Travis stood on the dock, staring off into the ocean. It was hard to believe they would be leaving today. After all that'd happened, he never thought he'd make it out alive. Sometimes he wished he hadn't.
Overall he was excited to be going home, even though he knew it would never be the same. He'd never see Katelyn again, spend time with her, or talk to her. He'd never see his dad again either. That was something he wouldn't ever get used to.
He'd get to see Dante again, yes, but somehow that wasn't as appealing. Plus, what was the point if he never really spoke to anyone anymore?
It just felt like he was leaving something on Starlight, something important. Sure, his heart would remain here with Katelyn and his father, but it was more than that. Something inside was telling him not to go...
"Hey, could you help me with this?" Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a teary-eyed Lucinda struggling with a couple of suitcases. Nodding, he took one from her and helped load it onto the boat.
After that, they both sat on a bench near the dock, waiting for everyone else to get there. Eventually Lucinda spoke.
"It feels wrong; leaving like this. We never even got to say goodbye to her..." She whispered. Travis nodded, he felt the same way. He hadn't gotten to say goodbye to his father either, and it was killing him.
Still, he kept his eyes on the waves and the ocean in front of him. Now wasn't the time to be crying; not when everyone else would be coming soon. He didn't want them to see him cry.
About a half hour later, everyone's luggage was on the boat and they were ready to go. Having said their last goodbyes to the island, they filed on board. Aphmau noticed the unsure looks on Travis and Lucinda's faces.
"It's going to be okay," she told them, "you'll feel better when we get home." But even she couldn't be certain.
Just as the boat was about to leave, someone on shore shouted Travis' name. He turned to see Kai running down the dock. What was he doing here? If he was here for Katelyn, he'd be disappointed. But then he realized; the Mei'fwa was calling his name, not hers.
Why would he be here for me? He wondered. Stepping off the boat, he gave Kai a questioning look.
"So glad...I caught you...In time," He panted, "There's something I need to tell you...About Katelyn."
"Katelyn's gone, Kai," Aphmau said softly, coming up behind Travis.
"No, she's not. She's alive, that's what I came here to tell you," Kai replied.
"What?" Lucinda asked, now joining the group.
"Kai, please don't joke about this," Aphmau said, her voice rising in volume.
"I'm not joking, she's alive. Someone called me yesterday saying she asked them to tell me to let you know," Kai explained. By now everyone on the boat had come to see what was going on, and he was getting frustrated that no one believed him.
"Who?" Travis spoke for the first time in days.
"Her name was Stella, that's all I know." He replied.
"How do you know we can trust her?" Aphmau asked, "And why would Katelyn ask her to contact you rather than us, her friends?"
"I don't know," The Mei'fwa admitted, "all she said was that Katelyn can't to contact anyone right now, and to tell you she's alive. I'm not sure why she needed to do it through me."
"Can you call her back? Ask what's going on?" Travis said angrily.
"I've tried, and she never answers! She promised to call back in a couple of days with more information," Kai told them.
"Then...What do we do now?" Lucinda asked. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"I'm staying," Travis decided.
"Are you sure? We don't even know if what this Stella said was true." Aphmau said.
"Doesn't matter," Travis replied, "It could be, so I'm staying."
"Travis is right," Eric said, "If there's even a chance that my Sugar pea's alive, I'm not leaving her here."
"Me either," Lucinda agreed.
"So am I," Garroth stated, "I'm the one that got us into this situation, and I'm going to be here to help, even if it could be a lie." Eric smiled at everyone that wanted to stay, and turned his attention to Sylvana. She sighed.
"If you really think there's a chance she could still be here, I'll stay and support you, Honey bear," She smiled brightly at her love.
"I'll stay too," Aphmau decided finally, "Katelyn's my best friend, and I'm not going to ditch her if she is alive. Plus, I'm not really in a rush to get home to anyone..."
Then there was silence as they waited for answers from everyone else. Kim shook her head slowly, indicating that she would be going home.
"I'm sorry, but ghost and I need to get off this island. We're not helping anyone by being here, and it's not helping us much either." She said carefully.
"Me too," Zianna admitted, "I can't handle being here anymore with my Garte gone...I need time to mourn him elsewhere. It just brings back too many memories."
"That's alright, we understand," Aphmau assured them, "Please, do what's best for you." They both nodded. Everyone turned their attention to Kawaii~Chan and Zane, awaiting their answers.
"I...I think I should go with fifteen (Zianna)..." Zane admitted, "I don't want her to have to be alone." Garroth had expected this, and nodded. He completely understood, and would have done the same thing had he not been as close with Katelyn, and felt like he owed it to her to stay after what he'd done.
Plus, he still needed to find his father. He didn't care if everyone else thought he was dead; he needed to try.
Kawaii~Chan was silent, now faced with a hard decision. She wanted to stay and help; she loved and missed Katelyn as much as anyone and wanted to be there if there was a chance she was alive. But she didn't know for sure that she was. She also wanted to be with Zane, and support him in trying to get his memories back, but he was leaving.
Should she stay with the others and try to find Katelyn? Or should she go and support Zane? It was a hard choice and she didn't want to make it, but ultimately she had to.
"I think I should go..." She admitted, "B-but please tell me the second you hear anything! I...I miss Katelyn. And tell her I'll have her favorite cookies ready for her when she gets home!"
"We will, Kawaii~Chan," Aphmau replied, giving her a reassuring smile.
That left Aphmau, Travis, Lucinda, Garroth, Sylvana, and Eric staying, and Zane, Kawaii~Chan, Zianna, and Kim and Ghost leaving.
Everyone said their goodbyes and the boat left Starlight. Kai smiled at the group.
"Thank you all for believing me," He said. Suddenly, Travis felt some hostility towards him. He'd never liked Kai, but he liked him even less now that they had to rely on him to give them information about Katelyn.
"We're believing you, for now." He corrected roughly. The Meif'wa's smile faded and Aphmau cut in.
"So Kai, you'll be staying on Starlight a little longer now right? Do you have somewhere to stay?" She asked. She knew not everyone did anymore since it was no longer summer; people lived in some of the houses during the year. Travis, for example, had had to stay with her and everyone else after he'd been released from the hospital since people lived in the house he'd been in.
"Yeah, I'm still able to stay in the same place I did during the summer," Kai replied. Awkward silence followed before he added, "You have my number, right Aphmau? I'll call the second I hear something new." She nodded.
"Thank you Kai, for everything," she spoke. He smiled before leaving to return to his own home. Aphmau turned back to the group.
"I know he's helping us find Katelyn, but I don't like that guy much." Eric admitted.
"You and me both..." Travis murmured angrily.
"Hey, careful, I still don't like you much either, boy," Eric replied. Aphmau smiled, not so much at Eric and Travis' not getting along, but more because things were starting to seem a little more normal.
Now they just had to hope they could find their friend.