I Possessed the Body of the Luna

(Tanya)

“Let’s all give our beloved Senator a huge round of applause!”

I stood behind Senator LeBlanc as we approached the stage. He smiled and waved at his supporters along with his family. As soon as he got to the center of the stage, the cheers grew louder. Most of the people in the town plaza raised their banners with his massive photo that said, ‘Happy Birthday, Our Future President!’ making his smile grow wider.

They started singing a birthday song while his wife and children pushed the trolley that had a cake in it. While they all hugged as his family gave him their gifts, I felt the guards’ eyes drilling a hole in my back.

I knew they had questions, ones I could never answer.

Like why his other daughter was here and not in the center to celebrate with them, why even if I was also a LeBlanc, the senator never acknowledged me publicly as his daughter, and why I was invisible to him even if I was just a few feet away.

Then again, I was the one who killed the woman Senator Marco LeBlanc adored so much, his first love and his high school sweetheart. When my mom died after giving birth to me, he passed me onto my nanny and never looked at me anymore.

“At least, he’s a good politician,” one of the guards whispered.

“I think he’s a pretty good dad to his children, even to his stepson. He’s just… selective, I guess?” another guard commented.

God, I could not wait for this event to be over. If not for Alex, my best friend and one of the Senator’s original guards, I wouldn’t have been here. But Alex had a family emergency, and I had to stand in for him otherwise, he would lose this job.

“You could have said no, Tanya,” Ben, another guard, who was also my childhood friend, whispered, leaning closer, as if he had read my mind. “And spare yourself from this humiliation. You’ve just been promoted as the first lieutenant in the army. You should be celebrating somewhere.”

Right. The agency would have sent someone else. But I was stubborn. I hadn’t seen the Senator in a long time. A part of me hoped I could be among the many people who could greet him since he wanted to celebrate his birthday with his supporters.

But earlier, he passed by me before I could even speak. He would pay attention to anyone, just not to me. They were right. He was selective like that.

“Tanya-“

“I’m okay, Ben,” I cut him off. “I’m used to it.”

I listened to the senator’s children give their birthday speeches while my eyes roamed around the crowd. Ever since we stepped out of the van, there was this nagging feeling inside me that something nasty was going to happen.

I knew that the senator had made a lot of political enemies in the past, especially after he exposed some of the other politicians’ corruption schemes.

It was my instinct that saved me for years, but I hoped that I was wrong this time. I didn’t want to ruin his birthday but then a series of gunshot erupted in the air, making the crowd scream in panic, yet another proof that God would answer anyone’s prayer except mine.

Damn it.

Even God was selective.

“Protect the senator!” his aide yelled.

“Get down!”

After seeing the guards guide him and his family safely down the stage while the crowd evacuated, I jumped down and hid behind a tree. Sweat formed in my forehead as I aimed at the man wearing a black mask a few meters away. I was able to take down two more masked men before I followed the senator and his family who were currently running towards the nearest exit. Some of the guards were severely injured.

I froze when I saw too many red dots on the senator’s body. But he was not going to die. Not today. Not on my watch.

I didn’t think twice. I ran to him as fast I could and was able to reach him in time. All of us wore bullet proof vests, including the senator but I didn’t get to escape some of the bullets, especially the one that landed into the back of my neck seconds after I covered him with my body and embraced him.

I felt the bullets pierced into my skin as blood spilled from my mouth.

“Tanya!”

That was my first time hearing my name from the senator’s lips, my first time having all his attention. I tried to stay awake to relish the feeling as I stared down at his face. For the first time, he looked terrified, almost worried.

Thank God, he was fine. A bit pale but he didn’t look injured.

My mouth opened. This was my one and only chance to greet him a happy birthday, to tell him about my gift. Too bad, I could no longer let out a single word.

I closed my eyes. I was dying. I could feel it. I always thought I would have to die to get the senator to look at me like that. And it was happening. At last.

I just never thought it would be today, damn it.