"Not just for show! It wasn't: 'just for show!' It was more than that, or at least I felt it was." Opal snapped back, eyes filled with a mix of anger and tears. "And why not. You didn't seem to mind at first, I'd even say that you liked it. Why couldn't you just go along with it? We could be together, why can't you just accept that?" Opal asked.

"Opal, the fact that we're in a party together, doesn't mean I'm ready to get into a relationship with you. I can't give you one hundred percent of my attention, you said it yourself. I'm not ready for this. You want far more than I'm willing to give." I managed before Opal interrupted me. "Save it!" she snapped. She stood up from the table and wiped the tears from her eyes. She leaned her fists on the table and gave me a look of defiance.

"I can't go back to being alone, it's horrible, but some people make it worse. I can't manage to connect with anyone, most are horrible with me. You're the only one that doesn't make me uncomfortable. I feel safe with you around. I don't want to lose that. I need you to stay with me, become my partner and to be with me till this hell ends." Opal said, her voice filled with pain.

"Opal, calm down." I said as I tried to talk her out of her anxiety. "No! I will not let you go! You will be with me and only me!" she yelled. I shook my head. That might not have been the smartest thing to do. Opals eyes showed signs of panic. She grabbed the knife from the dinner table. "I'll make you stay. By force if I have to." she said angrily.

By now I was also standing up, surprised by her desperation. I saw the knife glow white, as Opal emotions were getting the better of her. I had to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. Under normal circumstances I would have talked her down, tried to calm her, and get her to listen to reason. But we weren't under normal circumstances. I opted to fuel the fire instead. "Go on! Take your best shot!" I yelled.

Opal screamed and released the sword skill. Her hand went straight for my chest and the knife firmly planted itself there. I fell on my back, knocked back by the force of her attack. And though it would be deemed impossible, it felt like all her emotions had been channeled into that blow. The pain in my chest was intense. I grabbed the end of the knife and pulled it out. While taking a few breaths to calm myself I slowly got up and looked at Opal. She was staring blankly at me and was shaking from head to toe. I came up close to her, the knife still in my hand. Seeing it she closed her eyes and braced herself, as I raised my hand in the air.

Her eyes opened in surprise when she heard a metallic sound a few meters away, and found that I was holding her tightly. She sobbed as she took a breath, unable to hold back she cried. Opal was inconsolable. Even when I had managed to sit her down on a bench and had gotten her to stop wailing, she continued to sob uncontrollably. All evening i stayed there holding her. Afraid that if I let her go, she would do something rash. I understood the loneliness and the fear that I had felt and that I had seen in the eyes of other players. But I had never seen despair like what filled those eyes of hers. "Don't lose hope." I repeated, over and over, as I tried to console her.

"What am I going to do now?" Opal asked. The question startled me. She had stopped crying but had remained huddled up against me. "I don't know, and I'm probably not much help with that. You're going to have to figure that one out yourself." I said. "You sound like my sixth grade teacher." she replied. "He must have been a wise man." I joked. Opal managed a small smile.

Opal straightened up and shifted a little away from me. She looked down at her hands resting on her lap. We sat in silence, amplified by the quietness of the night. There was something comforting in the total lack of noise around us, and neither of us wanted to disturb it. But the silence could not fix what had just been broken.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Opal said softly. I was a little surprised by her question as I hadn't even realized it myself that it was going to be my next step. I nodded slowly. Opal looked at the sky and sighed. "I guess it's to be expected. I don't think it's possible to act worse than I did." she said. She sighed again and swallowed hard.

"I was sure you were going to hit me back. Maybe you should have. I mean, I planted a knife in your chest. You should have been mad, you should have called me all kinds of unpleasant names, you should have taken your anger out on me. But you didn't, and now I hurt more than if you had hit me. And there's no healing crystal for that." Opal said

"I'm sorry for what I did. I only cared for me and what I wanted. I didn't stop to think about how other people would feel. It's one of the reasons I ended up alone in the first place. I alienated a bunch of people early on because of my attitude. They could have been my friends, if I had just been more careful. And now, again, by being too greedy, I'm losing you. I hurt you, when all you did was be nice to me. I'll understand that you hate me." Opal said.

The sky grew suddenly quite brighter as the virtual sun began to rise. l got up as if it was my cue. "This world is the enemy. I blame everything that happens to us on it. We have to work together, fight together, and survive together if we're ever to beat this thing. And that's exactly what we did, so to fight you would be like punishing the innocent. That's why I won't take it out on you." I said.

I walked around the bench and put my hand on her shoulder. She reached up and put her hand on mine. "I'm sorry it had to end up this way between us. Don't ever lose hope. We will see the end of this. Farewell Opal." I said, as I removed my hand. I made to go but hesitated. My face screwed up I didn't want to give her false hopes but I didn't want to leave any loose ends either. "Opal. I don't..." I started. Opal took a deep breath "You don't what?" she said softly.

"I don't hate you."