Scarred Luna

Kieran’s POV

My mind buzzed with a million thoughts. The moment I slammed the door to my bedroom shut, no, scratch that, my former bedroom, I fled. Walking the halls was something I actually didn’t think about till I was in the hallway. What if someone saw me leaving? Yes, the mansion was pretty big but I wasn’t that daft to expect that everywhere would be free for me, just so I could waltz through.

What if I bumped into someone? Or worse, what if I bumped into Xander? My heart did a little somersault at the sound of his name. The mere thought of him was more than enough to procure emotions that were beyond me.

Without any warning, flashbacks of the last half hour replayed itself in my head. Before I dashed out, one thing I had done, although unwillingly, was to glance at all of their faces. Xander’s mother had this haughty look, like she was proud of Sabrina and how things had turned out. I’m sure if we were still in preschool, she would have gladly given her a golden medal of some sort, just to prove how proud of her she was.

Sabrina on the other hand, I had no words. Even in a million years, I never saw it coming. If a soothsayer had walked up to me and predicted this exact moment, I would have laughed so hard that he wouldn’t have had a choice than to walk off in shame. The stoic expression she wore was proof that she meant every word, and it made me wonder just how long she’d been keeping those thoughts about me for. Was it when I first arrived at the mansion? Or probably when Xander had come back from his trip? If she had just told me that she didn’t want me here then I would have taken the hint and walked out, a long time ago too.

Xander. If anything, Xander looked torn between a wide range of emotions. In the quick seconds that I took his facial expression, he was lost, hurt and mad all at once. At one point, I could swear I saw longing in his eyes.

No. I shook my head immediately, ridding myself of those thoughts. They weren’t necessary, especially now that I was leaving. I should have seen it coming. I should have known that at one point I was going to have to leave. That was the initial plan, but I ditched it and what did that get me? Nothing, but pure humiliation.

After adjusting my bag one last time, I started my journey. With each step I took I muttered a prayer to the moon goddess that she would let me pass without anyone spotting me. In less than ten minutes, I was out of the mansion and in the compound, with just the iron gates holding me back from my freedom.

As I neared the gates, I schooled my expression into my best poker face. When I’d gone through the guards without being asked any questions, it didn’t take me too long to release a breath I had no idea I was holding. With one last glance at the place I once felt at home, I allowed my feet to carry me to wherever it felt right.

It didn’t last long either. Because barely a couple minutes past Xander’s mansion, I realized I had nowhere to go. My heart sunk to my stomach. In my bid to run away from everything, I hadn’t even thought of a place to go. I did have a plan, but my abrupt exit made things quite difficult. Or did they?

Without wasting so much as another second, I turned towards the right. With my destination etched painfully in my mind, I prayed to the goddess that I wasn’t going to be met with a dead end.

Luckily for me, the sun’s glare wasn’t too harsh and I made it to the shop in no time.

“Who is it?” The slightly elderly woman cooed the moment the little bell on the door rung. “Welcome to …”

The rest of her words died on her throat as her gaze landed on me.

“Hi Eliza.” I greeted sheepishly. When I was sure she had snapped herself out of the mini shock, I continued. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t.” She gestured me in, after flattening her palms across her chest for a couple of seconds. “I’m just surprised to see you. Sabrina didn’t tell me you’d be coming in today? And isn’t today supposed to be your day off?”

“Um, you see…” I drawled slowly.

“Sabrina doesn’t know I’m here.” I said.

“Oh.” She muttered. “Is everything okay, dear?”

“Yes.” I gave a small nod. I didn’t want to lie to Eliza, but I didn’t want to bother her with what was happening at home. If Sabrina wanted her to know, then she was just going to have to tell her herself.

“Everything’s fine, but I just need a little favor.” I said, my heart pounding in anticipation.

“I’m listening.” She patted an empty cushion and I took it. “So long as I can help, I see no reason why I shouldn’t.”

“I need a place to stay.” I rushed out the words as quickly as I could, just so I didn’t run the risk of chickening out.

“What?” Eliza mouthed.

“Yes. Please Eliza,” I nodded frantically. “I really need a place to stay. If you don’t mind, I could stay with you and…”

I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Pin drop silence settled between us as she stared at me with beady eyes. I couldn’t help but feel like she was searching my face, like she was trying to see if I was lying or how desperate I was.

“Kieran.” She sighed. “I don’t know what you’re going through and I want to help you.”

“Oh, thank you.'” I literally jumped out of my seat. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means and…”

“But I can’t.” She cut me off. Immediately, my smile fell. My heart almost shattered.

“Don’t look like that. You may not be able to live with me, but I do have an alternative.” she said and I heaved a sigh of relief, sitting down again.

“I have a friend.” She continued almost immediately. “She has a diner and just on top of it, there are a couple of rooms for rent. It’s not anything luxurious, but it should cater to your needs perfectly well.”

“I’ll take it.” I blurted out.

“I’ll take it.” I said again.

“Don’t get too enthusiastic.” I swear I saw a ghost of a smile on her lips. “It hasn’t been finalized yet. You’ll still have to meet her and probably see what she has to say”

“Of course.” It was a hassle trying to reel my excitement in. “Can we go now?”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Of course.” She grinned before getting up. “Just let me lock the shop first.”

And she did. Locking up the salon did take a while, but I tried my hardest not to rush her. Not only would it be rude, but it just felt plain wrong.

Besides the fact that I felt like time was running by, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Sabrina was going to burst through the doors if we didn’t hurry. But did she really have any reason to come after me? She was the main reason I had to leave the house in the first place, so why would she come to look for me?

“All done.” Eliza announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. We made our way to her little car and was she was sure I was comfortably seated, she sped off.

I had lost track of time on the way, but after what seemed like forever, we arrived at a little diner. It was just as Eliza had described it and the windows of the rooms were the first thing that caught my eye.

The moment we stepped out of the vehicle, a woman who looked no lesser than Eliza’s age walked out to greet us. After what seemed like forever they broke apart. I sunk deeper into my skin as the lady stared at me. There was something about her, but I shook it off.

“So you want a place here, huh?” Her voice caught me off guard. “Are you ready to work?”

“Yes, yes.” I nodded frantically. “I’ll do anything.” I said.

“Be careful what you wish for.” she smirked. After what felt like forever, she nodded. “She can stay here, but on one condition.”

“You’ll have to work to pay off the rent.” She continued. “You will get a percentage, but I’ll still get my cut for leasing out the room to you. Agreed?” she asked.

It all boiled down to me now. Eliza had helped me and now the choice was all up to me. If I wanted a place to stay, then I had to take this. If I didn’t, then I wasn’t going to have anywhere else to stay.

But what about Eliza? I still had to work shifts at the salon and I wasn’t about to lose a job I’d just started. Well, I had shifts right, so maybe I could switch up the days I worked.

“Okay.'” I let out a shaky breath. ” I accept your offer.”