It's cold in my castle, but I can't be bothered to turn up the heat. I'm curled up in the biggest blanket I could find. It's the dark blue one Xephos gave me as a gift last year….at the Christmas party. I snuggle up into it more at the memories.

This was always my favorite time of year and I always looked forward to the party. This year was no different and the disappointment was overwhelming.

Why hadn't I been invited? It can't really be as Sips and Sjin said, can it? But what Xephos said….

I bury my head under the blanket and whimper. It's pathetic, but it's all I can think to do at the moment. I try and fall asleep but it's the middle of the day and the adrenalin from earlier hasn't quiet run out yet.

I get up and shiver at the loss of warmth the blanket provided and head for the kitchen. A glance around before grabbing a Sips co. mug from the cabinet. It's another gift from a past Christmas party but I don't have that many mugs to choose from…

I make some hot chocolate and pour it into the mug. I bow into it and watch as the steam floats up and warms my face. I take a sip on the way back to my couch and set the mug down on the small table beside it.

I return to my prior position of being snuggled up in the blanked and grab the mug again. I stare at it for a while, waiting for it to cool a bit before taking another sip. I sigh happily at the taste. At least this hasn't changed…

I finish the hot chocolate and place the mug down on the table again. Normally I would have returned the empty mug to the kitchen, perhaps even washed it out and put it away, but for now I just can't find the energy.

I lie down on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket, and try to go to sleep again. I fail and I sigh and get up again, this time taking the blanket with me. I walk around my castle doing miscellaneous jobs to keep my mind busy, but I soon find myself at my telescope.

It's still pointed at Honeydew Inc. from the last time I used it. I debate looking there it again, curios to see how they are getting along without me, but also fearful that the may be doing better in my absence.

My curiosity eventually gets the better of my and I look though the telescope. Everyone is running around doing there assigned jobs just as before. The only difference now is that Xephos looks really stressed. They must me running behind. I glance around to see how everyone else is doing.

Martyn and Toby are still decorating the tree, Benji and Strippen are bringing in supplies on the railroads, and Zoey is yelling at Rythian to stop staring off into space and help her with something.

Rythian was staring at…me. Well not me, in the direction of my castle. He's couldn't possible see me from that distance…It looks as though are eyes met and I see violet flash though his.

And then I see nothing. The telescope goes dark and I pull away from it immediately. I heard the cracking noise so I know what happened but how it happened is another story. Had it been Rythian? No…that's impossible. Not from this distance….

Regardless of how it happened, the lens to my telescope is now scattered at the base of my castle in a million pieces.