Sorry. This chapter took so long to write! Again, I have my ideas… but they require those fillers to help out. It's longer so hopefully I am forgiven. :)

The song for this chapter is: Get Back by the Beatles (I just heard the new Glee version for this… I love it cause it's got Lea Michele and Chris Colfer! Love those two together!).

Adam POV

It felt like hours before I saw any sign of life. I walked through bunches of trees before I spotted the shine of budder armor. It had been forever since I seen sights of that kind. It brought me back to that moment in the temple. So peaceful. I could stand there and be engulfed in the loads of budder… it wouldn't have been the same if Marley was in that position. She would have never gone inside in the first place. Maybe Sky was right. Maybe I was the rightful heir of the Sky Army.

"Adam?" A familiar voice said over the silence of the forest. I glanced around to see the man in the budder armor reveal himself along with two others, Mat and Ian.

"Ty?" I questioned. He nodded. I ran up to Ty and gave him a giant hug. This was unusual for me. I wasn't really the sensitive type, but I had just lost most of my family from the squids. And speaking of squids, four of them appeared behind Ty. Upon setting my sights on them, I backed up, shaking, "Ty…?"

"Adam, it's okay. They're with us," Mat told me.

"Are you sure that you're not brainwashed?"

Ian laughed, "We would try to kill you if we were."

"He he."

The main squid stepped forward, "My name is Derpioso. I know that your cousin Marley is in good hands."

"How? With who?"

"His name is Chase. I don't really want to go over this again."

"Uh… okay. Why are you with them anyways?"

"Cause I hate Derpollous. Simple as that."

"Okay. Tristan and Sky are with the squids..."

"ADAM?!" A voice rung my ears. I thought it was a dream. She couldn't have found me. I thought she had been kidnapped and killed by the squids. I thought she was dead.

"Mom?" A stream of blonde hair rushed out of the trees, running to me and wrapping her arms around my torso. I returned the hug. "Mom… I missed you…"

"I missed you too, hunny."

iEcho appeared from the corner of my eye. She was crying and wiped a few tears with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Tristan is with the squids?" she questioned. We all became silent until I let go of Sierra and hesitantly nodded. She continued, "We need to save him."

"Sky is there too. I left both of them… Sky is gonna get killed!"

"We know," Ty told me, "Derpollous has a television show called Budder Must Die. Derpioso told us."

I acknowledged Derpioso with a nod and stepped back so everyone could see me, "Our group can't go in there alone. I say we take the Sky Army remaining recruits, recruits from the Dwellers, Swifters, etc."

"There's more groups," Mat said, "Illusionists, Enderdragons, Homies, Yosh and Snowy."

"Iceland and her group, Taylor, Polska, Alec… Jerome!"

"Jerome?" iEcho asked.

"He stayed with my new friends Polska and Alec. I don't know where they went, cause he wasn't with the squids."

"Well in that case," Ty mentioned, "We've gotta find him."

"I know. Let's get going."

I led the others and noticed that my mother and iEcho trailed in the back. They begun whispering to each other.

"He's so much like his father," iEcho whispered.

"Yes. I know. I'm proud yet scared for him. Unlike his father, he doesn't know the dangers of what's really out there."

"I agree. You and Jordan should have told him everything."

"I'm beginning to regret that decision."

Overhearing their conversation, I turned my head slightly to face them, but I didn't dare to confront the women who I'd known for years.

Marley POV

"Anything else I should know about you now that we practically lied to each other earlier today?" Chase asked.

"It wasn't lying," I replied, "We were ignoring the obvious."

"You're right."

"I'm right?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't be so harsh on you."

"You weren't harsh…"

"I feel like I am."

"Nope. You're good."

"Just good?"

I nodded trying to ignore his eyes.

He questioned again, this time more sarcastically, "Just good?"

I nodded yet again, holding in a laugh.

"Good?" He smiled, running and lifting me up. I finally burst out laughing. Chase put me down on my feet.

"Chase!" I giggled, "Put me down!"

"You like it?"

"How am I supposed to answer that?"

"How do you think you are?"

"Yes?"

"Yes."

I leaned up against a nearby tree and attempted to breath normally after laughing so hard.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grinning.

"Yeah. I'm good… wait… great."

He quickly nodded, "Nice choice."

Loud stomps were heard echoing through the forest. Chase stopped, holding me by the arm. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, "I think we've been caught."

I paused and glared around, biting my lower lip.

"Not again," I thought to myself, "First with Taylor, second with Chim, and now with Chase? This can't be happening."

"Chase? Derpollous's Chase?" A unfamiliar voice questioned in a unfamiliar language. A squid wearing a large obsidian helmet revealed himself, grinning.

"Derpity," Chase responded, not sending out any emotion. He also spoke in a foreign tongue but I could easily translate it when I figured out its pattern, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. And her."

Chase glanced over at me, "She's with me. I got distracted… but now… I'm fine."

"Distracted huh? Why don't I lead you two back to HQ?"

"I'm fine, Derpity. No need to baby me. I'm eighteen years old."

"Alright. If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'm coming for blood. Yours."

Chase gulped and watched Derpity leave with the other squids.

"What was that about?" I whispered.

"We should leave."

"Leave?"

"Marley, I'm in love with you. Even though I've known you… what… five hours… I want you to… marry me."

I widened my eyes in shock, "Marry you?"

"And after that, we can find a new dimension to live in… and not have to worry about our fathers. There can be harmony and peace and… us. Please."

"Uh… Chase… I don't know. My dad is still with the squids… I… kind of need him first."

"So… what does that mean?"

"It means… no." I shook my head.

He stared at me in disbelief, "No?"

"I'm sorry. It's just way too soon."

"I understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He gritted his teeth and sat down on grass beneath us, now dried up from the presence of the squids.

I sighed and sat next to him, "I still like you."

He slightly smiled and laid down on the grass, eventually closing his eyes. I did the same, lying up against him.

I opened my eyes to find Chase gone and the forest dead silent. It scared me. Yawning, I stood up and searched for anything, at that point, I wanted to see a squid.

But fortunately I ran into a man with budder armor. I nervously glanced up to find the reassuring face of my dad's friend, Ty. He helped me up and I wiped excess dirt onto my black dress. I also fixed the hat on my head.

"Adam, Sierra, iEcho, Mat, Ian, and a few of our friends are here."

I searched around and caught my eye on Adam and Sierra chatting, "Adam?"

"Yep. He's here." Ty smiled.

I glared at him and tightened my eyebrows, "I wasn't talking to you." Rolling my eyes, I walked away from Ty and towards Adam and Sierra. I tapped my cousin on the shoulder. He gasped.

"Marley!" He surprisingly hugged me and then backed off quickly, "Sorry. I feel in a hugging mood today."

I chuckled, "It's okay. I have a question. Who is Ty referring to when he means 'friends?'"

"You may not like it… but a couple of squids have supposedly joined us…"

"Which ones?"

"Um…" Adam glanced over at my aunt Sierra, "Their leader's name is Derpioso…"

"Oh! Chase and him are friends!"

Derpioso happened to overhear his friend's name being called out so he slid over to us, "So you were with Chase! Where is he?"

"I don't know. I woke up and he was gone."

"Dang it. Derpity caught him. I told you two to get out of there before it was too late."

"We did! And then…"

"He got caught."

"Not quite."

I explained what had happened to Derpioso. He sighed, "Well that's it for him."

"What do you mean?!"

"His dad's gonna kill him."

Adam tilted his head, "Dad?"

"Uh… yeah. He's the son of a squid."

"So a hybrid?"

"No."

I interrupted, "He's not a hybrid?"

"It's a long story. His father doesn't want me to reveal this to him and he shouldn't know until the time is right…"

I whispered aloud to myself, "So I'm not going insane… I have to save him."

"What did you say?" Sierra sweetly asked me.

"I need to save him," I repeated more loudly, "Chase… he… he…" I tried to think of an excuse other than admitting that I liked him, "He saved me from Derpollous. I want to thank him. So I need to save him. Will you help me?"

"No. Sky as our leader is a priority," Mat told me, "Your friend… Chase? We can get him afterwards."

"Can't I just go by myself…?"

"No!" Ty exclaimed, "I can't let you leave again!"

"I'll join her," Derpioso told Ty, "I know that base by heart…"

"No! If you do, I'll explain to your father about who Chase really is and what he really means to you."

"How do you know?" I stared at him.

"I can tell. I doubt that the others do, but I've had someone who meant a lot to me get killed. I don't want that to happen to you and your father. Family is more important than some boy."

I felt chills run up my spine and I straightened my back, "Fine."

"I don't care what you say," Derpioso said, "I'm saving my friend. Marley, I wish you the best."

I ignored the squid and moved up closer to Sierra, who I let put her arms around me.

The squids shook their tentacles with Ty, Ian, and Mat and begun their journey back to the Squid Army HQ.

I thought about running away. That was no way to treat me. Ty should've known better. Know better next time or there will be consequences.

Chase is kidnapped and not a squid hybrid, Adam needs to find allies of the Sky Army to help save Sky, and there have been several happy reunions. If only Jordan was free from the Nether…