Sahara sat outside for a while She gazed into the distance while her mind raced.

 "Hey," the voice spoke.

Looking up she found Terrell standing there.

"You okay?" he asked.

Sahara nodded, though she felt far from it. She let her head rest on her knees once more as she stared into the distance. More laughter trickled out from the warehouse.

"Sounds like they're having fun," Sahara murmured.

"Yeah," Terrell agreed as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "This used to be a quiet place...and then you came along."

"Sorry," Sahara murmured.

"Don't be," Terrell replied. "I actually kind of like it. I guess I sort of missed it."

Sahara turned to glance at him. "Missed it?" she asked.

"Having crazy people around," Terrell replied as he closed his eyes. "You could say that I was kind of avoiding them...running. I guess there were just things I didn't want to face..." he trailed off.

For a brief moment Sahara felt as though he had put his walls down. Yet then they came back again.

"I think this is going too far," Terrell said.

Sahara furrowed her brow, not sure what he was getting at.

"The twins...Naomi, all of them," Terrell turned his eyes on Sahara. "They think of us...you as family. As far as they're concerned we're going to stay together no matter what. Yet...that's not what's going to happen, is it?"

The laughter had stopped, yet Sahara didn't notice. "I know," she whispered.

Terrell let out a sigh. "Look..." he paused. "I just don't think it's fair to any of them really...to..." he trailed off, not saying whatever he was going to say. "I think you should tell them," he said.

Sahara's head snapped up.

"Not the whole other world thing. Just what your real aim is for reaching to top..."

Sahara's heart sank. He has a point, she thought. But... she shook her head. "I don't think I can." She got to her feet. "If I tell them...it'll be bound to..." she trailed off, remembering how the twins were betrayed by their first crew. Is what I'm doing any better? Hiding the truth from all of them?

"If you don't tell them then what?" Terrell asked. "How do you think they'll react? What if we reach the top and you really find a way home? Are you just going to disappear then without a word?"

Sahara bit her lip. She wasn't sure what had brought Terrell to suddenly bring this up, but in some way she felt he was right. However, she didn't want to admit it.

"Are you going to tell them then that it was all so that you could leave?" Terrell asked. Sahara was surprised by the hurt she thought she detected in his voice.

Sahara shook her head. "If I tell them now or later, does it really make a difference?" she whispered. She lifted her head as her emotions took over; the confusion, the feeling of being torn between two places, not knowing what she wanted anymore. "You're asking me to tell them that once we reach the top I'm leaving."

"It's the truth, is it not?" Terrell asked softly. "It's the whole reason we're doing this."

Sahara bit her lip. She suddenly felt close to tears. "I didn't ask for any of this. I just..." her confusion was growing, "I-I  just wanted to go back home!" She paused, the dam threatening to burst. "I still do," she whispered with less conviction.

There was a moment of silence.

"You're leaving?" a voice asked.

Sahara whirled around. Naomi was standing there, her eyes wide. Behind her stood Arden, his mouth set in a thin line.

"I..." Sahara turned look at Terrell. Just how long have they been standing there? She wondered.

"So that's the truth then," Arden spoke in a low voice. "All of this...in the end you're just going to leave?"

"No!" Sahara whirled around to face him. "That's not..." she trailed off as her eyes met Arden's.

"I should have known," Arden shook his head. "No one in Regona is that nice." He turned and headed back into the warehouse.

"Arden!" Sahara ran after him, right past Naomi who watched her go with wide eyes. Sahara burst into the warehouse. "I can explain!"

Arden whirled around to face her. The anger and hurt on his face made Sahara freeze.

"What is there to explain?" Arden asked.

Sahara bit her lip. "I..."

"Is it a lie then? You're not leaving?"

Reagan stood up from where he had been sitting and Alegra looked up. Even Orion paused from where he had been pouring over a screen of some sort.

"What?" Reagan asked.

"It's not..." Sahara shook her head as she tried to find a way to explain. "I was going to tell you..." she trailed off lamely.

Arden snorted. "So waiting would make it any better?"

"I..." Sahara never got a chance.

"All this time..." Arden trailed off. "Not once..." he couldn't finish again. He turned and grabbed Reagan's arm. "We're leaving."

"What?" Reagan asked in confusion.

"What's this all about?" Alegra asked.

Just then Naomi entered, Terrell behind her.

"Don't go, Sahara," Naomi pleaded. "You can't leave us."

Sahara turned to her in despair. "I'm not leaving honey."

"Not yet," Arden replied.

"What are you talking about?" Reagan asked as he shook his twin off. "What's going on here?"

Arden turned to stare at Sahara. "She hasn't exactly been honest with us," he said. "Have you, Sahara?"

"I..." Sahara turned to shoot a helpless glance at Terrell.

He didn't say a word as he leaned against the wall.

"I don't understand," Reagan said. For the first time since Sahara had met him, he actually looked somewhat scared as well as lost. "Arden...?" he looked helplessly at his twin.

Arden shook his head. He turned to face Sahara. The betrayal in his eyes was something that made her feel as though her heart had been stabbed. She had never expected this reaction..

"You need to reach the top in order to be able to leave. In the end, you were only using us, weren't you?" Arden asked.

Sahara shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" Arden replied looking hurt.

Sahara paused. It is like that, isn't it? A voice told her.

"Once you got what you wanted you were going to leave," Arden told her.

"Sahara, what is he talking about?" Reagan asked. He shook his head. "You weren't really...planning on leaving us...were you?" he whispered.

Sahara didn't say anything.

"What about the crew?" Reagan asked. "What about...what about us?"

Sahara couldn't meet his gaze. "I was going to tell you," she murmured. "I just didn't think that..." she felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn't understand why things were suddenly like this. She couldn't think clearly, her mind was just a thick fog at the moment.

"I can't do this," Arden said. "I'm leaving." He grabbed his board and walked towards the door. When he walked past her, Sahara reached out and grabbed a hold of his sleeve. He paused.

"Don't go," Sahara whispered.

"I'm not the one who was planning on leaving without a word," Arden replied.

"I really..." Sahara trailed off. "I didn't..." her mind felt too jumbled to find the words.

Arden pulled himself free. Without another word he headed out the door.

Reagan paused. He turned his eyes on Sahara. She looked up pleadingly.

"You can't leave," Sahara whispered. "Please?"

Shaking his head, Reagan ran for his board and followed his brother. There was complete silence. Hearing a sniffle, Sahara looked up to see that Naomi was crying silently.

"Aren't we a family?" the little girl asked.

Alegra scooped her up. "Shhh, honey. It's okay." Turning, Alegra looked right at Sahara. "I..." she paused. "I think that maybe we'll head out for the night...sleep somewhere else."

Sahara said not a word as Alegra left with Naomi in her arms. She paused beside Sahara.

"I just need to think things over, you know," she murmured. "I was thinking it would be nice to stay long term, but if that isn't going to happen I've got to look into plan B, for Naomi's sake." She left, her board in tow.

"Well this sucks," Terrell commented.

Sahara turned to look at him. "You didn't say anything," she accused. "You just stood there."

Terrell turned to look at her, his eyes hard. "You didn't exactly stop them either," he said harshly. "You let them go."

"I couldn't stop them," Sahara whispered.

"You didn't try," came the harsh reply. Sahara was surprised by how cold it was. It gave her the feeling that she had done something to make Terrell angry; yet, she didn't know what.

"What was I meant to do?" she asked in despair.

"Maybe, for once you could have stood up and said something," Terrell replied as he walked over to the table.

"I tried!" Sahara replied.

"You call that trying?" Terrell snorted.

Sahara felt anger fill her. "What would have you done?"

"Stop doing that!" Terrell banged his hand on the table. It made Sahara jump. He whirled around. "Stop always asking other people for their opinion. Stop being so..." he shook his head, as though not finding the words.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sahara asked.

"Everything!" Terrell replied, his eyes flashing. "You know...if you would just learn to speak up...to make up your mind and stand up for yourself just once...if you would just stop accepting everything that happens and do something about..." he trailed off. "You know what...forget it." He shook his head and headed for the back. He left through the back, slamming the door behind him.

Sahara watched him go, shock at what had just happened. Hearing someone clear their throat she looked to her right see Orion was sitting with a thoughtful look on his face. She had forgotten he was there.

Realizing Sahara was looking at him he shot her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you had your reasons for not saying anything. Some things...some things are hard to say." He got up. "They just need time to think things over." He didn't sound convinced.

"Why?" Sahara whispered. "Why did it turn out like this?"

Orion paused a he looked at her. "Truthfully?" he asked.

Sahara looked up at him.

"Terrell...I can only guess." He shrugged. "The others? I guess they broke the number one rule of Regona," he murmured. He smiled softly. "I'm going to sleep early tonight." He headed towards his mattress.

Sahara stood where she was. The number one rule? She thought. Don't trust anyone, Terrell's words echoed in her mind. Realization filled her. The twins had broken that rule. They had trusted her completely. She hadn't realized it until this moment, but from their point of view she had betrayed that trust...betrayed them. Not able to hold it back anymore Sahara crumpled to the floor, tears wracking her body as she hugged her arms around herself.

She felt empty, hollow. In fact, for the first time in a long time she felt what she hadn't felt in a while; abandoned.