TALKING TO THE MOON.
[ 08. CHAPTER EIGHT ]
❝ MEETING THE TEAM ❞

Throughout the entire early morning Coran and Selena had spent quality time together chatting amongst themselves about the many events she had missed while on earth. Stories of Voltron, the Galra Empire, Altea, the Blade of Marmora, and a variety of other things were explained. By the time the two new companions had finished their discussions it was the middle of the day. Despite it only being the afternoon Selena felt like sleeping again. With all the new information she retained in such a short amount of time it was almost too much for Selena to handle. But she managed. If she could handle being abducted in space by an evil alien race then she could do anything. It was her positive mindset that kept her exhaustion at bay.

As of now Coran was taking Selena to the lounge, where everyone currently resided, to officially introduce her to all the team members. Or rather the ones that she hasn't met before such as Allura and Shiro. Coran also mentioned on the way there that one of their acquaintances known as Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire was accompanying them, however, he was out retrieving some supplies for the day. When Coran mentioned he was Galra an uneasy feeling erupted in her stomach but Coran assured her that Lotor was not like the rest of the Galra. The once notorious prince became one of their allies. Being the easily trusting person that she was Selena took Coran's words to heart. She wouldn't judge the prince because of his race. Everyone deserved a second chance.

The only thing that worried Selena now was how everyone was going to react to her new appearance. The glowing freckles on her skin were a Kairavian sign of becoming of age as Coran said during their chat earlier. The transformation had simply gifted her with magical abilities. It was coincidental that Selena had gained both in the same day. Or maybe it was fate. Either way she was different now. And apparently her friends already knew. According to Coran their acquaintance Lotor had given everyone insight on her alien heritage. It made Selena anxious that this might have changed everything. Would they treat her differently? Would Lance accept her?

Regardless of this new discovery of being half alien Selena still remained the same girl that grew up on earth. Except with a few modifications. She could only hope they didn't change the way they saw her. Coran assured her it was going to be just fine and would take some getting use to. He also told her that she wasn't alone. Shiro and Keith had to undergo through alterations similar to hers. Apparently Shiro had a metal arm which held certain abilities that was made by the Galra and Keith was half alien himself. It took time for everyone to understand their new changes but things went back to normal eventually. There was nothing for Selena to stress over.

Everyone in the lounge seemed to be chatting amongst themselves until they had caught sight of Coran and Selena entering the room. The entire area had abruptly gone quiet as everyone stared at Selena's new appearance in pure astonishment. Each person held various reactions.

Allura gazed upon Selena proudly once she noticed the girl's new glowing marks covering her olive skin. The brunette was becoming an adult in Kairavian society. It was truly incredible to witness it first hand. The princess of Altea had always been fascinated with Kairavia and all it's beauty including the people with it. They were magical and full of tranquility. It was a misfortune that their culture had been destroyed by Zarkon. Kairavia was now a lost memory in space but now that Selena was here she would be able to carry on the Kairavian spirit within her for decades. From all the information Allura had gathered from Lance's talks about Selena over the time they spent together the Altean knew if Kairavia was still thriving Selena would have been a great leader. Deep within her heart, Allura knew the young brunette would have made King Jericho proud. If only he could see his daughter now.

Hunk, Pidge, Matt, and Mr. Holt stared at Selena in utter shock. The new features on Selena's skin both intriguing and something they've definitely never seen before. The closest comparison they could make up was that they looked like stars scattered all over her body. It was truly incredible.

Shiro simply stared at the girl with a skeptical look as his eyes studied the colorful dots that were littered all over her. It was as if he was processing something but no one in the room seemed to notice the strange actions of their leader. Then again no one has noticed any of the strange behavior Shiro's had recently.

In the far back of the room Lance's eyes were intensely drawn to Selena like a moth to a light, as if she were the only thing existing in the entire universe. The Cuban boy was downright moonstruck and he had no idea how to react or what to feel. His mouth hung wide open while his blue eyes practically bulged out of his head as they continued to follow the little glowing freckles along her skin. Giving each one the same amount of attention as the next. None of them were ever the same shape or color. They varied in multiple sizes and hues. They were imperfectly perfect. A kaleidoscope dream of stars. A natural masterpiece that the universe was blessed with. Selena looked absolutely divine like an angel from heaven. His angel. Lance couldn't stop staring at her. Everything about her was enchanting that he was completely hypnotized by her sheer beauty. Holy mother of cheese he was gonna faint and was he drooling?

Due to all of the attention she was receiving a blush quickly rose from her neck all the way to the tip of her small ears. Selena never really handled being the center of attention very well. It made her feel embarrassed and extremely awkward. Which Coran seemed to notice so he tried to make matter easier for her by announcing their arrival, "Greetings everyone! May I present to you miss Selena Ambrosio all the way from Earth!" It didn't help, but at least he tried. And Selena always said it was the thought that counted.

The first to be pulled out of their trance like state was Pidge and Hunk. The two paladins pushed everyone out of the way, rushed straight forward to Selena, and, in the process, almost tackled her to the floor when they embraced her. It was a tangle of limbs with Pidge on the left side of Selena hugging her stomach and Hunk on the right side of Selena hugging her shoulders. The latina was squished between her two friends and she couldn't help but smile wide and squeeze them back with just as much vigor. It had been too long since they last seen each other. This is just what they needed. A good giant group hug.

"Selena! You're okay!" Hunk exclaimed with pure joy, his arms around her shoulders starting to hug a little tighter. "Oh man, you have no idea how good it is to see you again."

"We still can't believe you're actually here," Pidge cried out in disbelief, her head buried underneath Selena's arm like a small child. "We missed you so much."

The love and affection Selena was receiving from her friends caused her heart to leap with glee. They had missed her just as much as she missed them. All those doubtful sleepless nights when Selena thought they all had long forgotten her were false. They did care about her. Selena felt like crying again but decided not to. If she started crying then Hunk would start crying and then Pidge. It would just create a mess of tears that Selena didn't want her friends going through. Now wasn't the time for tears it was the time for hugs and smiles. To celebrate and rejoice. The gang was back together again.

"I missed you guys too," Selena beamed as she held onto her friends firmly, almost afraid to let them go. "I'm just so glad you're okay."

Without warning Pidge broke away from her tight embrace and looked up at Selena like she was crazy. "That we're okay?" Pidge scoffed. "What about you? You were captured by the Galra for who knows how long! How'd you end up there anyway?"

Hunk detached himself from Selena as well and nodded in agreement with Pidge. It was true. They were perfectly fine just the way they were in the castle with Coran and Allura. But Selena was imprisoned by the Galra in conditions they could hardly imagine. It pained them to know that one of their closest friends had to go through such suffering. They were so grateful that they had found her when they did. Who knows how much longer Selena could have stayed a prisoner if they didn't find her.

The brunette bit her lip, an anxious habit she picked up from her mother. It hadn't dawned to Selena that all of her friends would be in this amount of distress over her wellbeing. Then again she didn't know what it was like to be in their shoes. Now thinking about it Selena realized that she would have been a frantic mess if it were her friends who had been captured. Being extremely sympathetic and emotional wouldn't help her case either. Heck, she would have gone off the rails.

Shaking off the disturbing thought of her friends being in serious danger Selena decided to explain how she had made it here, "It's a long story but to keep it short a friend of mine from the Galaxy Garrison helped me build a ship to go look for you in space. There was intel that put all of you in the Blue Lion going past the solar system. I didn't get very far though. The Galra took me in and placed me in one of their cells for a couple of days. I'm fine now, though, really. I'm just glad to be here with all of you."

"We're glad that you're with us too," Lance finally spoke up from the back of the room. Selena averted her gaze to where she had heard his voice and found his eyes on her and a fond smile present on his lips. Oh how she missed his smile. It was a miracle that she had made it all this way and found him. Selena would be sure to count her blessings every single day from there on out.

Before Selena could reply back the the boy in blue Pidge pulled her away from Coran with a sharp eager jolt. "Let me introduce you to the team!" The green paladin exclaimed as she dragged Selena all the way over to the Holt boys. "You've already met my dad and Matt," Pidge stated. The two said men smiled and waved at Selena to which she shyly smiled and waved back. The short girl was quick to pull Selena along to a beautiful sun kissed woman that stood by the left side of the room. "This is Princess Allura of Altea," Pidge presented all the while Selena practically swooned over how utterly gorgeous she was. From her dazzling eyes to her adorable ears to the fascinating markings on her cheekbones. Selena was smitten. She had finally found the alien princess of her dreams. Who needed Princess Leia when there was Princess Allura?

"It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you, Selena," the elegant sweet voice of the princess pulled Selena out of her thoughts. "I've heard many things about you."

Trying to remain calm and collected Selena chuckled nervously as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. God, she was a wreck. "Good things I'm hoping," Selena squeaked out to which she cringed at herself. Luckily no one seemed to notice her anxious state.

Whenever there were cute boys or girls involved Selena wasn't all that experienced. After all, the young girl had never been in a romantic relationship before. The poor girl didn't even know how to flirt. The world of romance was a mystery to Selena but that didn't stop her from wanting to have a taste of it. The thought of true love was always on Selena's mind. Call her cliche but the blue eyed beauty thought the most powerful magic of all was love.

The princess nodded, her flattering smile never faltering as she responded, "Yes, Lance always did give us an earful when it came to you." Lance talked about her? Selena couldn't help but grin widely. "I'd also like to congratulate you on your markings. It's truly an honor to be able to witness their appearance first hand."

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Hunk asked from the couch where he was currently seated.

Looking over at Hunk with a glint of fascination in her sparkling eyes the princess explained with interest, "Well, you see, in Kairavian culture one gains these markings when they become of age. It seems Selena here has reached that stage in her life." Everyone in the room took a minute to absorb the new intriguing information. It wasn't every day they learned something regarding the Kairavians.

"A unique genetic construct in the DNA as a way to tell full body development? Awesome!" Matt shouted out in amazement, taking a new liking in Kairavian anatomy.

Once again before Selena could reply to what anyone had said Pidge was swift as she swiped Selena's hand and dragged her over to the other side of the lounge where the black paladin stood in silence. "And this is Shiro, our leader," Pidge introduced with a open hand gesture.

Looking up at the tall Japanese man Selena smiled and stuck her right hand out. "It's nice to meet you, sir," Selena greeted him with respect. Lance had always use to talk about the man in front of her whenever he got the chance to. Takashi Shirogane was Lance's actual hero and the reason why he got so interested in piloting. To say Selena was ecstatic to finally meet the man himself would be an understatement. It was an absolute honor to meet her best friend's hero.

Grabbing her outstretched hand Shiro gave Selena a firm handshake with his metal arm. "It's great to finally put a face to a name," the tall man welcomed the brunette with a charming smile that would have any woman gawking.

Selena would have said the feeling was mutual if she hadn't felt a sudden searing pain. It started from her right hand and like lightning in her veins fired throughout her entire right arm. It was unlike anything she ever felt in her life. It wasn't just painful it was. . . wrong. There was a feeling deep within her that set off a series of alarms in her brain telling her something was off. A high pitch yelp escaped from Selena's lips as she yanked her hand out of Shiro's grasp as if she had been burnt and held it closely to her chest.

Realizing that she had gathered everyone's worried and confused attention she tried to shrug it off by giving Shiro an apologetic smile and a nervous chuckle, "Static shock is always so painful, huh?"

Little did anyone know that Selena's magic was warning her of something wicked at work.

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— NOT EDITED
WORD COUNT: 2,647
— i'm horrible at introductions since i don't meet that many people that often or talk to anyone lmao gotta love being antisocial. anyway i hope this was okay? also PLEASE COMMENT/GIVE FEEDBACK BC IT GIVES ME MOTIVATION TO WRITE MORE CHAPTERS!!!