Thursday 13 October 2005, Luna Nova
"Well the days were very difficult in Luna Nova, I went from being a girl who wasn't popular at all and waseven ignored, to becoming the joke of the class, a liar, I was booed a lot for the whole story I told Rebecca,which really soured the relationship I had with her and it only got worse because she was my roommate, Ialways heard her grumbling, but on the other hand I saw something that was starting to emerge, which wasmy friendship with Croix."
And here comes the bomb all the time, I swear I'm going to freak out if I hear these people calling me a liar one more time, I just want to be at peace, these words have been destroying me, I just want it to end soon, for me to fall into oblivion once and for all.
I leave the classroom after a long day, head for the courtyard and there Croix waves to me, how nice, we meet, touch hands and I feel better with her, she's the only friendlier person here in Luna Nova.
"You took a while in the room, did something happen?" She asks.
"The same as always, listening to some mockery from the girls for the story I was forced to lie about... They keep barring me from going out or something, I'm sorry I took so long and by the way... Happy birthday, I just remembered it's today" I say smiling at her and she smiles back at me.
"Thanks, my mum told us to pop into town as soon as school's out, she said she'd prepared something for me, shall we go?" I nodded my head, it would be nice to go out once in a while.
"I haven't been out on the town since I joined Luna Nova, it's going to be a new and interesting experience" I say excitedly.
We take our brooms past the Ley lines and out into the city, which I'm getting a little nostalgic about, it's a good memory from a few days ago, before I entered Luna Nova, I know this place like the back of my hand, it was a lot of fun walking around here.
Aunt April is right here, she waves to us and we go over to her, with Croix giving her mum a very tight hug, they're very cute... Then she hugs me too, smiling with us as we climb on our brooms.
"We won't miss it, it's your day Croix, a little party won't be left out, today my girl turns 17, soon she'll be a grown woman" said Mrs Jordan.
"I'll soon be able to graduate from Luna Nova too, what I really want is to be able to reach Claiomh Solais one day, but I honestly don't know howAunt Laura was chosen for this, she could give me some tips, so I'd be more easily chosen," said my friend, and it seems that she's really interested in this thing.
"She can help you with that, all I know is that Laura's case was very sudden and she was very sloppy with this sceptre, she'd put it off to think about more important projects, but she was still able to get to the fifth word, maybe if she'd tried and focused on it, she would have completed it before she even graduated, but she herself wasn't so focused on it because of the other things she saw as a priority, even so she's a witch well respected by Woodward" Mum is really angry, she's an incredible person.
We arrive at a little house in the middle of the town, it already looks like a party is going on, we put our brooms down and there are the mums, I run to hug them, they both hold me and give me all their love, but she wasn't there, I saw two faces with red hair, a girl with purple eyes and another with green eyes on one side and blue on the other, they must be the mums' daughters.
"Chariot, these are Hellene and Holly, our little girls, Hellene is two and Holly is one, we only didn't bring Diana for reasons you already know, but we weren't going to leave our other girls out" said Mum Laura and I looked deeply into both of their eyes.
"They're beautiful, the older one really looks like you two, the younger one is just like Mum Laura" I say, coming closer and even stroking the older one's head, who smiles.
They're cute, to think that after many years I've been able to get up close and personal with my sisters, I'm sure they'll have a marvellous future, they'll be great children, I hope I can be very close to the girls, it'll all be wonderful.
"Look Croix, they're my sisters, they're not blood sisters, but they're part of the family, have you met them?" I ask her and she nods her head in agreement.
"I know all three of them, I was even there on the day each one was born, it was beautiful to see, the eldest must be about three years old, I haven't seen her since Hellene was born, but she must be very pretty" said Croix and I marvelled.
"It must have been wonderful, I was only able to see them all from afar for a short time, now that I'm here facing them I feel even better" I say smiling at the two little girls who are out doing baby things, you can see Mum Laura's exhausted face looking after the children.
"Go and have fun at the party, I'll look after the children, today is Croix's day, the girl here is turning 17" said Mum McLaren and I nodded.
We got to know the other people at the party, Aunt Rosemary, little Phoebe, who is now much older, she must be 12 now, Megan, who is also older than the baby I had met, it's all very different, Mum Laura's friends, we just chatted and said hello.
Croix arrives at a part of the house where there is a balcony, where he can watch the whole party from below, where music is playing, people are chatting and having fun, children are playing, it really is such a good atmosphere here.
"I love the life I have now, I've never felt so good in my whole life, it's been the best five years I've ever spent, just with my foster mum" said Meridies.
"I also had the best five years of my life when I was with my adoptive mums, it seems we're quite similar in that respect, isn't it" I say to her and she smiles at me.
"It's a terrible coincidence that you left the same year I did, we'd get on very well, that's for sure, but then, do you want to know how I got here? I had a very interesting escape story" Woah, I really want to know that.
"Of course, I've also had a runaway story, but it's quite recent, I ran away just so I could work and be near Luna Nova, but tell me about yours, I want to know more about Croix Meridies" I tell my friend, very interested.
"Well, it all started five years ago, in the summer of 2000, in Florence, Italy, I wasn't called Croix yet, I was thinking of a name, I guess you'd know that from seeing that I'm a bit taller than the other girls in my class, but anyway? My parents were really against it, I tried to hide it and I was getting scared, every year I got taller, scared of facial hair, of everything, I didn't want that under any circumstances, but I couldn't... What made me have to... Well, my parents found out one day that I was using the name Maria, on the internet at the time, it was the first name I used to be a girl, they took everything away from me, I felt devastated, and they gave me time, I had one day, either I was going to leave home or they were going to make me be a real man, I chose the former with all the determination in the world, I wasn't going to sit around and wait, I took everything I had, all my pocket money, I even stole some money from my parents, I left Italy, going as far as my goal, since on the internet I met and talked to a lot of people talking about how Ireland is the best place to house people like me and it also allows me to have my changes, and that's what I did... On the way I spent a long time in France, there I ended up falling in love with something written La Croix, I thought about mixing it with my name, getting Croix Meridies, it would be southern cross, I thought the combination was very good and I adopted it as my name, it took me a few days to arrive, at the shelter there were no vacancies, but it matched April's presence, she saw me there desperate for a shelter and decided to adopt me, since then I thank her for everything she can give me..." She said and wow, this story really had a lot of twists and turns, luckily Croix managed to reach Aunt April.
"It's been a long story, but today you've come through it all and you're a beautiful woman, just like you've always been" I said, smiling.
"I'm now able to have this dream, I started taking my injections on my 14th birthday, which I was a bit frustrated about, even with that I continued to grow, I haven't had any breasts or proportions in two years, it's only now that they're appearing when it's mixed with magic, before it was purely in the mundane way, now there's magic in there since I was the minimum age, my mum kind of broke the law and helped me with this, now I'm finally feeling the changes, every centimetre of height I've been losing, every extra centimetre of hip, my chest growing back, it's like magic, but it hurts like never before, I feel the pull of the body, even in my shoulders, it's a slow and painful change, but I'm sure I'll be beautiful after everything" I hold her shoulder and smile.
"You're already beautiful the way you are Croix, and very brave too, it's not just anyone who can take injections" I tell her.
"Every week I inject myself in my thigh and the changes happen, every three months my mum takes me to hospital and I check everything, I do tests, I go to the doctor and she makes sure everything is in order, everything I used to have is gone and I'm very grateful for that, I don't know what would become of me now" I hug her.
"Anyway, you've come this far and it's good to see that you're happy being like this, beautiful and marvellous" I say to Croix, who smiles more.
"I also have another secret, I don't know if you're like that too, but almost everyone here likes women, the difference is that I'm just like your mums, I like women exclusively, I'm a lesbian" I shrug.
"We have something else in common, it seems" I said, smiling, and she even blushed a little.
"It's good to know that I can be safe with you, you know about my secret, hardly anyone in Luna Nova knows about it and I'm afraid they'll know, after all I have something that's different between my legs, which could cause a whole panic, I hate it" I hold her hand and try to make her feel less bad.
"That doesn't make you any less of a girl, anyway, let's enjoy the party, look what's downstairs, there's a guitar, I've always really wanted to play Rock Hero" I say as I see everyone playing with the guitar and she smiles at me.
So we go down to where the MagicStation 2 is with Rock Hero, and we start to watch my mum Laura taking on aunt April, the two of them playing Ace of Spades, very nice, it seems that their rivalry is still very much alive playing video games, I remember the iconic duels they had when they were younger, which we watch and love, my mum is really addicted.
Mum Bernadette cheering with my sisters, I'm cheering along while Croix is on the other side cheering for the rivals, it's marvellous, I love parties like this, lighter and more relaxed, it's something that fills my heart.
"You're always so addicted, aren't you, Laura? You must have been playing all night" said Aunt April.
"I've got two kids to look after, there's no way, just admit that Mum's a bitch" said Mum McLaren.
"Language Laura, you're in front of our children, they're going to learn your swear words" Ah those moments, they were always marvellous, I miss them.
"Oh come on, that's unfair, I can't fight you, you just play games" said Mrs Jordan, handing the guitar to her daughter.
"Hmmmm, how about a duel between the daughters, let's see which one of us wins, I'll give £50 to my girl" said Mum McLaren who never changes.
"What pounds? We're going back to Ireland, bet on the Euro soon, and I'll leave 100 Euros here at Croix, my girl's much more of a gamer than yours" said Aunt April.
"Go on Chariot, kick her arse" Ah those two.
We were even looking at each other laughing a lot, how can two women their age be like this, that's because they don't even drink properly and they're already crazy in the head, and we're choosing a song, I think this is going to be a good one, I still have practice because of the guitar, I love Rock n Roll, very basic, but just to get used to it, I've never played this thing.
As the song starts I notice the buttons with the colours and I try to follow along, trying to pick, everything is normal, I'm just trying not to miss the notes and it's not difficult, I'm managing to get it right, even if I miss the notes.
"It's my first time playing this" I say as I try something.
"Have fun, girl, you're even getting a few right" said Mum Laura.
"For someone who's just started, you know how to play" said Croix.
"I know how to play the guitar, I think it helps a bit, it's not the same as the real thing, but it's fun all the same" I say as I play.
"Can you really play, show me later?" I nod as I play.
"Ah that's my girl, there's a guitar here, I just want to see how my daughter does if it's really true" said Mum McLaren.
I'm still concentrating on the game, trying to get the notes right and going with the rhythm, it's quite interesting, but it has nothing to do with the guitar except the way I hold it, well at least it doesn't follow the notes straight, at least on the normal one, I'm getting quite confused.
Until we got to the end of the soundcheck and the winner was Croix, she's really the better of the two of us, she must have experience playing, so the guitars were passed to Phoebe and Megan, playing against each other.
I went with Mum to where the guitar is and sat down to pick it up, it's a beautiful guitar, I have to admit, even Meridies came to see me play, I think it's time I showed off my talent a bit.
"I just want to see it, I didn't know you spent all those years playing" said my mum, impressed.
"I've been playing since 2001, I learnt from some street artists in Annecy, they taught me how to play the guitar, the guitar is a recent thing, I bought one last year before joining Luna Nova, I even played in the shop where I worked, together with a friend of mine we were a band, our boss gave us extra money for playing, she on drums and me on guitar" My year at the last wednesday society was really interesting.
"Ah, I just want to see what you've got in your hands, send me some music" Mum said and I took a deep breath.
I start playing a very basic one, the intro to Sweet Child o Mine, which I see a smile on my mum's face, then I start playing another basic one, Smells Like Teen Spirit, until I decide to go for it a bit and take a more complex one, taking a deep breath, I start playing Far Beyond The Sun, leaving mum stunned that I can play it so well, the years of playing the guitar have really paid off and I even see a few heads nodding, it looks like I'm impressing, I'm not doing badly at all.
I finish playing and even feel a few claps coming my way, especially from Croix, which makes me feel quite silly, I didn't realise I was going to impress her, I'm usually calm, but impressing someone is something different
"Wow, you play really well, Chariot, I didn't realise you were so talented" said Meridies.
"That's my girl, now pass her on to Mum, it's been a while since I've played on a guitar too, I think I can get some loose here" said Mum Laura as she started to play.
"Laura, my love, Holly's hungry, take the guitar off her lap and put your daughter on it" said mum Bernadette.
"Just now? You have no idea how much it hurts, the last time this little girl bit my chest, I'm seriously thinking about firing this girl soon, Hellene stopped at 18 months, I think she can stop before that too" Apparently the guitar session is going to be interrupted.
"No guitar now girls, Holly needs some chest and quiet, leave her with Mum, come with me for a walk" We nod and leave Mum Laura to feed Holly.
We follow Mum Bernadette where it's more on the inside of the house, there we see that there's cake and food, I was a bit hungry, it would be good to eat a bit, so we grab the pieces of pizza that are there and wow, it's very invigorating, it's been a long time since I've had a pizza, it's been a few weeks.
It's almost as if we're eating for the first time, it's been a marvellous birthday, all the attention in the world around here, it's magical, perfect, it's not even my birthday, but I've had as much fun as if it were.
[...]
Everyone got together, I don't think I've had this much fun in years, since before I was with my family, this has been one of the best days of my life without a doubt, now it's time to sing happy birthday to Croix, we're all facing the cake and she's standing there with a huge smile on her face, it's very different from the dead fish face I typically see her have in Luna Nova.
You can't be like that when you have a whole family like that, Aunt April as a mum, my mum as an aunt, it's a whole family here that treats you well, we always get a few smiles out of it, it's like magic.
"Croix! Croix! Croix! Croix! Croix!" We all shouted her name and she was very happy and blew out the candles, seventeen years old, she must be very happy to be getting closer to eighteen.
So she's all happy and excited, with a huge smile on her face, already sharing the cake, giving the first piece to her mum, then there were some photos, with everyone, even I made a point of appearing, with her, still in
uniform, but it's still something different, it's a very wonderful day.
For the first time someone invited me to a birthday party, even my friends when I was in Edinburgh didn't, it's the first time I've felt so important to someone, Croix is a wonderful person.
"Chariot, come here, your piece of cake too" she said, handing it over after we'd taken the photo together.
I'm eating the cake and I love it, it's a strawberry cake with some cherries, I love it, the flavour comes into my mouth, all sweet, I can see that Croix is loving it too, it's a day that will stay in our memories, when we go together in the middle of everyone, seeing people, them talking, the children eating the cake and playing again, that light family atmosphere, to think that I'm part of it again, how long I've waited for this, at the Cavendish mansion we hardly had parties like this, but on the other hand at the McLaren family home it was this atmosphere.
"I'm so happy, it's like I'm reminiscing about the old Croix days, when I was still a child, how much I used to go out and have fun with my mums, the best part was when we travelled to Ireland, I'd go to my grandparents' house, I'd go to the city, when summer came and I'd go with my friends to the country house? That was marvellous" I'm just reminiscing.
"The cottage in Dalystown near Ennell Lake? I love that place, I used to go there every summer, it was the whole family, Megan and I used to get up to a lot, Phoebe also used to go there, I had no idea that you also used to go there, that's really cool, we really need to go there this summer, it's going to be the best summer days for sure" she said and I nodded in agreement.
"With that nerdy face, I'd very much doubt that you're that kind of person" I say, laughing.
"Ah, you doubt it, don't you? I have a collection of falls in that place, when it rains and it's full of mud, it was like getting covered in mud and then throwing yourself in the lake to clean yourself, it was a huge joy, I just want to see if the girl there guarantees herself, the rivalry between the McLaren family there and the one in Dublin is also huge, Aunt Laura's cousins competing with her, the duelling games between the two families, each making a team, one thing I can say, in the sandbag race with my mum I was one of the best" I had too much confidence in her to win the last time I competed.
"You're looking at the 1999 champion, my mum and I beat all the competition" I say to her and she laughs.
"Now that I'm looking forward to the summer, I'm going to show you who's the better of the two of us, it's not because I look like a nerd that I'm a bit off" It seems that the friendship has really strengthened.
And apparently I'm just having fun with it all, this summer of 2006 will be something totally new, I'm sure it will, I'm jumping for joy just thinking about it, getting muddy again, doing those bizarre games of the two families' rivalry again, I'm sure I'll win this one, me and Mum Laura with Mum Bernadette.
[...]
It got dark, we had to go to Luna Nova, a shame, it was fun, spending the day chatting with Croix, having fun with my family, it's all very marvellous, it's all family time, to think that the girl I met a short time ago in Luna Nova, a year ahead of me, is much more charismatic and interesting than my colleagues.
We said goodbye to everyone, grabbed our brooms and flew off to Luna Nova, where we landed at night and apparently there wasn't much movement, so we walked to the corridors where we were going to separate.
"Thank you very much for everything Chariot, today was the best birthday I've ever had in my life, being with you was wonderful, you're a wonderful friend, I really liked you, even your clumsy way, from now on we'll see each other more often, my room is always free for us to play Mahoutendo 64, we can also go out to Arcturus, you'll like to get to know more of Luna Nova, together we can get the Claiomh Solais" I shake my head and hold her hand happily.
"Thank you, you're the only person who's been friendly with me, without forcing anything, you've just come and been a friend... It feels like I've known you for years, even though it's only been a few days, it's strange, I've never felt so comfortable with someone, I'd also be very grateful if you'd help me improve in my lessons, you're a wonderful friend" I say hugging her and with that she's even shocked and softened for another hug.
"We'll still have lots of fun, now I'm going, see you tomorrow Chariot, after school what do you think of spending the day playing? Although there's still the Samhaim festival, I can't take part because I've already got the title of moon witch, but your chance will be this year, you can be sure I'll help you, you'll win and everyone will be impressed" Thanks for everything Croix,
After the hug we parted, she went up the stairs, I walked to my room and there I saw my mates, doing their usual thing, Becca playing the Sphere Game and Daniella reading books and I threw myself on my bed to rest, after such a long day, I don't think I've ever jumped as much and had as much fun as I did today, such a great day and they have no idea.
"It looks like your day with Croix Meridies was a busy one, I can see how tired you look" said Leyland.
"Look who remembered that you have a room, you don't forget us apparently, it seems that now there's something to get you out of here, which gives you a bit of peace, but we're going to need you, the Samhaim festival is coming and if we take the sacrifice I won't forgive you" said the annoying Parker.
"I've already got everything, Croix is going to help us too" The two of them look at me a little shocked.
"What's it like?" They both say without any idea of how I was able to get Croix to be with us.
"Oh, I'm her friend now, so she said she's going to help me with the Samhaim festival, it's going to be much better this way, since this way we have more chances, you didn't want to be a moon witch Parker? Now we have our chance, but that's not why I wanted to be friends with Croix, there are other reasons that I'd rather not tell you, I don't trust you anymore, just having opened my mouth to talk about it is a mistake, you could ruin everything" I make it even clearer to Parker.
"Woah, I'm sorry you lied, but if you're telling the truth on this one it'll help, I don't know... She won last year, but what difference does it make? Is she going to put flying hoovers on the set where we're going to act? We don't even know our roles, apart from the fact that it's two weeks away, can we really trust Four Eyes? I know she's the current prodigy and best student, but you hardly know her" said Daniella.
"I trust Croix more than you, at least I can tell her things, you've just been an open mouth" I say to her, who stares at me angrily.
"Oh, you're going to throw it in my face every time you bring it up, I've already told you that I'm sorry about all this, it's not my fault, I just wanted to spread a story like this around the class, imagine the story it would make, a forbidden romance between a sophisticated Cavendish and a rebellious McLaren, you'd have to be an idiot not to find that kind of guy interesting, they're like yin and yang, if you don't realise how big a piece of gossip you've told me is a lie, you should keep your mouth shut, relax, I'm not going to tell you about this Croix thing, I don't want to spoil our victory at Samhaim" I just look angry.
"Don't be like that, Chariot, let's play for a while and cool off" said Becca.
"I'm not that keen to play, I just want to rest, today was full, it was one of the best days of my life, I don't want to forget it for anything, you have no idea, now it's time to rest those legs" I say tiredly.
I even stare at the top of the bunk, thinking about how this day has been so much to process, a silly little party like this and it's already been all that, who knows what the summer will be like, it's literally every day like this, I remember when I was a child, I haven't had a day like this in years, it's amazing how these little things become something wonderful to enjoy, next year everything will start differently and wonderfully.
"And that's how it was the first time I went to Croix's birthday, as you can see it was a day that made me veryexcited, it had been years since I'd had days like that and so that radiant and lively Chariot that alwaysappears smiling, jumping for joy, appeared because of Croix, she was a marvellous person in my life, if ithadn't been for her I would have spent my days a bit depressed and just chatting to my roommates, but withCroix I had a real friend, at least for as long as it lasted, but we were able to experience many things that Iwill never forget."
Happy birthday, lesbian witches...