When Walter came back with his wife and Lake, they found their visitors eating.
"How is the food?" Cora asked them after she shifted back into her human form.
"It is amazing." Bia said.
"I never knew vegetarian food was this nice. No offence." Alek answered her before putting a big spoon of stew in her mouth. It didn't have the same taste like the ones she eats at home but, it was amazing. The stew was addicting.
"None taken. I am glad that you are enjoying it." Cora smiled while walking to the table to get her plate.
"How did the curing go?" Astraea asked her husband. "Where is Iris and Castor?"
"They got tired after a little incident and, they are now sleeping." Lake told his wife after he took a seat next to her. They were currently sitting at a big dining table enough to fit twenty people.
"What incident?" Pollux asked. He was worried when his brother and the precious baby sister left without him, and now, he got worried even more.
"This and that." Lake told his son with a sigh before going to another table that had food. "They are safe."
Rin didn't believe everything his father said. He needed to check them with his eyes.
Right at that moment, Kai flew into the room.
"How did you get in here?" Alek asked her brother, who walked casually to the table.
"With a help." He then took a plate and started picking out food that was prepared.
"From who?" Panacea asked this time.
"A friend I made while walking in the forest." Kai took a seat close to the window and started eating.
"Have you washed your hands?" Robin asked his son.
"Yep." Kai answered but, before he even took a spoon, a shadow passed over the window and, everybody turned to look at it.
It was a bird-human girl around Kai's age, waving at Kai with her wing. Her wings were dark grey-brown with some duff-colour on the wing-bar. She was smiling brightly and bowed her head before she left, flying in the direction of the river.
Everyone turned to look at the boy with an expression of surprise and smirk.
"Who was she? She is definitely the one that helped you, right?" Alek stopped eating and asked her brother with wide eyes. As with Bia, Kai never told her about love to Alek.
"Her name is Lainey, and yes she is the one who helped me." Kai didn't want to answer but, he knew Alek would keep asking so, he just answered anyway.
No one spoke after Kai. They were surprised how he got a friend, who is a girl, just like that.
"Ooh la la, brother." Alek said with a smirk and took a bite of mashed potato.
"Seriously, Alek." Kai said. This was the exact reason why he didn't want to tell them that he had made a girl friend.
Alek just ignored her brother and gave him the look. Kai again sighed but, he didn't say anything anymore.
"So how was the forest?" Panacea asked her son next to her. "Is she the only friend you made?"
"It was good." Kai answered as if he was bored. In truth, he was tired. The tiredness always made him look angry and bored. "I met Lainey halfway and she showed around."
Panacea only nodded towards this and looked at her husband for help. He had done eating lunch was sitting with everyone.
"That's great. But I got to touch the cloud while you were busy chatting with your girlfriend." Alek told her brother, somehow proudly.
"Since when is she my girlfriend? And that is great too." Kai answered his sister, squirming his eyes.
"I don't know?" Alek shrugged her shoulders and finished her food. Just as she was going to talk back to her brother, her phone rang. "Excuse me." She said as she left the table.
"Hello?" She answered the phone as she reached the entrance where the wind was blowing strongly, and no one could hear her from the dining room. The living room and dining room was separated by a big glass door, so everyone could see her but not hear her.
"Hello? It's me, Alec." The boy answered.
"I know. Hi, Alex." Alek told him with a smile. He was her best friend, was one of the few people who understand her and was gay. His name is Alexander and, people call him Alec, which always confuses them because she is Alektrona and he is Alexander. So they have asked people to call him Alex instead of Alec to stop the confusion. But he stills calls himself Alec and, no one seemed to call him Alex other than Alek so, there is still confusion.
"Girl, where are you? I'm at your house to celebrate your B-day but, you are not here! I told you I will be here." Alex told her, upset.
"When?" Alek asked him as she did not remember him coming to her house.
"In the morning. I sent you a text." Alex answered. Alek quickly put her phone on speaker and went to the message. Indeed there was a message that came from him at seven in the morning. Also, there was one from her aunt and uncle but, she didn't know. She briefly read both messages and went back.
"I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't check." Alek apologised after turning off the speaker. "But thanks for the message. It's sweet."
"Of course you didn't check, and of course, the message is sweet. I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet." Alex kind of snapped back at Alek jokingly. "Anyway, where are you?"
"Umm, I'm at my family friends place with my family and friends, and I don't think I can meet you today. Sorry." Alek spoke through her teeth. She wasn't lying but, it felt bad.
"Okay. We'll meet someday else. You owe me a chocolate cake now. I'll see you soon. Love ya and, have a great day with your family. I wish you the best of everything." Alex said.
Alek almost teared up at his words. He was always kind and understanding. "Thank you and love ya too. Byeee." Alek told him.
"Byee." He hang up the phone after he told his best friend bye.
They became friends after Alek was the end of recovering, and ever since then, they always got each other's backs. He knew about Alek's brother. And like Bia, he had protected her from boys who wanted to use her. She was pure and, he and Bia would not let anyone taint her soul.
Alex had brought gifts and was standing before the empty house but, he grabbed them up from the ground and started walking back to his house. Staring at Alek's house wouldn't change anything.
Once he reached his home, he put back the gifts in his room and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had nothing to do now as he prepared this day for Alek but, she wasn't here. He also didn't have many friends like her as he was gay and, not many people accepted him. His family was supportive and, also Alek's family was.
Alek stood at the entrance after talking with Alex. She felt really bad for not meeting him. He is always kind and sweet. He was the perfect best friend.
As she was about to go back, her phone in her hands again. It was from her cousin, Jin.
"Hello?" Alek picked the phone.
"Hello? Hi Alek."
"Hi. Is anything wrong?" Alek asked her cousin as his voice sounded a little tired.
"Yes. We are at the hospital-ish place with Iris but we don't know how to get you." Castor told her briefly before carrying Iris on his back.
"No one is there?" Alek asked.
"No one." Castor replied.
"Okay. I will tell mum and dad." Alek said.
"Thanks."
"Wait, why are you calling me? Your parents have phones right?" Alek asked.
"They do but, apparently, they all have their phones in the car. I've called them several times, but no one picked up. I think you are the only one who has a phone on yourself." Jin spoke.
"Oh. Well okay. I will them now. Bye." Alek told her cousin.
"Thanks."
Alek hang up the phone and went back to the dining room.
"Who was that? The call was quite long." Bia asked her sister.
"Jin said that he wants to come here but don't know how. He and Iris wants help." Alek told her parents, ignoring her sister.
"I will send my people there to bring them here." Cora spoke and told one of the worriers to pick them up through mind. Alek had heard about mind communication, so she wasn't surprised to see Cora's eyes turning into her animals for a couple of seconds.
"It was Alex." Alek turned to her sister and answered her previous question.
"Alec?" Bia just nodded. She knew Alek was not lying. She had no reason to lie.
"Yep. He was currently in front of our house but, since no one was in, he called me." Alek continued.
"Why?" Bia asked. Alex didn't come to their house often.
"He said he came for my birthday. He had sent me a message saying that in the morning but, I never checked so I didn't know." Alek told her while drinking water.
"It's your birthday?!" Cora asked Alek. Pollux also didn't know about it, so he looked at his cousin with surprise.
"Yep. I turned nineteen today." Alek told the head.
"Why didn't you tell me, Pan?! I could have prepared something!" Cora told her friend. "Also, happy birthday, Alek. I'm sorry I couldn't prepare anything." Cora turned to the girl.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know we were coming here." Panacea apologised.
"Happy birthday to you, Alek. I didn't know. I'm sorry." Rin told his cousin, ashamed.
"Happy birthday. I also didn't prepare anything. I'm sorry." Walter also told her.
"It's okay and thank you." Alek told them. "Rin, I am glad I was able to meet you again. Mr and Mrs Kan'nazuki, because of you guys, I got to explore new things. It was very wonderful." Alek told them happily.