Backstory
During her time as an only child, Juneau enjoyed spending her days with both of her parents as much as any other child. Her father was disciplinary with her when alone, never wanting kids, but Juneau was young enough to still love than hate him. For her benefit, it was good that he was busy with military work, not letting himself be held back by a kid when his job involved a lot of travel to the point of moving often. Her mother was also busy though, working while babysitting. Not taken to socialize much either, she developed a shy personality.
When it was time to start school, she was tasked with walking herself for the first day. With butterflies in her stomach, she easily gave in when her parents weren’t in sight along the way, straying off the sand-dusted path to calm down at the nearby shore. Too afraid to go home, too afraid to go to school, she sulked by herself until a girl walking by noticed their matching uniforms. Seeing her distressed, the kind girl decided to stay with Juneau until she felt better. They discussed how they were both going to be big sisters, but Juneau was too much of a scaredy cat to be a good one. The other girl was very excited about her baby sibling, and said that even though Juneau was going to be the oldest, she would treat her like a little sister anyway. More at ease, they talked about all kinds of things for hours. Eventually, their teacher and parents looked for them; Juneau saw her friend’s dad call her name, thinking he'd be upset, but he'd hug her and express his worry. That’s not the treatment she'd get, it was disheartening to be scolded harshly than being told they were glad she was safe. Even so, she got through that day and was looking forward to seeing her new friend the next day.
They learned together that year, although her friend didn’t show up for a while. Told early on by a teacher that her friend was sick, Juneau hesitated on visiting her. She overthought the circumstances, but she hoped she was okay. When she had the guts to visit, her friend’s home was visibly different and a new owner admitted the last family moved after untimely deaths in the family, but by then it was just a man and a baby girl. Devastated, Juneau was alone again. Her parents never asked how she was, so they didn’t notice their quiet child was even quieter than usual, mourning with no guidance. Even when Basilie was born, she didn’t feel the excitement her friend wanted her to feel. She missed her friend, insisting on getting a yearbook to hold onto an image of her, but that was tucked away in boxes to be shipped to another town.
Her father’s work tugged the family along to different towns, again and again, exhausting, and mentally Juneau didn’t have the energy. She could go to new schools, eat and all, but she was not okay. Her father no longer disciplined her like he would before Basilie was born, too occupied with his work to bother with more children, but he would still make offhanded warnings when he was annoyed with her sulking, Basilie too young to notice. Becoming a new student with a downer personality, she couldn’t maintain friends, deciding to keep to herself. Relationships were taxing, even with family as Basilie became an introvert that kept to herself. She didn’t need a big sister, she could ask others questions easily, so Juneau was ultimately left in an empty role. Her little sister could tell she was anxious at least, doing some social things in her sister’s place, but that was it. Normal people had the luxury of worrying about going to their first year of middle or high school, but Juneau had that worry year round with each new place. She was tired of the attention as the new kid, getting lost in hallways, being disregarded eventually. She'd pass time engrossed in literature mostly, but fortunately, she began to get closer to her own happy ending.
Starting anew in Sauzieu’s girls’ school, she was now a senior in high school. Senior years are when you reflect on the last few years of acedemia warmly, but Juneau didn’t think she was going to happily recall anything at another school she was starting at the last year of her student life, yet she was proven wrong.
She shared classes with Alfajor, a good natured girl that was well liked by practically every student. She noticed how Juneau sat alone, didn’t interact during breaks, and recommended that she joins the literature club with her since they liked the same books. Of course, Alfajor hadn’t the slightest clue on the books she read, nor was she a member of the literature club to begin with, but she binge read and joined the club on the same day as Juneau walked in. With the efforts she was making to cater to her, Juneau initially thought Alfajor had something up her sleeve, even learning that she was the school’s president. She couldn’t imagine herself being friends with someone like that, especially someone very friendly that must have many other friends to dedicate time to. In actuality, Alfajor didn’t reach out to other students outside of school other than her girlfriend, Otthild, and Juneau did pique her interest. When Alfajor began going to their school with a novice German accent a couple years back, incredibly nervous herself, she saw her younger self in Juneau. Becoming closer and deliberately arranging introvert friendly hangouts that Juneau would be comfortable in, Juneau ended up becoming good friends with Alfajor and her girlfriend. Otthild was someone Juneau wouldn’t seek to be acquainted with on her own, but even they had a lot to click about, with Otthild also becoming a protective friend over Juneau. It was new to her, yet familiar to the warmth her first friend’s care made her feel. It was a nice feeling.
Through Alfajor, Juneau was able to meet Efrain as well. He was Alfajor’s older brother, a boy she’d often see at their home when visiting during school breaks, but not someone she chose to speak with. He did catch her eye though, sometimes coming home all dressed up in his school’s uniform, sometimes caught lounging around the house playing games or reading. No matter how she saw him, he was consistent in personality, unlike her who had a sheepish hospitality towards a friend’s family. He always greeted his sister’s friends casually, and when he happened to see her in public once, he seemed more open without his sister around. Both living in dorms during the school year, they happened to shop at the same grocery store, to some degree having the same path home before he reached his building first. Neither told Alfajor they spoke then, with most of the topics being about Alfajor since she was what they had in common, but Juneau couldn’t shake the feeling that he was so easy to talk to, maybe because he had some of her friend’s traits. She proceeded to frequently see him at the store, with them learning the other’s typical grocery choices and making recommendations, because food was also a broad topic that could spider out into all kinds of conversations. When she’d visit Alfajor’s home, it was pretty noticeable that she got used to saying hello to him, and Efrain ended up sharing food with his sister and her friends mainly to have Juneau try some Latin American dishes he’d recommend before. Soon enough, she was buying the same things as him, with him giving his number if she had questions about making some of the meals. In the end, they started up texting and getting closer. With Alfajor’s speculative personality, she noticed the change in their behaviors, and encouraged them to get together with the feeling being mutual.
The closer she got with Efrain, she did feel a little bit of guilt. There was a guilt in getting into a relationship she didn’t tell her family about, and a guilt in getting to experience all sorts of wonderful things in her life now that her dear friend would not. She still thought about her, about her friend’s bright smile and golden personality. It was a strange coincidence, she could have sworn that she’d seen someone like that recently. Occasionally catching a glimpse of their town’s hero Carambola as a passerby, she once locked eyes with the magical girl who then approached her, curiously calling her name. When Juneau responded with a hesitantly questioning yes, Carambola embraced her in the most soothing hug she ever had.
“I’m glad to see you again! I’m glad you’re okay!” Carambola would tell her, exclaiming how happy she was to see she was alright and so on. That was the first time Juneau was told that, and she was just as tearfully ecstatic to relay the same feelings she’d held onto for years. With everything delightful falling into place, Juneau hoped to stay in Sauzieu long enough to live on her own soon, so she wouldn’t have to follow her father anymore, so she could continue each day with her regained comfort moving forward.
