After a short (but not so short) explanation, Ethan caught me up to speed. Thomas is older than me by three years, and Theo is younger than me by five. Ethan and my birth mom left Thomas here with family when they went to earth because they believed they'd be coming back with me after a year or two. They didn't know that their memories would be changed and erased. They had me and, because Ethan and my birth mother were having marital issues, decided to give me up. Then for some reason, their memories returned and they got snatched back to Worlomands. At first they thought their issues were just the memory loss. So, Ethan and my mother stayed together for seven more years, Theo and a little girl named Tunia being born five years after I was. Then everything went to shit, my mother refused to let go of Tunia, and now the boys live with Ethan while Tunia lives with my mom and her new wife.
"Your mother, Amelia, became... colder... after the twins were born. And for some goddamn reason, pardon my language, she refused to let both of them go with me. Or even have joint custody. She wanted one of them full time. She was always uptight, but after we started having kids it got worse and worse." Ethan mutters. He put Theo to bed a little while ago. "Yeah mom can be an asshole." "Thomas!" "You know I'm right." He says, sitting down on the couch. He's wearing a baggy t-shirt and sweats. "So when did you even get here?" Thomas asks. "Over five months ago. Lane, Maxine, Damien, and Gabriel have more experience than I do though." Thomas nods. "Y'all have been here longer?" He asks, glancing at the others. They shake their heads. He raises an eyebrow. "Then how...?" "I was unconscious for a little more than three of those five months."
"WHAT?!" Ethan yelps. "I got thrown off a clif." I say with a sheepish grin. "By who?" "My ex girlfriend." Thomas snickers. Ethan glares at him. "What? Seriously though, how bad does a breakup have to be for her to throw you off a cliff?" Thomas asks. I giggle. "Ethan, you asked who. I uh... I might've kicked her dad in the balls today."
Thomas looks at me with confusion. Ethan's jaw drops. "Your ex is Anaideia Timor?" It takes Thomas a minute to register that fact. Then his face twists into shock, his eyes growing wide. "YOU KICKED ELIGIO TIMOR IN THE BALLS?!?!" "yes? Did I... did I not establish this?" I ask, looking over at Ethan. Thomas holds his head in his hands, still looking shocked. "I think he needs a minute. So... who are your friends?" "Oh! Right." I say. I look at Lane and nod. She stands.
"I'm Lane. I'm the purple Star Being." Lane says. Damien stands up. "Damien. I'm the white one.... that didn't sound right." He says, smacking his forehead. Next is Maxine. "I'm Maxine. I'm the pink Star Being." Lastly, Gabriel stands. "Gabriel. I'm the..." he mumbles something in French. Damien begins to open his mouth. Gabriel glares at him. He quickly shuts it. "YELLOW! I'm the yellow Star Being. Sorry. My English... it's not that good." Gabriel says sheepishly. "What is your first language?" Thomas asks, finally speaking back up. "French." Gabriel states. Thomas perks up.
"Oh! vous ne connaissiez pas beaucoup l'anglais au départ, n'est-ce pas?" Gabriel grins excitedly. "non, pas beaucoup. mais apprendre a été amusant. bien que les malédictions aient probablement été l'une des premières choses que j'ai apprises. ta sœur a tout à fait la gueule de volaille." He says. Thomas giggles. "He says you curse a lot." I glare at Gabriel, who just laughs in response. I pull out my phone and glance at the time. "Oh crap. It's late. We'd better head back to the cabin." Ethan raises an eyebrow. "No offense, but that's a horrible idea. The L.O. Is probably still looking for you. You go out there tonight and..." He shudders at the thought. "We've got blankets and pillows. It's probably best you stay here tonight." Ethan says. I nod quietly. "Ok. Looks like we're staying here."
My mind flashes with visions. Rocks crumbling down on top of me. Elian looking absolutely terrified. Lane's face frozen in a scream. I hear people yelling my name. Hera. Nat. I can hear the Deity's voice. "I tried to warn you." They say. The only vision that's truly clear is fucking horrifiying. The Star Beings are gathered around a pile of rocks. Lane is crouching down, holding a limp body. My limp body. "Hell is coming Delilah." I hear the Deity's voice say. "Only you can stop it."
I wake up screaming. And everyone else in the house looking at me with various emotions. Fear. Anger. Worry. "Nightmare." I grumble. "Do you normally scream bloody murder when having a nightmare?" "Yes." Lane and I grumble. I look at her and raise an eyebrow. "I'm not deaf. I might be a heavy sleeper, but there was one time I was awake. Though that time, you were gone by the time I came to check on you." "When was that?" "Your birthday night. Where did you go anyways?" I pause for a second, thinking of how to avoid the fact I saw Elian that night. "I... took a walk. I needed to clear my head." I lie. "Ah." Ethan clears his throat. "Well... we should probably get back to sleep." Everyone else nods. I stand. "I... I might stay up a while. Do y'all have any hot chocolate?" Ethan nods. "Yeah. Let me show you where it is."
I open my eyes. After I got Hot Chocolate last night, I went back to bed. At least I slept well this time. I sit up and glance at the window. Light is seeping through the closed blinds. We probably need to go today. Staying with Ethan, Thomas, and Theo could, and will, put them in danger. "Oh you're up." I hear Damien say. "Uh... yeah. Yeah I am." We stare at each other in silence. This is awkward as fuck. "Um... thanks." Damien says suddenly. "For what?" "Helping Caleb. He's actually trying to change. I've... I've never seen him this determined about anything. Not football, definitely not school... you and Maxine are actually helping him change for the better. So... thanks for that." I smile. "You're welcome."
We left around noon. I promised Ethan, Thomas, and Theo that I'd visit soon. After we left the apartment we headed back to the cabin and packed up our shit. Then, we left. Probably one of the least eventful days in a while. And that's saying something.
I climb off Button and lead her into the stable. "Good kitty." I whisper, patting her on the head. The other group isn't back yet. And they probably won't be for a while, considering Hade's parents live much farther than Ethan does from the base. I grab my phone and text Natalie. "Hope you're doing ok. We had to come back early. L.O. Issues." I send the message. Nat responds almost immediately. Just a question Mark. "I kicked Eligio Timor in the balls." I text back. I walk out of the stables, my bag slung over my shoulder. Hera is talking to Lane. She whirls around and glares at me. "Oh fuck..." I squeak. "Delilah J. Murphy!" Hera shouts. "Well would you look at the time? I gotta go-" "what did I say about being reckless?" Hera asks, grabbing my arm to keep me from bolting. I groan. "Not to be. But there was a perfect opening. I had to take it." "You didn't have to do anything." She snaps. "It was pretty goddamn funny, though..." I mumble under my breath. Hera sighs, annoyed with my fuckery. "Next time, leave. It. Alone." She grumbles. "Yes ma'am." I feel my phone buzz in my back pocket. "That would be Nat. If you'll excuse me for a sec..."
I answer the phone and teleport back to my room. "WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!?!" Nat yells. I wince. Probably shouldn't have had the phone up to my ear. "Ok one, it's fine. I'm back at base. Two, it was fuckin awesome." I hear Nat sigh. Another person who is absolutely done with my bullshit. "Just tell me one thing... did he double over?" "Like a freaking folding chair." I hear Nat snicker. "But seriously, that was really stupid." "I know. Hera informed me of that. Also, it's really weird with you and the other four not being here." I sigh. "Yeah. We should be back by the 28th though." Nat says quietly. I nod. "See you then?" I ask. "Yeah. See you then."
Those three days between when we got back and the 28th sucked. It was quiet without Nat talking. Or Caleb trying not to be a dick. Or Mateo stumbling over himself when talking to Karson. Or Hade blowing something up. But finally, they came back. And Hera barley let them put their stuff down before calling us all the caves.
"Ok children, we recently opened a once sealed cavern down here. We believe we found Star Being artifacts but without all of you, we couldn't be sure. So... follow me." Hera says, waving us into the Cave. I squirm uneasily. Nat glances over at me and smiles. "It'll be ok. I don't think we're going near the crystals again." She whispers. I nod and we step into the caves.
Hera leads us through the winding caverns and then she turns sharply. We follow into an open area, light streaming through a glass apron near the ceiling. "Has that always been there?" Hade asks. Hera nods. "Yes... it has." Hera opens her arms in a wide gesture. There's ten glass cases behind her. And inside? Armor. Every single suit looks different. "I... I don't know how to open these." Hera admits. There's a little colored slot near the bottom of each case. "Maybe..." I walk over to the case with the green slot. I light a flame inside the slot. The glass case opens. "That works." The other Star beings race forward, placing little flames into their slots. The cases open. "How do we put these on?" Caleb asks. "They're metal, aren't they?" Hera asks. "Oh yeah." I focus on the armor. Every curve. Every crease. I feel the chest plate snap on first. Then the back of it. Then metal wraps around my thighs. Lastly, gauntlets around my forearms. I open my eyes, allowing the armor to settle onto my body. It's heavy as hell. I glance at the other Star Beings and notice a bit of a pattern.
Everyone with longer range weapons, Lane, Hade, and Damien, have less armor all together. They only really have chest plates and pads on their elbows and knees. Makes sense. They're not in the heat of battle, so they don't have to worry as much.
The swordspeople, Nat, Caleb, and Maxine, have more armor on their upper body and less on their legs. Probably for mobility, I'm guessing.
Mateo and I have more armor on our lower body than on our upper body. Considering our weapons, or at least the ones we main, require us to swing and twist, it makes sense. Then there's Karson and Gabriel.
All they have are chest plates and knee pads. That's it. But then again, they're both the most mobile when using they're weapons. Karson usually jumps everywhere while swinging his whip, and Gabriel almost never stops moving on the battlefield. Usually because if he does his gauntlets do.
The armor is based on what parts of us are the most mobile during battle. Mateo and I swing our weapons around, but we keep our feet planted unless going for a target. Unless we get into hand to hand combat, which is something that seems to happen all too often. Nat, Maxine, and Caleb, on the other hand, run and jump and dodge. Lower body armor would only slow them down. Yes, they do move they're arms but armor is needed up there. They can fight with an injured leg but not with an injured arm. Lane, Hade, and Damien tend to stay back from the fight and fire off from places where other people can't reach them. They don't need to worry about hand to hand combat as much, which means less armor. And, as I already explained, Karson and Gabriel move around a ton. A lot of armor would make that harder. Hera clears her throat. We snap back to attention.
"For the next few weeks, you will train with this armor to get used to the feel of it while in combat. Oh! I nearly forgot." Hera says, smacking her forehead. "I wanted you back here by the first because we are planning to introduce all of you to the world at the start of the year. We will be throwing a grand party. I've already contacted a tailor to start preparing outfits. It will be held at a ballroom in a nearby city, called Loridelah. It's one of the biggest cities in the world. There is a risk, of course, of the L.O. Showing up. But I believe you can handle it. I've seen how some of you can fight." Hera smiles at all of us. Is that... pride is her eyes? Holy shit it is. "We won't let you down Hera." Lane says confidently. "I know. But please... be careful."
The days leading up to the party have been full of excitement. Yesterday we got our outfits. They're color coded, but other than that they're fuckin awesome. I get to wear a suit, so maybe that's why I'm so excited. I hear Lane knock on my door. "Yeah?" "Hera says we need to be ready to go in fives minutes. You might want to be dressed if you're not already." Shit! I jump out of bed and quickly start to get ready. I tug on and button my pale green dress shirt. Then I pull on the dark green vest over it. I tug my matching pants on and put on some dress shoes. I glance in the mirror and tie my tie. Then I brush and gel my hair back. I look fancy. "DJ, let's go!" I hear Lane yell in an annoyed voice. "Coming! Jesus you can be... woah." My jaw drops as my eyes land on Lane. She's wearing a velvet dress that goes down to her ankles. She's also wearing combat boots and a leather jacket. She looks both badass and beautiful. "I can be what?" Lane asks with a raised eyebrow, almost daring me to finish my sentence. "Nothing.... We should get moving."
We step out into the commons. Hera is waiting for us in an elaborate dress. It's long and multicolored. It kind of looks like stained glass. Her hair is pulled back in a long braid. "Wonderful. You're all here. We'll be traveling in a bus, so please try not to annoy the driver too much." Hera says with a sigh. "No promises!" I hear Hade yell. I glance at them. They're wearing the top half of a tuxedo and an orange skirt. Again, color coded. But they don't look bad. Orange is their color.
Most of the boys are wearing suits. Accept Karson, who is rocking a dress better than I ever have. Maxine is wearing a light pink dress with long flowing sleeves, and her hair is pulled up in double buns like usual. Nat is wearing a blue dress that flows all the way to the floor. Her wavy hair is pulled up into a fancy looking ponytail. She grins at me. "You look great." I say. "You look red. Lane sure looks pretty, doesn't she?" I freeze and give Nat a look. She smirks. "How long?" I whisper. "Since your birthday. I had my suspicions but the medbay confirmed them." Nat whispers back. "Don't say anything." "I won't. I'm not a jerk." I sigh with relief. "Quiet down and follow me!" Hera shouts. We all snap to attention. Why do I feel nervous? Tonight is supposed to be fun. Yet I can't shake this feeling that something terrible is going to happen.
It was a three hour ride to the city. Then two hours at the hotel we're staying at getting ready again. Now, we're driving to the venue. You can practically feel the excitement in the air. The bus stops. I glance out of the window. The building is huge, with an elaborate marble entrance. We pile out of the bus. Hera lines us up and double checks to make sure we're all there. Then she smiles with pride. "Also, I nearly forgot to say this, but this event is going to be televised. The whole world will be able to see you." "Wait what?!" Mateo yelps. Hera clasps her hands together. "Inside you go!"
We're quickly escorted inside, walking into a grand ballroom. A camera is immediately turned onto us. "What do we do?" I ask, my voice a whisper. Lane shrugs. Nat waves awkwardly at the camera. "Hey...? We're the Star Beings." She says. Someone in the ballroom starts clapping. Then everyone does. Nat looks at the excited crowd in surprise. "I just said hey."
We've been at this party for about an hour. My social battery drained about thirty minutes ago. I step out onto a balcony. I lean on the railing, watching my little puffs of breath. It's freezing, but it's better than being around people I don't know. Someone grabs onto my shoulder. I jump. "Woah! It's just me." "Oh. Hey Lane..." I mutter, glancing over at her. Her long Pink hair flows over her shoulder like a waterfall. How has her hair dye not faded yet? We've been here for over five months. She smiles at me. "Nice night, it's it?" "It's freezing... but yeah. It is." I chuckle. "Oh, you're cold?" "This short isn't very thick." I say with an awkward laugh. Next thing I know, Lane is handing me her jacket. "I can stand the cold."
I stare at the jacket in her hand. Then I snatch it and drape it over my shoulders. I doubt it'll fit if I actually put it on. "Thanks." I smile. Lane winks at me. "Don't mention it." I feel my cheeks get hot. "I actually came out here to tell you something..." Lane says. I turn to fully face her. "Yeah?" "I-" a loud scream from inside cuts her off. Nat races out onto the balcony. "WE GOT COMPANY!!!" She yells. Lane groans and then reaches behind her, unbuttoning something. Her skirt falls, revealing her training pants underneath. "Let's kick some ass." I grin, carefully draping her jacket over the railing. "Mind if I join?"
We burst inside. I get an idea. I turn to Lane and offer her my hand. "Care to dance?" At first she looks confused, but then she grins. "Gladly."
We dance around the ballroom, taking out L.O. Soldiers left and right. A swing of the arm and someone gets hit with a rock. A tap of the foot and someone turns into a block of ice. We finally pause under a grand staircase leading up to the next story. "DJ, before anything else I need to tell you-" L.O members swarm us. "OH COME ON!!!" Lane yells. I hear something crack above us. My heart skips a beat. "Lane, get back!" "What?" I hit her with a rock and send her flying backwards. "DJ, what the fuck?!" I look up at the banister right as it crumbles. "DJ!!!" I hear lane scream. "Oh fuck."
Have fun with that cliff hanger. Also, here's DJ and Nat's armor.