Yo, happy day-after-Christmas, everyone!

Heh, I intended to get this chapter up on Halloween, believe it or not, but I was busy. Epically busy. Sawy…

Anyhow, how was everyone's Christmas? Mine was awesome. I got "Drawn To Life: The Next Chapter", and volume one of the Maximum Ride manga adaption. My mom made a ham dinner, and me and my bro both built candy houses.

So, that's my Christmsa in a nutshell. Emphasis on the "nut".

Anyhow, on to the chap!

I own, for the love of gosh, mostly nothing.

Chapter 11: Crystalline Flora

Diamond stared forward coldly, refusing to glance back at any of the others, as he drove their – Okay, slightly banged-up – van down the dirt rode. Besides, he didn't need to look at any of them. He knew just what everyone of them was doing, and, frighteningly, he could probably guess what they were thinking.

Josephine was in the farthest-back seat, asleep, leaning on Clarity, also asleep. Clarity was something of a newbie to Diamond's life. What did he know about her? She's an Oracle-to-be, she's Josephine's bud (actually, that's was were things got a little complicated), and she's not that good at thinking before she leaps.

Just like Josie. Diamond mused bitterly.

Basil, Aleena's baiser de sucre, was sitting with Willow, chatting lightly, although Willow seemed more interested in the landscape that sped by them.

Arthur was half-leaning, half-trying-to-keep-himself-from-falling out the window, and, although he seemed to be enjoying himself, that was earning him a lot of wind and the occasional branch in his face. Monica sat next to him, holding onto the back of his vest, now-and-then informing him of how stupid he was being.

Oh, because, that's so rare among this little group.

Aleena sat next to Diamond, Clarity's map in unfurled in her hands. She was examining it heavily, occasionally mumbling to herself. Aleena had to be Diamond's favorite relative, but good luck getting him to say that out loud. She was sweet, and always tried to find the way out any rift that left no one with his or her feelings hurt. A noble effort, if a difficult one. Aleena seemed—

Daimond grunted angrily and his fingernails dug into the fabric covering of the steering wheel as the car bucked as it hit another dip in the road.

Aleena's brown-eyed gaze flicked up from the yellowed map in her hands, and smiled a little smile. "Do be a bit more careful, Di," she requested. "And, it's self-assuring to know you think so."

Oh, yeah. That's another thing about Aleena.

She can read minds now.

Diamond was a little annoyed and scared at how easy-to-get-used-to and normal that felt. Yes, that was what their lives seemed to be now.

Mind-reading little cousin? Check. Evil witch with a vendetta? Check. Pseudo-randomly-appearing Oracle mentor? Check. Oracle-in-training tag along? Check. A whole lot of unanswered questions, confusion, and downright freakiness?

Check-a-roo.

"So," Aleena started. Diamond gave her a sidelong glance. "From here we should head north… How fast to we travel on average?"

"65 miles per hour."

"Then we should arrive on the site of the Gate of Time in a day or two." Aleena decided confidently, rolling up the map and slipping the ring back in place around it.

"Huh." Diamond said plainly. And then he felt compelled to smash his head against the steering wheel as the van hit another pothole.

"Hey," Monica leaned forward some, unintentionally pulling Arthur back inside as she did. "Could you maybe watch the potholes a little?" Diamond calmly reminded himself that smacking his cousin across the face would have negative results, and forced a little smile.

"Oh, come on guys. How many have I hit?" he inquired.

"Thirty-seven!!"

Josephine woke up, swatted at someone, and told the others to pipe down. Then she went back to sleep. Only to jutted awake again with another pothole.

"Nuh uh." Diamond smirked cheekily at Monica. "Thirty-eight." Willow giggled a little.

As everything soon quieted down, Diamond found himself lost in thought as he drove silently. Willow. It's amazing how much six letters can make a guy think.

Willow. ('Wilõ) Noun. (also willow tree) A tree or shrubbery of temperate climate that typically has narrow leaves, bear catkins, and grows near water.

Willow. ('wilõ) Person. (also Willow V. James) A pretty, shy, sweet, awkward cabbit of albino pigment; known for writing skills and driving Diamond nuts.

Diamond. ('dï(e)mend) Person. (also Diamond Mersadies Hedgehog) A surprising-clueless-for-a-smart-guy hedgehog of violet pigment, commonly associating with ringtails and crazy people.

It's hard to solve romance issues when approaching it from a scientific state of mind. Now, that would be what an online quiz had told Diamond.

Diamond had never liked online quizzes. They tend to slap stereotypical answers on to people who they know nothing about.

Willow was a word you could find in a dictionary. Willow was a name you could find in a high school directory. Willow was a name you could find in credits to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode.

Willow was a word you could find in Diamond's messed-up thoughts. Willow was a person who was in this van.

And something that caused more thinking than what was considered god for a person. Diamond sighed.

"You know, Di, you really worry to much. Maybe if you spent a little more time with her…"

Diamond banged his head on the steering wheel. Way to go, Diamond. He thought, having ridiculous personal thoughts two feet from a mind reader.

"It's gathering," he muttered to himself quietly. "How did this happen? I suppose Schatten always was the outgoing one, but this is insane."

"How much time do we have left?"

"Both lights are struggling to reach to next one." The white-furred wolf continued. "We can do little but wait…" he shook his head plainly. "Way not cool."

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!! I hate this uber-short chapter, but I had to cut it short. !!!!

-Flames-the-Rabbit344, signing off irritably. *chomps harshly on chocolate bell*