The Elemental Luna's Awakening

Rhiannon "You have GOT to be fu.cking kidding me!" There was another flash of lightning and roll of thunder from outside, as I stood inside the school doors, staring at the sky unleashing its fury. I'd waited over half an hour to open the doors and start making my 20 plus minute walk home. "Well, it's not like I can stand here for the rest of the day. Might as well get this over with", I thought to myself. I double checked that I put my gym clothes on top of my school books in my backpack to try to protect them from the rain as much as possible. I pushed the door open against the wind, and started my walk home. "Junior high went exceptionally well, of course 11th grade wasn't going to be any different", I thought with sarcasm as irritation raced through me. I felt a shiver go through my body, thanks to my skin getting immediately soaked as soon as I got outside. I honestly didn't think that when I got into 7th grade that life was going to be so ..... different. As soon as the transition from the elementary school over to the larger school that contained 7th through 12th graders happened, everyone changed. Everything changed. Those I grew up thinking were my friends, immediately no longer were. And the worst part? They started making fun of me with their new-found comrades. Today was one of those days. Humidity wreaked havoc on my waist long, wavy, dark blonde hair. It frizzed out every which way, making me look like a damn poodle. That caused the girls I once considered to be my friends to ask me why I didn't brush her hair. Was I too poor to own a brush? Maybe no one taught me how to use one? Or maybe my hair was just frizzy because I didn't wash it and was a dirt bag. That one made me roll my eyes. Not washing my hair made it greasy, not frizzy. The least they could do was be intelligent when they decided to degrade me. My body has always over reacted to the changes in nature. I don't understand why, but I'm just very sensitive to it. It's just one of the many reasons that they bully me. It doesn't help that I'm the youngest in my class, at just going on 17, but yet I'm the tallest girl, standing at 6 feet tall. Add in as soon as I hit puberty, I filled out in all the right places, at least according to the looks the guys gave me as I walked by. Most of the boys in school are nice to me, for obvious reasons. That is unless their girlfriends happen to be around. Middle school transitioned to junior high, which went to high school, and it never changed for me. Always an outcast and loner, I focused on getting good grades, it's all I really had. "At least they didn't call me 'thick giantess' today, I guess that's a wi ....", just as the words were leaving my mouth, a car drove by from behind me, purposely splashing water all over me. One of the boys from school was driving, while his girlfriend was laughing hysterically from the passengers side. I wanted to cry in anger as the rain seemed to come down even harder. If I had known that the weather was going to be like this, I would have at least brought a rain coat. Normally, I knew better than to stay on the sidewalk when a vehicle passed, especially when there were puddles. The immature morons known as my peers loved to take every possible opportunity to try to splash me. But today I was preoccupied listening to the storm, tuning out the noises made by humans. I may not enjoy walking in the rain, but the sound of storms relaxed me. "Thanks, assholes!" I yelled out as I flipped off the car while it continued to drive away. "My books are ruined for sure now, no doubt about it". I grumbled as the thought of having to pay for my books started to weigh on me. I decided to get my head out of the clouds and put more focus on walking home as fast as I could, before any other classmates drove by and decided that I was an easy target for their free entertainment. Not being one to cause a big scene and get into trouble at school, I never put up a fight, verbally or physically. I tolerate all of the bullying as it comes. Even a couple of years ago when another girl put gum in my hair while we were in the lunch line. I stared at her as I pulled it out and dropped it on her shoe, giving her no emotional reaction. I have enough going on at home, mentally and emotionally, to worry about that crap. Yeah, I'd say something smart when no one was paying attention, but that was usually the extent of it. I'm the only child at home. My mom, Catherine, is a single mom, who despite working long days, never seems to be able to have the bills paid on time. Multiple times we've faced foreclosure, utilities have been turned off, and a meal is usually whatever I can manage to put together. Clothes came from the local thrift store, as my Aunt worked there and was able to get me a discount. But that was another thing the kids at school gave me sh.it about. Not just because of having second-hand clothes, but being on the taller side, it was difficult to find clothes that actually fit properly. I swear jeans aren't made for someone who is both curvy AND tall, so they are never quite long enough. I often get asked if I'm expecting a flood or I get called high water. Ironically, today it was a fitting nickname with the amount of rain we're getting. Because Catherine grew up poor, she saved EVERYTHING. At least, that's why she told me she saved so much stuff. "You never know when we'll need it" was one of her favorite sayings. We live in an old large 2-story farm house that sits on an acre of land, just on the outskirts of our small town. Half of the rooms were filled with her needless things. Between that and the house needing a lot of repairs and updates, it was embarrassing living there, but at least it's a roof over my head. Catherine basically treats me like a live-in maid. I spend what free time I have doing indoor and outdoor chores. It's like our mother-daughter roles have been reversed at some point over the years. I try to keep things presentable outside as much as I can, no matter how much around me was literally falling apart. Deep down, I hope that doing so gives my classmates one less reason to harass me. It's not that it hurts my feelings, it's well past that point, it's just that anymore I'd rather them just not talk to me. Being ignored would be so much easier. I feel unwanted, like I don't belong and that these people aren't my people. My father, Matt, has a life that no longer involves me. Not that it ever really did. When I was younger, all I wanted was to spend time with him, but more often than not, he'd cancel our planned days together so he could spend time with his wife, Becca. They recently had their second child together and I honestly don't even know if it was another boy, or a girl this time. Matt always wanted a boy and often complained about spending time with me. As soon as my half brother was born, I became less than nothing to him. That's when I started referring to him as Matt instead of father. Despite writing him out of my life, I still get to go visit my grandma at her small cabin further out in the country. Matt's mom is the only grandparent I have and she's really the only family member I feel connected to. I also value the simplicity of being surrounded by land and nature when I'm at her place. No one around for miles and a few hundred acres between us and the closest neighbor. Being there calms my mind and heals my heart, it calls out to my soul as soon as I arrive, begging me to never leave. "You could have let up just a little bit, don't you think?" I asked the sky as I stood on my front porch. Another flash of lighting hit as if the sky was mocking me, but before the loud clap of thunder could be heard like laughter, I turned around and went inside. "Hey guys! How was your day? I bet you all want to go outside, don't you?" I was greeted by Catherine's pack of dogs. Not only did Catherine collect needless stuff, but she seemed to hoard animals as well. She has 8 dogs of unknown mixed breeds (I call them Heinz 57s), feeds all of the unwanted cats that people drop off, and has 6 horses that we keep at the Kurtz's, who are our neighbors. The dogs and horses were all given to Catherine by people who no longer wanted them. I know part of the reason we've faced so many financial hardships is because Catherine doesn't have her priorities in line, and spends money needlessly with a large hunk going towards the animals. I made my way to the back door, put my hands on my hips, and looked at the dogs. "Before I open this door, you know you've all got to sit". I smiled as they all sat down and I opened the door. I let out a little laugh as they all ran outside once I released them. Despite being Catherine's dogs, they seem to naturally respect me more. Then again, I've always found it easier to communicate with animals than with people. People seem to use too many words and their actions are usually the opposite of what they say. I opened my backpack to inspect what damage was done and my heart sank. "Son of a b.itch! Two fu.cking books?!? How am I supposed to pay to replace them?!" I yelled at no one as I closed my eyes and sighed, nausea sinking in. "I need to carry plastic bags with me for these damned random rainstorms." I went to my bedroom to change out of my wet school clothes and put on barn clothes to go do chores. Luckily, my room is upstairs, while Catherine's is downstairs. All we do is fight anymore and the more we're apart the better it is for both of us. The rain stopped just as I opened the door, and I sighed in relief as I made my way to the barn. Once I got there, I took care of the Kurtz's cows and pigs first, then I opened the gate and whistled for the horses to come in. They all walked into their own stalls as I hung their buckets of feed. Afterwards, I made my way to Dub's stall. "Hey, big guy. I had a hard day and need a hug." I hugged the strawberry roan stallion by his withers and inhaled deeply, letting his scent and the sound of him eating calm my nerves. Out of all the horses, only Dub has my heart. He's the first horse that Catherine took in and we basically grew up together, forming a tight bond. I ride him any chance I have, including the 5 hour ride when I'm able to go visit Gram. Despite them being Catherine's idea, I am responsible for their care. Just like the dogs, they seem to naturally respect me more. So much so that when Catherine wants to ride she asks me to ride one first. You know, just in case the horse is in a difficult mood. What better way to see if a horse is going to try to throw its rider than to put your daughter on first, right? After the horses were done eating, I let them back out into their large pasture with run in sheds, giving Dub a kiss on his nose and inhaling his scent one more time first. When I finished chores and got back home, I threw together a quick meal and finished my homework before going to take a shower. I stripped off my clothes and stood in front of the mirror looking at my own reflection, staring into my dark blue eyes. I glanced down at the scars I've left on my arms over the years. I oddly never remember actually cutting myself, only the panicking feeling that would start just to come out of it with a new mark. A couple of years ago, when Catherine and I got into one of our fights, she ended it by saying "And don't you think I don't know what you're doing to yourself, I've seen your scars!" I never realized she knew. But what a mother of the year reaction she gave. It hurt to realize that she knew but didn't care to help, that she was ashamed of me for it, and that it was never discussed again. As if her one snarky comment meant that it magically never happened. Others in my life caused the scars on the inside, but I caused the ones on the outside. When I looked back in the mirror, I swore I saw my eyes turn forest green, but I quickly blinked it away and let out the large breath of air that I was holding. "Just one more year. I just have to survive one more year of this hell and I can get out on my own." I made that promise to myself.