Hola friends. Sorry for the long wait; here's chatper 16 of Blissfully Ill. And I, sadly, have a confession to make.

mimic12455, congratulations. You've found me out. +10 Internet Points for you.

For those of you who haven't noticed, Toothy dropped off the face of my story around chapter six. I didn't mean to! Toothy is actually one of my favorite characters, which is strange, since I didn't notice his absence before. I'd gone back to referance the list of where each Friend had been placed (light, medium, heavy) and that was when I noticed Toothy wasn't on the list. I'd forgotten to include him, which is why I forgot to bring him back. I'm so sorry! I honestly didn't notice until I saw it, and now I'm in a delema.

I'm wondering if I should just keep him out or put him back in, but neither of those would really work. Maybe I could make it... that's an idea. But we'll just have to see, won't we?

For now, enjoy. Please Review. This chapter is wishy-washy, so I don't know if it's good or what. It's not too long but not too short either. I think it's confusing, but... y'know.

Chapter 16

"Alright mi compadre, it's about time you told me what's going on."

"Uh, Evil, I don't think this is the best time…"

"Sure it is. We're alone, it's quiet, and the door is locked. Now spill."

"But a bathroom? Really, Evil, are you that despite to know what's going on?"

"I could lock us in the closet instead."

"Nah, this is good. I call the toilet."

"Fine. Tub for me then."

Flippy sighed heavily as he set himself down on the closed toilet seat, watching as his mirror self settled down in the long white tub, kicking his feet up to rest on the faucet. Flippy noticed when Evil first came, well, 'out' of his body, that they'd looked more or less alike, aside from their eyes. But as the days wore on, Evil's appearance began to change. His fur turned a darker shade of green, became more disorderly, and his canines had begun to grow and sharpen. He looked like he did when Flippy had still been having his 'flip-outs'. His claws were longer than Flippy's, and his eyes showed greater signs of fatigue, though they weren't all too noticeable. Aside from all that, they could have been twins – same height, same shape, same age.

"Talk," Evil growled, resting his hands behind his head. They both wore Flippy's clothes, though while Flippy wore the pants and white shirt, Evil was comfortable with pants and jacket only. The fur on his check poked out much like Flippy's and his stomach rose and fell with each of his breathes, outlining his rips and then hiding them beneath the skin and fur. Flippy rolled his neck on his shoulders and said, "Alright, fine. What do you want to know first?"

"I'm glad you asked," Evil said, sneering. Then his face became serious. "What's up with this town? Why haven't any of you left yet? I understand being in quarantine, but from what I understand you've all been here so long you can't even remember anymore. And why did that porcupine say that those three new guys have all been dead?" Evil's frown melted into a scowl. "You've been hiding something, Flippy, and I want to know what it is. Now."

"Alright…" Flippy said, feeling weak. He'd originally gone to the bathroom to puke, but after nothing happened, he'd begun to leave. Evil had ambushed him and locked the door before Flippy could register what was going on. The bear was beginning to feel nauseous again. "We live in Happy Tree Town, which is in Happy Tree Valley in Happy Tree Forest. Right now we're at the hospital-tree. This is where everyone is reborn after they've died."

"Uh-huh. Pase…"

Flippy didn't understand but took Evil's patient look as the okay to continue. "Well, here in Happy Tree Valley, we seem to have immortality. No one's really sure why it happens, but one thing is that no one minds it really. We have the ability to leave but no one chooses to. We don't know what would happen if we did… and then there's the idea of death. Everyone's so used to not dying that even the possibility of dying permanently is horrifying to us. We can't handle it."

"So none of you can die? Even if you do die, you come back?"

"Yeah. That's the jist of it. Not only that, but Happy Tree Valley has always seemed to be plagued with bad luck. There's not a week that goes by without someone death. We've gone day before, but I'm still not sure if at midnight counts or if it has to be after…"

"Imposible... I've never heard anything like it before."

"As for why we're all here and not in the town it's because this mysterious disease started out as something like a cold. We didn't want to spread it – Russel and Splendid weren't here yet, we didn't know they were sick too – so we all stayed here. Everyone was sick except for Cuddles, Giggles and Flaky, and I think the rabbit and the chipmunk might not be falling too far behind the rest of us. You've seen them. They're getting worse."

"So la puercoespín is the only one who isn't affected?"

Flippy nodded, resting his chin in his palms. It was good Flaky wasn't infected like the rest of them, but if Giggles and Cuddles really were falling ill, they would soon be too weak to help the porcupine out with chores. She would be alone, helping everyone in the ward. What was worse, Flippy suspected Sniffles was falling under the weather as well. He could tell by the anteater's short times in the open, his sluggish movements and his reluctance to see anyone anymore. Flaky was worried and so was he.

"The porcupine," Evil began after a moment of silence, sitting up straighter. At the sound of her name, Flippy's attention instantly redirected at Evil. The darker bear was looking directly at Flippy, his green eyes curious. "Why isn't she sick? And what's her problem?"

"We don't know why she's sick," Flippy stated simply. "And Flaky's a good friend of mine, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't suggest things like that."

"I'm not suggesting," Evil said back, his voice playful and dark. "I'm stating. Fact. It's something for everyone, isn't it? You with me, flipping-out; that not-so-blind mole; that OCD squirrel, and of course that sugar-crazed squirrel. And don't even get me started on that moose. Did someone drill a hole through his head and let whatever was once inside crawl out? I mean really, he slept upside-down and backwards last night."

Flippy winced at Evil's accuracy. "You've noticed all that?"

"Sure. The raccoons are kleps and the lamb is insane, what with her stupid pickle. Everyone, at least the one's trapped in here with us, have something going for them. Flaky," Evil said the name slowly, as if tasting it, "hangs around here most. There must be something wrong with her if she hangs out with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flippy asked, sitting up himself and trying to look intimidating. He didn't like where this was going, and he especially didn't like how interested Evil was in Flaky. He could see a glint in the other bear's eye, and it was a familiar sight. It made Flippy uneasy, cautious. "The only unique thing about Flaky is that she used to be very, very easy to scare," Flippy said plainly. "She's also necrophobic."

"¿Qué?"

"She's afraid of death."

"Hm, really? Seems a bit odd for someone who plays nurse."

"Shut up," Flippy said harshly. "And there's something else… I mean, she hasn't really been herself lately…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Evil asked, resting his arm on the edge of the tub and leaning forward.

"What I mean is that things have been changing," Flippy said. "I've been seeing it, but no one else really has, I don't think. Flaky might have."

"Might have notice what?" Evil asked, his tone indication that his patience was running thin. Flippy sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Everyone's changing. And in good ways, which confuses me. Flaky hasn't been half as twitchy or scared as she used to be. Petunia's actually keeping her mouth shut about most things. Lammy's hasn't even spoken to Mr. Pickles the last few days. I think she actually put him on the table instead of sleeping with him last night."

"So? That's good, right? It means the disease is winding down."

"No, it doesn't. Even if the disease left tomorrow morning, everyone should have been back to their normal selves. Petunia should be obsessing about every little thing, the Mole should be blind, and Lammy should be throwing Mr. Pickles at everyone and mauling whoever he touches. But things aren't right. It's like… the sickness is making everyone better."

They sat in silence. Flippy's words hung heavily in the bathroom. Flippy's eyes rolled as he sighed and leaned back, hand on his stomach. He was feeling nauseous again.

As the days wore on, Flaky became more and more anxious. It wasn't just the weather which bothered her anymore. She sensed something dark creeping up behind her, ready to pounce the second she was off guard. Something was wrong. It wasn't just the snow or the sun or the dead grass anymore. It was happening to her friends.

She'd noticed it two days after Nutty, Splendid and Lumpy had been reborn. All three of them had been just like their old selves. Splendid was helping Flaky with the normal chores, and she'd been grateful for his assistance. They'd had to tie Nutty down again. The squirrel had practically nested himself in the secret snack stash before Splendid could pry him away from the sweets, and the green rodent had writhed on his bed, crying and laughing as his craving for candy came back ten-fold. Lumpy, also, had returned to his old self. Dumb, slow, and bright as an unscrewed light bulb. He spoke more than he had before his death, but otherwise kept to himself.

One thing that Nutty, Lumpy and Splendid all had in common was they all remembered dreaming while they were dead, which was unheard of. Being reborn after death was much like being deeply asleep: you didn't remember the process and it was dreamless. All three males were vague in their description of their dreams, but some aspects were parallel, and Flaky grew interested.

A day went by, then two, then three more, and before Flaky knew it her newest assistant was horribly sick again. His powers had slowly diminished. He could barely sit up, let alone stand or fly. Flaky had to drag in a new bed for him.

Not only that, but the really strange things had begun to happen. Flaky had been seeing the pattern days after the Mole reclaimed his lost eyesight, but it wasn't for another four days that her hypothesis was tested.

Lammy had eaten Mr. Pickles, completely on purpose, and when she asked for another pickle, she ate that one too.

Needless to say, everyone was stunned.

The only time Lammy had ever eaten Mr. Pickles was on accident or when she was dreaming. She loved Mr. Pickles, or at least the idea of him, and Flaky hadn't seen a day when the lamb was without a green vegetable in her hand. Now Lammy looked so lost, out of place; it was like Mr. Pickles had never existed. What was more, the lamb wasn't having any more of her nightmares.

Petunia scared Flaky as well. The other day, she'd settled down to go to sleep and Flaky – she'd been delivering Flippy's pills – had noticed the skunk was lying on her right side, not her back like she always did. Flaky also saw that one cup of her water was empty and the other one was half full. As realization dawned on Flaky the following morning, the porcupine wasn't sure if she was happy or horrified at what was happening.

Everyone was getting better. Not really physically, but mentally and emotionally. The twins had stopped thieving, Petunia had stopped complaining, and the Mole could see again. Even Nutty was beginning to settle down. He spent less and less time fighting against his bonds and simply staring into space, sometimes even falling asleep. Petunia talked to him often, stroking his forehead and helping him cope whenever he was craving sugar. The green squirrel was given a piece of chocolate once a day, but that was only out of pity. Flaky couldn't stand the pleading look on his face.

Above all, Flaky was anxious about Evil. She wasn't afraid he would attack her or anything like that – he seemed completely in control of his own actions, and she had no reason to question his motives. Mostly Evil stayed close to Flippy, asking the other bear questions about him or her friends and the town.

You could tell Evil still wasn't used to living in Happy Tree Valley. He found their immortality strange and questionable, suspicious even, but chose to keep his mouth shut. Once or twice he tried talking to Flaky, but he'd gone about it the wrong way. He only approached her when they were alone or when the others weren't paying any attention, and Flaky never failed in finding a way to escape the discussion. There was just something about him that kept her on edge. It wasn't fear and it wasn't dislike. It was just… whenever she saw him coming, her instinct told her 'flight' instead of 'fight' and it truly upset Flaky that she didn't know why.

She wanted to talk to Evil, but her body didn't. Her body felt something towards Evil that Flaky hadn't experienced before and couldn't completely understand. Maybe it was fear, just a different kind.

Flaky crawled into bed, sighed and curled herself into a red ball, closing her eyes and allowing the dreams and the nightmares to catch her as she fell.