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Chapter 46: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

The room was dead quiet. I could almost hear them blink, that's how quiet it was.

I'm not lying, though. I could read the symbols that were written here.

Like, I could very clearly see that it WAS a foreign language. I knew THAT. But… it was like, when I stared at the symbols, I could easily see patterns and combinations that made the text… readable.

The others continued to stare at me."Y… you… can read that…?"

I shrugged. "Erm… yeah. I… the words just… make sense when I look at them."

"How… how is that… possible?" Diana whispered, staring at the book. "All I could see was gibberish."

"I don't know." I responded, looking back. "I just… I can read this like any other book. I don't know how."

I slowly read the first page, slowly translating the text.

"Greetings Reader."

"If you are reading this, then you are the Reader. Only a Reader can read the Standard Galactic Alphabet throughout the book.

"You would do well, as Reader, to keep this book on hand at all times. It could save your life."

"Please refer to future pages for more information, but be warned."

"The book contains many things. Some of which, might not be understandable at the time. But understand one thing:"

"The book doesn't lie. It might mislead, or display alternate truths, but it will NEVER give you a lie."

"Proceed, Reader… proceed, and become enlightened…"

I slowly flipped to the next page. Several images became clear to me, some which looked like crafting recipes, some that looked like mobs, and even some that just looked like plain pictures of some kind.

"What is this…" I murmured, flipping through the pages. "It's like… the book has all sorts of useful information just, hidden away."

I kept flipping, and eventually found something interesting.

"Essence."

"Fragments of life, found almost anywhere, from fallen mobs, to even ores deep in the ground."

"By reading this book, Reader, you may now see the essence found across the world. And so may friends, by you simply showing this page."

I finished the sentence, and then, all of a sudden… I felt as though I just got a huge sense of vertigo, like I was just flipped upside down and then reversed, then put back up just as I realized it happened.

I fell backwards, dizzy and lightheaded. Susie and Andr rushed to me, their faces pale.

"W-what… what happened…?" I whispered, slowly regaining balance.

"You fell over… what did you read in there?" Andr asked, staring into my eyes worriedly.

I looked back at the book.

"You may experience a slight sense of dizziness, nausea, or in a worse case situations become knocked out. This is normal, and will subside."

'Yeah, great job warning me ahead of time, book.' I sarcastically thought in my mind, standing back up.

"What did you even read?" Susie asked, grabbing the book from my hands. The others moved to read over her shoulder.

"Erm, that's not a-" I started to warn, but it was too late.

All at once I saw my friends fall over, and both Snowy and Silk seemed like they were turning a sickly green color.

"-good idea." I finished.

It took a minute, but I eventually got them all back up and normal, albeit a tad bit shaky. "Wh-what… did I even read?" Silk asked me. "I feel sick…"

"The book says that's apparently normal. Just feel lucky that none of you got put in the 'knocked out' side effect." I explained, slowly sitting her down in a chair as she still looked a bit sick.

"I couldn't even understand that still…" Susie murmured.

"You aren't a 'Reader,' apparently." I explained, still trying to understand it myself. "The book says that only 'Readers' can read it."

"Well… what did it say?" Andr asked.

"Something about how we can see… essence?" I replied, shrugging. "Now that we've all 'read' the page, anyway. Works on anyone."

Snowy gently lowers herself to the ground, looking both confused and a tad nauseous still. "Books… foreign language… nausea… I'm very lost."

"You're telling me…" I murmur, slowly taking the book again. I pull it into my bag. "Guess I'll have to put this somewhere for now…" I intoned again, nudging the new obsidian table on the ground.

"I guess you can put it next to the other books…" Susie responded. "Makes more sense than anywhere else I can think of."

I nodded, hefting up the table and moving it closer to the bookshelves, against the wall. "Well… that's one mystery solved, at least for now…"

"But it created at LEAST ten more." Andr responded. "Like… how can only YOU read the book?"

"And what is that 'essence' you read about?" Diana asked.

"And who the hell even WROTE the book in the first place?" Silk added.

I couldn't offer any response to those, and to be honest they were just the START of a large array of questions I also had. We all kinda stood around for a moment, waiting for someone else to speak up.

"Well… no good wondering what we don't really know about… I guess we should get a quick dinner in, and then head to bed soon after…" Susie offered, heading for the counter.

The others agreed, and we all had a short, quick meal. Talk was a bit sparse, considering our recent discovery, but then again, I don't think any of us were quite sure what we should be saying.

For reasons I'd never be sure about, I had a strong desire to at least open the book more and flip through it. Perhaps it was just one of those lingering thoughts of 'it's-a-book-I-haven't-read-before' trying to convince me, but beyond that, I was honestly interested in the book, strange and cryptic as it was.

But the others, well… I could tell that they were, at the VERY least, shaken by the book. Pulling it out now… that could've caused a bit more stress and uneasiness about it.

We all separated on our different ways once the sun went past the horizon. I slowly watched it from one of our front windows.

It's then that I suddenly remember something: Silk said that she found a new place for her and Diana to live.

As per our agreement, today… today was the fifth day of our one week agreement. Knowing Silk, she might've already made up her mind on it.

That… made me rather sad. I decided to run upstairs and check in on her, just to ask if she really had made her mind up yet or not.

I knock on her door and open it, and I hear her call out, "It's open."

I step in, and I see her laying on her stomach on her bed. "Oh, Cameron. What's up?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment, before letting out a hard swallow and asking, "I… I just wanted to ask if… you've made up your mind on the new organization thing yet…"

Silk's face fell, but I could tell it was because… she must've forgotten about it.

"Oh… right…" Silk whispered, slowly sitting back up. "I… I still haven't told Diana yet. I… I'm hoping that she finds something, or… something else happens…"

Silk looked like she was very upset about her conflicting thoughts. I quietly stepped in and sat down next to her. "Hey, you… you can talk to me, about this stuff… you know that, right?"

"I shouldn't have too…" Silk murmured quietly. "After all, you've done more than enough for me… hell, you saved our lives back in the prisons. That alone would make it hard enough to ask more…"

"But… you've cared… so much about me…" Silk whispered, starting to shake gently. "I… I can't understand why you treat me so kindly, even after everything…"

"Of course I care, Silk." I respond quickly, earning a surprised look from her. "I care because others don't. No one NEEDED to be kind to you, but I felt it was wrong not too. No one HAD to be a shoulder to lean on, but I wanted to. Face it, if I didn't care…"

I shrugged. "Then we wouldn't be sitting here, having this conversation."

Silk looked deeply into my eyes, almost like she was entranced. "You are important to me, Silk. And nothing can take that away, no matter how much you think contrary." I added.

"You… you really mean that…?" she asked, almost like the concept was foreign to her.

"Of course I do." I reassured, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "You're someone I truly care about, Silk. Anyone or thing that says otherwise… I can't fathom it, really."

Suddenly, once the words left my mouth, I had just enough time to watch Silk charge forward quickly, tackling me to her bed. She held me down by my shoulders, gazing into my eyes with an expression I've never seen from her before.

"D-don't… say things like that…" Silk whispered, her cheeks gently flushed. "It makes this so much harder for me to say it…"

I gave her about ten seconds before hesitantly asking, "Say… what?"

Silk started to look like she was gonna say something, then stopped, and instead just looked deeply into my eyes. There was a hunger to them, like she was starting at something she desperately NEEDED to have.

She started slowly lowering herself downwards, keeping her eyes trained on me all the way.

I started growing more and more nervous, but no words would come out…

But then, right as Silk was an inch away from my face…

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Both me and Silk looked over at the door, and the handle that was starting to turn.

As fast as she could, Silk quickly jumped off of me and got me sitting up again before I could even react, and then sat down next to me holding a giant ball of spider silk just as the door opened the rest of the way.

Diana walked in, sighing gently, before noticing the two of us already in here. "Ohh… hi, erm… guys. Did I-?" she started to ask.

"N-nope!" Silk denied, her voice very unconvincing. "W-we were just… talking… about… things…"

Diana gave a sideways glance at her, before looking at me. "Okay… erm, Cameron, Susie wants you. I don't know what for, though."

I quietly stood up and left, brushing gently past Diana just as I reached the doorway. I closed the door behind me, but didn't instantly go downstairs just yet.

I simply leaned against the wall and slowly slid down it, conflicted to all hell. Now BOTH Silk and Diana have started making moves on me, and both have interrupted the other.

I had no idea how to proceed with this. It's pretty much confirmed at this point they like me, but… now I don't know what to do. Do I tell them what happened, do I let Susie or one of the others know, do I simply ignore it…?

I shake my head, conflicted as all get out.

My own emotions were a jumbled mess. I couldn't decide whether I liked them too, or if it was just their own feelings for me temporarily swaying me one way or the other.

I couldn't help but question what to do…

But then, that's when I notice something.

My bag… it's… glowing.

Softly, almost unnoticeable.

But it is.

Confused, I look inside.

The… the book from the table. It's… softly glowing.

I take it out and look at the cover. I never really looked at the cover before, but now it stood out to me: a light brown color with gold ornately decorating the edges, with a small gold circle surrounding a small, valuable diamond in the center. Smaller pieces of iron also decorated parts of the book, mostly around the corners. But before, the cover hadn't drawn any attention.

But now the diamond in the center appeared to be softly shining with a gentle, warm glow.

I looked around, confused, but there was no windows or even torches that could've been causing the light.

Curious, I let the book fall open on my lap.

The book settled on a random page, which only took me a second to translate:

"Decisions, decisions Reader. What are you to do?"

The book can help. It can offer you… predictions of certain actions."

"But be warned: this is where the warning of the book never lying comes into FULL effect."

"Although this book never lies, it will try and display ALTERNATE truths."

"Choose wisely which future you wish to believe… or don't. The book won't judge."

Below that, faintly glowing, was another passage that drew my eye. It read like it was a short poem.

"Bones and string, both friend and foe."

"Together they go toe to toe."

"But when the glow shall fade to rust,"

"Their fate will only be one with dust."

"What?" I asked myself.

Cryptic messages? Rhyming? What did I just read?

I tucked the book away after marking the page, intent on rereading the exert once again later on.

Another hour passed. Turned out Susie only wanted to know that I was still in the house. I reassured her I would let her know that I was leaving, but she still seemed worried anyway.

I holed myself up in my bedroom and took the book out again, returning to the 'prediction of the future' or something.

"'Bones and string, both friend and foe…'" I recited, thinking about that. "Does that refer to… Diana and Silk?"

It made some sense, considering what half-mob each of them were, but the last bit of 'friend and foe' confused me. As far as I knew and saw from the two, they were very good friends to each other. Why would they be foes?

I shook that off, returning to the book. "'Together they go toe to toe.' That sounds… like a fight. Or… and argument, I suppose. Hmmm…"

The third line stumped me the most. "Glow? Rust? I don't understand that…"

But the final line stood out to me as a very clear image. "'...only be one with dust…'" I recounted slowly. "Like… as in, the dust of death…?"

All creatures, apart from humans, quickly disappear in a puff of dust once slain. Humans don't because they commonly, but not always, reanimate as zombies later on, after days, maybe weeks, rarely months even. But… whoever this poem is referring to… it seems as though if this is true, then… they both die, possibly by their own hands.

It still made little sense, and it was made even worse by remembering that it could be some sort of red herring.

I sighed, confused. 'Why is the book even showing me this in the first place?'

Placing the book back into my bag, I stand up to go back into the main room. Night would soon be upon us, but I figured the others were still up and about.

But my progress was halted just as I reached the door, by a knock. Surprised, I opened it to find… Diana.

She looked both glad and afraid to see me. "Hey. Can I… come in?"

I blinked a few times, before shifting to the side slightly. "Sure…" I agree slowly.

Diana walked in the room and made one look around, seeing nothing of particular interest. "Erm… I like your room… it's quite a bit larger than mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you want a bigger room?"

"O-oh! N-no, I'm not saying I don't like the room I'm sharing with Silk. Just… something I noticed when I came in."

I gave her a stare for a moment, before brushing off the comment and asking her, "Well… is something wrong? What'cha need?"

Diana looked at me long and hard before responding. "I just… wanted to say something to you. Before… before I left."

I was thrown for a loop. "Wait, wha-"

"Silk… she told me that she found a place. She was discussing it with you, right?" Diana asked, her eyes trained at mine.

"O-oh… r-right…" I stammered, realizing that Silk finally spilled the beans.

"And… well, we figured that, since we've already spent a long time here… we plan on leaving tomorrow, at noon." Diana murmured, looking extremely upset about it.

"So soon…?" I murmured. "But, our agreement… you still have a full day."

"We decided that we've already used enough of your time here. We've overstayed our welcome long enough." Diana explained.

Emotions swirled through my mind like fish in an ocean current. I… I honestly didn't want them to leave. Maybe it was concern, maybe more, but either way… they had grown on me. I couldn't imagine them just… leaving.

Diana must've seen something in my face, because she seemed to grow a sympathetic smile. "Aw, are you actually gonna miss me?"

"Of… course." I replied, adding on, "And Silk, too…"

Diana slowly approached me. "*sigh* I really will miss that kindness of yours…"

She held her arms out gently. I got the message and wrapped her arms around her a little, but…

I held her a little tighter just to make sure I wasn't making things up in my head. Diana…

Her body… felt faintly warm.

Like, it was definitely not a normal kind of warm, but considering what I've always known to be her brand of 'cold'... this was much warmer than normal.

I almost pulled away in surprise. "You… you're not as cold as normal."

Diana… blushed heavily. "I'm… not? Is that… bad?"

"Erm… I…" I started to respond, unsure.

Diana giggled gently, then gazed into my eyes gently. The light still shining gently through the window made her eyes gleam like polished gemstones.

I started growing nervous, but…

Something was ebbing through my nerves.

A sort of… sadness.

I supposed this would be one of the last times I would ever get to see her, and the fact that it was being spent with just the two of us staring into each others eyes… it kinda made me feel… like I was watching a beautiful sunset… at noon.

Neither of us said anything, all we did was look deeper into the other's eyes, deeper, deeper, deeper…

Until, at the same time…

We noticed that our lips were just barely brushing against each other.

We both hesitated for only a moment before closing the remaining distance.

Certainly there was love, and compassion in the kiss, I wouldn't deny that.

But there was also feeling of sadness to the kiss, like you knew that it was going to be the last time you would ever be able to have such a kiss.

It was far too short, completely wrong of us to do, and we both knew it.

And yet we kissed.

For only five seconds, until we parted gently, looking at the other.

Diana seemed both extremely happy and incredibly sad. Her eyes had tiny tears in their pits, and she looked unwilling to leave my arms.

"I… don't… want to leave…" Diana whispered, the tears growing slightly. "I… I'll miss you…"

A single tear slowly started rolling down her cheek, gently glistening against the light of the window.

"I'll miss you too, Diana…" I whispered back, cupping her cheek in my hand. My thumb gently wiped away the tear, leaving her pretty face just as it was before.

And then, Diana…

She fell forward onto me, and started crying.

Her arms wrapped around me tightly, like I was a stuffed toy she needed to desperately hug.

I gently wrapped my arms around her as well, rubbing her back gently and patting her head. "It's okay… let it out now…"

Then, I felt something wrong. I looked past Diana.

I suddenly noticed the door being opened, and Susie was entering.

She stopped dead silent when she saw me holding a sobbing Diana against me.

Diana continued to sob quietly against me, completely unaware of Susie's presence.

I looked at Susie and shot her a look with my eyes: 'Let her have this.'

Susie, after remaining still for a good twenty seconds after, slowly cast a sympathetic look to Diana. She gently nodded at me, then quietly left the way she came, her eyes closed the whole time.

Alone once more, I continued to comfort Diana for another few minutes. She eventually stopped crying, but kept herself close to me, taking in my warmth one final time.

Finally, after an age, she gently allowed me to pull away from her, gazing at me with reddened eyes.

"*sniff* C-Cameron… I just want you to know… that you are the most wonderful person I've ever met. I've never met someone so kind as you are…" Diana managed, her voice a bit shaky but her words sincere. "I… I just want you to know that I'll always be by your side, no matter what. Okay?"

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. If I tried, I was afraid I might start falling apart.

Another sniffle, and Diana slowly separated from me, reluctant to leave my arms. "I… I hope that… we can meet again, sometime… I don't want this to be our last goodbye…"

And with a final gaze at me, she slowly opened the door and left, closing it behind her.

My heart felt like it was holding up an anvil. "Diana…" I whispered, the word echoing in my ears.

I needed a moment to myself. Fortunately, I knew just the place.

I opened the window and crawled out, calling upon the wind to help me rise up to the roof. The flight was a lot smoother than the last time I used it, so it certainly seemed like some of my old knowledge with my powers was coming back.

Unfortunately, I didn't account for a certain purple-haired spider lady to also be up on the roof this late, so when I touched down on the roof, I looked up to see Silk sitting on the bench, staring at me.

"O-oh! H-hi… Cameron…" Silk stammered, clearly taken by surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Silk! I, ah… didn't realize you were up here." I stammered, suddenly realizing that kissing her best friend might not be the best thing to have done just then.

The silence around us was deafening. I finally worked up the nerve to hastily excuse myself, "Erm… I'll just, ah… leave you to your gazing."

I turned my back to her and was about to control the winds to float down, when…

"W-wait! I-I didn't say you needed to go!" Silk quickly cried out, suddenly right next to me and her arm held onto mine.

She looked… afraid. "I'm… sorry?" I asked.

Silk gently sighed, and then explained, "I… I told Diana. We talked about the new organization, and… we decided that it would be best to leave tomorrow."

My heart twanged again at Silk's expression. She looked very upset about it, almost as much as Diana's had been. "You really don't have to leave just yet… I mean, you still have all of tomorrow that we'd be willing to have you-"

"We've… already taken up far too much." Silk responded, avoiding my gaze. "It's… better if we just leave now. You and your friends have given more than enough as is…"

"But you're my friend too, Silk." I whispered, getting down onto one knee to be more on her level. "You and Diana are both my friends. I… I'll really miss you both. You know that, right?"

Silk stared into my eyes. I could see a sort of personal fire building back there the longer she stared at me.

And then all of a sudden I felt myself falling backwards, as Silk tackled me to the ground.

She looked down at me, pinning me by the shoulders, allowing her cheeks to blush freely. "D-don't… say those kinds of things… you big jerk. I-it'll only make it so much harder…"

I stared up at her, seeing the want in her eyes. "So much harder… to say goodbye?"

Silk nodded slowly, but she only blushed harder.

She'd kill me if I said it to her aloud, but in that moment, with the torches illuminating her… she looked adorable. Her eyes shimmered many different tints of red. Her purple hair swayed with every little movement.

She lowered herself downwards, very slowly. At the same time, I felt my arms quietly wrapping around her thin midsection.

Before I even knew it, we were kissing. And yet, it felt almost exactly like the kiss Diana had just given me - with sadness entwined within.

She pulled away after but a moment, feeling her embarrassment wash over her. "C… Cameron… I…"

And then she started to shake.

I slowly got us both sitting upright as she continued to shake harder and harder. Although she was strong, it looked like she was having a really hard time keeping it all together.

I gently caressed her shoulder, whispering, "It's… okay to cry, Silk. You don't have to hold it in…"

Silk glanced at me, saw me giving her a caring look, and she lost all control.

She threw herself at me, arms wide, and I was ready. She cried into my shoulder, just as Diana had.

Silk bawled even harder than Diana had. Probably because she kept it all inside most of the time, so once she finally hit the breaking point… she released HARD.

And that's when I heard a soft *fmom* sound. Andr's teleporting sound.

I looked over just as she looked at me.

For a moment, Andr processed the scene, seeing Silk at her weakest, and me, trying my best to comfort her.

'Let her be. She needs this.' I pleaded with my eyes. Silk hadn't seen Andr yet, but if she knew, she'd go ballistic.

A good twenty seconds passed, and finally Andr gave Silk one last look. But it was relaxed… forgiving, even.

She teleported back inside just as quietly as she came, leaving me to Silk.

Silk took just as long, if not longer, to finish crying, just like Diana. And even after she stopped she kept holding onto me, just to know that I was still present there. That… I still cared.

Finally, she pulled slightly away, her eyes puffy and red. "Why… why did… you make me fall for you…?"

"I didn't try. You did that on your own." I softly rebutted, squeezing her slightly.

Silk made a sound akin to a giggle, but quickly stopped and removed herself from my grasp, standing up.

"Th-thank you, Cameron. I… I hope we will meet again, soon. I… I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I really will miss you." she admitted, never breaking eye contact from me.

"The feeling is mutual, Silk. Please, at least stay long enough to have a proper send off tomorrow, if you insist on leaving tomorrow." I requested, taking her hand in my own and cupping it.

Silk looked at the ground, and then murmured, "I'll… consider it."

Then she leaned down and grabbed onto the wall of the house, climbing down a little before opening and jumping into her room.

I sat down on the bench, feeling a thousand pounds of guilt suddenly set in.

I… I just made two of my friends fall in love with me just as they were about to leave.

Now they'll be constantly yearning to see me again, but who knows when that could ever be? At worst… it could be never. And even if they do see me again… who's to say they will have no choice but to attack me?

I suddenly felt very upset at myself. Silk was right: I was a jerk. Maybe not the way she thought of it, but I was a grade-A jerk.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I never heard the soft sound of teleporting behind me.

A soft hand lifted up my face by the chin, startling me. "Hey."

I looked over. Susie. And Andr.

"What're-" I started to ask.

"Did you kiss them?" Andr asked, kneeling down.

"I… yes." I instantly answered, not having enough mental space to even formulate a lie.

The two sat down on either side of me, gazing at me with sympathetic understanding. "Was it any good?"

I rubbed my face a little, unsure of how to answer. "No… I mean, yes, but… no…"

I leaned forward, covering my face with my hands. "What have I done…? I've made two people like me just as they are about to leave…"

Susie and Andr must've been surprised. "They're… leaving? For real?" Andr asked. "When Silk told me that I thought she was just kidding."

"Yeah… both of them talked about it. They're leaving tomorrow. Noon at the latest." I answered, not moving out of my current position.

The two of them digested that. It was quiet for a long time.

"Well… who's to say why they want to leave so early. At least they'll leave knowing that you cared about them." Susie offered, rubbing my shoulder.

"Yeah, but I still feel guilty about them leaving after starting to like me." I murmured, glancing over.

I let my head hang a little, sighing heavily. Andr and Susie looked at each other quietly, thinking about this new information.

After a moment, Susie gently pat me on the back again. "Cameron, don't beat yourself up about this. I'm sure they'll always fondly remember you. I'm sure everything will turn out for the best."

I sighed. "I suppose… though that doesn't mean I'm anxious to see how this unfolds…" I murmur, standing up. Andr and Susie do the same, with them each gently squeezing a hand.

Andr quietly teleported us to her room. I was still feeling mopey.

Andr quietly wrapped her arms around me, gently running her hand through my hair. "It's okay Cameron… it's not your fault. I promise.

We stood like that for a good long while.

Until… I guess I passed out just from exhaustion.

Susie and Andr must've been a fair bit surprised, but by that point I was long asleep.

Maybe I just needed to sleep off my stress…

Maybe…


I woke in the dream world once more.

Vivianna was looking down at me. I must've had my head resting in her watery lap.

"So… Diana and Silk are leaving, huh?" she asked, looking at me sadly.

I sighed, nodding. Aira came into my view, also looking down at me.

"Don't be sad, Cameron. These things happen. It's not your fault." she encouraged.

"But it partly is." I stubbornly repeated, slowly sitting up. "I got close to them and, whether I was active about it or not, I made them like me."

"But you DID like them, right?" Vivianna asked.

"I… at this point… yes?" I responded, looking back at her.

"Then as long as the feelings were mutual, there's no reason to be worried." Vivianna responded, offering a smile at me.

"But that still doesn't change anything. Now they're going away, and probably will never see me again." I retaliated. "If they had just stayed for a little longer…"

"There's no guarantee they would've stayed even IF you offered." Aira responded. "Maybe they really just wanted to leave because they were feeling like they had stayed long enough."

"I still feel guilty though… surely you saw how they looked at me, how much… they genuinely felt happy when I reciprocated. I… I just feel wrong about this whole thing…" I continued.

Vivianna made me turn around and look at her, her eyes gazing deeply into mine. "Listen to me, Cameron. You didn't do anything wrong. I promise. In all perfect honesty, I'm surprised it took them THIS long to fall for you, given that… you have that effect. You're so kind, and caring… you just have a different charm about you that most of the girls you've met… they've never really felt before. Of course they're gonna like you. I like you, for Notch's sake."

"That goes double for me." Aira added, spinning me around to face her. "Face it, Cameron. Not matter what anyone says, you did nothing wrong. You were just being you. The feelings that you developed for Diana and Silk, and vice versa… that's all that you could have done, and nothing to be ashamed off."

I sat there, slowly letting my thoughts and their words churn inside me a little.

"I… I suppose you both are right…" I mumbled. "But that still doesn't make me feel good about it."

Vivianna and Aira both sighed. I guess they figured that I'd still be stubbornly guilty. I couldn't help it.

They hugged me into their arms, gently whispering sweet nothings into my ears. Mainly things like 'It's okay,' and 'It'll turn out better.'

They both helped me feel more at ease. Vivianna washed away the negative thoughts, and Aira tried to blow away the rest.

The entire night was spent with them simply holding me between the two of them. A kiss or two might've been exchanged, I don't fully recall. I simply sunk into their arms and tried to believe the words they were telling me…

Eventually, they must've noticed that I was starting to wake up. They gave me one last tight squeeze, whispering at the exact same time. "Good-bye Cameron… please don't be too hard on yourself."

And I slowly felt myself rising into consciousness…


That morning, I almost had managed to forget.

Partly thanks to the fact that I wasn't in the bedroom with Susie like I always was.

Instead, I was sleeping on Andr's bed, and said ender girl was lying on her side, her eyes closed and her arms gripping me tightly.

She appeared to be still in deep sleep, and she kept making small muttering noises, almost like she was trying to say something.

I found myself blushing a bit. I had never slept in Andr's bed before. She must've convinced Susie to have me sleep with her when I passed out.

I tried to quietly break free, but Andr's grip was even stronger than Susie's. It would take the strength of nearly TEN of myself to have a chance at breaking free.

Her breathing was relaxed. Now that I think about it, so was her entire body. She didn't look embarrassed or afraid… she looked peaceful, calm… she looked… happy. Truly happy.

And that's when I realized my own arms were still wrapped around her.

'Oh… another case of me cuddling up to someone, I guess…' I quietly thought, blushing.

I had never really thought of myself as a sleep hugger. I guess Susie and Snowy have changed me into one nowadays, huh?

I guess there's nothing wrong with it… although having to escape one is always a struggle, especially if said hugger is an Endergirl at least three times stronger than me, and that's a conservative estimate.

I tried again to squirm, but every movement just helped Andr tighten her hold on me I didn't want to wake her up, but getting out of her grasp while she was asleep simply wasn't possible.

I gave up soon enough, instead focusing my attention on Andr's peaceful face. Her features were relaxed. It only just now occured to me just how… smooth her face was. No hint of blemishes or wrinkles… nothing. Even the normal faint blush she had almost every hour was gone. All that was there was a sense of… tranquility. She was perfectly at peace.

I tenderly ran my fingers through her lovely brown hair. It was as soft as the bedsheets.

My hands slowly found their way back up towards Andr's face again. I, very carefully so as to not disturb her, touched her cheek.

The moment I did so, a faint blush came, as though she felt in in her dreams. She snuggled up closer to me, squeezing me for just a second before relaxing a tad.

I gently tilted my face up enough, and was just able to plant a soft kiss on her small nose. The blush grew further, and she started mumbling to herself, talking to someone.

"C… m… ron…" she whispered, her voice just a FRACTION of a level above silent. "I… ove… you…"

I smiled warmly. Even passed out asleep, she was still adorable as all hell. I kissed her on the nose again, this time a bit longer, while hugging her as tightly as I possibly could.

She squirmed a bit, as though jolts of lightning were coursing through her. Her arms opened up for a brief moment, but soon they re-adjusted to loosely be around my neck.

Still asleep, she started making pleads to "Hold… tighter… kiss me…" with little sleepy whimpers intermingled in.

I gave her what she wanted, and moved my lips down enough to plant them on her lips softly, wrapping my arms around her neck as well.

Her legs moved gently, folding up and clamping around me tightly in an effort to stay as close as possible the whole time. Her face was still a blushing mess, but her expression, one of pure bliss, showed that she loved every moment of it.

I tried to part from her once or twice, but she kept pulling me back. I only could manage to get a slight breath in every now and again. Andr showed little sign of stopping.

She somehow managed, while still keeping us locked together, to roll over so that she was on her back and I was on top of her. I gained much more leverage in the exchange. Andr's blush grew, starting to extend past her cheeks, but she seemed a hundred times more excited by it.

"Oh… Cam… ron…" she breathed, her tongue yielding to mine as I locked them together.

Andr appeared to be finally waking up. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was me on top of her, passionately lip-locked with her.

Her blush went through the roof, as almost her ENTIRE face burned with embarrassment. I slowed down just a little, as if to ask her, 'Do you want me to stop?'

In response, Andr glanced downward for a moment, before looking at me again. Her arms, still around my neck, started tightening again.

Now sure that Andr wanted me to keep going, I resumed my kiss with her. Although she was blushing to high-heaven, she still had the same expression of slovenly love.

By the time I finally let up, both of us were completely out of breath, and I collapsed on top of her, feeling her heartbeat racing at a million beats an hour.

"Now that's how I want to wake up…" Andr whispered, her tone breathless, but gentle. She stared at me infatuatedly, pulling my face up to look directly into her eyes.

For a moment, we simply allowed ourselves to recover.

Finally, I was able to rise up. Andr slowly sat up with me.

"Good morning Cameron…" she whispered to me.

"Morning." I greeted back, smiling at her.

The two of us simply spent the next five minutes fully waking up, with hugging and a bit more kissing. By the time I fully rose from the bed and headed down the stairs, I was in a very good mood.

'Nothing can possibly ruin my mood right now.' I casually thought, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

And then I looked over at the living room.

Diana and Silk were already here, and they appeared to have their stuff all in a bag for each of them.

THAT made my mood drop real fast.

They both noticed me soon after, and they both wore almost identical expressions of sadness.

They approached me, me doing the same. For a moment, none of us said anything.

"...so." I gently greeted.

"So…" they both agreed at the same time.

"You're… you're really going, huh?" I asked.

"Y-yeah… we are." Diana agreed.

"But we're not leaving until we had that breakfast you promised us." Silk added, a small smile forming for maybe a few seconds.

I nodded, but I still stood there for a moment.

Until I couldn't take it anymore, and quickly dashed forward and threw my arms around them both, whispering, "I'll really miss you guys…"

They both hesitated for maybe a moment before hugging me back. Even if they weren't saying it outright, I knew they were thinking the same thing.

Soon after, the air was filled with the sound of cooking food. It didn't take long for the others to start filing in from the other rooms.

Each of them saw Diana and Silk, and they all carried equal expressions of sadness, yet understanding.

Breakfast was soon served, but conversation was very minimal around us. We were all feeling a similar sense of… gloom, I guess.

Once we finally finished, final preparations were made between the two of them. The remaining four of us all pitched in as well, and we even gave them a few things to help make the journey a bit easier, such as spare resources and food.

And finally, before we knew it, it was noon.

We all stepped outside, Diana and Silk both loaded up with all their things and supplies.

They both each gave the others one last farewell and a hug or two, just for the road.

And then they finally reached me.

It wasn't until they reached me did I notice that Susie and the other two both had already ducked inside. Snowy had looked like she was three seconds away from bursting into tears, and both Susie and Andr looked like they were gonna miss the pair too.

"Cameron…" Diana breathed, shouldering her pack.

"Cameron…" Silk repeated.

"Diana… Silk…" I breathed back. "I… I'll really miss you guys. You… you know that, if you… if things don't go right at wherever you go… you'll always have a place here, right?"

They both nodded, and at the same time they both moved closer and threw their arms around me.

They were slightly shaking a little. They didn't want to say goodbye.

Then again, neither did I.

Eventually, they let go of me and shouldered their belongings, and gave me one more final goodbye.

"I'll miss you, Cameron…" Diana sadly recounted.

"Same for me. I… I won't forget you." Silk added, just as sad.

They started to walk off into the hills.

I stayed out and kept waving to them, for as long as I could see them.

They reached a large hill, the last point that I would be able to see them at. They turned one more time, and waved good-bye.

And then they disappeared over the crest.

I stayed put for, I guess… five minutes?

I… was hoping they'd come back.

Maybe they forgot something, or, maybe they wanted another good-bye.

Or maybe I just wanted them to stay. Really badly.

But I realized soon enough they weren't coming back, so, I eventually turned away.

And, pausing only once in the doorway to make one more glance back…

I entered my house, and shut the door behind me.


WAIT IT'S NOT DONE YET FOLKS!

I-I know that it seems like Diana and Silk are gone forever, but trust me, THEY AREN'T.

So please don't tear me a new one because you want more of them, because they are FAR from gone.

Because let's be real: We've had QUITE a bit of them. They've been the focus on a LOT of recent chapters. Some separation will help them return with a bit more impact, no?

And plus, well… *chuckle*...

I do believe the next chapter will still be satisfying in its own right.

Because it has something we haven't done in a long, LONG time. TOO long, in fact.

I bet a bunch of you already can figure what it is. But even if you don't…

Just be ready.

Until next time, my dear readers…

Stay awesome!