Friday 5 January 2007, Luna Nova
"It was a wonderful two-week holiday and I had a lot of fun, but it would all come to an end and soon 2007would begin for good, I even trained a bit and was starting to go to Luna Nova, this time it was quicker, asimple trip along the Ley lines and there were me and Croix back home. Now begins for good the year thatmy life took many turns, the controversial year of 2007, which was honestly quite eventful, I didn't imagine itcould be as eventful as 2006, but it was and it wasn't meant to be a wonderful year, in fact it was one of if notthe most traumatising I've been through in my life."
We arrived in Luna Nova, well it wasn't a car journey, as we only had to get the broom and take a quick trip along the Ley lines before going back to school for good, now it's the start of a new year, just for the first five days I've already had a lot of fun, in fact it was a major turning point.
"Bye Chariot, have a great time, we're going to start training for the last word soon, I guarantee it's going to be full of things, I love you girl, go to Luna Nova, I'll see you tomorrow morning" said my mum hugging me.
"You too Croix, I love you very much, have fun in Luna Nova, we both love you very much, enjoy your return to school, keep studying hard and make sure you get good grades" We nod and leave.
Our mothers said goodbye to us, now we were back to being alone, this year I hope there will be a lot going on, it's the year I'm closest to turning 18, next month I'll be 17 and next year I'll be 18, I'm so excited, I'll really be able to be a responsible adult and do a lot of shows on my own, I'll be able to travel without having to be accompanied, I'll be able to do adult things, I'll be able to buy cigarettes without having to lie about my age.
I look at Meridies and then together we walk along the straight path to Luna Nova, we walk through the corridors, which were gradually beginning to have some students, where we wave to each one, at least me, while Croix stays closed off in her own little world as always.
We get to the room, I take a deep breath and open the door, turning the knob after using the key, I go inside and see that the two girls are there, both Becca and Daniella, both come running to hug us, I'm being hugged by Parker while Meridies is being hugged by Leyland, which makes us feel a little relieved.
"I missed you so much, I thought you'd never come back, wow, now that's what I needed" said the brunette, and I realised how beautiful and tidy the room was.
"You've done everything, it's beautiful, the decoration is marvellous, is this the surprise you left for me?" I ask them.
"I was the first to arrive here, I came to Luna Nova on the 2nd, arriving late in the afternoon, it was a huge relief to be rid of my family, with the exception of my little sister Barbara, otherwise I don't care much, the room hadn't seen a good clean in days, so I took the opportunity to give it a general clean, to leave everything clean for your arrival and also more comfortable for us to spend afternoons playing" said Daniella.
"I got here last night, I was surprised at how tidy the room was, I helped a bit when I arrived to make it better, it was a very tiring flight from Auckland to come here, but well, how were your holidays? Mine were really good, I love spending time at home" said Becca.
"We can talk about this a lot" I say excitedly.
"I think I'll be the only one who won't have anything interesting to do on holiday, I didn't even have an interesting day, I didn't even leave the house or have a dance at home where the Cavendish girls showed up, but anyway, I'd love to hear it, maybe I'll be a little jealous that you enjoyed yourselves so much" Oh Daniella, I even feel bad that she won't be able to enjoy herself so much, I'll try to get her to go to Ireland in the summer somehow, oh yeah, it won't work, I have to do presentations for the Shiny Chariot tour.
And we started sitting on the pouffes and they even got softer, very comfortable to sit on, I even feel my bum getting softer when I sit on them, Becca will be the first to tell you, we even took some food out of the bag to share that we brought from home, with Mum's help we even managed to get some savoury delicacies, so it looks like there will be plenty to enjoy on our return.
[...]
I keep looking at Parker and poor thing, she's even crestfallen, we've enjoyed so much and had such an interesting holiday that she can't even enjoy it, one day I'll get her out of that place where she lives and I'll try to at least give her a visit, I think it might be much better for her to have my company, and I'm sure they won't see me with the wrong eyes, I'm Shiny Chariot.
"Well, Chariot was a real klutz when we went to make a cake yesterday, she ended up getting all wet by slipping on the floor, she even tried to pick up the eggs and avoid falling, but she stepped on Hellene's toy car and fell all over herself, getting all wet with egg, that was too funny" I still smell like egg from yesterday, it wasn't fun at all.
"Hey! That was awful, I'm still stinking because of it Croix, if it hadn't been for Hellene's trolley I'd have made one of the most impressive saves" I say puffing out my cheeks.
"Well, at least we could have a shower together afterwards" she said with a mischievous expression.
"It was because I hugged you all dirty with egg just to avenge the laughs you gave me, we just had a shower like any friend does" I shrug.
"Oh, so you'd shower with me?" Daniella said, and I could see their gazes meeting.
"Don't give me that now, it was an accident and I used to be Croix's girlfriend, I've seen her naked countless times, it's very different, but anyway, let's stop talking about it, I'm glad we were able to enjoy our holiday" I say, trying to change the mood a little.
"I'm also glad that you were able to enjoy your holidays, mine was just about staying at home alone and occasionally playing with my sister, but even in this my parents are very controlling, they're now getting suspicious about my sexuality, they think that just because I'm at an all-girls' school I'm going to become a lesbian, or they're suspicious about you Chariot, they know deep down that you're a lesbian and that makes them a bit suspicious about me" What a silly thing to say.
"I hope all this changes, it's not fair that your life is this hell, but do you have a plan for that?" I ask Parker.
"I'm saving my allowance for that, I think I'm going to move out as soon as I graduate, try life on my own, but first of all I want to break everything, I want to reveal that I like women in front of my parents and the whole family" that's going to be very dangerous.
"That's pretty dumb, just walk away like nothing happened, I did that when I ran away from home, even though my situation was life and death, I'd probably be tied to a chair and my hair shaved off that day, but even so just walk away, like someone who doesn't want anything, if your parents turn up at your new house shut the door in their faces, as you're going to be of age there's nothing they can do, we'll help you get a job, you can even be part of the Shiny Chariot team, it's true" Look at Croix helping Parker.
"Wow, it's going to rain today, who'd have thought the rivals were helping each other out" said Becca as I giggled.
"I can even rival her on the Chariot issue, but I'm not going to stop helping someone who's in the same situation as me, it's not easy, being an LGBT person in this world is a game with life" Meridies said.
"Thanks Croix, but I'll think about what to do, maybe I'll even help Chariot, but I have to see, I earn a very good allowance to be able to live on my own, but I know that as soon as I leave that allowance will be gone, I'll have to get used to living as a simpler person anyway" The two of them nod and then we decide to switch on the video game.
Well, let's not forget to play a few games, it's been a while since I've played with the girls, Monday school starts and there's still a lot to do, I imagine so, time in Luna Nova is going to be precious, now it's the last six months until the summer holidays.
[...]
It's time to say goodbye, I get to the door of the room, it's already night, I follow Croix to the door, since she's going back to her room, I imagine that her colleagues must be waiting for her, those two girls are a bit strange, they've never said anything and they're so tight-lipped, they look like two robots, well I think it's time to say goodbye.
"I'm going to go to my room, before those two come and take my things, I'll see you tomorrow, maybe we can take the opportunity and go to the blue team's room, bye to you" she said, hugging me and then going to hug both me and Becca.
When I arrived at Daniella's the two of them stared at each other and left, well, that's to be expected, they're still in this rivalry for my heart, that's what I thought, now that Croix has left I think things are going to get a bit
warmer, I've already thrown myself on one of the poufs and I'm going to go back to playing with Becca, but Parker appears, taking one of the poufs and approaching me, staring right into my eyes, which made me blush.
"Well, Croix has gone, I've been thinking about it all this time and I'm not going to stop thinking about it, I've made my decision now Chariot" she said, holding my hand.
"What do you want with me, Daniella?" I ask her.
"I really do have feelings for you, I know you love Croix, but I'm also going to show you that you can love me, that's why this year I'm going to start dedicating myself a lot more to winning your heart and I'm not going to give up until the year is over, if this all materialises I'm going to change my life for good, I'm going to start working for you but I haven't said where I'm going to move, I know it may seem a bit rash, but I want to live with you when I graduate if all our romance works out" I'm shocked.
"Are you... Are you still at it?" I'm very embarrassed.
"I love you Chariot, I want to be a better girlfriend to you than Croix ever was, I know I can do that, I know that very well, but it's okay if you choose Croix, I won't stop being your friend, you know what's best for you and what makes you happy" I even feel her hand caressing mine, I really feel it a little since Daniella is such a sweetheart.
"Look, Daniella, I don't even know how to respond, but thank you... I'm grateful for your kindness to me, but I'm also part of knowing what I'm going to decide" I say, rubbing the back of my neck.
"I know that and I respect you for whatever decision you make, do everything you can to be happy, whatever you think is best is what matters" She keeps her hand on my shoulder and I smile a little.
And we're starting to play, after talking a lot I'm feeling a bit more comfortable, it's helped a lot, really, if Daniella really proves to be the attentive girlfriend she promises I think I'll love spending time like this rather than with Croix, I might even start to have feelings for her, but I'm afraid there will be fights and lots of fights because of that this year, but let's see how it goes, 2007 has only just begun.
[...]
And the training came back, I had to get up early the next day, but even though I was sleepy I got back to work, I managed to get a lot out of it, which is showing that I'm capable of going far, my mum gave me a big smile when we finished, which I'm glad is over, so I can enjoy time with my friends.
"For today you've done well Chariot, I think I have to leave a very interesting clue for the fifth and final word to start the year on a high note" My eyes glaze over at the thought of it, if it's an extra helping hand it'll definitely be welcome.
"Tell me which one, Mum?" I ask her.
"I'm not going to tell you the word straight away, just remember when you were a child, the clue to the next word is with Bernadette, she always told you about the fifth word and that's as far as I got" This is going to be quite cryptic to figure out, but it's a good clue.
"So I have to remember a completely random word to find out? That's going to be very complicated, don't you have any other tips?" I ask Mum.
"No girl, that's the clue for today, who knows, maybe as practice goes by you'll find out what the next words are about" Mum even keeps stroking my head and she's going back to the house and I'm watching her go.
The word is with Mum Bernadette... This is really going to be a big mystery to solve and think about from now on, I didn't realise it could get this far, but I'm going to have to think hard if I want to find the last word, she's already given me the clue straight away, so I feel like the training is coming to an end.
I walk back to my room after training so hard, even in this cold I deserve a shower, I don't know how my mum manages to make me sweat so much, it's really bizarre, but okay let's go, I walk, seeing that there's no one there for the moment, I get to my room, open the door, see that the girls are still asleep, I even let out a little smile.
[...]
This weekend has flown by, Mum hasn't given me a single hint about the word, just when I thought she might have and made everything easier, she hasn't, but well now at least I've been able to enjoy myself these days, when I get to my room after training I see the girls already in their uniforms and I wave to them, lessons are about to start again.
"Time to get ready Chariot, go and have a shower and we'll run to the classroom, it's our last few months of school, soon summer will come and we'll be free of this here" Daniella said and I nodded.
"It's okay, I'm going to have a quick shower, the training didn't take that much out of me, the cold also helps to keep me from being so stinky" I say as I walk up to the bathroom door.
"Don't make us late either" said Parker in her usual way.
I could even be late just to relax, but I'm not going to do that, right now it's good to take a shower and relax all my senses, let the water flow through my body and relax, since classes are back in session, by now I probably don't even know what's on the agenda because I've been so distracted, well I hope it's not that bad. I'm taking a shower, getting very reflective, thinking about my career, about everything that's been going on around here, the year has started with new plans for what to do, my cards are being bought in bulk, my products too, Mum hasn't announced anything so far about where I'm going to start presenting, but I can already imagine that there's going to be a lot to pres
I take a quick shower and change my clothes, which I'm getting quite changed for, I leave the bathroom and arrive in my room to see my friends there picking up their books, well it's school time, or at least it's close to it
"Come on Chariot, we have to have breakfast before school starts, I know you've trained a lot with your mum and you've probably eaten, but we haven't eaten anything" they said and I nodded.
"You don't have to rush me, it's still half past seven, we can't possibly take an hour and a half to eat" I say to both of them.
"Oh, if I could, I would" said Becca.
They're a gluttonous bunch, but I'm also hungry from training so much, so we leave the room together, picking up our books, I'd almost forgotten what classes were today, but I remembered when I saw the books the girls had picked up, I don't want to be in so much trouble, so off we go with our routine.
We also meet up with Croix, who was waiting for us at the door. She's been a lot of fun these days and hasn't got into any conflicts with Daniella because of me, which is a miracle, but I also feel that she's been aware of something of mine that I've been hiding for a while, and that's worrying for our relationship.
We arrive at the canteen and it's time to eat, we take our trays and queue, I can already imagine that there will be potato and more potato to eat, it's always the same food, there's no variation and on top of that it's all unsalted, it's good that I keep some of it to eat from time to time.
"This may be the blandest food there is, but it's still food" said Leyland.
"I keep forgetting that this is our breakfast, we shouldn't have finished the chips and crisps your mum gave us on Friday, at least it would have been a better breakfast than that" said Daniella.
"Don't you care about your health, Daniella? These things are bad for you" I say to her, and she shrugs.
"We were all eating, even you Chariot, well anyway I don't like these potatoes, I used to like them, but it gets sickening when you only eat them every day and every hour here in Luna Nova, really we should be able to have a kitchen to make our own breakfast, let's think about it to start the year" Stopping to think would be interesting.
"And where will there be room for one? Our room is already crammed with television and poufs, there's barely enough room for a cooker, let alone to store all this food and put in a fridge" said Becca.
"We're witches, we can get a small fridge for the food, otherwise we'll use magic to make the food, I thought it was a great idea of Daniella's, so we can eat whatever we want, so we already have a plan for today after school, we're all going to the market to buy, we just can't get salt because of the ley line, but otherwise I think we can do it, Croix will put together a compact fridge for us and we'll already have it stored, so we don't just eat Luna Nova's potato..." Even my mouth is covered.
"Shhhh, don't let anyone hear that Chariot, not until now, it'll expose us too much and there'll be people outside our room wanting to know what Finnelan can do, but I love your idea, let's do it" I said to Parker who covered my mouth.
"I think I can put together a fridge today, you go to the market and I'll put the fridge together, there should be space for it in the bedroom" We even held hands and put this idea into practice.
Then we went back to eating and luckily no one heard about our plan. If this idea of cooking in the room and making a different kind of food gets too much traction, it might even turn out badly, but I think we'll manage, taking it inside is easy as we can bring as much food as we want.
As I've never thought about cooking with magic, I even have the power to create a fire at the right temperature without using gas or a cooker, just leave the window open and nothing will spread.
[...]
When it's time for class, we've even sketched out the plan on a sheet of paper, separating out what each of us is going to do, Croix will take care of setting up the fridge, so much so that we've given her the key to our room, the girls and I are going to the market, with each of us taking on a different role, Becca will buy pans and cutlery, I'll take care of buying the food in the form of vegetables, while Parker will buy the meat, which will be enough.
We split up since Croix is going with the third year class and we're going to the second year, this year she'll graduate and the path will be clearer for her, we'll walk together through the corridors until we get into the classroom and well, now it all starts.
We sit down at the desk and just wait for the teacher to come in and it's Finnelan, so the first lesson of the day had to be hers, I even forgot about it, which puts my hand to my face, but well come on, time to concentrate on the lessons.
"I hope you've been studying during the winter break, because the content won't stop and neither will the dedication to your studies, unlike some people who are gradually tarnishing the reputation of witches, don't do this selling products in the name of magic, that's the controversy I ended up seeing today, look at this" She shows me one of my cards and I'm amazed.
"What are you going to do with the Shiny Chariot cards?" asks one of the girls until the teacher tears them up in front of everyone.
"This isn't real magic, this is a sacrilege to magic, the person who made these cards should be ashamed of what they're doing, a real witch isn't like that, magic isn't a card game for children, this is serious business and turning it into something contrary is a stain on the reputation of witches, I'm talking to exactly the student who's in this room and won't stop it" I'm even getting up to impose a little, because I'm not going to put up with this.
"Maybe it's because children aren't interested in magic anymore, your 100 per cent serious approach doesn't attract anyone to start in magic!" Everyone stares at us and a fight could break out here.
"Let's not cause an argument here if you know you're guilty of this sacrilege, Miss Du Nord! So let's get to the lesson" I'm not guilty of anything.
I even sit down again and look the same way, the whole class stares at us as if we're in a deadly duel, but that's just the eldest's stubbornness, she insists on tradition so much that she demands that everyone follow the same way she did.
Well, I'm going to pay attention in her class or else I'll end up worse off, even if this teacher is unbearable I still have to obey her.
[...]
It was a long day at school, at least Professor Lukic's lesson afterwards eased up a little on Finnelan's lessons, who tried to get on my nerves, but couldn't. It was priceless to see her demanding knowledge from me when I still have plenty of it, thanks to Mum.
We're leaving the classroom, now it's the important mission of the day, to be able to enjoy and eat what we want, we're not just going to eat the potato here, in the corridor we already meet Croix and pass her the room key, which we nod to leave.
"Perfect, now there'll be real food in this place" said Daniella.
"Potatoes are food too, the only thing missing is variety" I say, riding the broom.
"Say it for yourself, I want to be able to eat something different for a few days, maybe I can fry up some cheeseburgers and also make the only fries they don't make here... They're so good fried on a stick" Now you're thinking too much about McDonald's.
We pass the Ley line and land in the nearby square, now it's time to go to the town's supermarket, there's one nearby, the keychain spell works well to shrink the pots and pans and even the shopping, but the problem is the excessive weight.
We arrive at the door of the market and this will help, it's huge, with the money in hand we each take a trolley, which separates us as we enter, it's today that we're going to have everything to enjoy as many privileges as possible in Luna Nova.
"Well, it's time to buy everything, cereals, fruit, spices, bread, flour, I hope it doesn't make the room a mess to have to make the food, but it will also pay off a lot when we do it all" I say to myself as I fill my trolley.
The girls have already separated into their own corners, I can only imagine how much there will be to enjoy, the weekend had good food courtesy of Mum who hasn't even revealed anything about the next word yet, she just kept telling me to remember Mum Bernadette and things I heard from her as a child, so it's going to be very interesting to see the result.
My trolley will quickly fill up like this, I can only imagine how the other girls are doing, there's enough bread here for a good few weeks, there's milk too, I just hope it all fits in the fridge Croix has made for our room.
[...]
Everything is a horrible weight to carry in those bags, we shrank, but the weight continues, we arrived at the bedroom door, knocked on the door and Croix opened it, when we entered we saw that there is an extra cupboard taking up space, it's quite big, when you open that cupboard it turns out to be a fridge and there's another one next to it that when you open it turns out to be a freezer, which makes your eyes sparkle..,
"Croix, that's brilliant, no-one will ever suspect these cupboards" I say impressed.
"Now I just want to be able to eat whatever I have here, it was an adaptation I made, I took an old fridge, I modified it by fiddling with the handles until it looked pretty like this, the finish I pretended was a cupboard to compensate, I hope you got enough stuff and not too much to the point of overflowing" Meridies said.
"Look, if it overflows, I can donate it to the labourers, they'll certainly love having extra food and they can also help out if we get into trouble" I say as I put some of the things we've picked up away.
"Wow, that's a lot of stuff you picked up at the market, it'll be enough for at least a month's worth of food here" said Meridies.
"That's the intention, next month we'll pick up more, I didn't think I could pick up so much, but Chariot told me to fill the trolley and that's what I did, it's good that now at least we can see why, let's put everything away and then together we'll debut these new things in the bedroom by preparing dinner" said Daniella.
"Look, I don't know how to cook" said Becca.
"Don't worry Becca, I don't know that much either, but we can learn from them, they know more than we do" said Parker.
"So let me show you what an Italian does, my Italian blood is still very much alive, even if I run away from there, you'll still eat the best pasta of your lives" She's cocky when she wants to cook.
"And I'm going to help by making a dessert, how long has it been since we've had one around here? I think we can enjoy it too" I say to them, who nod their heads.
I think I'm going to prepare a delicious Petit Gateau, I hope the girls like it, this place is really going to be the best for everything, plus they'll think we're just very studious, but in reality we're just enjoying eating better.
"So 2007 has begun in Luna Nova, with new ideas for us to be able to live together more peacefully, but alsowith probable fights that could happen, everything is going wonderfully well so far, but soon things could getworse, there's nothing that could get worse in reality, but anyway, I hope you're enjoying seeing how my storyhas unfolded in all these days that we've been talking about it together, soon we'll get to the point where itgets more interesting for you and more traumatising for me in the history of Chariot Du Nord."
See you, student witches...