Luna tried to tug Oliver back for a moment of chatting but Oliver didn’t budge, he just scratched the top of Luna’s head and then walked off. Luna’s cheeks puffed up as she stamped her tiny feet into the ground, her tail standing at full attention in time with her stomps. The next day, once again, Oliver walked out of his room and as he did he saw Charianne splayed across the couch. He clenched slightly and pulled up a chair a good distance away from the couch, but one that also still has access to the coffee table. He moved down to Luna, his eyes flicking up to meet Charianne’s sleeping form before they moved back down to Luna. “Are you ready, Luna?”

  “To learn magic?” Luna’s tail waved frantically as Oliver chuckled quietly. Oliver did teach her in the morning, but it wasn’t magic. Arithmetic, English, and basic botany, which Luna partially excelled at compared to the others. She even corrected Oliver a couple of times. Oliver periodically looked over Luna to check if Charianne was still sleeping, and when he confirmed it, he continued his lesson. His cornucopia of books helped greatly, Luna had the tools, she just needed to know where to look. As Oliver continued to lecture, he pulled out a workbook and led Luna along, allowing her to write simple sentences on her own. Luna flipped passed the diagrams and Oliver raised an eyebrow as his mouth opened slightly, but then it closed. The lesson finished and Oliver began to gather some books and walk back to his room. Luna spoke up, “Can’t you stay in the living room?” Luna tugged on Oliver’s leg.

  “I think I should give your mother some space.”

  “Space from what? Why?”

  “Adult things.” That certainly didn't answer any of Luna’s questions, but she didn’t need to. She just continued tugging on his pant’s leg, her claws digging into the fabric. Oliver gently removed her claws and removed Luna from his leg. “See you later, Luna.” His head turned to face Charianne one more time, he sighed, and walked away.

  As soon as Oliver went into his room, Charianne's eyes popped open as the rise and fall of her chest slowed. Her ears flickered and she picked herself up, fruitlessly trying to straighten out her hair. She looked around, her eyes scanning the room. She rolled her shoulders and started to stroll around the cabin, her tail gently swishing behind her. Charianne started walking around in circles as her mouth moved but barely and sound escaped. Luna’s eyes flickered and she decided to follow her mother. A left turn here. A right turn there. Down a hall Luna didn’t even know existed….and then Charianne bumped into a wall. Luna abruptly stopped, trying not to bump into something herself. “Momma?”

  Charianne recoiled with a sharp hiss as she regained her footing, "I don’t think I am. ” Charianne's face gently lifted, her eyes glossy and her head slightly tilted. “You really are an incredible child”

  Luna's eyes widened. She gently stands on her tippy toes to reach the top of her mom’s head. She reaches under Carianne’s chestnut hair, amongst all of the bugs and dirt, and behind her ears. She lets her hand gently scratch. “You’re an incredible momma.”

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Oliver looked at the walls that now became his prison. He sighed, strolling about his room. Every time he picked up a book, it would quickly be set down followed by Oliver ruffling up his own hair. He wandered about in his self made isolation before finally settling on the bed, flopping down with a large Huff. “What am I doing? What am I doing with myself?”

  Oliver placed an arm over his face, unable to even look at the slight reflection in the metal reinforcements. He just laid there, his head slightly swaying. “Come on Oliver. Move. Move. Move.” He repeated it like a prayer. And yet his body did not obey. The sunlight was beaming, slowly inching towards his eyes. Oliver laid there, eyes covered. “Have you not changed at all? It’s been 10 years and here you are.”

  Oliver reached over into his drawer and pulled out a book. “The Trials of the Sun and Moon.” He held up the book, looking all over, his eyes glazing over the cover and the spine. He opened it and pulled out a small portrait. He held the portrait close to his heart, his hands shaking. “I miss you. You all would know what to do. You all would be so more well equipped for this. Florence…you would be so much better at talking… Fetti…you would be the one to pull me out of this rut…and… and Lady R….* His voice choked on tears. Oliver touched his face with the base of his hand and felt the sharp sting of cold and wet. Oliver held his face as his bed and the portrait caught some of the tears. Oliver let his hands fall as his bedsheets grew darker. “Oh, how much you three have changed me.” The sun continued to shift in the sky, taunting Oliver with her radiant energy. It poked and prodded, its warmth a solemn reminder of what he didn’t have. Oliver still didn’t rise. He rolled. Rolled until he was positioned at the center of his bed and he just laid there. As he did, his mind began to wander to what was beyond the door to his room. Staring at the ceiling, Oliver asked himself, “Why haven’t they left me yet?” Oliver’s mind began to swirl in on itself, a whirlpool of thoughts that only made him clutch his head more. His mind swirled and twirled in on itself. “Why? They could have left without a trace by now. So why did they stay? Did Luna want to learn magic that much?” Oliver took a deep breath as he remembered Luna. “Her face is so bright and yet I may just snuff it out. I’m no teacher.” Oliver exhaled deeply.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Charianne felt a tiny hand reach behind her ear…and she sighed as her ears slightly fluttered at the sensation. How long has it been since she felt something like this? She shut her eyes, her mouth stretching into a smile. A gentle hum escaped as the scratching continued. She wanted to stay like this forever.

  As Charianne let her daughter continue her petting, she had an opportunity to think with a clear head for a moment. She looked down to the books, the ones that she had rifled through, trampling the privacy of her host. She sighed as her eyes scanned across each book, remembering what she felt when she was flipping though, so desperate to find something. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and gripped her slightly. “Thank you, Luna.” Charianne stood up straight, her eyes sparkling and a soft smile across her face. “I think I know what I should do now.” And Charianne’s chest rises and falls, starting fast but slowing as it happens more and more. Chariane takes a single step towards Oliver’s door, her hands opening and closing erratically. Then another step. And another. And then she turned away. Not today.

  Charianne peered over to her daughter and saw she was facing out the window, and outstretched. Was she talking to herself? Charianne walked over to her daughter, and her daughter wasn’t speaking Common, but a whole new language entirely. When did she have the time for this? “I knew his teachings were good, but not ‘learn new language’ good” She walked up to Luna and tapped on her shoulder. As soon as Luna stopped, she started coughing. Charianne quickly tried to fetch her daughter some water, but before she could, she pulled out her own flask. After a couple sips, Luna spoke up.

  “Yes mama?”

  “What exactly are you doing?”

  Luna’s eyes shifted left and right, her head swaying in the opposite direction along with her tail. “Luna.” Charianne's voice dropped and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

  “I’m just practicing”

  “Practicing what?”

  “...mghmc” Luna’s lips barely moved as her eyes went down.

  “Speak up, dear.”

  “Mgmc.” Luna mumbles again.

  “Luna…”

  “Magic! I…I did magic.”

  Charianne shrugged, a placated smirk crossing her face. “Playing pretend again huh?” She crouches to Luna’s level. “Just make sure to close the window when you're done, ok? I can feel a chill rolling in.”

  “Ok Mama.”

  “Did Oliver teach you those words, the ones you were chanting?”

  “No, I found them in a book.” Luna holds up the book that her studies have been based around.

  “I see. In the future, ask your momma before reading any books.” God forbid Luna read something inappropriate for her age. “Go have your fun, sweetheart.”

  The day went by with no issue or a peep from Oliver’s door. Charianne kept passing by the door the entire day, walking by it at every opportunity but eventually having her resolve shaken as she turned away. She always quaked as she neared the door, her tail stood up straight, just as when she first arrived. Charianne continued to walk back and forth. Near the door before turning away once more. Tomorrow yielded much the same result as the first. Oliver came out, taught Luna for about an hour and then went back into his room for the rest of the day. Charianne couldn’t bring herself to talk to Oliver no matter what she did, her daughter silently urging her on. An eek would come out every once in a while, but it would just as quickly be brushed off as nothing. One day melted into another and another…until a week had passed. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Charianne needed to just go. So she stood back and started stepping. The steps turn to strides as Charianne starts to sprint towards the door. She continues her race down the house and before she knows it she is faced to face with his door. Charianne’s ears flutter upwards as she picks up something. “Sobbing…” She utters quietly to herself.

  She raises a hand and gently taps against the wood. “Oliver? Are you in there?” She works to raise her voice slightly as she taps again. “Hello? We need to talk.” She says, her voice a bit more firm. Her heart rate increasing, she gripped the door handle and pushed. It didn’t give, so she pushed again. And again. And slammed her entire body against the door before it finally swung open. She saw Oliver, his entire body curled in on itself, his hair illuminating the hair on the top of his head which made his face cast completely in shadow. Occasionally, water shone in the midday sun tumbling and free falling before being swallowed by the bedsheets below. Oliver gripped the bedsheets. Charianne stepped slightly forward, “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Oliver responded, his voice barely carrying to Charianne’s ear. Oliver straightened up, his body uncurling as the sun licked his hair all the way down to his face, leaving streaks in their wake. For a while, Oliver and Charianne just stared at each other, one would move their mouth but another would at the same time, thus causing them both to back off. After a few repetitions of this, Charianne couldn’t help but chortle. “What’s so funny?” Oliver asked, his brows raising and his head tilting to the side.

  “Just, we’re so bad at this, aren’t we.” Charianne continues to snicker. “Here we are, trying to talk, and we can’t even get a word out. I had to run to get here.” Charianne’s laugh only grows. A hand is placed, vibrating along with her stomach as she snorts along with her chortles. Oliver, in response, starts to lightly laugh as well.

  “It is funny isn’t it? I guess we aren’t cut out for this.”

  “How long has this little charade gone on? What? 3 days?”

  “A week to my recollection…”

  “A week?” Charianne grabbed her forehead and laughed more. “Absurd”