Lunar's POV

Carrying Mathis on my back, we walked around the carnival, laughing as she pointed a plastic sword while chanting, "Charge, Pony! Charge! To the Darts, My Noble Steed!"

I neighed, trotting over to a dart game, laughing as she noogied my hair, "Hey, you're going to mess up my hair!"

She brushed her fingers through my hair as Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes chuckled from behind us, "You both need to settle down."

"Never!" We both hollered, sticking our tongues out, Mr. Lincoln cocking an eyebrow at me as a smirk toyed at his lips, a silent threat. Around Mathis, I had a lot of daring confidence, and they all knew it, "We will never settle down!"

"You will if we bend you over in front of all these people," He grinned, daring my behavior to keep testing him.

"I'll slay you, Dragon! You shall not harm my horse!" Mathis ordered as she pointed the sword at him in a defensive manner, gaining him to let out his laughter. Setting her down, we turned our attention back to the dart game, throwing a few darts and popping about six balloons. This gained us two small stuffed animals. We both got matching unicorns, laughing as she jumped onto my back and aimed at a game with hats, "Onward!"

"You are going to make me broke," I sighed, setting her down in front of it before paying a few bucks.

"Not my fault you made me keep my wallet at home," She grinned, shooting a basket and whooping when she made it, "and told them not to pay a dime."

"Fair point, fair point," I chuckled, watching her make two more baskets and then sticking out my bottom lip, "Ruh-roh."

"I chose this on purpose," She stuck out her tongue, booping my nose as she made the fourth basket, smirking deviously with claps of her hands, "I never lose!"

"This is bullshit," I pouted, shooting a basket and missing, "You're not even supposed to be able to win this one."

She giggled as she made another basket, I forfeited the game, "I'll take the unicorn hat!"

Taking it, she pushed it onto my head, "I promote thee to my magical unicorn!"

I scoffed, chortling, "How kind of you, I'll forever remember my ass getting beat by a girl."

"So, you're entire existence?" She chimed, hopping onto my back, giggling as my mouth fell open. Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes joined her laughter as we headed over to the spinning strawberries, "Strawberries!"

"Oh, boy," I bowed my head with a sigh, "You're already planning my funeral, aren't you?"

"Pleasssseee?!" She whined and shook my shoulders. She was death themself when it came to spinning rides.

"You're doing the puppy look, aren't you?" I was starting to cave, defeated, and demolished at knowing the answer. I could never say no to her puppy face.

"...Maybe."

I looked up at her as she booped my nose, setting her down and pulling out our tickets, "One time. Not a whole hour like last time."

"I love you berry much, Best Friend!" She dragged me into one of them, Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln sat on a bench as they watched us, waving at my demise, "I love the strawberries!"

She didn't even wait for the ride to start before spinning our strawberry, giggling as I held my head and curled into a ball, "You're fucking insane."

Five minutes later, the ride came to a stop, but my head didn't, her laughter an echo in my ears as she had to help me out of the bullshit strawberry, "Wanna go, again?"

"NO!" I stumbled, sitting on the ground so I wouldn't fall. Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln chuckled as they hovered over me, "I'm seeing three of each. I-I'd say raise your hand if you're the correct one but that won't help much."

They laughed as I shook my head, my brain finally settling and allowing me to stand up. Of course, this only encouraged Mathis to take my hand and drag me to another ride, "Ferris Wheel, Ferris Wheel!"

Dragging my feet, I shook my head, looking at her as she stopped being giddy, "You know I don't like heights, M."

"Pleassssseeee?!" She pouted, whispering like this was only between us, "Kyle said to meet him there. I promise I will never make you go on it ever again. Even once we die and are in Hell! I'll take your place if your punishment is riding the damn Ferris Wheel with the Devil for eternity! Please, Loony Toons?"

"F-Fuck, f-fine," I swallowed, undragging my feet as I followed her to the Ferris Wheel. The Ferris Wheel was one where the seats were a large cage that could fit up to four people, so Kyle and Mathis went into a green cage while Mr. Hayes, Mr. Lincoln, and I sat in a blue one.

I hated this ride, but it was important to Mathis. She had a difficult time doing most dates on her own, always needing me or she'd talk herself out of it. It made me feel awful seeing her so insecure and feeling so unsafe. She's always more confident than me, working off the body she's secretly ashamed of. I couldn't understand what she was embarrassed about. She had thick thighs to match her ass and a slight stomach. She didn't have a big chest, but it still fit her wonderfully to define a small, petite hourglass. Her face was pretty, her hair was gorgeous. She looked good no matter what she wore, too. She used to never care about her feature, go on dates in skimpy clothing, be a dork like there was no tomorrow. Over these last few years, she's become insecure and afraid, always needing me with her on a date or she can't go. I'm wondering if her father finally got to her head, he always makes comments.

A shaken breath escaped my lungs as my hands trembled, my arms hugging my knees to my chest, my eyes refusing to look up as my face cowered into my knees, shaking harder as the cage started to move. Mr. Lincoln draped his arm around me, hugging me tight and kissing my temple, "Breathe, Lunar. You're alright. Come here."

I hid into the crook of his neck, pulling his arm off from around me and hugging it tightly to my chest, my entire body overwhelmed with terror, "I-I'm afraid."

Slowly, he pushed his hand into my skinny jeans, palming gently and chuckling at how little effort it took for my legs to fall off the seat and spread for him, using this as a form of distraction, "Awe, no fight anymore?"

"I-I'm too afraid to f-fight or argue."

He chortled more, rubbing teasingly as I groaned into his neck. Very carefully, he pulled me onto his lap, holding my hips and sinking his fangs into my throat. He rolled my hips against his, so I was grinding against him, another frail groan passing through my throat, hugging onto him tight. Panic and terror sieged through once I realized how high up we were, my heart punching as I struggled. He grabbed my wrists, biting down harder as he held them to my sides, whimpers replacing my groans. The pain he caused only drew more fight out of me because pain mixed with fear led my brain to a horrific place.

"Release him, Ryker," Mr. Hayes hissed out, a twisted tone as a threat to obey. Reluctantly, Mr. Lincoln's fangs freed from my neck, and he forced them away as he licked the blood from his lips.

I latched onto the little table thing in the middle of the cage, hiding under it and refusing to return to the seats. Mr. Hayes rubbed my back delicately, cooing hushedly for the rest of the ride, covering my neck once they started emptying the Ferris Wheel. Once our cage was opened, I ran off and didn't stop, finding the Funky Mirrors and hiding in the tent. I crawled under one of the little tunnels meant for the kids and curled up in a tight ball, rocking. It was the only safe place away from everyone and everything and I was content dying here.

"L-Lune, ar-are you in here...?" It took about twenty minutes until I heard Mathis' voice. I hid further into the tunnel, pressing myself into the darkest corner as I heard footsteps, quietly hyperventilating. She peeked into the tunnel, hollering, "I found him! Lunar, you're alright. Please, come out."

Shaking my head, I turned from her, hiding in the corner and whimpering. I shook more as arms wrapped around me tightly, every ounce of a nerve becoming a plea and a fight, "N-No, no, no! D-Don't take me back, d-don't take me back!"

Mr. Hayes held me calmly to his chest as I cried, kissing my head as he rubbed my sides and hummed, "Nobody's taking you back to the Ferris Wheel, Little One. Breathe."

I kept whimpering into his chest, quivering and shaking violently as he rocked me patiently. Mr. Lincoln joined us in the tunnel, Mathis following soon after. She slowly lifted her unicorn to my face, making it wave at me as she said in a cute and high pitch, "I wuv you!"

I wiped my cheeks with my wrist, sniffing with weak pants, staying quiet. Mr. Lincoln lifted his hoodie over to me, allowing me to snatch it and hug it close to my body as I hid my face in it. Crawling off Mr. Hayes, I sat next to Mathis, leaning my head against her shoulder. This signaled to Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln that I needed some space with her, so they crawled out of the tunnel. I knew they could still hear everything, but it still gave some privacy. It was a false sense of security, but it made me comfortable enough.

"Anthien didn't justrape you, did he?" Matty mumbled quietly after a few moments of silence, holding my hand, and caressing the back of my palm with her thumb, her tone tempered but hurting, "That's why you don't like heights anymore, right?"

As kids, we use to climb high places and be stupid, so many times we almost broke bones or even died from the heights we'd reach. When Anthien came into the picture all that changed, all of it became petrifying. I sniffed, nodding against her shoulder, "You remember that little treehouse we stupidly built at the back area of the park that nobody goes to?"

"Yeah...?"

I wiped my cheeks again, murmuring sullenly, "Wh-When he babysat during late nights, An-Anthien would make me follow him to the park and dangle me from that one plank we put up to climb from tree to tree. H-He'd dangle me a-and sit above me laughing as I cried at the coyotes trying to get at me. O-Once the sun would start rising, he'd cut me down and take me home. It-It's why I kept getting sick that year and kept having to stay home, I-I wasn't getting enough sleep and kept being dragged out in the cold."

She gripped my hand tight, her nails digging into the flesh as she pulled me into a hug, "Madam Elysium, I'm so sorry for not protecting you, Looney Toons."

"I-I was the one that had torn the treehouse apart, Matty. I-I just wanted it to stop. I-I just wanted him to leave me alone," I hugged her tight, whimpers turning into crying, "b-but when I tore it all apart, it only made him find new entertainment. I-I didn't know he'd turn to sexual activity. I-I thought i-if I tore the stupid treehouse apart that maybe he'd stop being mean and properly take care of me."

She rocked me tight in her arms, cooing me gently, "Sh-Shh, Lunar Moon. It-It's okay, it's okay."

"H-He wants me to hang out with him," I puled, ashamed and afraid, "O-On the boat a-at the Duck Pond. M-Ma set up a seat for us a-and if I don't follow through h-he threatened to say bad things to her."

Lifting my chin, she wiped my cheeks with her thumbs, "Well, you're not going to be alone. We'll sit at the back of the boat that way we're close by, and you won't have to deal with him alone, okay? We'll be there the entire ride."

Feebly, I nodded, hugging her tight before following her out of the tunnel. She slowly held my hand, giving me a warm smile as Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln stood up from the bench they sat on and came over to us.

Mr. Lincoln slipped his hoodie onto me when I tried handing it back to him, his jaw tense as he demanded, "I want it on you on that damn boat."

Inhaling, I followed Mathis as she took me to the Duck Pond, Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln slowed their pace and got onto the back of the boat as they watched us come up to Anthien. He snickered at me, "I almost thought you weren't going to show up."

"W-W-Well, I-I'm h-here," I muttered, watching as Mathis went and joined Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln. Anthien slipped his hand into mine, my hand felt like the flesh was going to melt off as I followed him to our seats. The seats were expensive, Ma paid for the chairs where you could hold ducklings.

The woman holding the basket came over to me, beaming as Anthien draped his arm around my waist, pulling me tightly to him as she opened the little basket, "Awe, you guys are cute! Are your names Lunar and Anthien?"

I forced a smile, nodding at her, "Y-Yes, Ma'am. I-I'm Lunar and this is An-Anthien."

She grinned more, taking my stuttering as shyness, "Good, good! Each of you gets to hold a duckling and then at the end of the ride you get to release the rest into the Pond. These two little ones are for you both to keep."

It took everything in me not to go pale at her words. The last time Anthien had a fragile animal in front of me he snapped its neck, then barbequed it the next day at our family-and-friends gathering. I've never looked at meat the same way, especially when he's around.

Swallowing hard, I took the little duckling from her and watched her hand one to Anthien. He grinned at me, toying with it as his thumb teased its delicate neck, "It's almost as cute as you."

"Pl-Please, don't hurt it," I whispered once the lady was out of earshot, holding the whimper in the back of my throat as I gently held my duckling, "Please. You wanted me here, I'm here. Leave it alone."

"Be in my bedroom tonight and you have my word that I won't hurt either of them. They'll be entirely yours, but only after I have some fun," Kissing my ear, he mumbled very quietly, a mock and taunt spewing from his lips. The whimper escaped my lips as he placed his duckling into my lap, dipping his nails into my thigh as he finished, "Do I have your word, Plaything?"

My throat locked up as I glanced back at Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes. Neither of them looked pleased, Mathis shook her head at me, trying to get me to say no. She didn't need good hearing when she was a pro at reading lips. Her body was ready to jump up and start a scene. I swallowed hard, motioning to the Duck Lady to come over.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned, raising a brow as she stepped over to us, "Are you alright?"

"N-Nothing, I-I'm fine," I forced a grin, brushing her off with a nervous laugh, "I-I was wondering, c-couldn't we set these two free with the o-others?"

She gave a very sweet smile, feeling bad about her answer, "That's very kind of you, but sadly these two wouldn't make it. Their wings aren't the correct size so come winter they'd freeze. We'd have to give them mercy, living with you both is a much better suiting path."

Fuck.

With that, she walked away, the boat starting to move. Anthien smirked without looking at me, "Nice try, Plaything."

My voice was almost gone as I mumbled, "Y-You have my word, I-I'm yours tonight."

I leaned my head against the side of the boat, very gently holding both the ducklings as he dragged his nails up and down my thighs, never allowing me to relax throughout the boat ride.

I kept my eyes on the delicate creatures, I didn't have the heart or the stomach to let them get hurt. They deserved a chance. Besides, my mother would ask questions if I didn't come home with them, and I'd rather face Anthien's actions than my Mothers questions and possible wrath. Once the boat ride was over, I followed him and the lady to an area where we released the other ducklings. I sat watching them swim around, mumbling, "Lucky bastards."

The lady gave us her basket so we could put our ducklings into it, leaving me with him. Mathis came running over as soon as the lady started departing from us, taking my hand and dragging me away from Anthien as he called with a wink, "See ya tonight, Lunar. Looking forward to it!"

"Pl-Please, t-take m-me h-home," I mewled to her, walking passed Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln, refusing to stop my quick pace as I started removing Mr. Lincoln's hoodie, "I-I want to g-go home."

"Lunar, come ov--," Mr. Hayes tried to order but I threw my hand up to shut him up, his jaw tightening at me. He wasn't one to be ordered around with but at the moment he was the least of my concerns.

"D-Don't," I whimpered, my voice breaking but my fuse was close to blowing, "I-I'm going home. I-I have a 'date' to get r-r-ready for."

"Lunar," Mr. Lincoln hissed, his finger-snapping and pointing to call me over to him had my temper boil and pop.

"Shut up!" I spat, tearing up with clenched teeth, not daring to let them control me at this moment, "because as far as life is concerned, your Claiming is a bunch of horseshit that it doesn't give a damn about because clearly, it doesn't stop me from getting fucked by other people."

I left him and Mr. Hayes standing stunned as I stormed off, carrying the basket as Mathis ran to follow me.

"L-Lunar," She whispered, pleading desperately, "Th-There's got to be another way."

"Got any fucking ideas, Mat?" I stopped, turning to her. We were only a few yards from them as I snapped. She fell quiet, swallowing hard as I continued, "I thought not so kindly fuck off because as far as I'm concerned, I'm stuck. So, please, take your sympathy and your empathy and shove it up your ass, mine's already got enough filling in it."

I left her in shock as I walked away, wiping my cheeks. Pushing passed everyone, I walked all the way home, unlocking the front door and shutting it behind me before going up to my room and dropping to the floor. I felt shitty for what I said and did but I wouldn't take it back, it was the truth.

"I'm sorry you've got to be amid all this bullshit," Opening the basket, I took out the two little ducklings, sniveling. I chuckled at their cute little squeaking, wiping my cheeks and bringing them into my bathroom before running a small bath for them to swim around in, sitting down on the floor and watching them. I allowed them to distract and calm me momentarily.

Ma came into my bathroom not long after, awing at the babies and smiling at me, "Did you have fun, Sweetie?"

"Y-Yeah, Ma," I lied, standing up and hugging her tight, "I-I had a lot of fun. I-I'm guessing you have stuff for them seeing as you set this all up?"

She smiled more as she nodded, she was the one who wanted the little things, so I'm not surprised she had items for them, "Yes, didn't you see the stuff on your bed?"

I chuckled with a shrug, "I-I guess not, T-Today has been very busy, so I-I guess I was too tired and didn't see it."

She kissed my cheeks, "I've had a busy day, myself. I'm going to turn in for the night so why don't you set them up and turn in, too?"

I did a weak nod, watching her walk out before setting up everything for the little ducklings. Once this task was completed, I swallowed hard, heading into Anthien's bedroom, and laying on his bed as I waited for him to show up. My eyes started to shut when I heard his bedroom door open and then close, his tone joyful yet impatient, "Remove your clothes."

Swallowing, I sat up and stripped from my clothing, whispering, "M-Ma is sleeping in the other room. S-So, c-can we please keep things quiet...?"