--- [Luna’s perspective]

  ‘As a child, I was different from the other kids.’

  A tale as old as time for us hunters…

  Honestly, are there even any ‘normal’ hunters out there?

  After all, you must be insane to subject yourself to the harsh training required to become one…

  Whatever the case may be, I was still not your average kid.

  I never really got along well with the other boys.

  I wasn’t very interested in playing with them, and much preferred hanging out with the girls instead.

  Of course I was seen as a little strange, but all kids have something weird about them that they’ll eventually grow out of, right?

  That feeling never went away…

  I could never properly explain how I felt, but there was always this sense of not belonging…

  That feeling mostly manifested as curiosity, and at the age of 12 I finally decided to do something about it.

  While my parents weren’t home, I decided to try on some of my mother’s clothes.

  I was still really short at the time, so most of her clothes were way too big for me.

  Despite none of them fitting properly, I still had fun.

  Well, until I realized my mistake that is…

  Turns out, I wasn’t home alone.

  My parents caught me, and to say they weren’t happy would be the understatement of the year.

  They were absolutely furious.

  “What are you doing, @$#%&?!” – Mother

  “Boys shouldn’t behave like that!” – Father

  That same evening, they had already decided to send me to Ulric.

  Ulric was infamous among all the kids of our town.

  He’s a retired hunter who went back to his hometown and opened up a service where he ‘fixes’ troublesome kids.

  Everyone who got sent to him came back as entirely different people, so many parents even used his name as a threat to make their kids behave.

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  My parents weren’t lying; they really were sending me to him.

  “He’ll teach you how to be a real man, @$#%&.” – Mother

  They met up with him and organized everything.

  Just a week later, I would be stuck with him for the next six months.

  Of course I was dreading it every second.

  I kept begging my parents to cancel, and I apologized profusely for what I did, but they wouldn’t listen.

  No matter what I said or did, their mind wouldn’t change.

  I was going to stay with him whether I liked it or not.

  The week went by, and I was hit in the face with reality.

  I was now stuck with Ulric.

  My parents left, but they barely even said goodbye.

  It’s like they couldn’t wait to get rid of me…

  I was a mess.

  Tears were streaming down my face, snot running down my nose, and I was sobbing so much I could barely breathe.

  I was abandoned with a monster…

  “Hey kid, what’s your name?” – Ulric

  …

  His voice was kind.

  He had a smile on his face, and he reached out his hand to help me get up.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up, alright?” – Ulric

  He led me to his kitchen, then handed me a box of tissues.

  “Everyone that gets here acts like you in the beginning. It seems I’ve built up quite the reputation among the kids! Ahaha!” – Ulric

  His laughter had no malice behind it.

  Was he really a monster like everyone made him out to be?

  “Your parents gave me all the details when they booked me… I need you to know that you’ve done nothing wrong.” – Ulric

  My crying immediately stopped.

  I was confused, relieved, happy, and lost.

  So many emotions were whirling around in my head I could barely understand what was happening.

  I had spent a week dreading this moment.

  I had spent a week begging to stay home.

  I had spent a week apologizing for my actions.

  In my mind, I had even started thinking what I did was actually wrong…

  When the moment finally came, it turned out to be nothing like what I had foreseen.

  “During my time as a hunter I met a ton of strange folks. Compared to a lot of them, you’re honestly pretty normal! Ahaha!” – Ulric

  Every time he spoke, I calmed down more and more.

  “Now then, I’ll ask you again. What’s your name, kid?” – Ulric

  “If my parents told you everything, you should already know it.” – Luna

  “I want to hear it from you. Tell me, what’s your name?” – Ulric

  I remember all I could think of in the moment was how disgusting the sound of my name made me feel.

  I didn’t want to say it.

  “Just use my last name, please.” – Luna

  “Luna it is then!” – Ulric

  There was no judgement.

  He let me decide, and that was that.

  Afterwards he showed me around his home.

  His house was big, and his yard was bigger.

  He had two adorable kittens, and a lovely dog.

  It didn’t take long for me to settle in.

  Once I did, the only bad thing about the six month limit was that it would one day be over, and I’d have to go home again.

  The day after, everything just seemed so…

  Normal…

  We started the day by eating breakfast, and playing with his pets while chatting.

  “You know, I rarely get kids like you sent here, Luna.” – Ulric

  “What do you mean?” – Luna

  “When I was a kid, I used to cause a lot of trouble. Luckily I had someone in my life who helped me get back on track. He taught me a lot, and I definitely turned out a lot better because of him. I loved being a hunter, but the reason why I quit was because I always wanted to be like that man. I wanted to be someone who could help troubled kids get on the right path in life. Those are the kind of kids who I’m usually tasked with helping. Troublemakers, bullies, and brats.” – Ulric

  The rumors made him out to be a monster, but that’s only because all the troublemakers who were sent to him always returned as well-behaved kids.

  To other kids that was seen as uncool, but in retrospect, he was doing so much good.

  He’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

  “And again, I need to reiterate this. You did nothing wrong, Luna.” – Ulric