Chapter 5

Seraphine's Point of View

"See you tomorrow!" I enthusiastically exclaimed while waving my goodbye to one of the kids.

"Come on. It's getting dark already," Maximus whispered behind me while gently pulling the hem of my shirt.

"Have you bid goodbye to the others?" I asked him as we started our way back to our pack village. The other kids walked ahead of us.

Maximus shakes his head. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"I will get to see them tomorrow; why say goodbye?" He muttered, his face flushed. "And... I'm still shy around them..."

I chuckled, making him blushed even deeply. "That's perfectly alright, Max. You'll come around eventually." I reassured him while patting his back softly. The beaming smile he responded made me smile as well.

It was a long trek back to our village where our parents had been waiting for us to come back. This is our routine during school days, which I kind of forgot amid the flurry of events that occurred.

So when I caught a glimpse of my waiting parents, I wasn't able to control my tears as I ran towards their direction. They stumbled a bit at the impact of when I threw myself at them, hugging them both as tightly as I could. I clutched their ragged shirts and buried my face on it. My emotions are obscuring my thoughts, making it unable for my rational side to think clearly.

I shouldn't be crying right now. They'll be confused. I've never cried to them because of school. So why am I crying right now?

But I can't help it. Amidst all that happened, I completely forgot my parents are still here with me during this time of my life. They wouldn't leave until later in my twenties, when they died for reasons I had no idea. They just died in their sleep: no attacks, no injuries, no evidence at all. They just didn't wake up anymore.

And that devastated me a lot. The only comforting thing about their death is that they died painlessly. They didn't suffer; they just died in their sleep.

"Seraphine? What's wrong, sweetie?" My mom's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, but it just made me cry even more.

I didn't realise how much I missed them until I saw them again. When they died; I mourned. But with Cassius' help, I managed to quickly recover when I thought the pain of losing them would kill me as well. Cassius made sure I wouldn't be alone even for a single second after we cremated their bodies. He took care of me, ensured I still have someone that my parents trusted to look after me.

I may have moved forward, but it didn't mean I was done with my grief. I still grieve over their death from time to time, but I don't lose myself over it anymore.

"Is everything alright at school, Seraphine?"

I pulled away from the hug to look at my parents. Mom was looking at me with a worried expression while dad had this serious look on his face: like he will ambush the school any moment if I won't start talking right now.

I mentally laughed at that. My dad has always been the protective ones among the two of them, which I understand because I'm their only child.

"Everything's fine, dad. I just had a bad dream during break time," I lied through my teeth. I felt guilty when they both sighed in relief. But it's not like I can just tell them: 'Oh, it's nothing, mom, dad. I just missed you both so much because this is the first time I've seen you both since I was twenty, and that was nine years ago.'

They might try to perform a ritual on me to see if I went mental already.

"Want to talk about your dreams?" Mom softly asked as she caressed my hair. I slowly shook my head and smiled at her.

"It's fine, mom. You're both here now. It doesn't matter anymore: it's just dreams."

"If you say so, sweetie," Mom replied. "Let's get going then? You must be famished already. Walking back home is pretty tiring, especially with how long the distance is."

I nodded my head excitedly, wanting to see my childhood house once again. But just as we took a few steps away, I remembered something.

"Wait," I halted. "Can I invite a friend over for dinner?"

Mom and dad exchanged glances, then mom nodded her head. I beamed at them before turning around to find Maximus. I was right; he's still standing at the edge of the forest where we came from. He's fidgeting with his fingers as he awkwardly stands, unsure if he will approach me or not. I beckoned him to come closer which he reluctantly did.

I gently held his wrist and pulled him to where my parents were watching.

"Mom, dad, this is Maximus Wilder. He's my new friend!"

"I know him," Mom said, eyes trained on Maximus' shy form.

Oh, right. Silly me. Maximus is quite known among elders because of his parents' tragic death that they witnessed.

"Max, do you want to come over at our house? Have dinner with us?"

Maximus' eyes went wide. "D-dinner? With you?"

"Yes. Do you want to? You can think of it as some sort of, you know, celebration?" I shyly muttered. "For the birth of our friendship."

His eyes lit up to the point it could almost brighten the darkening surroundings with how bright his expressions are as he looked at me with pure joy. "Yes! I'd love to!"

With a smile, I pulled him towards my childhood home.

###

Since it's the weekend tomorrow and we have no classes, I asked permission from my parents if I can go outside with Maximus to meet with the other kids.

I'm planning to introduce Maximus to the others as early as tonight. The thing I haven't done before because I respected Maximus' space and his anxiousness to socialise. But he needed to have other people aside from me, so as to avoid any co- dependency.

Thankfully, my parents agreed. They weren't that strict on me, just highly protective.

Once dinner was done, Maximus and I went out of the house and towards the lake where the other kids were bathing. Or playing. It's still the Winter season so it wouldn't be the perfect weather to bathe in the water, but it seems they're perfectly fine with the cold seeing how they're enjoying the cold lake.

"Sera! You've joined us again!" One of the kids, Leilani, exclaimed. She gestured for us to come near where they're currently playing but I just stood at the edge with Maximus hiding behind me, not in the mood to freeze myself to death.

"We're fine here, Leil," I said. "Although, I'd love to introduce my new friend to all of you first."

A series of 'ooh', 'who's that', 'a new kid!' reverberated across the place as they hurried to approach our direction. I shuddered when droplets of water hit me just as they halted in front of me.

"Alright. You might have known him already since he lives here in our village and so he's not a 'new kid', but I'm pretty sure we've never really gotten to know him," I started. "This is Maximus Wilder, my new friend. I want you all to meet him as well."

I gently beckoned Maximus to greet the other kids. He shot me an anxious look in which I responded with a reassuring smile. With a nervous sigh, he stepped out behind me and waved a bit at the others.

"H-hello," he shyly mumbled.

"Oh! I knew him!" Leil exclaimed. "He's that cute kid a few houses away from us!"

Maximus blushed deeply at what Leilani called him which made me chuckle. Maximus is indeed adorable in his younger years, before puberty hits him and all the baby fats in his face gradually sharpen over time.

"The orphan?" another kid mused. Silence filled the place as Maximus' face fell and he hid behind me again. My mood went considerably down as well at the careless mention of the word Maximus hates.

"We would greatly appreciate it if you would not bring that word up again, Royce," I firmly said, a hint of warning in my voice as I directed it to the kid who spoke.

He raised both his hands in surrender. "I don't mean anything bad with it! I apologise if it offended or hurt him. It's just how some people called him."

"Right, that is why it would be better if none of us called him that way again," I said. Royce nodded hastily, and the others followed suit.

I flashed them another smile. "Great! Now, how about we play some games that don't involve the cold lake? I know none of us wants to freeze to death, right?"

The night was fun.

I enjoyed being a kid again; just playing with my friends without care for the world and the future. Although I could never be the same oblivious and innocent kid that I was back in my first life, because I've seen and experienced too much already to even consider myself innocent.

But I am a kid, and I am going to make the best out of it now that I'm back, even with the things I needed to do for the future.

"Having fun?" I asked a panting Maximus who just got tagged and is now out of the game like me.

He beamed at me. "Definitely! Thank you for introducing me to your friends."

"Our friends," I corrected him with a smile. "They're your friends from now on as well."

Maximus stared at me for a moment, which was quite unsettling because I couldn't guess what was on his mind. I was relieved when he just smiled in response and glanced at the others.

"You've got to join us again, Maximus! Stop hiding in your house and play with us!" Alecto exclaimed as they finally joined us, the game ending with Leilani as the winner. "You too, Sera. You only join us when you feel like it."

"You know I'm helping my parents with the salves, right?"

"We know, but you can't possibly be helping them six times a week! You've got to play more often. We won't be young forever!"

I felt a pang of pain. You hit it on the mark, Alecto.

"Fine, fine. I'll try. My parents aren't getting younger as well so it's hard for them to pick up ingredients in the forest."

"That's fine, as long as you can balance helping them out and playing with us!" Rhianne chimed in, the youngest among us kids. "The more the merrier!"

We all laughed at her, voicing our agreements. It was another half an hour later when the adults started calling us. We bid good nights with each other before going our own ways. Maximus insisted on walking me back to our house which I just ended up conceding, because young Maximus is really hard to refuse.

"Thank you," I smiled at him. "You should get going. Your house is at the farthest part."

"It's alright. I'm used to it," Maximus waved my concern off. "I just wanted to say thank you again for today, Raph. I am so happy. Thank you for befriending me and for bringing me along with your night play outs."

"You're always welcome, Raph. Just remember, they're your friends from now on as well. Do not hesitate to approach them if you see them at school. So you won't be alone again in case I'm not there."

His brows furrowed. "Why won't you be there?"

I chuckled at his naivety. "Silly. Of course, there are unforeseen events that might occur! If I get sick, I wouldn't be able to attend classes. If my parents need help, I have to stay at home. I am not always present, you know."

"Then I will stay with you."

I forced out a laugh as the sudden nervousness struck me. This is not what I wanted to happen. This is not how it should go.

"No, Maximus. You will proceed with your everyday life even without me. Alright? That's the reason I also introduce you to the others; so you can join them whenever and wherever, especially if I am not present," I said, my voice turning stern. "You will not depend on me, Maximus Wilder. I am your friend, not your lifeline. Understood?"

He pouted, which reminds me of the very reason I wasn't able to deny him anything before. He knows his charm so he uses it to get what he wants. It's really effective, but I have to stand my ground this time around.

We had a mini stare off for about five minutes, waiting for the other to yield. In the end, he conceded defeat. With a big pout and a huff, he looked away.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Promise me, Maximus. Never be so fully dependent on me," I stated, turning serious. "Promise me that you won't rely on me too much. It's unhealthy. Not because I am your first friend means I will be the only one. Promise me, Maximus."

Something shifted in his eyes as he glanced at me. When he averted his eyes, he finally nodded.

"Alright. I promise," he solemnly responded.

I flashed him a smile. "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow?"

It instantly cheered him up. Beaming, he waved at me. "See you, Raph! Sleep well!"

"You too!"

As I watched him walk away, my shoulder slumped in relief. I'm having a good feeling with how things will proceed, just as long as I devise a thorough plan.

I need to have a good night's sleep for that, and then I will start planning.