Disclaimer: Frankly, I don't own Neopets, and you people better well know it. I don't own either of the Evanescence songs featured in this chapter.

I lay on my bed, thumbing through the pages of my old journal. Yeah, to some a journal may be considered childish or feminine, but the blurred memories broke apart fear of that or many other petty things.

I flipped to an old, worn page, one whose words stung in my memory like a freshly cut wound.

7th day of Storing, Y2

I feel strange. Like all of my life has slipped away without my knowing. I woke up a few days ago face down in the snow. It felt like I had been there a long time.

I found this girl named Hannah buried in the snow. She was really nice, and very pretty. She told me she had been betrayed by a theif named Kanrik. By the sound of him, he sounds like a flea ridden mutt.

It was kinda weird. A few hours later, who would happen to come wandering into our cave, but that nasty old Gelert. He told us that he had been betrayed and he had left his guild. He mentioned that the Bringer had been set loose once more. We're leaving to go find him soon.

I think Kanrik has feelings for Hannah. He acted all weird, and wants me out of his sight so they can be alone together. She already gave me hope of a relationship, so I won't let this bum me.

I flipped through the rest of my journal. This was the last entry for a while. But, there, scrawled in the very back page, were a few lines of a song. A song I once knew, a song I knew I would never forget.

"I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Because your prescence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone."

I snapped the journal shut. I could almost feel the tears threatening to leak out of my bloodshot eyes. This song had been burned in my mind for three years, and I couldn't fall to pieces over it just now. I placed the journal back in its familiar place on my small bookshelf. I glanced at the clock that stood on my bed post. Two o' clock AM. I needed to sleep; tomorrow was work with that impartial boss. I scowled at the thought, then threw on the covers, and drifted into a dreamless state of unconsciousness.

- - - - - - - - -

The shrill shriek of my alarm clock woke me early. I rubbed my eyes wearily and headed to the bathroom. A fresh shower refused to alert me. I ignored it; I was used to this sort of thing by now. Wrapping my towel around my waist, I stepped out of the shower and stood before a cracked mirror.

I wasn't the same Bori I was a few years ago; that's for sure. My cheeks were hollowed, my eyes failed to present that twinkling and laughter. My fur looked slightly leaner, and I had definately shed a few pounds. I didn't look seventeen at all, I looked more like forty years had shown me the worst.

I slipped on a shirt and pants and shoved a comb through my unruly hair. No matter what I did to it, it never seemed to get any tidier. I gave up and left my apartment, heading for work. It was only a few convenient blocks from my rent. I had left the cold of Terror Mountain a few days after the incident in the Ice Caves. I didn't want to be reminded of it; I wanted to start a whole new life, forgetting all that happened, including Hannah.

I shut the door of the book shop, panting. A young Aisha looked up at me and smiled.

"Run here, did you? Don't you think you're a little late?"

"Oh, hey, Diana. Er, sorry... didn't realize I... well, never mind..."

Diana smiled. She was a very pretty girl, with shoulder length blonde hair and dashing blue eyes, I will admit. She moved behind the counter and walked up to me, comb in hand. "I think you look a little disgruntled, don't you?" She took the comb and stroked my hair. I stared blankly at her, then backed away.

"Er... thanks." I didn't like the entire prospect of her advancing on me like that, treating me like a was a child.

She frowned. "I don't think it's entirely neat, let me just-"

"No, I'm fine, really." I said quickly, just as the bell above the shop door tinkled, announcing the arrival of the blue Nimmo who ran the shop, Kaster. He smiled warmly at Diana, and looked around.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but, oh! I see you've done a great job cleaning up, Diana." He beamed at her, then snuck me a glare.

"Oh, no, sir, see, I didn't do it myself, Armin helped me." I blinked at her.

"Oh." He said with a look of disbelief. "Well, since you and Armin have done such a good job here, I'll just-"

"Sir?"

"Yes, Diana?"

"Well, I was wondering, well, since we got here extra early to do the cleaning and stuff, which is really our jobs, you know, I wondered, well, oh, never mind, it would be too silly to ask..." She said, feining a blush, and continued her work.

"No, Diana, go on..."

"Well..." She continued, drawing a deep breath, as though about to announce that a bomb was placed in the Book shop, and could detonate any minute, "I wanted to know if Armin and I could have the morning off." She said hurridly, turning an even deeper shade of crimson. I stared at her. Kaster blinked for a few minutes, as though to say no, but then his expression twisted into a uncomfortably knowing smile.

"Oh, I see," he said. "Well, you have the morning. Do as you please."

Diana beamed, then thrust out her hand, saying, "Come on, Armin!" And without waiting for a response, led me out of the shop, still clutching my hand. As soon as we were out of earshot, I turned to her.

"What the heck was that all about?" I said, wrenching my paw out of her grasp.

"I just saved your ass, so act a little grateful!"

"Great. Now he thinks we're going out or something," I hissed.

She paused for a moment. Then, in a lower voice, she added, "Well, there's honestly no reason we're not..."

"No reason!" I repeated, a hint of hysteria in my voice. "There's no-"

"Look, do you want me to go back in there and tell him the truth, get you fired, and cry over your loss as if I'm watching some soap opera?"

"No." I sighed. "Then it's a date?"

She beamed.

I took her hand reluctantly, then walked down with her to her 'dream date', (or, in simpler terms me and you can understand, a diner on the edge of town). I paused at the door, but was dragged along by my hopeless date. We sat down at a table away from the commotion in the middle of the diner. I stood up straight away, thinking of an excuse to get away from her.

"I'm going to get us some drinks," I said stupidly, then walked over to the counter, where the clerk was muttering to himself, but noticing me, he snapped to attention, and asked raptly, "What would you like, sir?" without hardly looking at me.

"Oh, I dunno, two coffees, I guess..."

"Will that be strong?" He said turning to face me. His eyes grew wide at the sight of me, and muttered, "Oh... oh my... Armin, is that you?"

"In the flesh... Henry?"

"Er, no, Harry, but good, considering it's been thousands of years," He laughed despite himself. Quickly he lowered his voice, then looked around cautiously to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "Look. I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but, I think you need to know... it's about Hannah..."

He had my full attention. "What? What happened to her?"

He paused for a second."Well, since you left the mountain, quite a lot has happened. Rumors about your whereabouts were rampant, considering you had been one of Hannah's friends... but most of them started by Kanrik... filthy mutt..."

"WHAT did he say about me?"

"He said... well, different things. There was one story of how you had sold yourself as a prostate because you were desperate for money... but I doubt that was Kanrik... not his thing, really..."

"Would you please get to the point?" I said impatiently, bringing my fist down on the counter so hard that attracted the attention of a few curious customers.

"Well... they believe you're dead."

"Not suprised, really, I only wondered whether they'd miss me or not."

"But that's not the half of it. Hannah, of course, didn't believe it, so she and Kanrik set off to find you-"

"Why did SHE bring HIM! She knows how much I hate his guts!"

"Don't ask me, I don't know!" He said in frustration. "But I know thata few days later, Kanrik returned from the search empty handed, with neither Hannah nor you... said she got killed or something..."

"No," I stared at him. "She can't be..." I said in almost a whisper.

"Well, that's it. It's hard to believe it... but Kanrik had her coat... it was all bloody..."

"No! I don't believe it..." I ran out of the bar, tears stinging my face, oblivious to Diana's calls to me...

I didn't stop until I was home. I ripped out my diary, and turned to that last uncontinued page. I whipped out a pen from my pocket, and wrote under the words "leave me alone"...

"You don't remember me

But I remember you

I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you

But who can decide what they dream?

And dream I do...

I believe in you

I'll give up everything just to find you

I have to be with you

To live

To breathe

You're taking over me..."

I clutched my pen in my hand, tears now streaming down my face.

I knew what I had to do.

And I was ready.