I feel my face heating up, wishing I had one of those masks to cover my face.

"I-Is there anything you can do? Maybe do the spell on him! Or another spell on me! Please..." I say, begging my guide.

He frowns. "It's just another student. You're gonna be able to converse with him eventually, if he passes the tests. He'll have to learn Galactic anyway."

I sigh, then turn back to my new friend. Shrugging, I make a writing motion to see if he has anything to write on.

He blinks, then nods. "I usually carry a notepad on me for this very reason. Well, not for this reason exactly, but for someone who's mute or something similar."

He pulls a yellow, lined-paper notepad out of his sleeve, (Sleeve?), and hands it to me.

Thank you. This is English, right?

His smile brightens considerably. "It is! Thank goodness whatever's going on hasn't affected your ability to write."

I grin myself. Yep, thank goodness. Talking is my lifeline. Without it, I might as well be an empty shell of nothingness.

A snort escapes Xervious. "Honestly, same. Growing up where I did, you had to talk to be noticed. I'm glad I'm here now, it's so much better than home."

My smile falters. He... remembers his home? What about me...? Why can't I...?

Xylon chooses this exact moment to turn around, lightly touching his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me. You'll be okay, it's okay. We're working on it. We don't know why, but we're working on it, okay?"

I take a shallow breath and nod. Xervious just looks at me with concern in his eyes. Even if he can't understand what Xylon or I is saying, he can tell that something is wrong.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he helps calm me down along with Xylon. Being just a little bit taller than him, I nestle myself into his hair and breathe into his sweet scent.

"You smell good...," I murmur. Xylon repeats this in English, which of course I already forgot about, and Xervious hugs me tighter with a little chuckle.

"Thanks. Are you all good now?" I nod.

Xylon makes an 'aw' sound, and I feel myself blushing. "Sh-shut up." I pull away from Xervious, quickly bowing.

"Thank you for helping me." Xylon translates again, and he smiles.

"It was my pleasure. Anytime you need it just let me know."

I start to write on my notepad again. If I ever need it, I'll let you know. Maybe we'll have rooms next to each other?

He shrugs. "Honestly, I didn't even know we had rooms at this point. I've been in this room for so long, I don't think I'll ever see the outside world again." He laughs at his joke, and I give a little chuckle, but this gets me thinking.

At least I'm not the only one who doesn't know some things. Contemplating whether or not I should tell him, I get interrupted by a loud whoosh sound echoing throughout the large room. Everything seems to stop, and it seems that the room darkens just the tiniest bit, but it's very noticeable by everyone. Xylon's calm demeter immediately gets chucked out the window, and he stands up straighter and starts bowing towards the stage.

Whaa-

He quickly reaches over to me and roughly pulls me down into a bowing position as well, begging me with his eyes to stand still. I comply, though the position is quite uncomfortable with my wings spread out behind me like Xylon's.

We wait for what seems like an eternity before a person appears on the stage, bathed in shadows. A moment later, another person appears, and then another. They keep coming until there are 7 of them on the stage, all of them the tallest Watchers I've seen yet.

The one in the middle, the tallest out of all 7, speaks with a loud, booming, familiar voice. "Rise, for we have arrived. Herlow hasn't arrived yet, but we were given permission to start without him."

Standing up, I try to see past the shadows of the figures on the stage, to see if my prediction is correct, with no luck whatsoever. Resisting the urge to yell out his name, I stick close to Xylon, almost attaching myself to his side. He gives me a quick side-glance, but then looks back at the stage.

The council starts talking to everyone again, but I start to blank out. Why would Xane be up there? I thought he was part of the medical field or whatever the heck he does, not a part of the council... Xervious comes walking over to us with his guide close behind him, who stands close to Xylon. Xylon starts to give me the 'be quiet look'. At least, I think it's the 'be quiet look'.

I wasn't talking, so it could've meant anything. Heck, for all I knew, it meant something like 'You look like an upside down monkey'. But Xylon's odd, so I'd never know. I end up deciding to listen anyways, or at least trying too. They talk way too fast for my mind to comprehend, so by the time I managed to figure out something they were already moving on.

The only things that I caught were things about the testing processes, and figuring out groups of some sort. Or maybe it was a group test? I don't really know, per usual.

I walk a little ways away from Xylon and turn to Xervious. "Have you gotten anything they've said," I whisper to him, leaning down. The i lightly slap my head and pull out the notebook.

Have you gotten anything they've said?

He gives a half-nod, half-shake. "Sorta," he whispers back. He gives me another quick glance, then he turns to ask his guide something. I sigh, then turn back to Xylon. Or, rather, where Xylon used to be.

X-Xylon? Where'd he go...? As I look around, I notice that another person had crept up on the stage. Another one? Really? Xane, or the person that sounds like Xane turns to the new person.

"Welcome in, Herlow. Glad you could make it."

The new person just nods and doesn't say anything. He turns towards the crowd, and there are a few hushed whispers that echo throughout the large room. Sweeping his supposed gaze over everyone, he lingers on me a moment longer than anyone else.

Then, he speaks. One simple, little word. It has a major impact on everyone in the room. Even the people on the stage seem surprised.

"..."

"Hello..."

HANEKAKMA AHAHAHHA CLIFFHANGER! Beat that people :P anyways, how is everyone? Thanks to all that voted! I hope everyone's been well, and guess what. ACTUAL two updates a month. Let's. Fricken. Goooooo!!! Drink water everyone.

- Red <33