Aiden didn't sleep that night.

He was troubled. Maya had become a power-hungry tyrant (much like himself, except she was successful), Gill was dead, and Lukas hated him.

He had nobody.

Nobody here, and nobody back home.

Myra didn't seem very fond of Aiden, Petra was more of a grudging acquaintance, and Jesse...

Well, Jesse could probably pass for his friend.

His thoughts diverted to Gill. Lukas had said Maya hadn't told them about the cause of Gill's demise.

"Aiden?" A voice piped up. "You're up?"

Aiden turned. "Um, yeah," he said to Jesse.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, her emerald eyes wide. Aiden shook his head microscopically in response. He was definitely not okay.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Aiden whispered, struggling to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes.

"Maya told us something about Gill..." Jesse said, looking uncertain.

Gill.

"I know he's dead, Jesse," Aiden snapped.

"Oh,"

Aiden didn't mean to snap at Jesse. He was frustrated. He regretted everything. He wanted to be back home, with Lukas and Gill and Maya, planning out how to build their rainbow beacon, and how the Ocelots were going to crush Jesse and her team. He wanted himself to wake up in his bed, back home, and realize everything was a dream.

The wither storm, Sky City.

Everything.

"Jesse?" Aiden started.

"Yeah?"

"Do you wish the wither storm never happened?"

"It's complicated," Jesse said, in a small voice. "On one hand, I made friends like Lukas and Petra," she paused, before adding, "And you,"

"Mhm," Aiden said, fighting a smile.

"While on the other, I lost some," she continued, "l-like, R-Reuben," she said, choking up, "and possibly Axel and Olivia,"

Aiden felt the knot in his stomach tighten.

Petra hated mornings. They were the coldest, gloomiest time of day. The only thing that got her started was a hit of caffeine, the source preferably being a strong cup of coffee.

Which there was a painful lack of.

Petra rolled off the bed, and onto the floor.

"Jesseeeeee," she groaned, raising her hand for Jesse to grab it.

Which she did.

"How did a person this lazy go to the nether and get Ivor a wither skull?"

"I didn't do that in the morning," Petra defended.

Jesse sighed. "You hungry?" She asked, holding out a loaf of bread.

"Very," Petra replied, and plucked it out of her hands.

"So," she mumbled, her mouth full. "What're we gonna do today?"

"Nothing," Lukas said. "We're all tired and injured."

"Who's injured?" Aiden asked.

"Look at your arm, dumbass," Myra hissed.

There was, indeed, a huge gash on Aiden's arm, dried blood caked on it. Aiden's eyes widened as he examined it, as if he hadn't noticed it.

"Dude, you gotta get some bandages on that," Petra commented, popping the remnants of her bread into her mouth. Aiden sighed, and got up, heading out of the cabin. Within seconds, he came back in, his face pale.

"You guys need to get out here,"

The inhabitants of the cabin made a beeline for the exit. Petra went last, a little worried.

A small crowd had formed a few feet away from their cabin. Petra approached it, and her stomach dropped.

Lying, on the ground, bruised, cut and bloody, was someone entirely unexpected. His beard had grown longer and unruly, his matted, dark hair stained darker with dried blood, his leather jacket reduced to shreds.

Gill.

He's alive!

Aiden reached for Gill, intending to lift him, and take him to the medical cabin.

But Gill was gone.

Aiden's stomach dropped.

He looked around frantically, confused and worried, at the baffled faces of his companions.

"Whaa...?" Petra slurred.

Confused, Aiden stood up. He began to walk away (he didn't know where) when he caught glimpse of shattered glass. He refrained from rolling his eyes.

Not again.

Of course. Only a potion of hallucination could make people see the impossible. Relieved, yet disappointed, he strode toward Ivor's cabin, and rapped impatiently on the door.

"Ivor!"

The door creaked open, revealing a harried-looking Ivor. "What do you want, kid?" He said.

"Did you drop another one of those hallucination potions?"

"No, I dropped my only one up in that blasted zombie island," he said. "Wait, what happened?"

"We saw Gill," Aiden explained. "But it was just the potion,"

"Well, it wasn't one of mine,"

"What do you mean, it wasn't Ivor's!?"

"I meant that it WASN'T IVOR'S!? What else would I mean, you numbskull?"

Petra was witnessing a heated, and rather unnecessary, argument between Lukas and Aiden. It was very annoying, and was beginning to make her impatient.

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Petra yelled, causing both parties to fall silent. "Lukas, what don't you understand by, the potion was not Ivor's? And Aiden, can you quit being so freaking annoying?"

"What did I do?" Aiden whined.

"What are you, five?" Lukas grumbled.

"You're such an idiot!" Aiden said.

"Petra said shut up." Jesse said, in a dangerously low voice.

"You know, while you were bickering like children," Myra said, holding a piece of paper, "this note slid in from under the door.

"What does it say?" Jesse asked, anxious. She watched impatiently as Myra unfolded the note.

"I see you've received my note," Myra read, squinting. "My potion got you good, didn't it? I could've had you killed so easily. But I want you to suffer. Good luck finding your precious book. Signed, Maya."

There was an uneasy pause after Myra finished reading the note.

"Well, that was exquisitely mean," Jesse remarked, stunned. "Why does she want us to suffer?"

"She probably thinks Lukas and Aiden betrayed her," Petra whispered, after an odd sort of silence. "And she hates us anyway," she added, gesturing toward herself and Jesse.

Jesse looked at Lukas, and then Aiden, both of whom looked unfathomably sad.

Tenth chapter! I dedicate this one to FeathersOfFancy (thank you; you're the only person who got the pun), who almost made me cry tears of joy when they reviewed my work.

This chapter wasn't my best work, but I hope you liked it!

See ya next chapter,

~a conflicted burger.