Are you excited to read today's chapter? I hope you are! A little break from straight plot, so that I can dabble in a bit of a minor plot. Have fun reading the story I DON'T OWN.

E
M

I just stood there, crying. Everyone else hurried to fix something- anything,really- but I couldn't do much more than speak. Dan had been one of my best friends, besides Bree and Troy, whom I call Teejay.

Teejay stood there, next to me, stoic. I saw him facing me out of the corner of my blurred vision.

"Em, I'm sorry," Teejay eventually spoke.

"It's okay. It wasn't anybody's fault. I'm just..." I replied.

"Terrified and sad. You were close to Dan," He finished my sentence.

"I was. It's terrible to say was. He was only 15. But only the first casualty in what will probably be a long war against Aphophis."

"Exactly. Em, I know that this is really hard and sad, but we're here now," I finally turned my eyes away from the blood on the floor, to look at Teejay. "Nobody's going to stop us for supporting anybody, and we can work to become better Magicians. I know that you will be an excellent Healer, and that Sekhmet should be honored that a great person like you is following her."

Teejay walked away silently, and I turned back to the spot. I walked to the kitchen, found some bleach and a few rags, and began to clean up the floor. While I did so, my mind wandered, which I suppose was healthy, considering what had just happened.

Dan wasn't meant to die, was he? Was it all part of the big picture, or did nothing go together? Were we here for a reason, or was there no point in life? I couldn't be sure until I died. Dan knew now.

Such a shame that he died. He had amazing ability, but he had only practiced Magic for a few years. His powers were limited, and he couldn't do certain spells without expending himself.

But what Teejay had said was right. It's good that we were at the 43rd Nome, despite Dan's death. Teejay was often right. He could be exactly correct, and know what I felt at any given moment.

That's how Teejay was different. Bree often had to guess at how I felt, and vice versa, but Teejay could look me straight into the eyes and know exactly what I was thinking. Maybe that's why I liked him so much. And after what had happened in the 1st Nome two days ago, I was forever indebted to him.

Short, and a bit of implied one-sided fluff at the end, if any of you caught it. I know that I was going to have them meet a god this chapter, but I think it needed some fluff and angst thrown in. So, have a good evening! I might not be able to update on time next week, so if I can't, have a blessed Christmas!

-Broadway4eva