Returned// Stray Kids

-29-

A/N: Long chapter for last week's short one :)

"So that's my story." Luna replied as she shifted her gaze to the floor. "I've been running away. I've been running from my past and my present trying to find a future that I'll probably run away from too."

Chris stared at the girl who had just put everything she had out on the table. All the pain and sorrow that she had endured through her life, all the events that lead her up to this moment, and all the thing she found weak about herself.

"After I left, I cried my eyes out. My family was surprised. My brother tried to contact me for months. My father hired agents to try and find me. I ran away to America and unfortunately  one of those agents did." Luna spoke as she remembered the events as though they happened yesterday.

-

"Wait so you are telling us that Luna, our Luna, is a the daughter of a multimillionaire." Jaebum repeated one utter disbelief.

"Yeah it's true." Athena said with a slight nod as she sat down on the couch and told her best friend's story.

"That's impossible." Woojin said as remembered back to when he met Luna. "She is so down to earth and not-"

"Stuck up?" Athena questioned with a small smirk. "That's because when she left her father's house, she was left to fend by her self."

"Or so she thought?" Jinyoung asked with a perked brow. He inferred where this story was going.

"Yes. When Luna came to America, she was being chased by men that were hired by her father." Athena told them reminiscing back to the day she first met her best friend.

-

"I was taking a walk at the nearby park. It was night and there really wasn't anyone there" Luna told Chan who in return had furrowed brow.

"That's dangerous." He whispered and tightened the grip around her hand. The little act seemed to send butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Well I learned my lesson." She spoke as a smile appeared on her face. It was the first smile he saw since she started this long story.

"When I was walking, I didn't notice that one of the agents was following me. That is, until it was too late." Luna's smile dropped but she continued. "He was given orders to detain me and bring me back to Italy, back to this very house. He found me, grabbed me, and would not let go. I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know about the hired agents. I thought... I-"

"I was scared for my life."

-

"I was walking back from the corner store because we ran out of eggs that night." Athena said as closed her eyes and pictured the seen. "I usually took a shortcut home however, that night was a beautiful and clear spring night. I remember wanting to see the stars for a little bit longer and because of that, I decided to take the long way home, through the park."

"The whole way home, my eyes were fixed on the sky, that is until I heard a scream from a little bit ahead." Athena opened her eyes and her fists curled with rage. "She was arguing, then crying, then begging. All she wanted was for that man to let go of her."

Athena swallowed the rising lump in throat. "I ran to see what the commotion was and that moment was when I first saw Luna. Her body was trembling, her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were red.." The girl trailed off.

There was a moment of silence. She stared at the ground. "Athena?" Jackson put a hand on her shoulder.

"I wish I could have prevented it" The girl whispered as her entire body tensed. "I never want her to feel that way ever again."

-

"There was no one around. It was late and everyone had turned in for the night." Luna's voice became a whisper. "I thought that, that was it. My entire body was shaking and my eyes burned from the lack of tears that accompanied my cries."

"That was until a short girl with a brown paper bag ran up to us." Luna's words broke due to a small laugh. "I remember thinking "If this is my knight in shining armor, I'm royally screwed" but I underestimated her."

-

"I yelled at the man, who was probably double my height, and demanded that he let go of "that girl" later to be known as Luna." Athena said as her eyes started to twinkle. The boys could tell that the story was about to get interesting.

-
"She started to dig into her brown paper bag and pulled out a carton of eggs." Luna said as she couldn't suppress the smile on her face any longer. "She chucked the first egg square on his forehead. The man's grip loosened and I was able to get out of his grasp. I ran towards her."

"I remember the smile on her face as I ran to her a side." Luna reminisced in that notable moment. At that moment, she didn't know the feeling that she had but she knew that it meant that the girl she met that night was going to be someone important to her. Spoiler Alert, she was right. "She gave me an egg and we wasted the entire carton on that man.

-

"When we ran out we looked at each other and in a split second, I grabbed her by the hand and started running." Athena said as her words started to pick up speed due to her excitement. "We circled the entire block. I don't think that I ever not ever will run that fast ever again but it was worth it when we made it inside my house."

-

"Her mom was so confused." Luna laughed at the memory of Athena's mother's face that night. "But she took me in for the night, and listened to my story, called the cops, and took me in for many more nights after that."

"What happened to the agent?" Chan asked. He hoped that the man got what was coming to him for the scare he gave her.

"The cops never found him but don't worry." Luna said with a relived sigh. "A week or so afterwards, I revived a letter from my father. Basically, he told me that he'd leave me alone however, I was welcome back whenever I decided to come back. It was probably the only right thing he did as my father, that is, apart from throwing money at me like all his other problems."

-
"She became this missing piece that I never knew I needed" Athena finally said. "And that's the whole story." When the girl looked up to meet the guys gaze they were all shocked

"wow."

"wow!"

"WoW!"

"WOW!"

"That's even crazier then us!"

"I know right?!?"

"And here we thought you two were the normal ones."

Athena laughed at the boys reactions but when the commotion died down her expression was serious. "She went back there. That's how far down this hole she is. We have to go get her back."

"I have to go get her back!"

-

"Athena and her mother was the first real family I ever had..."

"But?" Chan asked her. He could tell that there was a reason as to why she had come back to a place that she loathed so much.

"But, now that I realize that it's time I have to move on... I don't know. I don't know why I'm here, why we are here." Luna replied as she let go of Chan's hand and crossed her arms over her chest. Her mind was left to think.

"Hey at least we weren't killed Bambam." He said making the two of them laugh.

"Yeah and this can only be a fun vacation. Some time away from the extra amount of crazy we both started." Luna said as she scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "No drama." Luna happily sighed as she rest her head on his shoulder and he hummed his response.

"LUNA I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!"