Hello, people. It's me.

I'm not dead.

Hallelujah.

*Insert choral voices*

Anyways, I've had this one written for a long time, but I kept redoing it because I couldn't quite find the words I wanted for this particular chapter. I eventually decided to post it like this because nothing else was really working for me. I hope you like it.

My pulse thuds in my ears as I slit my eyes against the dim lighting of the room.

My tongue is incredibly dry, like I've been out in the heat for hours with no water, but I'm absolutely freezing.

"Here." A small voice says, draping a blanket around my shoulders. "The poison will take a little while to wear off."

"Wha-" I lick my lips. "What happened?"

There's an audible sigh.

"You know what? It's probably best if you just don't try talking and rest for a couple of minutes." Jae responds, shoving back some stray blond hairs.

"That sounds like a polite way of telling me to shut up." I mutter, rubbing my temples. It's like my brain is thumping around in there and trying to get out.

I close my eyes and lean back against the couch for a few minutes, letting the pain fade.

When I open them back up again, it's just a dull throbbing.

Jae flits back and forth around the kitchen, hauling around things twice her size and nearly dropping out of the air because of it.

I'd offer to help her out, but it's kind of funny. Plus, I've still got poison running through my veins, so that's pretty much a get-out-of-helping-people free card.

Ah, poison.

I let out a huge yawn and let my eyes drift shut again.

By the time I'm up for good, Jae's waiting by a cup of something steaming with a rather concerned, mothering expression completely unlike the one I hope she uses for Tinkerbell.

"You just slept for like, 2 days straight. You really needed another nap?" She puts her hands on her hips.

"Apparently." I respond, getting up on shaky legs.

She points to the mug and orders me to drink it.

I scowl, but pick it up and let it warm my hands, breathing in the steam it gives off. It smells amazing, like apples and cinnamon and... something I can't quite place.

I choke and spit it out once I actually taste it, though.

"What IS that Jae?! My god, it tastes like death."

She gives me a pointed look, so I choke the rest of it down as quickly as I can and go for the glass of water on the counter.

A fuzzy warmth spreads to the tips of my fingers and a not too unpleasant burst of energy leaves me feeling like myself again, more or less.

"Better?"

I nod.

"Told you."

I look away sheepishly, feeling an unexplainable awkwardness that seemed completely irrational.

"So..."

She raises her eyebrows.

"What happened, exactly?"

She flaps her wings a little and hovers just above the counter.

"Gabe found you and threatened your friends, so Stryker ran away with you to wherever it is that we are. I tracked you here to tell him that you were out of time and he switched places with you so that you could go stop whatever huge war thingy that's probably coming."

"Well what made him think that I could do it?" I ask incredulously.

She gives a little shrug and puts a tiny hand on my shoulder. "He has faith in you. Don't blow it."

"Well, thanks for that vote of confidence." I mutter under my breath.

"I can't promise that you won't fail miserably, but at least you've got someone behind you."

She glances at the clock on the oven. "Now I've got to go persuade some little boys in animal costumes that their leader wants them to shoot down a Wendy-bird." The tips of her ears turn very red. "Stupid Wendy-bird."

I hide a smile behind my hand.

"I'm so so sorry. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can to help with whatever you need."

I choke down the feeling that there's something stuck in my throat. "You go ahead. I'll be fine."

She looks at her reflection in the microwave, yanking her hair back with a dark blue ribbon and tugging down on her green dress before spinning to face me. "Bye. Good luck. I'd hug you, but it's really too hard."

I give her a weak little smile. "Don't hurt Wendy too badly. She's a friend."

Jae laughs, an ugly, bitter little sound nothing like the tinkling bells I've grown accustomed to. "No promises."

Her demeanor changes as she looks back at me one more time.

"Just remember, Ivory, you're never as alone as you think you are."

I nod and watch her until she disappears among the stars. It's so dark out that there are only a few of them scattered around.

With a sigh, I shove off of the counter and go to sit back on the couch, next to Stryker's head.

"This is your fault." I smack him lightly on the shoulder. "Idiot."

If he wasn't unconscious, I knew he'd be laughing at me.

"Oh, shut up."

I bury my face in my hands. "God, what did I get us into this time?"

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I MADE A MESS OF THINGS.

OH, HOW I ENJOY IT.

REVIEEEEWWWWWWWWW.

-DICTATORSHIP