Aren't I so great?
Sigh, a week and two days late.
Okay please no hate.

Oh hey the book is past 1k views. Thank you all for giving my book a chance <3 even though most of the reads are from people who I forced to read the book <3

• • •

"I want the truth," Ernie said from behind me, "and I want to know now."

I looked at the guys. They were all tough looking. Big, muscular; I could probably take out one before I got my face smashed in.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth as if I was about to answer. Then, I leapt to the left and ran to the stairs.

~ Cole ~

Just kidding.

(Nailed it)

I looked at Ernie, wondering if he was actually threatening me. However, his emotionless expression showed that he was being serious.

"Sit." He gestured to the chair.

I reluctantly sat down, still feeling tense.

"So. Why would you lie to me?" He asked. "What could you possibly hide that would make you want to lie to me?"

I looked at him for a few seconds, then finally said, "I spawned in the Nether. I still have my memories, except how I got there. I got chased by a guy into his house into the overworld, and managed to kill him before he killed me. That's all that happened, that's the whole truth."

He tilted his head as if he was considering believing me or not. "You spawned in?"

"I woke up there."I corrected my wording.

"That wasn't said before."

"But I did say I had my memories." I knew he was thinking that I could be a spawn, a person with no past that pops up randomly in the world. But those have been rare for years.

"Do you have any idea why that happened to you?"

I shook my head. "Don't have any enemies. No one that would want to pull a prank on me."

"Some people out there like to mess with others for no reasons."

He was talking about GATU. It was this stupid organization of trollers and griefers. They were mostly just pranksters, but the higher up people were wanted criminals that messed with important things.

"Not even GATU." I shut down the idea. "No one even knows where I live."

"Where do you live?" Ernie asked.

"For safety purposes, I'd rather not say."

"Well you're gonna need to tell me sooner or later if you want to use my map to get home, Cole."

"Yeah well—" I stopped, realizing something. "How do you know I wanted to use your map?"

"You said so."

"No I didn't." I gripped the sides of my chair.

"Well it was implied."

"Then how did you also know my name?" I got up.

He searched for an excuse, then sighed. "Didn't want it to be like this." He gestured to the guys behind me, and I felt them grab both my arms. Ernie stood up. "I was trying to be nice, but you asked too many questions."

I was about to say that I asked only two, but I didn't think it was smart to do that. Instead, I said, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"I'm Ernie." He said simply. "And I was told it. Just as I was told that you would come here."

"Who told you?" I struggled against the grip of the two guys. Just then did I notice the entire bar was quiet.

He chuckled. "Another question for another time." He moved towards the door. "Come on, boys. We have a meeting to go to."

We started to head toward the door. When we reached the doorframe, I took action. I moved to the left and ran my feet up the left side of the wall and head-butted the guy behind me using all the strength I had. His grip on my bicep loosened, and I ripped his hand away surprisingly. In the few seconds I had, I took my body and swung it all the way around, nailing the other guy in the face. He jerked back a little, but after a kick to his shin, his grip loosened as well. I jumped forward, finally free, and ran up the stairs (finally).

"GET HIM!" I heard Ernie yell, and I heard footsteps as the two guys ran after me.

The second floor was a hallway with two doors on the left. A window was at the end. I stopped, unsure of what to do for a split second. However, when the two guys were visible coming up the steps, I sprinted down the hall. As I ran for the end, I took out my helmet and put it on. At the last second, I jumped, and slammed my shoulder into the window. The glass shattered. I flew through the air for a second before falling to the ground. My one day training/parkour remembrance kicked in, and I hit the ground in a somersault.

When I got up, I brushed off the glass shards. Luckily I had my chestplate on. I looked back up at the window to see the two goons staring at me. Ernie barked something at them about paying them too much, and they vanished.

I didn't have time to catch my breath. I sprinted down the street. People looked my way, but no one tried to stop me.

That one girl said Ernie's house was on the end, on the left. Or was it on the right?

As I reached the end of the street, I made a decision and chose the house on the left. It was a two story small oak wood house with barely any decorations. The two flower pots in the front near the door were vibrant roses, but that was the only thing that made the house special.

I went to the side of his house, and started stacking up dirt to a window. I chose not to go through the front door because the window was an easy escape route. When I reached the second story window, I got out my sword and smashed it using my hilt. I climbed in carefully, and looked around.

It was his bedroom. There was a single bed, which either meant he was single, or he and his wife has issues. There were also bookshelves, and a table. On the table was a map.

"That's too easy." I muttered as I went over. However, the map was indeed the right one. It stretched from Canavere City all the way to the Blocky Mountains. According to the map, I was just in the middle. So that meant my home was up north.

For a second, I thought it was a trap. Ernie knew I wanted to get the map, yet he left it out in the open. It was easy to get to. But he didn't know that the one girl told me where his house was, and he didn't think I could escape his grasp.

I grabbed the map and rolled it up, putting it away in my inventory. My heart pounded as I heard noise from downstairs. Ernie was still yelling at his minions.

I climbed out the window, and broke the dirt stack until I was only a few blocks above the ground. I then jumped off, and continued running.

Near the end of the town, a building caught my eye. It was a horse rental building. There were horses stationed outside on leads, easy to steal. However, being a decent human being, I went inside quickly to get one. It was a rundown building with a guy sitting behind a wooden counter on the left, and a few chairs and a table on the right. Next to me was a bookshelf for decoration. The older guy perked up when I came inside.

"How much to buy a horse?" I asked quickly, catching my breath.

"To buy one?" He asked. He thought about it, looked at my chestplate and said, "10 diamonds."

"Will you take some pants?" I pulled out the diamond leggings.

He stared at them, and shrugged. "A chestplate would be better."

I groaned. I didn't have enough time to take off my chestplate. "I don't have time for this!" I slammed down a pair of boots too.

His eyes widened, and he nodded quickly. "Take any one you'd like."

I ran outside, and approached the horses. I chose the one closest to me, a white one with large gray spots and a darker gray mane. I took the lead off the fence and put it in my inventory, and climbed on the horse. Just then did I look down the street and see the guys coming after me. However, I kicked the horse's sides, and it cantered away.

I had to go back to the killer's house first to grab more supplies. Hopefully, I wasn't going to be followed.

•    •    •

~ Sky ~

I stared at Brad, Amber, and Cameron, wanting to do something. But I didn't know what to do. It was like they didn't know what to do either.

"Medic!" Cameron shouted. "Anyone, please!"

They flipped him on his stomach, revealing the arrow.

I jerked my head around at the mountains, looking for where the projectile came from. On the top of one of the highest mountains, I saw a figure. It was just a silhouette from the lack of light, and they were far away. But I managed to make out the bow in their hand.

"Amber." I said, my eyes not leaving them.

She looked up at me, then followed the direction of which I was pointing. I saw her eyes narrow as she saw the person. Then, she looked furious.

"Did they shoot him?!" She exclaimed.

"I'm guessing so." I pulled out my sword in case any more projectiles landed.

However, as soon as I pulled out my weapon, the guy disappeared.

"You two!" Cameron said to a few boys. "Go get the guards and catch that person alive!"

After they left, a man in a white coat came along with two guys and a gurney. He said that he was Dr. Russell, and knelt down at Brad's side. He felt his pulse.

"Is he..." Amber trailed off.

"He's alive." The doctor said. "But unconscious. We need to get this arrow out immediately; it could be poisoned. But not out here. We need to get to the hospital."

"Good thing it's close." I heard someone mutter.

With the help of Amber, Cameron, and another random person, Dr. Russell got Brad up onto the gurney. 

"Clear the road for us." Cameron told a girl in the crowd. "Slab out everything."

She nodded, and went ahead.

"Sky." Cameron turned to me. His voice was shaky. "Keep Amber away."

"What?" Amber asked. "No!"

"You need to stay behind and escort everyone away." Cameron told her.

"I'm not leaving Brad!"

"You have to make sure everyone's safe." I chimed in.

She looked like she wanted to argue. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at Brad's unconscious body. "Fine."

"Let's go. We've already wasted enough time." The doctor said in a rush. With that said, the group of people left.

Immediately, Amber fell to her knees, her face in her hands. "No, no, no..."

I bent down and put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched, but looked up at me. "Why would anyone hurt Brad? He was— he is, a good person. He doesn't have any enemies as far as I know."

"People can be cruel." I tried my best to think of the situation logically. "Hurt people by hurting the ones they love."

Amber jolted, as if she came across a discovery. "Are you saying that the person only hit Brad to get to someone else?"

"Or he missed and hit Brad."

She shook her head. "If they have the nerve to shoot into a crowd of people, they should have good aim."

"Okay. So who would he try to hurt by using Brad? There's Cameron... you... your brothers and dad... does he have any other family that he's close to?"

"No." Amber sniffled. "My aunt was a birch."

"I thought she'd be an oak tree." I joked. When she gave me a look, I apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I appreciate that you're trying to cheer me up but..." She sighed.

"I bet that when we go to the hospital, Brad is going to be completely fine. He'll crack a joke, and make us laugh. In a week or however long it takes for him to heal, he'll be up and about completely normal. And in that time we will have caught that guy, and justice will be served."

She took a deep breath, and nodded. "You're right. You're right. We got to stay positive... Should we go visit now?"

"He literally just got there." I reminded her.

She threw her hands up. "Whatever!"

• • •

I managed to get Amber to go to her house that night. I wasn't convinced that she'd still stay there, but I tried my best.

When I got back to mine, Ms. Rose was flipping through books.

"Hi." I asked her, "Did you... um, hear what happened?"

"I was there." She replied. "In the background. Awful, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I didn't know him long, but I still feel horrible about it."

"Let's pray to Notch that he will be well."

That night, I didn't sleep much. It took a few hours of tossing and turning to finally fall asleep. However, I had a few weird 'dreams'. They were more like voices in my head, and two second scenarios. Like there was an older girl calling my name, and me hugging someone. I swore I recognized that voice, but couldn't see the person. It was like I knew them before. Yet I wasn't supposed to have a past.

But I had to be a spawn. I couldn't remember anything, and I spawned in a random place. There wasn't really another logical explanation.

But then again... Amber woke up in a random place too. And she wasn't a spawn. So was I a spawn or not?

I was in my bed when I thought about that stuff. Deciding that it was no use laying there and doing nothing, I got up and snuck out of the house while Ms. Rose was in the kitchens. It was a cloudy morning, and everyone was still doing all their work. However, I could tell that the mood was tense.

I walked up to Amber's house and knocked on the door. "Amber? It's Sky!" There was no answer. I opened the door and looked inside. She wasn't there.

The next place she would be at would be the hospital. However, I didn't know where it was. I highly doubted it was at the doctor's office.

"Excuse me!" I called to a passing man. "Do you know where the hospital is?"

He pointed past the mountain where the rest of the town was. "It's in the west part of town, just take the bridge there. It'll be the big Quartz building. Can't miss it."

"Thank you." I said to him. Then, I sprinted to the stairs.

• • •

The town was pretty amazing. The western part was the flattest land, so most of the buildings were level. They didn't stretch to the skies, but they were still pretty impressive. People were pretty creative with their designs, I saw some houses shaped like a cylinder and others had bridges above the roads connecting them. The main color theme was still wood, but there was also some Quartz and wool.

The guy was right— the hospital was pretty easy to notice. It was a large Quartz building with a lot of windows, sitting next to two short wooden houses. I walked in, and found a semi-quiet lobby. There were flower pots and bushes everywhere to brighten up the place, but the people in the room didn't seem too cheerful.

I walked up to the secretary desk to the right. The lady there instantly jerked her head up as I walked over, giving me a smile.

"How can I help you?" She asked politely. Although it was her job to act nice.

"I'm a friend of Brad's." I hoped that that was good enough to get through. "May I visit him?"

Her smile turned more apologetic. "I'm sorry, he is only taking family members at this point."

"Please." I urged. "I'm a good friend of his niece, Amber. I need to see them both. Only for a few minutes. Please."

She looked at me for a count of three. Then, she gave in to my charming character. "Floor three. Room 13. But only for a few minutes!"

I grinned. "Thank you."

I took the stairs since they were faster. A few flights later, I opened the door into the light blue clay hallway. Nurses and doctors were walking by, but no one looked at or spoke to me. They were too busy taking care of people.

I quickly went down the hallway past the room numbers. 11...12...13.

I looked around, then opened the door and slipped inside. Inside was indeed Brad's room. He was there on a bed, with tubes sticking out of him. He was sleeping soundly. Next to him was Cameron on his knees holding Brad's hand and looking down. Across the bed was a sitting area with two chairs, Amber occupying one. The room was silent except for the constant beeping from one of the machines.

She whipped her head toward me when she heard the door shut. "Oh, hi Sky..."

"I figured I'd find you here." I said, walking to the empty chair and sitting down. "How is he?"

Amber shook her head vigorously, pointing to Cameron, who didn't move since I came inside. I nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it with him around. I pointed to the door, and she got up. We both went out into the hall.

"The doctor said it was a tipped arrow. Harming potion." Amber whispered, looking at the ground in sorrow. ""He... um... he said it hit a very important organ. People don't usually survive these..."

"Oh Amber... He will. He's a strong person." I really didn't know what to say.

"He did also say that usually it's instant death, or death within a few hours, and Brad is still holding on..."

"See? He's going to make it." I tried my best to give a reassuring smile.

She nodded, and we both went back into the room. Cameron was now looking at Brad's face. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his eyes were bloodshot. I doubt he even left his side.

As Amber sat down, I went over to Cameron. It probably wasn't a good idea, but I just wanted to give him some hope. "Hey, Cameron, I—"

Then it happened. All of a sudden, the beeping dragged onto a long, non stopping beep.

"No..." Cameron slowly stood up. "No... No, NO!" He grabbed Brad's arms. "Brad NO! Please come back to me! Come back to me!"

I ran out into the hall and called in any doctor or nurse that was close by. They flooded the room, surrounding Brad's bed. A male nurse tried pulling away a screaming and crying Cameron, but another had to join in before they managed to get him away from the bed. I turned and saw Amber with her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. Not wanting anyone else taking her away, I bent down and grabbed her hand. She didn't resist or fall into my arms, she just stood up and complied. We went into the hall right before Cameron, who was still fighting to get to Brad. The door shut. He slammed his fists against it multiple times, but eventually lost his strength, and slid to the floor. Amber joined him, and they embraced each other.

I stood there alone, the reality finally kicking in.

Brad was gone.

~<>~

Well there goes another person.

R.I.P. Bradford. Not even sure if that's his real name tbh.

So who told Ernie about Cole? How do they even know about his situation? Who is the person that shot Brad?

Rock on, my little rebels.

P.S. I know I asked this before but I forgot who you guys wanted me to draw next. Sky or Cole?