"Ivy? We brought you some food." Dwayne's quiet voice rang out from the doorway. I didn't move from my position on the bed. "You need to eat, princess. You haven't for the past two days."

"I'm not hungry," I replied, my voice gruff from not speaking. Even though I said that, though, my stomach grumbled loudly. "I'm fine, Dwayne."

"No, you're not, and that's okay, but you still need to eat something. We're worried about you." I felt the bed dip behind me, and Dwayne took one of my hands in my own. "I'll leave you again if you just eat this."

I let out a shuddering breath and turned my body so I could face him. "I'm not hungry."

Dwayne sighed and rubbed his thumb along the back of my hand. "Yes, you are." He paused and placed the box of takeout on my stomach. "Do it for us, Ivy. Marko went out and got your favorite, and I have some news to tell you if you just eat."

I paused for a moment before slowly sitting up, taking the fork from his hand. He let go of my other hand and smiled at me as I opened the box. "Can you sit beside me. Up here?" I patted the spot beside me, and Dwayne complied, settling into the spot easily. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do. I've been inconsiderate to you guys. I've been wallowing in my own self-pity, and I haven't been spending time with y'all." I stabbed at my food, and Dwayne wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"You haven't done anything wrong. You're allowed to grieve. It just – it's hard to see you in so much pain." He tapped the side of my takeout box, and I took it as a signal to eat. I complied. "We've all been researching, figuring things out. It would have been so much easier if Max was still around, but I can't say I miss him all that much." He paused for a second and let out a long sigh before talking in a quiet voice. "We think we found out what they are. The forest people."

I choked on my food, sputtering violently right after he said that. Dwayne patted my back, calming me down and handing me a bottle of water he had brought in. I sipped on it thankfully, and we fell back to our original sitting position. "You…" Tears were gathering in my eyes, and I almost hated it. I thought I had used up all of my tears a little while ago. "You think you found out what they are? I don't think I want to know, to be honest, Dwayne. I don't think I want to even think about them right now."

"I know. We thought you might want to know, though."

I stabbed at my food and grumbled lowly. "I don't know, Dwayne."

"I know."

We sat in silence for a few moments. I was too tired to talk, and he always seemed to find comfort in the silences. By the time I had finished off the box and bottle of water, though, he was talking.

"Do you think you can go out to the main cave tonight? They've missed you an awful lot."

I hummed and nodded. "Only if you'll carry me."

Dwayne huffed out a laugh and climbed out of bed before pulling me into his arms bridal style. He carried me through the hallways as if he knew them like the back of his hand, which he probably did. The warmth of the main cave was extremely welcome, and I found myself questioning why I hadn't come out sooner.

The boys were lounging around lazily. Marko was laid on top of Paul and looked to be snoring lightly while Paul was only half-asleep, his fingers tapping along to the beat of the music playing. David was out of his chair for once, instead laying down on the other couch, an unlit cigarette between his teeth. His gaze turned to us as we walked in, and he lifted a hand and crooked a finger, telling me to go to him. Dwayne placed me down on the ground, and I gave him a peck on the cheek before making my way over to David who pulled me on top of him as soon as I got close.

"I've missed you," David mumbled, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

David shook his head and pressed his now free hands against my waist. "Got nothing to be sorry for."

"That's what Dwayne said."

"Well, Dwayne was right."

"Doesn't feel that way."

David let out a deep sigh and pulled me forward so I was laying on top of him. "You're gonna be okay, Ivy." I let out a deep sigh and relaxed my body. "You're gonna be okay."

I let everything settle to silence before I spoke again. "Dwayne said you might have figured something out. About the people."

David let out a groan and reached around me to his pocket. He pulled out a lighter and lit his cigarette, taking a long drag and breathing it out before speaking. I grunted at the smell. "Yeah, we figured something out. Not much, but it's a start."

"Well, don't leave me wondering." I stole the lighter from him and flicked it on and off periodically, staring at the flame.

David chuckled a bit at my action and took another drag. "After a bit of reading," he paused for a moment, "well, the two idiots practically tore our little library apart," Paul let out a loud laugh, and Marko let out a whine from being woken up. I turned to see Marko sit up, blinking blearily around the room. I laughed quietly, and Marko's eyes locked on mine, a grin brightening his face. He waved at me, and I waved back. "Anyway," David pulled me away, "we found out that they're actually a species called The Lost. That's why, well, they technically told you what they were without you knowing. They're spirits of the forest. To become one, you're invited by one of them, and you have to set the thing you love most on fire before killing yourself. Then, your spirit gets pulled into the forest, and you're stuck there forever. Well, at least until the end of the Earth, and then you go to whatever Heaven or Hell there is, I guess."

My head was reeling with the information. This couldn't be real. I had never heard of something like that, something so… I don't even know. It sounded like a cult!

I lifted myself abruptly and turned to Dwayne who was shuffling through books again. "Dwayne, can you please turn on some music. Anything, please."

Dwayne raised an eyebrow but complied, moving over to the music area easily. I watched him for a few moments before turning back to David. I quietly grabbed his free hand and watched as he blew a thick cloud of smoke. "What do we – what do we do now? What do we have to find out? What're we gonna do, David?"

David shushed me quietly and pulled himself into a sitting position as well. "We're going to figure out how to kill them. We're going to make them regret what they've done. We're going to keep you safe."

I nodded, relaxing my shoulders as one of David Bowie's albums began to ring out through the cave. "Thank you, Dwayne," I mumbled, as he passed by me. He was riding a skateboard, kicking off to the beat of the music. "Thank you too, David, and Marko and Paul." I turned a bit to see the boys look over at me with a smile before continuing their conversation.

David pressed a kiss to my temple before pushing me to the other side of the couch so he could get up. He shed his jacket, throwing it to the side and moved around the place easily, disappearing from my view for a few moments before coming back with what looked like a bag of weed. I let a small smile slip onto my face as he sat back down beside me.

"It's not the healthiest way to cope, but I think all of us could use a night out of our minds. If you're up for it, of course."

"There's nothing I'd like more right now, to be honest."