Greetings! I am blown away by the wonderful reviews I received for chapter 17. Thanks SO MUCH for the feedback! I can not begin to express how satisfying it is to hear your response. It's amazing. I'm developing an original fiction—with the hopes of some day "going pro"—so your feedback on this particular story really helps. Thanks again!
Okay, you don't want to read my ramblings, so let's get on with the chapter:
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
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In the last chapter, Zoicite and Jedite found their prince, which was fortunate, because soon after they had a run-in with some very dirty naked people. Serenity also was assaulted; Endymion saved her. The princess revived a mud person and had a chat with him. Unfortunately, Zoicite witnessed their conversation; since he does not speak cavern dweller, he thought they were having a cordial conversation. He thinks Serenity is a spy and must die. (hey, that rhymed! Hee hee)
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Light of Love: Red Moon
Chapter 18: Discovery
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter arrived on the Earth early in the morning to locate and retrieve Princess Serenity. Now, at mid-afternoon, the pair seemed no closer to finding the Moon princess than they had when they first arrived.
Jupiter was certain they would have found her by now, but Sailor Mercury insisted on using her confounded computer to map out the terrain and measure the energy levels of each section of forest they visited. Personally, Jupiter thought the entire process was a waste of time. Serenity was not safe on this planet. They needed to find the princess and return her to the Moon as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Sailor Mercury, considering the important nature of their assignment, thought that the only way to accurately locate Serenity in a timely manner was to utilize her visor and miniature computer. Sailor Jupiter wanted to blindly follow the first pair of footprints they found in the snow. The process of inputting data might take a little longer, but, Mercury reasoned, it was far better to know for certain that they were on the right track instead of following the wrong set of footprints. The fewer detours they took from Serenity's path the better.
Neither woman was surprised by their inability to cooperate with each other. Historically, Mercurians and Jupiterians rarely saw eye to eye. The people of Mercury were very thoughtful; generally, they never acted on instinct. If they detected such an emotion, they would dig out their books and computers and analyze until all possibilities for why they had these feelings were exhausted. The people of Jupiter, in contrast, existed entirely on their instincts. They were known for their brute strength; their agility and cunning made them excellent hunters. Jupiterians could also be extremely impatient and temperamental.
These two personalities were normally tempered by the presence of the other senshi. Sailor Mars' psychic ability often detected subtle energy fields Sailor Mercury's mini computer could not. Sailor Venus' calm persona helped keep the normally brash and headstrong Sailor Jupiter in check. Together, the four senshi were extremely powerful; fragmented, they were easily distracted and quick to criticize their peers.
Sailor Jupiter sucked in a deep breath of cool air and exhaled.
"Well?" the brunette uttered.
Sailor Mercury held up her gloved hand to silence Jupiter. The blue-haired senshi dropped her hand back down to the keypad of her miniature computer. She typed, peered up at the landscape through her blue visor, looked down, and typed again.
Sailor Jupiter crossed her arms over her buxom chest, stared inquisitively at Sailor Mercury, and sighed with impatience. She shuffled her boots in the crusty snow. The brunette adjusted the hood of her dark green cloak so that the Mercurian could not see her scowl. The Jupiterian groaned impatiently.
"Just a moment," mumbled her analytical colleague. Sailor Mercury peered at the other senshi through the corner of her left eye. She noticed Jupiter shift her weight from foot to foot. The Mercurian sighed and defensively snapped, "I'm going as fast as I can."
"I know you are," Sailor Jupiter quickly retorted. She tried to keep her tone even and non-critical, but she found it difficult.
A strange noise escaped from Sailor Mercury's lips. She pinched her blue studded earring; the visor in front of her eyes disappeared. The Mercurian lowered the dark navy hood of her cloak and grinned. She seemed anxious.
"The princess was here," she announced.
Sailor Jupiter waited for Sailor Mercury to say more. Her eyebrows lifted. She craned her neck forward and tilted her right ear toward the Mercurian.
"And?" the brunette finally prompted.
Sailor Mercury shrugged. "And...and...she's been here. I, uh, was able to detect her power levels." She frowned at her companion's annoyed expression. "This is good. It proves that we are on the right track."
Jupiter stared at Sailor Mercury like she had two heads. She bit the inside of her lip as she attempted to think of a kind way to rebuke her friend.
"Mercury," the brunette began, "I told you that Serenity had been here thirty minutes ago, when we first entered this area of the forest. I also told you that, along with her tracks, I found three other sets of footprints in the snow; one larger pair right next to hers, and two that overlap hers. Have you spent all of this extra time just confirming the presence of Serenity's energy?"
Sailor Mercury ran a white glove through her silky blue hair.
"It's important that we make sure we are following the right tracks," she explained.
"It is important," Sailor Jupiter concurred. "But not when it is so obvious that Serenity was here. Now, will you snap that confounded machine closed and trust me on this? We can follow your technique if we lose the princess' track in the snow or if something doesn't seem quite right, okay?"
The Mercurian inhaled a breath through her nostrils. Defeated, she closed her computer and pocketed the machine in the skirt of her fuku. Sailor Mercury placed the hood over her head to conceal the disappointment that lined her face. She resigned herself to following Sailor Jupiter. Mercury was surprised at how easily she slipped into a role of complacency; she quietly followed two or three paces behind Jupiter. Grudgingly, the Mercurian silently admitted that her companion's tracking skills were far superior to her own. By late afternoon, the two women had covered a lot of ground.
Sailor Jupiter suddenly stopped; the blue-haired Mercurian absent-mindedly bumped into the other woman's back. She hastily stepped away from Sailor Jupiter, tucked the strands of hair that had fallen into her face behind each of her ears, and readjusted the hood of her cloak
"Oof! Sorry!" Sailor Mercury squeaked. She stepped next to Jupiter and smoothed out the front of her dark blue cloak. Sailor Mercury peered sideways; Sailor Jupiter's expression appeared pensive but confused. The senshi of water frowned as she said, "What is it?"
Sailor Jupiter scanned the surrounding woods and then dropped her brown eyes to look at the forest floor. She turned and glanced at the ground behind them. Sailor Mercury finally twisted her head to look at the surrounding area. Her mouth dropped open.
The palette of color changed dramatically from the expanse of forest the duo just recently traversed through. Until now, the Senshi had only seen bare trees and brush sprouting from a dull grey blanket of snow. What lay before them did not appear to be natural in its formation; a circle of greenery concealed itself within the heart of the forest. The branches of the trees were covered with foliage and blossoms; the twiggy bushes were lush with sprouted leaves. Thick, spongy moss carpeted the floor of the forest.
"What," Sailor Mercury paused and inhaled the fresh smell of spring, "What is this place?"
Sailor Jupiter shook her head. The brunette stepped onto the carpet of moss; the tiny tips of the lichen crunched under her boots. The senshi stooped down and placed her gloved hand on top of the moss. She twisted and stared at a cluster of ferns; she noted the frost on the edges of each frond.
"I don't know what it is," Jupiter declared as she stood to her feet. "But it isn't a natural occurrence. In any case, it's recent. Perhaps it happened yesterday. Look at the frost on the leaves there."
Sailor Mercury's eyes trailed to view the tree her companion pointed to. She noticed the frozen dew and nodded thoughtfully. Her gaze eventually fell back to Sailor Jupiter; the brunette looked at her expectantly.
"What is it?" asked Sailor Mercury.
The Jupiterian rolled her chocolate brown eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "Serenity's tracks end here. Your computer may be useful now."
Sailor Mercury's cheeks reddened. She nodded and obediently extracted the computer from her pocket. The senshi pinched her right earring; the blue visor materialized over her eyes. She paced around the green area, surveying each tree branch and lichen-covered stone while she walked. She paused when she came to a large cavernous pit at the center. The Mercurian stared into the wide hole. After typing several more calculations into her miniature computer, the woman gasped. She twisted and motioned for Sailor Jupiter to join her. The brunette, who had found a tree trunk covered with a thick layer of soft squishy moss to sit on, reluctantly stood and joined her colleague at the edge of the hole. Sailor Jupiter yawned and stretched her arms in the air. She eyed the deep pit before turning her attention to the Mercurian.
"That's a big hole," she observed. She smiled knowingly at her colleague and asked, "Did you find something?"
"Definitely!" Sailor Mercury announced. "Take a look at this."
She twisted her computer around for Sailor Jupiter see. The brunette stared at the collection of colorful squiggles and numbers on the tiny monitor. She blinked her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
"So?"
Sailor Mercury stared at her colleague incredulously. "So," she factually said, "This entire area was dead. You can tell if you look at the strata in the chasm there." She pointed—a bit too eagerly, in Sailor Jupiter's opinion—to the opposite wall of the pit. The senshi of water licked her lips and swallowed before babbling on. "The greenery made it hard to detect, but thanks to the advances of Mercurians in visual analysis, I am almost completely certain that this was a primary discharge location. I must reassess the trajectory charts to make a positive conclusion. Even then, it's still not totally conclusive, I'll have to take a soil sample to my lab to make absolutely sure, but my scanner has detected scant deposits of solar matter in this hole!"
Sailor Jupiter scratched her head. All she saw was a wall of dirt. She eyed her companion. Sailor Mercury's cheeks were bright pink. Jupiter did not understand how staring into a big hole could fascinate someone so much; perhaps the entire landscape appeared more exciting through Sailor Mercury's blue visor.
"Uh, so why's everything green?" the Jupiterian pondered out loud.
"That'll be a little more challenging to figure out," her companion flatly replied.
Sailor Mercury sighed. She turned her attention back to the screen of her computer.
Again, the familiar sound of Mercury's fingers frantically typing filled Sailor Jupiter's ears. The brunette stood patiently beside her colleague. She surveyed their surroundings with weary eyes. Jupiter's attention snapped to a cluster of trees on the opposite side of the green area; the branches swayed and rustled.
"I think I figured it out!" Sailor Mercury squealed. "Oh, this is remarkable. Even you will find this interesting. The green appears to have been caused by a very abrupt, sudden and powerful blast of pure energy."
Sailor Jupiter, still staring at the same tree cluster, nodded. "But where did the energy come from?"
"That's the remarkable part," the senshi of water explained. "It was created by Princess Serenity."
The Jupiterian pulled her focus away from the trees and quickly surveyed the greenery around them. Her brown eyes settled on Sailor Mercury's face.
"How?" Sailor Jupiter pondered. She recalled Princess Serenity's ability harness the power of the Ginzuishou during the meteor attack on the Moon Castle. She frowned. "The princess didn't use..."
"No!" Sailor Mercury defensively snapped. "I mean, she didn't. If she had used it, the queen would have sensed it, like she did during the attack on the palace." The Mercurian sighed and looked around. "No, this was pure Serenity. And something—or someone—else."
"What do you mean, 'someone'?"
"Uh, well," Mercury began before clearing her throat, "There's another power present. Serenity's power and this power are married together, really. According to my scans, the energy is Terran-based, but it's very ancient power. I haven't seen anything like it since...hang on...I'm going to search my database to see if it's somewhere in my catalogue..."
The blue-headed senshi was again typing madly on her keypad.
Sailor Jupiter exhaled loudly and crossed her arms over her chest. She dropped her eyes and stared at the hole in front of them. Again, movement in the trees and brush snapped her attention to the area just past the chasm in front of them. Sailor Jupiter's brown eyes narrowed.
"Aha!" Sailor Mercury squealed. She pinched her earring, which retracted her blue visor. "Well, this is very odd, but not too odd, I guess. Jupiter, you won't believe this. The power is from the Golden Crystal!"
An explosion burst from the tree cluster. The thick foliage concealed the initial power build-up; Sailor Jupiter did not see the increased energy of an attack until the very last moment. A fire ball crashed through the trees; its size increased as it barreled toward the two senshi.
"Duck!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. She sprung toward Sailor Mercury and pushed her to the ground. The two women crashed into the padded forest floor.
The ball of fire clipped Sailor Jupiter's right shoulder as it soared past the pair and hurled her across the wooded area. The senshi's back slammed into a narrow tree trunk.
"Jupiter!" Sailor Mercury cried as she craned her neck to look back at her colleague. She motioned to stand.
Sailor Jupiter shook her head and held up her right hand. She gulped and whispered, "Don't move. Another one..."
This time, Sailor Mercury heard a familiar voice shout from the woods.
"Solar wave deflection!"
The blue-haired senshi twisted her head and glanced up in time to see a huge wave of white hot light emerge from the cluster of trees in front of her. Sailor Mercury's eyes widened. The attack was obviously intended for her. The Mercurian dove toward the chasm. She grasped a protruding tree root near the top of the hole and swung her body into the pit. Loose soil rained down on her. Sailor Mercury struggled to keep from slipping to the bottom of the chasm. Her cloak slipped from her shoulders and fell into the darkness. She found a large protruding rock with her left boot; she tentatively placed her foot on the stone.
The brightness of the attack passed over her head. A few sparks fell around her and illuminated the chasm below; the light slipped and disappeared into the darkness beneath her. Realizing that the pit did not appear to have a bottom, the senshi of water struggled harder to keep from slipping further into the hole.
Flowers rained down on her; Sailor Mercury guessed that the blossoms were the result of Jupiter's flower hurricane attack. The Mercurian attempted to hoist herself out of the pit; she wanted to help her colleague. Another solar attack soared over Mercury's head; the woman ducked back into the chasm. She dug her chin into her shoulder and clamped her eyes shut.
The violent noise of the battle above suddenly ceased. Sailor Mercury opened her blue eyes slowly. She strained to listen for Sailor Jupiter's voice.
A good amount of dirt fell onto Sailor Mercury's head; the blue-headed senshi clamped her eyes shut and shook the soil from her hair. She slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head up. Her hands nearly slipped. Two female figures towered over her; the silhouette of the woman on her left caused Sailor Mercury to gasp. She was a senshi.
Her blue gaze narrowed as she focused on the shadowed face of the girl standing above her.
"Orleana?" the senshi of water squeaked.
The girl laughed wickedly as she answered, "Were you expecting someone else?"
"Why are you here?" Sailor Mercury demanded. Panic erupted inside her body. She wondered what had happened to Jupiter.
"You aren't in the position to ask questions!" the Solarian princess snapped impatiently.
Orleana kicked at the loose dirt on the edge of the chasm; the soil fell into Sailor Mercury's face. The Mercurian spat the granules out of her mouth and shook the dirt from her hair. Sailor Mercury's left boot slipped from the top of the protruding rock. She dug her right foot into the bank of the pit.
The Solarian rolled her eyes at her former mentor's predicament and stepped away from the chasm. The princess of the Sun pinched her lips together. It would be so simple to dispose of Sailor Mercury. All she would have to do is power up for another attack.
Orleana placed her hands in front of her and willed the energy into her hands. A miniscule, fist-sized ball of white light formed between them. The Solarian's face twisted as she strained to draw more power into her palms. The energy flickered; it suddenly disappeared like the flame of a snuffed candle. Orleana sighed with exasperation. She shook out her hands.
Her attention was drawn to Sailor Jupiter's body. She thought that defeating Sailor Jupiter had been simple, but it had required more power than she originally calculated. She was tapped out.
Orleana frowned when she noticed Sailor Jupiter's chest rise and fall. She thought for certain that her last attack had finished off the Jupiterian. She had used all of her power to defeat her opponent; she was quite displeased to note that Sailor Jupiter was still alive. More problematic for the Solarian was the awareness that she as weak as a newborn kitten, and Sailor Mercury, although soiled, was still a formidable and dangerous opponent. Hopefully, Sailor Mercury was unaware of Orleana's loss of power.
The Solarian wiped her nose before twisting her attention to the red-headed woman standing beside her.
"Don't just stand there Beryl!" she snapped. Her annoyance with her own shortcomings made Orleana's voice shrill and commanding. She scowled at the Terran girl and motioned to the chasm. "Give Sailor Mercury a hand."
Beryl nodded and knelt down at the edge of the wide hole. She grasped Mercury by the shoulders and helped the senshi crawl out of the pit. The red-head stared intently at the Mercurian woman.
The senshi of water gasped for air. She scrambled to her hands and knees. She sat back on her legs and spat more of the dirt from her mouth. Sailor Mercury craned her head and searched the area for Sailor Jupiter. Her heart sunk when she spotted her comrade's body a short distance away. The green skirt of Jupiter's fuku had been torn to shreds; the pink bows of her uniform had come undone and the material had twisted around her body. Blood stained the white fabric of her fuku.
Sailor Jupiter shifted her arm slightly. Sailor Mercury sighed with relief. Jupiter was alive, at least.
Sailor Mercury's eyes stung with tears of rage; she blinked them back. She rose to her feet. She willed the power to the palms of her hands.
"Oh, you are so predictable," Orleana muttered, rolling her blazing orange eyes. She pointed her right index finger and aimed it Sailor Jupiter's fallen form. The tip of her finger began to glow. She hoped that Mercury did not notice her strain to channel the energy to her hand. She clenched her teeth. "Just try it. Let's see who has faster reflexes. I have a feeling my attack would be far more painful than your measly water tricks."
The senshi of water lowered her hands to her sides. She raised her head to look her former pupil. The young Solarian's face was lined; sunken half-moons shadowed her eyes. Observing Orleana's own tattered fuku, Sailor Mercury surmised that the Solarian had also been recently bested. Even though she had great faith in Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mercury had a feeling that Orleana's appearance was the result of a previous battle. In different circumstances, Sailor Mercury might have felt sympathy for the princess of the Sun.
Orleana slowly dropped her right hand to her side. She sighed with relief; she couldn't bear to use any more of her power. She drew in a deep breath. In order to escape this scene unscathed, she'd have to be ruthless. The Solarian tossed her long locks of curled black hair over her shoulder and smiled cynically at her former teacher.
"I'm disappointed in the two of you," she lectured. "I had thought that Sailor Mercury and Jupiter, two of the greatest senshi of all time, would have at least given me a challenge."
"If you wanted a fair fight, you shouldn't have hidden like a coward in the woods," Sailor Mercury responded. She scowled as she continued, "But, judging from your haggard appearance, someone already defeated you."
Orleana frowned. Her orange eyes narrowed.
"How observant of you," she hissed.
Beryl fidgeted nervously. Her movement drew Sailor Mercury's attention. The senshi of water eyed the red-head. Unaware her captive audience, Beryl leaned forward to touch the tip of a fern. Sailor Mercury smiled and twisted her gaze back to the Solarian.
"Really, Orleana, this is surprising," commented the Mercurian. "I never thought you were the type to associate with Terrans, especially not ones so common..."
Beryl's focus snapped to Sailor Mercury. It took a moment for the young woman to realize she had just been insulted. Once awareness filtered through her, Beryl scowled at the senshi.
"What's the matter with Terrans?" she demanded.
She stormed toward Sailor Mercury. The senshi of water smiled. The Terran girl was about to create just the distraction Mercury needed to use one of her attacks.
"Don't, Beryl," Orleana ordered. The Solarian held an arm up.
Beryl stopped behind the princess of the Sun. She glared at Sailor Mercury. She fidgeted with her hands. She made faces at the Mercurian; the senshi tried not to smile at the red-head's juvenile response.
"Why don't you just waste her?" Beryl demanded.
The senshi wondered if the Terran would speak so boldly if she did not have Orleana's protection.
"Beryl, this is between me and Sailor Mercury," Orleana sternly explained.
"Fine!" Beryl shouted. She crossed her arms over her large chest and sighed. She glared at Sailor Mercury and muttered spitefully, "Your princess doesn't seem to have such a problem with Terrans, considering she's keeping company with Prince Endy..."
"Beryl!" Orleana loudly snapped. This time, she shifted her attention away from Sailor Mercury to reprimand the Terran girl. It was the distraction Sailor Mercury had waited for.
"Mercury bubbles spray!" she shouted. The area instantly filled with a thick, dense fog. The Mercurian pinched her earring; the blue visor materialized in front of her eyes, enabling the senshi to see through the vapor. She shoved Orleana to the ground and darted toward Sailor Jupiter's form. She was relieved to find the brunette conscious.
"Can you walk?" she whispered.
Sailor Jupiter nodded and allowed Mercury to help her stand. The pair escaped the immediate area as quickly as they could. Jupiter's injuries slowed their progress. Once they were far from Orleana and Beryl, the duo slowed their pace. Mercury insisted pausing to inspect Sailor Jupiter's injuries.
"We don't have time," Jupiter muttered. "Serenity's in more danger than we suspected."
"It will only take a moment to scan..." insisted Sailor Mercury. She reached into the pocket of her fuku. She fumbled for a few moments for her computer. She removed her empty hand from her pocket. Her expression was grim. Her eyes became damp.
"What is it?" Jupiter questioned. "What's the matter?"
"My computer," Mercury whispered. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I must have dropped it back there."
"That's it?" cried Sailor Jupiter. She shook her head. "For a second there, I thought we were in real trouble."
"But, we are!" Mercury wailed. "How will we be able to report to Queen Serenity? And how are we going to find the princess before that solar hellion and her sidekick do?"
Jupiter shrugged. Her eyes dropped to the trampled snow at her feet.
"We'll worry about contacting the Queen later," she finally stated. Her gaze focused on a pair of footprints in the snow; one pair was small, the other larger. The Jupiterian smiled. "My people have never used a computer to track, and we seem to fare okay. If I am not mistaken, those..." she pointed to the smaller footprints "...are Serenity's." She eyed the second pair of tracks thoughtfully. "Orleana's companion mentioned something about Serenity and a Terran, didn't she?"
Sailor Mercury reflected back on Beryl's last comment. Her face flushed with excitement. She nodded eagerly.
"Yes! She said that Serenity was keeping company with..." Sailor Mercury's blue eyes lit up. "...Prince Endymion!" She clasped her hand over her mouth.
Sailor Jupiter eyed her companion skeptically. "What?"
"He's the missing piece of the puzzle! He must be!"
"What?" Jupiter demanded with a frown.
Sailor Mercury stared up at the sky thoughtfully as she spoke. "Prince Endymion. The Golden Crystal is his birthright. He's the only Terran who could wield its power."
Sailor Jupiter shrugged her shoulders. She winced. The pain from Orleana's attacks was worsening; her right side throbbed. She pressed her hand against her fuku; her glove turned sticky red. The senshi twisted to see if Mercury had noticed. Fortunately, the Mercurian was too busy reveling in her recent epiphanies. Sailor Jupiter adjusted her green cloak to conceal her injury from her companion. Mercury would want to bandage the wound; Jupiter realized that they couldn't waste any more time here in the woods. Now that Sailor Mercury's computer was gone, Sailor Jupiter was the only one who could find the princess.
"Thank Selene for Endymion's protection," Sailor Mercury gushed. "If he has the Golden Crystal, there is no way Serenity is in danger."
"That's a mighty big 'if,'" Jupiter snapped. "How old is the prince, anyway? When did Kyrena leave us? Sixteen years ago? That would make him...fifteen, right?"
"I guess," Sailor Mercury grudgingly admitted.
"He's just a boy."
"I agree, but he's a boy with the Golden Crystal!" Mercury said hopefully.
Sailor Jupiter shook her head. "I'm relieved, like you, to know that Serenity is not alone. However, I would be much more jubilant if an actual warrior were protecting her, like Kyrena or...Kunzite even..."
"Are you getting soft, Jupiter?" Sailor Mercury squeaked. "Did you just say something pleasant regarding Kunzite?"
Jupiter ignored the teasing remark.
"If Orleana intends to harm the princess, we must find her." She declared. She stepped forward. Pain shot up from her leg. Sailor Jupiter clenched her teeth and took another step. She pointed at the tracks. "These are Serenity and Endymion's footprints. Follow me. We probably have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall."
Sailor Mercury nodded silently and stepped behind Jupiter. Her mind wandered. She couldn't stop thinking about Serenity and Endymion. Back in the green area of the wood, before Orleana's attack, Sailor Mercury had deduced that Serenity's power and the energy of the Golden Crystal had melded together to heal the dead forest. She now suspected that it was Endymion's power that had helped to deflect the meteor attack on the Moon Castle. Sailor Mercury wondered how the prince was able to connect with Serenity with such a huge expanse of space between them.
The senshi of water sighed. She stared at the dark green fabric of Sailor Jupiter's cloak. The normally observant Sailor Mercury failed to notice her colleague's limp or the stain of red on the snow from each of Jupiter's footsteps.
Instead, she thought of her lost computer. Without the machine, Mercury felt vulnerable. She wished Sailor Jupiter would walk faster; the sooner they located Serenity, the sooner they could return home.
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End of Chapter 18
In comparison to chapter 17, this chapter seemed a lot shorter while I was typing it. You can call that a random observation, I suppose! I hope y'all enjoyed reading it.
I have stayed up much later than I intended so that I could post this chapter tonight, so I am going to go. My bed calls for me...
Again, thanks to all who have reviewed. Until next time...
Hollie