The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

Responsibility

[Apollo]

Neither Apollo or Teri how long they sat there, but it felt like a long time of talking and laughing. Sophia still hadn't come back, but the more Apollo talked with Teri, the more he seemed to forget she was ever supposed to be here before it got dark.

They made it through most of the snacks, but Apollo was still able to save the rest. Teri seemed to really enjoy surface world food.

"So how come you never went up on land before?" Apollo asked.

"Well, ever since I was born, my mother told me that it was too dangerous to go up to the surface. She said there were all kinds of monsters up here roaming and waiting. There was even this old tale she used to tell me about the last person who went up there by themselves because they were curious, and the monsters got them and threw their bones back into the water to remind us that they were still there and that they'd always be waiting."

"And did you believe it?" Apollo asked.

Teri nodded.

"Yes, for a long time I did believe it. But as I grew up, I found that the story wasn't really true. I guessed she had made it up for me to keep me from exploring the surface by myself. It certainly worked. Maybe a little too well, because I still remember the bad dreams I had about the monsters finding me. But a story is a story and soon I began to doubt there really were monsters up here." Teri said.

"Then how did you find the courage to get up here?" Apollo asked.

Teri looked down, staring at her reflection in the water.

"Well, I woke up one day and I found this tunnel that went all the way up here to this lake, and I couldn't help but follow it. And that's when I saw you being attacked by Cardosulks and I knew I had to do something to help. When you left, I stayed to make sure there weren't any more of them, but somehow they surrounded me. And then you came to help me, and here we are now!" Teri smiled. Apollo smiled too. He looked down at her long tail drifting in the water. It was pretty.

"But if there's one thing I really want to know... are there really monsters up here? Besides the ones that attacked you?" Teri asked. Apollo glanced away from here.

Should I tell her?

"Well, kinda. There might be some..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you won't see them very often. But when they do come out, they'll do anything to try and hurt you. That's why we fight them. So they won't attack us anymore and we can be safe." said Apollo.

"You fight the monsters?"

"Yep. Me and my friend fight them together whenever they try to attack us. We don't know what exactly they are or where they come from, but we can't let them beat us."

"That sounds really dangerous! Don't you ever get hurt?" Teri asked.

Apollo nodded confidently.

"Oh yeah, of course we do. Not all the time, but we do get lucky sometimes. It's just part of the job. Sophie and I have each other though and it's easier when we fight together. Even if we do get hurt, we still try to look out for each other and make sure we give ourselves time to heal. It's not so bad."

Apollo thought back to all the previous encounters he and Sophia had. There were indeed monsters that lived deep in these woods, and they seemed to have been living here just about as long as both Sophia and Apollo have. Between the time they spent together, playing, living, exploring, surviving off of each other, these monsters would occasionally pop out and attack them. Neither of them knew what exactly they are or where they come from, but they've never had time to find out. The only thing they they do know about them is that they've managed to stay out of human knowledge. As if they too are hiding from them, much like Apollo and Sophia are. And they seem mainly focused on attacking them, and they've never been spotted anywhere outside the forest. Whatever the reason, Apollo and Sophia have both promised to never give up fighting them until they find a way to stop them all for good. No matter how long it takes.

When Teri asked about the dangers, Apollo also thought back to the last time he and Sophia were badly injured. They were caught by surprise and, to Apollo's memory, they fought for a long time before they were able to find a chance to get away before it was too late. Sophia had to practically carry Apollo home because he had twisted his leg during the fight, among some other light injuries, and he had trouble walking. Sophia luckly wasn't any worse, but she was bruised and roughed up basically everywhere and even though she tried to remain strong enough to carry Apollo all the way back to the house, he could tell that she could hardly stay on her feet much longer. She had various cuts and scratches all over her face, arms and legs, and because it took them so long to get back to the house, Apollo could only watch as the blood and puss streamed down from her like wet paint. Yet she continued to stay standing as she figured out how to make a homemade brace for Apollo's leg. Until he eventually begged her to sit down so he could help clean up Sophia's wounds.

The worst part was that they had to go to school the next day.

As Apollo remembered all of this, Teri looked up at the sky, which was becoming darker each second. Stars were popping out faster than she could count them all together. She shook her tail out of the water and clumsily stood on her damp legs.

"I need to go."

"What? Why?" Apollo asked.

"I've stayed here too long. I need to get back home before it's too late." Teri said, looking ahead.

Apollo stood up and looked up at the sky. It was getting late. In fact, it might already be too late...

"I don't think you should leave now. It's too dangerous," he said.

"I'm sorry but I have to." Teri turned away and started walking in the direction they came from. Apollo went after her.

"Teri wait! You shouldn't leave! It's too dangerous out here in the dark!"

"I'm sorry, but if I stay any longer they'll worry that I'll go missing!" Teri shouted back.

Apollo didn't think she remembered the path that they took very well because in under five seconds he was able to grab Teri's arm and hold her back.

"Please! I must leave now or they'll worry about me!"

"Who?"

"My people! I can't leave them alone!"

Teri wasn't nearly strong enough to evade Apollo's grip. Though she didn't fight, she tried to release Apollo's grip on her.

"Teri, you can't leave now. You should stay with me until morning. It's way too dangerous out here right now. We need to go back." Apollo tried to reason with her.

The longer we stay, the more trouble we'll be in.

"I know you're only trying to keep me safe. But please listen. I need to go back or else they'll be worried," Teri pleaded.

"Who would be worried about you?"

"My people!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm the princess!" Teri shouted. They suddenly both fell silent. Apollo let go of her arm, but she didn't run. They stared at each other.

"You're the princess?"

Teri sighed. "Yes, I am. Which is why you need to let me go. If I'm gone for too long, my people will worry about me and think that I have gone missing. Without me, they'll feel unsafe. I need to get back home before they find out that I am gone. Please." Teri's eyes softened, yet she still had the pleading expression. Apollo made up his mind.

"Okay. But I'm going with you to make sure you get there safely. It's a lot more dangerous out here at night than it is in the daytime,"

Teri nodded. "Okay."

Apollo led the way, guiding Teri in the right direction of the lake. They walked in silence as the density of the trees increased, blocking out the fading light as they went on.

"You know, if you told me you were a princess, I would have taken you back earlier." Apollo said.

"I... wasn't sure if you would believe me. We only just met after all, and I wasn't sure if I could tell you. I didn't want you of all people to worry about me," Teri said in a quiet tone.

"Teri, after everything I've seen today, I would've believed anything you said. Even if you just told me that you had somewhere else to be, why wouldn't I be worried about that? If I hadn't, I wouldn't have agreed to take you back myself." Apollo replied.

"I guess I was having so much fun that I didn't realize I had somewhere else to be. That's very unlike me," Teri said as she grinned softly.

"Yeah, I guess we both got a little distracted. We should hurry though. Don't want your parents to find out you're gone."

"Parents?"

"Uh yeah? I mean your mom and dad?"

"Oh, yes," Teri said. She looked away.

"You do have a mom and dad, right?" Apollo asked, hoping he wasn't being pushy.

"Of course. I told you, I have my Mother." Teri said.

"Is she the queen?"

"Yes."

Apollo looked over at Teri. Her face wasn't as cheery as before and her bubbly spirit seemed to have disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Apollo asked.

"It's nothing," Teri said, averting her gaze.

"You know you can tell me if something's wrong. I won't make fun of you for it," Apollo said, trying to comfort her. Clearly she seemed off about something. Teri sighed.

"It's just that... my Mother... has been missing for some time." Teri said quietly. She avoided Apollo's gaze.

"What? Really? You don't know what happened?"

"No. She never told me. I just woke up one day and she was nowhere to be found. I was scared that something had happened to her, but I was afraid to go out and find her. I couldn't just leave the people to fend for themselves. Since then, I've been protecting my home on my own. I had to make sure everyone stays safe."

"How did your people react when they heard your mother was missing?" Apollo asked. Teri inhaled deeply and found the courage to look at Apollo while they continued to trudge through the dark forest.

"They were just as shocked and scared as I was when I told them. I tried to be the best leader I could be and told them not to worry. I promised that until my Mother came back I would stay in her place, making sure that everyone was safe from any harm." Teri finished.

"How long has your mother been gone?" Apollo asked.

Teri looked down again.

"Very long." She said quietly. "I miss her very much and I hope one day she will come back. Everyone hopes she returns soon and wishes that she comes back safely. An explanation would be nice too.."

Apollo saw tears start to form in Teri's eyes, but she quickly wiped them before they fell.

"I'm sure she'll come back soon. You did the right thing, I think your mother would be very proud of you," Apollo said sincerely.

Teri looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, a loud howl echoed through the trees and they both stopped.

"What was that?" Teri asked.

Apollo already knew what it was. They had to move, fast. From the volume of the howl they couldn't be far behind.

"We need to move, now."

They both started running. Apollo had to lead Teri through the trees that were starting to grow thicker between them as they ran.

"What was that?" Teri asked again.

"We need to hurry before they catch us," Apollo said. Out of instinct, he grabbed Teri's arm and pulled her to his side. He didn't let go of her as they sped up.

Suddenly, something leapt out of the shadows and stood in front of them. Teri screamed as Apollo stopped her. It was darker than the night and its eyes were a deep red. It growled at them and Apollo put his arm up in front of Teri, motioning her to get behind him. The creature growled at them, barring it's teeth like a mad dog and they slowly stepped away from it. Apollo felt Teri tug at his arm and she pointed to her right as another one was slowly making it's way towards them. They both stopped and stayed silent. Teri looked behind her and Apollo looked to his left, trying to search for any possible exit. But there were none, they had them surrounded.

"What are those things?" Teri asked, frightened. Apollo tried not to panic, but the fear was already nestled in.

"Just stay calm, don't make any sudden movements." he directed her.

Apollo tried to think of some sort of plan as quickly as could. He knew these creatures and he knew running from them was't an option. They were much too fast and even if they did find an opening to slip through, they wouldn't get very far. He wasn't sure how he was going to get Teri and himself out of here safely.

Until from above, the moonlight slipped through the trees and brightened the area around them. The creatures were slowly closing in on them. Growling and barking.

Apollo had an idea.

"Teri, get in front of me. Very slowly. Don't make it obvious." he said quietly.

Teri nodded and slowly started shifting in front of him. Apollo slowly and steadily made his way behind her, making sure to watch his back.

"Now what?" Teri asked him.

"Hold on tight."

Apollo grabbed Teri underneath her arms as his wings shot out and hoisted her up. The creatures all jumped out at once and Apollo beat his wings down hard, pulling them upwards. One of the creature's who launched out was able to take a bite at Teri's leg and she screamed. Apollo kicked it off and he carried Teri away from the pack and turned in the direction of the lake, trying to get distance and altitude so they wouldn't be chased down or crash into the trees.

"Teri, are you okay?" Apollo asked as he carried her.

Damn, she's heavier than I thought.

"Yeah." Teri winced. "I'm okay, I'm okay." Teri said.

Apollo could see the blood dripping down her leg. Or at least, he was sure that was blood. He's never seen it that green before...

He could see the light of the moon shining down upon the lake as they came closer to it. Apollo looked down at Teri.

"Once we reach the lake, I'm gonna drop you into it. Those creatures will be looking for us, so this is the best way we can both get out safely!" Apollo explained.

"What about you?"

"I'll be safe when I get home. Here it comes!"

Apollo lowered themselves gently above the water's surface, trying to hold onto Teri for as long as he could until they got over a safe height for Apollo to drop her.

"We should meet again sometime!" Teri said, smiling at him.

"Yes we should! Maybe earlier this time!" Apollo agreed.

"Agreed! Also, thank you for saving me!"

"I'm gonna drop you now!"

"What?"

"Bye!"

Apollo's arms gave out and Teri slipped out from him and she dove into the water. Apollo finally pulled himself up into the cold night air and turned around. He looked back to see Teri's face out of the water, waving at him. Apollo waved back as she dove beneath the surface once again. He smiled as he flew up into the clouds and turned back to fly home. His arms were exhausted. But he hoped he'd see Sophia back at the house, safe and sound. He hadn't seen her all day.

She better be at home. If she wasn't, he wasn't going to go out looking for her again. She'll just have to find her own way back.