Prologue - Luna
I used to love my name. My mother named me after the moon and my brother, Atlas, after the earth. She wanted to give us a deep connection to all that would influence our lives. She thought our names would give us a tiny fraction of the power they represented.
It backfired. The Earth took my brother and my parents from me, and now my namesake is trying to kill me and the last of those I love.
I wish she had named us anything else because… fuck you, Earth and fuck you, Moon.
Part 1 – In the Now
Group chat:
Luna: One of you duckers better bring home toilet paper!! Every roll in the house is empty! I had to use a freaking paper towel. >:-(
Reid: Not it!
Jules: Not it
Torrin: Not it, only due to being 1000 km away :(
Gage: Sorry Luna. I’ll take you to Costco and we’ll stock up
Reid: Costco? I’m in! Why are their hot dogs so fucking addictive?
Jules: I’m down for Costco hot dogs
Luna: Heck no! No hot dogs for you two!!
Luna: Gage, I’ll buy you 2 hot dogs for being so awesome
Luna has left the chat
Jules: @Gage, you suck-up
Torrin: Not fair, I like Costco hot dogs
Reid: You know she’ll bring us some home.
Reid: What’s the pool up to on her not swearing?
Gage: She’s almost broke her record at 11 days so the pool sits at $220
Gage: No spinning her up or you forfeit your win assholes. Looking at you @Jules
Torrin: Whose turn is it to add her back into the chat?
Jules has added Luna to the chat.
Chapter 1 - Luna
“Gage! We don’t need that! It’s just going to be me for the next three days until Jules and Reid get back from Vancouver.” I tell him when he adds a monster-sized package of cinnamon buns to the already overflowing cart at the bulk store.
“And they will devour it like locusts when they get back. At least this way you’ll get a few before then. Don’t even pretend they aren’t your favorite.”
I bounce a few times in my boots at the prospect of getting first shot at a few of the sticky, gooey buns and then nod my agreement because he’s not wrong. The way four grown men can empty a fridge and pantry astonishes me.
I never thought I’d be living with four guys, well, three while Torrin’s baseball season is on. Never mind that they were all my brother’s best friends, but I like to think Atlas would be happy that we are all together, taking care of each other.
A hot ball of grief forms in my throat unexpectedly and I blink back the tears threatening to form in my eyes. Grief is like asneaky cat that will ambush you with sharp claws when you least expect it.
