I am Luna. When I was younger, me and my older brother Orion would lay outside in the farmland behind our house. And we would just lay there, and talk.

Now, I lay in the field alone. My Mother would call me in for dinner soon. Orion was busy with homework that he wouldn't show me, and father? He died when I was a baby. 

I never knew him, but Mother and Orion, who remembers a little bit, say that he was the most caring man ever. 

I’m 13 now, I was born on December 21st. It is now January 24th. I go to school 4 times a week. Orion goes to a different school that for some reason I can't go to. Him and Mother won't even tell me the name of the school, so I can research it in a book.

Mother once said that I'll go to that school once I realize what I can do. What's that supposed to mean? So the only thing I could think of was to do better at school. I now have all A+’s with extra credit in all of my classes.

Mother congratulated me when she saw my report card of A’s and a few A+’s. But I could tell she wanted me to do something else. She was never a big fan of grades. Now my head is constantly filled with the thought ‘What can I do to be more like Orion?’.

I think Mother has given up that I'll ever be good enough to go to the same school as Orion. “Luna! Orion! Time for breakfast! It's Monday morning, get ready for school, you don't want to be late!” Mother yelled from the kitchen, she always woke us up like that on Mondays, when both Orion and I were at home. 

I got up from bed. I looked at my clock that hung above my desk. ‘6:32’ I read, “Ugg” I said to myself, then thought ‘Does Mother have to wake us up this early?”

I managed to drag myself into the kitchen, and sit down at the table. 

Our house was pretty new compared to others in our area. You could open the door, and all the bedrooms were there. Orion’s and mine were on the left, and Mother’s was on the right. If you walk down that short hallway, you find the kitchen with a table and 6 chairs. For the rare occurrence of a guest. There is a large window right above the sink. If you look to the right of that room there is a door leading outside. 

Mother parks her car there, Orion leaves through that door every Monday morning for school. And I use that door to go outside to stargaze. 

When I was about to leave the kitchen to get dressed and get ready for school, even though it was so early, the wall phone rang. Mother quickly picked it up. 

“Hello, this is Angelica,” she said into the phone, pause, “Oh, thank you for calling me back Lily” I have no idea who ‘Lily’ is, Pause, “I'm worried about Luna. Her father, Orion and I all discovered our powers well before we turned 13, and, well, I'm worried Luna will have to forever be kept in the dark.” 

Mother must have not noticed I was still there. So I quickly went back to my room to process what I had just heard. ‘Orion and Mother boat have powers? Father had power? I'm supposed to have a power? What is Orion’s power? What’s Mother’s?” 

That's it. I'm following Orion to his magical school. When I was supposed to leave for school, I took my backpack, and climbed onto the roof. For a second, it felt that that was what I was built to do, climb, but when I got my hand onto the roof, I could hardly lift myself up. Now how does that work?

My school doesn't have a way to let parents know if their child is at school or not, and they And this isn't the first time I've taken advantage of that. It took a few minutes for Orion to come out of the back door. 

Then he went to check if Mother had left for work yet. She had. Orion then walked out into the center of the field. Looked around to make sure nobody could see him.

‘He looked right at me! He must have seen me!’ my body then felt like it was shrinking. A tingle went down my spine, and when Orion did a double take, he just tilted his head and smiled at me. I was confused, because I had felt this happen a few other times over the years, and his reaction was always the same. A tilted head, and a smile.

Orion then disappeared. I sat there, on the roof of my house stunned. My big brother, who used to lay in that field and talk with me, just disappeared in the middle of the field. So then I dashed over to where he disappeared. It felt as if I was flying over there.

There was absolutely nothing on the ground that would ever indicate that Orion had just disappeared. But I know what I saw. He disappeared into thin air.

“I wish I could know where he went.” I knew I couldn't simply ask him where he went, or else he would know I didn't go to school today, and he’d tell Mother. 

I slowly walked back to the house, and went into my room. I sat down at my desk and started reading about the forest behind our field. Legends say that giant creatures live there.Some of the older stories are more alike than the newer ones, so I trusted them more. 

“Luna?” A hushed voice behind me asked. I spun around as fast as I could. It was Orion. “That's you? Right? And not a random cat?” ‘What?’ I looked at the mirror. I was a small black cat. Then, I was me again. “What the hell?” I asked. Orion looked a little less stunned than I did.“I thought that was you, the cat I saw laying on the roof this morning” He said this with a slight smile, “Mom will be so happy” 

“Hold on a second!” I basically yelled. “So I can turn into a cat? Why a cat? And how did you disappear from the middle of the field? And wont Mother be mad that I skipped school? And aren't you supposed to be at your special secret school? And how did you get inside the house without me hearing you? And,” 

Orion just gave me a hug, and said “I’ll explain everything to you. The way Mom did to me” He took me into the kitchen, sat me down in one of the chairs, and started to talk.

“Mom got her power at about 10. She can feel people's feelings, and heal people.” which makes sense because she works in a doctor’s office. “Dad got his power when he was 8. He can create and control dreams. I got my power at 11. And officially, you got your power at 7, but used it only when trying to be really sneaky, and I found out when you were about 11. Now you're 13, and have finally realized what you can do.” 

I was speechless. “So I could have turned into a can at any time since I was 7? Also, what’s your power?” Now, I was very curious about what he could do. “Well” he hesitated a lot between every other word. “Well, I can, uh, teleport and-” “You can teleport?! So that's how you disappeared from the middle of the field?!” I almost screamed with excitement “Uh, yah, and I can also, um, uh, run very fast. Not as impressive” 

“What do you mean ‘Not as impressive’?!” I asked “Uh” “Being able to actually teleport! And run super fast?! You call that not impressive?” Orion acted pretty shy about this. “So you can do all that, and I can turn into a cat?” “Well, I think that with practice you can turn into anything” He said with a smile”

“So, theoretically, I could become a giant dragon, and burn things?” I said with a calculating smile, “No. As much fun as that would be to see, and take part in, no.” “Aw, come on! Please?” Orion gave me a smirk that basically said ‘You can do whatever you want, but you have to deal with all of the consciences’. “Fine” I groaned. 

“So now, I am going to the same school that Mom and Dad went to, and I'm learning how to best control my powers. Now, as soon as you can show Mom what you can do, she'll let you go to that school too!” The two of us were ecstatic! Until I remembered one key thing. “Wait, but I can't control it yet?” “Well,” he said “I have the rest of the day to help you try to do something. So let's get started!”

It took a while, and most of the time was spent with me focusing on everything a bird did. And that worked for a second, but I changed back to me after a few seconds. I did the same thing with other local animals, and eventually pictures in books.

By the end of the day, I was able to transform into the small black cat, as well as a falcon. When Mother got home, she was very surprised to see Orion sitting at the table.

“Orion?” She said when she saw him sitting at the table, “What are you doing home? I mean, of course it's nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be at school?”. “Well, Luna, show her,” He said to me. 

I came around the corner, “Is that a cat?” Mother asked, “Yes, and no” Orion then nodded at me, and I became me. “Luna?!” Mother gasped. I smiled a bit shyly, and nodded, “Wow, when did it start? I'm so proud of you! When do you want to start at your new school? What did Orion tell you?” Mother rambled on with questions, and praises. 

“Mom” Orion interrupted after a few minutes, “Maybe you should let Luna actually answer a question?” He said this as he was trying not to burst into laughter. Mother and I gave him a look. Then Mother turned her attention to me.

“So?” “Well, according to Orion, he’s seen me do it years ago,but I only found out I could do it and got control of it, today” “Oh my, and I wasn't here to help you” Then Mother got a bit angry. “Orion?” “Yah Mom?” “Why aren't you at school?” “Uh, but Luna didn't-” “I don't wanna hear it. Now get your ass out of here, and go to class.” “Yes Mom” Orion said in defeat, then muttered something. Mother chose to ignore it.

“Have you been able to transform into anything other than a small cat?” She asked after Orion had teleported back to wherever my soon to be school is. “Well, I can also become a Randon Falcon?” Mother went silent for a little, “That was your father’s favorite bird” She finally said with a hint of sadness. 

We were both quiet for a minute, then Mother wiped her eyes. “Well, do you want to go to the same school as Orion, or stay at your normal school?” “New school.” I said immediately, because I had only one friend at school, a girl named Brianna, Bria for short. But she moved away a few days ago. So I had absolutely no reason to want to stay. 

As Mother explained some more things about the school, my choice got firmer. “You will still be taught basic school subjects like Math, Reading, and Science, but you’ll also get to use your power, and you get to grow at your own pace” This school seemed almost too good to be true. 

“When can I transfer?” I asked eagerly, bouncing in my chair, “Well, today’s Monday? Right?” Mother asked, I nodded impatiently. “Then you should be able to get a tour tomorrow, and start classes on Wednesday” Mother said with a smirk while I bounced in my chair.

That night, Mother and I went out to eat. Which is a very rare occurrence. We went to Pao, one of the best restaurants in the city Mother works in. We live about a half hour away from the city, and are one of the closest small rural farms to the city. 

Pao had pretty much anything I could imagine. It had Mac-N-Cheese, a large collection of all types of burgers, noodles, pizza, and so much more. It was a treat that Orion and I were very rarely given. I always used it as a way to eat foods that Mother would never make at home. 

I got a large burger, some fries, and a soda. Mother got soup. I think she decided to reward me for discovering my power, but I didn't think about the reasoning of this special occasion until much later. I couldn't wait for tomorrow, but Mother had a sad look in her eyes that were masked by the smile on her face that would fool everyone else. 

We ate, and overall had a good time. But in the car, diving back home in the dark. Mother started silently crying. I didn't notice it at first, but when I did I was almost afraid to ask what was wrong.

When we arrived home, Mother went straight to her room, and only said one thing to me. “I'm so proud of you, but I'll be in my room.” And she went there. And I didnt see Mother until the next morning. 

I woke up early, at about 5. Half of me thought that the previous day was all a dream, but when I came out to eat my morning cereal, Mother was sitting at the table. “Go and eat your breakfast, and at 9 we’ll go to WMS for your tour” “WMS?” I asked, “Warriors Magical School”

“Oh” I said as I quickly filled in the blanks, and told my brain that yesterday actually happened, and that it was not a dream. Then I took my sweet time to eat breakfast.

After I ate, I went back to my room, and started reading a book Orion gave me last night before Mother got home. The book was mostly history, which is one of my favorite subjects. 

The book is titled The Past in the Fog. At first, yah it didn't seem too interesting, but now that I’ve gotten past the first chapter it's much more interesting.

What felt like just a few minutes later, Mother called me outside. As I walked out of the back door, I saw her standing in the field. Same as Orion did. 

Mother handed me a bracelet with one large black stone with an engraving of a star. It looked very pretty, but I was confused. “What's this?” I asked. “Well, because you can't teleport like Orion can, you get this bracelet to teleport you. It can only teleport you there, or here. Nowhere else.”

“Well?” Mother asked, “Are you ready to go?” FOr some reason I hesitated. Somehow knowing if I do this, I could never go back. So then I nodded, and Mother and I went into the darkness.

After I blinked a few times, the darkness disappeared. Mother and I were standing right inside of two giant doors. Mother looked around, as if she was looking for something. Then she saw the woman who was walking toward us. 

“Ah, there you are Mrs. Comets” The woman said, she had a very British accent. “I have been waiting for you. And I take it that this is Luna?” I froze. “Yes Ms. Flora” My Mother replied for me.

“So?” Ms. Flora asked me. “What is your power?” She asked this in a very suspicious tone, but my mother nodded at me, so I told her.  “I can uh, turn into different creatures” Ms. Flora nodded, “So you can shapeshift?” She asked very slowly, as if I was a baby. 

“Yes.” I said with the maximum of sass and annoyance that I could muster. Mother gave me a look that basically said ‘Be good.’ 

I did my best to not use my highly effective sarcasm. But, I did use it a bit. I was shown my dorm, where all of my classes were, I was introduced to all of my teachers, and I waved to Orion, but he was with some friends, and I don't think that he saw me. 

After the three of us made it all the way back to Ms. Flora’s office, which was pretty close to the big doors, she gave me a few textbooks, about a pound of notebooks, a bag of pencils, and other supplies, a black bag with light blue writing saying ‘WMS’, and a hoodie and a shirt saying the same thing.

Then Ms. Flora explained the schools’ rules. Some were basic stuff, like always be respectful, always at least attempt to not be late to class, etc. But then there was the rule to never go to the top of the mountain that was close to the school. 

“It's just too dangerous for kids, and there have been avalanches there, and we don't want anyone to get hurt” And other lies that Ms. Flora was telling me. It was obvious that there was something hidden up there. 

“Well” Ms. Flora asked after she explained everything, “Are you ready to meet your roommate?” I nodded enthusiastically, and by then classes were over for the day, and the halls were packed. Fortunately, everyone parted when they saw Ms. Flora, and they started whispering about me, and wondering if I was in trouble.

Ms. Flora opened up the door to my dorm. The dorm had 3 rooms. Two were small bedrooms, which just had a bed, a bookshelf, and a desk. The third was a small kitchen, a table with 2 chairs, a couch, and a TV. 

And I was also told that if I wanted anything else, I could bring it in myself, but they wouldn't be providing anything else, other than food, which we would get a large box of every week.

“Ms. Gray?” Ms. Flora asked with her head inside the dorm. “Yah Ms. Flora?” “We’ve found you a new roommate” “Uh, are you sure that's a good idea? Remember what happened to my last roommate?” The girl inside the dorm asked with anxiety in her voice. “It will be fine” Ms. Flora assured, “Meet Luna Luco” 

Ms. Flora opened the door so me and my roommate could meet each other. She had shoulder length semi curly black hair, she was pretty tall, only a bit taller than I am. She was wearing a WMS t-shirt, and had a half open book on her lap. 

“I’ll leave for you two to get acquainted, don't forget, classes start at 9 tomorrow” And with that, Ms. Flora left. The two of us stared at each other in awkward silence for what felt like years. 

“So,” She said awkwardly, “What's your power?” “Um, uh, I can, uh, shape shift?” Her eyes got wide, “That's so cool! So, you could theoretically become a bear, and scare the entire school?” It dawned on me that my new roommate was an amazing prankster.