Chapter 3: A Petty Plan

Several days had passed since Luna had received Kevin's offhanded remark, and yet, the sting of his words still burned in her mind. "You're going to be so cute when you grow up," she remembered him saying. Every time she replayed it in her head, her irritation grew stronger. It wasn't just the words themselves—it was the way he had said them, so casual, so thoughtless, as if she were some child barely out of her toddler years.

Luna huffed, crossing her arms as she paced back and forth in the tailor shop. "He probably didn't even mean it in a bad way," she thought, "but that doesn't mean I have to let it go!"

She had spent her entire life enduring awkward comments about her height. From the neighbors chuckling as they greeted her, to even Gill barely recognizing her—she had let it slide. After all, those people had known her since childhood, and as frustrating as it was, what could she do? But Kevin? A complete stranger? "Oh, he has no idea what he's gotten himself into," she thought to herself.

Luna smirked, already envisioning a hundred ways to make him regret underestimating her. She could switch the sugar in his home with salt. Maybe sew his pant legs together just enough to make him trip. Or—her grin widened—perhaps she'd find a way to set a little harmless trap on his farm.

On the other side of the room, Candace quietly worked on hemming a dress, occasionally glancing up at her sister. Luna was muttering to herself, her arms flailing every so often as she grinned mischievously, lost in whatever scheme she was brewing. Candace sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever it is, I probably don't want to know," and continued with her work.

That evening, under the cover of darkness, Luna moved like a shadow through the Caramel River District. The gentle rush of water flowing through the rivers masked the faint sound of her footsteps as she weaved through the moonlit paths. A smirk tugged at her lips as she approached her destination—Kevin's farm.

Nestled on the north side near Caramel Falls, his house stood quietly against the darkened sky, his barn and coop nearby, the rhythmic snores of slumbering animals drifting through the night air. Even the cows and chickens were deep in their dreams, blissfully unaware of the mischief lurking just outside. And there it was. Resting carelessly beside the door was Kevin's rucksack, stuffed with all of his essential tools—his hoe, watering can, milker, brush, hammer, and more. Luna placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, mockingly scolding him in her thoughts. "Leaving your tools out in the open? Rookie mistake, farm boy."

Suppressing a giggle, she crouched down and got to work. One by one, she plucked each tool from the bag and scattered them throughout town, her small frame barely making a sound as she darted between locations.

She left his hoe and watering can near Soufflé Farm, nestled just beside a stack of crates. His milker and brush? Placed right at the entrance of Brownie Ranch, almost as if daring the ranchers to claim them. His hammer and axe found a new home near the carpenter's shop, blending in as if they belonged there. As for the remaining odds and ends? She cheerfully dumped them into an empty shipping crate, where they'd surely be mistaken for lost cargo.

By the time she tiptoed back toward the path leading home, a satisfied grin stretched across her face. She had done it—her masterpiece was complete. Kevin would wake up to a scavenger hunt of his own making, all thanks to his thoughtless remark.

Biting back another snicker, she slipped into her house and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. Sleep came easily, the anticipation of tomorrow's chaos lulling her into dreams of sweet, petty revenge.

That morning, Kevin stepped out of his farmhouse with a loud yawn, stretching his arms toward the sky as the golden hues of dawn bathed the Caramel River District. It was a perfect morning for farm work—the air was crisp, the birds chirped cheerfully, and his fields were waiting for him.

With a content sigh, he reached down to grab his rucksack, ready to start his day. But the moment he lifted it, a strange lightness made him pause. Frowning, he peeked inside. His bag was empty.

Kevin blinked in confusion. "What the…?" He could have sworn his tools were in there when he packed up yesterday. He always made sure to put them back before calling it a day. He then wonders if he had misplaced them.

Scratching the back of his head, he began a thorough search of his farm. He checked near the fields, around the barn, inside the coop—nothing. Maybe he had absentmindedly left them somewhere? He retraced his steps from the day before, scouring every corner of his property. No matter how much he searched, he found nothing.

His confusion deepened into frustration as he expanded his search. He hiked up toward Caramel Falls, checking near the hot springs where he had bathed the previous evening. He even peered behind rocks and trees, wondering if he had set them down somewhere ridiculous in a moment of distraction. But no matter where he looked, his tools were gone.

Kevin let out a groan, dragging a hand down his face. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "How does an entire set of farm tools just vanish overnight?"

As Kevin trudged back to his house, frustration weighing heavy on his shoulders, he was met with an unexpected sight—Anissa standing by his doorstep, holding his hoe and watering can. The gentle farm girl gave him a patient smile as he approached.

"Good morning, Kevin," she greeted. "I found these at my family's farm. I figured they had to be yours."

Kevin blinked in confusion, glancing between her and the tools in her hands. "My hoe? And watering can? How did they end up there?"

Anissa gave a soft chuckle. "I was hoping you could tell me," she said as she handed them over. "You should be more careful with your things."

Before Kevin could respond, Anissa turned to leave, heading back toward Soufflé Farm. He barely had time to process what just happened before another visitor approached.

"Hey, Kevin!" Renee called out, jogging up to him with a bundle of tools in her arms. "These were found near Brownie Ranch. I figured they might be yours."

Kevin's mouth fell open as he recognized his milker and brush in her arms. "Wait, what? Brownie Ranch?" He took them from Renee, completely baffled. But the bizarre parade wasn't over yet.

"Yo, Kevin!" Luke's voice rang out as he sauntered over, a cocky grin on his face. "Lose something?" He held up Kevin's axe and hammer. "Found these near the carpenter's shop. Man, you really need to keep better track of your stuff!"

Kevin ran a hand through his hair, his frustration mixing with bewilderment. "How were my tools scattered all over town?"

And just when he thought things couldn't get any stranger, a familiar elderly voice called out. "Ah, Kevin, my boy!"

Mayor Hamilton waddled up, holding the last of Kevin's tools in his arms. He huffed as he set them down in front of the stunned farmer. "The shipper found these in a shipping crate this morning," he explained, shaking his head. "They turned them in, and I immediately recognized them as yours. Thought I'd save you the trouble and bring them back."

Kevin stood motionless, eyes fixed on the pile of returned tools now stacked unceremoniously at his feet. His hoe and watering can from Soufflé Farm. His milker and brush from Brownie Ranch. His axe and hammer from the carpenter's shop. Every last one of his tools dropped off like unwanted baggage.

He stared at them in disbelief, scratching the back of his head as if doing so might shake an answer loose. "What in the world is going on?" he muttered, his eye twitching ever so slightly.

From behind a nearby tree, muffled laughter betrayed the presence of a hidden observer. Luna peeked around the trunk, her petite frame shaking with amusement as she watched the bewildered farmer piece together the puzzle.

"You know what?" she said between stifled giggles, barely able to contain herself. "This is a lot of fun. I can't believe how good it feels to serve a little sweet revenge."

She clutched her sides, laughter bubbling out of her like a child with a delicious secret. Then her eyes narrowed, her grin wicked. "But I'm not done yet. Oh no…" Her voice dropped to a playful whisper. "This is just the beginning."

The next day, Kevin set out on a mission to uncover the mystery behind his missing tools. As he strolled through town, he asked the locals if they had noticed anything suspicious—perhaps a stranger lurking around or someone acting out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have any answers, and Kevin was left with nothing but confusion and frustration.

As he made his way through the Caramel River District, a familiar figure caught his attention. Luna was skipping down from Caramel Falls, her bright pink pigtails bouncing with each step. She whistled a cheerful tune, her expression the picture of innocence.

"Morning, Luna," Kevin called, stepping into her path.

She stopped and beamed at him, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Oh, good morning, Kevin!" she chirped sweetly, though in her mind, she was grinning like a mischievous fox.

Kevin folded his arms. "Hey, have you seen anything… strange lately? Someone sneaking around town, maybe?"

Luna blinked, feigning confusion. "Hmm… strange? Nope! Haven't seen a thing!" She placed a finger on her chin, as if she were deep in thought, before shaking her head. "Nope! Town's been peaceful as ever."

Kevin studied her for a moment, but Luna held her innocent smile like a seasoned actress. Deciding not to press further, he sighed. "Alright… have you at least seen Toby? Maybe he's noticed something."

Luna's eyes twinkled as she pointed toward Caramel Falls. "Yup! Saw him fishing up there not too long ago."

Kevin nodded. "Thanks." Without another word, he turned and made his way toward the falls, leaving Luna behind.

The moment he was out of earshot, Luna's sweet smile twisted into a smug smirk. "He has no idea," she thought with glee, resisting the urge to laugh. With a little skip in her step, she continued on her way, feeling quite proud of herself.

As Kevin climbed the winding path up Caramel Falls, he kept his eyes peeled for Toby. The sound of rushing water filled the air, but instead of finding the fisherman, his gaze landed on something unusual.

A wooden stake had been driven into the ground, a crudely drawn sign swaying slightly in the breeze. Kevin stepped closer, his brow furrowing as he examined it. The drawing was rough, almost childish, depicting a stick figure with its tongue sticking out. Below the drawing, in large, uneven letters, was a message scrawled in bold:

"YOU SUCK, KEVIN!"

Kevin's mouth fell open. His fingers clenched around the edges of the sign as realization set in. Someone was messing with him! His missing tools hadn't been an accident—this was all part of a prank.

Then his eyes caught something odd—peculiar enough to halt him mid-step. The stick figure drawn in the sign had long, unmistakable twin pigtails—pink ones, jutting out like two wild tassels. Crude as it was, it was clear who it was meant to represent.

Kevin narrowed his eyes, his jaw tightening. There was only one person in Waffle Town with hair like that. "Did Luna do this?" he muttered, staring at the drawing as the gears in his mind finally began to turn. A spark of realization lit his face, quickly replaced by a flush of indignation.

Without wasting another second, he snatched the sign off the post, spun on his heel, and stormed down the path with purpose. His boots struck the ground with heavy steps, kicking up dust as he made a beeline for the Chiffon Tailor Shop.

Luna was at the counter, sorting fabric swatches when the front door opened. She barely had time to turn before Kevin marched up to her, his face tight with frustration.

"Alright, Luna," he said, holding up the sign. "Care to explain this?"

Luna blinked, tilting her head innocently. "What's that?" she asked, her voice laced with feigned curiosity.

Kevin exhaled sharply, shaking the sign in front of her. "You know what this is! Someone put this at Caramel Falls, and let me guess—the person in this drawing has pigtails." He jabbed a finger at her hair. "Ring any bells?"

Luna barely suppressed a smirk. "Ohhh, I see what you mean!" she said airily. "Yeah, I did see that earlier up at the falls. It was already there when I while hanging out over there." She folded her arms, tilting her head. "Weird coincidence, huh? I wonder why it has pink hair like mine?"

Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew she was lying—he knew it—but without proof, what could he do? With a long, exhausted sigh, he shook his head. "You're impossible," he muttered before turning and walking out of the shop.

The moment the door shut behind him, Candace peeked over from her sewing station. "Luna," she said, giving her sister a knowing look. "Did you really have nothing to do with that sign?"

Luna placed her hands on her hips, lifting her chin with a triumphant smirk. "I don't know what you're talking about, Candace."

Candace sighed but didn't press further. She returned to her sewing, her hands working on autopilot while her mind lingered on Luna's suspicious behavior. Even though she knew Luna wasn't the type for tasteless pranks, she could be unpredictable when something—or someone—got under her skin. Luna had always been fiery, but her mischief usually had a purpose. "But why Kevin?" she asked herself. Candace frowned, thinking back to their recent interactions. As far as she knew, Luna had barely spoken to him before now. What could he have possibly done to earn her wrath?

Throughout the next week, Kevin found himself at the mercy of an unseen prankster—though all signs pointed to Luna. Still, she covered her tracks so well that he had no solid proof.

The first prank came when he stepped outside one morning, expecting to see his trusty scarecrow standing tall over his crops. Instead, he found a stuffed rabbit in its place, its button eyes staring blankly into the distance. Without the scarecrow to ward them off, birds had descended upon his fields, pecking greedily at his crops.

"What the—?!" Kevin shouted, waving his arms to chase the birds away. He picked up the rabbit and examined it. The stitching was precise, the fabric soft—clearly the work of an expert tailor. His eyes narrowed, "Luna."

Storming back to town, he burst into the Chiffon Tailor Shop, the stuffed rabbit in hand. "Alright, Luna! Explain this!"

Luna barely glanced at the rabbit before her eyes glowed. "Wow, that's a cute plushie. Where'd you get it?"

Kevin's eye twitched. "You know where I got it."

Luna gasped dramatically. "Oh, you think I made it? Kevin, I'm flattered that you think my skills are that good, but I have never seen that bunny before in my life."

Candace, who had been quietly working at her sewing machine, glanced between them, her brow furrowed in silent concern. Kevin groaned, rubbing his temples. He had no evidence, but deep down, he knew Luna was behind this. And judging by the mischievous glint in her blue eyes, this was only the beginning.

The next prank struck just as Kevin was about to start his morning chores. He grabbed his watering can and headed to the well, only to find a crudely written sign hanging from the crank handle and the well dried. "OUT OF ORDER!" the sign read.

Kevin frowned. "Out of order? Who the heck put this here?"

Suspicious, he twisted the spigot, expecting to see glistening water pouring out—but it was completely dry. His confusion deepened as he moved to check the nearby valves. When he twisted one, the well started to fill from the river nearby. Then he checked another. And another. Every single one had been manually shut off. Kevin scowled, flexing his fingers. There was only one way someone could have done this without his specialized tool—if their hands were small enough to reach inside and turn the valves manually. And he knew exactly who had small enough hands.

"Luna..." he muttered through gritted teeth.

Despite his growing frustration, he knew he still had no concrete proof. Huffing in annoyance, he tossed his bucket over his shoulder and made his way to the river to fetch water. As he walked, a single thought nagged at the back of his mind—"just how far was Luna planning to take this? And why?"

The final prank of the week came just as Kevin was looking forward to a successful harvest. His turnips had ripened beautifully, their green tops swaying in the breeze, ready to be pulled. But as he stepped onto his field that morning, his jaw dropped.

The turnips were already ripped out of the soil. Every single one. Right in the middle of his now-empty field, turnips had been carefully arranged to spell out a bold, taunting message: "SHORTIES RULE!"

Kevin groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Oh, come on." By now, the culprit was obvious. The pranks, the small handprints left in the soil, the sheer pettiness of it all—while there are some people who could do this, only one person in Waffle Town fit the description. Luna.

He crossed his arms, surveying the damage. At the very least, whoever did this had the decency to not damage the turnips. He let out a long sigh. Was it frustrating? Absolutely. But was it worth another pointless confrontation? No.

Kevin smirked, shaking his head as he picked up a bundle of turnips. "You're gonna slip up someday, Luna," he muttered. "And when you do, I'll be right there waiting." With that, he got to work, deciding he'd let her have her fun—for now.

A few nights later, after the whole town had settled into peaceful slumber, Kevin turned off his lights and made his way to bed. The house was quiet, the only sounds being the soft rustling of the wind outside and the distant chirp of night insects. Inside, the only movement came from Kevin, who was already drifting into a deep sleep, unaware of the trouble brewing just outside his door.

Once she was sure he was sound asleep, Luna crept out of her hiding spot, her footsteps light and stealthy as she tiptoed across the yard. She had been planning this for days now, and tonight, she decided to take things up a notch. She wasn't going to just play pranks anymore. No, this time she was going to leave her mark, make Kevin really feel her frustration.

She slipped into his barn, heart racing with excitement. The dark interior smelled of hay, leather, and the earthy musk of animals. In the faint moonlight filtering through the cracks in the barn walls, Luna spotted the saddle hanging on a post. A perfect target.

With a grin, she reached into her bag, pulling out a small tube of fabric glue. She unscrewed the cap with a snap, her mind racing with thoughts of sweet revenge. "This ought to teach him a lesson," she thought, her lips curling into a mischievous smile as she began to slather the glue on the saddle. The sticky substance quickly spread across the leather, a sure-fire way to ruin Kevin's day when the saddle sticks to his pants.

But just as Luna was in the midst of her handiwork, something unusual caught her attention. She felt a gentle tug on her hair and turned around in confusion, only to see an ostrich standing behind her, its beady eyes locked onto her. It pecked at a flower in her hair, plucking it free before starting to chew on it.

Luna froze. Her face went pale as she watched the bird, a strange mixture of surprise and fear washing over her. Without thinking, she let out a loud scream, causing the bird to squawk in alarm and flap its wings.

The barn erupted into chaos. Cows began mooing loudly, the sheep and goats bleated in confusion, and even the horse let out a high-pitched whinny. Luna's heart hammered in her chest as she turned in circles, not knowing what to do to silence the panicked animals.

She rushed over to the nearest cow, trying to calm it down, but only succeeded in making it more agitated. The animals' noises grew louder, creating a cacophony of sound that echoed through the barn, waking up the entire farm.

"Shh, shh!" Luna whispered frantically, waving her hands in front of the animals, but it was no use. The barn had become a madhouse, and Luna had no idea how to fix the situation. She felt her chest tighten as the noise continued to escalate, her mind racing for a solution. "What do I do now?" she thought, panic rising in her throat.

"What's going on?" shouted Kevin as he rushed into the barn, his voice full of confusion and concern. He flicked on the light, his eyes narrowing when he saw Luna standing there, the faint glow of the bulb revealing her guilty expression. She quickly tried to hide the tube of glue behind her back, but it was too late.

"I know this looks bad, but I can explain. Really!" Luna stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She wasn't fooling anyone.

Kevin's eyes immediately locked onto the wet glue smeared on the saddle, the sticky substance glistening in the light. His face twisted in disbelief as he took a few steps closer, his fingers reaching for the glue. Without hesitation, he grabbed the tube from Luna's hand, holding it up triumphantly.

"I knew it!" Kevin shouted, his voice echoing in the barn. "It was you! Caught red-handed!"

Luna stood frozen, her expression a mix of frustration and defiance. She wanted to argue, to make some excuse, but all that came out was a sharp, frustrated grunt.

"Now explain," Kevin continued, his tone growing more serious. "Why are you doing this? Why are you messing with my farm?"

Luna's fists clenched at her sides, her small frame trembling with fury. Her voice rang out sharp and raw "Because you're a big, dumb asshole, and I hate you!"

Kevin blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Asshole?" he repeated, confused. "What's wrong with you? And why do you talk like an adult?"

Luna scoffed, arms crossing tightly over her chest, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "Oh, I get it now," she said, voice laced with venom. "You're not even trying to be cruel. You really are just an idiot."

Kevin's expression darkened, his patience unraveling. "That's it," he snapped. "I'm going to talk to your parents about this."

Luna's face twisted in disbelief, then exploded with fury. Her voice came out in a low growl. "How dare you!"

In the next instant, she lunged forward, and before Kevin could react, her foot slammed into his shin with surprising force.

"OW—what the heck?!" he shouted, staggering back, clutching his leg.

Luna stood her ground, chest heaving, her eyes burning with righteous fire. "I don't have parents you can complain to," she spat. "But if you really want to speak to someone, maybe try addressing me like a person!"

Kevin stared at her, speechless—part from the pain, part from shock.

Without another word, she turned and fled, disappearing into the night. Kevin stood there, stunned, his hand still gripping his throbbing shin. The barn fell silent once again, the animals' noise replaced with an eerie quiet that hung heavy in the air.

"She doesn't have parents?" Kevin's mind raced. He hadn't known… No one had told him. As he stood there, alone in the barn with the glue-covered saddle and the lingering sting of Luna's words, he realized that there was much more to the girl than he had met.