At first, there was nothing but the color white, as well as a faint ringing noise. When the white faded, chunks of witherstorm could be seen falling to the ground. Everyone huddled around Jesse and watched the scene with awe. Finally, Axel asked, "Is that it? Is it over?" "I can't believe it's...actually dead!," said Olivia. "You did it, Jesse!," cried Lukas. "You actually did it!" "Ha, ha!," Magnus laughed heartily. "Handled like a champ!" "I did do it, didn't I?," said Jesse proudly with his hands on his hips. Alex ran over to him and tackled him with a hug. Jesse smiled comfortingly and patted her back to tell her that he was okay. However, that did not prevent tears of happiness and relief from soaking Jesse's armor. Reuben ran up to them and smiled. "Thanks, buddy," said Jesse, patting him on the head. Finally, it was over.

"Hey," said Olivia, "not to put a damper on the party, but...anyone seen Soren or Ellegaard?" We looked around and saw Soren bending over a mortally injured Ellegaard. We ran over to them. "You fought valiantly, my friend," said Soren. "You and I both know...my fight...is over," croaked Ellegaard painfully. "Stuff and nonsense...stuff and nonsense," Soren denied. Alex felt guilty for being mad at Soren earlier, since she now saw that he is still a kind man, even if he is a coward. "Save your strength, Ellegaard," said Soren. "We'll take care of this. We'll take care of you." Ellegaard looked at Jesse. "Jesse," she said.

"Ellegaard," said Jesse sadly. "My armor...really suits you...Jesse," she rasped. "I want you to keep it, okay?" "Thank you, Ellegaard," said Jesse. "For everything." "I'm just glad I...got the chance to go on...one more adventure," said Ellegaard. "Sorry that I...have to take off a little...early. Well, Soren...at least I...finally got to be a real hero...right?"

They heard footsteps behind them and turned around to see people walking out of the witherstorm's corpse, dazed and confused, but thankfully unharmed. "All those people," said Jesse in astonishment. "They're alive! The Wither Storm didn't kill them!" "Jesse...those people...you have to help them," said Ellegaard. "All of them." "I'm not going anywhere," said Jesse, shaking his head firmly. "Not without you." Alex fought back tears as she watched Ellegaard's grip on Jesse's hand go slack and her eyes closed forever.

"Aaand...cut!," Stevack hollered from his director's chair. "That was perfect! I was this close to being moved to tears. What about the rest of you?" The cameramen, the other cast, and the rest of the crew could not respond due to the cries and sobs wracking their bodies from that scene. "And Ellegaard, you were perfect!," Stevack continued, as if there weren't numerous men and women crying around him. "Was I?," asked Ellegaard, sitting straight up as if nothing had happened to her...because, well, nothing had happened to her. "I wasn't being too dramatic, was I?" "Of course not, Ellegaard!," Stevack praised. "Your acting was superb! It really looked like you were standing on the brink of death. Everyone, give a round of applause for Ellegard!" Everyone began clapping with varying enthusiasm, while also wiping their eyes and noses. "Aw, yeah!," Ellegaard cheered, bolting to her feet. "Hear that, Magnus? Stevack freaking Snyberg just congratulated me on my acting! Can you believe that?" "I sure can," said Magnus, reverting back to his reserved self now that he was no longer acting. "Good for you, Ellie."

"Yes, congratulations," said Soren, smiling at her. "Your acting was amazing. I'm not going to lie, the tears you see in my eyes right now are one hundred percent real." "Yeah, great job," said Jesse, patting Ellegaard on the shoulder. "Who knows, you could soon become the new Alex." Alex overheard him and discreetly rolled her eyes while quietly scoffing to herself. "Alright, I think we deserve another break after that wonderful scene!," Stevack declared while rubbing his hands together. "Relax, freshen yourselves up, and we'll go back to filming in about an hour!" Everyone cheered, always happy for a break. The only person who didn't seem happy at all was Petra. Jesse, of course, noticed right off the bat. Once most of the others went off to do their own thing, Jesse asked, "Are you okay, Petra? Is this about Alex again?"

Petra sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. "Yeah," she admitted. "I just can't get what she said to me out of my mind." The two of them turned and stared at Alex, who already had her back turned on them and was heading back towards her booth, too far away to hear what they were saying about her. "Mr. Snyberg should just fire her right now," Jesse said angrily. "There's no way that her treatment of the entire film crew is legal." "No, it is," sighed Petra. "Actors and actresses can get away with a lot of things, especially if they're as famous and successful as her. There's no way that Stevack would kick her out now, not when we're this far into the movie's production. Plus...I never told him anyway." Jesse stared at Petra in shock. "You didn't tell him?," he asked incredulously. "Petra, it's not right for Alex to treat you, or anybody else, like that! You have a right to tell the director what's been going on between you two."

"But what would be the point?," Petra retorted. "Like I said, Stevack would never fire Alex anyway, unless he wanted to ruin any chances of this move ever being finished. Besides, the last thing I want is to add more drama between us." Jesse sighed. "Yeah, I see your point," he said. "Still, I can't believe that she'd say such awful things to you. She treats everyone pretty badly, but it's like she holds a special hatred towards you." "Thanks for cheering me up," Petra replied sarcastically. "I'm serious," said Jesse. "It's just so bizarre. You and Alex have never even met each other, yet for some reason, she's decided to make you her number one target. It's like she's purposely trying to force you to get rid of your dreams of acting!"

Now that Petra thought about it, Alex's treatment towards her WAS pretty strange. First, during the audition, she only seemed to be mildly annoyed by her. Then, during the movie night with Axel and Olivia, she actually seemed to be enjoying herself before suddenly turning a 180 and snapping at Petra all over again. Since then, Alen has been trying harder and harder to get Petra kicked out of the movie, and if it wasn't for Stevack and most of the cast defending her, she definitely would have succeeded. "I guess I'll never be able to understand her," she sighed. "That's where you're wrong, lady," said a nearby voice, causing both Petra and Jesse to jump back and scream in fear. "Relax," Kevin chuckled, waving his hands disarmingly. "I'm not gonna bite. Unless you're into that sort of thing. I won't judge. I'm into some pretty weird stuff myself." "Kevin?!," cried Jesse. "Where did you come from? We didn't even hear you coming!"

"I was literally standing next to you guys the whole time while you were talking about my sister," said Kevin. "You two seriously didn't notice me?" "Er...no, we actually didn't," Petra said awkwardly. "Sorry." Then, she realized what Kevin just said. "Wait a minute. What do you mean I'm wrong?" Kevin rolled his eyes. "I meant exactly what I just said," he explained. "You're giving Alex way too much credit. She's not as cold and heartless as you two are making her out to be." "Are you serious?," asked Jesse. "You've seen the way she treats other people, right? I figured you'd know that better than anyone since, you know, you're her brother."

"I'm not blind, Jesse," said Kevin. "I know that my sister can be pretty rough around the edges, but let's face it, you two didn't really give her a chance to prove otherwise." "Yes I did!," Petra cried out in exasperation. "I literally tried talking to her two times! You should know, you were there for the first one." Kevin nodded in understanding. "Look, I get it," he said. "She's frustrating to deal with. God knows I agree with you on THAT front. But it's not her fault. Alex can't really help the way she is now." "It's not her fault?," Jesse scoffed. "No offense, but I just don't see how that's possible." "Yeah," Petra agreed. "You're basically saying that it's not her fault whenever she mistreats someone and makes fun of people." Kevin sighed irritatedly. "That's not what I meant," he groaned. "Jesus Christ, this is hard to explain. Look, even though my sister can be a colossal prick on the best of days, you two aren't exactly blameless yourselves." "Oh, please," said Jesse. "Tell us one good reason why you think that."

Kevin grinned, seemingly pleased to do so. "For starters, Petra didn't really try her best in reaching out to my sister." "Of course I did," Petra argued angrily. "I tried talking to her twice." "Exactly," said Kevin, holding up two fingers. "Twice. And it's been, what, six or seven months since we started shooting this movie? You could've had dozens of conversations with her in that amount of time, but instead, you had two." Petra slightly deflated upon seeing Kevin's point, but she was determined to stay on the moral high ground. "And that's not all," Kevin continued. "In those two conversations, all Alex had to do was say a few nasty words and she was able to send you running away with tears in your eyes. You were WAY too passive. If you really cared about your own role model, you would've done everything in your power to get through to her and find out what she was going through. People rarely bully others just because they get a kick out of it. There's always a reason. Trust me, I'm talking from experience here."

Then, Kevin turned towards Jesse. "And here's YOUR problem," he said. "Unlike Petra, you didn't even TRY to get to know her. Sure, you invited her to that movie night with your other friends, but what did you do besides that? Nothing. You immediately started judging her just because you saw everyone else doing it. And your dislike towards her only started growing when Petra kept telling you how 'horrible' she was acting. Yeah, don't think I haven't overheard the two of you badmouthing my sister like that. Now I'm not calling Petra a liar, but are you really going to base your opinions on Alex just from what Petra tells you? That's pretty shallow, if you ask me." Jesse and Petra just stood there, trying to take in what Kevin told them. Both of them began feeling guilty from how they approached this. Kevin was right. Petra was far too willing to give up on Alex, and Jesse refused to reach out to Alex personally. When they really thought about it, they could've handled this better. "So what do we do?," asked Petra.

"Talk to her again," said Kevin. "And if it doesn't work, try again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. You know where I'm going with this, right?" "Yeah, we know," said Jesse. "But what I still don't understand is...why are you telling us all of this? I sort of got the impression that you have this 'survival of the fittest' mentality, so…" Kevin sighed. "Listen, kid," he said, even though he was about the same age as Jesse, "it's true that me and Alex have been hardened by the acting industry, but we're not monsters." He started walking away, then looked back with a somber expression. "And just so you know, Alex also overheard you guys talking about her behind her back. She may not show it, but words can hurt her just as easily as anyone else. She's still human, after all." Then, he finally walked away.

"...man," Jesse sighed, hanging his head. "I feel terrible now." "Yeah, me too," said Petra. She stared at the booth where Alex was inside applying her makeup. "I think I'll give it one last try," she said. "And this time, I'm not letting her drive me away. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this whether she likes it or not." "Maybe I'll join you this time," said Jesse.

The two of them walked up to the booth and Petra knocked on the door. There was only silence coming from the other side. Then, Alex growled, "I swear Petra, if that's you again, I am going to kick your ass!" Petra froze for a moment, wondering if provoking her further was a good idea. Her, Alex, and Jesse all received the same amount of training from Gabriel, so Petra felt that with Jesse by her side, the odds would probably be in her favor if a fight were to actually happen. Still, she didn't want to risk it. "It's me," said Petra. "But before you run out here and start pummeling me with your fists, I want you to know that we're not looking for a fight. We just want to talk." The door opened, revealing Alex in all her angry and intimidating glory. "Really?," she asked. "Another talk? I figured you'd get the hint after the second time."

"Well, I want to try again," said Petra. "And I won't blow up at you like last time. Oh, and I brought Jesse with me this time, if you don't mind." Alex glared at Jesse, who waved awkwardly. "...Fine," she groaned. "You two can come in. But this is the last time. After this, I'm forgetting that you two even exist." Once they made themselves comfortable, Alex crossed her arms. "Alright," she said. "Talk." Petra gulped nervously, knowing that this was her last chance to fix things between her and Alex once and for all. "I want to know why you hate me," she said bluntly. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's it?," she asked. "Alright, fine. Let's see, where do I start? Well, your audition was atrocious, for one. It was so horrible that the author didn't even bother writing it into the story!" "...what?," asked Jesse. "Petra, do you know what she's talking about?" "Beats me," said Petra, shrugging. "She said that last time too."

"Don't interrupt me!," Alex snapped. "You're also so childish and weak. I knew you were no good the moment I laid eyes on you. You're not fit to be an actress, and you never will be. I said this once, and I will say it again. The only reason Stevack Snyberg decided to pick you was because of your famous brother, Peeta. I've worked with him before, and I know that your brother is nothing but a dirty, rotten gold digger! Clearly, you are no better! If you really know what's good for you, you'll quit this production immediately, or better yet, give up on acting altogether." She sighed heavily. "That was a lot to get off my chest. There, now you know everything. Now will you get out of here already or are you so stupid that I need to show you where the door is?" Jesse was gritting his teeth in anger and glaring at Alex, but to her surprise, he did not do anything else. Even more surprising, Petra seemed completely unfazed.

"That might have worked on me last time," said Petra. "But not today. Maybe you were partially telling the truth. Maybe you do think I'm not good enough to be an actress. But I know that those aren't the real reasons why you hate me. You're just saying that in order to drive me away like you did the last few times. Alex, I want you to tell me the truth." Alex groaned loudly. "How is it possible for someone to be so dense?," she growled. "I just told you why I hate you, and you're accusing me of being a liar?" "...yeah, pretty much," said Jesse, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I'm not!," Alex denied. "Everything that I just told you was the cold, hard truth. Now both of you get out of here. I don't want to see either of your faces ever again!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Petra said calmly. "Not until you tell me the real reason why you can't stand me. I'll sit here all day if I have to." "No, you won't," Alex scoffed. "We'll have to start filming again in about an hour, anyway. Yeah, don't think I didn't realize that trick you pulled on me last time. It's not going to work now!" Jesse sighed heavily. "Alex, why are you so adamant on not telling us anything?," he asked. "That's none of your business," Alex replied hotly. "Seriously, what do I have to do to get you two to leave me alone?" "You could start by telling us the truth," said Petra. Instead of responding, Alex crossed her arms and looked away like a petulant child. It was obvious that she was planning to sit there and not say a word until Stevack brought them all back for shooting. Jesse took the opportunity to lean towards Petra until his mouth was close to her ear. "What do we do now?," he whispered.

Without saying a word, Petra reached into her back pocket and took out a small camera. It was pink, glittery, and had stickers of unicorns and rainbows on them. It looked like something that a small child would own. Petra turned it on and sifted through the various videos recorded in it before finding the one she wanted and playing it. Then, she made sure that the volume was completely up and held the camera out so that everybody in the room could see.

"What about you?," a crackling voice rang from the camera. "Who do you love?" Alex gasped and stared at the video playing on the camera. She recognized that voice. It was a voice that she hadn't heard in a very long time. That voice...was her own, as a child.

"Me?," a male voice in the video responded. "I only love you. And you?" The video that was playing on Petra's camera showed a famous scene from a movie known as the King and the Mockingbird - the very same film that Alex starred in as a child, as well as the same movie that Petra told Jesse and Nancy about a few weeks ago. Upon seeing the video, all the memories of that movie rushed back to her like a tidal wave. She remembered playing as the shepherd girl who came to life from a lifeless painting. The boy who responded to her in the video was a much younger Peeta, who played as a young chimney sweeper who also came to life from a painting. He played as Alex's love interest. Right now, the video was showing the two of them as young children, still inside their frames mounted on the wall, but alive and in love. Based on the video's very poor quality and bad sound design, it was clearly not the movie itself that Petra was showing them. It was a video of someone RECORDING the movie.

"I feel the same way," said Alex in the video, dressed in a black skirt and a straw hat. Back then, she looked like the epitome of innocence. "I only love you," she continued. "You're the nicest chimney sweep I know." "And you're the prettiest shepherdess I've ever seen," Peeta responded. He was dressed in a black cloak with mismatched patches and had thick gloves on his hands. "Have you seen many?," asked Alex. "No," said Peeta. "Not even in my dreams." In real life, Jesse whispered to Petra, "What exactly are we watching right now?" "Shhh!," Petra shushed, staring at the real Alex, whose eyes were glued to the camera screen.

"Believe me," Peeta continued in the video. "I know from experience." Suddenly, a third person entered the conversation. Well, kind of. In real life, he was played by one of the greatest actors who ever lived, Vos. But in the movie, he was a marble statue who came to life just like the paintings. And he had some things to say about Alex and Peeta's relationship.

"I've told you a hundred times already," Vos scolded the couple. "You two aren't meant for each other. To start with, you're not even the same colour. A shepherdess and a chimney sweep! It's out of the question! It's out of the question." But despite his objections, that wasn't enough to stop Alex and Peeta from reaching out from their frames and touching each other's hands. Unbeknownst to them, a fourth person was watching them from behind some curtains. It was the evil king! In real life, he was played by Hadrian, who did a great job acting as some of the most despicable villains in cinematic history. The king glared at the two of them touching hands and sweeped the curtains aside, revealing himself to Alex, Peeta, and Vos.

King Hadrian smiled at Alex and slightly bowed. "I have fallen in love with you, little shepherdess," he announced. "And I am the King. You must not waste your time with that sooty cinder-boy. I love you. We must marry. It's obvious. What are we waiting for?" He turned to Vos for confirmation. "Right?," he asked. Vos chuckled and smiled, obviously pleased by this sudden turn of events. "There's no doubt about it," he said eagerly. "Besides, that's what it says in the storybooks. The shepherdess always marries the King. There are no two ways about it. Therefore I decree: The ceremony will take place this very evening in the palace when the clock strikes midnight. I have spoken." After that, Vos yawned loudly and went back to sleep, turning back into a nonliving statue. Hadrian smiled at Alex and blew her a kiss. Enraged by the king's audacity to steal his girlfriend, Peeta looked around for something to throw at him. Seeing a few tomatoes hanging from a branch in the same painting as himself, he plucked one of them off and threw it at Hadrian, splattering the king's face with red, slimy tomato juice.

While the king tried desperately to wipe the tomato juice from his eyes, Peeta quickly jumped out of his frame and helped Alex down as well. The two of them quickly made their escape by climbing up a nearby chimney, and disappeared just as Hadrian finished wiping the tomato juice from his eyes. He frantically looked around, but the shepherd girl and the chimney sweeper were now gone. "Where are they?," he growled. Vos woke up from his slumber, but was unbothered that Alex and Peeta had escaped. "Believe me, I know from experience," he assured the king. "They won't go far. Everything is under lock and key. And besides, there are no doors. It's merely a little escapade of no importance. They'll soon be back, you'll see, before you know it." Then, the movie cut back to Alex and Peeta, who had climbed onto the roof of the palace and were admiring the stars in the night sky. "I never thought that the sky could be so beautiful," Alex spoke, staring up at the sky with childlike wonder in her eyes.

Suddenly, the camera shifted away from the movie screen and landed on a little girl sitting on the floor, staring at the movie with wide eyes. That little girl was Petra, who was about six years old at the time. "So what did you think?," Peeta's voice could be heard from behind the camera. Petra looked towards the camera with a big smile and pointed at Alex on the screen. "When I grow up, I wanna be just like her!," she declared. Then, the video cut itself off abruptly. Back in real life, Petra turned the camera off and set it onto a nearby table. Then, she patiently waited for Alex to respond. "...you really looked up to me as a child, didn't you?," she asked sadly. Petra nodded. "Yeah," she said. "So you can imagine how I feel knowing that one of my greatest role models is lying right to my face." Alex winced, then looked deep in contemplation before sighing heavily. "The last time we talked…," she began, "...when I said I hated you...that wasn't the truth either. Even though I do find you annoying, I don't actually hate you."

"...but if you don't hate her, then why'd you say it?," asked Jesse, an expression of pure confusion on his face. Petra remained silent, although she wanted to know just as badly. "...I wanted to drive you away," Alex admitted. "I thought that if I treated you badly enough, you would want to quit being an actress." "But why would you want to do that?," asked Petra, feeling understandably betrayed. "Acting was one of the few things in my life that made me truly happy. Why would you want to take that away from me?" "I don't WANT to take anything from you," said Alex, sighing heavily. "And even though both of you may think that I enjoy watching other people suffer, you couldn't be more wrong. I did it for your own good, Petra." "How is stomping on Petra's dreams 'for her own good?'," Jesse asked angrily. "Well, it's better than what I went through!," Alex finally snapped. She quickly calmed down and began to explain.

"When me and my brother first got into the acting business as child stars, we thought we finally made it," she said sadly. "But the showbiz turned out to be nothing but a cesspool of lies, gossip, and most of all, backstabbing. Nearly everybody who heard about our talents tried to use us as stepping stones for their own success. We were great at acting AND we were young, naive children who didn't know how cruel the world could be, so we were easy prey. Needless to say, it wasn't long before me and Kevin learned how to survive in this dog eat dog world - by becoming just as ruthless and vicious as the rest." Petra and Jesse stared at Alex, gobsmacked. They had no idea being a famous actress was that bad. "When I saw you auditioning for this movie, you reminded me of myself as a child," Alex said to Petra. "I was just like what you are now, young and stupid, like the shepherd girl I played as in that movie you just showed us. A part of me was annoyed by how happy-go-lucky you were, but another part of me was worried about you. I was worried that you might end up like…" Alex trailed off at the end, but Petra knew exactly what she was about to say. "Like yourself," she finished. Alex slowly nodded.

"So that's why you acted so cruel towards Petra," Jesse deduced. "You were hoping to discourage her from acting so she wouldn't have to go through the same things you did and turn into another spoiled brat." Alex's eyes snapped towards Jesse like a shark that had detected blood. "What did you just call me?!," she hissed. Jesse leaned back in his chair and held his arms up in a futile effort to defend himself. "No wait, I didn't mean it!," he cried.

"Guys, calm down," said Petra. "Alex, I think I understand why you did what you did. And I'm glad you do care about me in your own unique, harsh, deprecating way. But I'm not going anywhere. I'm still gonna become an actress." "Still?," Alex sighed. "After everything I just told you?" Petra smirked. "Alex, I don't think you're giving me enough credit," she said. "I've learned a lot since I joined this cast. I'm not the same girl as before. And I'd like to think that I'm more than prepared for whatever my future acting career would throw at me."

Alex didn't seem that enthusiastic from Petra's response. "Is there no way for me to convince you not to do this?," she asked. Petra shook her head firmly. "Peeta always told me how determined I can be when my mind is set on something," she said. "So...now what?," asked Jesse. "What's going to happen between the three of us?" "Well…," said Alex, uncomfortably rubbing the back of her head, "...I was hoping that, since the three of us are going to be working together from now on, you and Petra could find it in your hearts to forgive me."

"I guess I have no problem doing that," said Jesse, smiling. "I never really got to know you anyway, so maybe we could become good friends in the future." Petra, however, was much more hesitant. "...I'm sorry," she sighed after a while. "I'd like to forgive you, but I just can't. I know you meant well...I guess...maybe...but the things you said really hurt me. Maybe I'll forgive you in the future, but right now...I just can't. I'm sorry." "No, that's totally fine," said Alex, even though she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. "I WAS acting out of line, wasn't I?" "Just a little," Jesse joked, holding his finger and thumb an inch apart. "Barely noticeable."

From that point on, Alex, Petra, and Jesse were on much better terms, even though they were far from forgiveness. Fortunately, Alex knew that she had to earn it first, so for the rest of the movie's production, not only did she treat Petra and Jesse with more respect, but she also started treating everyone else better. The entire cast and film crew, including Stevack, were taken aback at first, but found themselves pleasantly surprised by her change in behavior. "I'm not sure what kind of conversation the three of you had," Stevack once told Petra and Jesse, "but well done! I knew I made the right call in accepting you two into this movie!"

For about a week, even though Alex tried her best to be more friendly and accepting of others, it was still incredibly hard since she was so used to being paranoid and looking over her shoulder. Over time, however, she found it easier and easier to start treating everyone else with kindness and respect. Kevin saw the changes in his sister's behavior and also tried being nicer to other people. By the end, they had become almost entirely different people.

Finally, they had come to one of the final scenes in Pain and Healing. So far, the Wither Storm had been defeated, Reuben sacrificed himself to save the world - he was still alive in real life, thank god - and Alex had just discovered her past with the Order of the Stone. Now comes one of the most emotional scenes in the movie. "Alright, people!," Stevack announced into a megaphone. "This is going to be one of the most emotional scenes in the movie, so we have to get this absolutely perfect! Everyone ready? Good! Now lights, cameras, ACTION!"

"She's awake!," cried Petra, who looked as healthy as ever. "Guys, give her some room!" They all backed away as Alex sat up and looked around. There was Jesse, Petra, Olivia, Axel, Lukas, Gabriel, Magnus, and Ivor all crowded in the room. Alex looked down and saw that her entire torso was wrapped in bandages and one of her legs was in a cast. She felt Jesse hug her lightly, making sure not to do it too tightly. Before she could respond, he turned her head towards him and kissed her. Alex felt her face go warm and hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Alex! Thank goodness!," said Ivor, pushing himself through the small crowd. "Don't worry about those wounds, by the way. I used a splash potion of regeneration on you while you were unconscious. They should heal right up in a matter of days." Alex smiled. "Thanks, Ivor," she said gratefully. She heard Magnus snicker. "Man, never thought I'd hear 'Ivor' and 'thanks' in the same sentence," he said, causing Gabriel to elbow him in the stomach.

"We're just glad you're alright," said Jesse. Alex smiled shyly. Then, she remembered something. "Oh my gosh, Ivor!," she cried. "You are not going to believe what happened to me while I was unconscious!" "What is it?," asked Ivor curiously. She opened her mouth, then stopped herself. There was a moment of silence. "Alex?," asked Ivor, waiting for an answer. "What happened? What did you see?" Alex twiddled with her fingers, trying to figure out how to say it without sounding like a crazy person. "Ivor," she said softly. "Do you remember what you told me back in the swamp? About Ramus and Lucy?" "Ramus and Lucy?," said Axel, rubbing the back of his head. "Who the hell are they?" Everyone else shushed him, eager to hear what she had to say. Ivor looked forlorn when she mentioned them. "Yes, I do remember," he said. "Well," she said nervously, "what if I told you that Lucy could still be alive?" Ivor looked flabbergasted, and rightfully so. "Alex, what exactly are you going on about?"

Alex gulped. "Ivor...do you have...I don't know...a picture of Lucy somewhere?," she asked. Ivor nodded and reached into his robe. He took out a photo of a little blond girl wearing a pink skirt and a ribbon in her hair, smiling widely. "Now look at the photo, then look at me," Alex said. Ivor looked confused, but did what he was told. He glanced at the photo, then at her, then back at the photo. At first, he didn't understand what Alex was getting at. Then, realization dawned on him as his eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. "This… this isn't possible," he whispered. "It has to be a coincidence." She looked him in the eye. "Ivor, do you remember what I used to call you as a child?" He didn't respond. "I used to call you Uncle Ivy." Magnus gasped, bringing his hands to his mouth. "Lucy," he whispered.

Ivor burst into tears as he leaned forward and hugged her. "Lucy! Oh, Lucy!," he sobbed. Alex cried too and hugged him back. "I missed you so much, Lucy!," he cried. "I missed you too, Uncle Ivy!," she cried. "Woah, woah, woah!," yelled Lukas, waving his hands. "Okay, not that I'm not enjoying this moment right now, but can someone please explain to us what the heck is going on?!" It took awhile for her and Ivor, with a little help from Magnus, to explain everything to them. They stared at them, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," said Petra. "Alex is really Ivor's long lost niece who got teleported by the command block to an orphanage with her memories erased, and her dad was an unofficial member of the Order of the Stone?!" Alex giggled. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up," she said. "I just can't believe it," said Ivor. "I can't believe that my own niece has been right by my side, and I didn't even recognize her! Lucy, I am so sorry."

"It's okay, Ivor," she said, smiling. "Though I prefer you call me Alex instead of Lucy. No offense, Ivor, but I'm just more used to that name." Then, she noticed that one of us was missing. "Guys, where's Reuben?," she asked. Suddenly, it was as if a few degrees dropped in the room. Each of them looked at each other uneasily. "Guys," she said cautiously. "What's going on? Where is he?" With downcast eyes, Jesse took out a single raw porkchop.

Alex's blood ran cold. "Reuben's dead," said Jesse sadly. "We fell out of the witherstorm after the command block was destroyed. I landed in a pool of water. Reuben did not." Alex looked at the porkchop with pinprick eyes, feeling something wet seeping out of them. Then, she buried her head in her hands as her sniffles became bawls and felt a number of people wrap their arms around her. But while the cameras were still rolling and everybody else was crying at the scene before them, Petra leaned in close to Alex's ear and whispered something that would stay with her forever. Something that only she was meant to hear.

"I forgive you." Alex began crying even harder, but although everyone else thought that was just Alex putting her all into this scene, what they didn't realize was that they were real tears born out of real sadness, real guilt, and real happiness. For the first time in what felt like forever, Alex was finally able to genuinely cry. And she had Petra to thank for it.