Day: 971

Days Left: 4509

Lives Saved: 5

The two groups left the campsite with the rest waving goodbye and good luck. Oscar hugged Sumit tighter than usual, almost hesitating to let go. With each mission that Sumit left on, Oscar's fears of him returning wounded, or worse without his memories, worsened. He considered joining the scouting party for the Land of the Lost but decided against it as he did not want to coddle Sumit like an overprotective parent. Oscar himself hated it back when he and Sumit were recovering from their burn wounds and everyone would constantly ask them if they were okay or performing simple tasks which Oscar and Sumit could have easily completed themselves. No, Oscar did not want to repeat that with Sumit, nor did he want to annoy Lili any further as she seemed already frustrated from the new changes to the teams.

A burst of laughter erupted from Oscar's mouth as he recalled Lili's confession that the two of them had made out once. Oscar controlled himself as he received odd looks from Ms Ivette and Corinna. He did his best to not think or imagine it for the rest of the day but occasionally he would have a short burst of snickering to himself.

Whilst the others were gathering water or scouting out the forest, those at camp would focus on food preparation, tending to the Abyss Plants or construction projects. Later in the evening, Oscar and Ivette prepped dinner so it was hot and ready for the others when they returned exhausted and hungry. With the water that was collected yesterday, Oscar and Ms Ivette boiled and cooked the silver food packets. These food packets were beginning to decrease in number and run out but Oscar knew how to bulk out all of their meals, using the bark from the trees which were edible when boiled down. Using rainwater and bark was not exactly healthy to consume in large quantities but in the Eternal Abyss, they, fortunately, could not die and recovered from disease and illnesses at an accelerated rate.

There was something about cooking that invigorated Oscar and for those moments when he cooked he forgot that he was imprisoned in the Eternal Abyss. He truly felt as if he had a purpose in life and that was to cook, even if all he could do at the moment was boil food packets and dice Abyss Fruit. Though he had told Sumit that they should not focus on the past to discover themselves, Oscar believed that his previous self got it right- that cooking was their talent, perhaps born to do it. But what was he other than a chef? What else was there to Oscar than cooking? Or was that all that defined him?

He glanced back at the tent on the outskirts of the campsite, where the silhouette of Princess Alfreda was cast. She seemed to always be in her tent, never leaving. The only time Oscar had ever seen her was when they were moving locations across the Abyss. He remembered screaming when he first saw her, as did Sumit. Everyone else in the group remained in their human forms for the majority of the time, apart from the imps, Calixte, and Princess Alfreda. However, Oscar grew quickly accustomed to these monsters, with Calixte being so polite and kind and the imps clearly only being children, but Princess Alfreda... even when it was explained to him that everyone in the Abyss was actually human, it took Oscar a long time to no longer consider Princess Alfreda scary as she remained in her fire demon form. It was likely that aura of hostility around her, warning others not to dare talk to her or go near her. The only ones who ever went near her were Lili, Calanthe, Corinna... and a few of the imps which Oscar found odd.

Oscar glanced away from the tent and focused back on preparing tonight's dinner. He then noticed Corinna staring at him, she smiled meekly and he smiled back. Did she notice him looking at the princess' tent? It wasn't like he was being subtle about it. If Corinna also talked to Princess Alfreda, then perhaps she could answer some of his questions, but then he paused, remembering that Corinna was mute and would have to answer by writing. He did not want to bother her with his curiosity.

Currently, Corinna was practising different techniques to strip the bark of the trees without hands. She tried holding a knife in between her severed arms, in her mouth, and then with her feet.

"Do you want some help with that, Corinna?" Oscar asked. "I'm almost done with cooking-"

Corinna shook her head, continuing to awkwardly peel the bark off with the knife.

Oscar noticed Corinna's smile waver for a moment, almost frowning at his offer. He shouldn't have asked, he realised quickly. He hated it when everyone was babying him when he was recovering from the fire, and now he was doing the same to Corinna.

"Corinna is quite capable of doing it herself," said Ivette. "We can do everything that everyone else can... it just might take longer."

Oscar bowed his head and apologised.

"My dear, don't look so beaten up about it." Ivette smiled. "Your kindness is noted but Corinna needs to learn how to do things herself, just like I adapted." She motioned to her legs which were covered in a woollen blanket. Oscar had caught a glimpse before of Ivette's legs, how they were fused together by the skin due to an acid attack from a monster, he had heard.

"I suppose they will heal back eventually, won't they?" asked Oscar.

Corinna nodded. She pointed to Oscar, then to her jawline.

"Huh?" Oscar frowned in confusion, wondering what that meant.

"You once lost your jaw," explained Ivette. "You could not speak and it was difficult for you to eat. Eventually, it grew back."

"I lost my jaw?" Oscar hesitantly traced his jaw with his fingers, feeling his charred and flaked skin.

"Once your burn wounds have fully healed, you might be able to see the scars. Unless those will have healed too by then."

"What about any other injuries?"

"That I do not know."

Corinna shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I should ask Calanthe about that," said Oscar, almost glancing to Princess Alfreda's tent. No, he promised Lili that he would wait until Princess Alfreda wanted to speak to him. He instead turned his attention to Corinna and Ivette. "How did we meet? All I know is that my group decided to join yours at the drop-off."

"Yes, that was Corinna's plan," said Ivette. "She noticed that not everyone was receiving enough food at the drop-offs and some had to fight for it. She thought it was unfair and created this alliance, joining everyone together in peace."

Corinna bit her lip, gazing down at the ground, perhaps in embarrassment.

"What was our first encounter like?" asked Oscar. "Like our first impressions of each other?"

There was a smug grin on Corinna's face. She pointed to herself and then to Oscar, then shadowboxed.

"We fought each other?" Oscar laughed. "Like me against you?"

Corinna nodded.

"Who won."

Corinna's grin widened as she motioned to herself.

"Was it close?"

Corinna's nose scrunched up.

"Oh, really!" Oscar shook his head in disbelief, laughing. "Come on, I bet I'm better than that. It must have been close."

Corinna posed and flexed her muscles, silently giggling.

"Well, it seems that I was not a skilled fighter... was there anything else I was good at besides cooking?"

"You were a polite gentleman," answered Ivette. "Very hard working. You helped me with my garden."

"That's good to know." Oscar paused. "Anything else?"

Ivette glanced away in thought. "I apologise, my dear, you did not talk much. I suppose that it is because you lost your jaw and were unable to. You mostly kept to yourself."

Corinna nodded in agreement, smiling warmly to comfort.

Oscar sighed. "Right..."

"You are much more talkative now than you have ever been in my opinion," continued Ivette. "It seems that Sumit has brought you out of your shell... or without your memories, your personality has changed..." She paused. "I would say that my dear, you appear to be happier than ever before."

"I seem... happier?"

Corinna nodded.

Oscar stared down at the ground, fidgeting with his hands. Was he happier because of Sumit, or was it because there was something in his past that made him sad? He glanced at Princess Alfreda's tent. Should he learn more about his lost memories or would he lose his current happiness by doing so?

"If you keep on staring at that tent, you might start burning a hole through it," said Ivette.

Oscar snapped back into reality, his lips pursing together in embarrassment from being caught once again. "I just..." he mumbled, unsure if he wanted to talk about it.

Ivette sighed. "I know," she said softly. "You want to know about your last memories, don't you, my dear?"

Oscar nodded meekly.

"And it isn't enough to just hear it from us who barely knew you or just from Calanthe."

"Yes, that's... that's correct." Oscar swallowed, no longer so hidden about his feelings as it was so easily interpreted by the elderly woman. "Lili said I should wait until Princess Alfreda is ready to talk to me."

"That is wise, yes."

"But I want to know now." Oscar paused, correcting his tone so that he wouldn't sound like a complaining child. "I've waited so long for answers and Princess Alfreda is... she won't speak to anyone."

Corinna looked between Ivette and Oscar, chewing on her bottom lip in silence. Oscar wondered what she wanted to say if not for her muteness. But she chose not to write anything on her whiteboard nor motion anything out.

Instead, Ivette continued to be the one to answer. She began with another pitying sigh. "I understand that princess' feelings all too well... and Rin's."

Oscar frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ivette hesitated, glancing at Corinna who stared at the ground. "I have lost someone just as they have."

"You mean... you knew someone who lost their memory too?"

Ivette nodded solemnly, silent for a moment before continuing, "her name was Maria- well, to begin with. I thought of her as my own daughter... She went through many names before and after I met her. The first time I met her she was called Maria, and then Emerald, Flora, Willow, Viola, and then finally... Harmony."

Oscar noticed Corinna's body shift, almost caving into itself like a cocoon.

"Maria- Harmony- she was always trying to escape the Abyss," Ivette's hands clutched each other to stop them from shaking. "And each time she succeeded, she would be dropped back down, her memories wiped and she forgot all about me."

"She managed to escape?" Oscar gasped.

"They let her because it is entertaining." Ivette straightened herself, her voice growing stern. "But make no mistake, there is no actual escape from the Eternal Abyss. As soon as you are on the other side they will send you back."

Oscar hesitated, then asked quietly, "where is she now?"

Ivette glanced to Corinna who looked away. "She escaped again. That was over half a year ago. She was likely dropped off into another sector away from us, her memories once again erased." Ivette cleared her throat. "Every time I met her again, she was a new person... she did not remember me. It was... difficult to see her like that. There were parts of her that were the same as before and yet others completely new. She was a stranger to me as I was to her."

"So, she was not the same person each time?" asked Oscar. "It wasn't only her memories that she had lost?"

Ivette shook her head, biting her bottom lip. "I am unsure. Perhaps memories are integral to shaping our character." She sucked in a quick breath. "What I am saying, however, is that I understand why Princess Alfreda and Rin are avoiding you and Sumit, my dear."

"Because we aren't the same people," said Oscar.

"When someone you know loses their memories... it is like they have died, akin to that perhaps. And then a complete stranger is wearing their body instead. The same face and the same voice and yet... they do not know you."

Oscar glanced to Princess Alfreda's tent. "So, are you saying that they are... in mourning? They are still grieving the previous Oscar and Sumit's deaths?"

"Yes, my dear." Ivette smiled softly. "People cope with death differently and for varying amounts of time. Calanthe may find it easier to talk to you but Princess Alfreda perhaps not. Yes, it is unfair to both you and Sumit to have to wait for answers but to disrupt someone's grieving process...."

Oscar shook his head. "I won't do that, I promise... I'll be patient."

"You know, my dear, as far as I have known that spoilt princess, never has she hidden away." Ivette stared at the tent in the distance for a moment. "She always wanted to be the centre of attention, always talking and boasting about something..."

Oscar bowed his head, a weak smile forming on his lips. "Thank you, Ms Ivette."

"No trouble at all, my dear," said Ivette gently. She looked to Corinna, giving a comforting smile. "In time, everything should hopefully return to normal."

*

The Land of the Lost scouting party was the first to arrive back at the campsite, their mood sombre either from their failure to find anything or having to spend hours in deathly silence by Lili's orders or perhaps it was the combination of both.

As the other group had yet to return, Lili headed over to Princess Alfreda's tent to check up on Her Highness in wait for Rin's arrival to begin their usual meeting with Corinna. Meanwhile, Kai and Calixte talked to Corinna, Ms Ivette, and the imps.

Sumit's expression brightened upon sighting Oscar. He waved enthusiastically before bounding over to him into a squeezing hug, his usual greeting. Then he complimented the smell of Oscar's cooking. The two of them talked to each other about their day happily until the water collection team returned finally and Sumit's smile faded, his eyes focused on Rin.

"Hey," said Oscar softly, squeezing one of Sumit's hands. "I know that you want to talk to Rin about your past, but maybe you should wait until she's-"

"No, I've waited long enough," growled Sumit. "It's been six months since we lost our memories. She's had all that time to come to terms with what happened to me... to her 'Sumit'." He sucked in a breath. "I'm getting answers."

"No, Sumit-" Oscar attempted to stop him but was easily shrugged off.

Sumit marched away, following Rin who had left the campsite after setting down buckets of water.

Sumit tailed Rin through the trees, wondering where she was going. Was she trying to avoid him again?

"Hey!" he called out.

Rin jolted and she froze on the spot. She hesitantly turned her head, her eyes retaining contact with Sumit for a split second before turning away again.

Sumit sighed, forcing a warm smile. "Sorry, I just... I just wanted to talk to you about-"

"Can it wait?" spat Rin, her back facing Sumit. "I'm busy at the moment-"

"Please, I just want to know about my past and you're-"

"And I don't want to talk now!" Rin snapped. "Just leave me alone-"

"No!" Sumit blurted out, almost scared by his own rage, but he let it fuel him and continued, "I have done enough waiting around for you to be okay! It has been six months! How are you not over it yet! I heard that you and I were best friends and yet you keep on avoiding me! I know that you transferred to the water collecting team to avoid me!"

Sumit paused as his anger no longer blinded him and he noticed Rin's body shaking. His lip trembled, realising how scary he had sounded just then at the same time somewhere deep inside of himself wanted to continue, to yell at her for how unfair she had treated him. But he killed that thought.

"I..." he continued, his voice quiet and quivering as his eyes watered. "I just wanted to know who I am, that's all..."

But what is it even worth it now? He saw how frightened he had made Rin with his outburst. Was this a part of him? Maybe he didn't want to know that man anymore.

Sumit swallowed. "It was all dark at first, and then suddenly I awoke, knowing nothing about who I was and where I was... I awoke whilst I was burning alive, screaming for help, I-" His throat closed but he continued through the pain and how warbled his voice had become from his tears. "It's been six months since then and I still don't know who I really am."

Rin remained silent, still facing away from him but no longer shaking so violently as before.

"I keep on making these jokes, all those annoying puns because that's what everyone says I used to do. That I was always happy and smiling and joking. I thought if I tried doing that then I would find some sort of semblance of self, of who I was, but it's just so tiring!" He let out a long shaking breath. "It doesn't feel natural at all. I don't know if I like puns or I just feel forced to," he chuckled slightly, spluttering through the streaming tears.

Sumit wiped his nose with his sleeve. "I just thought that you could help. You apparently knew me best and for the longest and I-" He froze as he caught a glimpse of Rin's face, seeing that she too was crying, her lip quivering as she fought back from making a sound.

"Rin, I'm sorry!" Sumit stepped closer. "I shouldn't have just confronted you when-"

Rin could no longer hold it in and Sumit heard her sharp quiet wails and cries as she constantly wiped away her tears with her hand, dampening the part of her arm that was made from paper, the words on it shrinking and shifting.

"Rin..." Sumit went to hug her but she shrugged him off, resolute to get over her tears without someone else's comfort.

She sucked in a shaking breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry..." she croaked, unable to look at Sumit directly. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"No, no! I shouldn't have forced you to talk!" Sumit stopped himself from hugging her or any other form of physical contact to console her, realising that Rin did not want to be touched right now. "I just felt so lost... I wanted to know about my past-"

"And I should have told you ages ago!"

Sumit bit his lip before I said that he agreed. Instead, he muttered, "I'm sure you had your reasons..."

Rin shook her head. "Selfish ones, I-" She swallowed, sniffing as her tears slowly subsided. "I couldn't look at you... It was easier when your burn wounds were still recovering when you were unrecognisable after the fire. But then you healed and I could see your face and hear your voice and you were walking around and I couldn't..." Rin's voice cracked and her eyes watered again, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Sumit motioned to the ground and they both sat down, resting against the trees, separated but still close by. They waited for a long moment in silence as Rin calmed herself.

Eventually, she managed to speak, "I don't think I haven't gotten over losing Sumit yet."

Sumit waited patiently for her to continue. He would wait no matter how long it took for Rin to speak her feelings.

"I know it's pathetic, it's been six months since I lost him..."

"It's not pathetic," Sumit said softly.

Rin rested her head back on the tree, gazing up at the sky. "I had known Sumit for over six years..."

"That's a long time," said Sumit. It felt odd hearing his own name being spoken yet it wasn't him that Rin was talking about.

"He was the first person I met in the Abyss and have been friends since then." She paused and for the first time, she looked at the new Sumit directly. "You spoke about feeling lost, and not knowing who you are as a person, wanting to know about your past..."

Sumit nodded.

"I know that feeling all too well."

"You do?"

Rin glanced at the ground. "I lost my memories too. I awoke in the Abyss from being unconscious all alone... and Sumit saved me..."