The Luna

Five

"Where is your home?" I have my duffle bag open on the futon, and I'm folding my small amount of clothes carefully inside. Everything I'm taking with me is on the bed before me and sadly it will all fit inside the bag.

Some clothes, a framed picture of me and my mom and a photo album from my childhood - is the accumulation of everything I own and will be taking with me.

"The Lotus pack. It's a few hours or so from here," I don't have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice. I can't help but wonder what it must feel like to feel so much pride in where you come from that the mere mention of it brings a smile to your face.

I zip up my bag and turn to sit next to it. Caspian stands by the door, ready to leave. If I were easily offended, I would think that this small apartment with all the second-hand furniture, makes him uncomfortable.

But the truth is probably more along the lines of him wanting to get back to his people with his Luna by his side.

"Caspian," I sigh, my hands fidgeting in my lap, "Are you sure about this? I mean, I don't even know what a Luna is, and -"

"Hey," Caspian cuts me off, walking until he can kneel in front of me, "take a breath, it's okay. I know there is still much you need to learn but if I gave you all the answers you're asking for now, it would overwhelm you."

He stands quickly, reaching and taking my bag from the bed before reaching for my hand.

"You are the future of my pack, Mia, that's the most important part."

"Wait, I have to leave a note," I pull my hand from Caspian's moving back into the room to grab the pad of paper I use for taking orders in the diner.

I can feel Caspian's annoyance from the door, but I don't care. Justice at least deserves a goodbye after everything she has done for me.

It by no means is enough, and a part of me is sad that I'm not going to say goodbye and thank you in person. But sometimes goodbyes are too hard in person and I don't think I'll want to go if I have to face them.

Does this make me a coward? Yes, absolutely. I'm not proud of that, but at least I'll admit it.

"Let's go, Mia," Caspian opens the door and motions for me to go through first. With one final look at the apartment that I've called home for past few months, I take a deep breath and embrace the future that's to come.

It feels weird to finally be leaving Crest Falls. It's something that I have dreamed about for so long but I wasn't expecting it to be so bittersweet.

A part of me is sad, ironically enough, to be leaving all this behind me. But this is what's best for me.

I am (somehow) the future of a wolf pack and they need me. Caspian needs me.

Wow. This is still too weird to think about. It's starting to feel like a dream more than anything.

"Um," it takes me a minute to realize that Caspian is leading me back into the trees behind the diner, "How do we get there?"

"Oh, right," Caspian looks at me and at the Forrest, indecision clear on his face, "okay. We'll steal a car," he shrugs like it's no big deal before placing his hand on my lower back, leading me towards the front of the diner.

"Wait, what?!" I stop in my tracks causing him to turn around and look at me in clear annoyance, "We can't steal a car!"

Caspian sighs, running a hand through his hair as he takes a deep breath.

"You're human and can't run there like I can." He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Truthfully, I didn't think about that. I didn't really think about how we would get there at all actually until it was time to leave. I just assumed Caspian had some sort of plan in place. I mean, I guess technically he does now.