Author's Note. Well as promised here is the second chapter much earlier than I ever really expected to write it. I am a person of my word, and people voted with their follows and favorites. Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter will be, but given how entertaining this turned out to be for myself. It won't be too long. As always thank you to the people who faved/followed/reviewed. I always enjoy reader interaction and the like, so ya, love you guys.

Side note. My grammar check has been on the fritz so the grammar in this is probably worse than the last chapter. Let's be real though the grammar is always the weakest part of any story I write. I will come back in and re-edit this when I get it working.

Anyway, I don't think that issue should keep the chapter out of people's hands, so

Have fun reading!

Legal Trash. I do not own Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of its associated characters. Don't sue me. K Thanx.

Shaken.

The sinister woods were covered in fog and Marco could do little but glance around himself, lost in an endless sea of mystery. He knew not where he was but felt as though he had eyes upon him.

"Marco." A faint whisper in the distance called out to him.

"Kelly!" Marco said loudly, as it was the only person he could think about.

Silence returned to him and his blood froze in his veins. The fear was becoming overwhelming for him, and he half expected a monster of unparalleled strength to come and drag him off into the unknown.

"Marco." The voice came once more, and this time it was more forceful and angry.

"Kelly! Please! I am sorry! I tried to- tried to save you!" He shouted while his voice quivered slightly. The surrounding temperature started going through a drastic change as his hot breath now coming out as steam against the bitterly cold air.

"I wish for you to be happy..." He heard a painfully sad voice echoing through the woods.

With that, he could feel the ground shake, and the well started to rise up from the dirt directly in front of him. A thick black ichor began oozing out of it, down the sides, and all around the ground. It moved as if it had a mind of its own and quickly began making its way all about the misty forest enveloping everything it touched in darkness.

Marco was so afraid his body failed him and he couldn't move. He could see the encroaching shadows as they consumed everything before and around him. It started coming at him from all directions, coming to swallow him whole with malicious intent.

"Marco." The voice was now sad and in pain.

"Kelly I... I don't know what to DO!" He shouted as the blackness started to grasp at his feet.

"Marco!" The voice became really loud and repeated itself.

"Kelly... I..."

"Marco!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Marco!"

"MARCO!" A scream came so loudly that it shattered the very fabric of the universe. Marco opened his eyes and shot up in a complete panic, his eyes frantically looking around himself.

"Ahh!" He shouted clenching his chest and breathing heavily.

"About time you got up, sheesh! You've been in bed all day. It is already noon." He could hear Star's voice speaking to him and he turned his head towards the source of her voice.

"I, ah, Star?" He said dazed and confused, as if in a complete stupor.

"Well, who do ya' think it is Marco!" Star said just as energetic as ever, and it was taking Marco time to process his thoughts.

"Kelly." He thought to himself and then started to stammer out of bed quickly. "Star... something's happened! I need... I need your help!" He tripped a little and grabbed on to her shirt to prevent himself from falling down completely.

"Whoa, whoa Marco. Calm down, it looks like you've had some kind of bad dream." She said grabbing on to his underarms to help hold him up. She could see his panic since the moment he had awoken.

"I but..." Marco said, still clenched onto her shirt as he fought to find the correct words. He was trying his hardest to gain control of his panic, but it was proving difficult. Just about the only thing that gave him comfort right now was his dear friend. Star was so calm and comforting to him at this moment, and he was struggling to remember the things he had witnessed the night before. His eyes glanced around his room, and it was just the same as it always had been.

"I... your slumber party, is-is everyone ok?" Marco blurted out, trying not to mix fantasy with reality.

Star gave him an odd look but decided to humor him. "Marco, everything is fineee, you are worrying too much." She pulled him up a little, and Marco stood on his two legs shakily.

"But." Marco continued like the worry wart he was.

"Ugh Marco, everyone is fine, ok? They all stayed the morning and left an hour or two ago, they were all here, and all went home." There was a hint of frustration in her voice, but her confirmation of the normalcy of everything allowed Marco to relax slightly.

"I am sorry Star. I just had this terrible dream, and..." Marco began his explanation.

"Shhh Marco, it is ok, alright? We all get bad dreams sometimes." She cut him off and gave him a smile with a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Star could make him feel comfortable with something as simple as a little touch, and he just rubbed his arm feeling just a bit foolish. His experience felt so real, and then the horrible darkness just before waking up. It sent chills down his spine in a way that few things did.

Star could see the discomfort and sadness of her friend, and she wondered if maybe he was stressed out over something. Perhaps she was working him too hard, or not giving him adequate attention?

"Saaayyyy Marco," She said abruptly in typical Star fashion. "why don't we spend some time together today, just you and me?"

"What?" Marco said, genuinely surprised at her sudden attempt to offer him relief.

"Well with all that has been going on in Mewni and with Tom, I just figure we could hang out together and 'chill' like we used to on earth." She sounded pleasant, and Marco was positively sure that she was trying to comfort him without making it seem like a pity party.

Marco stood there in silence thinking about Star and what she had said. She had already told him that everything was ok, and the more he delved into his thoughts about what had happened last night. The more he realized that he wouldn't be in Mewni castle dressed in his pajamas right now if things indeed had occurred the way he thought they did.

"I... thanks Star," Marco said feeling some restless sense of relief. He was terrified beyond words before, but now he was more curious about why of all people he was dreaming about Kelly. It made him realize that maybe she was becoming an important person to him though he was heavily reticent in conversing about it with Star.

"Anytime Marco!" Star smiled at him and stepped away towards his door.

"Just get dressed," She stopped and thought for a second. "ooorrrr stay in your pajamas if you like, and we can have something delicious to eat." She let out a small, cheerful laugh and opened the door to his bedroom.

Marco weakly nodded at her suggestion, and without another word, Star was off to have something whipped up for the two of them to eat. Marco let out an exasperated sigh and looked at his empty bed. He still felt as if his dream meant something, but what it could mean eluded him entirely.

"Marco, you are losing your mind." He told himself as he turned towards the giant window to gaze out of it. The village of Mewni kingdom was just as it had been any other day, and the sky was grey and thick with clouds. It appeared as if rain was in order, and the gloominess of the setting only made Marco feel more uncomfortable. He had never had a dream so real that it blurred the lines of reality.

"He was fine; everyone was fine." He told himself repeatedly. He could talk to Kelly when she next came over; he tried to reason with himself. After a moment of continually reassuring himself, he turned around and decided to get dressed as Star had suggested.

He threw off his pajamas, leaving them messily on the ground, and put on his usual dark pair of jeans with the light grey t-shirt. He eyed the room looking around for the central piece. His bright red hoodie, but no matter where he turned it was nowhere to be found.

"Jeez, where is it?" He said in a low, angry tone, feeling this just added more uncomfortable problems.

He had a bunch of them at home, and it was not like he couldn't just use his dimensional scissors to get another one from his closet. However, it was driving him crazy where this one had gone.

He looked around the bed, inside the dresser in the room, and on the floor. "Where is it? C'mon Marco think!" He said. He was profusely sweating and feeling anxious with every second that went by.

Where could he have possibly left it? Marco started to stare blankly at the floor, and images of Kelly wearing it entered his mind. His heart began to race, and he felt himself in a panic once again. The last place he could even recall seeing it was on her as she dangled from his hands inside of that sinister well.

"No... I just... it was a dream, Marco." His self-reassurances were filling ever more with doubt, and it was about now that he felt like he was going a bit crazy. There were so many unanswered questions, and none of this made any sense to him.

Marco paced back and forth along the lush carpet of his bedroom floor until he got himself to calm down a bit. He knew he was overreacting and immediately panicking would do little to help him at a time like this. He decided that the hoodie was lost until further notice and that perhaps having an in-depth discussion with Star would help set him straight.

Marco slipped on his sox and shoes and made his way out of the door into the hallway. It was well lit at this time of day, and every step that Marco took towards the stairs was like reliving some hazy memory. He opened the door to the descending stairs just as he felt he had before, and paused for a minute, remembering that this was the location that Kelly had let go of his hand.

The vivid recollection conjured up intense remorse within his soul, and he could do nothing to shake away the awful feeling. He just decided that he needed to keep moving, and with all haste, he made his way down the stairs towards the dining hall. Once he was out the door and past the fancy paintings, he could see Star standing by the huge dinner table that the royal family used to dine. In the seat, all the way at the end of the table sat King River, and beside him sat Queen Moon.

"Marco!" Star shouted excitedly as she saw her friend enter. "Goin for a new look?" She said in a joking manner, referencing his missing red hoodie.

Marco frowned and shook his head. "Star, look I really need to talk to you... Alone for a minute if possible."

King River raised an eyebrow, and Queen Moon sat silently watching the two of them talk. Star frowned and put her hands at her sides. "Look, Marco, it was a joke, I can tell that you can't find your hoodie, you never move around without it."

Marco nodded slightly, but there was far more that he wanted to talk to her about than just that. "I, well it is true I lost my hoodie, but..." he started to speak again, but Star just put her hand on his shoulder to give him comfort.

"Marco, yesterday was wash day, remember? It is most likely being cleaned by Sir Lavabo as we speak." Star reminded him.

Marco had forgotten about wash day, and it was entirely possible that his hoodie was taken without his knowledge by the castle servants to be washed. All of these things he thought confirmed his dream kept proving to him that he might be overreacting by quite a lot. He silently turned his defeated gaze over to Queen Moon and King River as if asking them for confirmation.

"Marco, lad. The wash was indeed taken yesterday." King River gave his assurance in his usual frank and friendly manner.

Queen Moon gave a nod. "Yes Marco, please put your worries to rest, your uh, hoodie will be returned to you by the evening, I am sure of it."

The two both looked happy and eager to have Marco sit down and relax a bit. Marco turned his attention to Star who was smiling brightly at him. Filling his unsure and aching heart with a little confidence.

"Ok, sure Star." He gave her the first decently warm smile since he had been woken up. Perhaps things were ok, everything seemed reasonable, and he was quite hungry now that he thought about it.

He sat in one of the fancy cushioned chairs that surrounded the table, and Star took a seat next to him. The royal servants entered and began to place various food items along the length of the table, and it was quite a bit more than four people could eat.

Marco watched as the food was laid out and revealed to him. Various portions of mewnian meat, and an assortment of dishes in which corn was apparently the central ingredient. A few various deserts, and a variety of delicious teas or juices to quench one's thirst.

Star, River, and Moon began to take what they desired from the servings and place them on their fancy dishes for consumption. Marco sat at the table and stared at the bountiful amounts of delicious food. He had to keep reminding himself that he had promised Star not to let his paranoia get the better of him.

"What's a matter, my lad? Had your fill of our prized corn already?" River asked while holding a giant mewnian corn cob between his hands, bits of corn stuck in his beard. He may have been a king, but he sure didn't try to act dignified like one.

"Oh no, sir. I just..." Marco tried to explain, not wanting to offend Star's father.

"Ah-hah-hah! I only jest my boy! I know you are upset because of your little nightmare and all that." River said with a boisterous laugh.

"DAD! Sheesh! I told you to be kind to Marco because he had a bad dream, not embarrass him!" Star became loud with frustration and anger.

"Dear! You really need to act more presentable and polite to guests staying in our castle!" Moon reprimanded him, realizing that this was not the way to act in front of outsiders.

"Oh-oh no," Marco shrank a little from all the attention he was getting. "I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. I didn't mean to make anybody else worry about me." He reached out and grabbed some food and placed it on his empty plate.

King River nodded and placed his chewed corn cob on his plate next to his pile of meat. "Ah, Marco, forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you." He said earnestly. He was just trying to have fun with him and didn't want to make things worse.

"No, it is fine really!" Marco put some enthusiasm into his words. He started to use his fork to stab a piece of his thoroughly cooked steak. "I just feel a little out of it today but having lunch with you is making me feel better."

"Hah! Told you, my dear! The boy has the fortitude of a barbarian!" River shouted, and clenched a drumstick in one hand, while the other held onto his half-chewed piece of corn.

Queen Moon stared blankly at her husband and only gave a small smile with a nod. "It would seem you are correct my dear."

Marco laughed a tiny bit at being called a barbarian by King River, but he knew it was quite a high compliment from him. He bit into the piece of mewnian steak, and it had quite a nice savory flavor to it. It had been cooked thoroughly, topped with bits of corn, and marinated in its own juices.

Star watched her father eat like a maniac and noticed Marco's change in demeanor after speaking with him. She just shook her head and smiled to herself. Her dad may have embarrassed her from time to time, but he had this energy about him that made other people feel good.

The four ate and made small talk for quite a while, and as time passed Marco started eating almost as ravenously as King River. Star began to wonder if they were having some unspoken competition to see who could stuff the most in their mouth.

"Ahhhh! Now that is what I call a meal!" King River stated after stuffing himself full. He had various bits of food in his beard and was picking his teeth with a broken rib bone.

Moon shook her head and sighed. She wished he wouldn't do that, but at the same time, loved the freeness of his spirit. He lived his life as he saw fit, and there was something admirable about that. If only she could be so free of self-consciousness as he was.

Marco leaned back in the cushion laden chair and rubbed his stomach. "Oh man I- I am stuffed." He felt a great deal more at ease after the meal.

"I am happy you enjoyed yourself, Marco," Moon said in a delightful tone. She could already sense things returning to proper form once again.

"A-hah My dear, Marco isn't done yet! I have something that will really raise his spirits!" River raised his hand while getting up from the table, and as he started to pass Marco, he grabbed him by the arm dragging him off the chair.

"Ah! Wha- b-but Star!" He tried to protest.

Queen Moon shook her head regarding her husband's antics, and Star bounced in front of her father in an attempt to stop whatever crazy idea he had.

"Dad! I promised Marco that we were going to hang out together today. I don't need you dragging him off on one of your adventures!" She put her foot down with a huff.

"Oh no, my dear. I am going to take Marco to unwind with me at the royal spa. I know whenever I am feeling off, a nice hot soak will pep me right up!" He seemed eager to do his part in helping Marco, and Star wasn't entirely opposed to that kind of idea.

"But I..." Star started to say, but Marco interjected before she could.

"It's fine Star. I can go relax for a little while, and we can hang out after." In truth, the idea of a hot relaxing spa sounded nice to him on this dreary confusing day.

"Fine, Fine," Star waived her hand at Marco and stepped aside. "I will wait for you in my room." She told him where she would be waiting for him.

"Thatta boy!" River shouted happily and started barreling down the hallway with Marco dragging behind him.

After being dragged along for about 10 minutes, Marco found himself in a giant room filled with a massive tub. The tub was elegant as it was made of marble and adorned with gold decorations. The water that sat within it was coming from a mewman made waterfall that added another layer of beauty to the room.

Marco stood there taking in the splendor and then took notice that King River had already removed his garments and was sitting in the hot water, his back pressed against the wall and his arms outstretched. "Coming in lad?" He asked with a grin.

Marco smiled a bit and wasted no time in throwing his clothes aside on the fancy floor. He abruptly jumped into the water and let out a yell of surprise when he felt the burning against his skin.

"Ahhhh! ow, hot! jeez!" He moved about the water as the steam rose from it.

"Ah-hah-hah-hah!" King River bellowed with laughter and held onto his chest while Marco splashed about like a duck in a river.

"M-man!' Marco stuttered and plopped himself down to sit in the hot water. He was burning, but if King River could handle it, he could too.

River watched him through the steam, and Marco watched back. It was quiet now that Marco was getting used to the heat. King River raised his hands out of the water and with a quick swing he clapped his hands together.

"?" Marco looked at him confused, not understanding the gesture.

After a few seconds the door to the room swung open, and in walked several female castle servants. Marco became immediately embarrassed and started to sink into the burning water. Two of the servant girls walked over to King River and immediately began to groom and clean his beard with brushes and exotic soaps.

The other two servants walked over to Marco and started to try to brush his hair, much to his protest.

"Ah, uh, n-no thanks I uhm brushed it this morning." He tried to decline the beauty treatment, but it as obvious he was lying about his hair.

The two girls by Marco giggled slightly, and King River leaned forward while the other two servants combed his beard.

"Marco you need not be embarrassed. These ladies are paid exquisitely to keep myself and my guests looking presentable." River had many servants, and such things were the norm for him.

Marco looked at the two servant girls standing above him and rose up slightly. He felt somewhat embarrassed and ashamed, but he didn't want to offend King River by rejecting his hospitality. He started to sit up straight, and once he was in position, he leaned back against the wall of the tub. The two ladies took to combing his hair and determining what needed to be done to make Marco look fabulous.

After about fifteen minutes of grooming the servant girls had made King River and Marco look kempt and gave them both a feeling of pride.

"Why thank you, ladies, that will be all for today." King River stated, and to that, they gave a bow to him.

"Thanks..." Marco said to them as they made their leave of the room. His embarrassment had left him by now, and he was starting to imagine what it would be like to be a wealthy king himself.

"Feeling better Marco?" Kind River asked abruptly breaking Marco's fantasy.

Marco nodded and let out a small sigh. "I was so upset this morning about the dream, but in truth, everything you guys have done today has made me feel a lot more at ease than before."

King River nodded and sank into the water a bit. "If you need, you can tell me about your dream." There was a seriousness in his voice, but it also sounded understanding in a way Marco had not expected out of King River.

"I, well. I had this dream about Kelly, one of Star's friends." Marco rubbed the back of his nicely combed hair. "I dreamt we accidentally wandered into the forest of certain death, and she wound up falling into a well we found." Marco felt awkward relaying the nonsensical dream to King River, but he hoped it would kill the uneasiness once and for all.

"A well you say?" King River put his hand to his beard and started to stroke it. "Lad, there isn't any well in that forest that I can recall, and I have gone there quite a lot. Also, Kelly? Is that err, is that the girl that is into magic and witchcraft?" He seemed embarrassed not to have a grasp on Star's friends, she had so many.

"What? No, that's Jenna, Kelly is..." Marco began.

"Ahh yes, that's the girl that obsessively imitates Star. I know who you are talking about!" River shouted, feeling prideful. The only friend he knew intimately of Star's was Pony Head.

"No, look. Ughh. It isn't important, but what is important is that I am worried she might have been killed." He admitted in his frustration.

River looked at him and gave a nod. "Marco, if anybody that is friends with Star was really hurt Star would know about it, and I am sure she would recognize any one of her friends missing." He said.

"But..." Marco sounded hesitant.

"Marco, I firmly believe dreams can tell us things about ourselves. If you are distressed about Star's friend, then maybe you should take the time to figure out why you are dreaming about her in the first place; before you actually get to figure out what it means." River tried to offer him his genuine perspective on the matter.

Marco thought for a small while realizing that there was some wisdom to King River's words. If he was dreaming about Kelly, there had to be some reason for it, and how could he ever hope to find the meaning of his dream if he didn't even know why it happened in the first place.

"I... uh... is there really no well in that forest?" Marco sheepishly asked.

"My boy I swear to you that I have not seen a well mewman made or otherwise in that forest." River raised his hand to swear to him this was the case.

Marco let out a sigh of relief and smiled. He was starting to feel like his old self once again and stretched out so that he could thoroughly enjoy this relaxing spa.

"Thanks, Rive- I mean Sir," Marco said, showing appreciation for the all that he had done.

"Hah! If you think we are done, you have another thing comin' What good is a hot soak without a vigorous massage?"

Marco laughed a bit, now that he was feeling quite a bit better he could fully enjoy a massage from one of the lovely servant girls. "A massage? That sounds great! He said in an enthusiastic tone. "Are those same girls coming to do that massage or some new ones?"

King River raised his hands and then looked at Marco strangely. "Girls? Marco, most fair maidens can't crack a spine like those with a fierce heart need." He clapped his hands twice.

"What...?" Marco said as he turned to look at the door.

In walked two insanely muscular men with physiques that put adult Marco to shame. They immediately walked over to Marco and King River respectively, and Marco went completely limp.

"I uhh. I think maybe I will take an uhm rain check... perhaps." Marco said in a low, defeated tone

"Nonsense lad, it is my treat!" River said as the two Muscular men grabbed onto Marco and River.

Marco had a look of dread on his face, and it was about now he wished that he hadn't accepted the massage offer, but like so many other things, it was too late to back out now.

Star had sat in her room for a while lost in her thoughts when suddenly she heard the door to her bedroom open. She turned her head to look over and saw Marco limp inside holding his hip.

"Marco!" She eyed him over and could see he was in a lot of pain. "Let me guess. You met my father's masseurs?" Star stated the obvious.

Marco nodded silently feeling as if a truck had run him over. The hot soak and talk might have been nice, but Marco had about as much of King River as he could handle for the day.

"Oh well, they are nice, though I think they can be a bit rough on a person's bones," Star said kicking her feet over the edge of the bed and standing up.

"Yeah tell me about it, sheesh." Marco felt drained of energy, but he didn't feel worried or paranoid any longer.

"Oooohhh somebody got the beauty treatment." Star beamed and pinched Marco's soft cheek.

"Ahh! Star! Cut it out!" He swatted her hand away as she giggled and laughed at his expense.

Marco crossed his arms and shook his head, but then eased up a bit when he saw how much humor she was getting out of it. "Heh, I guess I did huh?" He asked dropping his arms to his sides.

Star was ever smiling and energetic as she came over to Marco and put her hands on his shoulders. "I canceled my date with Tom so that you and I could hang out." She admitted to him.

"I guess he wasn't happy about that," Marco said to her feeling a bit of guilt that he had ruined her plans.

"Nope! But he just has to deal with it because there is always tomorrow!" She winked and pulled back from Marco.

"So whatcha wanna do for the evening?" She asked him.

"I- uh I really don't know. I haven't given it much thought." He admitted to her and rubbed the side of his arm.

"Hmmm well since it is raining, how about we do something indoors," Star suggested.

"Like a movie?" Marco blurted out.

"Ah! Mooovviiieee!" Star had sparkles in her eyes as she slinked over to Marco and grabbed his arm with a smile. "Yesss!"

Marco blinked and couldn't help but feel good because of her eccentric behavior. "Fine." He pulled Star along the hallway all the way to his room where his dimensional scissors sat on the dresser.

Once he had picked them up, he looked at Star who was now standing next to him waiting patiently for him to open the portal. With a quick slice through the air, Marco opened a swirling vortex that led directly to earth. After a second Star leaped into it followed by Marco. When they landed on the other side, they were met with strange stares from moviegoers standing in line at the cineplex.

Marco looked embarrassed and began trying to explain himself, but Star just immediately grabbed him without care and pushed him into line. "Ah! Star we don't even know what we are going to see!" His voice came out loudly.

Star just pointed her finger at a poster with a bunch of cute cats in space helmets. "That!" She almost demanded.

"Wha- Space Kitties? Star I don't know about..." He stopped when he saw her put on her pouty crying face.

"Ugh, fine." He started reaching into his jeans pocket and pulled out some of his money.

Star squealed with delight as Marco paid for their two tickets. They both walked to the concession stand and got drinks and some popcorn. Star was excited about the movie, but Marco seemed less than thrilled, though at the very least his concerns were now on Star and the film.

About an hour into the film Star and Marco sat in the center row of a packed theatre. Their popcorn was all but gone, and Marco silently sipped on a soda while watching the image of a cat bounce around on the moon with nothing more than a space helmet on.

"That's one small paw for cats, and one giant pounce for cat kind!" The squeaky kitty on the screen said.

"Oh man...," Marco said to himself in a whisper sinking into the theatre chair.

Star had her eyes locked on the screen and a giant smile on her face. "Soooooo cuteeeeee." She said in a raspy whisper.

Marco just stared at her and was dumbfounded by her enthusiasm, but then again this was Star Butterfly, so maybe he shouldn't be.

The two sat there for the next thirty minutes, and Star's attention never left the screen. Marco, however, kept turning his gaze to look at her in her trance-like state. His mind had pushed almost everything out at this point, and he kept imagining that this was a date of some kind despite her status as "taken."

The movie ended, and the two quietly made their way out of the theater among the crowd of people. Star seemed very happy about what she had witnessed and wrapped her arm around Marco's neck as they walked. "Sooo whatcha think?" She asked excitedly.

Marco was hesitant to give his answer on the movie, but at the same time, the entire event was pleasant to him. He felt as if he were old Marco again, and it was refreshing.

"I uh..." He started to speak and then used his scissors to cut a dimensional hole in the hallway after the moviegoers had moved on ahead. "I thought it was cute."

"I KNOW right!" Star shouted, as the two jumped through the portal, and in that instant found themselves in Marco's dark room. The sun had set, and the clouds over Mewni had blocked the moonlight from shining.

Marco turned on a lamp that sat atop his dresser and the room quickly burned with dim light. Star stretched her arms out feeling content with the evening and watched as Marco made his way to the edge of his bed and sat on it.

"Feelin ok now Marco?" Star asked him with care.

"I uhm..." Marco looked down and then back at Star. "I just want to thank you for the stuff you did today. I know I can be a pain sometimes, but I... Thanks." He said resting his hands on his legs.

Star smiled and came over to take a seat next to him. "Anytime Marco! I am just happy you are feeling better." She said to him, but there was a part of her that was starting to wonder.

"Uhm, though I am curious, what was it about the dream that upset you so much?" Star asked, genuinely wanted to know, and it was only now that she realized she had never asked.

"I... well, it's dumb..." Marco tried to brush it aside, but not because remembering it hurt him. It was because he was nervous about revealing the subject matter to Star.

"Marco, nothing you say is dumb, alright. Please tell me; I really don't want you to keep it inside, or else you might feel bad again." Star said while giving him a sympathetic, warm grin.

Even through Marco's hesitation, Star's smile was effective. He looked down at the dark floor illuminated by the faint orange light and began to speak.

"Well... Alright Star, but please let me finish the whole thing without interruption." He rubbed his legs somewhat apprehensively.

"Marco, would I ever interrupt you at a time like this?" She said with a laugh, oblivious to all the times it had occurred throughout the afternoon.

Marco gave her a weak smile but figured that he could trust her to let him speak now that she promised to.

"Alright Star." He said.

With that, he started regaling his dream to her. The sadness, the night, and the walk. Star listened to him, and as the story slowly progressed, her expression went from that of a happy listener to a concerned friend. It was as if the further along Marco went the more uncomfortable Star became.

Marco omitted his reasons for sadness, and the things he had intimately felt that night, but even so, Star seemed to be intensely concerned about what he was saying. Her whole demeanor had changed, and it looked like she had some insight that he somehow lacked about that night.

Minutes passed until Marco finished his tale of Kelly's assured demise, his loss of consciousness, and ending with his waking up this morning.

"And that's my dream. I know it is weird, but I just, it really frightened me." He tried to play down the intenseness of his feelings, and the intimacy which had been implied throughout. Marco stared at Star who had a frown on her face and looked visibly upset.

"Star?" Marco tried to ask, but he realized now that it was something he had said that upset her.

"Look, Star, I am sorry that my dream is so weird and uncomfortable. I didn't mean to dream about your friend like that." He tried to salvage the good mood they had just moments before.

"No, I... Marco. It-It's fine. Really." She stammered. "You had a bad dream, and I get that, but..." She tried to explain.

"But what?" Marco said to her while wracking his brain for the source of her discomfort.

Star stared at him for a moment in silence, and then her voice came out delicate and cautiously. The words she spoke, though cushioned, came like a dagger to pierce Marco's heart. Shattering his reality and bringing about an intense flood of uncertainty that shook him to his core.

"Who's Kelly?"

...

Wrap Up. Well, there we have it. I had fun writing this chapter, and I find I really enjoy writing King River. I made myself laugh while imagining what I was writing he was doing. Anyway, I hope somebody enjoyed this, as I think it turned out quite nice.