"I wonder when Bubble's coming to visit again. It's been...days now."

"NOT JUST DAYS! ITS BEEN NEARLY TWO WEEKS!"

"..they said they'd be coming after a few days..did they..?"

"I DON'T REMEMBER!"

"...UGH! I HATE WAITING! I HATE THIS STUPID CHAMBER!"

"FANNY! CMON', TRY TO STAY POSITIVE! I'M SURE ICY AND BUBBLE ARE DOING JUST FINE!"

"..Bracelety, there's a damn murderer out there, and it's been two weeks since we've last HEARD them! What makes you think they're-"

"PIN SAID SHE'S GONNA HELP THEM! I'M SURE THAT THEY'RE IN GOOD HANDS!"

Silence.

"...I sure hope they are.."

"SEE? NOW YOU'RE-"

"WILL YOU KEEP IT DOWN BRACELETY?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!"

"SORRY, BLOCKY!"

"BLOCKY?! I HATE HIM."

"OKAY OKAY ENOUGH! Bracelety, Just..try to tone it down a notch, okay?"

"OKAY PEN!"

"And keep your chin up, you two. They're gonna be okay."

"...."

"..yeah..they're..okay.."

"YEAH!"

Ruby's eyes fluttered open, as she let her eyes adjust to the darkness within the van.

The moon must have been shining brightly in the sky, it's glow illuminating the structures outside. The stars must have shined brightly, twinkling like diamonds as they gave off their magical aura to those who could...wish upon a star, per say. But, as usual in the van, everyone was instructed to keep the windows covered, and to keep quiet in the van, to prevent anything...or anyone..from knowing that they were in there.

But someone knew. And that someone managed to wipe out an entire population of a game show cast...objects with wild plans and bizarre lives ahead of them. This wouldn't have been so big of a deal if they had the recovery centers running. But...it was because of Ruby that they were no longer functioning.

She threw it into the glue, the glue that she had created with the snow and gasoline..

And it was stuck there.

It continued to run for months after that, those months eventually turning into years...but it was during the winter, when the whirring of the gears suddenly came to a halt.

Ruby shuddered. She never liked talking about that day.

-

"Care to explain why you dragged me and TB out here at 3 AM, during a snow storm."

"Can it GB, we have a serious issue in our hands."

"...serious as in, the clubhouse power went out, or serious as in your coffee machine is broken.."

"Eh? No! This is serious Golfball, like...we think the Recovery Center broke."

".....I'm going back. Cmon' TB-"

"WAIT! We're being serious!"

"Pencil, Match, I know that this is one of your funny little alliance jokes, but we're not sticking around for it. Just- look. Look at Tennis Ball. Look at me. WE'RE TIRED."

"I-I know, and I'm sorry for waking you guys up this early, but we're SERIOUS! Don't you hear the noise from it anymore?"

"...."

"...Golfball-"

"TB, help me open this up. Now."

"But, you guys don't have any, like, arms?"

"Wow, thanks for the reminder! HELP US, YOU TWO."

"Ew, it's all sticky.."

"You can thank your alliance for that. Who's bright idea was it to place this on top of a huge puddle of GLUE?!"

"Well-"

"Golfball, look.."

"...oh no."

"What? What is it?"

"...do you mind telling us which member of your alliance placed the recovery center on this glue."

"B-But, like, why-"

"Tell us. Now."

"Why Golfball?!"

"The glue had managed to seep into the engine through some openings on the bottom, attaching itself to some gears and ultimately to the engine. And because of that, the engines had to work even harder than before to keep the Recovery Machine going. But it eventually worn away- with the rain, the snow, the heat and frost, it all adds up to the misplacement of the recovery center. So...no wonder it stopped working."

"Who was the smart object who placed the recovery center HERE anyways? Now, if one of us dies..."

"We're, like..gone for good.."

"...TB, remind me to come back here and analyze the machines technology and metal works. We must construct a new recovery center- we aren't going to live in a world where we die forever."

"Note taken, GB."

"Now, If you two will excuse us, we're going back. I'm going to get some sleep."

"Sh-Should we even tell the others about this..?"

"No. Theres a definite 86.3 percent chance that the news will grow into a wide-spread panic, but I'd keep it subtle...they're going to find out, eventually."

"The object who did this is just ridiculous. They're the reason why we're all doomed right now!"

"Okay you two, we'll...we'll see you around."

"...Ruby?"

"......"

"Ruby, you didn't knoiw, it was an accident.."

"It was just one of your little mistakes, its okay.."

"Ruby.."

"RUBY..."

"Ruby?"

The gem jumped once more, turning her head towards the voice who was calling out for her.

Book.

She sat up, sleepily rubbing her eyes as she began to move towards the gemstone. Ruby sighed, staying in her spot as she hugged her knees closely and tightly to her body. Book noticed her tension, and began to wake herself up, for the sake of Ruby..

her..friend..

"Hey, is everything alright? You seem...stressed.." Book whispered, careful to not wake Bubble and Ice Cube, who were fast asleep across from them.

Ruby shrugged slightly, her gaze shifting towards the doors.

"..Book.."

"Hm?"

"I don't know..."

Book raised her eyebrow. "You don't know what?"

"I don't know how I'm feeling anymore. I feel really empty."

"Empty?"

"Yeah."

Ruby's eyes glossed over as she looked down. "That's all I've been feeling lately. Just..empty. I don't remember happiness...I don't know. Is that a bad thing?"

"No..it isn't, its understandable actually."

"Really.."

"Absolutely. We've lost so many people, nearly the entire cast of the show...but look! We're here..and we're alive..!"

"Not for long.." Ruby mumbled pathetically.

Book clenched her hands together, her eyes filling with concern at her response. She was so focused on trying to get out of here, and trying to find ways to bring back the Recovery Center, that she didn't even think about what would happen if they were captured by Pin. Who knows if the others had suspicions about her...

Even Golfball and Tennis Ball, the two smartest (and might I say, wittiest) objects in the entire show, met their untimely demise as Pin had clenched them in her grasp, crushing them and tearing away their final breaths of life.

What made her so sure that they were going to make it out of there alive...?

"...I know it's all really scary, and it feels like we've hit rock bottom, but we have a chance, Ruby."

Ruby looked up, her expression exhausted and blank. "Wha..?"

"Listen. Tennis Ball started something that we can finish. Those Recovery Center blueprints in his lab? We could use those and build one together! And the wacky machinery that Golfball made on her spare time? Hey, we could use those to defend ourselves from her! We have a wide array of possibilities that could help us get through this, but all we have to do is try!"

"But what if they don't work?!" Ruby cried out. "TB and GB HAD all that fancy stuff with them, why didn't they use it?! Why didn't they have a plan?! Wh-Why are we sitting here talking, why aren't we running, why aren't we running, why aren't we GETTING OUT OF HERE, WHY-"

"RUBY." Book grabbed her shoulders gently, and turned her body towards her. Ruby's eyes widened, as her lips clamped shut, shocked at Book's quick move.

"We need to rest, Ruby. We're going to stop her. I promise you, with all of my paged heart, we're going to fix this mess, and clean it up together. No one is gonna die on my watch. Not you, not Icey, not Bubble, not even-"

"Pencil..?" Ruby's voice was reduced to a weakened whisper, as she was coming to with the options they had.

"Yes, even Pencil. Trust me, Ruby. I made a promise long ago, a promise that I would protect you, love you, care for you, and I'm not ready to let that promise slip out of my fingers. And if I do, well rip me up into a million pieces! I'm going to keep her away from you, and you're going to live on, and recover Flower, and you two are going to be in LOVE again, hell, even GET MARRIED, and you two are going to be so DANG happy for the rest of your lives, do you understand?!" Book's tone was filled with passion, she had even begun to tear up as she was speaking.

Ruby stayed quiet for a moment, before she began to nod, slowly moving towards her and wrapping her arms around her body.

"...I..understand.." her words were muffled as she dug her face into Book's cover. Book smiled, gently wrapping her arms around the gemstone once more.

"We're gonna make it through this...YOU'RE going to make it, I'm going to make it, Pencil, Bubble and Icy are going to get through this...I promise."

Ruby felt a small smile grow on her face, as she sunk into Book's arms. She felt...safe. She felt reassured by Book, and loved..

Loved in a rather...familiar way..

Ruby let her eyes close, and she could feel...her warmth...

...someone beside her..

a golden face...shining eyes, with luscious petals and smooth lips...

I love you, Ruby.

I've never stopped loving you.

And I promise...we'll see each other soon, okay..?

Ruby nodded slightly, feeling the presence slowly dissipate into the darkened atmosphere. She let her eyes open, as she looked back up towards Book. She had a comforting smile on her face, slowly lifting her up and letting her sit back-

Knock.

The two looked up at the sudden knock, Ruby's eyes widening in shock. Book shifted slightly, looking back towards the door where the knock had come from. They stayed still, waiting for the noise to rise up once more.

...

..everything stayed quiet, such as it was before. The only noise that fluttered through the late night air was the soft breathing and quiet snores from the two sleeping objects nearby, and the gentle breezes that danced through the air outside. Ruby silently sighed, wiping her forehead in relief as book simply shrugged it off.

"Maybe Bubble or Ice Cube kicked the walls of the van or something." Book chuckled quietly, looking towards Ruby. A smile stretched itself onto her face, as she nodded in response towards-

Knock knock.

Book poured, turning her head towards the objects while she let her arms cross in dissatisfaction.

"Alright you two, enough is enough." Her voice shot through the silence, shattering it into a million shards. This made Ruby shiver.

Knock knock knock knock knock.

"Y-Yeah, Book's right, it's not funny anymore.." Ruby chimed in..

"Hmm..wha..?" Bubble shifted, her eyes slowly dragging open as she cautiously sat herself upwards to face the two. "Wh-What's going oin..?"

"You two are trying to scare us with that knocking! Well it isn't going to work on us!" Book smirked triumphantly.

Bubble raised an eyebrow. "Whoit..?"

"What's going on..?" Ice Cube yawned out grumpily. "What's with all the-"

Knock knock kNOCK.

The four were silenced by the sudden force of the knocks, all eyes locked onto the door. Book sighed.

"Pencil, it's okay, we know it's you."

KNOCK.

"You aren't going to fool us."

KNOCK.

"We're going to make it through now, but you need to knock it off."

KNOCK.

"B-Book, I don't think that's Pencil.." Ice Cube whispered out.

"Oh please, you guys know her. She's just trying to mess with us!"

KNOCK.

"Then open the door! Maybe something happened to her..!"

"But wouldn't SHE oipen the door?"

"Bubble's right, if that really is Pencil, she can open the-"

"H-..Help.."

Silence. They all stared at each other, slowly beginning to move towards the door once more.

"Uh...Pencil..?" Book called out.

"help.."

Ice Cube looked up. "That's her...that's her! OPEN THE DOOR!"

"No way! She sounds like a BROKEN RECORD!" Ruby cried out. "DON'T OPEN IT!"

"Pencil's in danger! We have to help her!"

"We're going to DIE IF WE DO! DON'T-"

Book raised her hand up, silencing the two bickering objects. "Listen. What we're going to do, is check through the dang window, okay? It's covered, but we can check to see if that really is Pencil on the other side. Does that sound good..?"

They nodded. Book smiled, before turning around and cautiously making her way towards the door. She gripped the blanket..

"help..me.."

Book slowly lifted the sheet off of the window, and cautiously peeked through the glass..

It was Pencil!

"Oh...looks like Icy was right..! It's Pencil!" She whispered towards them..

"Is she hurt?" Bubble asked.

"Uh..a few bruises here and there, cuts.."

"Then whoit are you waiting foir? LET HER IN!"

Book jumped, quickly unlocking the doors and yanking it open.

"Ah! You're safe and sound with us Pencil, but you really have to-"

She stopped.

There was Pencil's head..dangling in front of the window. Pencil's body was sprawled on the ground, and a message written in blood was etched onto the dirt..

" "Knock" It off."

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

I M. PROBABLY GOING TO NYC TOMORROW IM BOUTTA GO TO BROADWAY AND WYACH THE PROM

ANYWAYS HELLO!!!!!! How is everyone? I hope y'all are doing good!

Im in Spain! The s is silent (:

Anyways I'm sorry for the wait, I've been. Busy...
kinda feeling low

But hey! Here's a new part!

Enjoy my dudes!

~ice