Happy new year, you awesome readers out there! It's ButterHunter here, back with yet another chapter to my story! I hope you all still enjoy this story, and the way it's all going down. I never thought anything I type on this site would get this much attention.

Anyway, let's get back to the story. We're not getting any younger here.

Chapter 20: A Fate Worse Than Death (Part 2)

Susie POV...

'Man, these woods are huge.'

That was my only thought after spending three hours in these woods. Snowy was walking along with me, looking ready to pass out. I was too, but I felt like we were close. Behind us, a gray Cameron followed silently. Every time I glanced over to look at him, it made me want to cry.

'No… Don't cry. Crying will not help you. This isn't a fairy tale from one of your books.' I thought, steeling myself again.

But I knew that if we didn't take a break soon, we would pass out from exhaustion. Thankfully, we walked right into a clearing, with a tree that had fallen over right in the middle. That is where we rested for a while, which my legs were very thankful about. I gave Snowy some food, saying, "Here. Eat this. Gotta keep our energy up for as long as possible."

Snowy scarfed down the food, thanking me for it. "Do you smell anything yet?" I asked, for probably the millionth time now.

She just shook her head, saying, "No, I don't smell any water close by. I wish we would find it."

I could relate. We had been wandering in this forest for hours now, and we had only seen two fresh water sources, both of which were very small. 'There has to be at least one. Just one is all we need.' I thought miserably to myself.

After a thirty minute break, we got up, ready to get moving again. "There's got to be a large amount of fresh water in this forest somewhere…" I said, wrapping another ribbon around one of the tree. We knew we'd need some way to tell where we were going, so that was our method of choice.

Another hour passed, and I was afraid of what we would do if it got dark out. We didn't have a shelter way out here, and it was even worse by the fact that Cameron was out of commission right now.

Just as I was about to say that we should try again tomorrow, however, Snowy picked up a scent. "I… think I found something. Yeah… that's definitely fresh water…" she said, trying to find which direction it was. Suddenly, I became ready to keep going.

"Where is it?" I said, my voice quiet. Even if it was day out, we still didn't want to make a lot of noise, in case some other beast roamed in this forest. For a while, Snowy didn't say anything, just sniffed around, trying to find the source.

"That way!" she said, pointing exactly north, according to my compass. I didn't see anything other than trees, but still, we had to try.

Again, we trudged forward. Only, Cameron started slowing down, becoming stuck on little things. Twice, I had to grab him to stop him from walking right into a rose bush. Eventually, he got to the point where… he seemed to be giving up. Only by grabbing him and pulling him along would he go anywhere.

The worse part was as we were climbing a steep hill. We couldn't go around it, because we didn't want to waste time. But ever try pulling a person who isn't trying to help up a hill? It's not fun. By the time we all got to the top, I was ready to pass out. Snowy looked a little better, but that's not saying much.

The top of the hill did give us a pretty nice view of our surroundings. From up here, I could see everything for at least a couple of miles. It was almost all trees everywhere, save for a few patches where trees might have fallen or something. But what caught my eye was a larger patch than the rest, maybe another hundred or two blocks from where we sat. And trying to focus on it… I was met with light reflections. Only one thing could have been making that. 'Water… that's where we have to go.

Even though going down was much easier than going up, still, by the time we got there, Cameron had gotten heavier than a pile of sandbags, so Snowy had to help me carry Cameron, or else we wouldn't make it.

Panting for breath, we turned a corner from behind a tree, and…

There it was. A water lake about the size of a typical pool. A small stream of water ran into it, filling it slowly with more water. Slowly, we approached, hoping to dear Notch that this was finally it. My arms were about to give in from practically carrying Cameron for this long.

We reached the water's edge, where I gently laid Cameron down. His breathing was slower than before. If this wasn't a viable spot for a spirit to be… then all this would have been for nothing.

Snowy and I went over and got on our hands and knees, looking into the water. I so badly wanted to just plunge my head in to cool off, but I didn't think that would be very good if a spirit did live here.

For a minute, nothing happened. Snowy and I were only looking at our reflections.

Then, a voice called out to us.

"Hello. Have you come to seek treatment?"

It made me jump out loud. I looked around to see who had spoken, until I realized that the voice… had came out of the water. I looked back in, saying, "Um… yes? Are you… a water spirit?"

The voice laughed. It was a soothing female voice, clear as running water. I felt myself relaxing. "Of course I am. I am a healer, in this world of hate and war."

"Then…" Snowy said, probably feeling silly talking to the water. "Can… can you show yourself? Please, ma'am…"

The voice's next words had a hint of surprise in them. "Oh goodness… I haven't shown myself, have I? My mistake."

The water gently rippled where we looked into it. Suddenly, another woman appeared in the water's reflection, right between me and Snowy. Surprised, I looked over, but no one was there, she only was in the water. Snowy looked at me, her face holding equal surprise.

"There. Not as awkward anymore?" she said, smiling at our surprised faces.

"Y-yes, ma'am. We… we need your help. Badly." I said.

"Hmmm…" the spirit said, analyzing us two. "If I may ask, why did you two come all the way out here? Other than being rather tired, both of you have no illness as far as I can see."

"Well, see, we didn't come here about us. We came here about our friend. He's lying on the ground right here, suffering from… I don't know what. We were hoping you would know." I explained, my voice cracking a bit at the end.

"Hold on. One second…" the spirit said, before disappearing. For a moment, all was calm.

Then the water rippled. Slowly at first, but soon became rather frenzied. For the center of the pool rose a beautiful woman, a gentle smile on her face. Her entire body was a bright blue. Her dress rippled in waves, her hair swayed in a non-existent breeze… it looked as though she was the embodiment of water itself.

"I am Vivianna, a friendly face in this world of torment." she said, her voice only now striking me as calming.

(FYI: I choose Vivianna for a reason. See if you can find out why.)

I was about to say something, but then Vivianna noticed Cameron, looking almost dead by the lake. "Oh gracious me! What happened?" she asked, moving over to where we were.

"I… I don't know, to be honest. One minute he was fine, but then… he became this." I said, my throat getting tighter. Cameron was still breathing, but it was still very slow.

"Hmm…" Vivianna said, looking over Cameron. She looked at him from all over, perplexed. Then, a thought came to her mind. It was obviously something she didn't like, because her face went the smallest bit paler. Gently, she reached out to touch his face, maybe to check his temperature or something. But the second she did, her hand pulled away, as if she had been shocked.

"What happened?" Snowy asked, with concern for both Cameron and Vivianna. Apparently, whatever had happened to Cameron, it really was beyond bad.

"I should've known…" Vivianna said, her voice becoming soft. When she saw my questioning look, she explained. "This poor soul here… he has been cursed with one of the most terrible afflictions in the known world. In fact… I've only seen this once before."

"What is it? Please, tell us!" I said desperately. The water spirit let out a small sigh, before she spoke again.

"This curse… it is one of the most evil and vile ones out there. It can only be given if one drinks a certain potion, but even I don't know how it is made. The effects of the potion are, well, different. First, after ingesting the potion, the victim will begin to have nightmares. But not just any nightmares, there worse, most powerful nightmares, multiplied in fear and, in some cases, pain."

I instantly knew exactly what his nightmares had been about. They must have been about that terrible night, six years ago. But… there must have been more to it than that.

"Then…" Vivianna continued. "The victim will wake up, either naturally or if forced to. But they… they are not themselves anymore. The horrible visions that they have seen will make them shells of their former selves. Sometimes, they become insane, replaying what they have seen over and over again, for the rest of their time. Other times, the victim simply shuts down, not responding to any sort of stimulus. Talking, moving… nothing. They simply don't do anything."

Snowy and I looked at each other. "That one… that one kinda matches him. But… he did make some responses before… like he accepted water if we gave him some." I said.

Vivianna nodded. "Some people can be stronger than others. Some even can fully remain like they were after the potion kicks in. But no matter what, they… they can't return back to normal. Their fate is to spend the rest of their life, if they live that long, simply… just a shell."

I was shocked. "So… so you're saying… there's nothing… nothing we can do? We… just have to let him…"

"No no no." Vivianna said, still checking over Cameron. "There is a cure, but it's… well… not exactly the safest. If done incorrectly…" she didn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to.

I looked down at Cameron. At his gray husk of a body. I knew that somewhere, somewhere deep inside, he was in there. And I wasn't going to let go of that part of him.

"Can you help him?" I said, my voice full of determination. Vivianna looked at us, and her eyes looked into mine. After a second, she spoke again.

"You'll have to help me." she said. I expected that. And I was ready. Ready to do anything to help my Cameron.

"Of course." I said, but I also realized that Snowy spoke at the exact same time. We traded one last glance with each other, before nodding. "Yes, of course we will help."

"Well, then…" Vivianna said, rubbing her hands together in a thoughtful way. "Let's get started. We don't have all day."

And so we began. Vivianna began pulling numerous things from the lake, from herbs to bottles to many, many other complicated contraptions. She began working, telling us to start mixing, pounding, shaking, stirring, and many more things. For a time, it felt like we were getting nowhere. Cameron seemed to be getting grayer and grayer by the minute.

After about ten minutes had passed us, a complex looking array of different medical herbs and spices, almost all of which had been ground to dust, were all getting poured into a giant cauldron, big enough for someone to take a bath in. Vivianna carefully stirred, every now and then changing pace. Somehow, she was able to boil the whole thing using only her hand, which looked like it was boiling itself.

"I have power over the water that makes up me. If needed, I could freeze this in five seconds, and then make it boil again in ten." she said. For a few moments, she continued to stir, adding more ingredients every now and then.

"Now… this is the most difficult part. In order for this to be completely effective, I need the most complex ingredient of all. This is completely up to you if you include this or not, but it will have a much better chance of working if you do." Vivianna said.

"What… what do you need?" Snowy asked.

"Well…" Vivianna said, thinking about what she was going to say. "I need something from one of you two. But not just anything. In order to counter the darkness in your friend, we need something that can fight it. Something to dispel the fear and anger in his heart."

"So… you need…" I said, thinking about what she was saying.

"I know it sounds rather corny," Vivianna said, "But this needs love. Something from one of you that truly shows that you care. Anything should work, a piece of hair, an old tooth, anything. As long as you care enough in your heart, it will work."

I pulled out one of the many hairs in my head, looking at it. 'If… if just a strand will save Cameron… then I'd give all my hair, anything. I just want my Cameron back to the way he always is. Funny, caring, compassionate… everything that makes him… him.' I thought.

I reached out to hand Vivianna the strand. But Snowy, who must have had the same idea, reached out with one of her own hair strands. For a second, we were both confused.

Then, Vivianna put the pieces together. "Ah… so that's why. You both care. More than anything in the world, huh? I see…" she said, slowly taking both strands and dropping them in.

The liquid in the pot violently shook. I instinctively backed up. Snowy followed likewise. The contents shone bright for the longest time.

Then, it dimmed. The potion now looked like… a soft pink color. "It is done." was all Vivianna said. She dipped a large bottle into it, and handed it to me. "Please, pour this down your friend's mouth. This will save him… if we did this right."

I took the bottle and moved to Cameron. My hands were shaking, as I literally held his life in hands. If this didn't work, if something had gone wrong…

I took another look. My lover's face was empty, almost lifeless. Seeing that… made me angry. I should have to see my love in so much pain anymore. No longer pausing, I gently opened his mouth, and poured everything the bottle had in it down his throat.

For a second, nothing happened. I felt as if we did it wrong. That Cameron wasn't going to make it.

Then… he softly glowed. Slowly at first, but soon became a shiny bright beacon of energy.

Slowly, the color returned to him. The light glowed brighter and brighter, until, it gently faded away, leaving Cameron, back to his normal color.

"Did… did it work?" Snowy asked, her voice a bit in awe.

Then, he stirred.

Cameron POV…

'Just give up. You're useless. You failed to save your own parents. What makes you so special?'

That voice, and many, many more, floated through my head. Circling me constantly, never stopping. The image played over and over again in my head, of the moment the creeper exploded that day. Then, time jumped ahead again, and I saw Susie and Snowy, the two who made my life so much better, suddenly turn on me. They stabbed me with a kitchen knife, eyes glowing red.

"We don't care about you. You're our prey!" they said, stabbing me again, and again. Of course, that was just one image. Other times, they gave me over to other monsters, or put me in a locked room with no food, or simply clocked me over the head with a frying pan. But no matter how it happened, the same feeling of despair and fear plagued my heart. I first tried to fight back. But soon, I felt like just… giving up. Susie and Snowy didn't love me anymore. To them, I was just a punching bag.

"...r…" I think I heard. I couldn't tell anymore. I was too wrapped up in sadness.

"Cam...ron." the voice said again, a bit more clearly. Some of the other voices died on the spot. Others simply started getting softer.

"Cameron… wake up. Please…" the voice pleaded to me. It was Susie's voice, I realized with a start. 'N-no… Susie doesn't love me anymore… no one does.' I thought, my mind ready to give up.

"No… Cameron, please, wake up. This is all a nightmare. Come with me. Be free." the voice said, much louder by now.

"Yes… please wake up… Master." said another voice. Snowy's voice. "I… want you back. Please… wake up."

"N-no… you both hate me now… I can't…" I said, trying to tune out the voices. But I still could hear them.

"Wake up. Please. We love you. Don't give up. Wake up." the voices said, at the same time. Slowly, my mind began to piece together everything.

"I… I don't want to… I…" I said, not even knowing what I was saying at this point. But then, the darkness warped again, but this time, no image of pain or torture showed. But instead, Susie and Snowy, both of them normal, wrapped their arms around me. Around us, we were in our house. The fire crackled in the background, light shone in from the windows, it was… everything the way it should be. Calm, happy, peaceful.

"Please… if you still care about us… then wake up." Susie said, placing her forehead on mine.

"Come back to us… leave this hell. We want you back… Master. Don't leave us." Snowy said, hugging herself into my chest tightly.

"I…" I said, emotions flooding me again. But before I could say anything else, a door, made entirely of light, appeared before me. I knew if I wanted to go back… go back to my life, with those two by my side… then I had to go forward.

I parted from the two, who cast me gentle smiles. "I… I want my life back." I said, running full sprint into the door.

Suddenly, it felt as if I was leaving behind the pain and confusion. I felt… free. I continued to run forward, wanting to come back…

And then… black.

'I… them… what…' I thought.

Then I heard a voice. "Did… did it work?"

Snowy's voice.

I tried to raise my arms. Move my legs. Do something. But I was dizzy. I felt as if I hadn't moved in years.

"Cameron?" said a voice. This time, it was Susie. That's when a rush of energy filled me, and I slowly opened my eyes.

Both Susie and Snowy looked over me, their faces white as chalk. I realized I was on the ground, on my back. I looked at one, then the other, before saying the only thing I could say in this kind of situation. "Umm… hi?"

Faster than I could keep up with, both of them suddenly bear hugged me, tears streaming down their faces. "Cameron! You're back! I… I missed you… so much…" said a sobbing Susie, barely able to contain herself.

"Master! Master! I… you're back! I…" Snowy said, unable to say anything else without totally breaking down.

"Whoa… what… when…" I said, really confused. "What is going on?"

"You… you don't remember?" Susie said, pulling back from me, tears still streaming down in buckets down her cheeks.

"N-no… last thing I remember is falling asleep in the house, next to you two… what happened?" I said, finding enough energy to sit up. Nothing around me looked familiar, this had to have been deep forest.

"You… you had something… really bad happen to you, Master." Snowy said, looking as though I had been gone forever. "You… you almost looked dead."

"Dead? What?" I said, more confused than ever. But at that moment, I noticed a woman, right in the middle of a pond, looking down happily at me. "Ummmm…. what is happening? Who is that?" I said, pointing.

The woman gently laughed, understanding my confusion at once. "Oh do not be afraid. I simply did as they asked me to: helped you get back to normal."

"Ummm… what?" I said again, still confused as to what the hell was going on.

By now, the girls had calmed down enough to actually talk to me, and explain everything. As they relived the past few days, my mind became more and more shocked.

"S-so… let me get this straight." I said, ten minutes later. "I somehow drank some weird potion, shut myself down, and then you two somehow got me here, and with the help of… Vivianna? Right, Vivianna here, you two brought me back from almost death?"

"That about sums it up." Susie said, who finally stopped crying, but still looked like she would start up again at any given time.

I couldn't believe it. These girls went through some much, all for me. Even when I was on the brink of death, they… they stuck with me, and somehow, made it all better. I… I didn't know what to say.

"I…" I started, but was interrupted as Susie kissed me full of the lips, as though she hadn't done this in a long time. I realized they probably hadn't.

"Master…" Snowy said, tears still in her eyes as she gently hugged me. So many emotions were fighting inside me, I didn't even know where to start. As soon as Susie released me, Snowy took over, kissing me as well. The both of them… they needed this. I knew that much. I caused them so much grief… tears started to well up in my eyes now.

When Snowy parted from me, I was ready to burst. "I… I'm…" I started, but was unable to get anything more out before my sadness got the better of me. Tears streamed down my face, as those two wonderful girls simply hugged me and let me cry my eyes out.

When I finally stopped, five whole minutes had passed by. "I'm.. I'm sorry… to both of you… I made you feel so much grief again… I can't stand making you sad…" I said.

"Oh, Cameron…" Susie said, hugging me tighter. "It's not your fault in the slightest. It's ours for just leaving you alone when you fell asleep. It's not your fault."

"Yeah. Don't beat yourself up over it, Master." chimed in Snowy. "What happened happened, and now, everything is better again."

I couldn't help but still feel guilty about making them feel so much grief, but they told me they didn't blame me, so I tried to let it go, at least for now. Another few minutes passed, in which we all just kinda relaxed for a while.

After a while, I realized that it was getting late. "Oh crap… are we going to be able to get home in time?" I asked. That sent the girls in a panic.

"OH NO! WE'RE SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME!" Snowy cried out, realizing everything.

"Hold on." said Vivianna. I jumped. I almost forgot that she was still there, watching everything.

"Yeah?" I said, worried about how far home was.

"Cameron, was it?" she asked. I nodded. "Okay, well, Cameron, I'll let you know, that that was the most tender thing I have ever seen. In all my time of being out here, I've helped many people, monsters, every one of them. And they've all come and gone, but they've all been made better by what I cured them of.

"But today, today was different. As today, I saw something, I don't think I've ever seen. Never before, has any patient of mine, had two friends as good as these. Two people, who show this much love to one person. I find that special." she said.

I blushed at that. "Well… I think I kinda just got really lucky. That a guy like me could go on and make my life better." I said.

"Well, if you want…" Vivianna said, sounding like this was going to be tough for her. "I could help you."

I was confused. "Wait, help with what?"

"I've… I've seen the nightmares you have had. You two, remember when I tried to touch him, but pulled away?" she asked. The other two nodded, curious about where this was going as well. "Well… when I did… I peeked into his nightmares."

"Oh…" I said, realizing what she must have seen. "You… you must know then, why these two… these two have helped me. So much."

"Correct. And that is why…" Vivianna continued, "If you want, I would help you be able to… ah, not have to fear those memories as much."

"You mean… you can help me deal with the pain I've dealt with for years?" I asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes… but only if you want me to." Vivianna said.

"O-of course I want to! I… I don't want to have to think back about that night every time I think about the past." I said, my voice cracking the smallest bit. Vivianna understood, and conjured up a small table out of water.

"Then… please lay down on the table here." she said. But she also saw Susie and Snowy's concerned faces, because she added. "Do not worry. Your friend here will be perfectly fine after this. Nothing bad will happen."

Clearly those two were still nervous about this, but they allowed me to be separate from their arms. I layed down on the table, nerves creeping back into me now. "Are you sure this is safe?" I asked one last time.

"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't." was all Vivianna said. "Now, close your eyes."

'Ohhh kaaay?' I thought. 'Why does she want my eyes to be closed?' But I dismissed it. I felt her hand touch mine, and for a moment, nothing else happened.

Then, her hand felt warm. Slowly, her hand left mine, but it left me with a feeling of contentedness. My whole body felt warm, as if I chugged a gallon of hot chocolate. It almost felt as if a wave of calm rolled over me, making me relax fully.

Then, the warm feeling slowly faded. No other noise was heard. Then, "You can open your eyes and stand up now. It is done."

I opened my eyes, but… something wasn't right. Now, I was on the ground again. I was sure there was a table of water here just a second ago. I looked back over to Susie and Snowy. They looked confused as well.

"What… what happened?" I asked. They just shrugged. Until Snowy noticed something.

"Ummm… Master?" she said, pointing at me. "Did… did you always have blue eyes?"

"Huh?" I said, looking into the water, which was clear as glass by now. Everything looked normal, but my eyes… 'Weren't they… brown?' I thought, my panic rising.

"Relax. That is normal. Just give it a second." Vivianna's voice called out. Slowly, my eyes returned back to normal, much to my confusion.

"Ummm… no, my eyes are brown Snowy." I said, turning back to my friends. They both looked confused, but then it gave way back to happiness that I was okay.

"Cameron…" Susie said, hugging me softly. "I… I missed you… so much."

"Me too…" Snowy joined in, hugging me as well. "I… I wanted my Master back."

"I… I'm so sorry." I said, hanging my head down sadly. "I caused you both so much pain… I can't do anything to make it better."

In response, Susie gently kissed my cheek, and then said, "Stop saying that. Just by you being here now, all better again, makes everything better. Nothing will ever change my mind."

Snowy was too busy hugging herself into my chest to say anything. I imagined she would say about the same things.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Just… I'm sorry. I'm not taking that back. Now, let's thank Vivianna and get going. Home is a long way, judging from how you two acted earlier."

Those two agreed with me, so I went back over and knelt at the water's edge again. "Vivianna? You in there?"

No response. The water remained as still as ever.

"Vivianna? Hello?" I said again.

Still no response.

"Vivianna?" I said, getting the tiniest bit annoyed. 'Why isn't she answering?'

"Because maybe Vivianna isn't in the water right now." Vivianna's voice called out again. I looked around, and then, out of nowhere, there she was, sitting down right next to me on one of the large rocks next to the pool. She smiled gently at me, seeing my confusion.

"Ummm… girls?" I said, pointing. Susie and Snowy looked at where I was… but their faces showed only confusion.

"What? That rock? What about it?" Susie said.

"Vivianna. Don't you see her sitting on it?" I asked.

"N-no… Master, are you alright?" Snowy said, walking over to me with concern in her face again.

"Yes, Cameron, are you alright? Does a spirit got your tongue?" Vivianna said, smirking at me. I was confused at hell.

"What… what is going on? She's right there on the rock." I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. Susie looked at me with concern again.

"Cameron… there's nothing on that rock. Did you hit your head or something?" she said, feeling for bumps in my head.

"No, I'm not joking here. Vivianna? What's going on?" I said, attention focused on the spirit right now.

Vivianna gently laughed. "Oh my, this is rather funny. Cameron, you are the only one who can hear me. The only one who can even see me."

"But…" I said, trying to piece together what the hell is going on.

"Ahahaha! Oh goodness me, I didn't think I'd be making you this confused!" Vivianna said, standing up. Suddenly, she stood up, walked over to me, and held out her hand. "Here. Take my hand and I'll explain everything."

Not exactly sure where this was going, I nevertheless took her hand like she told me to. Susie and Snowy watched me with eyes full of concern. "Master? Why are you holding your hand out?"

"Hold on for a second." I said, watching Vivianna closely. She grinned at me, a friendly, silly smile. I didn't know why, but all of the sudden, everything clicked. Without warning, I broke out in a cold sweat. There was no way…

'Vi-Vi-Vivianna? A-are you… up there?' I thought, instead of talking. Her smile grew even bigger.

"Ahhh, now you understand." she said, dropping her hand to her side. The grin on her face was playful, but I wasn't really in the mood to follow her example.

"O-o-o-oh dear Notch…" I stuttered out. Susie and Snowy noticed all of this.

"What? What's happening!?" Susie asked me.

"Oh no…" I said, panic rising rapidly. "I've got a water spirit stuck in my head."

And that's all I have time for. Sorry, but gotta cut it off here. This chapter is getting really long by now. Don't worry, the next chapter will explain everything. I wish I could've gone into more detail in this chapter, but I'm going past my word count by now.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. So now Cameron has a water spirit in his head. There's going to be all sorts of opportunities that open with this plot point! I just hope you all are okay with this.

But for now, this is the last chapter I will post for a while on this story. See, I've spent so much time on this story, I haven't gotten anything done on my other story. So for the time being, I've focusing on my other story. Don't worry, I'll still work on this one. I just want to get more chapters in for both stories.

As always, if you guys want to play Minecraft with me, PM me your MC username, what server, and when. Or if you want to join my private server, PM me with the same things, just ask if you can join. Until next chapter guys, stay awesome, and of course, happy new year!