When Serai woke up the next morning, she felt tired, like she hadn't slept all night.
"Morning Serai, you looked like you were still tired when the rest of us woke up, so I let you sleep in a little longer today. I also brought you some breakfast cause I thought that you would be hungry" Lunar spoke quietly as he walked into the tent with some food.
"Ugh, what time is it?" Serai asked as she stretched.
"It's almost noon. How are you feeling, you look like your still tired."
"honestly, I feel like I didn't sleep at all last night," Serai stated as she started to eat the food that Lunar brought her.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, why didn't you sleep well?" Lunar asked,
"I don't know, I just felt kinda unsettled, I felt like someone was watching me or something."
"Did Birk freak you out with him "hearing a sound" last night?" Lunar laughed a little bit as he spoke, but Serai could tell that he felt a little bit worried as well.
"Eh, what am I saying, it was probably nothing, just my mind playing tricks on me," Serai said to try to make lunar feel better, she could see that it worked a little cause his expression softened up a bit, but Serai couldn't shake the feeling that someone watching her, 'I should just go for a walk to clear my head or something, Lunars right, it was probably just Birk that freaked me out'
"Hey Serai, are you ok? You were just starring into space" Lunars voice snapped her out of thought.
"Oh, yea I'm fine. I think I'm gonna go for a walk," Serai said as she got up.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"There's really no need for that, I know the forest well enough that I won't get lost," Serai said as she changed into some other clothes.
"You sure? You haven't even finished your food yet"
"Yea, I'm sure, I won't be long, so don't worry," Serai assured him as she walked out of the tent and ran into the woods. 'This is so weird! First I see that elf at the meeting, then I see him by my tent, yet I never see him anywhere else. Does he not belong to Lunars tribe? No, then he wouldn't have been walking to the meeting with us. But why haven't I seen him on any patroles or hunts?' Serais thought was canceled out at the sound of a scream. 'What was that?!' Serai started to run towards the noise when she heard another scream that sounded like it was telling something to get back. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, 'Mia? No, it can't be, she doesn't even live here anymore.' When Serai got to the place that she heard the screams, she was surprised to see not just Mia, but Emma and Ava there as well. But they weren't alone there was an elf there with them, Serai recognized him, his name was Levi he had long light brown hair that he always kept in a bun with two strands that always fell on either side of his face. He had never liked Serai, he hates all humans.
"Hey, hey, what do you think you're doing Levi? Why are you attacking them?" Serai said as she stepped between him and her friends.
"Do you know these humans?!" He asked,
"Yes! They're some of my friends so back off!" Serai said as she pushed him back, barely moving him.
"I knew we shouldn't have let you into our tribe! I should have known that you would just bring more filthy humans into our forest, I should just kill you and them right now!" Levi said as he pushed her to the ground, pulling back his bow and aimed it at her.
"Yeah right! You can't kill me. The entire tribe will turn on you!" Serai tried to look convincing, but she could tell that she was shaking.
"Tch, whatever" Levi said as he put away his bow and ran into the woods. Serai could tell that he was annoyed.
"Jerk" Serai mumbled as she got up and swiped the dirt off of her.
"Serai!" Mia yelled as she pushed Serai back onto the ground with a hug.
"Oof, be careful!" Serai said as she hit the ground,
"Where have you been! We've been worried sick!" Mia sobbed into Serais's shoulder.
"Well, It's kinda a long story, to be honest," Serai thought back to the time she spent with Lunar and the others stuck in the crystal cave, 'and not a good one.'
"well, we don't care if it's long, you completely disappeared for three years! I think that we deserve an explanation!"
'I guess she's right, I would be worried too if one of them just disappeared for that long.'
"Ok, but let's go somewhere else first." When Serai found a decent place to sit down, Ava didn't hesitate before asking questions,
"so, where have you been? Why didn't you contact us? Your mom was worried sick you know!"
"Well, It started when I went to see Lunar, there was this big earthquake..." Serai told them the whole story from when they went into the cave, to when they found out that they were in the cave for three years.
"So, yea, that's why I didn't contact you," Serai said as she finished the story. "Sorry,"
"Wow, Well that changes things then, I guess it's not really your fault then," Ava looked surprised, but Serai expected that.
"So you're saying that you were in a time-warping, shapeshifting cave with glowing crystals, And you saw a creepy ghost girl?" Emma said with disbelief,
"Well if you say it like that it sounds totally unbelievable," Serai hadn't thought of it like that, "but, yeah, I guess I was."
"Ok, I'll believe you, But only cause I know that you don't usually make up stories."
"Well enough about me, how did you guys get here?" 'There's no way that their mums would let them come back here, do they have other friends or family that live here?'
"Well, actually Mia kinda convinced us to run away to go look for you," Ava laughed a little,
"Wait, how did you get the money for that?"
"My dads rich, and all I had to do is ask him for some money, it was really simple" Mia had never really met her dad since he was always working, but he came in handy this time I guess,
"So you guys' mums have no idea that you are here?"
'They're gonna flip when they find out!'
"well we left them a note, so at least they know where we are," Emma tried to defend them.
"Well, where are you guys staying?" Serai asked,
"Well we're staying-" Mias sentence was cut short by Lunar running into the clearing that they were in. 'where is he going? Is he on hunting patrol?' Lunar locked eyes with Serai and ran up to her,
"Are you alright? I was worried when you didn't come back, and then I saw Levi walk into camp looking pissed and I thought that he ran into you, so I wanted to check to make sure that he didn't hurt you." Lunar crouched down next to Serai, completely out of breath.
"I'm fine, he didn't hurt me, but I did find some of my old friends, they were looking for me." Serai pointed over to Mia and the others, when Lunar stood up to introduce himself, Serai noticed how intimidating he looked, he was already tall, but with him standing and Serai and her friend sitting, he looked like a giant,
"Hello, it is nice to meet you, I am Lunar-" his sentence was cut short by Serai pulling him down, "Sit down with us, you look intimidating when you stand" She whispered into his ear with a giggle.
"Oh, well, like I said, I'm Lunar, It's nice to meet you,"
"I'm Ava, and this is Mia and Emma, It's nice meeting you too," After they all introduced themselves, they talked for a few hours just to catch up.
"Well, me and Serai should get going, It's getting close to the time that we, or I, have to leave for the meeting tonight,"
"Oh yea, I forgot that it was tonight, Well we should go, do you guys have a place to stay?" Serai asked,
"Yea were staying at a hotel for right now"
"Well your welcome to stay with us any time that you like," Lunar offered,
"Wouldnt the other elves mind though?" 'Just having me stay there has some of the other elfes upset, now Lunars talking about bringing three more people?'
"It'll be fine, Moon is the one in charge, not them, and I'm sure that he would say yes if I told him that there your friends"
"Thanks for the offer, but we're fine" Mia politely refused,
"Well, we should get going too, bye!" Ava said as she started to run out of the forest,
"Bye!"