The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

#75 One Moment

They all head back to the house to rest and recover.
"What happened, are you okay?" Sophia asked about Apollo's wounds.
"I'm fine, really." Apollo insisted.
"How about you, are you feeling alright?" the Twins asked Teri.
"I think I bumped my head back there, but I'm okay." Teri scratched the back of her head. Sophia was sore and tired and desperately wanted to sit down.
They all climb over the fence, quietly walk through the backyard and spread themselves out in the living room. The Twins sat on the couch, Teri sat nicely on the floor and Sophia was upstairs grabbing some stuff to dress everyone's wounds. Apollo leaned against the counter and assured Sophia that he could do it himself. As he dabbed a little cotton ball on one of the scratches, Sophia asked what happened while she was out.
"Well, when you were taken I was trying to chase after you. But I got knocked out."
"That's right, I remember you chasing me. But I don't remember what happened after that."
"Teri almost got taken too, but we were able to get it off and we were looking for Apollo." the Twins explained.
"Right, I woke up in the clearing and go attacked by those... things."
"What things?" Sophia asked.
"I don't know. It was like these weird bird things. They were coming right at me."
Sophie looked at Apollo in confusion. She's never seen any bird-like creature before. She guessed they must be something new, like the blob creatures.
"We couldn't find you anywhere and we had to take Apollo back to rest. Teri went out to keep looking for you." the Twins spoke.
"How long were you out there?" Sophia asked.
"I don't know, but I was worried I wasn't able to get you in time. And then I got attacked by those 'Shadovain' things." said Teri.
"Yep, and that's when I saw you and came over to save you."
"Do you remember anything after you got captured?" Apollo asked.
"Well, I don't remember much after that. But somehow I woke up in the caves."
"The caves?" the Twins echoed.
"Yeah, they must've dragged me in one of the tunnels. No one was there and I just spent the whole time trying to find a way out."
"How did they get you all the way down there?" Apollo asked.
"I don't know, that's all I can remember." Sophia said. She tried her best to recall anything, but couldn't seem to dig any deeper.
"Then, how did you find me?" Teri asked. "I mean, how did you get out in time to save me?"
Sophia looked down, thinking to herself for a moment.
"I found a tunnel that lead to the ocean. When I got out, I started looking for a way home, until I saw you getting attacked."
The Twins glanced at each other. They didn't remember any tunnel that led out to the ocean, let alone another path that led to the upper world. They guessed it may have been one of the sealed off tunnels that they couldn't get to.

No one could explain how or why these events happened the way they did, but for the most part they were just relieved to have the whole team back in one piece. Until Teri suddenly gasped.
"Oh, what time is it? I should get back home!" Teri stood up. Apollo stopped her in the doorway.
"Wait, I don't think it's safe to go back."
"I know, but I've never been away from home in so long. I have to get back before someone notices I'm gone."
"Teri, after all that happened today, it might be best to stay here." Fleetfoot said.
"They might still be out there waiting for us." Flyboy added.
Teri looked down at all them, hesitating to stay any longer.
"Please, Teri it's not safe out there. Especially this late. You can just stay the night here and we'll take you back in the morning, okay?" Apollo reasoned.
Teri's eyes softened and she sighed in defeat. "Okay, I guess you're right. But you'll take me back home at first light, right?"
Everyone nodded, promising they would return her home once it was safe.

But since she couldn't fit on the couch with the Twins, they had to find another place in the house for her to rest. Apollo was still busy tending to his own wounds so Sophia led her upstairs and started looking around for any sort of space she could use. Although, it was a small house so there really wasn't a lot to look at. Sophie let Teri look around her room and she admired her decor and the strange objects she had lying around. Sophia mentioned she might be able to fit on the bed, but Teri wasn't very comfortable sharing it which Sophia could understand. She let her look around Apollo's room and made sure not to touch anything. As Sophia thought about making some sort of makeshift bed on the floor, Teri walked into the bathroom and pointed at the bathtub.
She didn't understand what a bathtub was or what it was used for, but it seemed cozy enough. Sophia thought it was... adequate. She needed to stay hydrated after all.