Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter from VOiD. I would just like to make an announcement to one of our viewers by the name of Jhon. Jhon, if you are reading this, I would just like to say that if you can't keep your reviews from becoming rated M—which this story is not—then I will have to ignore and/or delete your reviews entirely. I have already blocked you by your account, so please, if you wish to enjoy the story, keep you dirty thoughts to yourself, because I'm sure nobody wants to hear it! -_- Anyway, if there are no more interruptions, I'm sure we would all like to get on with some replies to reviews!

Replies To Reviews...

Somebody10101: I will agree, it was a very full chapter.

Enderdude: The OC is coming up soon, but not quite yet, just hold your enderhorses. ;D

CSICreeper: I have the Triforce of Sugariness. :D POPTARTS UNITE!

Nwinds: You want to send a cotton-candy-armored dwarf to kill me? You sure about that? That would be your ideal choice? And also, who's Urist?

Enderwolf: I know, I know, I had to many ideas going around in my head at once. But this next chapter isn't nearly as confusing or full to bursting. Besides, the fourth wall repairman Phil is gone now.

Kyle McShade: What did you think of the scene with Mark and Kelsey when they were watching the movie? (By the way, if you were confused about the movie thing, it's something that only fans who have read The Glitch would understand.)

Well, now that that's all done, how about we get on with the story?

Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter from VOiD. Last time on VOiD we watched as Mark and company went throughout a several-hour-long party lasting into the night. After hours of dancing and porkchop eating, they watched a movie, and Mark finally gained Kelsey's trust and love. (It was probably giving her the white horse named Elmer, in my opinion.) Then they built a massive sandcastle with the help of the fourth wall repairman Phil Drake, told jokes for a while inside, and then came out to roast cocoa pods for the rest of the night, getting to sit around a campfire and listen to Adrian play his banjo. But, Mark knew that it was all too good to be true, because as they walked home, they found their once peaceful abode to be up in flames. Mark heroically got Lucas out of the burning building, but it was unclear whether either him or Lucas would make a full recovery. Now we come back to Norman and Liz as they finally reach Professor Explotar, as Mark wakes up to find a new face in the group, and as Mark has a strange dream, revealing several things about his past that he never realized.

Now, let the story commence!

Chapter 15: Two Broken Birds

Norman and Lizzy ran quickly from out of the main doors of the airport in Berlin. The limo that was going to pick them up and bring them to Professor Explotar's headquarters was waiting right there for them. They flew into the long leather seats in the back and shut the door. Ted, the driver, leaned back to look at them and spoke in German (those years of bilingual classes really paid off).

"Ihr seid Freunde von Jack, nicht wahr?"

Norman nodded and replied breathlessly, also in German,

"Ja, wir brauchen, um zum Berlin Institute of Scientific Examination westlich von der Hauptstadt zu bekommen."

The limo took off onto the road. They drove for about twenty minutes before they reached the Berlin Institute of Scientific Examination, which was a large white building with lines of windows running up and down the concrete walls. Once the limo was parked, Norman opened the door and let himself and Liz out. They walked together towards and then up the long marble staircase leading to the doors.

Inside the gigantic lobby they walked up to the desk and Norman leaned on the table, saying quickly,

"We have an appointment with Jackson Explotar."

The German clerk spoke in a very heavy accent, muttering,

"Ah yes, the Americans..." he pressed a button on his earpiece and said, "Professor Explotar, your American friends are 'ere."

The clerk stepped out from behind the desk and started walking down the middle of the lobby. They followed him down a few hallways and into a fancy, gleaming elevator with at least a hundred buttons. The clerk pushed one of the buttons with a gloved finger and they began to ascend. They rode up for about a minute, and then the elevator doors opened, and Norman and Liz exited in a hurry. The clerk lead them down another hallway, and at the end of it was a large steel door with a sign that read, "Professor Explotar".

The clerk swiped a card key in a slot on the side and clicks could be heard echoing from inside the door. He pushed it open for Norman and Liz to enter. Inside was a very large laboratory full of people in lab coats bustling about, carrying test tubes and beakers and flasks and whatnot. A lady wearing a lab coat and safety goggles approached them. She had short brown hair, a pair of milky chocolate-colored eyes and a noticeably gigantic nose. She smiled at them both and said,

"Well, hello Norman and Lizzy."

Norman smiled and gave her a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too, Narcissa." he looked around the lab and said, "I see becoming a chemist has been treating you well. Hey, have you still got the duo bottle from Minecraft? You know, Swig & Splash?"

Narcissa nodded and said,

"Yes, I still have it at home. I live in this world now, living the dream life with the dream job. Chemistry was the only scientific field I was ever good in."

Norman looked around the lab and said,

"Where's Professor Explotar?"

She turned and pointed towards a corner of the lab.

"He's testing that portal that connects Minecraft to this world. You know, that portal that those Army men found twenty years ago that teleported them into the world of Minecraft. We've gotten it to work again, and we're sending people through to see how it works."

They could see a familiar red glow coming from where they were pointing, so they walked towards it. At the age of ninety-nine, Professor Explotar sat crippled in a wheelchair with the large rectangular portal in front of him. He came to the lab every morning and went home every night as normal, even in his condition. There was a man who was walking into the swirling crimson liquid held inside the frame as Norman and Liz approached. Professor Explotar wheeled around in his wheelchair and smiled a nearly toothless grin when he saw them.

"Hello, Norman and Liz! I can see that you look lively today, and quite healthy, I might add!" he gestured around him at all his many scientists in lab coats. "All these people, all of them working for me! They all know about the connection from us to the world of Minecraft, which is mighty interesting considering they are all as cool as cucumbers 'bout it."

Norman wished he had time to chat with the old professor, but he didn't; for all he knew, Mark and Vanessa were in grave danger because of the Glitch.

"Jack, this is extremely urgent." he murmured quietly.

The professor looked at him with a suddenly serious expression.

"We need to get through into Minecraft and find our kids."

Professor Explotar's wrinkles vanished as his eyes grew to amazing size.

"Your kids are inside Minecraft, you say?" he pounded his fist on the arm of his wheelchair. "Blast it! That Glitch must have meditated to regain its power much quick than before. It must be back again and ready for revenge!" he turned back to the portal and said, "I see the amount of importance, and I will have you going through as soon as possible."

He wheeled back around and said,

"It's dangerous to go alone, take these."

He reached forward into the basket on his wheelchair and pulled out something long and gleaming with blue. It was a diamond shovel, which was shining with a brilliant light. It was the weapon that Norman had used when he was back in Minecraft: Shatter. He gave Shatter up to Norman and then took out a gleaming diamond sickle (Shine), which he handed to Liz.

"You will need your weapons back. I've been saving them with me ever since you left the Minecraft Dimension. Also, you can take these..."

He pulled out the two Blockpacks that used to be Norman and Lizzy's. They still fit perfectly, which was nice. Then Professor Explotar turned towards the bubbling beneath the frame of the portal and said,

"As soon as Frank March comes back through you may go through into the Minecraft Dimension."

Thankfully, it only took another minute for the man in the lab coat to come back out. Norman and Liz faced the swirling red substance inside the tall, charred frame and then nodded at each other. The next moment, after receiving "farewell" and "good luck" from Professor Explotar, they stepped forward through the frame...

During his unconscious state, everything was hazy in Mark's mind. He knew he was in some sort of blurry dream, and all he could see was the blurred outline of the charred and smoldering Lucas. Occasionally it would switch back to their home, and he always saw it as it was still erupting in flames.

And then something cool swept over him, and he felt himself gain feeling in his arms and legs. His breathing was still too slow to satisfy, but he was still breathing, and that's what comforted him. He felt something wet touch his forehead a few seconds later, which made him open his eyes. His vision was darkened around the edges, but he could make out Rexum, who was dabbing a wet block of wool on his forehead. He could lift an arm or leg, but whenever he tried it would just hurt him, so he stayed still.

Mark eventually heard people talking. He could make out Kelsey's voice, and Adrian's responses, but he couldn't string the words together. Then he watched as Rexum stood up and held out what looked like the golden oak staff. The knotted wood tip was tapped on his forehead, and almost immediately, Mark felt relief spreading through his searing, stiff body. It made him strong enough to slowly prop himself up on his elbows, which he did to try and look around.

He swallowed hard when he saw Lucas. Lucas looked in a much worse shape. Every inch of skin on his body was charred black and chunks of skin had burned away from his face. His eyes were closed, and from where Mark was it didn't look like he was breathing anymore. Rexum walked away and towards Lucas, waving his staff above the boy's head. He was muttering some kind of incantation, and to Mark's utter relief, he saw that Lucas's chest began to rise and fall slowly, though the rest of the body remained stiff and unmoving.

Seeing that he was awake and aware of his surroundings, Kelsey walked to Mark and grasped his hand tightly, like she was afraid he'd collapse at any moment.

"Mark, thank God you're alive!"

She caught him in a hug that made him feel like he was about to REALLY collapse, so he muttered,

"Hurting Mark..."

Kelsey let go immediately and said,

"Oh, sorry! I'm sorry, I just... Ohh, I thought you were gone!"

And then Mark's stomach knotted with the worst sickening feeling he'd ever experienced. He had left his Blockpack in the house last night, which meant that the Balance Core was in there. For all he knew, it was burned up and lost forever. Mark looked down at his left hand. To his great relief, the one of the two Gloves of Gloom and Glad—the white one, supposedly the Glove of Glad—was still on his hand. He never noticed he was wearing it, it was like he couldn't ever feel it, but it never got lost.

"What about the Balance Core?!" Mark muttered anxiously, looking around to see if he could find it rolled off somewhere in the grass.

Kelsey paused for a moment, but then walked up to Rexum, spoke to him for ten seconds, and then came back with a bottle. It was the Balance Core, still safely inside its bottle. Mark took the bottle and remembered that it was invincible except to the Hammer Notch, and he took a deep breath. He still had the Glove of Glad and the Balance Core together, so the quest wasn't ruined yet.

Kelsey jabbed her finger to Mark's left and said,

"Hey, this is really strange, but we found someone else lying unconscious next to the house while it was burning. She hasn't woken up yet, but Rexum said she'll be up in about a half hour."

Mark looked to his left and saw another figure lying eagle-spread on the ground. It was a girl, probably fifteen years old like Adrian. It was clear that she was extremely gothic. She wore a dark hoodie, had draping pitch-black hair with blue highlights, and her lips were painted black. Her skin was terrifyingly pale, and there were deep purple shadows under her closed eyes. In the means of size, she was rather average-height and kind of skinny for her age.

Mark didn't want to stay on the ground any longer, and even though his skin was burned and boiling welts covered his aching limbs, he stood up and walked around aimlessly, glancing from Lucas to the other girl, wondering what either of them was doing there the previous night.

To his relief, it was no longer nighttime, it was now the following morning of the house-fire disaster. He realized something and walked towards Adrian, who looked solemn.

"Did... Did anything survive the fire?" he asked weakly.

Adrian looked up with his eyes full of grief.

"No, nothin' survived. Somehow, even the crafting tables burned up, an' those aren't even flammable! Thankfully, ma iron frying pan survived since it's COMPLETELY immune ter fire no matter what."

He lifted the iron frying pan that was his weapon.

"But all of ar Blockpacks were burned up, an' everything in the chests. All ar food, supplies, tools, ores and everything, it's all gone. All we have left is the stuff we kept in the hotbars on our arms, so I expect everyone probably had their weapons on them outa habit, so that's a bit better... Still, I jus' can' believe what I saw. When I got there with everyone else, the whole house was up in flames an' hotter than a lizard in the desert sun. You were face-down on the ground smolderin' and stuff. Lucas and that Creeper Bonbon were like that too. And then as Rexum was walking around the house shootin' some of his magic spells ter put out the fire he came back with that gothic chick... It's all so crazy, partner, I just can't get my head around it."

Then Adrian pointed over to the Goth girl lying in the grass nearby.

"When Rexum brought her back around she 'ad a flint an' steel in her hand! She must be a griefer! Rexum does think so, but if she ain't the one who set the house on fire ah'll eat ma hat." he muttered.

To their surprise, the girl started muttering the unmistakable words "shut up, redneck" from her almost-still lips. Adrian was outraged that he'd been called a redneck, but Mark quickly turned and called for Rexum, who was dabbing Lucas's forehead with another wet wool block.

"Rexum! The other girl is talking under her breath! She must be awake!"

Rexum quickly rushed over with his green silk robes fluttering behind him. He went in a businesslike way to the gothic girl, who was attempting to move her arms and push herself up. Rexum held her arm gently, saying,

"Do not strain."

She sleepily tried shaking his hand off, but was unsuccessful.

"Stop... Get off me... I don't... Want... Any help..."

Rexum eased her back onto the grass and said,

"Don't move, you'll only tire yourself."

She immediately lost any leftover energy and fell asleep on the spot. Rexum magicked her into the air on a golden stretcher. Then he did the same with Lucas and Bonbon.

"C'mon, everyone, we're going to walk until we find natural shelter."

People started protesting and complaining on the spot.

"But we've got nothing left!"

"Last night no one even got sleep!"

"How could we walk when we know that someone'll die soon?!"

Rexum snapped his head back and said,

"Stop that this instant! No one is going to die; I'll see to it that the worst thing that happens here is a temporary coma."

Mark sure wished that Rexum had magicked him onto a stretcher, but he was well enough to walk, so Rexum must've figured he didn't need it. He didn't care, he wanted to get out of there as quick as possible.

So they did as Rexum decided and walked on, three occupied stretchers floating behind them. As they were walking, Mark had been looking around, and he noticed a few minutes in that the fourth wall repairman (A.K.A. Phil Drake) had already left. Pretty much everyone looked either bored or glum. Even the two horses (Elmer and Felix) were looking solemn.

They walked for another two hours without rest, and to their great relief, they eventually found a small cave built into a nearby mountain from an upcoming mountain biome. Thankfully, Gabe had a full stack of torches with him, so they lit the entire cave up. Vanessa had some pieces of wood, so she placed them in a clever checker-board formation that covered the entrance, which would both keep monsters out and allow them to see what was going on outside.

"Everyone," said Rexum from the center of the room where he was setting down the stretchers. "We will rest here until the girl, Lucas and his pet revive. Until then, only I will be going out to get supplies. After these few recent events I can't trust that you will all be safe, and the only way to ensure your safety is to keep you INSIDE at all times."

Everyone groaned angrily, and they were about to start protesting when Rexum walked towards the checkered barrier that Vanessa built and walked through it to the outside world. As soon as his footsteps were gone they all started yelling again.

"I can't believe this!" shouted Kelsey, banging her fist up against the wall. "It's just not fair! Who knows how long it'll take all three of them to wake up!"

"Yeah, can't Rexum jus' use his magic ter revive them?!" Adrian declared angrily, shaking his head.

"If only that stupid gothic girl hadn't burned up the house!" said Vanessa.

The girl on the stretcher next to them suddenly responded again, muttering so very quietly,

"Shut up, voices... I didn't do it."

Suddenly, Mark had an idea and whispered,

"Guys, this girl keeps responding to negative comments! Maybe we can speed things up if we talk about her!"

Everybody—except Gabe and Vanessa, who both thought it to be an illogical solution—agreed to start blurting random insults. Mark was the first one to start off.

"Man, look at that black lipstick! It makes her looks like she spilled an ink sank on her face!"

The girl in the stretcher behind them was now rolling over and muttering negative responses to nobody.

"That hair, too! Did she dip her head in a fryer, or is her hair naturally that greased-looking?" said Kelsey in a loud and declaring voice.

The responses from Goth girl were getting louder and clearer by the second, and she kept growing more restless. Then Adrian spoke...

"Dang, look at her butt! I think someone must'a stuffed a bike pump in there; it's inflated like a goldang hot air balloon!"

That did the trick, because they all watched as her eyes opened—revealing a pair of dull periwinkle irises—and her mouth turned to a grimace.

"Where's the redneck?!" she demanded, her voice still a little sluggish.

Her eyes immediately landed on Adrian. It must've been the whole checkered blue shirt, cowboy boots and cowboy hat that gave her the idea, because her eyes filled with anger as soon as she laid eyes on him.

"You!" all grogginess was gone, and she stood up, pulling her black hoodie farther down. "You are so—"

But Kelsey immediately stepped in to stop her from going anywhere.

"Hold it, we were just trying to wake you up! It was the only thing that would work, ok?"

So the girl just turned on her instead of Adrian—Adrian gave a look of deep relief once her pale eyes had been lifted from him.

"Shut up and stop telling me what to do!"

"No, you don't get it! We just saved your life after you tried burning up our house!" shouted Kelsey.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" shouted the girl, pale flames of anger burning in her eyes.

"You had a flint and steel in your hand when we found you! You're a griefer, aren't you?" declared Kelsey in a matter-of-factly tone.

The girl's lips curled into a sneer as she muttered,

"Uh, no." then, quite suddenly she raised her usually bored-sounding voice. "I came up to the house and saw some kid inside trashing the place inside, and he was looking for something, it looked like! I thought he was a griefer, so I peeked inside to get a closer look in case I needed to go in a get rid of him! I didn't know who lived there, but I was just about to loot it myself, and I was super pissed when I saw him already in there! But before I could get in quietly, the kid just looked behind him and saw me through the window! And... And..." she suddenly sat back down on the stretcher and clutched her head. Then, to their surprise, she started crying.

"I don't remember what happened after that!" she shouted, holding her face in her hands.

Mark went over to comfort her, but Kelsey stopped him, obviously not wanting him to get friendly with this girl. She obviously didn't like her for some reason. So Gabe went over to her instead and took her hands away from her face.

"What's your name?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer at first; all she did was shake his hand away, turning in the other direction. He just stood there waiting for an answer, and that did the trick, because she whispered this very quietly the next moment,

"Raven Clawfall..."

Mark thought she resembled a raven. All the black and everything, her solemn tone when she spoke. It did seem to suit the name well. Everybody just stood—or sat, in Raven's case—there for a while, the only sound being Raven's slight sniffling. And then, finally she looked up with red eyes and said,

"Just tell me where I am."

So Mark decided to explain everything to her. He talked about their quest, what their objectives were, and where they were going. Raven just seemed like a normal Minecraftian to him. She was probably just spooked from the mutating landscape that attacked every night. When he was finished, she just stared at him.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." he stated simply.

She looked away and said,

"Well, wherever this is, I want to get the heck out."

"Er, but Rexum told us not to go back outside." said Kelsey.

Raven stood up and started walking towards the checkered barrier covering the mouth of the cave.

"I don't care. I'm not staying with you clowns any longer." she snapped.

She broke through the wall and walked outside, not bothering to put the block back up. A few seconds later, they heard a shout from outside, and the next moment Rexum came walking through the wall holding Raven's arm tightly.

"I do not care if you are well enough to leave, I cannot let ANYONE go away on their own." he said tersely.

Raven attempted for the second time to break his grip, but being the wizard he was, Rexum's grip was maintained. Rexum pushed her back onto the stretcher and said,

"You've been through a traumatic experience, just rest here."

Raven finally got her hand free, which she used to push HIM away.

"I'm not staying here! I have a family, y'know!"

"No, no you don't." said Rexum.

Then there was a pause. Raven was giving him a mixture of a glare and look of puzzlement.

"How did you—"

"I am a wizard, Raven."

Raven rolled her eyes and replied sharply,

"Ha, yeah right. Wizards don't exist."

Rexum paused for a moment himself, and then lifted his staff, twirling it in the air. Another one of those golden clouds came out of it, and instead of hobbling onto it like a normal old man would he jumped acrobatically onto it. He flew around the room on the cloud and then landed in front of Raven, who's eyes were already wide.

"Ok, so maybe you are a wizard. So what?!" she walked towards the checkered barrier blocking them from the outside world. "I still don't belong here, even if I don't have family! I'm a nomad!"

"I do not care if you are a nomad, I can't let anyone leave this cave unless I am with them." he gestured behind him at the other two golden stretchers that held the charred figures of Lucas and Bonbon. "We are still waiting for the boy and his pet to wake up, and then we leave for the Void Transport in the center of Buenomalo."

Raven looked around at everyone—they were pretty much all staring at her. Finally, she sat down on the empty stretcher.

"Fine, but I'm leaving as soon as the kid and the Creeper wake up." she muttered.

"You stay with us." Rexum said firmly, making it clear that the conversation was over.

Raven just stared with her sunken eyes at the stone wall. Suddenly, everyone else just felt a mixture of both boredom and discomfort. Nobody really knew what to do; they were all stuck inside a cave that was only 7x5x4 with too many people in too little of space. But no one dared disobey Rexum again, not after all the stuff they've done against him. Of course, they all felt guilty that they'd been careless, but it all still seemed like injustice.

It was a good sign when Adrian shouted out that Lucas was muttering in his sleep now. Practically everyone—except Raven, who continued to stare at the wall—cheered at the great news. They'd be out of there in no time!

And then night fell, and Rexum put down the Eyestone to protect them. No one had brought their beds, so they had to sleep on the cold stone floor. The frostiness of the Eyestone didn't help, either. Mark found himself lying down next to Kelsey. She silently clasped her hand around his and squeezed it comfortingly. In his mind he thought,

"Well, even with these circumstances, at least I still have Kelsey.,,"

They fell asleep that way, their two hands still clutching the other.

Mark had another interesting dream, only this one was about his old girlfriend. He rarely ever got those considering how hazy she usually was in his mind.

He was back in the sixth grade. It was after school, and he was just chilling up in the monkey bars, lying on his back with his arms folded together. He was just watching the clouds go by, trying not to think about his schoolwork if he could help it. After a while he got bored and came down on the woodchips to head home.

As he was walking, he noticed a girl sitting with her headphones in, singing along to what sounded like "American Idiot" by Green Day. Something about her looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. So Mark just kept walking on as normal.

Then the next day came, the classes oozed along as usual, and then he found himself staring into the clouds again. It was the typical routine. As he was jumping down from the monkey bars he heard some shouting. While he walked through the woodchips toward his route heading home he glanced to his side and saw the girl with the headphones again, only this time she was singing to "Jesus of Suburbia". Only this time, there were other people with her. It looked like a group of three guys, and they were all standing over her, shouting out vulgar comments.

Mark didn't think much of it, but then he saw one of the taller boys take her iPod with the headphones still in it, and then throw it on the ground, stepping on it with his black sneaker. He heard a chink of breaking glass and knew that her iPod was a goner. Mark had bad experiences from getting involved in fights, and so he just kept walking. But then he heard a scream come from the girl, and he saw the three boys shoving her around. And then he saw a flash of red, and he couldn't stand it any longer.

Mark ran towards the group of guys and shouted,

"Hey! Leave her alone, you jerks!"

The boys all turned around to face him, and Mark stopped in his tracks. It was Brock, Jordan and Max, the three main school jerks. They stepped towards him, all grinning stupidly with their hands in their jacket pockets.

"Hey guys," said Brock, the leader (easily the jerkiest of them all). "It's the noob!"

They all laughed at him, but Mark payed no attention to them, he was too busy looking at the girl. It looked as though they had broken her nose, because blood was pouring out. He could care less about being insulted, he was more concerned about her getting medical help; her nose was looking extremely bad, or at least to him it looked that way. The girl, who was on her knees, was looking at him with a pained expression on her face, her hands trying to stop the blood flow.

"Move out of the way." muttered Mark.

He walked forward, but they just formed a wall to block him.

"What do you think you're doing? Flatfront here is with us."

"Looks more like she's against you." snapped Mark.

He tried getting around them, but Max held out his arm. The next moment, the three of them were in a triangle around him. This is where Mark's panic started to set in. He knew he shouldn't have gotten involved, he knew this would happen. Brock rolled up his jacket sleeves and said,

"Ever play "Pretzel", noob?"

Mark knew immediately that he was in trouble. He didn't dare shout out for help, he couldn't get caught by a teacher. Without needing an answer, Brock stepped closer and cracked his knuckles.

"Well, you're about to learn."

But before he could even so much as lay a finger on Mark, Brock let out a shout of great pain and whirled around wildly. The girl with the broken nose had launched herself onto Brock's back and bit hard into the soft skin of his ear, which was the only vulnerable area. In the confusion, Mark ducked under Brock—not after getting hit a considerable amount by Jordan and Max—and grabbed the girl. She had gotten punched again, this time in the eye.

Before the three of them could figure out what to do, Mark got the girl onto his back and ran off with her riding piggyback. There were shouts from behind them, but Mark knew they were big and stupid, so even while carrying the girl he was able to get away. He ran with her on his back all the way home. He threw open the front door to his house and tore into the living room, setting her down on the couch. Mark's mom came in a few moments later holding a coffee mug.

"Mark, don't slam the—"

When she saw the girl sitting in a bloody mess on the couch, the coffee cup slipped out of her hand and shattered on the ground.

"Oh my God! Let me get some washcloths!"

She ran into the kitchen while Mark had his hand on the girl's hand, squeezing it for comfort.

"Are you ok?"

She was crying blood, her lip quivering, but she looked at him and nodded slowly. The next moment, his mom came back with a wet washcloth. She kneeled down in front of the girl and said,

"Everything's going to be ok..."

Then Vanessa came into the living room with her nose stuck in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". She looked up and saw her mom wiping off the girl's bloody face with a wet cloth.

She quickly set down her book and walked over.

"What happened?" she murmured, looking from the girl to Mark, who was still trying to comfort her.

Mark looked up and muttered,

"I'll tell you later."

So they sat there for another half hour, the whole of the time spent cleaning her up. It was clear they'd have to bring her to the hospital to fix her broken nose, so that's exactly what they did. As they were hopping into their sleek black van, Vanessa ran up and said,

"Can I come? Pleeeeeeaaaaase?"

Mark's mom didn't let her come, and they just drove off towards the nearest St. Jude hospital. Mark sat next to the girl in the back. A few minutes of silence went by, but then Mark broke it.

"Why were they being mean to you?" he asked.

The girl sniffed and rubbed her wetting eyes.

"They were making fun of my singing."

"Why?"

"Because they're all jerks, and what reasons do jerks need for stuff like this?! They just do things for no reason at all..." she muttered angrily.

There was a slight silence, but then Mark asked her another question.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She looked up at him for one quiet moment. And then she said this,

"Kelsey."

Mark's eyes snapped open as he left the dream. He was cold, but inside he felt extremely hot. Kelsey! He knew this girl! Kelsey had been the one those years ago who had been his only girlfriend. Suddenly, memories started flooding into his mind. He saw all the times he ever rescued her from those jerks, the times they went out together, the times when they kissed under the cover of night after those many school dances. He even saw the moment when she had nearly drowned in the waters of Cocoa Beach near his house...

And then he saw the day she died. He was there. They had been going on a bike ride together; they were going to the park. She insisted they just go to the beach, but Mark wanted to take her to see the new oak trees they had planted. They had been biking for a half an hour, and Kelsey was getting tired, but Mark said they were almost there. She must have needed her rest, because a few minutes later, she had swerved too far into the road, and she was hit from behind by a truck. The images of her body being carried on a stretcher into an ambulance flashed by his eyes in a blur.

Then the images faded, and Mark was left lying there with his eyes glued to the stone ceiling, the sounds of soft breathing and some snores drifting softly in the cool cave air, tears running down his cheeks onto the flat ground. He realized right then and there that—it was so clear to him, but too clear—he was the one who is to blame for his friend's death. He killed the one he loved more than anybody, HE killed her. Now Mark understood exactly why Kelsey had avoided him all this time. He understood all too well...

Oh... My... Poptart... How could it be? The old girlfriend that Mark hardly could remember, was Kelsey? She had been lying next to the girl from his past this whole time? And HE was the reason she was hit by that truck? I can't believe it...

Well, after a very revealing chapter, how about we move onto some more QAA? (By the way Jhon, I will NOT be answering any more questions you have to ask if they are M-rated, got it?)

To Gabe's zombie horse (Felix): What happened to you? You were gonna be the best companion EVA! ;-;

Felix: Do not worry, I am always here. But, I do hope that the new horse Elmer does not hog the spotlight; that would NOT be good for me.

To the Glitch: Yes, that is all I have to say to you. I'm the Nostalgic Critic, I remember it so you don't have to. *gets up from chair and walks away*

The Glitch: You would never have the caliber to become the Nostalgic Critic! Only great people are worthy for that job! AND YOU MY FRIEND, NO, MY FOE, ARE NOT PART OF THAT CALIBER! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

To Mark: One word, budder.

Mark: BUDDER FTW! X33333 I love Skydoesminecraft!

To Kelsey: *scratches belly*

Kelsey: *backs away and becomes embarrassed* Hey, only Mark is allowed to do that, so don't even think about it! *becomes extremely self-conscious*

To Gabe: THIS ISN'T SPARTA; THIS IS MINECRAFT! Elementalanimation.

Gabe: Is that even a word? And besides, I didn't choose to wear this... I mean, I did when I played Minecraft on Earth, but it's still stuck as my MC skin, so it's not like I can be reborn and change it! I do wish that was possible, I'd change myself to look like the REAL gentleman I strive to be. *sniffs in a dignified way*

To All: EXACTLY WHAT IS THE GLITCH?

Mark: The Glitch... Well, I'm pretty sure that's what I saw when I first landed in Minecraft. It's like a huge blob of plasma with red eyes and a mouth or something. I've already seen all that it can do, and I'll be perfectly honest; if we get caught by that thing when we sneak through the Void Palace, I'm going to crap myself. :/

Vanessa: Quite simply, it's a large shifting mass of black plasma created from the combined viruses that we find in our everyday lives in computers. It is actually a complex solution if it can become physical, but the viruses would have to combine and extract bugged plasma from their programs to create this physical blah blah blah blah blah blah blah— *general blahing goes on for another ten minutes*

Kelsey: It's mean, that's what! It's killed so many people!

Gabe: The Glitch is the evil virus that is possessing all the dimensions around us as we speak. I surely hope that the Spirits In Between have another plan to destroy it... For the third time...

Adrian: Well, I'mah not exactly sure, partner. Isn't it some kinda space alien or something?

Raven: That's the evil dude who's trying to take over the universe, right? *says while staring at a stone wall with sunken eyes* Hey! Stop describing me in such a stereotypical way! Just because I'm a Goth doesn't mean I have sunken eyes!

Lucas: The Glitch is a jerk, that's what it is! DX

Rexum: It is nothing more than the combination of the filthiest, darkest, most evil substances in the world all formed together in an indestructible mass that is capable of ripping through the fabric of space and time itself.

The Glitch: WHAT AM I?! WHAT AM IIIIIIIIIII?! I AM THE SUPREME LORD VIRUS OF THESE PUNY DIMENSIONS! I AM THE LORD THAT WILL SWALLOW ALL OF THE UNIVERSE AND ITS DIMENSIONS IN A BLACK HOLE OF DARKNESS AND COLD! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Salutem: The Glitch, unfortunately, is my twin. My evil twin, technically. I am the Glitch from the past that decided that I wanted to go on a path of good, and my twin is the Glitch from what was the present at the time, and it still wants to destroy everything. I am ashamed that we are related...

The Mastermind: Eeheeheeheehee, well, if you must know, I think that the Glitch is just another airhead! Eeheeheeheeheehee! Ah yes, that would describe him perfectly! X3333333333

The Spherical Specter: THE GLITCH IS ANOTHER OBSTACLE THAT I HAVE TO OVERCOME BEFORE I RULE THESE DIMENSIONS!

Mickey: It's scary to me... :P

Bonbon: It's such a m-meanie! I get scared at the th-thought of it!

Ridere: Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ..

Clamatis: Hisssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsssssssssss hhhhhhhhhhh...

Felix: The Glitch is cruel and unusual, that is all I have to say on its behalf.

Elmer: I must agree with Felix, the Glitch is not one to be favored.

Lalita: The Glitch... Where to start... Well, it's hard for me to hate or love it, because it's neither a boy nor girl, so really I am quite neutral. :/

Squid Horde: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEORK!

Colossal Squid: SQUEEGLESQUEORKSQUORKLESQUUUUUEEEEEEK!

Matilda: The Glitch? Aha, yes, the Glitch... I love talking about the Glitch to annoy my master, he's always saying that HE'D be the one to rule the universe, but I know what would really happen. ;D

Amelia: D-don't t-t-talk about th-the Glitch! It's t-too s-s-s-scary! I-I-I... *gets comforting hug from Notch*

Notch: *while hugging Amelia to calm her down, he says,* The Glitch is evil. You can describe it in one word: EVIL! "Cruel" could be another. The Glitch is completely ripped of any emotions, it is programmed to consume, and it will not stop at doing so. I fear for all our lives...

Norman: It's a virus, and that's that. It's cruel and coldhearted, if it even has a heart at all.

Lizzy: It's a compilation of all different viruses into one. That's my best explanation.

Professor Explotar: Well, it's all my fault that this came to be. Technically, I'm supposed to be dead from being possessed by the Glitch, but the public doesn't know I'm still here; just everyone in this building. Anyway, I had attempted to break into the brain of my E.S.C. supercomputer, and the viruses had combined the plasma that they contained to create the Glitch. When it first started out, the Glitch was actually just the size of a marble, but it grew as it consumed more and more.

Narcissa: It's a virus, as far as I can tell. Even I can't explain its chemical compound, it's all too complex, far beyond my understanding.

Danny: A jerk, a jerk, aaaaaand a double jerk. Yep, that's the Glitch in a nutshell.

Quinn: Dude, it's like, evil and stuff. It's totally evil, like, more evil than I can think of, dude.

Bailey: I can't even comprehend what it is, all I can say is that it's a monster, that's what! It took Lucas... *sniffles*

German Clerk: Excuse me, but I do not have time to answer stupid American questions... Goodbye, I have other work to attend to. *starts gabbing in German to someone at the desk*

Fourth Wall Repairman: It's a monster that rips the fabric of space and time. In other words, I got a payraise as soon as it appeared, because now I repair fourth walls left and right. That has its ups and downs, I'll just say that.

To Bonbon: Ok since the 4th wall hasn't been repaired yet we can get stuff in so... HELP IS ON THE WAY! I cast Cure Serious Wounds, Agent C4 drink this gun powder milk, Cupa (she's from that one mod just search her on DeviantArt) see if you can do anything! We are not going to let her die, not today. Don't go into the light.

Bonbon: I see a light... But it's not to the Aether, it's to somewhere else... Not the Nether, either... I can't tell, but it might be sunlight...

To Mark:*puts code in so mark has to use the bedrock sword and deletes diamond swords from touching his skin*

Mark: *still has his diamond sword* Ha, yeah right. You'd have to prove to me that you can change code, dude.

To Mark: Perhaps you could be the host of parties when you get home.

Mark: That's a great idea! Well, it's a great idea, but if I don't actually live through this, it wouldn't matter anyway... Oh well, I've got a commitment now, and there's no turning back.

Well, for next time, what will happen when Norman and Liz come back into the world of Minecraft to try and find Mark and Vanessa? Did Raven actually burn up the house, or is she somehow being framed? And HOW will Mark be able to live with himself now that he knows that he is responsible for his closest friend's death? But for now, this is Pastrinator64, and I'll see you later with chapter numbah sixteen!

*throws sugar bomb, disappears in a cloud of fine white sugar*

Byyyyyeeeeee...

~Pastrinator64 [~]