Book of Lies

Something crazy happens

At precisely 9:01 p.m, as per tradition, each of the four friends appear on the back porches of their four cabins.  It has long been their custom to race to the cave on the night of the full moon once a month. 
Maven and Mossy are competitive by nature, while Kada and Calvin like to set a more leisurely pace. 
Maven swings over her porch railing and dramatically points at Mossy as she accelerates into a jog. They are one another's only real competition in this so-called foot-race.  It is 2.8 miles to the cave from the ranch; those miles trail through dense forest along the Median mountain range, Foggy Bottom River, and the Pacific.
Kada skips through the knee-high brush as Calvin rolls down the grassy hill behind her.
It is exceptionally dark on the island tonight, especially considering the full moon lurks behind those ominous clouds.  You can't even see the stars and it's starting to freak out Kada.  Calvin had forked off about a quarter mile ago, following an old, dried creek bed that winds its way inland and bypasses some pretty steep rock climbing that Kada will have to contend with. 
Kada nervously scampers along the cliff's edge in an attempt to stay in the dim moonlight and away from the cover of the woods. 
She is really spooked now because it seems too quiet and her paranoid mind always goes to the darkest depths...
And then a strange star catches her eye.     
It beams brightly and seems to be closer than the other stars, almost popping out like a 3D cut-out against the 2D-looking background of space.  It looks like it's just offshore.
The light isn't pure white like most stars; it has a strange iridescence of rainbow colors shimmering through in no regular rhythm, but with a definite pulse. 
Her eyes must be playing tricks on her.  The light seems to dance around, moving in increasingly growing circles.  It's slowly hovering in tight patterns and drawing small figure-eights.  Now it drifts like a leaf falling from a tree, gracefully lilting forward and backward and sideways through the night air, fluidly changing in motion.
She stood there on the cliff's edge for a while gawking at this unearthly light until she forgot where she was and who she is and...
Her friends were very upset when she didn't show up at the cave.