That night, as Luna laid in bed in her short emerald green night gown, she struggled to keep the events of the morning out of her mind.
She clenched her fists, her nails pricking the flesh of her palms, and the pain distracted her.
She focused on the ceiling and decide to count fish so that she would fall asleep.
Luna always was a tad bit scared of sheep, she didn't like how they had lesser common sense than most animals making them spontaneous and unpredictable.
Unlike fish who knew boundaries and stayed in their habitat.
One fish, two fish, three fish, four -
A firm knock on the door surprised her and she quickly got up to receive the visitor.
She mentally cursed at herself for hoping with all her heart for it to be Mark coming to ask her to stay but it was Mrs. Dean.
"Mark asked me to clean your wounds."
Still reeling from the disappointment over the wrong person at the door, Luna failed in responding fast so the old woman pointed at her knees and for the first time Luna acknowledged the cuts and scrapes on her knees with dried blood making them look worse than they felt.
She plopped down on the bed lightly as her legs dangled and Mrs. Dean cleaned her cuts.
Flashbacks of her pounding on the window with rain pouring down on her started to creep back into her mind but she closed her eyes tightly and visibly shook her head.
To escape the hounding thoughts she decided to converse with the old lady applying antiseptic to her legs.
"Mrs. Dean don't you remember me?" her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I do Miss Pièrce. You used to be with Mark all the time."
"Yeah... I used to be"
Wrapping a bandage around one of the cuts she spoke again with a firm voice, " Then you were arrested for murder."
"It wasn't murder it was ruled as self defence in court." She told her what she told everyone.
"Then why were you in there for 5 years?" Mrs. Dean retorted and looked up expecting a serious answer and Luna almost thought she was scolding her.
She covered her eyes with her arm and sighed, " Mrs. Dean it's complicated. But..." She paused, "it wasn't murder." She spoke slowly but rigidly.
"Okay."
After picking up the first aid box she turned to leave but stopped and without turning around she spoke, "Things weren't the same here without you Miss. Your family stopped coming over for dinner every month, and Mark stopped playing all together."
"But things seem just fine now." Luna sat up and stared at her hands in her lap.
Mrs. Dean turned around and stared at her sympathetically,
"Don't take it to your heart Miss, the elites aren't like normal people, they mourn ardently, but do not mourn for long."
Luna frowned, cursing at herself for being born between the coldest of humans.
"If you need anything else do tell me."
Unexpectedly struck with an urge for a small revenge, Luna got up quickly and made her way to her.
"Actually there is something I need." She spoke with a mischievous glint in her eyes and whispered something in Mrs. Dean's ear.
☾
The next day in the plane, Luna watched the people moving in the aisle slowly, one by one going to their seats. She was enjoying the scene of normal people near her unlike the screw ups she grew up with.
There wasn't a single decent girl at Juvie, making the realisation hit her like a train that she really didn't belong there and there was nothing she could do about it.
Before she could heat up with envy, she turned her head towards the plane's window just before she could see a family of five get to there seat.
She rested her head against the glass and stared at the other planes.
No matter what happens, Im never coming back here.