Owen's P.O.V.
While we were really happy to all laugh again, the happiness went away pretty quick. Soon, we remembered that we were still in the hospital, Roman and Lori were still asleep, and we were all still waiting.

On Sunday, April twenty-first, four days after the meeting, no one woke up very happy. Patton had told us the night before that we were going to eat breakfast together every few days, and that day would be the first. So, even though no one was very happy to do it, we all had breakfast together, like some cruel family reunion.

"Come on, guys," Patton said after a full ten minutes of silent eating. "Can't we buck up enough to see that the world's not falling apart?"

"Where have I heard that before?" I asked, trying to remember why that sounded so familiar.

"Pat, that's just a slightly different version of what Heidi Hansen says in the beginning of Anybody Have a Map," Virgil said.

"The song from Dear Evan Hansen?" Patton asked. Virgil, Milly, and Anthony nodded.

"Well darn it," Patton pouted. "If that's the case, then you guys could at least try writing yourself some letters—they'll help build your confidence."

A few of us chuckled, and then the happiness was gone again. Breakfast ended quietly, and we all went our separate ways. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do that day, so I just stuck behind to watch everyone leave.

Virgil went first, grabbing his bag, putting on his jacket and sneakers, and leaving for the hospital. After him, Milly went, taking her bag and throwing on her shoes and leaving. After her, Camille and Anthony went upstairs. After them, Patton and Logan left. Then I was alone downstairs, not knowing exactly where everyone was or what to do. So, I just did the first thing that came to mind.

"Anthony, open up!" I yelled, knocking on Anthony's door. He opened the door and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey, Owen," he said, his voice a lot less happy than his smile. He opened the door wider and let me in his room, and I flopped onto his bed.

"You don't look very happy," I said once he had closed the door and sat next to me.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered. "You just don't look happy."

"Well, you're not exactly wrong. What's that thing Milly and Camille always say? Oh, right: been better, been worse."

"Why aren't you happy?"

"Owen... I know it's hard, but try to connect the dots. Just look around, think."

I did as he said and looked around, but all I saw was his room. It didn't look like anything had changed—all his stuff seemed to be the same as it was the last time I saw it, the walls and windows and doors looked the same too.

"I don't see anything," I said.

Anthony sighed and pointed behind me. I turned around and saw his nightstand, the same as always. On top it was his alarm clock, his phone charger, a lamp, a picture frame—that was it; he wanted me to see the picture. I reached over and picked it up, then looked at it long and hard.

The picture was of him and Roman. Roman was wearing his white suit and red sash, while Anthony was wearing kind of the opposite of Roman, with a red suit and white sash. Roman had Anthony in a one-arm hug while Anthony, being a lot younger and shorter when the picture was taken, had his arms wrapped around Roman's waist. Both had big smiles on their faces, almost like they were laughing.

"Roman," I said. "Is it Roman? Is he why you're not happy?"

Anthony nodded, and even though I really tried, I couldn't understand what the look on his face meant. He kept looking at the picture, so I guessed he might have been remembering the day when it was taken. Still, it looked like his face was showing a little more than just a memory.

One thing about him was clear, though: he wasn't happy. No one was anymore. I thought that everyone would get better once Roman and Lori were safe in the hospital, which was true for a few days, but after that everyone was worse. I guessed that there was probably some obvious reason for that, but no matter how much I tried to understand that reason, I couldn't. It made me unhappy to know that I couldn't.

Logan once told me that sometimes when people feel a certain way, they will try to make sure others don't feel that way. Sometimes that's their way of making themselves feel better. Based on that, I made a decision, and I stood up on Anthony's bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I didn't answer, just started jumping up and down on top of his bed.

"Owen, what are you doing?" I still didn't answer, just kept jumping. I jumped higher and higher and stopped only for a second to pick up Anthony.

"Jump!" I said.

With a look of confusion, he shrugged and started jumping with me. For the first little bit, it looked like he was only jumping because I asked him to, but after a while he started laughing. Then we were both laughing. Then we were both happy.

Then both of our phones in both of our pockets buzzed.

"It must be the group chat," Anthony said, standing still and taking out his phone. I took mine out too and we looked to see what it was together. Sure enough, it was a text on the group chat, and it was from Virgil. Just one word, yet even I knew the full sentence it belonged to, the meaning behind that one little word.

Milly's P.O.V.
I wanted to get away for a bit, take some time to enjoy the outdoors, stop and smell the roses. One day while we were in Roman's room, Virgil told me about helping Logan plan a date with Patton in Tranquility, and this, of course, made me want to go there. After a good bit of convincing, he told me I could go, as long as I told him first.

So, on the morning of the twenty-first, I told Virgil I was going to Tranquility, then did just that. But first, since I was already in the Enchanted Forest, I decided to pay a visit to one of my friends.

"Vyn!" I said upon seeing her. Vyn, the color-changing snake (who was currently a pale pink), turned around and looked at me. It's kind of hard to tell her apart from all the other snakes, considering she changes color, but she does have a black spot on the side of her head that never changes color or shape, which was shown off clearly amongst the pale pink of her scales.

"Milly," Vyn said in her usual hiss-like voice. "It has been some time since I've seen you here. I understand that you Sides have been rather busy lately. How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," I said. "Well, as alright as I can be. How's it been here?"

"Oh, quite the same. Ever since the Valentines Day attack, a lot of us got worried, thinking that we'll be next. Many of us don't leave our burrows past dusk. Makes me wonder, why haven't they come for us? Why have they attacked the kingdom but not the forest?"

"That's a good question, Vyn. Brings us up to a total of.. what, a hundred unanswered questions?"

"I believe so. Well, I wish I had more time to talk, but I have places to be, things to do, as I'm sure you do as well. Farewell, Milly, and good luck."

"To you as well, Vyn."

With that, I went to Tranquility. Virgil had told me all about it, what it looked like, how it made you feel, but his description just didn't quite live up to its true beauty and power. The flowers and the pond and the trees and the grass were unlike usual flowers and ponds and trees and grass. Or maybe just the flowers and pond were unusual, as they looked like they had been taken straight from a fairytale, and the rest were just extra pretty because of everything around it being pretty.

Either way, I went to lie down on the grass, which was very soft, and looked up at the sky, which was very blue. For a moment I wondered if maybe I should draw Tranquility, or maybe just a few of the flowers, and almost instantly I found myself reaching into my bag and taking out my art supplies.

I drew flowers, just to keep it simple, but in there it was so easy to just look at something and let my hand and my pencil flow precisely across the page, and I felt like I could draw a crowd of a thousand people with precise detail. I knew I would have to leave eventually, because, despite how wonderful and happy you feel in Tranquility, it's all an illusion. I will fittingly quote Albus Dumbledore to explain this: "it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

I could have stayed under the protection of fake happiness for the rest of the day, the rest of the week, or maybe just forever, but I would be in stuck in a state of clouded deceit. I had to live, not dream, just as we all do. And although dreaming seems much better than the perpetual bull crap that can, at times, be life, reality's always there, and it's better to face it head on than let it stab you in the back.

So, as I came to terms with that, I packed up my stuff, walked out, then went back home to get something to eat. Daringly, I moved towards the pantry to get one of Virgil's forbidden protein bars. I stopped, however, when I heard a voice in the living room.

"Hey, Milly." I jumped and turned around, but sighed with relief when I saw that it was Patton who had greeted me, sitting on the couch next to Logan.

"Hey, guys," I said. Then I noticed how bad. Logan looked. "Woah, Logan, are you okay?" I ran over to them and knelt down in front on Logan.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just took on the full load of teleporting Patton and I."

"Why would you do that?!" I yelled.

"It's is, as they say, a 'long story,' which I will not be telling you."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Logan opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by all three of our phones buzzing. Without hesitation, Logan pieced it together and said, "group chat." The three of us paused for a second, then took out our phones.

There, on all of our screens, was a text sent from Virgil on our group chat 'Lituation Room.' The text was only one word, but it had a full paragraph of meaning.

A.N.
Well, everyone, my days of freedom are at last coming to an end. School begins Monday, and I do not want summer break to be over. At all. But, on the bright side, I planned everything out so that the remaining three chapters of this book will be published on school days, meaning I have something to look forward to on those days. Anyway, that's it for now. Adiós, guys, gals, and non-binary pals.