~SCARLET~

"I'm gonna die," I announced.

"Me too. If we die, you think the Starlight gods would let us be friends? Maybe we can be neighbors," Makoto suggested.

"That would be cool. Maybe if we pray hard enough," I offered.

"That sounds like a plan. Let me make sure I say bye to everyone. Including my Foxshier."

"As long as I can say bye to everyone and my cat."

"Deal."

"Would you two stop acting like you’re both going to die?" Ryder suggested, sighing.

"This is what happens when you attempt to eat a jumbo, double-decker sundae with all that syrup and whipped cream in twenty minutes," Jaxson introduced.

"You forgot the cherries," I pointed out.

"Yes, those were good," Makoto replied.

“Hey, at least they won us a free all-you-can-eat buffet,” Ethan suggested, relaxing in the brown leather seat in front of us.

“Ethan, don’t encourage them,” EliaseAnne mumbled.

We’d woke up early to grab food and other essentials we thought Makoto and the others would need. Junho had told them to arrive in the late afternoon, so we could prepare the house. All the rooms were set in one of Junho's massive cottages up north. It was still summer, so it was the perfect time to go up there and enjoy the gorgeous weather and have some fun time on the docks.

We’d decided to head to the mall and grab some pajamas and milk. I didn't get why Marcus had stressed that there had to be at least five cartons of milk, three of them being chocolate and two were two percent. I guess their group loved milk.

When we’d reached the pajama store, Ethan had encouraged me to try the whale onesie for shits and giggles. The rest of the guys hated my new whale obsession. I never had the addiction till after I was saved by Mr. Whale a few weeks ago when Xerxes attempted to rid me of my existence.

I guess it just stuck with me, and now, I loved collecting little things like whale figurines and had a little stuffed animal on my bed which the guys loved to hide. It was a pain in the ass to find each night. I seriously didn't get why they were hating on the poor whale.

Junho had been the lucky winner of getting his color onesie chosen for me to try on, having used his smooth blackmailing skills to get the guys to forfeit.

I had been in the change room trying on the whale onesie to make sure the size fit my curves when I’d heard the commotion; Kai's voice and a female voice spoke with Junho.

I never expected it to be Makoto, the woman who was the center of Marcus’ attention. From the way Kai had been interacting with her, it seemed she had claimed more than just Marcus' heart.

When she’d bumped into me and apologized, it was beyond cute, especially when she didn't know about separate change rooms. I didn't know the details of what she'd been through, but it would be nice to find out how she'd turned out to be so lively and innocent.

When I’d turned to face her, she was gorgeous. Bright turquoise eyes, curly brown locks that shaped her oval face. Her rosy cheeks matched her pink glossy lips, and her pale skin was flawless without a hint of makeup. She was five-five and wore a unicorn onesie – the hood over her head with its gold horn pointed upward.

"HOLY STARLIGHT! The whale shifter is a female. Her eyes! Are they real? Oh, is her hair real too? How does she get a color like that? It can't be real. Maybe it’s a...what's it called again..." she’d rambled on, then paused for a split second as if she was having a discussion in her mind.

"YES, a wig!" she’d continued.

I’d tried to hold back my laughter at her cuteness. Marcus did say Makoto had a frequent tendency to talk out loud – this was a perfect example.

Kai had been on the verge of laughing his head off, something I hadn’t seen in the many years I'd known him from our Galleria events. He’d always maintained his stature and rarely smiled unless accepting an award or during interviews.

From the way he’d looked at Makoto, to the wide smile on his lips as he’d attempted to hold back the rounds of laughter that tried to escape him, I realized right away he was in love with her. And from this first interaction, I could see why.

Junho hadn’t been as considerate as Kai; loud laughter had left him, which was another rare occurrence unless we joked around with the others. I’d pulled down my hood to give her a smile.

"Please tell me I didn't say that out loud. Pretty please?" she’d begged; her wide eyes and a pleading expression made me giggle, but I’d felt her concern for talking out loud.

"Well, since you’re hella cute in that unicorn onesie, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. But to answer your question, my hair and eyes are real," I’d announced, unable to stop smiling.

"I suck at first impressions," she’d admitted shyly, a nervous giggle left her.

Oh trust me, I do too.

I hadn't realized she was Makoto until she'd introduced herself, but with all that occurred in less than three minutes, it was easy to put everything together and finally have a face to the name.

After our introduction and mini onesie photoshoot in the change room, both groups formally introduced themselves. Michael was the only one missing from my group, but he'd hopefully get to meet Makoto sometime this week. I bet he was curious to meet the woman who'd seemed to catch his brother’s attention as well.

We'd headed over to a dessert restaurant after Makoto disappeared for a split second, only to be found ten stores down, staring at the window of the pastry restaurant. I don't know how she was able to know exactly where the shop was, stating something about smelling chocolate and needing to investigate her stomach's well-being.

The restaurant was doing a sundae competition; finish the new double-decker chocolate sundae in twenty minutes and receive tickets to a free all-you-can-eat buffet at their partnered restaurant that was a mixture of Asian and Mediterranean food.

Of course, my competitive side had taken over and Makoto seemed to be just as thrilled to dominate the massive sundae. I was already prepared, having experience with devouring Cece's tubs of ice cream for years.

We’d accomplished it with two minutes to spare, but that was when the food coma hit me like a truck. Makoto looked just as exhausted with chocolate on her lips. Now, we were on our way home; Marcus and Junho said they would gather the rest of what we needed so Christian, Ethan, and Kai could come home with us.

Jaxson, Ryder, Daniel, and EliaseAnne were driving Junho's sports car back to the cottage while Christian drove us with his UBER VIP Escalade.

Now, I was trying to stay awake as we continued our journey on the toll highway.

"It was worth every bite," I muttered, resting my head against the leather brown seats.

"Mhm," Makoto agreed.

I peeked my eyes open to see her eyes closed; her head nodded off to the side.

"I think Makoto is in a food coma too," Ethan, who glanced back from his seat, pointed out.

Kai, who was on the far edge seat slipped his hand over her shoulder, encouraging her to rest her head on his shoulder.

She mumbled something that made no sense, but relaxed; her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, signaling that she was asleep.

"Yup. She's not one to eat a lot, but give her a sundae or blueberry pancakes, and she'll eat until she can barely breathe," Kai noted.

"Yum, blueberry pancakes are awesome! We should make some for breakfast," I suggested, already thinking of the delicious plate of sweet, mouth-watering goodness.

"You two will totally get along," Christian pointed out, glancing at us through the rearview mirror.

"I have to admit, I agree," I replied, closing my eyes.

It was the first time in years I'd had another female friend. Cece had been my best friend for five years now, and though I loved her to bits, it would be nice to have one or two girlfriends to bug and discuss weird trends and gossip.

Not to mention the fun it would be going shopping as a group. It seemed Makoto hadn't experienced these interactions either, having looked intrigued by the multiple shopping outlets and asking a bunch of questions which Marcus and Junho alternated answering.

I must have dozed off, not waking up until I felt myself lifted out of my seat. From the earthy fresh scent, I knew it was Ethan; my body relaxed in his strong hold.

I'd just sleep for a few minutes.

DAY TWO – 07:00 A.M.

"Scarlet, you're finally awake. You hungry?" Ethan announced as I entered the massive kitchen.

I yawned, taking a look around. Ethan and Elias, who I assumed was EliaseAnne's brother, were at the stove cooking something which on further investigation smelled like pancakes. I grinned at the lovely smell; my stomach ready to feast on its divine taste.

Jaxson, Junho, and Christian sat at the oversized dining table, looking at their phones and talking about something along the lines of sports.

Kai, Ryder, Marcus, and Daniel were sitting at the kitchen island in mid-conversation. I noticed Mako's set of boys sat on colored stools which piqued my interest.

"When did you guys buy colored stools?" I asked, noticing the empty pink stool between Kai and Ryder.

Marcus glanced my way.

"We brought them along," he confessed.

"You guys have colored stools..." I tilted my head, realizing their stools matched their eyes.

They all fidgeted in place.

"It's a habit," Elias announced, flipping a pancake.

"Interesting," I commented, thinking it was pretty adorable that grown-ass men had colored stools they brought from another realm.

I let my eyes scan the kitchen, noticing a missing blue-eyed brunette.

"Where's Makot– oomph," I began, but something bumped into me.

I looked over to see a dazed Makoto, her eyes staring at the floor.

"Uh...Makoto?" I asked.

The others looked in my direction, noticing Makoto standing there.

"Is she okay?" Jaxson asked.

"Makoto sleep walks. It's normal," Ryder casually announced.

"Wait, did you guys pick up milk yesterday?" Daniel questioned eyeing Jaxson and the others at the table.

Marcus looked at Junho.

"I thought you guys picked some up before we met," he admitted.

"We were supposed to grab some, but that's when we met you guys at the mall," Junho explained.

I watched Mako's group of guys exchange looks before they glanced at Makoto who was still standing in place. She scanned the room; her eyes landed on our fridge which was in the corner of where Elias stood.

"Ah shit. She found the fridge," Marcus stressed.

What?

"What does the fridge have to do with anything?" Ethan questioned, clearly feeling just as confused as the rest of us. They ignored us, continuing their discussion.

"KAI! How fast will it take you to get milk from that gas station we passed?" Elias asked.

Gas station we passed? He wasn't even in either of the cars when we drove up here? Did he take the same route as us?

Kai didn't answer, standing up before he literally vanished in a bright orange flash.

"Holy shit," The others and I all exclaimed at Kai's disappearance.

There's something called teleportation?

"Yes, Scarlet. It's a hard skill to master, but it's possible," Serenity disclosed, entering my mind.

"Indeed. It's energy draining as well. Especially if you go long distances," Aurora added.

Mako began to shuffle towards the fridge.

"Shit! Ethan! Block her. Elias, get a glass ready," Ryder ordered.

"What? Block her? What does this have to do with the fridge?" Ethan questioned, but moved to stand in Makoto's path while Elias scurried to grab a glass from the cupboard.

"Kai's taking too long," Ryder mumbled.

"Well, the convenience store was like a town away. Does he even have money?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know! Dammit, what if he doesn't have money?" Elias commented, washing the glass.

"I didn't think about that...shit!" Marcus cursed.

I blinked, confused at the discussion they were having.

"What are you guys bickering about? And why is Ethan blocking Makoto?" Cece walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

"CECE!" Marcus called out to her, causing her to jump.

"What?" she asked, sounding annoyed and looking confused.

"Use your ‘I see all magic’ to check if Kai has money!" Marcus asked.

How does he know about that?

I glanced at Cece who looked like she was trying to understand what he was asking.

"Why wouldn't Kai have money?"

"He went to buy milk," Ryder replied.

"Why does he need milk?" she countered.

"It's not important! Time is precious," Daniel replied.

"Guys, help! How is this girl so stron—AH!"

We all turned to see Ethan now in the air before Makoto tossed him over the island.

"SHIT!" we cursed.

"AIR!" I called out, lifting my hand which glowed a turquoise blue; the element flowed through the room and caught Ethan before he hit the ground.

Mako's group of guys all turned to me, with shocked expressions.

"You're a shifter?" Ryder asked.

"I didn't sense that at all," Daniel commented.

"Is no one gonna address that your five-five girlfriend threw me over the fucking island?" Ethan called out, still being held by the wind.

"That was pretty epic," Christian commented.

"I agree, never expected that," Junho replied, nodding his head in approval.

"It's not like she's done that before. Well, there was the one time Midnight flipped me over with ease," Marcus commented.

Midnight? Who is Midnight? I called off the wind, Ethan dropping lightly on his feet.

"GUYS! She's approaching the fridge," Ethan pointed out. We glanced back to Makoto who was four steps away from the fridge.

"What does the fridge have to do with anything?" Cece commented; frustration leaked off her high pitch voice.

Before anyone could reply, a bright flash formed in front of the fridge; Kai reappeared with a carton of chocolate milk.

"Thank the Starlight gods," Mako's group announced.

Elias reached Kai's side as he opened the carton, pouring the brown dairy liquid into the clear glass.

Makoto was in front of them by the time the glass was full; her eyes looked at it in an assessing manner.

"Princess, here." Kai took the glass from Elias, presenting it to Makoto who glanced up at him before returning her attention to the glass.

That's the second time he's called her ‘Princess.’

She carefully took the glass from him, taking a sip of it. She grinned, staring at the glass in her hands as if she'd discovered lost treasure. She turned around, shuffling towards the corner of the dining area where a single white chair was placed. She sat comfortably in the soft cushion, rotating her body so her back faced us while she stared at the art on the wall, drinking her milk.

We stood there in complete silence, unable to comprehend what we just witnessed.

"What the fuck just happened?" Christian broke the silence; confusion laced his expression.

The other group of guys went over to Kai, patting his shoulder and back.

"Good job, Kai!" Daniel began.

"I wouldn't be able to handle those puppy eyes this early in the morning," Marcus admitted.

"How were you able to buy the milk?" Ryder asked.

"I have my credit card on my phone," Kai admitted, pulling out his phone to show the wallet app.

"Genius," Elias commented, nodding proudly.

"Um...does anyone wanna explain what just happened? I'm fine with the cliff note version," I announced.

The group of guys turned to face me.

"Oh shit, sorry," Daniel apologized, the others looked embarrassed as they expressed their apologies before they all returned to their stools.

"Makoto has a milk addiction," Kai said calmly.

"A milk...what?" Cece asked, looking even more confused than before.

"Makoto loves milk. She drinks it at least three times a day," Elias explained.

"When she sleepwalks, she usually heads to the fridge for a glass of milk. That's why we stressed that there should be milk in the fridge when we got here," Marcus acknowledged.

"And then she goes and sits in the corner?" Junho asked.

"Our place back in Minato has our kitchen and the living room where we have the transparent doors that lead to the backyard. Sleep walking Mako always takes her milk and sits in the corner and watches what's happening while drinking her milk. I don’t think she realizes we’re in a different house, so she's staring at the art," Kai explained, opening the fridge to place the carton inside before he made his way to his orange stool.

"And this is perfectly normal?" Jaxson asked. The boys exchanged looks before they all nodded.

"Yup," they replied. There was a moment of silence.

"Okay, that's cool," Jaxson began.

"I'll go buy some more milk," Junho agreed, rising to his feet.

"That was pretty cool when she flipped Ethan. Did you get a picture?" Christian asked.

Jaxson lifted his phone, smirking.

"I got a photo and video." He grinned in triumph.

"Are you serious?! DELETE IT!" Ethan called out.

"Nah, this is precious blackmailing material. Wait till I show Michael, he'll die of laughter." Jaxson grinned, tapping on his phone.

"Don't you dare send it!" Ethan continued his bickering.

"So...they just witness a bunch of grown ass men, scurrying like the world was ending to get their sleepwalking girlfriend milk, after watching her lift and throw a six-four male above their heads and no one is questioning this?" Cece whispered to me.

"Uh. I guess...you have to admit though, that was pretty epic. Remind me to show Makoto when she wakes up," I mused.

She sighed. "We're all a bunch of weirdos," she commented with a smile, shaking her head.

I smiled, continuing to watch Ethan's attempt to get Jaxson's phone while Marcus and his group moved to talk to the others.

Talk about an eventful morning.