Friday 22 December 2006, Luna Nova
"Time went by like the blink of an eye, the year 2006 which was full of events was coming to an end, I neverthought that a short year like that would see so many events happen at once, but it did happen and it wasincredible, it had its ups and downs, but it's coming to an end to make way for the next year. In those last fewdays I spent training with my mum and then even had a little break when my mum came home, to preparethe house for the short winter holidays, which are only two weeks at home, but you can rest well until you goback to school, and then the last day of school that year arrived and we were released for the holidays, and Iwas really looking forward to it."
And we've reached the end of the lesson, finally, I've been counting down the minutes until the winter holidays start, I can't wait to go home, to have fun there, it'll be a shame not to have Rebecca and Daniella with me, since they're going home, but at the same time I'll feel happy to be home, even excited if Mum Bernadette comes to visit us.
I leave the living room with my friends and we walk down the corridors together, it's a rush, we're practically being pushed to run, all because everyone wants to go to their rooms to collect their things and pack their suitcases, I'm very anxious to go home too, but not as anxious as these people.
The traffic slowed down and we were able to breathe a little, arriving at the door to our room, we walked in looking at each other and went to get our bags, it's going to be time to leave, I'm really excited.
"Honestly, I wish I could stay here as long as possible, I don't want to go home now" said Parker.
"I can't wait to get back home, I miss it there, it's just going to be a bit of a hassle getting back in the middle of summer, I'll hope for a Christmas that's at least a little cooler" said Leyland.
"I want to go home, I know I'll be comfortable there, but what about you Daniella? You look so discouraged, I can only imagine how boring it's going to be spending the days there" I say to her.
"It's the same old hassle, Christmas there is full of pomposity and falsehood from my parents towards everyone, even me, apart from having to look like a good girl at every event that takes place between these dates, I'll probably have to stay there and have a really bad time, but I hope you have a good time, especially you Chariot?" I walk over to my friend and give her a quick kiss.
"I hope you'll keep this as a souvenir of our time in Luna Nova, I think I've made an even bigger mess of your head" I say, scratching the back of my head as I realise I've suddenly kissed her.
"It's okay, I won't forget anything I've been through here, if I can I'll even bring you some news from the Cavendish family since I'm very close to them, at least in a social sense, but anyway, I love you both, I hope you'll miss me too" She even hugs us and cries, quite moved.
We continue packing, I'm not going to take much, since I'll be back here soon, just a few clothes, I already know that Mum's house will have everything waiting for me, so there's no need to fill my suitcase, so much so that mine is just a very small rucksack.
Parker doesn't have such a big suitcase either, hers is bigger than mine, but she won't have as much stuff, Rebecca's is quite heavy, we've finished the first one, now we just have to pack the others.
"Wow, Rebecca, you're going to take everything like that" said Daniella.
"I have to take a lot of stuff, I don't know if there'll be enough clothes in the house, apart from the fact that I might come back with something new, but anyway, your trip is like a car journey and you'll arrive, while I have to take a plane, beautiful, not just one, but two, remember that I live on the other side of the world and in the other hemisphere, otherwise it's easy" she said, finishing packing everything up.
"My mum can give you a lift to London airport if you want" I say to Leyland.
"Really? Fuck that would be marvellous, the money I'd spend on the taxi to Bristol train station plus the ticket to London I could use to eat something better on the way, I'd be so grateful if you could help me" I nod.
"It's a pity I can't say goodbye with you, my parents are probably already in the car waiting to pick me up, but I hope you have a good time, I think I'll say goodbye now, I don't want to show them too much that I've had so much contact with you, not least because they'll look at me strangely" Unfortunately Daniella's parents are a pain in the arse.
"I understand Daniella, we know how annoying they are, this year I've spent with you has been marvellous and very good, I think I now know what a friend is, you've gone from being just a colleague to someone really close" I say happily.
"Thank you for everything Chariot, you were the one who meant the world to me, your way, your determination, you don't deprive yourself to be yourself, you stand up for yourself, you're brave, you're a person who inspires me, you were the flame that ignited something in me and I won't forget it, Regardless of who you prefer between me and Croix, I'm grateful to have you in my life, most importantly of all, be happy, I'll be back in Luna Nova with more things, I'll try to show up as early as possible to welcome my friends" said Parker, who hugged me and even cried a little.
"Fuck you didn't even mention me, you're lost in Chariot anyway" said Leyland, which made me laugh a little, and the brunette laughed as well and smiled at her friend.
"I haven't forgotten about you either Rebecca Leyland, I've known you longer than Chariot, we went from being roommates to becoming friends and it was really nice to meet someone like you, a person with a different way of being, more open, more honest, you can be just as nice as Chariot, I'll be waiting for you, I've had a lot of fun with you" she said hugging Becca who hugged back.
We looked at each other and held hands, raising them after which we let Daniella go out alone first, she looked at us at the door quite moved, she passed a little straight by Croix without saying anything, apparently there's still a bit of a bad feeling between the two of them, but you can understand the situation, I even cried. Daniella Parker, I don't think I'll ever forget you after all we've been through together, it's been a marvellous time, I must admit, but it's a shame that you and Croix are rivals for my heart, things kind of turned out that way for both of us
"Has she left yet?" Croix asks.
"Yes Croix, Daniella told us to leave first because of her parents" I say to Meridies.
"Fucking hell for a girl trying to rival your heart, she seems pretty embarrassed to show you off to the world" What an arsehole Croix is now.
"That was really stupid of you, I don't know her biological parents and that's not why I keep saying things like that, Daniella's not to blame for her parents being like that, let's not fight about this, I'd rather just keep quiet" I say a little angrily perhaps.
"I didn't mean to be such a jerk, sorry Chariot, but come on? Time to go home" said the excited Meridies, and what the hell, come on, she's just being jealous.
And this time we were the ones leaving, we picked up our bags and set off from Luna Nova, getting on our broomsticks and taking the Ley lines. We arrived at Glastonbury Square and there was my mum and Croix's mum waiting for us, we ran to hug them, missing her, I was even a bit happy to see her again, it was such a relief, all the weight from before was going away.
"It looks like they've decided to turn up, I saw that Daniella had come here on her own, I was worried, by the way she looked she was even hiding her tears and walking dejectedly to her parents' Mercedes, did they say anything to her?" I nodded.
"They're her parents, Daniella told us to say goodbye only inside Luna Nova, she's afraid her parents will see us and think something's wrong, so she's been going very quietly all the way there" I say to Mum.
"That's very Bernadette, it was the same thing to say goodbye to her when she arrived at the end of 1987, she kissed me while still in Luna Nova, told me not to show up together on the way out and went off on her own, told me she was picked up in a Rolls Royce by the family chauffeur where her mum was in the back seat and they chatted all the way, with her lying a lot. This Daniella will either always keep her head down and do her parents' bidding as long as she can for a more stable situation, or she'll explode and run away from home to start a new life just like Bernadette did when she ran away from home and went to Ireland to spend Christmas with me... I have fond memories of the day she turned up, it was the start of our relationship, we even celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday in Glasgow, who would have thought it would be 20 years next year that I've been with that wonderful woman" said my mum.
"Mum, before we go, can I ask you something?" I ask her.
"Oh, sorry, I got distracted here by the past, go ahead" She really likes to remember these moments.
"I just wanted to ask you to take Rebecca to London before we go to Dublin" I say to my mum, who nods in agreement.
"Of course, I was already going to ask her how she was going to get home since I haven't seen her parents here, the money she would spend on taxis and trains is not worth it at all, she could eat a whole meal until she gets on the plane, in fact we could even stay with her until the plane leaves, I'll pay for her food there and then Rebecca can eat to her heart's content at the first stop on the plane, you can already make good use of a few pounds with the high exchange rate wherever the stop is, I think it's going to be Singapore, but anyway, yes we're going to London, we'll spend the day there and then the next morning we'll travel home" said my mother smiling.
"Thank you so much Mrs McLaren! You've really helped me!" She was very excited about it all.
"No need to thank me, it's the least they should give you, your parents don't even come to pick you up or give you a hand, you have to take money out of your pocket to get home, living on the other side of the world" said my mum.
"I kind of got this money last week from my parents along with the ticket, it was the money I'd counted so I could take the train and the taxi" said Becca.
"It must be very little then, they haven't even thought about your food, come on, it's going to be a long journey, we'll talk on the road, I can get there quicker than the train even" And we head off in the direction of the car, while Croix nods at me and heads for his mum's car.
"I'll see you in Ireland Laura, I'm going straight there" said Mrs Jordan.
"Have a good trip, I'll see you tomorrow" me too.
Well, it was a bittersweet farewell to Croix, I just waved to her and went to pack my things for the journey, leaving my suitcases in the boot, both mine and Leyland's things, then I went to sit in the front seat, where I even get to sit for the first time on a journey with my mum, I put on my seatbelt and waited for the car to start. Time for the trip, I'm going to miss Luna Nova, maybe a little, but it'll be two weeks of rest, being able to sleep as much as I want, two weeks of having fun with Croix, playing games as much as I want, just enjoying the time off, I can't wait to see what Christmas is going to be like, I'd even forgotten that Christmas is just aroun
[...]
We're hugging Rebecca, her flight is about to leave, it's time to say goodbye to the friend I made all this time in Luna Nova, she was very important to me too, I think I'm going to miss her a lot, I even wave and watch her walk away through the terminal with a small bag, it must be her things, wow now it's just me and my mum, alone.
"Well girl, now it's the two of us, I'm glad to see you've made friends this year at Luna Nova, these girls are really nice, even though Croix messed up a bit at the end of the year she's still a valuable friend, you really have a very different situation to me when I was your age" she said, patting me on the back as she has difficulty reaching my shoulder.
"I just hope that 2007 will be the year that things can change for the better, I can't stand this back and forth that's been going on this year, after one good thing comes another worse thing and so the cycle goes on" I say even a little tired and still crying about Rebecca's farewell.
"Life is like that, girl, it's always going to have its ups and downs, it doesn't wait to give you a hug, it prepares you with a very painful club that's going to hit you in the back if you're not ready for it" I can only imagine what it's like.
"Well, I just want things to improve, I know I can find the next three words, improve the relationship with Croix and Daniella, but now I'm left with this dilemma in my head between the two, I never thought I wouldn't, but I have feelings for her" My mum even stares at me.
"I could tell by the way you talked on the journey that you really didn't miss your chance" I blush a little.
"You're not going to tell Croix about this, are you? Did I cheat on her?" I ask my mum, already worried.
"There's no reason for me to tell her, you're not even dating, of course it's not cheating, ask yourself how you'd react if Croix did the same thing in your situation, but anyway I don't judge you for giving in to Daniella, the girl is pretty, she's just a bit starchy, but I know you're helping her a lot with that, she's less worse than Beatrice England, so she still has a chance, if you really give the girl a chance then she might really change for good" I don't know about that, well I wouldn't react so badly if I wasn't dating Croix.
"Croix is free to do what she wants, I'm not going to be angry with her for giving in to another girl, she did it of her own free will, perhaps jealous that she wasn't in the girl's place, but that's another situation" I think that was the most ideal response.
"Well, that would be her reaction, now Croix would have a completely different one, depending on the way she acts we can draw a conclusion as to what relationship you can expect from her, but anyway, I'm not going to tell you anything, it all depends on you building up the courage, after all you can't keep a secret all the time and that girl isn't going to give up on you so easily, neither of you in fact" I even get a bit pensive about it.
"It would be so much easier if I didn't have to choose between the two"
"Are you thinking of a tryst or polygamy?" That's not it.
"No Mum, I don't want to be with both of you at the same time, I'm monogamous, I just didn't want this situation to happen" I say in frustration.
"There are things that polygamy could really help, but well, I imagine that neither Croix nor Daniella are polygamous, apart from the fact that they hate each other because of the way you've described their relationship today, even to the point of going out on a limb, so there's no chance of that happening, Chariot, Chariot, whoever you choose, be happy" I even crack a smile at what my mum told me.
And so we're leaving the airport, time to rest up to go home, it's going to be a long way, I think there will be long talks with my mum, she must have the wisdom I need to move on, the caring but barely known Daniella Parker or Croix who I know a lot about and already have very strong feelings for, my head and my heart will know best what to choose.
[...]
"Well, the trip really had a lot of conversations between me and my mum and it wasn't just about myrelationship with these two girls, which I'll tell you more about who I chose out of the two since I kind of had arelationship with both of them, but continuing here I like these moments where I talk to mum Laura, sheknows a lot, even though she doesn't have the wisdom and experience of mum Bernadette, it's still goodwisdom that I've been able to pick up on how to carry on with life."
"Christmas was much the same as last year apart from the absence of mum Bernadette who decided to stayat the Cavendish mansion, she even told us that she went with you to buy Shiny Chariot cards, since theyhad come out and were a fever all over the world, the children were really getting excited about the epiccomeback I was going to have, Well, we're getting there, where the year will end, I still have the weight onmy mind to tell about what I did with Daniella, even more so that Croix was being really nice to me duringthat time, we really had a lot of fun over Christmas and New Year's and I even continued training with mymum, even Croix joined in a bit."
Sunday 31 December 2006, Dublin, Ireland
"The day has come for 2006 to come to an end, it's been a very eventful year in my life as you can see, I'vetold you quite a few intimate things that have happened, you've seen that so far my life has only seen moreand more events and many of them are interconnected with you, which is surprising, but things for 2007 arestill waiting for many twists and turns too.
I'm sitting in the tree house, looking at my mum preparing the fireworks, what with Croix climbing up there too, today luckily it's just a cold day, there's no snow, she climbs up there and comes to talk to me, do I tell? I don't think it's such a beautiful day and so full of things, I don't think it's time to reveal it yet.
"Who would have thought that this year had come to an end, so much has happened to us, we've experienced everything really, I'm glad to still be with you Chariot" she said, sitting down next to me.
"It's been a really eventful year, we've had a lot of fun, I've enjoyed the times we've spent together, but we can have better times Croix, do you promise we'll have a better 2007 between us?" I ask Croix.
"Well, I promise to try my best, don't you Chariot? Do you promise too? Promise you won't let anything else get in our way?" She's talking about Daniella.
"It's all going to depend on you Croix, if you're talking about Daniella, just be a better person, show me why I should still value you, because honestly the last few times you screwed up, it was something that really hurt me, I felt quite sure that I shouldn't go ahead with any relationship with you, well Croix, it all depends on how you behave, I don't need to owe you any satisfaction about Daniella and you, my mind has already been made up" I tell her.
"So that would be a competition? Is that right? You said so much that you didn't want people to compete for you to be the trophy, and it sounds like you're encouraging one" I didn't say anything like that.
"It's the opposite Croix, I haven't even said anything to Daniella about it, how can it be a competition if she's not even competing, you just have to mature, is it that hard to think about it? I'm just fed up with this thing, with you acting in a narcissistic, jealous, possessive and toxic way, I want to make sure that one day we can have a stable relationship, have you stopped to think if we get married and have daughters? These daughters of ours will either have to live with us as an immature couple or they'll live with separate mums, think about it Croix" I say to her, I even feel a bit like letting loose about my relationship with Daniella.
"And would it be better with Parker?" For the nine witches.
"Yes, Daniella may have had the past she's had, at least she's been attentive, she's been kind, she doesn't act possessively, on the contrary, she's always let you have a relationship with me and she's never minded seeing me happy with you, can you see the difference, Daniella would probably be a great mum, especially as she won't want to repeat the abuse she still suffers at the hands of her parents" I answer very clearly.
"I was also abused as a child and that's not why you say things like that" I wipe my face.
"You've suffered, it's good that you made it clear, you've suffered, Daniella is still suffering, not to mention that even with all that you've been through, you haven't stopped thinking for yourself whether you're doing the right thing or the wrong thing, I've suffered too, everyone will suffer at some point in their life Croix, it's not an Olympics of suffering, congratulations Croix Meridies you're a trans woman and a lesbian, here's your suffering medal!" I'm getting annoyed.
"Because everything has to be me, me, me, me and me, I'm the only one with faults, Daniella is perfect, you're the perfect lady too, you never make mistakes, but I'm this clumsy girl, for the nine witches, I'm doing my best, why don't you think about giving up on being close to me in a relationship and go after Parker then?" I take a deep breath.
"Let me remind you of something deep inside my head that will answer you... I love you Croix Meridies! I still love you! I have feelings of love for you! Can't you see that? That's why I'm not leaving you!" I say it clearly and even stand up a little annoyed, enough of that.
I even leave the tree house, if I'm going to talk to Croix like this I'd rather not, she'll be so annoying, sometimes I think if Daniella Parker was here, things could be a lot better, but unfortunately she's stuck in that little world, it would be fun if they were all here, I think I'll go for a walk.
I get to my room, where I find the packet of cigarettes hidden in my jacket, that's all I need, I put on my jacket and get my broom, through the house I pass everyone and wave, I see that Croix was still alone in the tree house and with that I fly with the broom away from the house.
I'm in the woods, it's better this way, nobody will notice, I've been trying to control my addiction all these months, but this conversation has made the shakes come back with everything, I take a Marlboro and put it in my mouth, using a lighter to light it instead of using magic, so my magical presence is masked
"You're the only one who can help me right now" I say to myself, feeling a sense of relief.
And I'm inhaling more smoke, damaging my lungs, but it's what's been giving me less tension after everything, I think I even feel better this way, for the nine witches, does it have to be so good? At first I hated the taste in my mouth, but once I got used to it, it became something else, and the relief that comes with it just makes everything better.
Go on nicotine, do your job on my head and make my head feel better, I know you can do wonders for me, I just hope nobody sees me smoking because I'm sure my mum would kill me.
I hear the sound of bushes rustling, which stops me smoking, I look around and even use magic to see a bit, the bad thing is that it's a bit weak around here, as it's further away from the sorcerer's stone at home, so I could only see something, but there was no one.
"Who's there?" I try to call out, but there are no answers.
Well, if it's someone who's caught me smoking, I'd better stop it and go back, what the hell, I haven't even got to the end of the third cigarette, well it's time to put everything away, and hide the smell, and I do this in the best way, taking a suitcase that I leave hidden, where I eat a bit of what's inside, masking the smell a bit and then giving my teeth a good brushing and using magic.
Finally, I use magic to mask the smell and throw away the packet of cigarettes, I'd better get another one, there are still about four left, whoever the homeless man gets, he's going to be lucky, well, time to go.
[...]
I'm lucky that I haven't spoken to anyone so closely that they're suspicious of my breath, or surprised by anything, I hope they're not really surprised, it's just Croix who seems a bit odd, but did she really follow me to see me smoking? I don't know.
So now we're all gathered, it's time to start counting down to 2007.
"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" The fireworks go off and so does the champagne, this time it's my little sister Hellene who opens the bottle with the help of Mum Laura.
"Happy New Year!" We all said together as the fireworks continued.
It's as always a beautiful light show, we're all celebrating and jumping for joy, it's beautiful, I hope 2007 can start much better than 2006 was, I hope everything for this year, it's really going to be a fun holiday, I just hope that Croix hasn't seen me do anything, it would be very embarrassing if she knew that I smoke occasionally.
I walk up to her and hug her, let's see if this is going to be discovered now, we jump for joy and even bring our faces closer together, which she even steals a kiss and we touch tongues, it's good that it's been a few hours since I smoked so there's nothing impregnated with tobacco inside, I made sure to remove any evidence.
"Happy New Year, Chariot!" She said to me.
"To you too Croix, I wish you a happy new year, I hope that this year we can have a much better start" I say to her who smiles at me.
"I also hope that things can get better for both of us, let's enjoy it now" said Meridies.
Together we picked up the glasses of champagne and started to drink, sort of touching them all first as a toast to 2007, which is just beginning. I can't wait to see what's to come, this last year has been so full of movement that I can already see that 2007 is going to be just as full, well I hope I can breathe a little.
We hugged afterwards and drank the champagne, and then it was time for everyone's photo, I made a point of taking it next to Croix and so the whole family got together, after the photo we let ourselves go, now it's time for the final part of the New Year's Eve party, which is precisely the first supper of the year, I was hungry and couldn't wait to eat everything.
"Well 2006 has come to an end, it was one of the most eventful years of my life, every single thing thathappened here influences me to this day as you can see, it's a lot of ups and downs, but it's still nothingcompared to what 2007 is going to bring, it's really going to be a truckload of things happening, we've beentalking about it for a long time and we've only finished a few years, soon Akko will be travelling, it was a verysmart decision of yours to come and spend the summer here to talk about it."
"Well, I was able to find out more about the story of my adopted sister, who I had no idea was you, and I alsoknow everything that happened when my mum used to sneak out from time to time, my aunt used to say thatshe was deliberately abandoning me because I was a burden and that I was the one who made her sick untilshe died..."
"The truth may be much more painful, we still don't know what happened to Bernadette, but my hypothesis isthat Daryl was involved in her death and I don't doubt it, this part of 2007 will be the most painful for me, Iimagine for you that you will go through it again, but let's talk about it soon, come back here tomorrow Diana,we will have more stories, our conversations about my years of living have been very entertaining even, Iloved talking about it with you, my sister."
Happy new year, lesbian witches...