Tuesday 14 February 2006, Luna Nova
"The days went by, I was getting used to using social networks, always in the time after school I would lookat some and see what they were commenting about me and I was surprised, little by little people appeared, Ieven discovered that my whole family was there too and they were the ones who became my first friends,which I was also seeing as a chance to one day meet the people I met in France, I was also making somevideos for the internet, which are still on my Youtube channel today, I bet they must be relics of the ShinyChariot days nowadays, plus I had one more performance in that time that helped boost my profile more, butwe had to prepare for another event that was coming up, just on Valentine's Day the Appleton and LunaNova academies were going to show up for a dance."
I'm really confused to know what this is about, but at the same time it can't be that big a deal. I look at my roommates and start asking the question, after all today is just a Tuesday like any other.
"What's so special about today that you're doing such a great job?" I ask them.
"Don't you read the Chariot school paper? Today is Valentine's Day, the Appleton students are coming to meet us and there's going to be a dance, but the students have to be dressed up, I don't know if we'll be able to go" said Becca.
"I don't read the paper, because sometimes it's very toxic to me, so I'd rather not see what the older witches think of me, but hey, we can fix this, we're going to the ball, let's get dresses" I say excitedly.
"Chariot, a dress is expensive, not to mention that it has to be something sophisticated and I'm not very keen on wearing one" said Leyland.
"I'm going to make a point of going, I already had a dress ready for this moment, I'm joking hahaha, you can borrow one of my dresses, I've got plenty" said Parker who was very helpful.
"Oh I want to, let's go to this dance together" I say excitedly.
"But Chariot, you won't find it interesting, this ball only has Appleton students, boys, men and they'll want to get to you, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go, since it's just a kind of party to promote future alliances between witches and mundanes and even maintain lineages if you know what I mean" I shrug anyway.
"It's a festivity, I'm not going to miss one, we have to make the most of it, after all there's no way of knowing when the next one will be, or at least it's a way of relieving ourselves from so many lessons" I say to both of them.
Well, I think I've got the point, we go through the corridors, seeing that the whole structure of the ball is being set up in the courtyard, this is on the way to our dormitories and there's everything for a ball, you can feel the whole class coming here, I'm going to dress nicely, I really hope there are other girls, good food, or music to dance to, I'm definitely going to enjoy it a lot, I'm even going to promote it a bit, since Croix says it's good for my image on social media.
When we get to the room, I see Daniella taking several dresses out of her suitcase, and they're folded up nicely, I just hope they fit us.
"Look, you can take all you want, except this one, this is the one I'm going to use, then just put your make-up on, we won't be long, when the clock strikes six we're going to get out of here, don't forget" We nod our heads.
"Ugh, I don't really like wearing dresses, but the boys from Appleton can be cute, even if they are a bunch of cushions" said Becca.
"They really are, I can't deny that, I don't doubt that the boy my mum wants me to marry will be there, that's really going to be the worst of it, he's insufferable, what's the point of being handsome if he's shit in every other respect and really Chariot, you're the only homosexual of the three of us, it's going to be a bit boring for you to get any attention from these guys" I just shrug.
"I'm just enjoying the moment and the party, now if any girl from Luna Nova wants to talk and dance with me I'll accept" I say to them who even look different.
"Don't even try it, only if you want to cause something or annoy the teachers, it's not even that it's forbidden or that you can't do it, but after that the teachers start to pick on you and will assume you're gay, your life becomes hell in Luna Nova after that, precisely because of this stupid little detail" It can't be that absurd.
"It's good that you're trying to do that, I know what hell is like in life, it's nothing compared to what I went through in the years I lived with my father" And wow, the unfolded dresses are really beautiful.
I'm thinking here of various colours that might suit me, a lighter look for me, I'm sure I'll attract enough attention, but I just want to go quietly, I can't attract the attention of the boys, I want them far away, I wonder if Croix had to go too, she'd definitely be a sight to behold in a dress, I've seen her in a flight dress, but a sophisticated one like this, I've never seen.
Now I've made my choice, this one, I'm sure it won't attract too much attention, blue with the contrast of my red hair, a very light blue with a white veil running through it, I think I'll go with this one, as none of them have gone to change I go, take the dress and go to the bathroom.
I change and look in the bathroom mirror, I look really good in these things, not bad, I come out of the bathroom and show the girls how I look and they approve, the dress suits me, a simpler style, but with a bit of class.
"The contrast between your hair and the dress really suits you, it's very reminiscent of your Shiny Chariot outfit where the contrast is in the skirt, added to the white details, a simpler dress, but even so your beauty makes you seem more mysterious, anyway, I'm going to go and change" Parker said as always with the most complex comments about fashion.
"It suits you Chariot, if you want I'll help you with your make-up" I think I'll do very little make-up.
I even look in the mirror and decide to just apply foundation to my face, as well as light eyeliner, a shade of purple on my eyes, and well, I think lipstick would be good, since it's a dance I don't need heavy make-up, I imagine the other girls don't need to exaggerate either, I don't want to attract attention from boys.
But I'll at least get a few likes on social media, I have to post a photo of how I look, I even take a camera and ask Becca to take pictures of me while I do a few poses in my room.
"Look, the dress suits you, but are you seriously going to post this too, because posting every step you take is a lot of work just to get the images from the camera onto the computer, and then upload them to the internet, I don't know much about that" said Leyland.
"Believe me, Croix told me that it's good, it's a good tactic to increase my popularity on the internet and it helps to promote my career more, people like to see these things, they feel closer to me I think, even if I haven't created much relevance on the internet apart from friendships with family members who were finding out how the days are going here, it's good in a way, in the future I'm sure that relevance will come" I say passing the images to the camera.
I picked up the tips from Croix and at least when posting on social networks I get more notifications with a caption and some effects, which I make a point of doing, so it looks more eye-catching, I learnt a bit from the best how to fiddle with these things, this little thing or other in the image, this colouring, these stars and that's it, an image that can attract attention.
I open my web browser, logging into my various social media accounts that I've set up, checking for notifications, and it looks like the post from Friday's presentation got a lot of likes, I've gained more friends, that's good, I'm going to start posting the captions here.
"Wow, all this seems like a lot of work, just to show something, it seems futile, I don't know, it doesn't even show that you're enjoying the day, it just creates a bit of a false image, I don't know" I think so too, but it's necessary to promote my career.
"It's the way to gain greater relevance and maybe attract a businessman for me" I say excitedly.
I've posted everything and it's just as Daniella comes out of the bathroom in her dress and wow, she really is an attention grabber, more so than me, now I just have to watch the notifications pop up in a few hours, I'm sure they'll love to know more about the ball, my series of short videos on Facebook about living in Luna Nova is gradually gaining more friend requests and that's a good thing.
I close my laptop and get up, ready to go, there are still a few hours to go until the ball, while I'm at it I'm going to play a bit of a game, I don't want to waste time on these social networks worrying about what they might think
"You really enjoy posting things on the internet, but can we take a photo together, the three of us?" I nodded.
"Of course, when we're all ready we'll post it, even though Becca doesn't have any of the networks we use" I tell her.
"Post it on Facebook, people will see that I'm in the mix and they can also ask for friend requests, by the way that series of short videos talking about Luna Nova was marvellous, you and Croix are making a noise, you can't lie" At least Parker knows more about these things.
"I'll post it, I have to take every chance to promote my Shiny Chariot career" I say to my colleague.
"I agree with that, then maybe a manager will come to you, your performances can finally be promoted and you'll earn a lot of money" I can't wait.
I'm going to sit down on the pouf and switch on my Sphere Game, so I can pass the time, while Daniella goes to do her nails, I can smell it from here, I've decided not to do them at all, just my face with make-up on is enough for me to look pretty, that's for sure, I'm looking very pretty even today.
Then Leyland comes out too and she's as simple as me, I think she's opted to go with the same look, she certainly doesn't even think about make-up, she's playing with me, just because I'm playing Ronaldo Kart.
[...]
The time for the prom has arrived, I even posted a photo of the three of us together and I could see in the notifications that the photo of me alone has already generated some reactions, I'm gradually building up relevance in this, the girls and I are putting the finishing touches to it and luckily my face hasn't been all messed up by the weather, I wore very little make-up and it's a cold day.
We left our room as it hit six o'clock and we could see that we weren't the only ones, the other girls from the other teams had also managed to put their dresses together and left the dormitories at the same time as us.
"It looks like everyone's going to show up" I say impressed.
"Of course, as well as being a unique moment, your presence at the dances gives you a few extra points" that's interesting to know.
"I didn't know that, well now I'm more excited about this shithole" said Becca.
"Oh, I should have said that before, apparently" said Parker.
And we walk through the crowd to the Luna Nova courtyard, right into the huge hall and wow, look at the class of it, I feel like I'm in the Cavendish mansion, when they used to have some lavish events, I remember them well, in the most negative way too, always staring at me and my mums in an ugly way.
It gives me a very fresh feeling, to be honest. When I got there, everyone was spreading out, and I could see the doors opening and the headmistress appearing on stage, accompanied by the teachers, all still wearing their uniforms.
"All right Luna Nova students, here we are starting another Luna Nova Valentine's Day dance, remember the rules, only dance with the Appleton boys and don't ask them out or you could end up being punished for it, we'll keep our eyes open, this is just an event for courting students for the secular alliance between these academies that means peace between mundanes and witches" said the headmistress and soon Professor Finnelan appeared as well.
"Kissing or any other movement will not be tolerated by either the Appleton or Luna Nova administrations, it will count as a demerit for both individuals, this is no ballad to demonstrate promiscuous behaviour, as Holbrook told us the history of this is important to preserve since the alliance between the great witch Jennifer Campbell and Gareth Hanbridge sealed the end of witch hunting and the beginning of the golden age of magic, we are here to celebrate the union of these two who made history for us, so show respect" And as if I wanted to be around another boy to involve something.
"It's important that you keep your class together, don't do anything wrong or out of the ordinary, we'll keep an eye on you, today is an exception, food can be eaten as much as you like, but it's only for today, this is not a sign for you to act like pigs and eat too much, given the announcement we will now announce the arrival of the boys" said Professor Badcock.
And then the boys come in, they're wearing suits, all sophisticated, but I'm indifferent, even with my arms folded, while I just see Becca and Daniella next to me freaking out, I could look over and see that there was another one like that too, I couldn't identify her, but she was without her glasses, with her hair even tied up, but the fringes didn't hide her beautiful face either, Croix looked lovely in her dress.
She looked back at me and smiled, I smiled back, feeling safer and happier, while almost all the students there were jumping up and down as the boys from Appleton arrived in suits and there was even music as they walked, the older guy arrived, I know who that is, even he looked at me and I looked back at him, the fake father of the twins, I remember this whole story very fresh in my head.
"The new Earl of Appleton and leader of this esteemed academy, Mr Paul Hanbridge, is here to give his opening remarks" says the headmistress, and I just stare at him while being stared back at.
"Good evening to all you witchy girls of Luna Nova, we're here in 2006, to start a very prestigious ball here and with class, even though we may have some unwanted presences around the place, we still have something to celebrate with this alliance, I believe the rules have already been passed on to both sides, so we'll be starting the Valentine's Day ball, have a good festivity" This guy was tricked by Daryl, but just by looking I know he's as rotten as she is, that much I'm sure of.
And the music starts to play, it's very cliché and sophisticated, something I always used to dance to in ballet classes, so I'm already walking towards Croix, who's walking towards me, already ignoring the boys who are starting to walk towards us and we're being pushed by girls desperate for boys.
"Hey, take it easy, these guys aren't going to fly away!" I say as I feel their push.
They don't seem to be listening to me and what's worse, this push brings me closer to the guys, it's disgusting, I try to get away from it by dodging and even faking a few ballet steps to avoid contact, which then spreads out a bit more and I was able to reach Croix, who went to hug me because she couldn't find a foothold, I could see that someone has trouble walking in heels.
This way she even gets taller, which makes us feel more relieved, and we even laugh together, I don't know where this desperation comes from, they're a bunch of spoilt little cushions, they must be the worst kind of boyfriends to have, only if it's the money they're interested in
"Phew, we've finally got rid of the needy flood, last year was worse, since I became a prodigy I've always been forced to go to this ball, but I'm even impressed by your presence here Chariot, you look lovely in a dress" I blush a little, but she's the one who really looks beautiful.
"You're charming Croix, it's very rare to see you without your glasses, suddenly the nerd I used to know has become a very sophisticated woman, you even look like a lady like that, I didn't recognise you for a second" I say laughing.
"Ahhhh, they force me into it, I even have to wear make-up and I don't have much choice of clothes, since I'm the prodigy I have to be present, but thanks for showing up, by the way, I hate wearing high heels, apart from the fact that I'm over six feet tall, it's a pain to walk and my feet hurt" I agree, it's really annoying, I've only got used to it because of the heeled boot in my costume.
"So, Lady Croix Meridies, would you like to give me this dance?" I say to her and she laughs, and I laugh along with her.
"I wish I could, I'd dance a lot with you" We were laughing, really enjoying the moment, but then two boys arrived.
I didn't think I'd have to deal with this, it seems they're very stubborn, ugh, I can't stand seeing people like this, the other girls even managed to get a date quickly, but these two are going to be alone, I won't dance with them, they're not only ugly, they're boys, we both looked disgusted, at the same time I was desperate in my head, how was I going to get these two to leave.
"Two beautiful girls together here, alone, without a partner, why don't you give us two this dance, we're alone too" say the boys.
"We don't need a date, we both have boyfriends, you don't want to provoke our boyfriends, do you, and I mean more. Stai lontano da noi se non vuoi finire nei guai, capiche?" I didn't understand a word she said, but they were both so scared that they left very quickly.
"What was that, Croix?" I ask her.
"The advantage of being Italian is that I can be a mafioso too, it always works, the guys freeze when they hear any shit in Italian, they know they can't mess with me" That was great, I never thought of that.
"I love it, Croix, so that no one disturbs you or me" she just nodded.
"Let's have some food, capiche?" Now she's going to talk like that, but I'll take it.
"It's okay amore mio" she blushes instantly and I laugh.
"Chariot!" He was a real tomato after that.
"I'm joking, sweetheart, but we can play the mafia couple if one of them arrives" I say laughing and she smiles with me.
So we got to where the food was, something very rich and sophisticated, it was to be expected, I'm too hungry, I picked up the cheeses, put them in my mouth, there was also sophisticated food, which is normal food in France, it's funny, I picked up some prawns too, I'm going to fill my belly today.
I see that someone else is eating too and I have an idea: I take a prawn and point it in Croix's mouth. She gets all embarrassed and then decides to put it in her mouth, which makes me look so ashamed, do I really like her that much? Then we laugh and she does the same thing to me.
"Be careful, Chariot, they'll think we're homosexuals" she said sarcastically.
"It's not a disaster" I say laughing.
"A big disaster, you know what, do you want to dance?" I thought she wouldn't even ask.
I nod my head and we start hugging, which causes a shock in everyone, but we keep going, it's cute how Croix doesn't co-ordinate her steps, she doesn't really know, but she still asks, I think I'm going to help her with this, I'm going to do some very different steps, she's going to feel the music getting very sticky with me. I'm sticking to her more, feeling her more closely, we're getting very close and the music is slow and sticky, people are looking at us, but I don't care, neither does Croix, which I decide to make more agitated as soon as the agitated part comes and I make her spin around me to the point where she's leaning over me holding my waist.
"So, Croix, what do you think of this dance?" I say provocatively.
"I think I've just felt very different" she said, blushing.
"Come on, girl, I'll take a few more steps, can you keep up?" I say to her, who nods in agreement.
And off we went, dancing and attracting stares, especially ugly ones from the teachers and even from the Earl of Appleton himself, who stared at me and I made a point of loosening up in the dance just so they'd be clear that I wasn't going to lower my head.
It's a new era here, I even get very close to the teachers' stage and the two of us dance to the point where our faces are very close almost in a kiss, you can see that someone has really gone red with embarrassment, I then make a very provocative expression to them with my face and make a point of opening my mouth.
"The rules don't say anything against us dancing with each other" I tell them.
"She's right, there's nothing we can do about it, but you should know that you've just been recognised as homosexual and life here won't be easy" says Professor Finnelan, and I see Croix holding my face and looking at the teacher.
"How about you be sure then" she said as she moved closer to my face.
I feel her lips touch mine and with that I feel a great explosion of multiple sensations, as if many of them were coming to the surface, the kiss, the moment, our lips touching, she venturing her tongue inside my mouth, I use mine, feeling all that movement, while everyone must be watching me in shock.
My first kiss was with Croix? It was such a sudden kiss, but the sensation, her hand touching my face, my waist and everything, what was that all about? I can't believe it ended so suddenly... I'm in the clouds, I feel like I'm in heaven, like I'm falling through the sky on soft cushions and looking at Croix's beautiful face, she's so beautiful, she's so charming, and then we pulled our faces apart and I paused.
"This is outrageous, how can we allow such provocation?" I told Finnelan and I'm still processing everything.
The music stopped, people looked at us, none of the boys had done anything like that, but we were the only ones to do something like that, apparently now we're going to be punished for it, I could see that then Croix stopped, I stood up because the kiss was to the point of bending over and with that I looked at the teachers
with a disgusted face.
I don't know what to do, but I'm not going to get desperate trying to justify anything, I'm in this with Croix, now this is going to be something controversial, I'm not going to let her be punished, I'll take the blame
"We should punish them, look what they've done, it's against the rules" said Mrs Finnelan.
"Not really, homosexual kisses are allowed, at the dance too, but the two of you will have to leave after that because you've already caused too much confusion, that's why I'm asking you to get out of here, you've already got your extra attendance point" said the headmistress who stood next to us.
"This is absurd! We're not allowed to kiss, but when two gay students kiss they just get asked to leave?" said one of Appleton's students.
"If you do something like this you'll be punished, don't think about creating any protests about it!" Paul said.
"They should be punished, they do whatever they want, these homosexuals are very privileged!" Said a girl from Luna Nova and I didn't expect that.
"Come on, Chariot" she said, taking my hand.
And with that we left the party, which I could already see Croix's make-up smearing a little because of tears, I think I did a lot wrong, we just got booed as we were walking out, I'm trying to hold it together so I don't give in to the pressure, but when we got through it all eased off.
We got as far as the corridor, where Croix threw himself on the floor, sat down and put his hand to his face, crying, which is the only thing I can think of, and that's taking care of her after everything she
"Croix... I'm sorry I ruined the day..." She looks at me tearfully and shakes her head.
"You didn't spoil anything, I did, I stole a kiss from you and I shouldn't have done that, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life" Huh? Wasn't it something else? The kiss was marvellous.
"Don't you feel bad about what they're doing to you?" I ask her and she nods.
"No! It's not as if I haven't heard worse, I wanted to shock her, but I didn't realise how it would feel to act so out of the blue, I'm sorry about everything Chariot" I even smile at her and crouch down in front of her, kissing her on the forehead.
"It was my first kiss, but I won't forget it, it was marvellous, thank you for the kiss, friends?" She even wipes her tears and smiles, holding her hand out to me.
"Friends! You have to dance lighter, I could twist my ankle, but still, thanks for getting me out of that shit, let's take advantage and play a little, I was able to film a little of the event, then I think about editing, it will certainly be controversial, we are already rehearsing a video talking about the ball" That will be very interesting.
"Are they going to make our lives hell because of this?" I ask her and she laughs.
"They're already making our lives hell because you're Shiny Chariot, did you hear what your mums said about that? Don't listen to those threats, the teachers can't do anything, look at your mums, they were always controversial here, the story of Luna Nova doesn't tell it, but they always were, I remember hearing a lot of them at every dance kissing and showing hoomsexual contact and they wouldn't leave for anything, they could move crowds, it was by far one of the gayest times of the 20th century, second only to the days of Louis Du Nord where Holbrook was at the beginning and didn't get so hung up on the rules, it's curious to know that at the beginning when there was more prejudice among the mundanes Luna Nova was more homosexual than today or in the 80s when our mums studied there" very curious indeed.
"You always have this way of throwing a lot of information around, but have you ever kissed anyone before?" I ask her and she blushes.
"It was my first kiss too Chariot, I just tried what I picked up from watching your mums, who would have thought I'd have a first kiss with my best friend" I even get googly-eyed about it.
"Me too, but it's better not to spread the word, they'll think we're girlfriends" I say, a little flushed.
"Don't worry, Finnelan's homophobia exceeds any strong rumour, she won't allow news like this to spread in Luna Nova, you can be sure that tomorrow she'll be banning everyone from mentioning it and she'll get on our backs, but I don't care" You're right, at least the rumour won't spread, but it was a good rumour to live by.
"That was my first kiss, on Valentine's Day in 2006, we wanted to cause a stir and we kissed at the ball,which resulted in us having to leave, but that didn't stop us enjoying the day, it was very similar to what themums did in '88, '89 and '90, they just enjoyed the day, they weren't afraid of homosexuality and I wasstarting to become like that too, I realised that I shouldn't be afraid to be who I am, even because of us thesedances were being cancelled, with only sporadic visits from the Earl of Appleton, but nothing more than that,we caused a radical change because of a kiss, as pupils from both schools revolted at the kiss andquestioned the decision."
See you, prom witches...