There was nothing worse than being told by an old friend that they had been an invited to a party, hosted by someone you thought would invite you - but instead they go behind your back and plan something out of the blue. Luna tried to think optimistic thoughts. Maybe it was a surprise celebration that Luna wasn't informed about yet? But she pushed that thought away when she heard that it had been planned way in advance.

Months ago, and Luna had no idea about it. She was fuming inside her mind, and tried her best not to express it while her friend rambled excitedly about the event.

She wasn't really paying attention and instead tried to focus on slowing down her breathing patterns and clenching her fists together. No one else in the world betrayed Luna like this old friend did, who swore to Luna that they would be there for her through thick and thin, but not getting an invite to something that seemed very special to her friend was snake-like behaviour she didn't want any part of.

Luna could admit that acting defiant to this 'conflict' was some petty ritual she had planned in her head, but she truly felt the tables had turned on her for the worst, and she couldn't help but scoff when she imagined her friend being set on fire or beaten up by an axe.

At the time, there was nothing more that Luna wanted. She wanted to express her defiance, and maybe kill her while she's at it too. 

Anger management classes had been scheduled for a while now in Luna's planner, but her motivations for going had now been left untouched and she didn't care enough to go. Her anger her surpassed all boundaries at this point and was eager to list all the reasons why she was going - rogue? Maybe? Maybe not? Luna giggled quietly to herself as she assessed her outfit in the mirror. Her jet black hair was slicked back behind her shoulders, and her plump lips were painted with a gorgeous, deep red colour. The diamond pearls pierced on both of her ears illuminated her beauty even more and even added some more definition to her already-slim face. She had told herself days before the actual party that she wasn't going to go all out on the dress - but she had excitedly changed her mind when she saw the most beautiful silk gown she had ever laid her eyes on, from outside a luxury gown store. It was off shoulder, and the red silk slid felt extremely pleasurable against her skin. Luna kept turning around and adjusting her hair as she looked back at her reflection in the mirror, making sure there weren't any parts on her face she had forgotten to touch up with foundation.

It may have sounded crazy to anyone else why she would invite herself to a party that no one invited her to, but she could think of a pretty damn good reason why she was going to show up. One, you leave your friend in the dark - the one that has known you forever. All your secrets and traumatic experiences in the past had been shared with her. Was this her way of showing Luna that she didn't want to be friends with her anymore?

Two, she had been Luna's friend for forever - and Luna really thought she finally found someone she could actually trust, but after hearing about this fancy festivity that everyone and their mother was being invited to, she had no one else to protect anymore but herself. Later that night she discovered that it wasn't just any party, but a reunion of all the great mobsters that had ever walked these streets. Luna did feel hurt when she found out, and wondered why she couldn't be included in such a gathering?

But who was to blame? Luna was always defiant against competition, and would rather prioritize friendship over power - but clearly her friend wasn't on the same page. The sad thing was, that night Luna hired a limousine all to herself. All the seats were empty except for Luna's, and she even requested for a bottle of champagne on the way to the get-together. Just a little treat to herself before getting her hands dirty. Hopefully, this wouldn't be the last time she'd ever get to have a taste of sweet revenge. To put it short and sweet, she was planning to kill off one of her own. One of her most prized friendships ever made. To kill off someone she once cherished wholeheartedly.

What a shame it would be to see all of her efforts into maintaining a connection go flushed down the drain, but this is what happens - when you betray the ones who cared about you the most. You send them over the edge. 

As Luna sat back in the limousine, she held the whole bottle of champagne to herself, took a cloth from the arm rest beside her which she used to twist the top, and popped the cork off with ease.

Pop champagne to this, bitch. 

The driver controlling the steering wheel of the limousine looked back at Luna with a questionable expression through the rearview mirror.

She caught his reflection, and he quickly looked away before clearing his throat out of embarrassment. She was a harmless little thing, and didn't mean to show that she was rude or defiant. He had done nothing to her after all. She only intended to cause hurt to those who hurt her first.

"The night is still young. What are you going to be doing while you're waiting for me?" She asked him as she took another swig of the champagne bottle she gripped with her left hand like someone was going to steal it off her.

The driver focused his eyes on Luna again as he continued to drive past a red traffic light. He let out a breath of relief and took in a harsh breath before releasing a slow rush of air from his lungs. That was close, he thought to himself. He thought maybe Luna was having a bad day or something from all the champagne she had drank in a span of fifteen minutes, but he left the matter alone and instead focused on the question that was posed to him by her. Luna tilted her head slightly and smiled in a menacing manner while waiting for his response. He finally spoke, and it was with an odd excitement.

"I'll probably just be looking out for you. Wouldn't want such a pretty, young lady being left for dead." He replied earnestly with a tender manner, his hands still trained on the wheel yet his eyes kept glancing to her lips.

There was now an obvious tension in the limousine. 

Luna had never thought about how handsome he looked before, but as they pulled up in front of the place of destination, she could now visibly see his face under the surrounding street lights. She held her tongue when she was just about to comment on how ravishing he looked, but she would save that for another time.

She had never found a limousine driver attractive before, and maybe this would be the first of such occasions. Was every limousine driver just secretly a model in an underground organization or something? She cleared her throat and flicked her hair over her shoulder before taking one last sip of the champagne bottle in her hand. She let out a sigh of relief when she swallowed the intoxicating liquid, before setting the bottle back down in its original place. Before heading out of the vehicle, she turned to the driver first and expressed her gratefulness of him being able to drive her. He shortly replied with a "Just doing my job, ma'am. Have fun tonight." Luna appreciated the kind words that were returned, which was refreshing after all the negative bullshit she's been putting herself through for the past few days of planning how she should present herself at the party.

She had thought about going incognito instead of showing up all dolled up, but truth be told - where was the fun in that? She nodded towards the driver's direction, and purposefully lifted her leg up as she rose from her seat to show off her smooth, newly shaved legs. 

The driver caught the seemingly seductive movements executed by her, and he acknowledged the sight with a slight smile.

"Seriously. I might need to come with you and protect you from all the guys that will probably themselves on you. You look like my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A full course meal right now." He quietly whistled to himself, though it was indirectly meant for her.

Luna shook her head as a low chuckle slipped past her lips.

"You are too much right now. You have one job, driver. Drive! Not protect!" She replied in a playful manner, but she couldn't help but feel all warm inside at his initial response.

There was nothing better than looking and feeling sexy. She proceeded to exit the limousine in an elegant manner, and looked back at him one more time to wave goodbye - for now.

"Alright, I don't know how long I'll be inside here, but if I don't came back within an hour - something is up. Just drive away to a more secluded area when that happens." She could clearly see the shocked face he had plastered upon voicing her words of urgency, but she wanted him to understand that it was better than one dead body instead of two.

Luna hoped he had caught on to what she was saying, but she wasn't that confident anymore when she saw that confused expression on his face. "Just trust me." She shook her head and walked away feeling slightly frustrated.

It was go time. 

The entrance stood tall and proud, and Luna proceeded to make her way to it.

She was still a bit frustrated as she didn't have much time left to explain more to the driver about why he would need to escape the vicinity quickly if she didn't make it out within an hour, but her shoulders finally relaxed when she noticed people were starting to head inside. She didn't want anyone to suspect her for anything. Luna had a very fake, yet pleasing smile on her face as she walked past the guards that stood on either side of the entrance.

When she walked into the hall, a relief of satisfaction was released from her lips when she looked above her. There were crystal chandeliers hanging high from the ceiling, and waiters walking around in white, fancy tuxedo suits holding silver plates of delicious cocktails. Luna gushed at the expensive sights that were presented to her, but she cleared her throat and shook her head when she realized she was here for one thing only.  As she manoeuvred through the crowds, Luna was stopped by a chubby man dressed in an obviously expensive suit and his moustache rested above his top lip. Not too shabby, she thought to herself. He took her hand in his own and lightly planted a kiss on the top of it.

"Madam, welcome to the party. You were invited by the gorgeous Pandora herself?" He tilted his head sightly when he finally raised his head to look her in the eyes. Luna stiffened in response to his words and she bit down hard on her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what to respond with. She didn't have time to be standing around and being idle in her mission so she quickly changed the subject. 

"Um-.. I'm sorry, do you know where the toilet is?" She faked a nervous laugh and quickly apologized for having to leave the conversation so soon. "Apologies, signore. But it seems as if I forgot to pee before I came here. Bye!" She nodded shyly and held her dress up as she walked away in her six inch heels.

Hopefully he didn't suspect anything, but if he did - it probably wasn't the same thing she was in for. Luna tried to find a spot in the hall to have some time alone but it seems as though the place was packed in each corner that was visible to the eye. Luna felt hurt that she hadn't been invited, and so much people that she knew Pandora didn't even know had been asked to come out. It hurt the most when someone you thought who cared about you entirely just decided to switch up like the seasons. Luna's plan was simple, and she wanted it to be quick and without hassle.

If she could just find some time alone with her... it would be the perfect time to just take out her gun and kill her on the spot. Luna turned her head left and right, and grabbed a croissant on the way to keep her distracted from feeling paranoid.

Surely no one would see her right?

However, her dress definitely stood out from the crowd and she suddenly felt self conscious that someone was judging her every movement. Luna kept biting into the delicious croissant and chewed away the doubtful thoughts. She couldn't let herself stray away from the mission. No one else had betrayed her as much as Pandora. Maybe Luna wouldn't even kill her. At the most, she just wanted to have a chat. Ask a few questions.

Why don't you love me anymore?

Did I do something wrong? 

Finally, in the corner of her eye - she saw the woman of the night. Luna caught her breath as she laid her eyes on Pandora. She was always the one to get all the guys. The one with the looks. You could say Luna was the one with the brain, or maybe she was just trying to make herself feel better. Despite this, Luna never really got jealous, but would get irritated that Pandora would always try to undermine her success or achievements in life. Now that Luna had been betrayed, she could finally see all the gaps in their friendship that could never be filled. The bond they had was toxic. Four long years, and this is how Luna was repaid.

Four fucking years and only now Luna could see that it would never work. There must have been red flags that she was too blind to notice, and that thought alone made her blood boil. She was really going in for the kill now. Luna thought she had calmed herself down before, but looking at her now - smiling and pretending that she wasn't giving her friend hell was the worst sight to be seeing. She pushed past everyone in her way and stood close to her, but pretending to admire the flowers that were propped against the bottom of the stairs. She was laughing with a drink in her hand. Luna saw the twinkle of joy in her eyes, and couldn't help but feel envy for what she was seeing. The conversation had ended abruptly, and Pandora was left alone to scan the room and admire the social gathering she was proud to be hosting.

Luna patted down her hair and puckered her lips as her eyes dug into the back of her head. There was no stopping now. 

Pandora's back was still facing to Luna, and her eyes continued to scan the room. She was feeling happy with how everything was going, and hopefully nothing would get in the way of that. Her mind quickly changed though when she felt a presence creep up behind her, which gave her as much as you could imagine.

To be face to face with the person you had just betrayed. Luna now stood beside her and did the same thing as Pandora. Scanning the room and watching each and every detail of everyone's movements while the sound of violins played in her ears.

There was a celebration of some sort, and Luna was celebrating as well - but for another occasion.

Silence fell between them. Pandora was shocked, confused, and most of all terrified to see Luna here in all her glory. She thought that she had told the guards not to let her in, but good thing Luna swiftly walked right past them without even being checked for the invitation. She knew how Pandora worked these days, and that Luna figured she would try to not let her in by any means. Pandora straightened her posture and cleared her throat in a very exaggerated manner. She didn't turn her body or head to face the one she had betrayed, but she directly spoke the words that were meant for her.

"You look beautiful, hon. How's your evening so far?" Luna could almost smell the fear that was surrounding Pandora, and a wicked smile played upon her lips as she responded back to her in a bitter manner.

"I'm flattered. My evening is going fine, thank you. I do wish that I'd been given an actual invitation though. Thought I would show up as a surprise. What do you think?" Luna spoke in a coherent manner while her eyes continued to look around the room.

This was when Pandora finally faced Luna and made eye contact, but there was a look of coldness in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak again.

"Look, I didn't invite you for a reason. Why do you act like you have to be with me every second of my life? We're growing apart now, and if you can't accept that then I don't know what else to tell you." The smile that was on Luna's lips before slowly dropped down to a lame frown, and she flicked her hair over her shoulder before letting out a scoff.

"Are you serious right now? I swore to you that not only I'd be your best friend but I'd also be your main supporter, caregiver, and shoulder to cry on you. This is how you repay me. Really Pandora?" Tension rose between them and the bitterness from their words stung.

Luna, for one, was holding up fine but something in her head was telling her to just get her gun out of holster and get it over with. She was stupid and naive to think that someone would actually care enough to keep her as a loyal friend, but now that she knew the truth about her - Luna embodied the personality of a crazy ex girlfriend.

There was a price to pay. Betrayal was something that Luna wouldn't let slip her thoughts, and she looked back out into the crowd again angrily. She was waiting for a response, but unfortunately Pandora just decided to walk away. She had looked at Luna after what she had just said with a careless expression, and refused to subject herself to feeling sympathy for someone she didn't want to be friends with. Perhaps it was the right thing to do.

To be the bigger man in the relationship and just walk away before it would escalate to something else. 

Little did Pandora know that Luna intended for the conversation to escalate. Very quickly. Pandora feared for the survival instinct within her, but she was too late to realize she was being set up for her final moment before death before Luna tightly gripped her by the elbow and dragged her away from the crowds into the shadows.

There was a long hallway that Luna led her to, and further down there was a staircase leading to the top of the whole building. Sudden fear crossed Pandora's face, and her mouth twisted as she looked at Luna with widened eyes.

"What are you doing??" Luna didn't say a word and kept on dragging her up the staircase. Pandora was pushing for answers, but by the time they reached the roof she had given up and lost all of her hope. If only she had realized sooner that the actions of her consequences would come to this, she would have invited Luna in the first place so that none of this could happen. She really was just sick and tired of Luna always looking over her shoulder, making sure she wasn't getting into trouble, and being a nuisance to her in general. At first, Pandora thought that it was all being done under a good intention - but four years of spending time with Luna was just too much to handle. It had become obsessive behaviour, and that's the real reason Pandora had to cut ties with her. From Luna's point of view, she just cared a lot for her friend. The only reason why they couldn't be on the same page about their friendship is because Luna was a stalker.

No one else besides Pandora had suspected it, but it was getting real serious and she needed to make an end to this. The moment that Luna pushed the trigger against her skull was also the same exact moment that Luna whispered, "Fly high, my angel." 

Luna let her hands fall hopelessly to her sides when right in front of her, Pandora collapsed to the concrete ground with a hard thump.

No one was around, and to witness a death so tragic yet so satisfying was out of the ordinary for her. She never imagined she'd be killing someone she once loved and deeply cared for, but it seems that nothing lasts forever.

Why was life so complicated?

Why couldn't we all just own up to our mistakes and not go behind one's back?

Luna stood over Pandora for a while as she let her eyes graze over her now lifeless body which was sprawled across the roof ground. The side of her head was bleeding, and the blood was already staining the concrete that her body was resting upon.

"Fly high, my angel." Luna had spoke quietly into the air, and her heart twisted in pain from the words that she, herself had uttered. It was devastating to have to kill a best friend, or even a lover, but in her defence - her loyalty and friendship had been taken for granted. With that, must come the awful decision of whether to let it slide or do something about it, and Luna did the damn thing. She wasn't particularly proud of it though. It was a shame to have to an experience something as traumatic as that. At the end of the day, Luna would still be drowning in her own self-pity and regret. Regret, not for killing Pandora - but regret for wasting her time on someone she thought she could trust wholeheartedly.
 

***
 

Days had passed. Weeks went by. Months were full of attempts at trying to recover from the past, but Luna was still stuck on the situation, and how much it impacted her. She needed a distraction. 

Something to distract her from the negative and shameful thoughts that were entering her mind, because after four months of not being able to recover no matter how many times she tried, she needed a distraction. If she couldn't prevent the thoughts from coming, then Luna figured she might as well find something to keep her mind occupied so she could quietly slip away from the impending doom those thoughts gave her. The distraction didn't necessarily have to be a person. It could be a thing, or a hobby. Luna was resting on her couch in her own apartment as she tried to think of what could she do to divert her mind.  

Maybe she could take up sewing? Luna shook her head as she put her hair back over her shoulders to stop it from getting in her eyes, before she began to bite nervously on her fingernail. Go down to the local bar and get to know a male stranger? She responded to the thought with another shake of the head. Too forward and so unlike her. Her personality leaned more towards being introverted, and often she would zone out during social interactions. Luna was so used to being only with one person for a very long time, other than that - she was truly alone. Not that she hated the alone time, as she quite often liked being by herself. Being around too much people for a while would cause her to feel... incomplete? Out of place? She wasn't used to being in the middle or being in the midst of so much attention. Luna finally stood up from the couch and decided to make herself a cup of coffee. Her throat was dry, and she desperately needed something to provide some wetness. 

As she was approaching the kettle in her kitchen, a knock at the door was heard. She looked towards the entrance of her apartment and naturally her body stiffened to the sudden noise. No one had been visiting her for months now. Not even the mail boy, although she did get notice that there'd be no mails to herself for a while. She figured. No one ever bothered to write to her - not even her family, who are probably dancing and living their lies somewhere. Luna approached her locked door and looked through the peep hole. But as she peeked through the hole, there was no one to be found. Her breaths were ragged now, and she was beyond confused.

Luna was terrified. No one was at the door, but just seconds before she had heard a sequence of knocks. It couldn't have been her imagination either because she was completely sober and fine so she wasn't expecting it to be a hallucination of some sort. She took a deep breath through her nostrils, and out back again. Luna decided to unhook the chain from the lock. She opened it silently and gulped slowly as she poked her head out of the entrance of her cozy apartment, and her eyes immediately darted to the left and right of the long hallway.

"Hello?" Luna's voice echoed throughout the long walkway of the apartment building. It was the afternoon, but usually her neighbours would be out this time - so she wasn't suspecting it could be one of them.

Her eyes then travelled down to the floor, and was extremely shocked to find a bottle of champagne with a card attached to a rose. Terror overtook her face when she thought back to the time when she realized the last time she ever popped a bottle of champagne was on the night of killing Pandora. 

"What the heck..." 

The champagne bottle and the rose attached with a card was something Luna was not expecting. At all.

If this was some plan made by a secret admirer, Luna was eager, yet terrified to find out who was behind this. It wasn't everyday that she would get a knock on her door thinking someone was coming to visit, only to find out that they had left behind some questionable things. Champagne? No one ever had champagne unless there was something to celebrate, and Luna thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind when she was trying to think what could possibly have happened in the past four months to be a good enough reason for a celebration. A rose? That symbolized romance, right? Luna closed the door behind her using the force of her ass, and she looked at the items in her hands with a clueless look on her face. She hadn't been going out to the bars.

Not since the night of Pandora's death.

She had been too miserable and unbothered with the romantic side of things, and she never even made the effort to go talk to someone. Luna never really had friends anyway - so if she did decide to go head down to the local bar for a few drinks, who would she go with? Luna walked slowly into her kitchen and leaned her back against the sink. She cleared her throat, before setting down the champagne bottle to the side. All that was left to examine was the wonderfully scented rose and the fancy card in her hand. She held the rose to her nostrils and closed her eyes in satisfaction as she sniffed the rose petals. The smell was intense, and it made Luna's insides melt as she zoned out for a second. 

The feeling of happiness, despite it being temporary, surged through her veins - and she suddenly felt extremely grateful that a stranger had left these things at her doorstep. Luna had no idea what their intentions could have been for doing this, but maybe reading the card would help. She held the rose in her left hand and swirled the stem around, while flipping the white card over.

Luna studied the words that were written on it, and she was half not hoping that it would turn out to be some hair-raising letter to her from a stalker. If Pandora was there, she might have been slightly amused. The tables being turned on her own stalker, so that Luna would have a taste of her own medicine. It was bittersweet.

The sentence read "I am pleased to know your name now. Luna, isn't it? I've been watching you for awhile now from a distance, and I've been meaning to introduce myself sooner than this. Unfortunately, the fear that you would reject my offer to meet up with you dawned on me. Now that's out of the way, would you like to? I swear I'm not this creepy in real life. Signed, Mr Baloona?"

The first sentence completely caught her off guard, and her eyes widened to the size of Jupiter as she kept reading on. There was no way in hell that he could have known her name, right? Luna hadn't been out of her apartment for so long, and would only go out if she needed to pick up some bread or milk at the local grocery store, but that was it. She wasn't sure if she was turned off, or heavily intrigued. Stuck between the two, she set the card down next to the champagne bottle in a frustrating manner before sitting back onto the couch. 

Luna leaned her head back, before raising an eyebrow. Anyways - if she was to accept his offer, how can she get back to him? He didn't even leave a number or anything. She shook her head, and stood up again and went back to the kitchen. Nothing on the card. No number, no address, not even a proper name. Sheesh.

What was he thinking? That Luna could send brain signals to him?

She froze in her spot when she thought maybe he was watching her right now. Through a telescope from the apartment building that was located pretty much right across from her window. Luna left the kitchen, walked across the living room and looked out her window. Her window was open. Surely, anyone from the other side could be keeping tabs on her, but they'd have to have a pretty damn good telescope to see what she was doing, let alone thinking.

How was she supposed to give a sign of approval? Wave?

Her eyebrows snapped together as she realized how unprepared she actually was to be entering in this kind of situation, but for crazy, selfish reason - she decided to accept the offer. Everything had been a coincidence so far. From the champagne bottle that was delivered, to the scented rose - red being one of her favourite colours, and the card - in which the words printed on it had somewhat enticed her.

Just moments ago, she had been wishing for a distraction, and now it seemed like she got what she wanted. It may have triggered her to feel paranoia, but at least now she had... a male muse to take her mind off from the thoughts about Pandora.

Fate was playing in mysterious ways, or maybe she was just doomed for danger.