Welcome, readers, to the third chapter of TQOM. Sorry for the slow update, but as I said in my AN, I'm busy.

THIS IS A DIVIDING LINE! IS STUPID AND WON'T LET ME USE REAL DIVIDING LINES!

I am NOT a happy camper right now.

I've fallen more times than I've counted math in my head. That's a lot.

After falling down that LOVELY waterfall, I slammed my head on a rock and got knocked out.

So I wake up in a pool of my own blood, astounded that nothing ate me while I was down.

I walk around looking at the walls. Like I said earlier, everything looked real, so looking at the walls and everything else was rather cool.

I came upon a patch of lapis lazuli (sp?) and stared at it.

It was beautiful.

It was a bright blue color that sparkled purple in the flame of my torch.

I reached over and put my finger on it as if it were porcelain.

It was smooth, slick almost, and was naturally like that.

No one had touched it, so there were no scratches or fingerprints.

I reached into my bag and slowly sat down, still staring at the beautiful stone.

I pulled a torch out (don't ask how) and sat it near the cold stone walls.

That was my marker as to where the gemstone was.

(yes, I KNOW lapis lazuli may not be a stone, but I want it to be, so boo you!)

(also, sapphire is my birthstone and the colors are similar, my birthday is 9/30/? So my birthday is Sunday.)

I desperately searched for iron.

I don't know what possessed me, but I WANTED that lapis, and I was going to get it.

I walked forward, and realized I was shaking.

'What's happening to me?' I thought.

I was overcome with greed.

'Did that stone do it?'

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I was worried by my extreme need to have the stone, but still trekked forward to collect it.

'hey, it's kinda like the Lord of the rings,' I thought.

After a glint on my torch caught my eye, and I stepped that way, pleading that it be iron.

I did a happy dance at the sight of the glinting mineral.

Then I stopped, and stared.

It looked funny.

Like a metal square in the middle of a dirt wall weird.

I swiped my hand across it, mystified

I 'eeped then giggled

It was so freezing it tickled my hand.

More like shocked, but you get the general idea.

Then I collapsed against the wall in a sobbing mess.

The shock of everything had caught up to me and I thought about my life.

The happy moments, the scary moments, the sad moments, the shocking moments, the embarrassing moments I usually tried to forget about and avoid,

My dog, my friends,

My family…

I wonder how they're doing.

Are they okay, fine without me?

Was my existence erased from Earth?

Do they remember?

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By the time I was done crying, I was a sobbing and shaking mess curled up by a cold dirt wall.

Shortly after I had begun crying, my torch burned out and was now a pile of wood and ashes on the ground.

The temperature had dropped drastically and rapidly and I could only assume I had cried the rest of the day away and it was now dusk.

I felt so horrible I wanted to curl up on myself and lay there forever.

Then I was struck with a new found determination.

Maybe they don't remember me… but if I die, how can I find out?

I stood up fast, ignored the cold and dizziness from laying down for so long, whipped out my pickaxe, and slammed it into the iron.

I slammed it into the iron with force, over and over until it cracked and fell.

Then I grabbed it and dug further.

Eventually my pickaxe crumbled and fell to the ground in shining pieces.

I panted and picked up my earnings.

Then I walked back slowly, exhausted and still shaking from my breakdown, slumped in front of the lapis, and sighed.

Then I laughed.

A big laugh, filled not with humor, but with sorrow and bitterness.

I stopped when the laughs threatened to transform into into sobs and I carefully lowered my body to the floor, ignoring the screeches of nearby creatures.

I closed my eyes, fully intending on sleeping, whether it cost me my life, or not.

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Thank you for reading! Sorry this chapter was sort of dark.

I was wondering, should I change the rating to teen? Later on I plan of having mild language, blood, and violence.