1 PROLOGUE

Luna's version of the world was truly simple, good people always won and bad people got what they deserved, she thought after watching countless movies and reading numerous books she knew how the world worked.

Perhaps it was wrong of her to see it just the way she wanted to see it and for that she was punished, boy was she punished.

☾

Camera flashes blinded her as her mother tightly gripped her arm and dragged her up the stairs to the courtroom building, her dad and his body guards paving a way through the sea of reporters.

He didn't even look back to see them trailing behind and his stoic behavior perplexed her.

Luna raised her free arm to stop the flashes from hurting her eyes but a reporter grabbed her arm and frantically shook her, "Why did you do it?" he asked.

I HAD to do it, why doesn't anyone understand that?

She thought, her mind questioning her own answer.

Atlast they entered the courtroom and Luna smiled in relief to be away from the chaos outside.

The family settled at the defendant's table with their lawyer Mr.Geller, a handsome and charismatic man, the glow of youth still lingering on his face. He was the company's best lawyer whom Luna had met in her Grandfather's office many times.

He ruffled Luna's hair slightly and smiled, "You're not scared are you?"

Luna grinned, "Of course not, Pierce's don't fear. They are feared."

Lawyer Geller smiled back at the doll-like girl with electric blue eyes again, "It'll just take a few minutes okay? And then Ill take you to Subway."

Mmmmm Subway, now I can't wait to get out of here.

The judge struck his gavel, bringing the court in order and the whispering died down, all eyes were on the large man with the ridiculous wig.

"Continuing Miss Luna Pierce's case from yesterday we will hear from the witness who, as Mr.Geller stated, was present at the crime scene. And just like yesterday you still plead Non-Delinquent." The judge spoke monotonously.

Lawyer Geller stood up and answered yes, then he proceeded to present Luna's case.

She herself didn't care much for the case, she just wanted to talk to her friend Ella sitting in the benches behind her, who was severely traumatize the last time they met.

"Ella!" Luna whisper shouted and waved her arms in order to get her attention, but Ella never looked.

Luna tried to call her name louder but she stopped when Ella got up when the judge called her name.

As she strode to the witness stand, she finally locked eyes with Luna for a split second and then continued to walk away.

Puzzled by the estranged look in her friend's eyes Luna decided to pay attention to the trial.

"Miss Ella Somervelle." directed Lawyer Geller towards Ella, "Do you deny that you were present at the scene at the time of the crime?" he asked straightforwardly eager to get to the next question, the real question.

"I deny it."

Gasps arose from the people in the benches, her parents looked like they weren't even breathing in that moment but Luna could only hear Ella's words resonating around her.

She couldnt react, she couldnt say anything or do anything, she couldnt breathe.

She couldnt even think about what Ella had just said, it was as if her brain had been scared off into shutting down.

Lawyer Geller looked back at Luna for a second, taken aback.

He spoke to Ella again repeating his question once more and she repeated her answer.

Luna had always shamelessly prided over the fact that she was an excellent liar. She could lie her way out of almost every situation she rarely ended up in, and what with those big blue pleading eyes, no one ever questioned her twice.

She always teased her friends for stuttering, and blushing when they were required to tell little white lies. She knew was better than them at even that.

But at that wretched moment there was someone way better than her.

Triggered by the stubbornness in Ella's voice and the ridiculous scene panning out in front of her, she got up, her legs shaking.

She marched to the witness stand until two policemen held her back, "What are you doing? This isn't a joke, please tell the truth."

Ella stared straight into Luna's eyes, "This is the truth."

Luna scowled at her and shouted, "Liar! You're lying! She's lying!"

She thrashed against the policeman and the judge struck his gavel again and again asking her to return to her seat.

But Luna paid him no notice and continued to resist, she knew she had to do something or else she would be in serious trouble.

"I did it for you! I was helping you!"

She always was the goody two shoes at school who avoided getting into trouble like the plague.

But when she resisted even more and started screaming with fat tears streaming down her face, the judge asked for her to be escorted to the detention room.

She cried for her mother as they dragged her through the courtroom but Charlize never turned to her, she hid her face in her husband's shoulder and sobbed heavily.

Ramond hugged her and coaxed her while Luna shouted out for her dad, he closed his eyes and rubbed his wife's back soothingly.

Dejected by her parent's alienated behavior she suddenly stopped shouting and for the first time she felt crippling fear latch onto her like a haunting spirit.

They carried her outside and she could hear the trial resume behind her but she wasn't interested in going back in anymore because the courtroom seemed scarier than any other place on Earth.

Oh how at that moment Luna Pierce would've given anything to go through those rowdy reporters again rather than the opposite way she was headed at that moment.