Moonstones

“Get up Your Highness,” Mrs. Asker, shouted from the base of the stairs, her voice sneaking through the cracks around the bedroom door. Lunette was not used to getting up early in the morning. She was more of a night person. After all, it was always nighttime on the moon, except during the Summer Solstice, which lasted about a week and lit up the moon so it sparkled like a forest at daybreak after rain fell upon everything over the previous night.

It took Lunette a full month before she got used to the constant light of day on Earth. She felt bad for her host family, sort of. It depended on Mrs. Asker’s mood. As past residents of the moon, the Asker family understood how Lunette felt but were only sympathetic for the first week before no longer taking 'the sun' as an excuse not to do anything. Lunette couldn't even get a sunburn to gain any pity because of the autumn season.

“I’m up,” Lunette shouted back, still hugging her pillow. “But I don’t want to,” she muttered.

Lunette slowly rolled her body towards the wall and the open drapes. The sun shone through and she glared at it. It was the main problem in her life. She had to collect moonstones in order to become the queen of the Moon Kingdom and to have enough power to control and sustain her home's existence by herself. She had no siblings to help support her until her marriage unlike her father.

Her uncle had died two years after her father married so she had never met him but her mother's position and assistance help to keep the moon thriving.

Lunette had two moonstones in her possession that she had collected in space but the other ten were scattered nearby in this general area on Earth. The worst part of it was that the moonstones only emanated their power while the moon was in the sky, like an invisible beacon. She had to search through the night and follow where the pull of the their power grew strongest. Lunette had yet to collect any more moonstones but she thought she knew where one of them would be after previous nights of searching.

Having to travel to Earth didn’t sound so bad at first but Lunette had to conform to some human behavior, for instance, going to school. It was difficult to get enough sleep and complete homework when she was only able to search for moonstones after dark but her age and the place she lived dictated that she attend school. Not even being expelled could save her as she'd immediately be sent to another school, though less prestigious than the one she currently attended.

Slowly, Lunette slumped out of bed and shuffled towards her closet where she had hung her school uniform that Mrs. Asker had washed the night before. Lunette once owned two uniforms but made the mistake of hunting for moonstones in it and the shirt and skirt were ripped beyond repair. She dressed then brushed her hair, pulling it back into a long, thick braid.

Lunette then went in search for where she'd dropped her backpack late last night. She found it sagging in the corner like an abandoned pet but she wanted to kick it out the window when she realized she had forgotten to do her homework again. She’d have to leave quickly and get as much done in homeroom as she could. Lunette suddenly had all the energy in the world as she snatched the backpack off the floor, slinging it over her shoulder.

“Bye Derward,” she waved to the small, silver buck laying at the foot of the bed. He was her 'partner' that was accompanying her during her journey. Derward retained the moonstones Lunette found by swallowing them for safe-keeping and was also assigned by her father to keep an eye on the princess like a well-paid babysitter. However, he couldn't accompany her to school and was as lazy as Lunette in the morning, only lifting his long tail in a sign of farewell.

Lunette bounced down the stairs, carrying her shoes in one hand. She could smell the food in the kitchen and wrinkled her nose. While she enjoyed eating most of the Asker family's food, it was usually served hot. Lunette preferred her food to be cold. Being raised mostly on cold food made warm food a little unappetizing. She was amazed at how well the Askers had adjusted to Earth's lifestyle.

Lunette ran in circles in the kitchen, grabbing a bagel and slathering sweet apple butter on it. “Thank you,” she shouted behind her food as she hopped towards the door, putting one shoe on at a time.

“Princess! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Mrs. Asker shook her spatula at Lunette. “You need it to start off your day fully fueled!”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Lunette waved. “Bye Mrs. Asker, Mr. Asker.”

“Really,” Lunette heard Mrs. Asker sigh as she reached for the doorknob, "How to handle her I just don’t know.”

“The better question is how did the people at the palace handle her,” Mr. Asker grinned behind his coffee mug.

Lunette shut the front door and raced down the sidewalk lining the edge of the neighborhood townhouses. There were so many homes that someone could pick up a map with all the house numbers on them at the main entrance where the office was.

Turning a corner, Lunette bumped into someone, sending the person careening towards the concrete. “Oh no! I’m so sorry.” Looking down, she realized it was her friend and classmate Janice. Lunette grabbed Janice’s arm and hauled her off the ground.

“Um, it’s okay,” Janice chuckled, dusting herself off. “Why are you in such a hurry? You won't be late.”

“I didn’t complete my homework that I was assigned,” Lunette couldn’t look Janice in the eye.

“Really! How long is your night job?! Your manager should take it a bit easier on you since you’re a student. You need rest. It doesn't help your grades if you’re too tired to complete your assignments.”

“My manager is the owner and he lives far away. I barely see him,” Lunette sighed as they began speed-walking together. It wasn’t a lie. The king of the moon was the one who had ordered her to gather the moonstones for herself; and he did live far away, 238,900 miles to be exact. The assistant manager had to be the annoying Derward who went nearly everywhere with her, nagging and scolding her. He talked more than anyone she knew.

“Aren’t there other workers?”

“Not really,” Lunette scratched her head, “it’s mostly a solo job that needs to be done. No one else can do it but me.”

“No one else would willingly stay up until three a.m. to work after a busy day like you do,” Janice clucked her tongue.

Lunette admired Janice. She was a simple beauty, classy and proper. People loved to be around her. She was a very rare type of popular student. Lunette had memorized the whole school popularity system. She’d stayed up reading books about high school all through the summer to be prepared. She wasn’t, however, prepared for the lack of romance, drama, action and magic most of the books portrayed.

“Hello, anybody in there,” Janice waved her hand in front of Lunette’s face.

“Oh, sorry, I was thinking about how to strategically avoid getting yelled at for turning in any unfinished homework,” she lied. If there was one thing Lunette was good at, it was lying and then expounding upon that lie until it practically became truth. In the past she'd actually have to write down the lie she’d created sometimes in order to keep her story straight. Though she was good at it, Lunette was trying to abstain from lying unless absolutely necessary-which she was still learning when it was necessary.

“You guys walk too slow!”

“Gigi!” Janice smiled as they approached the moody girl. Gigi was fascinating. She could somehow wear beanies and eccentric earrings without looking tacky or getting in trouble with the school. In fact, her whole outfit was against school protocol. Gigi wore male student uniform pants, heavy sweatshirts and her socks were not always the same length. Her short, spiky hair finished off the ensemble perfectly.

“You’ll get mistaken for a guy again and you won’t be able to beat them up on school grounds,” Janice chided, trying to fix Gigi's uniform shirt. Janice was brave, given that Gigi hated any type of physical contact. Gigi once nearly had to be sedated in order to be treated by the school nurse after a pole vaulting injury. It wasn’t pretty.

“Yeah yeah, quit fussing,” Gigi knocked Janice’s hand away. “By the way, can I copy your homework?”

“Me too,” Lunette begged. They both gave Janice their best cute, pleading faces.

“Okay,” Janice finally caved, throwing her hands in the air, “but you can’t copy it exactly because everyone knows we’re friends. If we have the exact same answers, it’ll be fishy.”

“You’re a savior,” Lunette squeezed Janice in a hug.

“Totally repay you,” Gigi saluted before they finished their walk to school.

Bozworth-also called Bozzy-Academy was very esteemed high school but Lunette just considered it to be showy and prideful. Nothing was really special about it except its appearance, rich students and other “amenities" such as an Olympic-sized pool, a huge work out room and a ballroom. Not to mention the bathrooms were fancy with even chairs and a table inside. Lunette had witnessed many girls sit and touch up their make up.

“Look,” Janice suddenly seemed to sparkle. “There he is, at the school gate! Wesley Bozworth!"

“I’m gonna puke,” Gigi stuck her tongue out, “What’s so special about him?”

Janice gasped in horror clinging to Lunette’s arm. “How can you say that? He's handsome and smart and is the sole heir to the Bozworth name and company.”

“Her infatuation is beyond our level of comprehension,” Lunette informed Gigi, nodding her head towards Janice who seemed devastated her friends saw no sex appeal in the strict and specially treated student.

“Why don’t you two at least try to find someone to be interested in?” Janice was tearing up.

“Wow, I don’t know where to go with that,” Gigi held up her hands. “The male students in this joint are way too high class for my taste. I do not want a guy who wears a suit and tie outside of school.”

“What about you Lunette? What do you think about Wesley?” Janice's eyes pleaded with her friend.

“Oh, uh, well,” Lunette observed the tall boy. “He really is good looking and of high standing, but I couldn’t like him even if I wanted to.”

"Yeah, she's got the fiancé, remember?" Gigi stretched. It was normal for super rich students from hugely important families to get affianced at a young age even on Earth.

Lunette's opinion on her fiancé was another matter. Sol Apollo Firbird was from the Sun Kingdom. Their betrothal was made when they were young. Most engagements are for the benefits of both families but that wasn’t the case for Sol and Lunette.

The two of them had met at an important reception with both of their parents attending. At the time, Lunette was seven and Sol was eight. They were sent off to play with each other and to stay out of trouble. That was pretty much impossible for someone of that young age.

Lunette couldn’t remember why, but she and Sol got into a fight. It was so bad that the other children they were playing with left, including Sol's older brother who must've tattled on the two of them. When the adults showed up, it was a few seconds before Lunette and Sol noticed them.

Sol and Lunette pretended to make up with one another immediately to appease their parents, who would most likely make them do so anyway. The exchange made the royal leaders laugh almost uncontrollably. It was decided then and there that the two of them would be married. Right after the reception, a contract of engagement was made. Lunette would wed Sol after she had collected all her moonstones and become queen.

The contract was only recently, slightly altered as to when the two would get married. Sol was from the sun and could not help her support the moon as his nature and power were completely opposite hers. That was what led her to the predicament of finding and collecting the moonstones.

The academy’s gates began to close just after Lunette and her friends entered. Any students on the other side of the gate would not be allowed in. However, there was a speaker on the outside wall in case a student had a valid excuse for being late and they usually had to have a slip of paper with a signature on it to be given acceptance to enter the school. Lunette found it interesting that such a high class school would have such strict rules.

Janice barely hid a squeal as they rushed to homeroom. “Wesley looked at me when we passed by. His impassive face with scrunched eyebrows and neatly placed hair was so, so perfect!”

“You’re losing it,” Gigi rolled her eyes.

Their class was on the second floor, third room on the left, Class 2-C. Unlike in the high school stories Lunette read before she came to the school, the teachers rotated to the different classes instead of the students rotating classes.

“Made it,” Lunette opened the door happily. The teacher wasn’t in the classroom yet. Although their homeroom teacher was strict on homework being due on time, he was usually late to class. Mr. Reed had to refill his coffee for the fifth time and take a quick bathroom break before facing the students, which he admitted himself publically unabashedly.

“Hi ho peeps,” Gigi raised her hand and addressed the class. Everyone had gotten used to Gigi in a way. Some didn’t respond and others just replied with a "hello" or "hi" or the rare "good morning".

Lunette sat in her seat by the window with Janice and Gigi crowded around it to block the view. All three pulled out a notebook. Janice urged the two of them to hurry while glancing over her shoulder too much, making it obvious what the three of them were doing. Having done this before back home with her tutors and Gigi having copied homework for years as well, the two of them had become expert fast readers and writers. They copied in half the time it took other people. Lunette and Gigi even had enough time to write a few equations wrong on purpose for their math homework.

“Done,” Lunette smiled, stashing the notebook back into her bag as subtly as possible.

Gigi laughed excitedly, holding hers in the air. “This is great!”

“What’s so great?” Mr. Reed was directly behind them.

Gigi turned and lied with ease. “You know the equations that I always messed up on? Well, Janice helped make it easier to understand and I think I did pretty well on my homework.”

“We’ll see,” Mr. Reed left to straighten his papers on the podium.

“Oh my gosh, my heart stopped,” Janice leaned over the desk. “You both are so good at lying! It’s amazing but it is awful!”

“No autographs,” Gigi sat back, quite pleased with herself.

“It just takes practice,” Lunette smiled. “Although, I would have told him Janice had checked my homework to estimate how well I did and promised to treat us to Little Dippy’s if I got a passing grade.”

“No way,” Gigi opened her mouth looking at a smug Lunette. “If I really got a passing grade Janice would have to take us to Little Dippy’s!? Why didn’t I think of that?"

“Class is starting, everyone please move to your designated seats,” Mr. Reed clapped his hands. “Morning announcements will start soon.”

The school bell chimed three times, each chime a different note. “Good morning students,” the superintendent’s sickly-sweet voice echoed clearly over the intercom. She wasn't normally the person to do morning announcements but she'd forcefully take over occasionally. Once, the superintendent argued with the secretary on speaker right before talking as if the near-shouting squabble hadn't occurred. No one respected her anyway with her attitude and how she treated the students as if they were lesser beings and always wrong. “There are just a few reminders that must come to your attention.

“First, the boy’s soccer club must keep their club room clean if they wish to have a club room at all. Also, students should refrain from passing notes during class time,” her voice sounded a bit threatening but some guys in the class shoved each other playfully. While passing notes was inevitable, it was probably due to stupid incidents concerning some things like love confessions or obvious cheating that got them sent to the Principal's office.

"Also, you may not leave the premises to eat lunch or call for delivery from restaurants. All of our food here in the cafeteria is high quality and made by qualified chefs." Loud moans and angry whispers filled the room but the superintendent wasn't done, "Lastly, we have added another event to our school to help raise funds and, hopefully, bring in more students and diversity.”

“Yeah,” the boy in front of Lunette mumbled, “funds for stupid stuff to make the school more attractive to rich families and pay for things we don't need.” His neighbor snorted while folding his homework into a paper airplane. Some of these students were just rich enough or smart enough to attend the school and didn't flaunt or frivolously spend their money.

The superintendent continued, “Informational flyers will be handed out by your homeroom teacher. Everyone’s participation is mandatory and I doubt any of you will want to sit this one out.”

Mr. Reed handed each row a stack of fliers that were passed back. When Lunette got hers she was confused.

“Cultural Festival? What’s that?”