The Lost Luna Within

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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Layla

The night was thick with mist like a secret whispered among the trees. People were scattered here and there along the streets. I walked through the shadows, each step soft as a raindrop. I could not imagine a day worse than the one I was having, not knowing that what was yet to come was even greater. It felt like the universe suddenly decided that I deserved to suffer. I had walked to five supermarkets, and not one of them had my favorite chili sauce. What a terrible thing to happen to someone.

With a defeated look, I decided to visit Emira. She is my best friend, my only friend actually. She and her uncle have been like family to me. Her uncle's mansion was located away from other houses, a weird setting, but a beautiful place nonetheless.

The forest gave me an eerie feeling with the moonlight reflecting on the trees, giving them a silver glow. I walked the familiar path leading to the back of the mansion, a passage Emira and I created for me to sneak in whenever I was visiting and they had many guests. Although it seemed like they always had guests, I can't remember the last time I walked through the front door.

‘How careless were you to have sustained such a scratch?’ Emira scolded me like I was a naughty ten-year-old.

‘It’s not that serious. I just missed my step while searching for the ladder.’ I pouted my lips to make her smile at me. She can never really be mad at me; she just likes to scold me a lot because I am careless. I scratched my hip against the rough bushes when I was looking for my ladder, but Emira was helping me patch it up like the angel she is.

‘Fine. You know I can’t stay angry with you for long. Anyways, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you call first? You’re lucky you caught me in my room. You should have given me a heads-up.’ She complained about my presence for the first time ever, taking me by surprise.

‘Sheesh. I had a bad day and I decided to come over to the one place that makes me feel better, only to be cast away for stopping by.’ I added a dramatic sob and cleaned fake tears, and Emira just laughed.

‘Dramatic much. We are hosting the heads of various organizations my uncle works with. It's kind of an important event.’ She scratched the back of her neck nervously as she explained.

‘Wow! Sounds very important. You’re right, I should have called.’ There was silence for a while before I spoke.

'My aunty texted me that she was caught up and couldn't make it in time for my birthday tomorrow.' I explained with a sad tone to my voice.

'I have never been alone on my birthday. I know I'm clocking 21, but I still didn't want to be alone, that's why I came by.' She sighed in response.

‘Come here.’ She invited me for a hug with her arms spread wide open.

'I didn't mean to snap at you, you know you're always welcome here anytime any day.' I smiled in response before I remembered something.

'Seems like a very important function down there.' I reminded her.

‘Yes, it is.’ She continued.

‘And that is why you are going to be a darling and stay in here and not run into anybody till it’s all over because the most important guest of the night just arrived. I'll be back in time to wish you a happy birthday.' She started to leave the room.

‘Wait, how can you expect me to stay here all alone without food and……She left and shut the door before I could complete my sentence.

I was very convinced Emira had a death wish for me. Because if not, how could she lock me in a room without food? I heard my stomach grumbling and my eyes started to fail me. I had to look for food, even if she said not to go out. I had come too far in life to just die of hunger in my best friend’s room. I peeked out through a crack in the door to see if the hallways were clear. Everyone was at the banquet, so I was free to go. The kitchen is on the floor below this one, at least one out of the many kitchens is. I made my way to the stair hall and checked to see if the coast was clear and was met with pin-drop silence. I made myself a sandwich and finished it all up in the kitchen since there was no one else.

With a full stomach and a bottle of juice, I was finding my way back to the room when I felt someone’s presence. I looked back to see no one, but I was sure I wasn’t alone.

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