HOLY HELL I'M NOT DEAD!
Hello there all you readers, and welcome to another chapter!
Guess I'll just quiet down now. Here's the chapter!
Chapter 42: Secrets, Wants, and Worry.
The rest of the night passed on dreamlessly.
Honestly, it was almost surreal. After seeing Vivianna and Aira everyday for months now, having not seen them once almost… felt wrong.
Either I didn't go to them partly because they just felt that I wanted a little peace after that nightmare, or maybe I couldn't see them twice in one day. Something told me the former was probably the likely answer.
Anyway, when I woke up, Susie was already gone, and sounds were coming from the kitchen.
I slowly got up out of bed. I felt a lot better today than I had been. Perhaps the comfort of being home once again was finally starting to settle back in.
Once my morning deeds were done, I stepped out. Silk, Andr, and Susie were already out at the counter, Susie preparing plates for everyone, and Andr and Silk making small talk.
However, when Susie and Andr saw me, they quickly became almost tense. It was made even clearer by the way Susie greeted me. "O-oh! Umm… go-good… good morning, Cameron…"
Silk turned around and saw me. For a moment, we didn't say a word.
Then I casually approached the counter and sat down next to Silk. "Morning, everyone." I greeted, rather chipperly.
"Morning." Silk greeted, returning to her plate of food. "You seem happy."
I shrugged. "Peaceful sleep?" I offered, helping myself to a piece of sausage.
Susie and Andr glanced at each other, seemingly confused. "Something wrong?" I asked, fighting back a sly smile.
"Weren't… weren't you two… angry at each other just yesterday?" Andr asked me gently.
"We were. Now we aren't." Silk responded.
"Exactly." I agreed.
Susie and Andr glanced at each other. I almost wanted to tell them about that little talk I had with Silk last night, but I held it back. What they didn't know wouldn't kill them.
"Well… I guess it's good that you made up…?" Andr slowly stated, her tone making sound more like a question.
"You better believe it." I half murmured, rolling my eyes. Silk glanced at me, but said nothing.
The others soon came downstairs, and breakfast quickly followed after, with a somewhat healthy talk carrying throughout the whole meal.
Slowly, the meal wrapped up, and after everyone cleaned up, I stepped outside.
The air was… I dunno, cleaner today than I remembered. I wondered why. Perhaps Notch was at work here? Maybe he just wanted to make today a good day?
Regardless, I sorted through my bag. Susie, just before I stepped out, had asked if I could gather a little more coal for the furnaces. I agreed.
I grabbed my regretfully-damaged iron pick and sized it up, trying to decide if it would be worth the inventory space for a spare.
"I guess I should… maybe I should make another bag…" I softly commented, pulling out my spare crafting table and some iron.
Five minutes later, a sturdy pick was safely stored in my bag, ready if the first one broke. I was just about to pick up the table and head on my way when a voice called out to me from above.
"Hey, Cameron! Wait up, I need to use that!" Diana called from her upstairs window. She ran downstairs and out to the front.
"Thank you, I was running low on arrows…" Diana breathed, quickly attaching feathers to sticks.
"Umm… you do know there's one upstairs in the crafting room, right?" I asked.
"Susie was using it. Said she was making an outfit for Snowy or something." Diana explained.
"Ah. Snowy loves it when Susie makes her new outfits." I remembered.
Diana finished crafting a rather large amount arrows and managed to shove them all into her quiver. "So, what are you doing out here, anyway?" she asked, feeling the sudden weight of her arrows on her back.
"I'm heading out to the mine to get some coal. Furnaces are running low, according to Susie." I explained, picking up the table and shoving it away in my bag.
"Oh, can I come with? I need some ores for a little… ah, project." Diana slowly mumbled, her face growing a little red.
I shrugged. "I don't see why not. Some company might do me good." I agreed.
We began our short walk over to the mine entrance. On the way, I couldn't help but wonder, 'Maybe that's what her little lockbox is for, the one with the ores and stuff? She might be working on a little project… I wonder what though…'
Despite my growing curiosity, I held back. Diana didn't know that I knew about her small stash of material. I didn't want her to think of me as a snooper.
As we reached the entrance, Diana slowly grew… nervous? "Umm… I talked with… um, Silk, earlier…"
That didn't sound good. "Mm? What did you talk about?"
"Well… she told me about your… argument." Diana related hesitantly. "And… why it happened. Did… did you really go to Blockington again?"
I hesitated. Diana wasn't nearly as hot-headed as Silk, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get angry at me for saying the wrong thing. "Y… yeah, we did. I made sure no one ID'd us though, if that's what you're worried about."
"No, no, no. Silk already told me that you had it more-or-less covered." Diana responded quickly. "Just… she told me about… this one girl. Blake, I think. Is… is that why she got mad?"
I sighed. "Partly." I responded. I gave her a short story about what happened in Blockington, and the anger that followed after outside.
"...and then we got home, and we just needed a little time to cool off." I finished.
Diana was quiet for a long time. I thought that our conversation was over, so I focused back on collecting ores for the house. However, just as we reached a split in the path that I knew about…
"She… also told me about your sister."
I froze. "She… she did…?" I asked.
"Umm… is… is that a bad thing…?" Diana asked hesitantly.
I sighed. "No… no, it's not, just… I thought she would've let me tell you." I responded, leveling my pick.
"She… she sounds really nice." Diana offered.
I couldn't hold back a snort. "Yeah. Nice. I dare say she'd be a very different person if we spent more than a day together."
Diana rolled her eyes. "Even so… I wonder if I'll ever get to meet her…"
"Maybe one day." I agreed. "I could take you to the city if you ever wanted, show you around. I know that city somewhat well at this point."
"Wouldn't that be… I dunno, dangerous?" Diana asked nervously.
"We'd take plenty of precautions, no worries. Best case scenario, we simply just give you a normal T-shirt and you'd take off the hat. Easy." I explained, mining a nearby vein of coal.
"Maybe… I'm still a little worried." Diana murmured, nervously tapping her foot on the ground.
"Relax, you'll be fine. Besides, I'll be there with you, remember?" I explained, smiling at her. "Trust me, no one will try to hurt you if I'm-"
At that moment a sound chunk! sound came from right nearby. I whirled around to see an arrow hanging off the stone wall, inches from where I was moments before.
The source was directly behind me, a skeleton wearing full iron armor. My eyes widened. That skeleton was packing more defense than a horde of ten zombies.
"Diana, duck and cover!" I yelled, just as another arrow missed my head by a hair's width.
Diana quickly ducked behind a nearby rock alcove, whereas I ducked into the hole left behind by the coal I just mined. However, the skeleton took one more shot at me, and the arrow collided with a part of my glowing bow on my back.
"Argh! Notch damn it!" I yelled, pulling out the bow. A small but still visible notch had been grooved into a part of it, making that spot more susceptible to breaking. I estimated I just lost five shots because of that weak point.
"Are you okay?!" Diana yelled, firing back her own shots at the advancing skeleton.
"I'm fine. My bow got nicked, though." I called back, prepping an arrow.
I fired true, and the arrow slammed into the skeleton. It still stood, but it was looking much weaker. Diana and I kept firing at it, getting a few more hits, until finally one of us got one final hit, and down the skeleton fell.
"*pant*... you alright over there?" I called out to Diana.
Diana looked quiet.
"Diana?" I asked, approaching her.
"I… I just fired at one of my own kind…" she murmured softly. "Without even thinking about it."
"Diana, listen to me. Sometimes, these things have to happen." I gently urged. "It wouldn't have offered you any quarter. It would've only seen you as an enemy. You understand that, right?"
Diana slowly nodded, but she still seemed a little quieter than normal.
"Anyway, let's see here…" I murmured, sifting through what the skeleton had on it. He dropped a bone, as normal, a pretty worn-out helmet, and it's own bow, which was pretty rare.
"Nothing unusual here…" I murmured. "Anything you see?"
Diana didn't respond. She was too busy looking at my bow. "I… thought you said that the skeleton hit your bow?"
"Well, in the heat of the moment I might have exaggerated a small bit, but-" I started to say, before stopping.
The mark was gone. As if it never existed. And yet I remember a small half-centimeter mark from the where the arrow had hit.
"What the…?" I murmured, inspecting the bow over and over again. No notch whatsoever.
"Did… you fix it?" Diana asked, her head tilted slightly.
"No… I just started firing arrows." I responded. The glow of the bow was still the same. Nothing looked different.
Suddenly, I heard a distant groan of a lone zombie approaching. I suddenly had a thought. "Hang on a minute…"
I quickly took out a rather sharp rock I found moments ago and ran it on the edge of the bow, damaging it slightly. "What are you…?" Diana asked.
"Testing something." I responded, throwing the rock away.
The zombie slowly shambled into the light of the nearby torches, groaning with some unfathomable hunger. And it looked a little battered already, which was perfect. I lined up a carefully placed shot and took the zombie out with one arrow.
"...what are you…?" Diana asked again.
"If I step towards where that zombie was…" I murmured, looking at the groove I created. I took a step forward.
The purple glow grew a tad more intense, and the groove repaired itself before my very eyes. My eyes widened. "Diana, look! I was right!"
Diana looked at the bow, and her eyes widened as well. "Did… did your bow just repair itself?"
"That… that must be what the glow means…" I slowly realized, looking closely at the glow. "This… this is amazing…!"
Diana stared at the bow, now more than ever. I could tell just by looking into her eyes how badly she wanted to own that bow. I mean, who wouldn't? Essentially the thing was unbreakable.
"..." Diana stared, almost hungrily, at the bow.
"Diana…? Do you want this bow?" I asked slowly.
"Wha-?!" Diana snapped, suddenly back from her thoughts. "O-oh, nononono! That's your bow, and I totally respect-"
"It's okay if you really want it Diana. I'm not as good of a shot as you. I'll gladly take a regular bow." I insisted, shoving the bow in her hands.
The look on her face seemed stuck somewhere between shocked, ecstatic, and disbelief. "Y-y-yo… you… you'll really give it… to me…?"
"Of course. You did a lot for me before. I need to return favor to you somehow." I agreed.
Diana shook slightly. She was holding the bow as if it was a priceless treasure. Her eyes kept glancing back and forth between the bow and me.
And suddenly I was tackled to the ground faster than I could physically process. Diana was squeezing me tighter than a piston crusher, repeating over and over, "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"
"Eurgh! D-Diana…! Y-you're… crushing me… too tightly…" I managed to gasp out.
Eventually, just before I would've passed out from lack of oxygen, Diana loosened her grasp on me. "Oh, Cameron, thank you so much! I'll never forget this! Never!"
"I don't think my lungs will either…" I coughed, still recovering.
"Here, you take mine." Diana insisted, handing me her old bow. It was rather well crafted, and extremely well-cared for. On the grip of the bow, there was the word 'Diana' etched into the side in neat script.
Diana looked back at her bow one more time. "Umm… you can still… you can still keep this bow, if… if you really want."
"It's okay, Diana. You can keep it. You'll find much more use out of it than I would" I insisted. "You don't have to worry."
I had never seen Diana have such a big smile as I had then. She tackled me into another hug, though this one was much less crushing than her first one.
I instinctively wrapped my arms around her too. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't let go. I know I've said it many times before, but… dear Notch, she's just so cold… I had to do something to help her in any way I could.
Though… there was something very different with this hug. Diana was a little fidgety throughout the whole thing, and… she pulled away much quicker than she had previous times.
I might be a bit dense at times, but even I could tell that Diana was starting to see me in a much different light than before. Diana was starting to like me more.
Personally, I felt… okay around her. Honestly, she's done a lot for me, but… I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about her. I mean, I liked her very much as a friend and all but…
…
And then, there was the other problem with my other friends. Susie, Snowy, Andr… what would they think? I mean, surely they would, at some point, begin thinking that this is getting a little ridiculous, even for them.
But perhaps the biggest zombie in the room… Silk.
She and Diana were closest friends, more than I think I truly know. What would happen if I sudden entered that equation? Would Silk feel left out? Would she grow angry, or maybe upset?
'Eurgh! Get ahold of yourself, Cameron!' I yelled in my mind, shaking my head. 'You're thinking WAAAAY too far ahead. For all you know, Diana just trusts you even more as a friend! Why are you trying to think that she LOVES you?'
'Isn't that a common theme running around at this point?' the emotional part of me asked.
'Still! Not EVERY girl you meet has to like you!' the other, much more logical side fired back. 'I mean, wouldn't you have been perfectly happy with ONE?'
'...would you?'
'Now is not the time to get philosophical on me.'
'I'm just asking, shouldn't you have an answer?'
"Umm… Cameron?" Diana called out to me, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "You're staring blankly…"
I blushed. "Uhh… sorry 'bout that, I was just… thinking."
"About what?" Diana asked innocently.
My mind quickly threw a net for a quick answer, and it settled on the first thing it could find.
"About… that dream you had." I quickly responded, before slamming my mouth closed.
"The… dream…?" Diana slowly asked.
"Uhh… y-yeah… I was curious if you… remembered anything else." I quickly lied.
Diana's eyes grew a little darker. "Oh… that one, you mean. No, I… I haven't remembered or thought about that at all since it happened."
Diana gently plucked the string of her new bow. "All I remember with perfect certainty is those white eyes… they scared me really badly…"
Then Diana looked up at me with sudden suspicion. "Hold on. Why do you suddenly care about that again? That was just a nightmare I had a while ago, you shouldn't be still thinking about it."
Diana had me cornered, and my mind was racing for ANY ideas it could to save itself. "Ummmm… w-well you see, I… uhhhh…"
"Cameron… is there something you're not telling me?" Diana slowly asked, her eyes growing fearful. "Was… was that dream important…?"
"...no…" I slowly stated, trying as hard as I could to maintain eye contact.
Diana kept it up with her own hard stare.
For about ten seconds, we stared at each other. I was trying VERY hard not to break it.
Then she sighed. "Okay. Clearly you don't want to talk about it, so I'll drop it for now. But don't think I'm letting this go, okay? I want the truth sometime, Cameron."
I internally let go of a massive breath I was holding. Ten pounds of weight were suddenly lifted from my shoulders, for now at least. It was all I could do from showing off that relief to Diana.
"C'mon. We'd better head up again before we're missed." Diana called to me, standing up. I followed suit.
The trip back up to the surface was uneventful, save for Diana casting me a few sideways glances. I knew she still was suspicious of me, and I knew I brought that on myself.
'I have to tell her somehow… but how can I just tell her about HIM?' I asked myself. 'And, more importantly… would she tell the others if I told her?'
As we approached home, the idea of telling Diana, or anyone in the house for that matter, about HIM seemed… well, more and more insane.
Time seemed of fast forward once we arrived home. I can't explain why, but I felt that I was just moving very slow compared to the rest of the world.
All of a sudden, Susie was calling out for dinner. I joined the others just as food was being placed on the table. Conversation soon started floating around everyone.
Everyone except me. And the others knew it.
I wasn't participating in any conversation as much as I normally did. I mostly just hung around and ate. If anyone asked me a question, I'd respond as quickly as I could, as though I was eager to finish dinner.
More than once I noticed someone's eyes glance over to me over the course of the meal. Each time felt harder than the last.
Finally, Susie gently touched my arm and whispered, "Cameron… are you alright?"
"Mm?" I whispered back, only half-hearing the question. "Yeah, yeah…"
"Cameron, listen to me." Susie repeated, this time a little more forcefully while still in the whisper. "Are you SURE you're okay?"
"Y-yes, Susie. I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." I responded, a yawn coming at the perfect time to follow my statement.
I can sort of tell Susie didn't completely buy it. She's always been good at sorting my truths and lies. I honestly didn't want to lie to her, but I would only be making her worry even further if I allowed her into my troubles.
At the very least I became a bit more into the conversations. The glances appeared to stop, at least for now, though I could still see that my friends were seeing something a bit off with me.
Once dinner was cleaned up and everyone retreated elsewhere, I slowly wandered around the house in no particular direction. I ended up upstairs, in front of Snowy's room.
I glanced back down, before shaking my head. Perhaps some time alone with Snowy would help clear my head.
I knocked on the door as I opened it. "Snowy? Are you in here?"
Snowy was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked over at me. "Oh, Master. I was just thinking about… things."
I entered the room and closed the door, leaning against it. "Things like what?" I asked.
Snowy sat up, and stared at me. "...mostly about… you."
A pause filled the air. "About… me?" I asked.
"Yes… you seemed a little out of it at dinner today… and I can't help but notice that… something's different about you." Snowy mumbled, gently staring at me.
I grew nervous. "You… you have?"
"Ever since we've gotten home, you've… seemed like you're more on edge. I've never seen you get really angry before, but now you've fought with Silk, and… she told me that you were having nightmares." Snowy explained.
My eyes widened. "S-Silk… told you that I had a nightmare…?"
"Well… she didn't tell me directly… I heard it when Diana asked her about something else, but… I thought you couldn't have nightmares anymore…?"
Several complex emotions were swirling around inside of me. I wasn't even sure what to think. I had so many things to worry about, so little time to think about all of them… it was catching up to me, and I can't handle much more.
I sat down next to Snowy. She gently started squeezing me, whispering nonsense words to me.
A whole five minutes passed, as I slowly took Snowy's comfort. Her breath was soft, and her touch was tender.
"Snowy… I…" I mumbled. "I… I have so much going on, that… you wouldn't be able to understand it."
"You should at least try to tell me." Snowy insisted, staring directly into my eyes. "At the very least, you might feel better if you do."
I hesitated for a moment longer.
"I… there's something going on here, Snowy." I started. "Something… something big."
Slowly, and carefully, I told her about everything since we left the S&S.
Well… almost everything.
I purposely left out that memory of Herobrine. I couldn't help it. Herobrine scared me. I didn't want to make my friends worried about him too.
Everything else I told her. First Diana's dream (minus the fact that I knew what the man was), then Silk's outburst, then my nightmare… all of it. It was as if I suddenly had turned on a faucet, and now everything I had been worrying about was suddenly flowing from me.
"...and then when I went inside, I felt better since Silk and I had more or less made up, but… I'm still worried. I'm afraid something is gonna make everyone worry even more, and… and…"
I took a deep breath. I had unloaded quite a lot on Snowy. I wasn't sure how well she was taking it.
She seemed… neutral, I guess is the best word for it. She didn't seem that shocked, but it also wasn't that she didn't care. She was just… listening to me first. Then she would act. I appreciated that.
"This… this is a lot for me to be looking at, Snowy. I haven't even dared to tell Susie yet. She's only now got me back. I don't need to worry her anymore than now." I slowly finished, rubbing my forehead.
Snowy was quiet for all of ten seconds. I think she somehow knew I wasn't telling the full truth, but I had already unloaded on more than enough today.
Then, she says, "You have to tell Mistress, Master. She'll want to know this."
"We JUST got back, Snowy. I don't need to make her worry about these things." I told her. "I… I don't want her to worry any more than she has."
"But she's still worried about you. Even she knows that something's not right with you. I think she thinks that something about the S&S changed you. And that you'll never go back." Snowy insisted.
I digested this. "Like… I grew tougher in a part that shouldn't have, and she doesn't know if I can change it back?"
"More or less." Snowy agreed, clinging to my arm. "If you don't want me to, I won't say anything to anyone else about this. But you know that you will have to tell Mistress at some point. Please make sure that you won't keep this inside of you forever, okay? Please?"
I sighed. "I… I'll try. Thank you… Snowy." I thanked, gently wrapping my arms around her. She sank into my arms, clinging softly to my warmth.
I gently pet her head in our embrace, causing gently humming sounds to escape her every time I brushed past an ear.
I slowly pulled away, and stood up. "I guess I'll leave you to it, then. I should go see how the others are doing."
"Okay… but, um… is it okay, if…" Snowy slowly murmured, blushing slightly. "If I sleep with you tonight?"
I couldn't hold back my smile. "Always." I agreed, before heading out.
I slowly wandered down the narrow hallway, listening for sounds of movement. I could vaguely hear Diana and Silk talking in their guest room. Though I didn't snoop, Diana seemed to be talking about the bow I gave her.
I gave a quick knock. Diana called out, "Yes?"
"It's me. You guys doing okay in here?" I asked through the door.
"We're fine, but… can you come in here for a sec?" Silk called out.
Unsure of what they needed, I opened the door and stepped in. Just as I thought, Diana had her new bow in her hands while carefully cleaning it, and Silk was on her bed watching.
"You… you GAVE Diana that? Do you know how rare those things are?" Silk asked, her eyes wide.
"She wanted it far more than I did." I answered simply, leaning against the wall.
Diana looked at me happily. "I told him that he could take it back if he wanted, but he insisted I keep it."
Silk simply shook her head. "Geez… you're far too kind for your own good sometimes."
"What's wrong with that?" I asked, the corners of my mouth curling upward a small bit.
Silk gave no comment. Diana flashed me a sappy smile.
"Well, it's getting late. Guess I should leave you guys to your business. G'night." I finished, opening the door.
"Erm… Cameron?" Diana called out to me.
I turned just as she got over to me. No sooner had I realized that she was right next to me did she clamp her arms around me.
"Good night, Cameron. Thank you so much." she whispered, squeezing me gently.
I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her as well, whispering, "N-no problem."
Diana soon let me go, a warm smile on her face. Silk stared at the two of us, and… I think she was seeing something for the first time.
"Well… I better get going." I mumbled, opening the door and heading out. But just as I was about to shut the door…
Silk followed after. "We need to talk."
THAT didn't sound good. "About… what?" I asked.
"Just follow me." Silk ordered, quickly opening the door to the crafting room and motioning for me to follow. With little other choice, I heeded her request and entered the room.
The room wasn't anything major. Besides the wall of furnaces towards the back, and a few furnaces around just in case, a few tables, crafting and regular, littered the area. It smelled faintly of wood shavings and iron in here.
The moment Silk closed the door behind me, she gave me a hard stare. "What are you playing at, boy?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Don't think I haven't seen something going on between you and Diana. I'm tolerant of a lot of things, but messing with my friend is something I don't like at all. What are you planning?" Silk demanded, her stare cold.
I carefully worded my answer. "Look, I'm not trying anything. All I'm trying to do, if anything, is be a friend. That's all. Anything else is purely a coincidence."
"That still doesn't explain why Diana's been talking of almost nothing else but you for the past few days." Silk continued.
"That's her own business."
"I still think you have something to do with it."
"So? What does it matter to you?"
"It MATTERS because that person is my friend."
"Look, I don't know Diana all that well, but she just seems to like me as a friend, okay?"
"And I do too." Silk insisted. "But still, it's one thing to befriend us. It's another thing to come between us. I mean, how would YOU feel if Susie and I started getting chummy and she spent most of her time talking about me?"
I thought about that. "I… would feel as though I'm not trying hard enough to be a good friend to her…" I answered quite honestly.
"Exactly. So… please, promise me. Promise me that you aren't going to try to come between us. Don't make our lives any harder than they already are, okay?" Silk asked, clamping her hands on my shoulders.
I gave her a firm nod. "I promise."
Silk took a sigh of relief. "Thank Notch…"
I slowly got out of Silk's grip and headed for the door. But just as I left and Silk was about to enter her room, I couldn't help myself but say, "Hey, Silk?"
She turned. I flashed her a sly smile. "You get cute when you're worried about your friends. Thought you'd like to know."
And before she could think of a response to that, I was already going down the stairs.
'So that's Snowy and our guests…' I counted off in my head. 'Guess that leaves Andr. Knowing her, she'll be trying get one last page done on her book before going to bed…'
Sure enough, Andr was downstairs, sitting in the green armchair, her nose buried in a book. It only just occurred to me how much that woman likes books, but she's coming close to reading our entire collection. If she keeps reading at the pace she has been, she'll have to start doing what I do and reread everything again.
Anyway, I approached her just as she let out a yawn. "Tired?" I asked.
She glanced over. "Yeah… guess I should be getting to bed soon…" she murmured, stretching gently.
"You need me to get you anything? A small snack, or a glass of-" I almost let it slip, but I stopped myself at the last second.
I had learned the hard way to NEVER EVER EVER ask Andr if she wanted a glass of water. Whenever that happened, she became deathly pale and seemed close to hyperventilating. One of those Endermen quirks.
Andr knew exactly what I almost asked, though this time she seemed a lot better off. "No, thank you though… I'll get it myself."
She stood up and carefully marked her page, then set the book down on the counter and, very carefully, took a glass from the cabinet.
Suddenly, I realized something. "Hold on a minute. You've been living here in this house for so long, yet I just noticed something. You always go a little off when we accidentally ask you for water, yet I've seen you with glasses of water all the time."
Andr blushed. "O-oh… right… I, um… never told you…"
Andr gently looked at me. "Well… I… I haven't been exactly… drinking water."
My eyebrow went north. "Huh?"
"You know those purple particles that float off me all the time?" Andr asked. As if I couldn't. The more nervous she got, the more those things flew off of her. Probably an old instinct to teleport away.
"Well… here, pour me a glass…" she whispered, pushing the glass into my hands. Curious, I filled the glass with cold water.
"So… if I focus hard enough…" Andr continued, once I put the glass on the counter next to her, her eyes closing.
Some of the purple particles flying off of her floated towards the water. The moment the stuff touched it, the water… I dunno, it just seemed to become a little… less clear, or something.
"It becomes Ender Water." Andr explained, taking the glass. "Meaning it's safe for us to drink."
To prove it, she took a small sip, though her face scrunched up a little bit. "The… taste is a little acquired… but it's safe, and that's what matters."
I blinked. "But… haven't you ever tried to… I don't know, at least test to see if you can stand water. I mean… you're half human.
Andr's face quickly paled. "N-nonononono! I-I don't want to risk that!"
Andr quickly tried to look away, but I gently forced her to look at me. "Andr, c'mon. There's a safe way to test it, after all."
"Th-there… is…?" she whispered, her face almost milk white.
"Yeah. Just a tiny droplet of water. We'll hover your hand under the faucet and turn it on just barely. The moment you feel something bad happen, we shut the water off and treat you." I explained, amazed that I could come up with such a brilliant plan on the spot.
(Yeah, I know, really original, but before you yell at me, I'd like to say that I personally messaged the original creator of this idea, SylentDoom. And I can say that I have their express permission to use this idea. So please don't hate me. Pls.)
Andr shook, but I could tell that my idea was making some laps in her head. "B-But… if the… water burns me…"
"It'll only be a tiny droplet, and I'll be ready to pull you away should something bad. Okay?" I asked.
Andr paled even harder, but I could tell that she wanted to listen to me. Even as her mind and body more or less COMMANDED her to be afraid of water, deep down she was just as curious if she could withstand water.
Slowly, very slowly, she allowed me to gently guide her towards the faucet. She started shaking very badly, but never made any attempt to teleport away.
Slowly, I twisted the knob on the faucet until it juuuust barely let a tiny droplet of water start coming out.
Very, very gently, I grabbed Andr's hand and gently guided it directly under the faucet. Andr's eyes were clamped closed as the droplets slowly started to fall…
*Plink!*
The cold water gently ran over Andr's hand. Her entire being was tense…
*Plink!*
Another droplet joined the second. Nothing happened.
*Plink!*
A third. Absolutely nothing.
Andr slowly opened her eyes as she realized that the water wasn't doing anything to her. It was an odd sensation to her, it seemed. She never knew what water actually felt like.
As more droplets hit her hand, she let out a very large breath she didn't know she was holding. Relief was plastered all over her face. I could tell she felt… safe.
She stared at me, smiling bigger than I had ever seen before. "Cameron, I… thank you… for believing in me…"
I released her hand and turned off the faucet. "No problem."
I glanced over towards the rest of Andr's glass of Ender Water and took it. "Besides, this stuff couldn't have been that good."
Curious, looked down at the water. Something was different about it, but it still looked pretty much like regular water. Nothing more.
Andr was still looking at her hand and the small water trails left behind by the faucet. "I… I wanna know what real water tastes like now. Cameron, can you-"
She saw me hesitantly raise the glass to my face. I just wanted to see what the stuff tasted like, that's all.
Andr's face became pale. "Wait, no!"
Too late. A small sip of the water already passed my lips.
I instantly retched at the taste. I very nearly dropped the glass from sheer disgust. As it were, I was almost appalled that Andr once had to drink something so foul.
Andr quickly grabbed the glass from me and quickly dumped it out, staring at me very upset. "You shouldn't have drank that! You're gonna get sick…"
She was right. My vision seemed distorted for a far while, and I'm pretty sure my face was turning green. "Eurggh… that… stuff… was… horrid…" I managed to get out.
"I-it'll pass in a moment…" Andr responded, gently collecting me a glass of regular water. "Here, drink this…"
I very hesitantly took a small sip of the clean water. My body started feeling better already. I slowly drank the whole glass, as the nauseous feeling slowly left me.
"Guh…" I gasped once the glass was empty. "What… what was IN that stuff?"
"You should've known better than to drink something Ender people drink." Andr scolded, her hands at her hips. "If you drank too much of that stuff you would've been sick for a week."
"Noted…" I replied, quickly making another glass.
A second glass of water and I felt much better, though the taste still lingered slightly. "How on earth were you able to drink that?"
"Endermen can't get nauseous, so we have a natural resistance to it." Andr explained, gently holding my shoulders.
"I'm surprised that your kind haven't tried to change all the water in the world to that stuff then…" I mused.
"They tried." Andr agreed. "But the effect isn't applicable for really large bodies of water. It would take nearly the entire population of an Endermen town working together just to transform a small lake into Ender Water. And an ocean? Forget it. Even the entire Endermen population of the world working together wouldn't be able to do it, nor would they be interested in doing so."
A small silence followed, and I suddenly became very acutely aware to how firmly Andr was holding my shoulders, and how intently she gazed into my eyes. Andr suddenly seemed to notice these details at about the same time.
Blushing slightly, she dropped her hands to her sides and shyly looked away. "Umm… Cameron, I…" she murmured, trying to think of something to say.
I tilted my head at her as she continued to stammer, "I… you…"
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she hugged me tightly.
"Thank you, Cameron… I… I feel so relieved…" Andr sighed, her hug tight, yet comfortable.
I embraced her back gently, my head resting against her shoulder. "You're welcome Andr. And please don't hesitate to tell me about anything you need to tell me about, okay?"
Andr hummed in agreement, her hands gently rubbing my back.
We pulled away slightly, just enough to gaze into each other's eyes, and in another moment we kissed.
It was short, but sweet. Andr seemed like she wanted to give me one last thank you, at least for today.
A few moments passed before we parted from each other.
"Good night… Cameron…" Andr gently whispered, releasing me.
I gently nodded, parting from her. She quietly started heading for the stairs, a small smile visible on her face.
Once Andr was upstairs, I sighed. That was everyone.
I headed for the bedroom. Susie was there, quietly reading a book while laying on her stomach. She glanced up as I came in.
"You took a while." she commented.
"Had to say good night to everyone. Silk also wanted to talk to me." I responded, leaning against the wall.
Susie hummed a little, then closed her book and sat up. She looked at me expectantly, her hands gently patting the bed in front of her.
I took the hint, sitting down in front of her. The moment I did so, Susie quickly wrapped her arms around me, tightly forming an embrace between us.
She gently sighed in my arms, and… was she gently shaking?
I pulled back a little. "Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. "You're shaking a little…"
Susie pursed her lips. "Ummm… well…"
Then she looked into my eyes. "I… I had a nightmare last night… and I started thinking about it again…"
"What happened?" I asked.
"You… you…" Susie whispered, unable to bring herself to say anything more.
I squeezed her arms a little. That seemed to help. She took a deep breath…
And said, "You… you hurt me."
The room seemed a little colder.
"Y-you… you said that you were lying… when you said you loved me… and you… y-you pulled out your sword and started smiling…" Susie recounted, shaking harder.
I stayed quiet. "I… I… did…?"
Susie nodded, close to tearing up. "I-i-it still… scares me…" she whispered.
"Do you need some space…?" I asked seriously. "If you want me to leave for the night, I can-"
"N-no! Don't go!" Susie wailed, quickly tackling me down to my back.
Suddenly, Susie was on top of me, staring desperately into my eyes. "D-don't go… I'm more scared of being alone…"
Slowly, Susie calmed down a little. She gently touched my hand. "C-Cameron… feel my heart…"
Slowly, she guided my hand to just barely above her chest.
*bump-bump* *bump-bump*
Susie's heart was beating much harder than it normally did. I could feel it very clearly. No wonder Susie was shaking so badly.
"You being here… it feels better already…" Susie whispered, staring deeply into my eyes. "But… I'm still so nervous…"
For a moment, neither of us said anything more. I continued to feel Susie's rather intense heartbeat for a good while.
"Cameron… please… calm me down…" Susie pleaded.
"...how…?" I asked honestly.
Then, faster than I would've thought possible, suddenly Susie took off her dress right there and stared into my eyes. "Hold me tonight. Comfort me all you can. I beg of you."
My eyes widened as Susie's face blushed. "Please… I… I want to feel your warmth. Please… be with me tonight…"
The soft moonlight through the window lit up her face amazingly. She looked so… beautiful, even if she was afraid.
I gently raised my hands up to her face, covering her cheeks. She blushed harder, but didn't say anything as I gently pulled her downwards.
We kissed deeply. Susie moaned every second that we kissed. She tried desperately to hold me even tighter than she had before, trying to put our bodies as close together as they could possibly be.
We parted after a long, long time. Susie was blushing incredibly hard. "Cameron… thank you… you don't know how much better I feel…"
"You know… if you wanted, we could… you know…" I suggested, gazing suggestively at her. For once… I felt like I wanted to make her feel incredible.
Susie, however, shook her head. "N-no… not tonight… I'm just not feeling it right now…" she whispered, sadly gazing at me.
I smiled at her nevertheless. "Right. That's fine. But… I could make you feel safer still…"
Susie tilted her head, confused. I gently guided her under the covers, and then I slowly removed my shirt and pants, leaving me just like her: in our undergarments.
I hugged her again. Once again, her body's incredible softness touched my body, and it felt incredible. Better than anything else.
Susie quietly moaned the moment our bodies touched, which was quickly made slightly stronger when I kissed her squarely on the lips.
Her body was intoxicating, and I was enjoying every second of it.
I don't think we've ever held each other that tightly in a LONG time. We simply just could not pull away from one another. It was bliss…
And then the knock on the door.
At first, I was EXTREMELY miffed that I was getting interrupted from cuddling with Susie.
Then I heard the voice.
"Master…? Are you in here?" Snowy asked through the door.
I glanced over at Susie. "*sigh*... sorry, Susie…" I muttered.
Susie just hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "I don't mind… Snowy's always good company. Besides… I feel much better now…"
We quickly got into sleep clothes before I opened the door and Snowy entered.
"Evening, Mistress." Snowy greeted, gently waving at Susie.
Susie simply smiled back at Snowy.
Eventually we all got back into bed.
Of course, with me in the middle. I didn't mind.
Snowy was on my left. Susie on my right.
Snowy's arms were wrapped around my torso, while Susie's were around my shoulders and neck.
It didn't take long for the two of them to look content like that, smiling while they tried to sleep.
It made me smile, just seeing them like that. I found myself wondering how I could ever keep secrets from them.
I sighed. 'One day.' I thought forcefully. 'One day within the next year, I'll tell Susie everything. If I don't, then may Notch strike me down where I stand.'
I rubbed each of my friends' heads, before gently closing my eyes.
I was out before I could count to five.
But my promise was still ringing in my ears.
I wouldn't forget that promise.
Never.
Never.
Never.
Never.
NEVER.
…
And sleep quickly embraced me.
FINALLY! OH MY GOD!
You guys don't even KNOW how badly I wanted this chapter to get out! I've been stuck on it for weeks now! I had to rewrite it at least five times to get what you see here.
But now, I feel motivated. You guys wait.
I actually think I have a solid plan I like for the next chapter.
So I hope you enjoyed this one, and look forward to the next one coming soon*ish*[possibly](probably not, we know me).
As always, if you guys want to play MC with me, send me a PM with all the stuff I've said twenty times before. And don't forget about my survival server.
Until next time guys…
Stay awesome. =D
