Fury, here yah go. You've been having a hard time with everything, and I understand. Here's something I whipped up that took no trouble. I know it's not kinda a very cheering mood, but it's a story, nonetheless. You'll get more in Eternal!

~Cel.

Sometimes, I don't remember things too good. I don't know why, but that's just how I am, how I've always been…at least, ever since I woke up in the Scientists' big, warm palm. Sometimes, there are things I really need to remember. I'll try, try really hard. Sometimes, trying really hard works, and sometimes it doesn't. But for this memory, I don't need to try hard at all. It would always be there, up in my head. It is a very scary memory, and I can still remember how frightened I was (which was really new to me) and how truly sad I felt.

It was raining hard, big drops of water pelting us. The smoke from the fire all around me and my coven was thick and black, and made it really hard to breathe. We all coughed and tried to get out of the burning field. 1 was leading all of us (as usual) as we tried to escape. However, we weren't moving very fast, and 1 kept looking over his shoulder, over and over, like he was waiting for someone. I remember holding 6's arm in my hand, having to drag him along because he was so weak. Hmphf.

Suddenly, 1 stopped us short. We hadn't moved very far at all from the big Machine, the one the others kept calling "the Fabrication Machine." It was just a big old red eye with long arms and claws. But it was still the scariest thing ever to be alive. I'd already been killed once by the damn thing, and I didn't want to do it again. But 1 stopped us anyway, his eyes wide as he stared up at the Machine. The…hold on…five, six…seven! Yeah, the seven of us looked up where 1 was looking, and we all saw that the Machine was roaring and shaking really bad. The grass was low enough, and I was tall enough, to see 9 was rushing towards it.

He was really far away, but I could still see him. The Machine beast, or Spine Machine, whichever name they called the dinosaur-looking thing, had hurt 9 really bad. The kid had a huge rip in his side, with only a couple of threads keeping him together. He was really weak, and could barely even walk! But he was facing this Machine alone. He had 7's staff in his hands. I looked around for the girl briefly, and saw a little of her through the burning grass. She was running towards 9, too. She had his light bulb staff. But she was far away, too. We all looked at 9 as he yelled out. That kid has a voice that you could never mistake, a proud, tri…oh, what was that word…tri…umphant…yeah, triumphant voice, I guess you could say (although it's pretty high-pitched, heh-heh).

Oh, right, sorry…story. Anyway, he yelled, and then stuck the knife right into the orb of the Machine. These weird glowing blue lines started to creep all up the Machine's body, making it shake even more. I was about to cheer, I was actually kind of proud! 9 had defeated the Machine again. But my happiness only lasted about a second. The Machine suddenly picked 9 up in its claws. He didn't even try to fight, he just laid there in the claws. I wanted to scream at him to try and get out of the claws, but something was overcoming me. 1 later said it was shock.

You see, I'd never really interacted with the kid. He'd come, and woke the Machine, and I died. But then he brought me back. I was never mad at him. I always used to do dumb things, and he'd done one mistake. At least he'd tried to fix everything. I actually had began to start liking him…no! I'm not going to talk about that time when I choked him…or hit him! That's in the past! Where was I? Oh, yeah. Well, I didn't want to see 9 die. That would make me sad. He was nicer to me than anyone else ever had been. But there was nothing I could do when I saw the green glow of the talisman. The green light burst out from the talisman, and hit 9 in the face, and it even looked like in his chest. It must've been upside-down or something.

I didn't know what to do. I felt so many things, it was too much. I never, ever wanted to see 9 die. But here he was, having his soul sucked out by the monster. It couldn't take his soul and use it for power now – it was too late for that. But I knew exactly what it was doing – it was having its own revenge on the man who killed it. I heard 7's scream all the way across the field, her voice louder than I'd ever heard it before. 5 tried to run towards 9, screaming, "NO! NOOO!" I knew it was useless to save 9 now – he was dying. 2 had to grab 5 and hold him tight, keeping him with us. 5 just continued to scream, falling on his knees. I felt so very sad as I listened to him. I knew that 5 was 9's very best friend, and that they loved each other. I couldn't say I felt the same way for them, but I wasn't dumb. I could tell that 9 and 5 were like…like brothers. 5 was the big brother, and 9 was the little brother.

2 was on the ground beside 5. 6 looked really upset. 1 looked like I'd never seen him before. He looked like he was about to cry. He dropped his staff to the ground, his eyes locked on 9. The green light, with 9's soul, snapped back into the talisman. The Machine then screamed, and fell down to the ground. I knew it was dead. I could just make out 9's body fall out of the claw. I knew he was dead, too. 1 suddenly snatched his staff from the ground and grabbed my arm.

"8! Listen to me! 7 needs help. Go in there, and get her out." 1 said, trying really hard to keep his voice mean and strong. But he was shaking all over. I began to run towards the field, knowing what I had to do. I saw 5 had gotten off the ground and was running into the fire even before me.

"7! Sev!" He was crying, and he was gone. I ran after him, and then 6 was running after me.

"Coming, I'm coming!" He said as I tried to find 5 again. I tried not to get burned as 6 and I ran through the fire. I stopped running as I saw 5 on his knees again. It looked like he'd just stopped. 7 was lying on her chest, with one arm over 9. 5 was crying again, one hand on 7's back, the other on 9's forehead. He looked up at 6 and me, and he looked awful sad. He didn't say anything, but scooped 7 up into his arms, and stood, running past me and 6. I knew that she was going to be safe with him. I then turned around.

9 was laying on his back. It looked like 7 had tried to drag him to us. I knew that she couldn't leave him. I walked sort of slow to him, while 6 ran past me. I wanted to try and stop him when I saw that he was getting 7's knife staff and 9's light bulb staff. I looked back down at the poor kid. His mouth was open only a little bit. His eyes were shut, and there was a big, smoking hole in his chest. And as I looked down at him, I felt something that was really new to me. I was really, really sad. The poor guy looked so broken, and now he was gone forever and ever.

I knew I had to get him out of the fire. I knew I couldn't let 7 and 5 down. They at least needed to say goodbye. So, I bent down and, as gently as I could, picked him up in my arms. He was limp, and really cold. Making sure his head was laying on my arm, I turned and looked for 6. He was right beside me, giving me the saddest look. Then, we turned around and ran back towards the clearing. I kept 9 held tight in my arms. I knew, deep inside, that it was my job now to get 9 to the others. He didn't weigh hardly anything in my arms. For a few moments, I waited for him to wake up. I knew that it was stupid. Sometimes, I was stupid. 9 would never wake up. I felt so confused. I hadn't known the kid all that well, but I felt sad all the same.

I saw the others. They were all watching for me. 5 was leaning over 7, who was curled up on the ground. She was shivering, and as soon as she saw me carrying 9, she cried, "9!" I knew that she needed to go to 9. See, I wasn't as stupid as everyone thought I was. I knew I wasn't pretty smart, but that was just how I was. I still knew that 7 had loved 9, like a girl loved a boy (yeah, sometimes I read. Sometimes I read romances. What about it, huh? Want to make something about it?). And I knew that 9 had a huge lovey-crush on her, but was too much of a coward to tell her. I also knew that 7's heart was broken. I bent down and laid 9 down on the ground, real gentle. I stepped away as 7 came rushing towards him. She gently held him in her arms, and then began to do something I never thought I'd see the stubborn girl do – cry. She hugged 9 and cried as 5 walked over. He sat next to 9 too, and cried too.

6 was crying too, but he was all quiet about it. I walked to him, and put my arm around him. I knew that he was sad, too. He didn't scare or try to push me away. He just kept crying. I noticed that 1 was right beside me, his eyes on 9. He looked sadder than I'd ever seen him. He was mean to 9 too. I put my arm around him too. As I watched 7 and 5 cry over 9, I began to think about how I was really mean to him, pretty much ever since I met him. It wasn't really fair to him. All he tried was to do good things, not for himself, but for us. He saved me, fixed my arm which was burned in the factory blast, and never said one mean word to me. He just tried to help us. Yeah, he made a mistake, but he tried to fix it. I felt real bad then. I'd been mean to him, and now he was dead forever and ever.

At least I did some good things for him. I helped him when he got hurt real bad by the Spine-thingy. I began to think that, as soon as I got home, I'd ask the people up in the sky to take good care of 9. And to give him lots of rain. He loved rain. Then, 2 walked forward and said something to 7. 5 looked up at him, still holding tight to 9's hand. 7 nodded and tried to stand up, but then she fell over. I knew she was knocked out, probably too tired. I walked forward without anyone saying anything. 2 backed away a little as I bent down. As carefully as I could, I picked 7 up and made sure that I wasn't holding her too tight, or too hard. She didn't move, but I could still hear her breathing. 5 patted my arm, I turned and began to walk away. When I stopped next to 1, I looked over to see 5 still next to 9. He was just staring down at him, until he bent and picked 9 up in his arms. He held him tight, bending his head over him. 5 began to walk with us and we headed home.

Little did I know that it was not the end, but merely the beginning…