Endless Sky ~New Beginning~

Chapter Six

It's been over a week since OStar arrived in OCTown and met the strange creatures it held. She has gotten more accustomed to the people inside the mansion, like Charlotte and Afina. She shared more jokes and spoke up more in conversations, there was even a Valentine's Festival a few days ago that she'd joined.
Not a single odd dream disturbed her, every night was peaceful. Since then, OStar had been finding it hard to manage her time and have moments to read her books, she'd been spending more time with everyone else and getting more used to the town she's now living in.

"Did he actually do it?" OStar asked with Afina on her back, grinning.
"By golly he sure did! He flew up and swung on the chandelier, which fell and made a HUGE mess!" Charlotte replied and the three cracked up in laughter.
"You're not telling OStar about that time I broke the chandelier, are you?" Lucerne suddenly wailed from another room, making them laugh even more.
OStar was sitting in the main room with Charlotte, Rual, and Afina, playing a game of Uno on the floor when they had gotten off task. Roxxan and Estella were out, having told the others they were going to meet up with some friends. Once they left, it was Charlotte's idea to play a game of teamed Uno. She was teamed up with Rual who was patiently waiting for them to continue while OStar's teammate sat on her back and giggled.
"Roxxan was so mad, she nearly kicked everyone out who caused the mess. That included me, Avaro, and Afina, since we were the ones with the idea in the first place," the teen continued.
"I didn't expect him to actually do it," Afina wheezed, still trying to stop her giggles.
Rual poked Charlotte's shoulder, he wasn't laughing, but OStar could tell he wanted to.
"Oh right, back to the game," Charlotte said, placing down a card with an evil expression.
"Draw four, and I change the color to blue,"
"Not fair!" OStar exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and knocking Afina off her back. "Oops, sorry," she apologized, but the little cat only laughed while quickly gathering the cards she'd dropped.
The doorbell suddenly rang with an interesting unique chirp. "I got it!" Avaro called out from a room even farther away than Lucerne and with the patter of more than two feet, OStar watched the two friends race for the door, each trying to get to it first.
"They act like actual children," she commented as Lucerne reached it first with a triumphant expression.
"Who's at the door?" Afina asked curiously, but the Celestial didn't reply.
"Pause the game," Charlotte said, placing her cards face down and getting up to head for the door.
Afina and OStar exchanged glances and quickly followed, leaving Rual the only one to mind his own business.
Avaro noticed them coming and purposely spread his wings to block the door, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Charlotte frowned and was about to walk over and forcefully pull his wings down, but whoever was at the door must've grabbed Avaro's attention.
He lowered his wings and replied, allowing OStar to catch a glimpse of whom he was talking to.
It was another cat of the same size as Estella, or maybe a bit smaller. She was bright yellow with little orange moon-like shapes on her shoulders and flank. She also had metal wings, a strange metal neckband that was loose and lopsided, and a mechanical eye.
"Is she a cyborg or something? What happened to her?" OStar thought, stretching out her neck to get a better view.
"Avaro, no not Alvaro, there's no 'L'" she heard Avaro saying as she got closer.
"Oh, my bad. I used to know someone named Alvaro," the she-cat apologized with a dip of her head. "Well, Avaro and Lucerne, my name's Mila. I happened to hear some information that Estella was here, is that true?"
Lucerne blinked and nodded. "Well... Yeah. But she's not here right now, she and Roxxan left a while ago. They should be back soon though."
Mila frowned. "Oh well, I can wait. Who else seems to be here?" She asked, peering over at Charlotte.
Avaro and Lucerne stepped back, letting the teen take the spotlight.
"Name's Charlotte," she greeted with a smile.
"Interesting, did you make those bear parts yourself?" Mila suddenly asked.
Charlotte blinked with uncertainty, the mood in the room suddenly becoming awkward.
"No..." She finally said, turning her head in an attempt to direct Mila's attention to the normal side of her face and hide the other.
"Who did? I'd like to meet them. It looks cool, is it useful?" The yellow cat continued with questions. OStar could tell Charlotte was growing incredibly uncomfortable and decided to step in.
"Enough about her, my name's OStar!" She started, putting herself between the two.
Mila clearly seemed to be slightly agitated that OStar had interrupted her, but when she replied her voice was still polite.
"Hi..." She turned her head away from OStar and to Lucerne. "Am I allowed inside?" She meowed.
"Oh of course!" Lucerne replied instantly, letting Mila inside before closing the door.
Avaro's arms were crossed and his brows were furrowed, as if thinking hard.
"You trying to shoot lasers from your eyes?" OStar whispered to him as the Celestial beast led the guest to the main room.
"Maybe, no. Just thought the name 'Mila' sounded familiar. Though I might have gotten it confused with 'Mira' or something. Also, you forgot Afina existed," he added while pointing to the fluffed out annoyed cat still at the door.
"Why didn't you say anything?" OStar asked Afina as Avaro walked off to join the others.
"I was just listening at first, then she started asking questions about Charlotte and I didn't even know what to say! Then you barged in and everyone walked away!" Afina replied quickly, lashing her tail.
"Well then you can greet her yourself along with Rual," OStar mewed, letting the small cat jump onto her back.
"Does Estella know Mila?" She continued as she padded over to the main room.
Afina shrugged. "Estella knows everyone in OCTown, though to be completely honest I'm sure Mila never even visited OCTown before..."
"True, Estella only really knows the ones that actually live here and some of the frequent visitors," OStar pointed out with a laugh, remembering a few days ago she'd asked Estella if she knew the man OStar saw at the trading square...
The princess's reply was to scream and run out to find him in an attempt to get to know him.
In the end she couldn't find him and Roxxan guessed he was nothing more than a one-time visitor.
Afina bopped OStar on the head and giggled as she jumped off to get up onto the sofa in the main room. Rual was talking to Mila while Avaro and Lucerne were talking with each other. OStar guessed that Charlotte had gone to a different room to avoid any more awkward sensitive questions.
"For a place with practically everything, don't you all have a phone of some kind?" Mila abruptly asked Lucerne.
"You're right! I can contact Roxxan!" Lucerne exclaimed and left.
"We should really just all carry phones," Avaro added loudly to himself.
"Phones are not really easy to use with paws," Afina mewed.
"And yet you all can still open doors, cook food, and hold objects like books and cards, don't 'paws' me Afina, you cats are smart enough to find out ways to do things normal cats can't do," Avaro responded with a little smirk on his face.
Afina snickered but didn't reply, instead she directed her attention to Mila to introduce herself.
"Hello Mila! I'm Afina, why are you looking for Estella?"
Mila flicked her tail. "I happen to know her from a while back..."
Avaro raised an eyebrow.
"Really? How long ago?" Afina exclaimed.
Mila frowned, "Almost a decade ago. I left to work on something and when I finished, I couldn't find my way back to our universe. It was gone, not even a portal would open..." the yellow cat stopped, as if remembering the past.
"Ever since then I've been traveling and working nonstop until I heard about OCTown and an old friend that's been living in it," she purred.
"Interesting, what kind of things do you work on?" Avaro poked in.
"Technology that works with the body. Like prosthetic arms and stuff," Mila answered and raised a paw, extending her claws. They were silver and sharp, as if made of metal, in fact, it was made of metal.
"Almost seventy five percent of my body is mechanical. Covered by what I guess you can call a suit of skin and fur," she grinned, and a chill went down OStar's spine.
She didn't seem to be the only one disturbed by this information, Afina also suddenly jumped up with a shiver. "Ew! How is that even possible?" She yelped.
Mila shrugged, "Remove the original and replace it with a mechanical one?"
Afina shook her head, as if trying to erase Mila's words from her mind.
"But isn't that painful??" She asked with wide eyes.
The cyborg shrugged again.
"Usually yes, but the pain is worth it."
OStar frowned and opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she spotted Charlotte out of the corner of her eye. The teen was peeking out of the doorway she recognized to lead toward the bedrooms.
"OStar, there's better be a good reason you're staring at me. Do I have a spider on my shoulder or something?" Avaro's voice suddenly snatched her attention.
Apparently to keep from looking directly at Charlotte, OStar kept her head facing toward Avaro and when she drifted into her own thoughts she looked as if she was directly staring at him.
"Uh, maybe," she replied and Avaro frowned, looking down at his shoulders and arms.
She watched Charlotte slip away, wondering if she was still eavesdropping but out of sight.
"Anyways, I might stay here. If you guys are okay with that," Mila was saying when OStar directed her attention back to the guest.
"I guess, I mean. OStar just arrived here a week ago," Afina mewed.
OStar smiled at Mila when the cat shifted her gaze to her.
"Roxxan says they're going to be back in just a few minutes!" Lucerne suddenly announced as he walked back into the main room.
"That's great to hear! I wonder how much Estella's changed over the past ten years," Mila purred and OStar couldn't help feeling a sudden sense of unease. She got up and signaled Lucerne to talk to her in another room.
"Yeah? Whatcha need?" the Celestial beast asked once the two had left to a quieter room.
"Mila says she knows Estella, right?" OStar started.
"Yeah?"
"And she hasn't seen Estella in over ten years riiight?"
"Yeah. OStar what are you trying to say?" Lucerne asked.
"You guys told me Estella lost her memory and all she knows is from the moment she met Roxxan. That was about five to six years ago. Estella may not remember who Mila is at all," OStar concluded.
Lucerne's face darkened as realization hit him.
"Maybe... Maybe meeting Mila would bring her memory back?" he said after a long silence.
"But would it? It's been over five years. What if remembering changes the way she is?" OStar continued.
"Would remembering change you?" Lucerne shot back.
OStar froze.
"Would it?" she wondered?
The Celestial beast looked away.
"Ah, I'm sorry, didn't mean to snap at you..." he apologized, putting a hand to his forehead. "It's just that, I can't help feeling that something bad is going to happen ever since she showed up. I'm trying to ignore it but as you can see, it really isn't working too well..."
OStar's tails drooped. "It's... fine. You're not the only one. She doesn't look at all familiar to me, but she seems too... odd," she meowed, looking down at her paws.
"I guess we'll just have to see what Estella says. Maybe we're just overreacting or something and Mila is actually just a nice cat," Lucerne shrugged.
"Yeah..." OStar replied, following Lucerne to the door that led back to the main room.
They'd only got halfway before a sudden ear-piercing shriek cut through the air.
Not just any shriek.
A shriek of fear from Princess Estella.