Virgil's P.O.V.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 11:34 pm
I can't believe it! Today, this glorious day, Roman proposed to me! I can't believe it! He brought me to a park in his kingdom, a beautiful park, and brought us to stand on a bridge under the glimmering stars. Then, he got down on one knee and pulled out a small white box. He told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, then revealed a ring with a heart-shaped diamond. Of course, I said yes! There's nothing in the whole world I'd rather do than spend my life with Roman!

Blah blah, 'I love him so much,' blah blah blah. A hundred more exclamation points, blah blah blah.

Thursday, March 14, 2019, 10:26 pm
This morning Roman and I announced our engagement. First, we told the other Sides, then we told the whole kingdom. Roman said that, since he's royalty, it would have to be a royal wedding. He also said we'd have to have it a lot sooner than most weddings, but he didn't explain why. That's alright with me, though. It just means less time to wait before I spend the rest of my life with him!

Blah blah, romantic crap, blah blah blah, you freaking get it already. Why am I reading from journal entries and not talking from memory like I'm supposed to? Well, my memory wasn't going too well at the time, why rely on it now? You already know what happened to me, and from the information you were given you could have easily known it would only be a matter of time before 'Roman' proposed, so why think that somehow I'm going to have some big plot twist stored away? Just move on to the next person, I need a minute.

Thomas's P.O.V.
He left? Darn it, he's been doing so well—he even made it through the whole first part of the story. Oh well, I think Patton and Roman ran off after him, so he should be okay soon.

Anyway, I don't really have much to say about this part of the story. I think Anthony would tell this better.

Anthony's P.O.V.
Um, alright. Where were... oh, right!

"We should go camping," I announced at dinner a week or so after Roman's proposal—it was the first time Roman and Virgil were present at dinner since then. "Like, the four of us should spend a whole weekend—Friday night to Monday morning—in the woods. Wouldn't that be cool, guys?"

"Yeah," Milly said. "That'd be pretty nice."

"An entire weekend," Camille questioned. "We've never even camped for one night, let alone a weekend." I couldn't tell whether she was faking innocence or she really didn't get what I meant by 'camping.'

"Oh, come on, the four of us need to go out in nature somewhere," I protested.

"But, Anthony, we go out in nature all the time," Owen said. "In the Enchanted Forest, and the park, and the royal gardens, and—"

"Idyllica, we haven't been to Idyllica. Not for more than a couple hours, anyway. Milly, you could sketch a thousand pictures. And Camille, you could explore for hours. Ooh, Owen, you could hang out with the animals—they don't talk but they're still pretty fun. What do you guys think?"

"When do you want to go camping," Camille asked.

"Not sure," I answered, realizing how precisely timed this would have to be.

~time skip~

"You want to do what," Lori asked later that night at our S.R.A. meeting, which was held in the Enchanted Forest for safety and recruits.

"You heard what I said, Lori," I growled.

"You know what," Milly announced, standing up defiantly. "I'm with you, Ant. If we don't do something, no one will. Thomas still has ideas, good ideas; he still has creativity. As long as Roman's still alive, we can still save him."

"Thanks, Mil. Now, it all boils down to this: we need to get into the Dark Imagination, get to that building, and get Roman. There's no way of planning how, since we don't know who we're up against. All we can do is be ready for anything."

"One hell of an idea you got there," Lori said. "No plan, no preparation, just some guy you gotta save."

"Some guy," Owen questioned. "Isn't this 'guy' your prince? Aren't you loyal to him?"

"He is our prince, yes," Tori answered. "But loyal to him, we are not. We come from a village far away, and they aren't very accepting of magic over there. They didn't educate us, feed us, house us, nothing. We scavenged for food, with nothing but our names and the clothes on our backs."

"We came to Creativity, hoping that we would find a better life," Lori continued. "We stay with Roman because he pays us. With the money he gives us, we have food, a house, and an education."

"Hold on," Camille said. "If you're only with Roman because he pays you, and we're not giving you anything, then why are you helping us?"

"Roman is a Side, as you all well know," Tori answered." I'm sure you understand how important it is that a Side stays alive and well. We, like most things in the Mind, are loyal to Thomas."

"Alright, let's set loyalty aside and focus on this," I said. "If you agree to go on this, uh, 'camping trip,' you'll be putting your life on the line. We could be killed, tortured, interrogated, imprisoned, anything. But we could save Roman, and possibly many other's lives. If you don't agree to go, you're safe, but you could be the one person too little for this to work. Who's in?"

"I am," Milly announced, loud and proud.

"I am," Lori and Tori said at the same time.

"I am," Camille said, her voice lined with determination and fear.

"I am," Owen said, emotions mixed between Milly's and Camille's.

"Alright then," I said. "It's a go. Next Friday evening, seven o'clock sharp, we meet at the pond in the middle of Idyllica. We have until the wedding to find Roman."

A.N.
'Sup everyone, how's it going? You're probably not gonna answer that, but it's nice to ask, I guess. Anyway, moving on from yet another awkward intro, I'll say that I'm writing this A.N. roughly five days before this part is published. Even now I am extremely grateful for the love and support you've all given me. For one, in the Positivity Challenge when some of you said some absolutely amazing things about me. For another, in this past week or so when I've begrudgingly taken breaks due to a trip, a major technical issue, and the fact that I'm very far behind in my writing.

Writing is my passion. It has helped me keep calm and sane in times of hardship, it has given me a new way to show my appreciation for the people I love and idolize, it has given me an entirely different perspective of life. Writing is not just a hobby or even a passion, it is part of who I am. So, naturally, when I have writer's block or lack of motivation, it not only takes a toll on my writing but it takes a toll on me. In the past while, I've had some pretty bad writer's block and lack of motivation.

But, when some of you came forward with such beautiful compliments, when you reassured me that you supported me and my decisions when I announced these breaks, and even just when you took the time to read my stories, you've given me back my motivation, and in turn you've given me back a part of myself. So thank you to all of you, even to the silent readers or those reading this years in the future, thank you.

That's all for now, adiós, guys, gals, and non-binary pals.