CHAPTER 1- A WHITE TAILLESS FOX

LUNA AMETHYST NOLAN'S POV

I looked at a bunch of papers on my table and ran my palm through my face because of frustration. I looked at the total amount on my calculator's screen and didn't know what to do.

This week's pay at the cafe wouldn't be enough to cover these bills. I might've gotten a scholarship but the apartment, books, and living expenses are way out of my league to cover.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I asked even after knowing that I was alone in my apartment.

How did this very small apartment become very expensive? Electric bill, water bill, rental fees, my food for the month, and other things that I need for school every day. I did everything I can to lessen my bill but why didn't it move that much?

Should I just ask my older sister for help? She married a rich and fine man anyway, but wouldn't it be so embarrassing to ask more from her even after paying for the money that I had borrowed 5 months ago just last week?

The cafe I am working in doesn't pay that much and I don't see any other stores accepting part-timers at my place.

What am I supposed to do?

I am Luna, a broke girl who lives in a small apartment building just a few blocks away from the university. I lost my parents when I was 15 due to a car accident and have been striving since then. I had thought it wouldn't be that bad at first but when I went to college, I didn't get to expect the worst might happen.

I don't have a lot of food in my refrigerator, thank God there's free food from the university and I can eat breakfast and lunch. But still, dinner is too hard for me so I just make what I can. Sometimes, I starve myself and wait for morning to come to have my fill.

How can life be this hard? Is it always like this for everybody? or was it just me?

Should I just start selling myself? no.

I have to keep going. I only have less than a year before the bar exams, I have already suffered this far and yet I am planning on giving up right now? No,

I stood up from the seat and I felt something weird under. And I realized the most annoying visitor who comes every month just came to take away my 5 dollars.

I went out of the apartment building wearing a huge jacket and a coat to get pads from the convenience store near my place. I looked at the sky and saw the moon which basically just reminds me of my name. I sighed for no reason and continued walking the icy and slippery road towards the convenience store.

It's past November and the snow is starting to fall on the ground as if it was trying to cover everything on earth with its white icy structure. I wish it could cover my expenses too.

I sighed for no reason again and adjusted my eyeglasses as I look at the pine trees standing next to the road filled with ice.

I finally got to the convenience store. I gulped and looked away when I noticed the cashier was a guy. It's like the world just turned its back on me. A few seconds later, he gave me the black bag and I paid for everything I got. It's just 2 packs of pads and nothing more.

I went out of the convenience store in tiny steps and walked my way home. While walking, I noticed the newly opened park that no one comes to because it was still dark on the side of the road. I have never been there, I walk past it whenever I come to the university.

I peeked at what was inside and there was no light at all other than the light from the moon which could barely even reach the ground because of the trees. I took my phone out and opened my flashlight. It was open, people come here during the day but there weren't many. It's nighttime and nobody else is here except me.

I immediately looked for the shed and sat there. It's dark in quiet. Perfect for tonight's content. Sadness and despair because I couldn't pay for my expenses. Should I just record a vlog? My phone is up to date, my sister bought it for me. Maybe I should just use it for a more money-making purpose.

I sighed for no reason again. The warm air from my breath fogged my glasses. It is annoying but I have to do it because I was born with very bad eyes. That is why I need to take these thick glasses with me all the time.

I used my flashlight to look at the place. I knew there was no one around but I suddenly heard whimpers that made me extremely frightened. I stood up and clenched my fist ready to fight the monster hiding from behind the bush where the whimper is coming from.

Should I push the push away and see what it is? Well, if it is a bear, it can just kill me and I die. I won't stress over my expenses anymore when that happens. With my extreme wish to die, I did push the bush away to see what the animal making the whimpers is and I saw a white thing.

A cat? A little tiger? A white raccoon? Wait, is that a turtle? A bear? no, polar bears don't exist in this area. I slapped my forehead with my palm and looked at the creature again.

It's a white fox, My eyebrows shot up when I saw the end part of the little fox's body. Was it still a baby? It's so small and it got no tail. I squatted down to reach the fox laying on the icy ground. My head tilted. There seems something wrong with it. is it sick?

I touched the poor things' white smooth fur and it whimpered when I was doing that. Was it hurt?

Well, whether it was hurt or sick is not my problem. I've got a lot of things to be stressed out of. This poor guy's life is not something that I must prioritize right now. I don't have the money to spend on an animal. I don't even have a mouse because it takes a lot. Nor do I have a cat or a dog. I cannot take care of living things because I couldn't even take care of mine.

After 30 minutes of staying out in the cold, I found myself putting the poor thing inside my clothes to warm it up while walking my way back home.

I can't, I just can't leave it there. This fox's tail doesn't seem like it was cut. If I report this to animal welfare, they might give me money for taking care of it. I ran back home holding the creature in my arms. "This must be it, this must be the way!" I told myself and opened the door to my apartment and put the fox on my bed. "Is it dirty? no," I told myself. It seems to be lying on the ground for too long but it wasn't dirty at all.

I looked at it and it looked very pretty. It looks like a cat but it wasn't. How do I know if it was a girl or a boy? I didn't want to think that I was sexualizing the sick thing so I immediately took water and fed it to the poor baby.

"What happened to you?" I asked it while running my fingers on its fur. It is quietly laying on my lap and it whimpers sometimes but not as loud as earlier. "Well, I must be crazy thinking I would gain profit from this cute thing, " I told myself. "I'd take you back to the park when you get better,"

What was I thinking? I brought the thing into my house thinking about silly stuff. But I only offered it water so it wouldn't be that huge of a loss for me. I'd take it back tomorrow. But I do want it to feel better though. I don't even know what's wrong with it.

It just keeps on whimpering.

I left it on the bed to take a bath. When I went out of the bathroom, it was still there. It's 10 pm, tomorrow will be a free day for me, with no school, no cafe duty, and lots of time to overthink and stress out with the bill. But I know I can rely on my problems today for tomorrow's me.

I forgot about the fox and slept immediately due to a lot of stress. When I woke up, I felt something was on my bed. There's something weird but I don't want to open my eyes yet because I wouldn't be able to sleep again. Hair? No, it must be the fox.

What's this? Skin? I asked my mind while crawling my fingers onto something. What is this?

Is this an arm?

My eyes opened widely and immediately saw a white-haired man right in front of me, on the bed, sleeping next to me. I was even resting my head on his arms. "KYAAAAHHHHHH!!!' I screamed and moved out of the bed.

The guy didn't react to my scream and continued sleeping with his mouth open and oddly scratching his bare skin.

"W-was he naked?" I asked when I couldn't see anything on his waist. If there wasn't any blanket, my eyes would be cursed. "Hey!" I called him but he didn't even flinch. Is he dead? no, his mouth is open and he just moved earlier. "H-hey!!" I called him louder but still no response.

I immediately took out my broom and decided to poke him.

Why was he sleeping on the bed with me? Speaking of the bed, where was the fox? Did he steal the fox and put it away and tried to molest me? "YOU ASSHOLE!!" I screamed and hit him with the broom multiple times.

BUT STILL NO RESPONSE!!

What am I going to do? What is he doing here? How did he get here? Did he open the door? Did he get in through the window?

Where's the fox?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I waited and waited until the man goes up to ask him what he was doing here. I sat in front of the bed holding a knife and a broom. I don't know what else he can do so I better get ready for anything.

10 o'clock came, then 11, and 12... my stomach started growling. I went to the kitchen while doing my best not to take my eyes off him. Since I don't have anything else, I took canned sardine with me and heated up yesterday's rice. I do not have time to cook at this state.

I went back to guard him while I wait for the microwave to ring and when it did, I went back into the kitchen when I went back to guard him, I am already holding the canned sardines and a plate of heated rice that was kind of burned out.

My bad but it's still edible. I opened the canned sardines and poured them onto my rice. I was mixing it up when he moved.

He moved!

I immediately took the knife and never let go of it. Is he awake now?

A few seconds later, he started getting up from the bed while sniffing. My eyes widened with how he went up from the bed. He was laying straight but he only used his back to get up. What power!

"Hah?" I heard him say. He's still half asleep and is looking around.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. I stood up and pointed the knife at him.

He raised his arm up to his head and scratched his white hair while looking up at me without any strange emotion on his face. He looks like he just woke up in his room and he's not even wondering what I was doing here.

"Can you share the food?" he asked me suddenly while pointing to the plate I put on the floor. he didn't even look at it earlier but he pointed at it perfectly. But what I have noticed is that his voice sounds like a criminal.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him again with my hands starting to tremble as I point the knife at him.

"Ahh! I'm hungry," he said and went back to laying his back on the bed while spreading his arms widely.

"I am asking you!" I told him using a warning.

I don't know but I am no longer feeling any dangerous feelings from him. It's just that his voice and the way he talks sound like those gang members hanging out near the school to mess up with students like me. And he doesn't even look like he takes this seriously.

"Hah?" he suddenly said.

"How did you get in here?" I asked again for the 100th time.

"Give me food first," he said as if he was just playing around with me.

"I'm going to hit you for real," I warned him.

"Food," he repeated.

"Fine," I gave up. Why is he talking about food? Does he even know that he trespassed on my apartment?

"Really?!" he suddenly went out of bed and my eyes widened when the blanket started slipping off from his body,

"W-WAHHHH!!!!" I screamed and let go of the knife and covered my eyes. "It's slipping off!" I said, horrified.

"Ah, this?" He said. I thought he already fixed it but when I looked up, he pulled the blanket entirely away from his body revealing his front view to me.

I felt like my body just lost consciousness for a second. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" I screamed even higher. "What are you doing?! Pervert!!" I screamed at him. "Put it back!!!"

"What?"

"Put it back!!!" I said while curling myself on the floor wiping my eyes as if I could easily wipe that picture off my mind. What was that? What did I just witness? Oh my God, what did just happen?

"Done," he said. This time, I slowly uncovered my eyes, "Can I have the food now?" he asked with a huge smile on his face. I looked up and stared at his face smiling widely, his perfectly whitened teeth are exposed I can also notice how pointed 2 of his teeth were and he almost look like he was closing his eyes.

What was that? What was that feeling? "G-go on," I unconsciously said.

I crawled on the bed and bent my legs. "So, what were you doing here?" I asked him.

"Hmm? Didn't you bring me last night?" he asked while smiling. He's now eating my breakfast.

"Brought you?! How would I bring you home?! I don't like boys, I don't date! My sister would get mad so I don't bring guys at home! What are you talking about?!"

"But you did bring me in here, you even gave me water," he said with that kind of smile again.

What's with that face?! It makes me want to stare at it forever!

Not to mention that he does have a beautiful face. How did this guy get to my apartment?

Last night?

Water?

"That was the fox I brought last night," I said. No way,

"That's me,"

"What do you mean?!"

"Look closely," he said, and a few seconds later, something happened, it seemed like something just popped out and all I can see in front of me right now is the white fox!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"