Star Darlings; the Other 12

Hector's Home

Passengers, please gather your belongings and exit the vessel. We've reached the next destination; Pronghorn Valley. Enjoy your tour and we'll see you in a few days. This message will now repeat. The ship's announcer said.

Hector's eyes flicked up at the sound of the announcement. "Finally... we made it," Hector said. "I was wondering if we were even heading north or not."

"Come on, Hector," Percy said. "We don't want to miss out on this."

"Nah, been to Pronghorn Valley before; my home's around here."

"Really?" Percy asked. "You never told us where you came from; you live in Pronghorn Valley?"

"Well... not exactly. My family lives a bit away from the place, working as farmers in a small village. We go to a schoolhouse a km away, and my entire village will go to the town to sell our crops and whatnot." Hector explained. "My parents saved up for years to get me to Starling Prep."

"Hmm..." Vega said. "A lot of you boys come from more rural areas of Starland, don't you?"

"Yeah... like Austin. Especially Austin." Percy said.

"What do you mean?" Vega asked.

"He grew up in the mainland, in a fancy place in the prairies; his pops were some retired sheriff," Percy said. "His family owns hundreds of acres of land, and most are given to homeless people as shelters. From what I can tell, it's a great place to live your retired life in, but not when you're a child. The closest children were far away, and only sometimes do the homeless have a child, but they'll always be babies or too young."

"That's gotta suck," Hector said as he packed his suitcase. "No one to grow up with. Also, why would he tell you?"

"I'm like a brother to him," Percy said. "He treats me like a younger brother. It's annoying because I don't need someone to constantly watch over me."

"Percy!" Cassie's voice called from across the room. "Come on!"

"Alright!!!" Percy called back. "Coming!!!"

Hector and Vega, holding hands, followed the others to the exit. They went through the corridors and found themselves out on a dock. Not too far away, the familiar trees of pine and everglades hid the horizon from view.

Home. Hector thought. I missed this place; however awesome it was at Star Prep.

Vega smiled. She'd rarely seen Hector be so excited. He may not realize it, but his eyes shone with excitement and joy.

"Come on guys!" Hector yelled, running to the trees after they got past the tickets. He didn't even mind carrying his suitcases.

"I haven't seen Hector so excited ever since he got the entire series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus series after his last trip to WishWorld," Scott said.

"He's homesick, that's what," Peter said.

They can hear Hector running through the trees. "The bus is through the forest anyways," Vega said. "Instead of taking the longer route."

Hector sprinted through the forest, stopping at a pile of boulders. He set down his suitcases and breathed in the familiar scent of crushed pinecones. The trees weren't as tall as the ones in the Heart of the Forest, but they were still considerably taller than most other forests in Starland. Hector felt... at home here. The Heart wasn't anything compared to this, in his opinion. This was home territory. He knew this forest like the back of his hand. The entire span of it.

"Someone's a bit too hyperactive." Vega whistled from behind. "Surprisingly, you seem so... out of it in the Heart, but here..."

"It's home." Hector spread his arms. "And there's nothing better than home."