; the amount of noise they made would disturb the neighbors if they lived in a neighborhood like mine.

As I drove up the long, winding road, I gazed at the scenery flying by. I remember the many adventures we had in these very woods. We would go searching for fairies with Flying Mint Bunny by our side, though I was more interested in finding a troll for some reason. Sometimes Tina would join us, but all she wanted was to play princesses, especially after she found Berwald. The memories of re-enacting Cinderella, with Tina as our heroine, Berwald as Prince Charming, Alice and I as 'evil' stepsisters, never failed to make me smile.

Those were the days when Emil insisted on being my prince to protect me from danger. Before he grew up to be a teenager and found his princess. Before we knew I'd find my own prince one day. And some prince he was.

Finally, I reached the top of the hill to see Alice's home waiting. After parking my car by everyone else's, I walked up to knock on the door. To my surprise, Peter opens it. "Hi, Luna!" he greeted me excitedly. "Is Tina with you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry, kiddo. Tina had other plans today." For some reason, he liked Tina the best of all of us. Maybe because she was nice to him and treated him like a baby. He used to be scared of Berwald, but now he accepted him as his second father. Why? I had no idea why.

"Aw," he pouted, but I ignored him and stepped inside. "Where's your sister?"

"In the kitchen, trying to make scones. Again." He made a face and raced away. I made my way over to the kitchen, where Alice was watching her baking carefully. I was temporarily shocked by her appearance, too used to her punk appearance at school. She looked different at home, wearing her glasses instead of her contacts, her long hair in pigtails, and wore a simple sundress with an apron in place of her black tees and ripped jeans. Her family was a bit old-fashioned and didn't exactly approve of what she wore to go out, but as long as she dressed to their standards at home, they didn't care.

Alice finally noticed my presence and turned around. "Oh, hello, Luna. Good timing, my scones should be about ready. Would you like one?"

"Um . . ." I hesitated. Her cooking was unpredictable. It would look decent, but taste like a disaster. Even though she usually preferred to make scones, they were usually burnt, overly salted or both. The only person other than herself who could survive her food was her soulmate. But then again, I think he could eat anything made by Alice. Every once in a blue moon though, it was actually edible, but I didn't feel like taking that risk today. "I already ate before I came here . . ."

"That's fine." She shrugged. "Just wait a moment so I can take them out."

As she did so, I headed to her room. Walking inside, I saw that it hadn't changed that much over the years. The forest green walls were covered with posters of bands and movies except for one, being a built in floor to ceiling bookshelf, stuffed full of the books she loved so much. The new books that were waiting to be shelved and organized lay in stacks on the floor.

I noticed a few comic books among the mix as well. Alfred certainly was trying his best to convert her into a whole new realm of stories. So far, the only superheroes Alice liked were Sherlock and Batman since they were smart humans. She had yet to realize the wonders of Superman or Captain America.

Flopping on her neatly made bed, I picked up her beloved stuffed animal. "Hello there, Flying Mint Bunny," I greeted her. The plushie had aged rather gracefully throughout the years. Alice's mother had made the gift for her birthday. Her fur was still soft and a bit fuzzy, the mint color fading a bit and the wings flopping over.

Alice finally walks in with a plate of freshly baked scones and offers me one. I took one look and shook my head politely. "Suit yourself." She shrugs, popping one into her mouth and sets the plate down on her desk. Taking a seat on the swivel chair next to the desk, she turns on her laptop before facing me.

"So, tell me what you know about soulmates."

I rolled my eyes. "I know as much as you do: Everyone is born with a soulmate, someone they're meant to be with. The perfect half of their existence. In order to find your soulmate, you must look into their eyes, and only then will your eye color change, signaling you have found your soulmate. Some side-effects include memories of the past and bursts of happy emotions, aka your happy-ever-after.

"The only exceptions being those born with black eyes, the Soulless. Supposedly they did something terrible in their last life, so they are born without a soul, doomed to wander the Earth forever alone. You can become a Soulless if your other half dies before you meet, like in an accident for example."

Before I met Matthias, I used to believe that I was a Soulless, since I had really dark gray eyes. Waiting this long didn't help either.

"However, the time it takes to meet varies among soulmates. Some are born at the same time, or nearby locations, or on opposite ends of the Earth, always with gray eyes. You can be lucky enough to find your other half in your childhood or spend your whole life searching," I dully finished reciting what we've been told in school.

"Well said," Alice smirked, leaning back in her chair, "But did you know there's more?"

"Oh, joy," I deadpanned. "Please, do tell this inexperienced one all the glorious details."

"Sure." She began to count off her fingers. "You can sense each other's emotions, location—"

"Like a human GPS?" I interrupted her tonelessly. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Yes, exactly. It comes in handy at comic conventions, believe it or not."

"Great." I started to examine my own nails. Should I stop using my usual black polish or not? "What else is there?"

"Hmm." Alice turned back to her screen and typed for a few minutes. I absentmindedly started to move Flying Mint Bunny in the air like a bird. After a while, she spoke up. "Do you feel anything unusual when you're around him? Warm and comforted when he's nearby, small and insecure when you're not together?"

" . . . Yes," I admit reluctantly. I had felt both through out the school day. Not really sure if they're good feelings though.

"Well, that's good news. Proof that he is your soulmate." Alice closed her eyes in thought. "What about dreams?" She asked out of the blue.

" . . . Dreams?" I repeated blankly.

"Yes. You know, when you sleep and—oh wait," she paused. "It might be too early for you two."

"What's so special about dreams?" I asked her out of curiosity. Nobody told me about this before.

Alice smirked at me again. "Well, dreams are a special form of communication between soulmates. You can send messages to each other . . . "

•~•

Reflections on a two-way mirror

Of everyone and everything

That's coming in, and coming out

Of our lives.

I can see myself in the static,

I can see myself in you.

Reflections on a two-way mirror

Time's running out, time's running out . . .

That night, Matthias had a strange dream . . .

A/N: Once again, a continuation of the song used in the last chapter, since this is the second half. A really poor attempt at a song-ish fic, but I like it. Really tempted to use 'Still Here' by Digital Daggers, but I felt this fit better. (Small hint of what's to come if you listen to it!) I might use it in the next chapter or another song . . . we'll see~! What do you think though?