The Plus Size Luna のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

It was just the normal chatter that one always encountered at the end of a school day, bouncing off the walls and echoing in every nook and cranny of the cafeteria. The kids just lounged around, taking those last tidbits of school life before summer break. The air was heavy with the odor of cafeteria food and the implicit excitement of freedom just around the bend. But the normal buzz was interrupted by a sharp intake of collective breath from Coreen's circle as she flourished a sleek, black ticket between her fingers."Check it out," she said, her voice full of smugness. "I'm the fifth student who got a ticket to the Howling Hunt for next year."The gasp ran through the group, a ringed circle around her, eyes agog in an awed mixture. The Howling Hunt was just the most prestigious event in their world, an exclusive competition to which only the crème de la crème were invited to participate. It was a test of abilities, guile, and raw power, almost a rite of passage for those wolves tha

Maxine's eyes fluttered open, reluctantly responding to the soft but insistent voice of her mother. The room was still dim, the curtains barely filtering in the early morning light. She squinted at the clock on her bedside table-6:30 AM. "Maxine, breakfast is ready," her mother called again, soft but firm as always. One could never argue with her mother's wake-up calls.Maxine sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her sleep had been fitful, troubled by vague, unsettling images that vanished the moment she tried to remember them. She pushed the thoughts aside, knowing she had to face the day.It was the freshly brewed aroma of coffee and something savory baking that coursed through the house, drawing her out of bed. She got quickly dressed, still mostly asleep, and trod along the hall to the dining area. Her steps were lagging, her mind not awake, until the moment she saw Alph entering the room; then she straightened up, smoothing hair and clothes.Alph moved into the cabi

The night had fallen softly upon the beach, waves lapping at it in a soothing rhythm that joined with the crackling campfire. The warmth of the fire presented an agreeable contrast to the cool evening breeze; its dancing light fluttered across the faces around it. The air was thick with scents of grilled meat and the faraway salty tang of the sea.Sarah had gone off a lot sooner than she normally did, a spring in her legs as she hastened to get back to the beach house. Her mum was going into labor with her second child, and Sarah wanted to be among the first to welcome her little brother to the world. Maxine had decided to stay behind, irresistibly called by the peacefulness of the night. She found herself sitting on the wooden stairs at the beach house and stared at the fire, crackling, popping.She could see her mom and Alph's dad talking animatedly by the fire—getting along real well. They laughed a lot, and the stories sounded good. The smile came softly to Maxine's lips. It was n

“Maxine… it’s time…” “Release me…” A loud cry kept echoing in Maxine’s head. The world was hazy to Maxine, a blur of color and sound. Her vision swam, her body was wracked with chills, and the pain from the previous night’s ordeal still lingered. “We need to wake the darkness within you” seemed to ring in her ears, but the hazy words got jumbled up in her brain. Her eyes struggled to focus, and she could only make out some general shapes moving around her; everything else was a muddled blur. She heard her mother’s and stepfather’s voices through the fog, but their words were just a murmur. Maxine opened her eyes to blurred vision and a body covered in sweat. Her head pounded within her skull, and she could swear her fever-ridden skin was aflame. She remembered one thing: the man with the burned face and what he had said. Now, she lay in bed surrounded by the comforting yet disorienting sound of her mother’s and stepfather’s voices. “Maxine, are you okay?” her mother asked, her con

There were no emotions within Maxine's eyes, only an eerie, vast void. Her heart thundered within her chest with a savagery that threatened to rip her limb from limb, while her brain was a maelstrom of raw, uncontrollable rage. It was the need for vengeance that drove her onward, some bestial urge that had to be appeased. She spotted Coreen in the ladies' room, her gaze nailed to her target. Coreen was changing her top, totally oblivious to the storm brewing just outside the door. As each second ticked by, Maxine's anger coursed higher. One of Coreen's friends, Nikki, was the first to notice the intense stare coming from Maxine and chimed in with a snide remark, "Look, it's Maxine. What's with you, creep? Why are you staring like that?” Seeing Maxine, Coreen hastened to change into the clothes. "What's up, fatty? You look so angry?" she sneered, grinning. Maxine's eyes were vacant, but it would seem that the anger inside her was palpable. Coreen's words served only to whet her ange