Chapter 218 Early Morning
Aleshia walked around the camp searching for Ren. After checking a few rooms without success, she started to think that Ren might have gone off somewhere. To be sure, she approached a few of the kids who were still awake and asked, "Have any of you seen Ren?" Some took a moment to respond, but eventually, they said, "No," or "I think I saw her leave."
After receiving those confirmations, she decided to check if any of the others were still around. As she glanced around the room looking for them, she didn't see anyone. It seemed that they were all outside the camp. Disappointed that she wouldn't have the chance to chat with them, she returned to her quarters and soon began to feel tired. Before long, she fell asleep easily.
Aleshia was suddenly awakened by Lucia tapping her on the head, first with the brim of her hat and then by an invisible force. The tapping became more incessant until Aleshia finally sat up from her sleeping position.
"What? I want to sleep more," she mumbled until she remembered their previous arrangement. "Right," she muttered as she prepared herself, combing and straightening her hair. To wake herself up, she gave her face a couple of slaps. The muted sting of pain cleared her mind as she approached the door, all the while feeling the drowsiness, fatigue, and discomfort of her unfamiliar body.
As Aleshia walked to the door, she noticed three people standing nearby. Initially, she lamented Rey hadn't joined them, but she quickly dismissed that idea, believing Rey might just be running late. However, as Aleshia got closer, one of the group members quietly exclaimed, "Hey, you're the last one!" But another person interrupted, saying, "We don't know that yet," while shushing the first.
The one who hadn't spoken yet was Ren, whom Aleshia hadn't seen until now. She wanted to question where Ren had been, but decided instead to focus on her greetings, given the early morning hour. "Good morning, it's nice to meet you all again, Ren and Em." Aleshia then turned to the newcomer and said, "Since we aren't acquainted, may I ask your name? Mine is Aleshia, and the hat on my head here is Lucia," she added, patting the witch hat above her.
The boy looked at her strangely before immediately asking, "Is she alright in the head?"
Only after he received confirmation from the other two that the witch hat had a name and that Aleshia was alright in the head did the boy introduce himself. "My name is Sam. It's good to meet you, Aleshia and Lucia," he said as he awkwardly glanced at the hat.