Saturday 13 October 2007, Luna Nova
"That day was bizarre, I didn't realise that the whole time things had exploded into the most frenzied flirting, Ihad no idea how heavy it was getting, but anyway I was happy that my friendships were solidifying, the dayswere passing and I was having a lot of fun with those girls, I was happy and a day was coming that I was alittle apprehensive about, a lot because it was someone's day, someone I was no longer close to."
Wow, I'm broken, I woke up crammed in with everyone else here, we've really gone crazy, luckily we didn't have that thing the last few days when we were training, it's a relief, but having drunk has really messed with my head, I don't know how my dad can stand doing this, I don't know why I'm doing this.
I look over and see Daniella staring at me, wiping her hand across her face and I get out of bed, glance at the calendar to see what day it is and soon I see 13 October... By the nine witches, I can't possibly be on that day.
"Today is the day..." I say, looking at the date.
"What a day Chariot, there's nothing on today, it's just a Saturday that we go crazy" said Parker.
"It was supposed to be Croix's birthday today... She was going to be 19... Damn... Why do I still think about it, after all this time I still think about her" I say sheepishly and am immediately consoled by Daniella.
"Let's ignore this boring part of the day, shall we? She's probably on her own doing something crazy, let's worry about something real" she said, consoling me.
That's what I have to think, but it's something that makes me worry, she's on her own, she's got some money, she's getting by, she's out there thinking about something, well I don't need to fill my head, I think I'd better enjoy the time with my friends, so I go to the window and look out at the horizon.
"These girls you've met now are actually quite nice, apart from the part when it all went to shit, otherwise it's something good to live with" said Daniella.
"Is it really? I don't know, I still like that quiet life we used to have, but suddenly things got hectic and alcohol always scares me, I have an alcoholic father and that's a disgrace, I always feel like him with every drink I take" I say, thinking back.
"Life isn't just about going crazy, although it's also very interesting to go crazy sometimes. Look, I've never felt as alive as I do now, I have to admit, you just have to know how to live through these times and relax a lot" said Parker.
"Until they wake up, what do you say we study what we learnt this week in Luna Nova and continue with our studies?" I ask the brunette, who nods.
"As long as we can do that, it's okay to have fun once in a while, Chariot, I've been waiting for this, let's study, yes, the idea of becoming a hard-working student still stands" said Daniella.
I even get a little smile on my face and so, at the beginning of the morning, we get something to eat, we put our books away and sit down in a space where there's no one lying down, and so we start to write down what's been said in class. That's the marvellous thing about these days, you can always enjoy studying alongside Parker, with whom I even manage to have some feelings.
[...]
I think we've studied enough for today. We close our books and leave our notebooks on the table, where we summarise what we've studied very well so that it's easy to remember, and so Daniella and I throw ourselves on one of the poufs and relax, looking up, then we bring our faces close to each other, I take her hand, she takes mine, and we get very close to the point where we exchange a few kisses.
"Did you like Chariot?" I nod my head.
"Your mouth is always so good, I love kissing you like this, it's marvellous" I tell her as she sits on top of me.
"What do you say we cook something together for these girls to have for breakfast before they wake up and it turns into something crazy?" I nod.
"That would be marvellous, Daniella" I say to Parker, who strokes my cheek.
"Ahhhh, good morning to you too, it seems these girls know how to throw a party, don't they, we've gone pretty crazy" said Becca, waking up with a hangover.
"Drink the anti-alcohol potion, let's cook" said Daniella.
And with that we went to get the things to go and put together something to eat first thing in the morning, with Becca awake there's going to be extra help, so us being close friends, having that closeness is very good, it's marvellous, ahhh it even makes me feel a bit nostalgic, which reminds me of the friendships I've had with them since the beginning of Luna Nova, before I was the first year just like them, apart from the part about going crazy, but I was the one who was new, anxious about everything and now I'm one of the students who's graduating, it's really crazy to think about it.
"Look, it's getting very smelly, this way the girls will wake up very quickly attracted by the food," said Parker smelling the food which looks very good.
One of them woke up, it was Eun, the Korean woman who always brings drinks here, she looked at us cooking and then came over to us, saying good morning too, with a smile on her face, she picks up something that's in a case, bizarre, it's like a liquid, I don't really know what it is, but it's bizarre, she gets close to the pots and opens them.
"What's this, it's going to spoil the chocolate in the brownies" I say as she puts it in the middle of the chocolate.
"Don't worry, Chariot, this is my special seasoning for the magic brownies, you'll thank me for it when you eat them" There's another person helping to cook, which gives off a different smell.
"And what is this secret ingredient?" I keep asking her already a little suspicious.
"Tetrahydrocannabinol is extracted from a plant, it's natural, it's just that it's already been extracted as an oil, it always makes food more flavourful, I'll tell you what, it's delicious" I don't even know what it is, but I just shrugged, but the smell is strange, it's like a bush being burn, i remember about this but where? Seems familliar to me.
"What a bizarre smell" said Daniella.
"If that makes the brownies bad, you'll have to cook something better for us, Eun"" said Becca.
I was just stirring in the chocolate, maybe if I mix it a lot I won't be able to tell much, so I don't doubt that it will be a flavouring that is an interesting mix, I usually just make the dough with chocolate and a few other things that are normal for making a brownie, but nothing more than that, which Croix loved to eat when I made it, but well let's see how it turns out.
[...]
Everyone has woken up and the brownies are ready, I take the tray and leave it resting on the table with something so it doesn't burn underneath and they're very hot, they even smell good, I just hope that what Eun has put in is really good as she says, because I'm hungry, after so long without eating anything, I use the knife and cut each part so I have pieces for everyone, I think dividing it into 16 for all of us is ideal.
"The magic brownies are ready" said Park smiling.
"Magical? In what sense, Eun? Did you work magic on them?" She nodded in agreement.
"It's exactly that, you'll like it I think, Eun said that the ingredient she added makes it magical" I say, distributing them all in a bowl.
"Hmmmmm, that could be very interesting, if that's what I'm thinking" said Fujiwara, reaching for one that was still warm.
We all took it and there's no difference in taste, it's the same brownie as always, that's really strange, how can this be considered a magical thing, I don't understand anything, but anyway as it has my little finger in it, it's still very good, so I went on eating quietly, which I could only see Eun herself looking at me.
I finish the first one and go straight to eat the second, I'm starving, I need something in my stomach, and look, this is really good to put in here, luckily I've made generous pieces for each one, which I see everyone else having a reaction similar to mine.
"That thing you put on didn't make any difference, you just fooled us with that thing" said Daniella.
"The magic isn't coming now, you'll soon understand why they call it a magic brownie" said the Korean woman, looking at us with a face like she was up to something.
"Well, I've eaten both of them and I haven't seen any magic that's going to fill my stomach or anything, I'm just going to eat something else, that's all" I say, going to get some more food from the cupboard.
The chips are going to be something else for me, I even feel better eating them here, because seriously, there's nothing much to them, I even thought that the bizarrely named thing would be a better seasoning, but it's just a strange oil that's been put on the chocolate, it didn't even taste like anything, well anyway, it was a way to start the day on Saturday.
"Seriously, Eun, what dull brownies, I was expecting something like an explosion of flavour, it's just a normal brownie" So it's just something normal, not that much special, what she has put there? This is just an average one, I could even make a better one.
"I tasted something different, but it's from this seasoning, it's not much, it's very weak, it felt more like I was eating lettuce in the middle of jam than anything else, so I didn't really appreciate the taste" I'm even curious, because I didn't taste it that much.
"Lettuce?" I ask Parker, who gives me a piece.
"Eat a piece and you'll realise" Wow, it really tastes like there's a piece of lettuce in there, it's bizarre, the magic of this thing is very strange indeed.
"You're right, now that I don't eat that stuff anymore, it only spoilt the brownies to think about it" I say as I eat with that strange feeling in my mouth.
"Just wait and you'll see the magic" said Eun, smiling.
I don't know, I didn't see any magic in it, they're just bizarre brownies, nothing much, well at least the taste is still the same if you ignore the fact that there's a bit of lettuce in the middle, anyway I think I'm going to relax, that's for sure, play a bit with the girls, sit here, eat some more, that's for sure.
[...]
Apparently I'm feeling strange, I don't know, a feeling of lightness, like I'm going into space, and I'm looking at the other girls and they're getting bizarre too, out of nowhere Tsugumi is laughing and I'm laughing too, how bizarre, I don't know why this is happening, but it's funny, look at my hand, the way I look at it is different.
"Chariot, your eye is a bit red" said Daniella, who also had redness in her eye.
"But my eye is already red" I say to her and she starts laughing out of nowhere and I can't stand it and I start laughing too.
"It's true isn't it, but the white part of the eye has gone all red hahahaha" like Parker's eye too.
I look in the mirror and the sight I see is bizarre, how did I look like that? I look at the girls and they're all like this and Eun comes up to me and she's laughing like crazy, I don't understand anything, but I laugh so easily, I haven't even had a drink today, I haven't done anything, why am I so crazy like this.
"Oh Chariot, I told you the magic brownie would work hahahaha, now we're all crazy" That was the Brownies, I even get more agitated and shake her, which makes her laugh.
"What did you put in the brownie, did you put drugs in it?" She just laughs, I'm sure there are drugs in it.
"It's not really drugs, I just put THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, these brownies had cannabis in them, just enjoy the thing Chariot, let yourself go" Cannabis? That sort of thing is what they used to do when I was laundering money, I know what drugs are, now I remember the smell and the lettucce texture on the brownie.
"Drugs!" I can't believe I'm back on them after being clean for so long, but I don't feel so bad.
"Don't be so anxious, Chariot, just relax, otherwise it'll get worse, let's play a bit, let's have fun" said Eun.
I'm just going to sit down, the worst thing is that I can't even leave the classroom to take this off, since I'd be giving the girls away, but come on, the effect will wear off and you're not a Chariot addict, you're not going to get high, that's it, just stay calm, that's it, which I can already see Eun putting together something that looked like a cigarette, which is too strange, but she was getting close to me.
"Oh Chariot, just relax, have a smoke" she said, handing it to me and I'm clean I don't want to go back.
"Chariot, are you really going to put that in your mouth?" Well, I'm already drugged what is a drip for someone who's already wet.
"I'm already high, just like the rest of us, let's just relax, Eun put weed in the brownies and we're crazy" I say as I light that cigarette thing, it's different than the ones that aren't hand made.
When I put it in my mouth, it tasted completely different, it's not tobacco... I remember that smell a lot, it's been years since I've smelt it, when I was still living in Nice, there were some guys who used a thing that smelt like that, Pierre in Annecy too, for the nine witches, that's cannabis, I never imagined I'd put it in my mouth and I just kept bringing the smoke in, which hit my head even harder and let me relax a bit more.
"The good thing is that here in Luna Nova cannabis is easily obtained, it's even used to make potions, so I can take advantage of it to get crazy once in a while" said Eun.
"This is better than cigarettes, I don't feel any shaking or anxiety, hahahahaha, you need to take a drag on this" I say as I offer them what Tsugumi takes to try.
"I told you I'd like it, I tried it a few days before I came here when my older sister offered it to me and it's really good here, just relax" said Park.
I even laugh, I laugh a lot, ahhh it's fun, how could I never think of wearing something like that, seriously I'm crazy, I should wear these things more often, for the nine witches, I'm really high, I see my hands and the girls' faces and I laugh so much I throw myself on Daniella laughing a lot and she looks back at me.
"Oh Daniella, you're the only one I want to say I love very much, let's kiss a lot and go crazy together" I say all crazy in my head.
"Chariot... Don't say something like that" She's going a bit crazy too.
"Look, I'm Croix and I'm a jealous, controlling girlfriend, today I'm turning 19 and there's no one else to spend the day with" I'm too crazy, which I can see Parker herself laughing at.
"Oh what's this Chariot, you got the stick I wanted, I'm the only one who should have a stick here, that's unfair" I laugh a lot at that.
"What do you mean Woodward chose you, I don't make mistakes, I'm smarter, I'm stronger, I'm better, I'm better, I don't make mistakes, I'm the perfect chosen one, the witches' revolution look how clever I am here hurrr" We laugh a lot, talking badly about Croix while I'm high.
"I'm the queen of witchcraft and technology, I'm smarter, look how I'm the most genius witch, Chariot can't stop being with me because she loves sitting on a stick" Hahahaha, that's true, I can't deny it.
"Oh come on, I didn't stay with Croix because she has a dick, she was kind of cute, when she knew how to be a good girlfriend she was nice" I say to Daniella who keeps laughing anyway.
"I know that, my ruby eyes, but it looked like you were very hungry for Croix for that" The girls around us are even laughing along with our act.
"Ahhh come on, this is too crazy, I don't think the Brownies were such a bad idea" I say as I'm getting very upset.
[...]
By the end of the day we weren't feeling well, we opened the window to let the air circulate, letting out that smell of cannabis, which we kept looking at each other, using magic to get the smell out of our clothes as well, eating over time helped to alleviate things a little, I had no idea that eating was the only way to calm things down, good to know, the food was just bizarre, but it was fun, wow I laughed a lot today.
"Have I gone too crazy today?" I ask Parker.
"Look, we imitated Croix and then I don't remember anything, all I know is that now the smell is going away, it's good that we were able to enjoy this Saturday" said Daniella.
"It's true, it was very nice to even talk badly about that bitch, she destroyed my life and we laughed a lot" I say laughing a little and damn that was so good, finally a good roasting that bitch deserved.
"That Croix must be a real arsehole to resent her so much, is that the girl with the glasses here? She's cute, but you say she's no good so I'll take your word for it" Wow, that's a lot, you have no idea how much damage that bastard has done to our lives.
"Ah, she's Chariot's toxic ex-girlfriend, she was all right, she was fun, she knew about technology and everything, but when Chariot was chosen to have a magic staff everything changed, and it was literally the same one she had used to perform in the past, it's bizarre how she changed from one moment to the next" Becca explains.
"Tell me more about this wobbly girl" said Tsugumi and we shrugged.
[...]
I think they now know the atrocities that Croix did and how she wasn't the best of people, even though I said the good bits, I didn't say too much, what luck, I'm even relieved, they need to know the play, who would have thought that on her birthday, I'd be here badmouthing her just to see how much the damn thing has affected us all this time.
"What a fucking bitch, I'll be honest with you Chariot, you were very immature with her, you should have broken up with her when everything was going wrong" Tsugumi said.
"Oh what an insufferable woman, seriously, I'm glad you broke up, she must have had a very good cock for you to still love her, or fuck her well, because that's the only quality I can see" I laugh.
"When she was a good person she could be better, it wasn't just what she had between her legs, which I don't care about, after all I still prefer what I have between my legs to what Croix has, but well she really knew how to drive me crazy, I won't deny it, so what are we going to do this Saturday night?" I ask them.
"Truth or dare?" We shook our heads in denial.
"I think that's enough of what happened the last time we played" said Daniella.
"Ah, but it was good, wasn't it?" I'd rather not remember.
"That was bizarre, I don't want to do something like that again, it's a good thing there's Becca in the middle to add a bit of heterosexuality, otherwise you wouldn't be holding back either" said Parker.
"It sucks that the most lesbian-looking girl in the trio is the only straight one, but we can play a game of uno, how about that?" We shake our heads in denial.
"No way!" Said the brunette.
"I'm not going to take my clothes off again" I tell them.
"Not an uno strip, you dum dums, an uno shot, whoever loses will have to take a shot, how about that? You're going to say it's not interesting, let's make the game interesting, there's still a little alcohol left waiting for us" said Tsugumi and damn I'm gonna be super drunk by that way.
"Come on, let's see how it goes, let's see who's going to be the first to throw up on us" Don't even think about it.
[...]
I see everyone throwing up, I can't get enough of seeing the buckets full and I'm still just drunk, I don't know how they get so easily affected, the worst thing is that I don't get so forgetful, I think we'd better stop playing this, we've been doing it for a long time and I'm going to throw up from the smell of vomit already, I'll even use a bit of magic and open the window because it's unbearable.
"Chariot has lost countless times and she never vomits, how can she?" Eun said.
"I'm a bit drunk, but you're the ones who can't stand drinking alcohol, I don't even know why I'm still so drunk" I say with a very drunk tone.
"Let's see how far you can take it" That's absurd to think about, I nod.
"Don't think about getting me drunk, just drink the anti-alcohol and let's get it over with, I don't want to sleep in a room stinking of alcohol and vomit" I tell them, dodging and even going to get an anti-alcohol potion, which already gives me a headache.
I hate this part, they had to invent a potion that gives so much pain when you drink alcohol, it's all punishment for getting too drunk, so I see them all thrown in and I give them the potions, some of them even wake up with headaches, even Daniella was in the middle of it with a bucket nearby, which she recovers from with a very intense headache.
"Ahhhhh, that's horrible, I'd leave it for the morning Chariot, that way the effect of this thing hurts less" This is here to stop you getting so mad, that's for sure.
"Let them learn not to overdose themselves" I tell them.
They're all sipping their drinks and looking at me with an ugly face, so I just open the window, trying to clean up a bit of the mess that's left so that the room doesn't stink so much, at least a normal night's sleep, we've barely had dinner because we're so stoned, apart from the strange mixtures of food we've made because of the brownies and the cannabis, everything has become bizarrely strange.
They then fall asleep one by one, I thought they would sleep, that's one of the effects of it, I keep looking at the window and the only one who hasn't really slept is Daniella, who's still a bit awake.
"Sorry Chariot, I didn't mean to offend you when you sobered me up again, thanks... So how are you enjoying yourself with them?" Ask Parker, who understands me well enough.
"It's not that bad, I actually like them being with me, all the affection I get, the things I feel too, I don't know... Even though there are drugs involved, I don't feel so bad, I've been having fun like never before, but I'm afraid I'll end up becoming an addict" I say to my friend who's coming towards me.
"I'm with you to prevent this from happening, don't worry, I don't think they go beyond these things, it's not like you're going to get addicted to using these things and I also think it can be a way of relaxing, today was a day that if it wasn't for them you'd be crying a lot, but we could laugh talking about Croix, she must be alone at the moment or somewhere enjoying life" Daniella said and I nodded in agreement.
"My mum got the news that she's moved to the United States, so she's really far away from us, she must be studying over there, for some crazy plan, my fear is that her plans will end up making things worse, you know? Daniella, I really wish I could tell you in depth what she's done, but I can't do it in front of them, you know" I say, looking at the girls.
"Let's go to the loo then, I'm all ears" I smile, I think I can trust telling my close friend something like that.
We go into the bathroom, we use magic to inhibit the sound and the good thing is that the mirror was even used as a projector, so I can show you, what I detail right in the discussion I had with Croix about Dream Fuel Spirit, where she gave away how it worked, what really happened in Los Angeles, how I abandoned the staff because I didn't want that stain on my life and career, I saw the brunette's shocked expression, I knew it wouldn't be good news.
Unfortunately that's what happened, her reaction was one of shock, the mirror has told enough, the theft of the magic, the crazy plan, I even showed that Woodward didn't have good predictions in case Croix was chosen.
"Unfortunately that's what happened Daniella, she used me and today I feel guilty for those girls" I say to her who, shocked, with her hand over her mouth, looks at me and even hugs me, which makes me feel even more awkward.
"Chariot... It's not your fault, she used you. Do you intend to tell them about this yet?" I shake my head in denial and snort.
"The moment the truth comes out, their friendship will go down the drain, I'm sure of it, news like this could also end up getting me arrested, I'm sure of it, my biggest fear is that this will happen Daniella, I'm telling you
because I trust you, because I know you're someone I can count on" She wipes her hand over my face, crying.
"I thought Croix was already a bad person, but after I heard that I want you to stay away from her, okay? Look, I'm not going to give up trying to make you happy and who knows? Maybe one day we'll date" I looked into her eyes, which were welling up with tears.
"One day, when I'm sure how I feel about you, we'll definitely date, that's for sure, I'm not going to let that go... I'm starting to have feelings for you, that's a fact, but let's see how it goes" She even smiles at me.
"I know that, it won't be overnight that you'll fall in love with me, it's more your choice than mine, I'll be waiting patiently for us to be together, now at least I know I can trust you Chariot, you told me a very heavy secret of yours, you can be sure that I'll never let it spread, even more that I'll be with you" she said hugging me.
"I hope so, I don't want my feelings to sabotage me, I don't want you to waste your time either, I really like you Daniella, now let's go, before they think something else about us here in the bathroom" I say to her.
"Let them think, that is if they're not all sleeping as soundly as this thing has made them, because I'm very sleepy, I think I'm going to sleep too" How cute, I guess we'll have to sleep together then, there's no way.
And we left the bathroom, went to the empty bed and lay down together, as I'm getting used to, I think it's been a week since I shared the bed with Daniella and it's been a marvellous feeling of comfort, I have to admit, sleeping next to her gives me that feeling I had when I stayed at home as a child, only with this wonderful woman by my side.
"Well, these friendships introduced me to a new point in my life that I didn't have such a hard timeovercoming, but I was able to learn about things other than smoking, apart from alcoholism, whichunfortunately I haven't been able to stop much, and every now and then I find myself swallowing a glass ofwine and another and another, getting crazier, but that's because I'm really very resistant to alcohol, I think itmight be because my father was a big alcoholic, but anyway, things were quite fun back then, I'd do drugswith the girls every other weekend, we'd laugh a lot, get close and I was still afraid of saying something toocompromising because you know how it is when people get too excited."
See you, high witches...