[Won't be updating next Wednesday (June 14), and I'm not sure about the following weeks after that. I'm taking college classes for about four weeks (so all of June, basically), so I don't know how to schedule things just yet. Plus, I ran out of pre-written chapters. I'll let you all know.

Song in the multimedia is Lateralus by Tool.

Enjoy!]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 27

Elizabeth's POV

Once the Chevelle had disappeared into the night, I leaped over the railing of the stairs, landed on the ground, and hurried into the shadows. I'm going to have to remember this apartment building now that Reese thinks I live here.

Quickly, I summoned the black strings again so they could take me to where I really lived. In an instant, I was back in the warm safety of the old cabin. With a heavy sigh, I yanked off my boots and tossed them aside without a care. The moment I plopped down onto the couch in the living room it felt like all of my energy escaped. I took off my glasses and eyepatch, finally free from them. I felt gross from sweating at that festival, but too tired to bother getting up and bathing.

Alas, you can rest.

Zalgo appeared sitting on the arm of the couch. Despite my better judgement, I was too exhausted to give any witty, rude remark.

That boy, Reese, is an interesting sort, isn't he?

"Sure," I murmured, closing my eyes.

Quite the, uh...gentleman, in some regards...

"What are you getting at?"

Zalgo chuckled.

Nothing. I am only stating an observation.

"Okay?"

He's just interesting is all. And significant, it seems, if you were able to spill your emotions in front of him so soon.

"Are you trying to make fun of the fact that I cried in front of him?" I growled, opening one eye to glare at the former Lord of Chaos.

I am not making any fun, though I will say it was--how do you humans say?--'cringey' watching you sniffle and lament.

"Fuck you," I muttered. For extra emphasis, I raised up my hand and flipped him my middle finger.

Anyway, on a different note, it was a thrill watching you two fight together. It was almost as if your collaboration came naturally. Admittedly, he needs a little more work on his combat...

I frowned. "Again, what are you trying to get at?"

Zalgo merely shrugged and brushed at the sleeves of his suit (there's literally nothing there for him to brush off).

It wouldn't be strange to envision him as a soldier. Such drive and energy. He'd make the country proud.

Sitting up, I hissed in suspicion, "Why the hell would you even think about this country and its army? They don't matter to you."

The crimson-eyed man tilted his head and folded his hands on his lap. The look he tossed me was cunning and it was clear something was on his demented mind. Once I realized what he was implying, I huffed in disgust and got up from the couch. He followed after me.

You will have to build your army one of these days, dear daughter.

"Fuck you for even suggesting I bring that boy into anything as horrific as an evil army! Fuck you for even suggesting any army!" I scolded aggressively.

It may sound distasteful now, but I'm sure you will come to realize the necessity of--.

I slammed my bedroom door on him, cutting him off briefly. He appeared a second later with an annoyed expression.

That wasn't a very mature move.

"Go away," I grumbled, tossing my blanket aside so I could lay down on my bed.

Elizabeth, dear.

"Shut up," I muttered, lying in bed and turning away from him. I closed my eyes, trying to block out his presence from my mind. Then, he patted my head.

Think about it.

"No.."

It wouldn't kill you to muddle it over...

"But a decision could kill others," I said.

Elizabeth...

"What I could think about," I started, "is you getting your brains blown to bits. Or maybe I could imagine myself gouging out your eye like you did to mine. Or I could gut you like a fish. Or skewer you on a spike and watch you bleed out. You're in my head, so maybe if I think hard enough, those fantasies can come true."

That isn't possible, but you're imaginative, at least.

"Go. Away," I hissed, covering my head with my pillow.

Will you think about it?

"I am not recruiting Reese," I said.

That's so much potential wasted, though...

"Screw off and let me sleep. It's been a long night," I mumbled. The former Lord of Chaos sighed.

Fine, fine. Have a restful sleep, then.

With that, the room fell silent, and I felt relieved knowing he was gone. At least, I thought so at first.

By the way, Caedis is still outside.

At the mention of Caedis, I cursed under my breath and got out of bed. I hurried to the front door of the cabin and opened it to see the white-haired man sitting on the porch, motionless. Groaning, I walked up to him and tapped his head.

"Did you finish taking care of the weeds and everything?" I inquired. He gave a single nod. It was too dark to see the yard but I believed him.

"Come inside," I ordered, walking away without a glance.

Once the both of us were in the cabin and I closed the front door, I got a good look at the mute soldier. His hands were covered in a thin layer of dirt and his clothes were stained green in some areas from grass. His boots have seen better days, too.

"You're filthy," I pointed out, wiping off dirt from his face. "If I'd have known you'd get so messy, I wouldn't have assigned you to clear up the lawn while I was away..."

I walked to the bathroom in the hall and turned on the lamp overhead. Caedis followed in as I was turning on the shower. It took a while since the reserve half a mile away had to start up but water eventually came out from the shower head and sprayed down into the tub. It was incredibly cold, but I assumed it wouldn't matter for Caedis.

"Alright, clean up," I said, pointing to the tub. He blinked his red-hued eyes at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Remove your clothes and step in here. Wash off all the dirt with the water. There's soap if you need it; it'll give you a better clean."

Caedis stepped forward and gazed down at the tub, watching as water spattered and went down the drain. Furrowing my brow, I added, "Hurry up, or else you'll waste the water."

Abiding to my orders, he began to remove his shirt and I gaped at him. Quickly, I tugged it down and exclaimed, "Wait until I'm out of the bathroom first, you idiot! Geez..."

Carefully eyeing him, I backed out of the bathroom and closed the door on him. From outside, I ordered, "Okay, now take off your clothes. Turn off the water when you're done."

After that, I sauntered back into my room to lay down and rest on my bed.

About 10 minutes later, I realized the sound of water running had gone silent and I sluggishly got up. When I got to the bathroom, I knocked on the door and called out, "Done?"

No response. Of course not, Ellie, you dumbass--he can't talk.

I opened the door and stepped in, but immediately reeled back with a scream and put my hands in front of my face to avoid looking at a naked Caedis any further.

"God dammit, I forgot to give you clothes!" I berated myself, exasperated. The white-haired man didn't react, from what I could make out from the corner of my vision.

"Hold on," I grumbled and walked away to find his backpack, which I left in one of the other rooms. Inside, I found another set of clothes for him to use and returned to the bathroom. What I didn't account for was that he'd follow me out, so I screamed and looked away from his naked figure once again when he showed up in the hall.

"Hurry up and put your clothes on...!" I said, shoving them towards his chest. He took the clothes from my hands and proceeded to put them on in front of me.

"Fuckin'--go to the bathroom!" I blurted, pointing down the hall. Caedis followed my command and quietly padded down the hall to change elsewhere. Meanwhile, I stood in the middle of the hallway, rubbing my temples, feeling embarrassed for my own stupidity.

Caedis came out of the bathroom--NOT naked; fully dressed--and it was then that I realized his hair was still soaking wet. It irked me to see the collar of his shirt getting wet, so I grabbed a towel and a brush from one of the cabinets in the hall to fix his hair.

Sitting down at the couch, I ordered him, "Sit down in front of me."

The white-haired man did as I said and sat on the wooden floor by my feet, his back facing me. Using the towel, I dried off his hair, vigorously at first just to make sure all the water was absorbed. His hair was a stringy mess when I removed the towel, but I used the brush to tame it down. After all the knots were taken out, I shook the towel on his hair. I repeated this again and again.

While I loomed over him, meticulously patting down his neck and shoulders, I murmured, "Why did I think to bring you here...?"

It was obvious I wouldn't receive an answer, so I continued drying Caedis. After a while, I subconsciously rubbed the towel on his head as I began nodding off right then and there. What time is it? It feels really late. I should've been asleep by now.

My sleepiness was too overpowering and I ended up leaning my head on top of Caedis', wanting to close my eyes and rest. My hands fell limp on his shoulders and my consciousness blurred in and out.

One moment I was sitting on the couch, hunched over from sleep; in the next, I was being carried down the hall and into my room. I never bothered to move or utter a single word.

Carefully, Caedis set me down onto my bed, the towel now draped on his shoulders. I groaned tiredly at the feeling of the mattress and pillows beneath me. They're not the best, but they felt so comforting after tonight.

Out of the corner of my hazy vision, I spotted Caedis sitting on the floor next to the bedside. Without knowing, I slowly reached out my hand over the edge of the bed and placed it on his head. Gently, my fingers messed with his locks of hair while I closed my eyes. His hair felt soft and smooth and clean (did he really use the same shampoo as me? Because my hair doesn't feel like this). He never seemed to react and just sat there in silence, waiting for me.

Why did I bring him here? Have I just been so used to having him around for the past year? It feels better this way, having him here. I guess I don't feel so alone like this, even if he can't communicate with me, even if it'll always be a silent encounter with him. Sure there's Zalgo, but I fucking hate him, and he's always a douchebag. Caedis doesn't do anything though, and doesn't have any sassy opinions of his own. With him here, it feels like there's some semblance of normalcy. It's kind of symbiotic: he doesn't have to stay cooped up in that room in the castle all alone, and I don't have to be lonely here in this isolated cabin in the woods.

I was stirred out of my sleep when Caedis ended up leaning his head against the bed, closer now. I managed a gentle huff before closing my eyes and sifting my fingers through his hair again.

The cabin was quiet and I could faintly make out the sounds of the forest outside, lulling me. There, in bed, I drifted off into sleep, dreaming of nothing at all.

...

Ao's POV

It's been a week since the previous incident in New Jersey. Since then, Jack has been recovering from his bullet wound and has had to use an arm sling for a few days. Luckily, he heals faster than the average human due to his wendigo blood, so he'll be taking it off soon. Until then, I've made sure he doesn't strain himself and have been by his side most of the time. He doesn't complain, and I'm not sure if he's keeping quiet about any annoyance or legitimately doesn't mind. Either way, I've tried to keep his mood light. I'm sure it isn't so bad being taken care of and pampered, anyway.

In the sitting room, I sat on the couch with Jack leaned against me, listening to my words as I read aloud from a textbook:

"The particle horizon is defined as the limit of the current instantaneous distance of the known universe--current instantaneous distance being plausible if the universe stopped expanding for the amount of time allowed for us to travel. This is called proper distance. Nothing can ever really travel the proper distance though, so it is an infinitely far distance and time.

"In between the participle horizon is the event horizon, the space with which information cannot be received and light cannot pass. Although we are able to see galaxies far beyond, those galaxies may not be reachable as the event horizon exists between, so we merely have a ghost image of what lies beyond its border. If we met this event horizon, the space beyond would only expand infinitely, thus even a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light cannot reach its destination--it would be virtually stuck.

"If we were able to create a warp drive--which was explained in chapter fifteen--this warp drive could cross the boundary of the event horizon and reach the particle horizon. Only then would we find what is at the edges of the universe, but there is only more universe. But what if we moved beyond the particle horizon? What we would see depends on the geometry of our known universe.

"Space time is flat, but it could be possible that our universe is curved--possibly even shaped like a hypersphere, if the curvature is positive."

"What is that?" Jack asked.

The sentence referred to an image on the right hand side of the page and I cocked my head. "Um, it gives a picture but I'm not sure how to describe it with exactness."

"Any description?"

"Just that it's a three-D surface of a four-D sphere"

"Four-D is the dimension of time, right?" he mumbled.

"Yup," I answered.

"Hmmm. Hard to imagine it, but okay. Continue."

I smiled and cleared my throat. "What if we moved beyond the geometry of our universe, too? The possibility of other universes beyond is plausible, and it is safe to say that their geometric shapes, and laws of physics, and quantum mechanics, and number of dimensions are different from ours. Or perhaps those are nonexistent and instead the other universes hold other laws of reality inconceivable to the human mind today. Thus, we move on to chapter nineteen: string theory."

Jack piped up, "Save that one for another time."

"Okay. My voice needs a break, anyway," I said, restraining a croak.

I closed the textbook and set it aside. Jack stretched his legs out from the crossed-legged position he was previously in. I watched him carefully, eyeing the profile of his face. He brushed his hair back and leaned against the back of the couch, slouching now. I glanced his arm sling, catching a glimpse of his left hand cradled inside.

Something peculiar that occurred after that sleeve of white light faded away...was that it had bleached Jack's skin to a much lighter shade of gray. Now his left arm up to his elbow is discolored, and I'm still getting used to seeing his hands being different skin complexions. Obviously he doesn't care because he won't see it anyway.

"What time is it?" he asked, turning his head to me.

I checked the clock on the far wall above the doorway. "One in the afternoon."

"We should take Ladon for a walk," he suggested.

It has been a while since we went out for a walk. It wouldn't hurt to.

"That's not a bad idea," I chimed.

"Yeah. Plus, Ladon's getting chubby."

I rolled my eyes. "No, he is not."

"Yes he is," the eyeless man argued lightly.

"How would you know?"

"Have you squished his belly?"

"It's an average belly," I defended.

"Still chubby."

"Oh, whatever. He's a healthy boy. Let me get your shoes."

"Ao, you don't have to--."

"Too late," I called out as I hurried to the foyer where we leave our shoes. When I returned, I set them down by his feet.

"Please, don't help me put them on," he muttered.

"At least let me tie them," I offered.

"Fine, fine.."

After he slipped his shoes on, I kneeled down to tie them for him. Then, I helped him up from the couch and led him to the foyer so I could put my shoes on too.

Soon enough, the both of us were outside in the front yard. The midday sun was warm and welcoming. The forest ahead rustled gently with the delicate breeze that passed through. It was the perfect time to take a walk.

Stepping off the porch, I let out a sharp whistle and called on Ladon. It took a minute before I picked up the distant thudding of his eager paws on the ground. The big, lion-sized creature bounded around the corner and halted in front of the porch, panting.

"How's my big boy?!" I cheered, petting his mask-face. Ladon yowled happily and tapped his left back paw against the ground quickly.

"Say hi to Jack!" I said, gesturing to the man behind me.

Ladon opened his vertical mouth and groaned something akin to a 'hello'. Jack laughed.

"I've been working on that with him," I bragged coyly.

Turning back to the black-furred creature, I said, "Ladon, guess what we're gonna do."

The cuddly beast was still for a moment, anticipating my enthusiastic answer. I delivered and proclaimed, "We're going for a walk!"

A joyful howl escaped from Ladon's jaws in response and I giggled.

As Jack and I stepped off the porch to head into the woods, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. Curious, I turned my head and saw Jeff lying on the grass to the side of the mansion, holding up a colorful object in his hands.

"I'll be back," I told Jack, touching his shoulder before setting off toward Jeff.

As I approached, I expected the dark-haired man to look at me, but he never turned his head an inch. Instead, he focused his eyes on what I now recognized was his Rubik's cube. I came to stand next to him and watched in awe as his fingers worked quickly to turn the pieces ever so precisely. It was jarring to see such speed.

"Hey," I began quietly.

Jeff flicked his eyes at me for a second before placing them on the cube again. "Hey."

A bit nervous, I cleared my throat and commented, "I see you've gotten much better since the last time I saw you solve it." I nodded at the cube.

"Yeah, I've been practicing," he responded casually.

"You don't ever get bored of it?"

He shrugged. "Kinda."

I smiled. "Well, I'm sure it's because you know the three-by-three so well. Maybe I could get you a five-by-five and you can start fresh."

"That'd be...neat," he replied, still solving.

I stared at his pale, twitching fingers, catching sight of the missing space where his left ring finger should be. For a second, I grimaced at the memory of last year at the SCP facility, how I found Jeff in such a horrific state, but I quickly jumped to shove those thoughts out of my mind.

Pulling a smile, I said, "So, Jack and I are taking Ladon for a walk. I was wondering if you would like to come with us?"

Jeff's fingers stopped for a second as he glanced at me again. Then, he continued on, retorting, "You won't leave me alone unless I go, will you?"

An awkward blush met my cheeks and I chuckled. "Um, yeah, sure."

"Alright," he murmured, right as he completed the Rubik's cube. With a groan, he got to his feet and brushed the back of his clothes for any dirt or grass. He shoved the colorful, puzzle cube in the pocket of his cargo pants, then looked down at me with a placid expression.

"So, are we going?" he inquired. It took me a minute to realize I was kinda staring at him.

"Oh, yeah. C'mon." I beckoned him to follow me over to where I left Jack and Ladon.

Ladon leaned over and sniffed at Jeff, but the dark-haired man didn't seem irritated (that isn't the most nosy thing he's ever done). Jack, adjusting his arm sling, greeted, "Hey. Are you doing okay?"

"Umm, sure," Jeff replied as he gently tapped on Ladon's mask-face, and the big ball of fur licked his hand. Jeff flashed him a side-ways glance before wiping his hand on his pants and taking one step away.

Standing between the two men, I suddenly sensed all the potential awkwardness to come. Jeff seems to be in a mellow mood, and Jack is always very calm. (Ladon is Ladon, so there's really no complaining with him.) I hoped nothing would happen between the two that would render them into poor moods. Jeff and Jack don't interact as much as they used to, and Ben seems to be closer to Jeff than anyone else. But Ben is busy killing a rogue Corrupted and I hate seeing Jeff isolated and lonely. I kept in mind that it would be my job to keep him entertained, if not the same as he is now.

"Well, let's not wait around," I stated. "I want enough daylight to come back." With that, I set off toward the forest and the boys followed.

About five minutes in, I craned my head to look at Jeff, who was the only one who hung back. Just as I was about to strike up a conversation with him, I noticed he had earphones in. The wire went down to one of his front pockets, and I wondered when he ever got a music player. As he walked, his eyes wandered to our surroundings, focusing anywhere but ahead where Jack and I walked side-by-side. Pursing my lips, I turned back and reluctantly chatted with Jack.

Eventually, the awkwardness I felt faded away the more I talked to Jack. One thing led to another and we went from extensively discussing the molecular workings of the human brain to if Bigfoot might be real.

"I mean, maybe," Jack murmured.

"There have been weirder creatures," I said. "So, like, he could be real. In which case, all of those 'finding Bigfoot' documentaries I used to see probably weren't as bullshit as I originally thought."

"You watched Bigfoot documentaries?"

"What? No, I didn't. Not for fun."

"Sure...," he teased.

"I didn't!" I whined.

"If he's real, would you want to recruit him?"

"Haa, haa--no," I muttered.

"We need all the man-power we can get." Jack paused. "Is he even a man?"

"How should I know?"

"You should. You're the one that watches the documentaries."

"Oh my god, I don't."

"Was the Lochness monster your guilty pleasure, too?"

"Anyway," I blurted, quickly changing the subject, "if Bigfoot was real, I don't think I'd be fazed. Like I said, there have been weirder creatures, and so far we've seen the worst of them."

"I can't see, so..."

I face-palmed. "You're really going hard on the 'not seeing' jokes lately, aren't you?"

"It's all the humor I have," he deadpanned.

As I laughed, Ladon faltered in his steps for a few seconds and went rigid. I stopped in my tracks to confront him.

"Hey, boy, what's wrong?"

Ladon just stared ahead at some bushes a few meters away. A moment later, he huffed and patted his front paws on the ground, anticipating.

Jack sniffled the air and said, "There's an animal nearby. Not a Corrupted, but Ladon's still anxious."

"It must be over there...," I murmured, staring at the bushes.

Carefully, I made my way over, and Jack remarked, "What are you doing?"

"It's not a Corrupted, so there's nothing to be worried about," I whispered.

"It could still be dangerous."

"I'm okay."

"Ao..."

To myself, I mumbled, "So long as Ladon doesn't freak out...." I hope he doesn't.

Finally, once I was a couple of feet from the bushes, I prepared my hands to create a shield, just in case. With one more step, I reached for the bushes and was startled when something brown jumped out at my feet.

Ladon growled but I raised a hand to him to let him know it was okay. Looking down, I was pleasantly surprised to see...a bear cub.

It groaned and yapped at me with round, black eyes. With a smile, I cooed, "Well, hello there, little one."

"A bear...," Jeff mumbled with an unamused expression. So he was paying attention to us.

"It must've gotten lost," I said, dismissing the magic that was accumulated in my palms.

"Best not to mess with it," Jack advised. "There's no way the mother is far off. If she smells us on her cub, it could mean an awkward situation."

"Like she would know if we harmed it or not," I replied. "Besides, I'm not going to mess with the cub. We'll get going."

Glancing down at the forest animal, I smiled and chimed, "See you, then, little one. Hope you find your home soon...!"

It gave an adorable whine again as I stepped away from it. I returned to my spot in between Jack and Ladon, with Jeff behind us listening to his music. I gave Ladon a gentle rub on his mask-face and said, "C'mon, boy, let's get going and leave the bear alone."

At that, we all kept going on our way through the forest. Jack and I continued our previous conversation for a few minutes until we dropped it for a new one. Ladon kept his attention forward, to which I praised him for. And Jeff kept nonchalantly strolling behind us, eventually taking out his Rubik's cube to start a new puzzle.

Ladon went on ahead a bit, leading the way. As I was talking about nature with Jack, I felt something furry bump into my ankle. Confused, I halted my words and glanced down to see the bear cub from earlier.

"Oh, hey there, again," I commented, slowing down.

Jack grumbled, "Great, it's following you now."

"Why?"

"Maybe because you were too nice to it," he joshed.

"It's a bear cub. I'm wasn't gonna shoo it away with my shoe or anything..."

"Well, now you have to politely decline its invitation to mingle before we get into trouble," he said with a smirk, then went ahead to walk with Ladon. I scowled at his back but secretly adored his taunting words.

Looking down at the bear cub that walked beside me, I said, "Listen, buddy, I don't have anything for you. Go on and find your mama."

All the cub did was yap and nudge my legs with its side.

Stifling a chuckle, I added, "Very cute, but I can't play with you. Get going."

The bear cub nudged me again and gazed at me with those gleamy, black eyes again. It's wet nose wiggled at me as it sniffed cutely. I grumbled irritably knowing this was a challenge for me.

Despite my better judgement, I picked up a stick from the ground and waved it in front of the bear cub. "See this? Yeah? You wanna go and get it? Yeah? Go!"

I tossed it as far away as possible so that the cub could follow it and we could hurry along. Unfortunately, I must have thrown too far because the bear cub only stared as it sailed through the air and didn't even bother fetching it. I gulped awkwardly.

"C'mon, please just go," I whined, waving my hand away, gesturing it to shoo. The bear cub groaned and nudged me with its head.

"Go already...!" I whined more desperately. I tried gently bumping it away with my leg, but it must have seen that as a sign of playing and nipped at my ankle.

"Ow! H-Hey..."

Again, it clamped its teeth on my ankle for a second and I flinched away. That riled it up more and the cub tried jumping on me. Just when I was about to call Jack for help, a small stone was flung at the cub's head and it cried out. Surprised, I followed the stone's path and saw Jeff casually tossing another stone in one hand while he held a few more in his other.

Before I could react, he shot another few stones at the bear cub and it whimpered and scampered away into the forest. Jeff dropped the other rocks and strolled up next to me.

"You're too nice, Blueberry," he muttered.

"You didn't have to resort to that," I responded.

He shrugged. "I don't know, it seemed like you needed the assistance."

"I could've handled it..."

"Sure you could've." And the exchange was left at that as he (very) obviously took out an iPod and turned up the volume on his music. I frowned for a moment before sighing in defeat. I guess I did need the help. Still, he didn't have to throw rocks at the poor thing...

About fifteen minutes later, we came across a flowing stream and took a break from walking. Jack volunteered to stay with Ladon as the lion-sized creature played and tumbled in the water. He was the only one willing to get drenched, anyway.

While the two hung out in the stream, I sat on a rock and watched them play together. Eventually, Jeff took a seat next to me, dangling his bare feet in the babbling water. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as his hair fell forward once he removed his hair tie. He shook his raven black locks out, staring down at the stream. I couldn't help gazing at his hair, which now reached his shoulders.

Quietly, I stated, "Your hair is getting longer. It's not bothersome, is it?"

Jeff glanced at me momentarily before looking away again. "Is it bothersome for you?"

I pulled a smile, despite that his eyes were elsewhere. "No, no. I'm just asking. Would you like me to cut it for you again?"

There was a pause as he muddled over it. Then, he answered, "I'll keep it, for now..."

"Okay," I replied, and left the conversation at that.

Jack and Ladon caught my attention when the big ball of fur shook out the water on his body and ended up soaking Jack. The eyeless man groaned and wiped off the water from his face. I chuckled and kept watching them with content.

Again, I glanced at Jeff out of the corner of my eye and saw him messing with the iPod in his hands. The back was an ocean blue that reminded me of Elizabeth's right eye. I'm sure that's what it reminds Jeff of, too.

"When did you get an iPod?" I questioned him.

He froze for a moment as if he was registering the inquiry, then replied, "Uh, a while back. Actually, I found it with...Ellie's old stuff. She must've left it behind a long time ago..."

At the mention of Ellie, I faltered for a second. I hoped I didn't strike a cord with Jeff...

"You must listen to her old music then," I commented lightly, hiding my nervousness.

He chuckled wryly--which set me at ease--and said, "God, no. I mean, some, but the rest is all, like...drama-teen stuff."

"Oh, really? Mind if I look?"

He handed the iPod to me without question and showed me all the 'drama-teen' stuff he was talking about. I couldn't help but laugh at some of them.

"Oh my god, the Jonas Brothers," I cackled. "I remember being head-over-heels for Joe. I was such a dork."

"You're still a dork," Jeff quipped and I shot him a brief look.

"Ah, Kelly Clarkson! Couldn't miss her on a playlist then. And Avril Lavigne! Geez, this takes me back."

"You sound like an old person," Jeff remarked.

"I'm reminiscing," I responded lightheartedly.

"You're too young to be reminiscing."

"I know, but still. It's been a while since I've been..." I paused, for some reason.

Jeff piped up, "Normal?"

I managed an easygoing grin. "Well, I was never really 'normal', what with Sam. Hehe, um..."

My thoughts drifted to that dream I had last week, how Sam's voice had been trying to guide me away from the subconscious danger I fell into. I wondered if it was him, or if it was just the memory of his voice. Either way, I've been getting sentimental any time anything related to Sam comes up. I try to repress it, but it always gets me down somehow. Thankfully, I'm always with Jack, and he cheers me up again.

This time, I was able to fight off the crawling sentimental emotions and changed the subject. "So, what kind of music do you listen to?"

Jeff grabbed the iPod again and went through lists of songs. "It's a lot of progressive or alternative metal. Deftones... Tool... Stuff like that. I'm kinda surprised Ben was able to download any of Tool's albums. You usually have to buy the physical CDs and vinyls."

"That's a little backwards..."

"Yeah, but they fuckin' rocked, so it didn't matter if it was 'backwards'."

I laughed, amused. "They sound interesting. Could I have a listen?"

Jeff stared at me, surprised, but then nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, sure."

As he passed me his earphones, he added, "They're kinda cynical and existential, just a warning."

"I can handle it," I chirped, popping the earphones in.

Jeff smirked as he searched for a suitable song for my first listen.

After waiting a few seconds, I started hearing the beginnings of a gentle guitar riff. I was surprised by how mesmerizing it already sounded, and as the song went on and on, I became amazed at every single sound I heard, every single word I could make out over melodic intonations and changing rhythms. I started to understand why Jeff would love this music, and couldn't help but feel like I was being shown a part of him that had been hidden from me.

A few lyrics stuck with me long after they had been said, and I stopped breathing for a few moments after I conceived them.

"I embrace my desire to/
feel the rhythm, to feel connected/
enough to step aside and, weep like a widow/
to feel inspired, to fathom the power/
to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain/
to swing on the spiral/
of our divinity,
And still be a human."

I noticed Jeff looking at me like he was entertained. I must've been making a face. Though I felt an embarrassed blush reach my cheeks, I felt content knowing Jeff seemed comfortable with showing me something as personal as his music. Especially considering that he's been so recluse and cold the past year. It's nice to see him open up, even if it's only a crack in the hardened exterior of the shell he's built around himself to protect him. It's just a crack, but it's a start.

Thanks to that, this song--though not in my tastes--may be one of the best songs I've heard in a long time.

Once the song ended, I subconsciously longed for more. Instead of asking for another song, I just gave the earphones back and simply said, "Wow."

"They're amazing, aren't they?" he said, his lips quirking in a smile.

"Very," I murmured, still thinking about the lyrics that stuck with me.

"I've been a fan since I was twelve. It's sort of a relief being able to listen to their songs again," he stated.

"It's all very eye-opening," I commented. "You wouldn't mind...recommending me songs, would you?"

Jeff seemed taken aback, but he wiped away that look on his face and said, "Yeah, sure. Um, you can borrow the iPod for tonight."

Now I was taken aback. "Really? Are you sure?"

He nodded, but I sensed the reluctance.

I smiled. "There's no need for me to use the iPod. How about...we listen to songs on the way back to the mansion? Your favorites?"

Jeff stared down at the device in his hands, rubbing his thumbs on the already thumb-smudged screen. With a gentle nod, he mumbled, "Okay. Yeah."

"Cool," I beamed, and turned my eyes toward Jack and Ladon again, who were now just completely wet from the stream. At least Ladon has his bath for the week.

Suddenly, from the serene quietness on the rock Jeff and I sat on, he spoke up, "You don't have to be nice to me, you know."

I blinked, puzzled. "Huh?"

Though I turned to look at him, he never returned my gaze. He just stared at the stream at his feet, his mismatched eyes steeled with emotions different than a few minutes ago.

"I know I've become a different person than I was. To you. To everyone else. And it's not a good thing. It was never a good thing," he went on to say, his tone grim.

"You're nice and all," he continued, "but you don't have to be for me. You're the Proxy, and you're supposed to deal with important things--myself not included. Don't always feel obligated to be the peacemaker. Don't feel obligated to give me peace. I'm far from it anyway."

My heart sank at his words, but there was no way I'd leave it at that.

"Jeff," I started, "you're family to me, no matter your flaws. It's my responsibility to keep my family safe and happy. I may be the Proxy, but my main priorities stand with you and everyone else--they are you and everyone else. The rest of humanity comes after."

"Billions of people aren't worth a single life."

"They are if that life is one of the few things I have left," I said, my voice nearly wavering. Jeff didn't look at me when I hoped he would. Just kept staring at the stream as it babbled on and on unaware of this moment.

"You and the others are all I have left, Jeff," I admitted dolefully. "I can never return to a normal life, nor save the ones I lost in that life. So I hold on to what I have, hoping it all won't leave me too."

Again, I bore my gaze into him as I said, "I care for you more than you may allow yourself to realize. Everyone else does, too."

"How can you all possibly ever still care for someone who's turned so foul?" he muttered, clutching his iPod tighter.

"We do, and you just have to accept that," I retorted. "Though you may view yourself as darkened and hopeless, I still see a light in you. I still see the Jeff who joked around, who maintained order, who was a leader, who was like a big brother to me. I still see the Jeff who has a chance of being happy! You just have to see it too.

"You have to meet half-way. I don't expect for you to spill out a textbook's worth of words and feelings, especially if the subjects are hard to talk about, but just a little bit is still a lot. Talk to us; open up enough to help us help you; speak up when something is wrong and we will listen, even if it's a minor complaint. I won't ask a lot from you because I know you have enough weight on your shoulders as is."

The dark haired man stifled a dry chuckle and put his shoes back on. As he did, he responded, "Enough weight on my shoulders? You do know you're the Proxy, right?"

"Don't view me as the Proxy, or humanity's savior, or the realm's protector, or whatever!" I said firmly. "Right now, in these moments, I'm...Blueberry. The Blueberry that's here to listen to you, and be here for you, and look out for you. Don't set aside my humanity just because it might be lesser than what 'the Proxy' is."

"Swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human."

Still be human.

"I won't gravitate my responsibilities towards the greater good of everyone else and ignore you," I said. "I'll do whatever it takes to ensure everyone's happiness. Not blind ignorance, but happiness--if not comfort in having an aid, if not knowledge of the hope that lies in the future."

For longer than I would have liked, Jeff just stared at the clear-watered stream, twiddling with his fingers. I noticed he kept rubbing the spot where his left ring finger should be, dazed. Then, he finally said something, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.

"I'll only ever be happy once I have Ellie back..."

For the second time, my heart sank, possibly lower this time. Just thinking about Ellie opened up a void in my stomach knowing she might not be a friend anymore. And the void tightened yet gaped, consuming all of my fear and worry, and spitting it back out into disdain and misery. I didn't want to think of Elizabeth as a mass murderer, or a demon, or my enemy. But that's what she is, it seems.

She's the new Ruler of Chaos. I am the Proxy. Good and evil can never unite.

It feels awful thinking about this when Jeff still doesn't know about any of it. And if this void opens up inside me when I think of Ellie, how must it be for Jeff? I can't imagine there's a void in him; he's been lost in it ever since that time in SCP. He's been lost and I'm trying desperately to search for him, but I'm never enough. Yet still, I try, and I try, and I try. Because I still hope for him. And I realize now that hope can be a dangerous thing, yet it's routine to cling to it, begging for more.

Just as I was about to speak up again, Ladon uttered a guttural growl that caught my attention. Looking to the stream, I saw that Jack was trying to keep Ladon still as best as he could with one arm. Meanwhile, the lion-sized creature hissed at the coming adult, grizzly bear a few meters away. Oh, crap.

Carefully, I leaped off the rock and hurried for Ladon. Once I made it, Jack said, "I told you the mom would smell us on her cub...!"

"I didn't disagree with you!" I muttered, holding onto Ladon's fur.

"We need to leave, now," Jack grumbled.

"Bears don't attack unless provoked," I remarked.

"It's not the bear I'm worried about," he said, just as Ladon released an aggressive roar and jerked forward. I understood immediately.

One downside to Ladon is that he's too protective. His mom, Seedeater, was never like this, but there was a reason. She was already an adult, and a female. Ladon is still developing, and male. Those two factors don't make for very good behavior in any animal, let alone of the predatory type. If he gets out of hand...

"Ladon," I called to him. Gently, I ran my hand across his side, releasing my Purification through his fur so he would calm down. Apparently, that wasn't working since he kept growling and huffing at the bear. The bear, in turn, starting growling back too.

"It's okay, boy," I told the black-furred beast, "She's not going to do anything. Let's leave her alone and get going. C'mon. It's alright."

He wouldn't listen. His fur was starting to stand up, and my panic increased.

The situation became worse when Jeff yelled with surprise and bumped into me. When I looked over, I saw another bear, bigger than the mom. Are you kidding?

"Jack, papa bear got involved," I hissed nervously.

"We're probably near a den of some sort. We have to leave."

"Yes, I know, but Ladon--."

The black-furred creature howled assertively again, and the male bear roared too. Jeff was closest to him, so the big grizzly tried snapping at him. The dark-haired man yelped and scowled angrily. I grabbed onto him and pulled him closer than he already was. The male grizzly pawed at the ground, staring us down with bared teeth.

I glanced at Ladon, who now had his jaws wide open, salivating, ready to strike. Jack and I kept tugging him back but he stayed firm. Why won't he listen? Dammit...!

Suddenly, I glanced at the male bear just in time to witness it charge forward toward Jeff. As soon as I held my hand out to stop it, Ladon shoved past me and struck. Jeff and I fell back into the stream and watched as Ladon clamped his teeth around the grizzly bear's thick neck and shook his head. There was a distinct, bone-chilling snap that made me lose my breath for a moment.

"Ladon, no!" I screamed.

While he was distracted, I helped Jeff up from the ground and grabbed onto Jack. Quickly, I ordered, "You two go back to the mansion. I'm staying here with him."

Jack frowned. "Ao--."

"Go! Now!" I commanded, shoving the men away.

They reluctantly hurried off and I turned back to Ladon. The black-furred beast barely let go of the male grizzly's body and set his sights on the female, who was meters away. Before he could charge forward, I summoned a shield in front of him and stopped his rampage.

"Calm down, Ladon!" I yelled. "Come to me! Ladon, come!"

No positive response. He kept ramming the shield with his head, but it didn't give up.

Past the shield, I saw that the female bear had ran away already. Good. It'll be easier for me to bring Ladon's behavior down.

"Ladon, listen to me!" I demanded. "You have to calm dow--."

There was the sound of a ruckus behind me and I whirled around. A ways away past the trees, I saw the female bear. Just barely, I made out Jeff's figure under her, holding her off.

"Jeff! Jack!" I raced over the stream and bolted into the tree-line.

I kept my eyes on Jeff as he struggled with the burly grizzly, and he groaned with anger and effort. Jack was a few feet away, on the ground and struggling to get up, apparently; he must be injured.

Jeff struggled, snarling and cursing, then finally hiked up his legs and landed a kick across the bear's snout. That stunned her enough for him to slip out from under her a bit.

The second I thought to flicker to him, Ladon's dark figure blurred past me and I fumbled my sprint. The black-furred beast leaped onto the female bear, clamping his vertical jaws on her the same as the other. They had a skirmish, thrashing back and forth violently. Meanwhile, Jeff was under them the entire time, bearing the most annoyed expression I've seen in a while.

The dark-haired man glared up at Ladon and growled, "You damned fur ball, listen to your mom...!"

He landed a kick to Ladon's back leg as he escaped out from under the brawl. As soon as that happened, Ladon had snapped the female bear's neck, then let go and veered around to strike at Jeff.

Next thing I knew, Jack had leaped in front.

"NO!" I screamed, funneling my magic through my hands, but I wasn't quick enough.

My heart stopped for a split second, and my body went cold; my head was rushing with dizziness and panic. But my terror was offset once I realized what had actually happened.

Instead of getting accidentally mauled to death or fatally injured, Jack had stood his ground as he held up his left arm in a block. Ladon's teeth had clung to his forearm and I noticed blood slowly dripping. But it wasn't the fact that Jack kept standing that surprised me. It was the fact that his arm began to illuminate a sheen of bluish-white, like a week ago.

Jeff was able to get up and back away, and he shot me a dumbfounded look in the process. I was sure I had the same expression. We stood together, staring in awe, as Jack held his ground and pushed against Ladon's forceful strength. Despite the blood that trickled down his arm, Jack didn't seem fazed and snarled his carnivore teeth.

Then, with one last, mighty swing of his arm, Jack bellowed, "Get down!!!", and sent Ladon into the ground. A cloud of dust and dirt flew up into the air, along with glowing swirls of blue magic, and it was hard to make out their shapes in the blur. When everything had subsided, Jack was on top of Ladon, holding his head down onto the forest floor. Whenever the beast would try to flail or resist, Jack tightened his grip and roared dominantly in his face.

"Bad Ladon! You know better than that! Bad!" Jack snapped, completely enraged. He didn't seem to care for his barely bleeding left arm, which was now losing its glow.

Jeff, still bewildered, looked at me and murmured, "You saw all that too, right?"

I nodded without question.

Jack turned his head up to us and asked gruffly, "What is it? Why are you two so quiet?"

My shock still coursed through me, but I managed to collect my thoughts and returned my gaze to Jack. "Uhh...there's something we have to tell you."