[Todd]

First thing I notice is that I'm real cold.

I open my eyes quick, the clear blue sky right above me. I try to sit up towards it, but I can't, cuz somethin real heavy is holdin me down. When I look from left to right, I see it's cuz I'm buried in the snow from the neck down.

I flail my arms and legs in a panic, sendin snow up into the air till it's no longer coverin me. Then I stand, legs wobbly at first from bein frozen still, but not enough to keep me from lookin for Viola.

"Viola!" I shout, or try to shout, but it don't come out too loud cuz my throat is all scratchy. I try my Noise instead.

Viola?! I say now. I'm turnin round in circles, markin up the snow underneath my boots, tryin to figure out where she's at. I'm no longer in the forest, a real far distance from it actually, and I start to wonder how I got all the way out here. Last I can remember, we were just at the river, Eric sendin his army on us, our Noise burstin, and then we were out. Did the explosion hurt her? Did I lose her again-

No-

I won't believe it-

I didn't lost her-

I won't lose her-

Not never again.

VIOLA? My Noise pleads, even louder now. Its obvious she ain't out here, pointless to keep lookin around the snow. So I turn, runnin back into the forest, callin and callin for her, and I don't let myself panic, not till I got a reason to-

I ain't got to run any further before I make it back to the river. I let out a sigh of relief when I see Viola there, buried in the snow just like I was, her body unmovin. Steff and Hildy and Bradley are all standin near her, talkin quietly amongst themselves. I can make out some of the conversation in Lee's Noise, but what they're sayin ain't too much of interest to me right now. So instead of listenin I run straight to Viola, my Noise determined to get to her, to make sure she's okay. My Noise gets the groups attention, and they all turn to me with expressions that I wouldn't expect. I try to ask em if she's okay, but instead, panic passes over there faces and in Bradley's Noise. They all group up together, blocking Viola from my sight, and I'm wonderin what's goin on until I hear Ben call from behind me-

Todd! No!

Before I know it, he's grabbin me around the shoulders and attacking me into the snow.

Ben! What are yer doin?! I holler, tryin to squirm out of his grasp, but failin.

You can't go to her right now. It's too dangerous. Ben says.

What do yer mean I can't go to her? It's Viola! I ask, still fightin.

You two just caused a massive explosion with your Noise. Ben says, remindin me of the incident that

just happened.

Well we ain't about to do it again! I just need to see if she's okay! I say to him. Every muscle in my body is on fire, beggin me to stop fightin, but I don't. Not until I get back to Viola.

Cuz I promised her I would.

But Ben don't quit holdin me down, either. Instead he takes the time to tell me what's goin on.

The two of you can't be near each other right now. Even after you both passed out from the explosion that your Noises created, you continued to send off extremely powerful surges of light. It nearly blew down the entire forest - we had to separate the two of you a great distance just to get it to stop. You both were also overheated, so we had to bury you in the snow. Viola suffered a little more than you did. The Spackle think it's because she's not as used to her connection as you are.

I can barely make sense of wut Ben is tellin me. All I'm hearin is that he won't allow me to see Viola, my Viola, which only makes me want to get to her more. I get a sudden boost of energy and strength, enough to finally push Ben off of me and sprint over to where she's buried in the snow.

"Todd pup! You gotta back up there!" Hildy hollers at me.

VIOLA! I shout, ignorin their protests and runnin on anyways, hopin that maybe she'll hear me.

"Bradley, go stop him!" Steff yells, terrified. Bradley looks like he don't want to do it, and he even says an apology to me in his Noise before he comes runnin right for me. Once we're close enough he grabs me by the shoulders, tryna push me back, but I don't let him. I shove him as hard as I can, back into the snow, and keep runnin until I'm finally by Viola's side.

"Viola..." I whisper, crouchin down beside her. She ain't awake but she is breathin. I touch my fingertips to her face and notice her skin is hot, even tho she's layin in the snow.

Hildy and Steff and Bradley and Ben all stand over me now.

"See, ain't nothin bad gonna happen." I tell them all.

"Maybe now that you're both calmed down, it's safe." Bradley says. I take my eyes off of Viola and look up to him.

"What are yer doin here? I thought you didn't want nothin to do with the mission no more?" I ask him.

Bradley crosses his arms. "I wasn't. But when I heard you got Viola captured... I had to help."

My lips form a tight line. Bradley is clearly blamin me for Eric gettin a hold of Viola. And even tho I promised to get her out, I wasn't the one who did it. So I ain't mad at him for thinkin that.

And no one is blamin me for it more than I already am, myself.

"It's okay, Todd." Bradley says, reading the apologetic feelings in my Noise. "She's safe now. So we think."

We all turn our attention back to Viola. Her eyelashes are flutterin, her heart beat pickin up, her Noise searching for something. We all hold our breath, waitin to see if she'll wake up, waitin to see if she's actually okay. Her lips part slightly, eyes barely open, when she finally says in a low whisper, "Todd?"

"It's okay, Viola. I'm right here." I tell her, then hurriedly start movin the snow off her body. "Help me get her out!"

Everyone joins the effort, throwin snow to the sides until she's uncovered. We help her sit up - for some reason she feels much heavier than usual. When she's kinda sittin up, supported from behind by Hildy, she finally looks at me, eyes wide, full of worry-

"Todd, what happened? Are you okay?"

And as soon as my Noise matches the worry in her Noise-

And as soon as I grab her hand, to show her that I'm okay, that I'm here, right here for her-

It happens again.

It ain't as strong as the first time, but a powerful force builds between mine and Viola's hands, so strong that a light forms and it blows us back a couple of feet. I go tumblin backwards thru the snow while Viola goes tumblin in the other direction. Ben and Bradley are pushed back too.

I wince before sittin up on my knees, lookin confused at the palms of my hands.

"What the hell was that?" I ask. Ben stands up next to me, shakin snow outta his hair.

I told you. He says. More like a brother who's teasin than my father. Your Noises overreact when you're overly emotional.

I look across the snow, watching as Hildy helps Viola stand up. Her back is turned away from me, but I can feel all kinds of worry comin from Viola's Noise, and her worryin mixed with my worryin makes that same feelin spark in my palms. I take two steps towards her just to test it, and it turns out that they're right, that the closer I get to her, the more powerful it gets. Ben puts a hand on my chest and holds me back.

Let her calm down first. Ben says to me.

"She ain't gonna calm down." I tell him, a matter of fact. "It's Viola."

Ben shrugs as Bradley walks up to us. "She will. But as long as your emotions are running rampant, you two need to stay separated."

I shake my head at them. "No. You can't keep us apart, I just got back to her!"

I look out the corner of my eye, seein Viola arguin with Hildy and Steff, pointin in my direction. She's probably arguin about the same thing as I am.

Cuz it ain't fair.

They can't keep us apart-

"We aren't the ones keeping you apart, your Noise is." Bradley says. "The second either one of you starts to worry or fear for the other, you blast each other and the rest of us."

And I would prefer not to be thrown around. Ben says.

"Well, yer gonna have to figure somethin out. Cuz I ain't stayin away from her for forever."

But obviously I'd be stayin away from her now. Hildy, Steff, and a female Spackle grab Viola by the wrists and walk her towards the trees. Viola keeps lookin back, eyes directly on me, and fight or flight causes me to run in their direction. Bradley and Ben have to stop me.

Todd, she's fine! Ben has to say to me for the millionth time, it seems like.

"Where are they takin her?" I ask. When they don't tell me automatically I yell it thru my Noise.

WHERE ARE THEY TAKING HER?

Ben jumps at the use of my Noise before he finally says it. There are a few Spackle who've taken refuge in this forest. They saw what happened between you and Viola and were more than willing to help you both recover. But they're even more fascinated with your connection to the Land, and each other's Noise, especially since you're both human and not from here. Their knowledge of this land should help figure out what's going on between you two.

I blink a few times, thinkin.

"Let me go, too." I say. Viola's had her Noise for a while now, but we still ain't figure out what caused it. There hasn't been much time to, with survivin the snowscape and fightin Eric, but now is as good a time as ever to figure it out, without Eric on our backs.

Bradley shakes his head in agreement.

"You'll get the chance to be seen by the Spackle." Bradley says. "Just not at the same time as Viola."

"Well how else am I supposed to know what's goin on with her?!" I yell.

Bradley makes a face like he's annoyed with my temper. And it shows in his Noise.

"Don't worry, Todd. I'm gonna stay and make sure she's alright. And you could always com her." Bradley says.

I form a tight line with my lips. When you got a connection like Viola and I do, using the com device is a huge disappointment. I can't feel her emotions, can't see the expressions on her face-

But it looks like that's gonna be my only option.

But only for now.

Cuz I'm gonna find my way back to her.

You'd best believe I am.

"Alright. Well when do I see the Spackle then?" I say, kind of irritated.

Right now, actually. We'll take you to them. Ben says. He starts walkin in the opposite direction of where Viola went, and I get one last urge to run after her, but I don't. Instead I follow my father, reluctantly, and just hope that she's ruddy goin to be okay.

...

Do you feel any better? 1017 asks me. I jump up from the cot I'm lyin on, startled by the sound of his voice.

My apologies. He says. I should've known you were trying to get some rest.

I sit up as he joins me in the tent.

"Barely. I feel like I haven't slept in ages. And when I am sleepin, it's either against my will, cuz someone tranquilized me, or I'm havin a nightmare." And it's so sadly true that I laugh at the irony of it.

But 1017 takes what I say seriously. There's a look of sadness on his face as he sits in the Spackle chair next to me.

I'm sorry to hear you're so restless. He tells me. I shrug.

"Don't be. That's just how it is." I say, rubbin my neck.

Maybe you'll be able to sleep better knowing that your companion is okay. He says, referrin to Viola.

"Really? What's goin on with her?" I ask.

Well, her temperature has gone down dramatically. And her Noise has calmed down. She's not as worried as she was before. Now that she knows you're okay. He tells me.

I feel my own Noise calm down, hearin that she's alright. I throw the blanket off of me and prepare to get out of the bed, but 1017 stops me.

Not yet, Todd. He says, steppin forward and blockin me in.

"Why is everyone tellin me not yet? I haven't seen her since she got captured. I need her to know I'm here." I say, feelin tears formin in my eyes.

She knows you're here. He assures me. And you'll be able to see her really soon. But first you need to understand what's going on with the two of you.

"Okay, well hurry up and tell me so I can get over there." I say, sittin back down.

1017 pulls out a com to get Ben and Bradley, who both show up a few minutes later with Lee, also. I guess they're all curious about what's goin on with me and Viola's Noise. But not more than I am. I'm itchin for them to tell me I can finally see her.

When everyone is settled in 1017 finally starts explainin.

So it's not secret that Viola has acquired Noise. He starts. But it is a lot different from ours. She can only communicate with feelings, and Todd is also the only one who can read them. As well as the Land.

"Why am I the only one?" I ask him. "And why don't other girls have it?"

A few of the female Spackle say that her Noise wouldn't exist without her love for you. It is a connection that only forms between couples, though just saying you're a couple isn't enough. The connection has to be deeper than that. Something The Land recognizes as undying, and completely devoted. Which is what you two have. He says.

I try my best to understand what he's sayin, kinda gettin it but mostly not.

"So what does that have to do with me not gettin to see her?" I ask.

The explosion that the two of you made came from extreme emotions of fear and worry for the other person. He says.

I shrug. "So what? We're ruddy always worried about each other."

Not like this. After being captured and separated, you were more fearful for each other than usual.

I shake my head from side to side. "Well, the longer you keep us apart like this the worse it's gonna get." I say. Not to mention we're gonna have to get movin soon, with Eric still out there somewhere...

"What happened to Eric?" I say. I haven't even thought of em since wakin up. Was he missin? Did our Noise kill him?

"Eric and his army got away." Bradley says, reading my Noise. "He ran off, deeper into the forest. Matthew followed after him."

I sigh, frustrated that the explosion didn't get rid of him then and there. And then I think about Matthew, and his plan...

"He's probably gonna kill him." I whisper.

Who? Ben catches me.

"Matthew. He's gonna kill Eric." I admit.

"All on his own?" Bradley asks, and I nod.

"I was shocked too. Didn't think he had it in him... but it's gonna have to be done. Eric can't be reasoned with like we thought." I think back to the crazy things he said to me, about the crazy ritual he wanted me to perform. That man is far from capable of compromisin with us.

Which means there's only one choice left.

And that is to kill him.

We'd better be on our way to him, then. Ben says. He can't face Eric and his army alone.

We can't go until Todd and Viola are safe to be around each other. 1017 adds quickly.

"I thought you said we would be soon?" I bring up.

No, that's not a bad idea. Give it just a little longer, Todd. Ben says. You both need to collect yourselves, get some rest. Then we'll leave. Ben says.

I try to tell him that it ain't gonna work, that being a part for so long is only gonna get us more anxious and worried. But they don't listen to me, and instead leave me in the tent, all the way until it's nighttime. I try to force thoughts of Viola out of my head until I'm almost asleep. But then the comm in my jacket pocket starts ringin. I groan before reachin for it, my eyes still closed. But when I hear her voice greetin me on the other end, they instantly shoot open.

"Viola! Are yer okay?" I ask her, sittin up.

"Yes. Are you okay?" She asks me back.

"Yeah, I'm good. Where are you? What did they say to you?" I ask her, planning on runnin straight to her once she tells me.

"You can't come this way, Todd, I've gotta go to you." She says.

I squint my eyes. "Why can't I? Are you in some sort of danger?"

Viola exhales before respondin. "No, not danger. The female Spackle are just... scared. Scared of what you and I can do now. With our Noise."

"Well, they ain't too excited about it over here either." I tell her, thinkin of Ben and Bradley.

"I bet. Everyone's so freaked out." Viola pauses. "But Todd, they have a reason to be."

"I mean, as long as we keep our emotions under control, we'll be fine." I say, even tho that's probably not likely.

"It's not just that." She says. I start to ask her why until she tells me, "Give me ten minutes and I'll be there to explain."

"No, Viola let me go to you. It's dark and you'll be alone."

"Todd. Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" She says. Now it sounds like she's walkin on the other end of the comm, completely ignorin my protests to not go alone.

"Well, at least stay on the com with me until you get here." I say.

"If I do that they might hear me sneaking away." She says, whisperin now. "Just try to stay calm until I get there."

Viola hangs up against my will, so there ain't nothin left for me to do but wait. I try my hardest not to worry, cuz if I'm worried, she'll worry, and then we might blow up the forest again. But that ain't what happens when Viola finally gets here. I feel her Noise before I see her and go to open the flaps of the tent to let her in.

I almost don't believe she's actually here, standin just inches away from me, after bein separated for so long, after not knowing if we'd ever see each other again. And we both stand that way for a long time, just starin at each other in disbelief, sharin feelings of joy and happiness and love in each other's Noise, until I finally reach for her, wrappin an arm around her waist, pullin her closer to me, and hers go around my neck, and we embrace in a hug so tight it hurts, until-

A light forms between us-

And a powerful force builds-

Viola jumps away.

"We've gotta learn to control that." She says. "Our Noise almost exploded again."

I shake my head, frustrated. "But how? We can't control the way we feel about each other. It just... happens."

Viola takes a deep breath, then moves a little closer into the tent. "I don't know, Todd. But I might have an idea."

"Okay. Tell me." I ask, eager.

She don't say right away, just takes a seat on the bed. I sit beside her, tempted to grab her hand in mine, but don't. It feels strange, not being able to. Strange that the very thing keepin us together is also keepin us apart.

But Viola seems to not notice, and she starts explainin things to me instead. "The Spackle who helped me recover said that our connection is really rare. Only couples have it, when they're really really close. Like we are."

"Yeah, I know. That's all they've been tellin me." I say to her.

"But that's not it." She says, then pauses, swallows, before speakin. "Eric wasn't wrong, Todd. Noise does have the potential to end the SnowScape. Our Noise, together, has the potential to end the SnowScape."

I stare at Viola blankly for so long that she waves a hand in front of my face. "Hello? Todd?"

"What makes you think that Eric is right about anything?" I ask her.

"I didn't say that he's completely right. We don't need to walk into fire or say some prayer or kill the Spackle in order to end it. But our Noise, Todd? Our Noise literally created light. Imagine what else it could do!" Viola says, a smile spreadin across her face, her Noise rattlin all over.

"Who told you this?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"No one told me. I figured it out myself. Matter of fact, when I brought it up to the female Spackle, they said I was wrong." She says. I blink a few times, givin her a confused look.

"So yer probably not right then." I tell her. And boy does she ever give me a look.

"No, Todd, I'm not. The way the Spackle told me I was wrong.. it was suspicious. Like she was covering up the truth." Viola says.

"Why wouldn't she want us to know the truth?" I ask.

Viola stands now, starts pacin like she does when she's really onto somethin.

"Think about it, Todd. You and I have a very strong connection. To each other, and to The Land. When we're together, we have the potential to create explosions. Create actual light. Maybe even stop the entire SnowScape. And if we can stop an entire snowstorm - what else do you think we're capable of? Together?" She's got a real excited look on her face, and I'm really not understandin why.

"I don't know." I say.

She sighs, then explains it to me. "Anything, Todd. We'd be capable of doing anything. We could control this entire planet if we wanted to. If we both believed in it as strongly as we feel for each other, then it could happen."

And then it starts to click-

Not just the fact that we ruddy could control anything-

But the fear from all our friends-

The fear from all the Spackle-

To hand over all that power to Viola and I-

"That's why they're keepin us apart." I whisper, but am really askin myself if it's true. Would Ben and Bradley and Lee and Hildy really keep us apart... cuz they don't want us to be too powerful? Cuz they don't trust us to use it for good?

"I don't think they would." Viola says, readin me. "They just think we're a danger to each other. But the Spackle definitely don't trust us. After seeing what Eric can do, they don't want humans with that kind of power in our Noise. That's why I said you couldn't come over earlier."

Viola sits down next to me, but she don't say nothin else, allowin me to think the situation over for a minute. If our Noise is the last chance we've got to save this planet, to end the SnowScape and Eric's horrible plan, then we've gotta do it. But how do we know it's safe, that we wouldn't just blow up the entire planet or hurt ourselves, like we did last time?

"That's what we'd be risking." She says quietly. "But I don't think it would hurt us, Todd. I can just feel that it won't."

And I look at her, and read her Noise, and can't help but to see the truth in what she's sayin.

And of course it wud end up this way-

Me and Viola-

Together since the start of it all-

Being the ones to save it all.

"Okay." I finally say to her, now takin the risk of grabbin her hand. Light shines through the space between our fingers, but no explosion happens. Our Noises are full but controlled. Determined but calm. It's like we've already learned to keep it under control.

But best believe we'll use it if we have to.

Viola smiles before I ask her, "so what's yer plan? What do we do?"

"I don't know if you're gonna like it." She says. "But I think you and I need to go after Eric alone. Get rid of him, save Matthew, and use our Noise to end the SnowScape, if we can. If we take the whole group with us we could be risking their safety. And I don't want to put them in harms way if it doesn't work out-"

"Alright." I say, interruptin her. Viola looks surprised at how suddenly I agree to her plan, and even I'm a little bit shocked. But the feelin that's comin from our Noise is tellin me that this is right. For the first time since this whole mission started, I can actually believe that this plan is right. Viola and I were meant to do this. Cuz what they're forgettin is that we ran across this planet together, killed Aaron, killed the mayor, built up a whole new community, survived bein tortured, tranquilized, and caputred. And now we've got actual powers? It don't get no more right than that. Me and Viola together, with our Noise?

He won't stand a chance.

"Okay." Viola says, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, the power of our Noise swirlin in between our hands. "We'll leave tonight."