"What?"

"Listen Viola, I can explain-"

"No, you can't, Todd. You let him take your name-soul!"

"Don't say my old name, it'll bring my name-soul back from under the Big Tree, it'll take me back there with him."

"Todd Todd Todd Todd Todd Todd To-"

I'm cuttting her off by covering her mouth with my hand. My noise is as giddy as a high puppy but I'm still just about managing to stay calm.

"Viola, please just calm down. If I can live with this, then so can you. We've been through so much together, and this is just another obstacle to pass over. We'll manage, but not if we don't stick together, which means I'll have to trust you. I'm taking my hand off now, and I'm trusting you not to say my name."

I slowly lift my hand off. Viola smiles her beautiful smile at me just before she says one word.

"Todd"

She jumps on me. I let her and then embrace. It turns into more than an embrace.

When we finally finish rolling around, our hair is all over the place, as are my thoughts. My Noise is an explozhun of greens, yellows and pinks, flying around, never settling. I am happy for the first time after losing my name-soul. I can get through this. I can survive. Wait, no. We can get through this.

We can survive.