The Last Luna: Chapter Six

The Eccentric Clubs


A loud clatter woke us up.

“I thought there is no school today. Why are they waking us up? Wazawaza.”, Ceira complained under her comforter.

“Mattaku desu ne.”, I agreed with her. Well, she’s completely right.

“Oh. Ohayoo gozaimasu, Lynette-sama.”, she greeted happily.

“Same to you, Ceira-kun.”, I greeted back.

“GIRLS! Wake up now! Breakfast is ready!”, the unlovely voice of Lucia screamed. She’s always shouting.

“Breakfast? Good! I didn’t take a dinner last night!”, Ceira said, jumping out of her bed. She clutched her towel from the closet and went to the bathroom without any other noise aside from her whistle.

“Breakfast. I wonder if Grandpa had already eaten his breakfast. I think I need to write them some letters.”, I said to myself.

Ceira took just a quarter of an hour to clean herself. She wore a peach dress, and she’s pulling a shawl on the bottom of her cupboard. She wrapped it around herself and she turn around and around and around until she fell on her bed.

“Won’t you change your clothes?”, she asked me.

“Later. For me, breakfast is good while wearing your nightclothes.”, I said.

We went out of our room together with the others. They are also wearing their nightclothes, and honestly, Ceira was the only one who changed her clothes. Well, I can’t blame her. She didn’t even change the clothes that she wore while we are on the airport yesterday.

We found a good spot on the same hall where we are yesterday. It was near the door. Actually, it was on the last of the middle table. On my back was the red-haired girl.

“It’s hot! Move aside, Alexa!”, she commanded. The girl with the name Alexa moved far from her.

“Good, Alexa.”, she praised.

I think she noticed us looking on her. She also looked at us. Well, on me.

“Problem?”, she asked like a wicked queen.

“Should there be?”, I asked back. She looked pissed. Great.

She took a gulp of the water before she answered me, “I can’t see why not. Girls like you are nothing when compared to me.”

“And who the heck are you?”, Ceira asked.

“I am the one and only daughter of the famous musician, Brian Middleton. I am Lady Bernice Margaret Middleton.”, she introduced herself as she tried to sing.

“I never heard of him.”, Ceira said.

“Of course you don’t. My father doesn’t like Asia. You’re a Japanese with no knowledge about the West Pleasures, like my father.”, she teased, but Ceira was instead enjoying this game.

“Oh. Really? Let’s see. Lynette, have you hear of Brian Middletoe?”, Ceira asked. I don’t know if she was just kidding about the surname or she really forgot it.

“Darn you, girl! It’s Middleton.”, Bernice complained.

“I said Middleton, Venice.”, Ceira said.

“And my name is Bernice! Call me Lady Bernice!”, Bernice shouted.

“Shut up. Answer us, dear.”, she said.

“I honestly, never heard about your father, Bernice. Or read about him, either.”, I said. Hey, I am telling the truth.

“Dumb girls.”, she said. Then she turned back to her table. Her face was completely pinkish red, and hands were firmed on her lap.

Ceira was about to talk about Bernice again when the food came. Around twenty maids, on a one-to-one ratio with us, the students, served a tray filled with foods. The tray was consisted of the following meals – hot chocolate, French toast, jam and butter, and strangely, an apple. The food was nothing compared to my breakfast in Oxford. I’ll write a letter about this later.

After the breakfast, we all went back to our rooms. Ceira talked and told me their life in Japan while I took a bath on the tub. The water was a bit cold, but I’m still fine with it. After soaking myself on the tub, I dried myself and chose to wear the blue-laced blouse and the skirt that I brought. It was comfortable, especially that I am wearing my soft shoes. I combed my wavy hair and tied it on my back, using my red ribbon.

Unluckily, the tour was supposed to be a group tour with Lucia. Amazingly, the airport was gone and the place where we stayed was really a big mansion.

“This is the Kent Mansion. This is where you will sleep or stay while you are studying on Lady Eve Academy.”, Lucia explained. For the first time, she doesn’t shout.

We walked passed the bricked road with a sight of the sea on the left and the wood on the right. I think, the whole academy was placed on the top of a highland near the sea. We reached the school’s main building in just 5 minutes. The building was smaller compared from our dormitory, but the walls are more magnificent. It was made of bricks, like the dormitory, but it was more colorful and the scenery was better. When we reached the top (second-floor) using a stair, Lucia introduced us to the classrooms that we are to stay. Apparently, all of us, twenty in all, will stay on the Room A for the Social Studies, Geography, Literature, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages. Room B was different; it was a music room, where we are conducting our Music Lessons. Room C was like an art gallery, and I guess that it is for Art Lessons. And my guess was right. Room D surprised me the best. It was actually a Ballet Studio.

“And this is where we will polish your attitude and manners! Ballet! Ballet! This will be your passion for the rest of your life!”, she said. We’re sure that she’ll be our Ballet teacher. Hell, it sucks. I can’t imagine this old woman to raise his legs and put her hands on the top on made circles. Gross. Disgusting.

I noticed a fifth room on the end of the house. I took courage to asked Lucia.

“It was Miss Elmira’s room. That will serve as the Principal’s Office.”, she said.

We went back to the ground floor. From the stairs, the floor was like a big lobby. A long desk on the corner, plants and paintings on the wall, and two rooms parallel with each other. The first one, which I believe was the kitchen room, was absolutely large. It has lots of equipment and you can see the woods on the window on its right. The other room was the staff room, which was the place for our teachers. It’s locked.

I was actually planning on how to spent the rest of my day when Lucia cut off my thoughts.

“Another thing. Go behind me.”, she said. We followed.

She walked to the woods. Actually, the woods have already its path so we are not afraid of having any scratches from the thorns of the plants. We were surprised to see an ancient-designed building in the middle of the forest. It has a two floors, and we discovered that the building was equally divided into four rooms with different colors of doors. Bernice was about to ask about the rooms when Lucia said that we have to go back to our dormitory. Disappointed, we followed her.

When we are back in Room 5, I suddenly asked Ceira about the powers.

“She didn’t tell us anything, huh?”

“Yeah. Perhaps, she’ll do that later. Have you felt the earthquake?”, she asked.

“When?”

“Last night.”

“Yes. But I didn’t tell anything about that, because it seemed that I was the only one who felt it.”, I answered.

“Yeah. You are right. I made that. I am Gnome, remember? I can manipulate the Earth on my will, and I just pointed the force on you.”, she said.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“I wonder what’s my power.”, I asked to myself.

“Perhaps you’re water.”, she said calmly.

“What made you say that?”, I asked. Water.

“Eyes. Your eyes are emerald green. The color of an Undine.”, she said.

“Sure?”

“No.”, she admitted. “I never knew how, but I guess so. Say, what is the color of the moon when you’re born?”

“I don’t know.”, I said.

“Then, maybe you can ask your parents. Go write a letter to them!”, she said.

“I wanted to, but I think heaven doesn’t have that post office that we have here.”,I said.

“Heaven? Oh my, gomenasai, minna-san! I never thought that your parents were, dead. Gomene!”, she said back, bowing her head back and forth.

“It’s okay! Actually, they died five years ago and I already moved on. I accept the faith that they had, though sometimes I am alone that they’re not on my side.”, I said back, smiling.

“Oh. But, I am still sorry.”, she said.

We spent our day telling about each other. I told her everything about me. How I lived with my grandfather, the buttermilk bread that Amelia made for me, how Mike drives, Georgia’s gown, Aunt Nathalie, Omar, and my narcissist cousin, Nathaniel.

She told me about their life in Japan, too. The kimonos that she wear, the parasol dance, the tea ceremony, the Buddhism, and the climate and language as well. She spent most of her time giggling about my expressions. She’s enjoying every part of our discussion. And so am I.

We also learned that there is no lunch in this place. Fortunately, Ceira brought some bread from Japan. Of all, I like the Melon bread. It was crunchy on the outside but chewy ad soft inside. It was good. And she also made a green tea for me.

I asked about Ceiron, whom I saw yesterday. Ceiron is studying on St. Nicholas Academy, an All Boys’ Dormitory School. It was just near our place, perhaps just below of the land.

We went downstairs when we heard the bell rang. The dinner is ready, we thought. And it was.

The hall was still the same. Actually, the first floor of the dormitory was a hall. The perfect place for breakfast, dinner, ad conference and seminar. Miss Aylett was there when we arrived.

“Good evening.”, she greeted.

“Same here.”, I whispered, though I knew that she can’t hear me.

“I am very happy that your tour and day here in Lady Eve Academy was good and filled with excitement. I am very happy that you liked the buildings and stuffs that we prepared for ladies like you. I knew that you don’t have a lunch, so I won’t talk anymore. You can eat your dinner. Enjoy.”, she said. She and the other Lucia sat on the fourth table on the front together with other seven girls. The dinner for tonight : steak, mashed potato, toasted bread, watermelon shake, and for dessert: gelato.

Other girls stood up when they are finished eating, but Miss Aylett stopped them by ringing her bell. Thanks to you ladies, I won’t finish eating mine.

“Ladies. Please take your seat first. To the others, I am sorry but you need to pause your dinner. For the teachers, please continue your dinner on the staff room. I wanted to talk to them alone.”, she said. The other teachers were surprised, but at least they obeyed her.

“I know that all of you knew about the secret of the school. This school isn’t ordinary. Others thought that Lady Eve Academy is just a five star rated school, but it is also a school that no one expects. I am sure that you knew the words, Salamander, Gnome, Undine, and Sylph.”

“One of the ways of distinguishing your power is your eye color. Bernice Middleton can manipulate the fire, am I right?”, she asked that red-haired girl.

Bernice smiled and blew the candle on her front. She placed her finger on the tip of the candle and the flame appeared. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Her eyes are flaming crimson, as you can see. Fire-users, or better known as Salamanders, are common. I think five out of this class are Salamanders. Salamanders are most common to female. And they belong to the Flaming Salamander Club.”

“Ceira Ishikawa, please stand up.”, she ordered.

“Please do a trick.”, she said. Ceira did. An earthquake with intensity two occurred. She did it with just a wave of her hand.

“Good. That was the power of a Gnome, an earth-dweller. A gift of the yellow moon. There are three Gnomes here, because they are common to males. They belonged to the Rocking Gnome Club.”, she said.

“And the last but not the least, the only two members of the Soothing Undine Club. Lady Alexa Mere and Lady Lynette Marie van Dross, the owners of the rare green eyes. You two are undine, the water controllers. Perhaps, Alexa can show us a good example.”

Alexa nervously nodded. And then she slowly inhaled and the water on her glass rose, going to another glass on the other table. Our table. And it is not going to a glass, it is going to….. Oh. Bernice’s hair!

“Hey!”, Bernice shouted.

“It seems like you can control that bullshit power. Let me help you!”, she added. She threw a fireball to Alexa. But Ceira was faster, she threw mud on Bernice’s face. She screamed like a slaughtered pig. We all laugh, including Miss Aylett.

“Stop it!”, Bernice cried.

“Please, ladies. Stop.”, Miss Aylett shouted. But her shout was so soft; it was like she was singing. We stopped.

“What about the sylph?”, I suddenly asked.

“Unluckily, we haven’t found one. Blue-eyed Sylphs are the ones who are mostly unheard of. I only knew a few, but they are already dead. But there is one on St. Nicholas Academy, though I don’t know the name. He is the only member of the Azure Sylph Club.”, she answered.

“Tomorrow night, we are all to start our first lesson. Can you still remember the building on the center of the woods? Come there at exactly seven in the night. And, don’t mention it to your other teachers. You cannot use your power in the morning since there is no moon – the source of your power. Good night ladies, and you can continue your meals. Thank you.”, she said as she took steps to the door,

“Your schedule is written on the board.”, she added, pointing the board on our back.

They finished their meals. But I don’t I am still thinking about the only Sylph. The most powerful one. I wonder who he is. St. Nicholas Academy.

The schedule of our school was okay. Here is the list:

8:00 – 8:45 Ballet Lucia Poll
8:46 – 9:30 Social Studies Cassandra Historia
9:31 – 10:15 Geography Myra Modelst
10:16 – 11:00 Mathematics Agatha Shakesmeare
11:00 – 12:00 LUNCH BREAK CAFETERIA
12:01 – 12:45 Foreign Languages Lin Chi Yan
12:46 – 1:30 Art Lessons Courtney Thomas
1:31 – 2:15 Literature Cornelia Powell
2:16 – 3:00 Music Lessons Sophie del Mercado

P.S. Do not put this on your notebook:
7:00 – 8:00 pm Elemental Guidance Elmira Aylett

Signed by:
Elmira Aylett
Head Mistress , Lady Eve Academy

“Lunch break at cafeteria.”, Ceira said.

“Where’s the cafeteria?”,I asked.

“I don’t know either. Old Lucia didn’t tell us.”, she said.

“You know what, Old Lucia sounds good.”, I said.

We went back to our room. I cleaned myself first, then I stared at my reflection. I actually focused on my eyes. Green. Like an emerald. There are only two of us in here. Alexa and me. Undine.

The nigh was too short for us. We are all excited about our last subject, the Elemental Guidance. Ceira was too happy that there is a lunch break. But we don’t know where the cafeteria was.

I can’t sleep. And it was because of three things. First, I missed Oxford. I missed my grandfather so much. Second, I am an Undine, a water dweller. My eyes are green and I am rare. Third, the only Sylph left in the world. I don’t know why, but there is a part of me that was so disappointed of having someone who was stronger than me. The thing inside me tells me to know him, to defeat him and to kill him.