P R E S E N T
D A Y

Frost stared at her own cursive handwriting.

Maha Kesley

She frowned at the list of names above it, glad that this was the last one as she shut the book.

The glowing apple on the front cover seemed to be laughing back at her. She would never be able to save them, any of them. But then again, none of them deserved to die, so it was worth a try, wasn't it?

Two weeks. Two weeks ago, she discovered the Realm of the Twenty-First Century by chance, and the books titled The Lunar Chronicles had caught her attention. No doubt had she been flabberghasted, her limbs paralyzed to the spot as she gawked at the books. It was only when one of the employees at the bookstore had asked her if she required assistance did she snap out of her delirium and purchased all seven books at once. She had finished reading them three days ago when the idea spurred to mind. They were only minor characters, but they were the main ones' family, once loved, then... gone.

Linh Peony. Linh Cinder's stepsister. Dead of Letumosis.

Michelle Benoit. Scarlet Benoit's grandmother. Dead of first-degree murder by Ran Kesley.

Doctor Dimitri Erland. Crescent Moon Darnel's father. Dead of Letumosis.

And finally, Maha Kesley. Ze'ev Kesley's mother. Dead of bioelectrical manipulation by Thaumaturge Aimery Park.

Then, there were the ones who she didn't want to care about.

Logan Tanner. Scarlet Benoit's grandfather. Dead of bioelectricity related suicide.

Emperor Rikan. Kai's father. Dead of Letumosis.

Luc Raoul Arman Benoit. Scarlet's father. Dead of first-degree murder by Beta Wynn.

She didn't know them as well as she knew the others, not that she knew the others, but page after page, at least she'd grown emotionally attached to them. Or rather, characters like Luc Benoit wasn't... worth saving - he had been an alcoholic who abused his daughter after all. Despite them also being related to the main characters, despite the fact that she believed no one deserved to die - in the end, she couldn't save every deceased person in the world.

No, her objective this time would be to only stick with the names she'd written on that piece of paper: Peony, Michelle, Erland, and Maha. That would be it. She couldn't risk doing anything else that might otherwise mess up the entire plot, which meant that despite how much she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to show herself in front of the Rampion Crew, she wouldn't even be able to allow the people she was going to save tell the crew that they were alive. She'd have to let them go on thinking that their loved ones were dead until the revolution ended.

It would be just the right time too - when she had first teleported to Luna, she was eight, and Winter five. With them three years apart, Winter would be turning seventeen soon, which was her exact age when these stories took place.

Her objectives became clearer as she analyzed her list. Two were killed of Letumosis, one by a special operative, and the last a thaumaturge. She needed to obtain the antidote and kill two other people much stronger than she was. She weighed her options. She could risk her life stealing two vials of the antidote, but she'd be no match against a special operative and a thaumaturge even with her growing abilities. 

If she couldn't win them physically, then she would outsmart them. She would become one of them, earning their trust until they handed the antidote over to her willingly, until Ran Kesley and Aimery Park realized that they would've never thought in a million years she would want them dead.

Setting her jaw, she packed her books and padded to Genissa's room, swinging her bag over her shoulders.

Her sister was laying on her bed, one hand acting as a cushion underneath her head while the other fluttered lazily in the air, releasing springs of tiny snowflake particles.

"Aren't you hot?" Frost asked, noticing the blanket she's under. The air conditioner was left on, but ever since her sister's body started adapting to the ice, she'd find any temperature above zero degrees Celsius too warm.

Genissa's fist clenched in mid-air, an icicle pulled downward, its tip planting into the soft mattress of the bed. She opened her palm again, gripping onto the smooth top and pushed herself up. "Learn how to knock, Frost."

"Got something to hide?" Frost smirked, "I swear if Trevor was in here, you guys better have kept it PG 13."

"Wow. Would you look at my baby sister, all grown up and grasping the concepts of adulthood so quickly," A satirical smile stretched across Genissa's face, "I was practicing my powers, and the temperature in here's just fine, but I appreciate your concern."

"Practicing your powers?" Frost rolled her eyes, "Please. Even a non-prodigy could sprinkle some glitter in the sky and call it snow."

"No? Would you rather have me encase you in a glacier?" Genissa raised an eyebrow.

"Why were you practicing anyway?" Frost asked, "I mean, it's so unlike you."

"Changing the subject so soon?" Genissa teased.

"Seriously," Frost groaned.

"Well, that is precisely why you should stop drowning yourself in that fictional world of yours and face reality," Genissa admonished, "Stop reading those stupid books, Frost, you're literally living under a rock. Wake up and pay attention to the news."

"For your information, my books aren't stupid," Frost scowled, "And what do they have anything to do with all this?"

"Captain Chromium was attacked by the Anarchists yesturday," Genissa sighed, "Almost successfully assassinated, might I add."

"What?"

"A poisonous dart inches away from his eye. Shot by the infamous Nightmare." Genissa shrugged.

"How do they know? I thought it was an assassination, did she present herself?" Frost asked, suddenly intrigued.

"They've found her weapons and ID'd them," Genissa explained, "And who said assassins can't show themselves? Yes, Sketch's team fought against her. Well, minus Sketch." She deadpanned. "Honestly, he sucks at being team captain half of the times, you think he should've at least showed up, right? Instead, he wanders around during the parade drawing bracelet clasps on girls."

"He... What?" Frost couldn't help spilling a fluttery of laughter.

"Mags told me," Genissa winked, "Don't tell."

"Who, that magnet girl?" Frost raised an eyebrow, "Isn't she only like... ten or something?"

"Mhmm, same age as the Bandit" Genissa said jovially, "Her powers might not be much use other than dig up some goods but give that kid a metal, she's a legend." She paused. "Oh, and this Sentinel guy showed. Claimed he worked for the Renegades, but ended up burning twenty-nine of Monarch's butterflies. The Puppeteer showed as well, controlled a bunch of children before getting thrown off his own hot air balloon by Nightmare. It's hilarious how people from both sides just ended up betraying each other today, it's like they were possessed or something."

"You don't know that Nightmare's working with the Anarchists though," Frost pointed out, "and do you really buy that Sentinel guy's story?"

"Yes, she did throw the Puppeteer off his balloon today, but she's been caught appearing with the Anarchists far too many times lately, and the poisonous darts in her gun were the work of Cyanide, so we have many reasons to believe that they're working together," Genissa said, "And about the Sentinel, I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

"Alright, but we're going off on a tangent here, you still haven't told me why you've been practicing your powers," Frost frowned.

"The council sent for our team to survey their tunnels," Genissa said, "Especially since their attack, Kasumi wanted us to check on them, see if they're up to something. Not exactly my greatest moment, " She narrowed her eyes, wanting to change the subject, "Why'd you come to my room in the first place?"

"Oh. Yeah. About that," Frost stammered despite having been preparing this speech for days. When her sister asked so out of the blue like that, Frost found herself unsure how to tell her. "I came here to tell you that I'm going to go on a trip, and I won't be back for a couple of weeks."

"What?" Genissa gawked at her, "When are you leaving?"

"Now," Frost said, "I mean, after we have this conversation of course."

"It's not called a conversation when only one side makes the decision," Genissa deadpanned.

"Of course you have a say in this!" Frost exclaimed.

"Oh, so I do now," Genissa scowled, "so will you cancel your plans and stay if I said I don't permit you to go?"

Frost stayed silent.

"That's what I thought," Genissa snorted.

"I'll leave a portal for you," Frost said, her voice wavering, "So you could come to visit me. And I'll leave it in your room, so our parents don't find out."

"Don't leave it in my room," Genissa scoffed.

"Why, afraid that you'll miss me?" Frost laughed.

"No, I just hate those purple buzzly things," Genissa rolled her eyes, "In fact, I'd actually prefer the peace and quiet with you gone in the house for a change." She paused, pondering. "Put the portal behind the statue at City Park, it's far away from home, and nobody even goes there anymore."

But despite what Genissa just said, Frost could still sense that her sister didn't want her to go. Perhaps it was from the occasional knitting of her brows, or the slight frown on her face, Frost gulped.

"So it's settled then," She forced herself to appear cheerful, clasping her hands together.

When her sister only nodded absently, she spun on her heels and headed toward the door.

"Wait."

Frost halted mid-step, peering through a lock of her own wavy silver hair as she turned her head to look behind her shoulders, "Yeah?"

"Be careful."

Frost didn't know what to say, so she did only what came to mind at that very instant: nodded back, and kept going as familiar violet sparked against the palms of her hands.

The portal enlarged, and she stepped through.

Branches brushed against her arms, the tips of wild grown leaves tickling her skin. She made another portal behind an ancient trunk in the jungle that covered the ruins of the city, its rings spiraling upward, determining just how old this place was. She did not spare a glance at the glowing flowers or the dreamy greens, she did not look at the rusty old stone figure at the center of the pavement of mushy soil, its back facing her, its arms cradling something mysterious. She stepped through her new portal, this time not allowing it to disappear behind her.

And she was there.

She stood at the center of the Throne Room, a man was kneeling by her feet, gun raised to his head, sobbing uncontrollably. The room hushed into a threatening silence, a dozen eyes gawked at her.

She turned to face them, the aristocrats who watched the trials for entertainment seated on the sides, the guards stationed at the doors, nobody daring to speak, nobody daring to make the least of sounds. She spotted the woman with her hair wrapped around a bird's cage, the one Scarlet had seen during her trials, she spotted Jacin and Kinney, staring at the walls. Always at the walls.

Forst turned back. Winter's eyes have been squeezed shut, a result of the unwillingness to watch the prisoner kill himself, which meant she also didn't notice how Frost arrived, her portal, her powers. Frost ignored her stare.

Sybil and Aimery were there as well. Age didn't seem to have played a toll on them, but they'd be about in their early thirties now.

Finally, she met Levana's burning eyes, and for a second, she almost looked... unbeautiful. A smile stretched across Frost's face. "I'm sorry, did I come at a wrong time?"