The sun was down faster than he expected. When his mind was busy he noticed time seemed to move a lot faster. 9 waited for everyone to fall asleep before waking the Twins and sneaking off into the night. 4 pulled up an entry from the Scientist's journal. Some of it wasn't new information but others were. Why didn't he tell 9 about 0 before? Did he want to keep it a secret?

She made me promise to let her design 3 and 4. I wonder how they'll turn out.

It suddenly made sense to 9 now why 0 was so fond of the Twins. She fully designed them. They were her creations with someone else's soul in it.

4 blinked away the entry before he could feel faint. They both had a look of concern on their faces.

"What is it?" 9 asked them.

They simply pointed toward 7 and 0 and then at the ground where 4 shined the entry. He then realized they didn't have concern looks it was a look of guilt.

"It's okay. We're just doing some research about 0. They don't need to know. For all I know I'm worried about nothing and there's no reason 7 should be worried either."

The Twins looked at each other then back at him and then they went back to sleep with 0. 9 stayed up to watch the sunrise.

The humidity made drying off harder and the clouds didn't go away for most of the day. 3 and 4 ran ahead to purposely splash in the puddles and sometimes even waited for one of them to get close so they could splash their next victim.

The clouds finally started to part when the sun painted the horizon in a variety of pinks, oranges, and purples as it started to set in the horizon. It looked beautiful but it was hard for 9 to enjoy when their tour guide finally stopped and admitted she couldn't figure out where they were.

"What do you mean you can't figure out where we are?" 7 sounded exasperated.

"I mean I think we either past Haven or we're farther off the trail…"

4 pulled up a map and shined it at the ground while 0 took her time staring at the map. She used the knife's tip to draw patterns in the soft mud. "Oh dear…" She whispered.

"What?"

0 looked like she wanted to flinch at the sound of 7's voice. "Um…this is where I thought we were. But," with the tip of her knife she made a straight line toward Haven. "We're about 5 miles off. Maybe 10."

9 could hear 7's breathing. She was trying to keep her anger under control but soon it wouldn't hold. 4 clicked off the map. "I'm sorry, guys. We'll have to move directly east tomorrow."

"How do we know you aren't wrong about the location of Haven?" 7 asked harshly but didn't give her time to answer before she was on her next question. "How do we know you won't get us lost in this place forever? We were just fine among the rubble until you showed up!"

0 rubbed the stitches on her arm. "I'm sorry, 7, really. But I promise that I know the location of Haven. We just have to make a straight shot through."

7 didn't listen. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! I knew you would get us lost! Now there's nowhere left for us to go!"

0 flinched back behind the Twins. 3 and 4 stepped out in front of her, creating a wall between 0 and 7's anger. Their arms were folded in front of them and they were actually glaring! It surprised both 7 and 9.

After several minutes of a stare down between the three 7 finally pulled down her bird skull helmet and ran off. When the Twins thought it was safe enough to let their guard down they turned to 0.

"I really am sorry," she whispered to the Twins. They put their arms around her and pulled her close in a tight embrace. The three didn't let go of each other until the sun was fully set.

The moon was full and white. 0 told stories to the Twins about the moon and the sun and the dots she called stars and what pictures they formed. As the moon flew higher into the sky 9 became worried for 7's safety. Where was she? She should've come back by now. Was she lost?

Something poked his shoulder making him jump. "9," it was 0, "you seem tense."

"Why wouldn't I be?" He snapped. "7 hasn't come back and it's getting late!"

"Don't worry, 9. She'll be fine. She can defend herself."

"How would you know that? This is your fault! If you hadn't gotten us lost-"

"I didn't get anyone lost. I know exactly where we are!"

9 continued as if she hadn't just interrupted him, "-then we wouldn't be in this mess!"

0 narrowed her eyes at him. Why did she cower with 7 but not with him? Was it because he reminded her of the Scientist? Or was there something else? The Twins looked like they would tackle him if she suddenly became scared. He had never seen the Twins so protective over someone.

Without warning 0 grabbed the sword 7 made for her and she walked off in the direction 7 headed in. The Twins tried to follow her. "No," 0 told them, "stay here. I'll be back before sunrise, okay? I promise." She pat the Twins heads and walked off.

3 and 4 never looked at 9. The whole time they ignored him and waited for their friend to come back. When the moon hit the highest part of the sky 9 heard the Twins get up and click excitedly.

"Where's 0?"

9 felt as if a burden was lifted off his shoulders. He turned around, smiling, but his smile disappeared when he saw 7's worried look. "She ran off to find you." He explained.

"Why? I would've come back before the sun came up."

3 and 4 glared at 9.

"What did you do?" 7 asked him.

"You weren't back yet. I thought something happened so I yelled at 0." 9 hurried through the explanation.

"And you let her go alone?" 7 yelled. "There's so many things that could hurt us out here! You three should've gone with her!"

"I could've defended us!" 9 yelled back.

"Not as well as 0 would have."

"How do you know that?" He accused.

"Because when we were attacked by a bird she defended me!" Everything quieted at the sound of 7's scream. Even the Twins didn't dare to move and instead they held each other, worried for 0. "I'm gonna go look for her. I'll be back before the sun rises. Do not move!" She ordered before she ran off.

7 had never yelled at 9 before and he never yelled back. This mysterious stitchpunk was tearing them away from each other. It was because of her! Everything was because of her!

"I need to read another entry." He told the Twins.

Reluctantly 4 showed him an entry.

She refuses to let me see the progress of the blueprints for 3 and 4 claiming that it will ruin the surprise. I laugh at her being so excited. I've never seen her work so hard at something before.

0 hasn't left the room for days. I have already finished the work for 5 and I'm nearly done with 6.

At one point today I heard her whisper to the shell of 1, "To protect us, inspire us, define us, and teach us. To guide us, lead us, to defend us, and guard us. To save us and to create us. Each of us have a role."

9 couldn't focus on the rest of the passage. 4 blinked away the entry, nearly fainting when he did but 3 caught him when he fell back and set him down to sit. 9 didn't realize how high far the moon fell. 0 and 7 still weren't back yet.

The first of the sun's fingers started to touch the sky, staining the black with blue.

"This is my fault." He whispered to himself. The higher the sun got the more he felt a sinking in his heart, if he had one. "If they're hurt or worse…I may have just gotten all of us killed." He looked down at his hands and sighed solemnly. "What if they're dead?" He asked the Twins.

"Dead? What do you mean, dead?"

9 snapped his head up at the sound of 0's voice. She was limping against 7, her leg torn slightly. "Nothing can kill me, old man!"