I woke up, lying on the ground and shaking from the cold. I found it odd that I had not only fallen asleep, but was managing to sense the full effect of the temperature as well. Groaning, I managed to sit up and began to once again feel the now familiar sensation of floating just above the earth. Looking around, my surroundings slowly began to register. I was in the main hall that Martha and Waglington had nearly completed. There was, however, a large hole in the side of the building, and it appeared to be letting in some rather unfortunate weather.

Large white snowflakes fluttered through the wall and various uncompleted sections of the roof.

"What the fuck?' I heard Orchid grumble from behind me. I turned to see her, along with the living people, slowly waking up from their haphazard places around the hall. A few of them, Tom, Jordan, Dianite, and Mot, were all slouched over in their seats at the table. Whatever had happened to us was clearly strong enough to knock out the gods as well.

I tried to remember what, if anything, they had been doing when we all fell asleep.

Tom, Dianite, and Mot had been discussing an expedition out into the rest of the island. Jordan did not seem pleased to see Tom a part of this conversation and had therefore decided to interrupt as politely as he could.

"Calm you tits Sparklez," Tom said with a grin and an eye roll. "Even if I go, we aren't leaving until after we have a proper town set up here. That way we know we're prepared when we go."

"Actually boyo," Dianite said, putting a hand on the back of Tom's shoulder, "I was thinking that this trip would be just me and Mot. I've got some things around here that need doing, but we need to explore as much as possible, as quickly as possible."

Tom was visibly disappointed, though his voice hid it well. "Oh, alright."

"Well we should have a wall built around the camp by midday tomorrow," James said. "Some of the houses are a bit too far away to be within the town wall, but I'll still make a path and gate to them. That way we'll be much safer while we stay here."

"Saaaafffer..." a voice whispered creepily through the room. I looked around, trying to identify it's source, but saw nothing. Jordan looked pale and appeared to be the only other person who had heard it.

"Jordan," Tom said worriedly, "you alright?"

"Allriiiight..." it came again.

"I-I..." Jordan stammered.

"Saaaafffer..." it repeated once more, before I remembered everything going black.

"What the hell happened?!" Tucker shouted, quickly snapping me back to the present.

"Is that snow?" Tom asked, walking over towards the broken wall. "I thought it was like, September!"

"How long have we been asleep?" Jordan asked warily.

"Considering it's mid-December now," Martha said, "around three months."

"What the hell!" Tucker shouted again.

Sonja sat up with an irritated groan, causing a small glass bottle to go rolling off to the side against the hard cobblestones.

"Is that another bottle?"Tucker asked quietly pointing to it.

"What do you mean another bottle?" Mot asked.

"Let me see it," Tom walked over to the bottle that was now wedged between two stones, Jordan following closely behind. "This looks exactly like the one from before."

Jordan took the bottle from him and pulled a piece of paper from it. Uncurling it, he placed the bottle back on the ground and began to read.

"'Welcome back travelers.

As you seem to have already guessed, you have returned to a halfway point between realms. This time you brought friends, which means that the tasks will have to be even more grueling.

Now I will not tell you ahead of time what the challenges are; instead, you must face them as they come. If any fall at the hands of these challenges, they will not stop until another puts an end to them.

As with last time, so long as one of you survives these trials, the others shall be permitted to rejoin him or her in a next life.

Because only one of you will live through it all.'"

"'They will not stop until another puts an end to them?'" Sonja repeated.

"It sounds as though someone is sending monsters after us," Martha added.

"That would fit with what happened last time," Tucker said.

"Is no one going to comment on the fact that we were all mysteriously unconscious for three months?" Mot asked frustratedly.

"Nah," Tucker said. "I'm more concerned about the monsters that are going to be coming after us."

"You don't think they're related to us being unconscious?" Martha asked. "Because this must be a pretty powerful force working against us if it lives in the void, which something would have to be in order to affect me, Dianite, and Waggles."

"No," Jordan brushed off the idea,"they seem different. Maybe there's some similarity at the root, but I think we should just focus on the monsters."

"And some extremely last-minute preparations for winter," Sonja added. "I'll get started by cooking some dinner; is anyone else starving."

"I am," Tom said.

"You know I am," Tucker added.

"So we aren't even going to talk about it?" Andor asked.

"Nope," Sonja said as she walked over to the small, apartment style, kitchen area.

"It's not really that big a deal," Tom shrugged. "What's three months compared to some horrifying, bad-ass monsters that are preparing to tear us to shreds at any second?"

Mot sighed and sat back down at the table.

"Maybe the sky-people are right, boyo," I heard Dianite say softly to him. "They've been in the void before, perhaps this happened then as well."

"I just can't get over the fact that nothing has happened on this island in three months," Mot whispered.

Dianite shrugged and sat down to wait for dinner with everyone else. Soon Sonja was carrying over steaming platters piled high with food and Orchid was beckoning me over to the door.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't you think it's odd that they're all so calm about this?" she asked.

"I mean, they aren't all calm," I said, referring to Mot.

"I guess," she said, contemplating something. "I'm sure it's nothing. Anyways, look at Declan. He found the grave Martha made for Alva and has been out there for the past hour. As soon as the others were distracted by Sonja suggesting food he snuck out there, all alone."

"Oh dear," I said as we floated in the direction of the graveyard. "Is he alright?"

"He seems sad, but I'm sure he'll be fine," she said. "So what were you talking to Jordan about earlier?"

I struggled slightly to remember, but finally recounted his slight outburst at the thought of me potentially being his dead friend.

"You could totally be Alva," Orchid said when I finished.

"I could?" I asked, confused at her sudden confidence. "How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know," Orchid said, "but I met you just after she died and I totally ship you and Dec."

"How do you know I didn't exist before you met me?" I said. "Jordan says I don't even talk like she did, let alone act like her. And what on earth does 'ship' mean? You 'ship' us? Are we going out to sea together?"

"You really don't know what shipping is? It's like, when you imagine two people in a relationship, romantic or otherwise."

"I'm guessing you're not talking about the otherwise, judging by the way you said it," I said.

"Nope!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "I totally see you two doing it."

"ORCHID!"

"Well I do," she said defiantly. "What's the big deal? Not like it can happen anyways."

"He's engaged!" I said disgustedly.

"Not anymore..." She said.

"Well I don't think I'm her," I said. "Jordan didn't think so, and she lived with him for a while. I think he would know."

"Yeah well- wait," she scowled at me slightly. "How did you know they lived together before she moved in with Dec?"

"I-I don't know," I said, startled by her outburst. "I was talking to Jordan about her when he was trying to figure out if I was her. Not that I was much help, but it was so long ago; I don't even remember everything he told me. That was probably something he mentioned."

"Hmm..." She said thoughtfully, stroking her chin.

"What?"

"Oh nothing."