After a few more hushed conversations, they all agreed to leave for the night - the uneasy air of the house was just too much for them to handle.
Gem, who had been recording everything with his camera, mumbled, "This is gold... absolute gold."
Jake kept his distance from Star but muttered, "See you tomorrow, or whatever."
Kade and Lila walked ahead together, Lila whispering about how crazy all of this was, while Kade reassured her it would be fine.
Luna silently trailed behind, her small rock still clutched tightly.
Nia, the most skeptical, kept casting glances back at Star, muttering to Aliana, "If this is a trap, you will pay for that."
Aliana just smiled softly. "It's not."
Star didn't move from his spot until the last of them left the house.
The moment they were gone, the silence returned - thick, empty, and cold.
He stared at the door for what felt like hours.
The thought gnawed at him: They won't come back.
But... there was an unfamiliar feeling tugging at him. A hope so small it was almost unrecognizable.
----
The next day
Morning crept in slowly. Sunlight filtered through the grimy windows of Star's house - the "monster" from the sky returning again, though Star had learned not to look at it directly.
Aliana was the first to wake.
Still handcuffed to Star, she gave a sleepy stretch and gently nudged him. "Time to get ready."
Star didn't respond at first, just staring blankly at the wall.
"They're not coming back."
Aliana smiled softly. "Let's wait and see."
And so they waited.
Minutes felt like hours.
The air in the house felt heavier with each passing second.
Star was sure his master was right - that they would never return.
Until...
A soft knock at the door.
Aliana beamed. "I told you."
----
Jake was the one who arrived. He had a bag of stolen snacks slung over his shoulder. "Figured I'd bring something, since this place looks like you guys eat dust for dinner."
_ _ _
After a few minutes, there was another knock.
Kade and Lila arrived with Lila clinging to Kade's arm. "I didn't wanna come," she muttered, "but I also didn't wanna leave you guys to get killed."
Gem strolled in right after, camera already rolling. "Day two in the creepy forest house... let's see if we survive."
Again within a minute...
Luna entered quietly, offering Star a small smile. She didn't speak much, but her presence was solid.
Nia showed up last, arms crossed, a skeptical look on her face. "Don't think this means I trust you."
Star stared at them all, emotionless as always... but inside, there was a flicker of confusion.
They... came back?
----
With everyone gathered again, Aliana spoke.
"We need three more friends before Star's Master returns."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "And what happens if we don't find them?"
Star's voice was flat. "He will punish me... and kill me."
Silence.
The weight of Star's words finally hit the group.
Jake trembled. "Wait! By any chance is your Master a criminal who is in heavy need of friends?"
Aliana responded just before Star could. "Yeah, sort of."
Kade rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Right... so we better get those three friends then."
Gem, still filming excitedly added, "Let's hope we don't end up on his list."
Lila sighed nervously. "Great. A life-or-death scavenger hunt."
Aliana, still handcuffed to Star, gently placed a hand over his.
"We'll find them... together."
_ _ _
After a long tense moment...
Jake was the first to speak, "Alright, let's get this over with. The sooner we find your... uh, friends, the sooner we're done."
Lila chuckled. "Admit it, you're just as curious about this as the rest of us."
Gem crossed his arms. "I'm only here because I said I would be. Doesn't mean I'm invested."
Despite their words, there was an unspoken sense of commitment - whether out of curiosity about Star, loyalty to Aliana, or their own sense of adventure, they were all in this together.
Star, keeping close to Aliana's side, led the group into the forest and then back to the town, trembling at the sight of the bustling streets again. Aliana reassured him every few steps, quietly whispering that there were no monsters - only people, some kind, some not, but none like the ones his master warned him about.
The search for the final three friends began.
It wasn't easy. Most people brushed them off when Aliana approached, and Star's awkward, silent presence didn't help.
But eventually, they stumbled upon Henry - a tall, 17-year-old with glasses sitting alone on a park bench, sketching the surrounding trees.
He was skeptical at first, questioning why such a mixed group was searching for "friends," but Kade's playful banter and Aliana's sincerity eventually convinced him to tag along.
After that, they met May - a cheerful and energetic 16-year-old girl performing small magic tricks for kids in the market.
She was immediately fascinated by Star's quiet demeanor and practically invited herself along, declaring that "a mysterious guy in handcuffs" was too intriguing to pass up.
The last one was Eric - an 18-year-old loner with a distant gaze, who seemed to be roaming the outskirts of town for no particular reason until Lila accidentally collided with him and immediately started complaining. "Can't you see your surroundings as you walk?". Eric apologized with a calm expression not showing much interest in anything happening around.
Kade and others then suddenly got the idea to add him to the group but it wasn't as easy as it looked.
It took a lot of coaxing from Aliana and a blunt comment from Jake about "how he looks just as lost as the rest of us" to get him to agree.
By the time the sun began to set, the group, now 10 strong made their way back through the forest to Star's home. Star remained mostly silent during the walk, overwhelmed by the sheer number of people now surrounding him.
Yet, the comforting weight of Aliana's handcuff tether kept him grounded.
Once back at the house, Aliana gathered everyone inside, reassuring them again that this was just an overnight stay before they would all return to town. Star, standing slightly apart from the group, gazed at the collection of "friends" - real friends - for the first time in his life.
And for once, though his expression stayed blank, his heart felt just a little warmer.
_ _ _
As the night settled over the isolated house in the middle of the forest, the group of friends - now a solid ten - slowly adjusted to the strange but oddly cozy environment. The air, once thick with an eerie silence, now buzzed with laughter and chatter.
Henry, sitting cross-legged on the floor, flipped through his sketchbook, occasionally showing May his nature drawings. May clapped after each one, always a little too enthusiastic.
Eric leaned against a wall, arms crossed, but his aloofness had softened - though his smirks at Jake's jokes showed he wasn't as distant as he pretended to be.
Jake, as usual, cracked jokes and teased Lila and Nia, who took turns firing back witty remarks.
Luna quietly observed, occasionally adding a thoughtful comment that caught everyone off guard.
Kade animatedly told a story about a "legendary" prank he pulled back in town, making Gem roll his eyes.
And then there was Star - silent, watching. His dark eyes flitted from person to person, his mind trying to process everything.
The way they laughed, the way they interrupted each other mid-sentence, how they poked fun but never with cruelty - it was all so foreign to him.
He didn't understand all of it. When Jake joked about being "wanted by the cops more than a free meal," Star tilted his head, unsure if it was a compliment or an insult. When May said she'd "literally die" if she didn't eat soon, Star briefly looked concerned until Aliana whispered it was just an expression.
But there was something... warm about it. Alive.
As the conversations naturally lulled, Aliana softly nudged Star. "You should talk to them," she whispered.
Star, still handcuffed to her, stiffened for a moment. His mind screamed against it - talking wasn't something he did. His master spoke, and he listened. That was how it always was.
But then he looked at the group, all of them now watching him expectantly. Not with fear or judgment - just... waiting.
So, for the first time without trembling or stammering, Star spoke. His voice was flat and soft but clear.
"I... lived here for a long time. With my master." His words felt heavy, like lifting stones off his chest.
"I don't have... friends. I only had the ones who listened to my every words."
The room fell into an odd silence.
He explained everything.
Star's fingers absently traced the scar on his chest as he also mentioned the time he broke the spell of a friend when he was five, only to be brutally punished for it.
His voice wavered only once - when he spoke about how his master always told him never to trust anyone with emotions. How people would trick him, use him, and throw him away.
Finally, he admitted why they were all there.
"I brought you... because I needed nine friends. So master wouldn't hurt me. He doesn't remember faces... only numbers." He paused, his gaze still empty but his words sincere. "But Aliana said... maybe you could be real friends. Not mindless ones."
Silence.
Star, for the first time, feared he had said too much. That now they would see him not as a weird, mysterious boy - but as a broken, dangerous puppet of a cruel master.
Then May broke the silence.
"So... you don't want to hypnotize us now?" she asked seriously.
Star whispered. "No."
"And you don't want us as... showpieces?"
"...No."
Jake leaned back and smirked. "Well, that's a relief. I was starting to think I'd end up as a creepy statue in some weirdo's collection."
Lila snorted. "As if anyone would want you as a showpiece."
A ripple of laughter spread through the room.
Even Eric - the quietest of the bunch - looked at Star and said, "We're here now. And we didn't run. That means something."
Star didn't quite understand the humor or Eric's words fully - but Aliana squeezed his wrist gently, a silent reminder that they were still there, still listening.
For the first time in his life, Star felt something he couldn't name - something lighter than fear but heavier than curiosity.
_ _ _
As the last echoes of conversation faded, Star shifted uncomfortably. His eyes, usually blank, now carried the faintest flicker of something - fear, urgency. He looked at the group, his voice calm but direct.
"There's... something else," Star said softly. "You... can't just be... my friends."
The room fell silent again, the words sinking in like a cold wind.
Aliana's hand, still cuffed to Star's, tensed. "What do you mean?" she asked, though deep down, she already had a terrible feeling about the answer.
Star's gaze dropped to the scar on his chest - a cruel reminder of what disobedience meant. "When Master comes back... if he sees you like this...free, talking, laughing ,he'll know..." His voice trembled slightly at the word master. "He'll know... I broke the spell...He'll punish me... and all of you."
The weight of his words hit everyone like a brick.
Kade frowned. "So what do we do?"
Star took a slow breath, his mind a storm of fear and calculation. "When master returns... you have to pretend to be hypnotized."
May's eyes widened. "You want us to act like... mindless zombies?"
Star gave a small nod. "...Yes."
Jake whistled, crossing his arms. "Oh, great. So we went from 'let's be friends' to 'let's be fake hypnotized friends' in a blink."
Aliana shot him a sharp look, but Star, still not catching the sarcasm, continued.
"Master doesn't... remember faces."
Star mentioned again.
"Only numbers. As long as there are ten of you, and you act like the others... he won't know."
Henry blinked, still processing it. "So... we have to pretend we have no emotions whenever he's around?"
"...Yes."
Lila crossed her arms. "And what if we mess up?"
Star's voice was flat. "Then he'll kill me first."
Silence.
The gravity of the situation seemed heavier than before. Star didn't speak like someone trying to scare them - he spoke like someone stating a fact he had long accepted.
Aliana, still holding Star's hand, broke the silence. "We can do it." She looked at the others. "Right?"
Jake sighed dramatically. "Guess I'll have to put my acting skills to the test."
Kade smirked. "I bet I'll be better at it than you."
Gem spoke up, his calm voice steady. "We have to make sure we don't overdo it. Too much or too little might look suspicious."
Even Eric, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, nodded. "We just need to mirror whatever the others did. Stand still, stare blankly, don't react."
Star blinked. He hadn't expected them to agree so quickly - or at all.
Aliana noticed his confusion and leaned in, whispering just loud enough for him to hear. "We're not leaving you, Star. No matter what."
Star's heart did that strange thing again - that painful, tight feeling that wasn't fear but something else entirely.
He didn't understand it, but he didn't hate it.
Finally, Star looked at the group once more. "Tomorrow... when master returns... just remember - no emotions. No words."
Jake saluted him jokingly. "Aye aye, Captain."
And for a brief moment - even in the shadow of fear - there was a flicker of hope in the room.
_ _ _
That night, Star experienced something he never had before - the quiet chaos of sleeping among people with emotions.
The house, once a silent, hollow shell, was now filled with soft conversations, restless shifting, and the occasional laugh stifled into a whisper.
The friends had gathered blankets and pillows, spreading them across the floor in a loose circle. Star lay near the edge of the group, still cuffed to Aliana, his usual sleeping spot now surrounded by life and warmth.
Kade, the confident one, was the first to throw his blanket over himself and declare, "I'm out," though he spent another hour scrolling through his glowing device before finally drifting off.
Lila, on the other hand, kept talking softly to Nia about some book she was reading, their voices barely above a whisper but still audible in the quiet.
Jake lay flat on his back, arms crossed behind his head. "We're really doing this, huh?" he mumbled to no one in particular. "Acting like zombies for a creepy master... just another normal day."
Luna chuckled softly. "You make it sound so simple."
Gem was quiet but kept staring out the window now and then, his mind seemingly lost in thought - a sharp contrast to May, who kept fidgeting with the ends of her hair, clearly still a little uneasy about the whole situation.
Henry and Eric seemed the most relaxed, talking in low tones about random topics - from their favorite foods to the weirdest thing they've ever seen - until eventually, their voices faded as sleep took over.
And then there was Star.
He lay on his back, his hand still linked to Aliana's by the handcuff. His other hand rested on his chest, just over the scar his master had given him long ago.
The sound of breathing, the subtle rise and fall of his friends' chests, the way their emotions flickered even in sleep - it was all so foreign.
For years, Star's nights had been silent. His hypnotized "friends" never made a sound - never moved, never spoke, never dreamed. They were statues.
But now...
Kade shifted in his sleep. Lila muttered something about her book. Jake let out a soft snore.
It was... alive.
And it stirred something in Star's heart again - that strange tightness he couldn't explain.
He turned his head slightly to glance at Aliana. She was already watching him, her soft gaze filled with something Star still didn't fully understand.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice a gentle breeze in the night.
Star didn't respond immediately. His mind was too full - too tangled.
Finally, he whispered back, "It's... different."
Aliana smiled faintly. "Different... can be good."
Star wasn't sure about that yet - but as he lay there, surrounded by the soft sounds of his new friends, he realized something:
For the first time in his life... he didn't feel completely alone.