"Any changes?" Wallace walked over and set several small cups of tea before us.

I shook my head as I reached for one. "She's been held up in my room for the last week. Comes out to use the bathroom, picks up the food we leave out in front of the door, and that's about it. She won't talk to any of us. It's like she's punishing herself for what happened."

"Give her time; I'm sure she'll come around." He said, sitting beside Isabella, who was sipping her own cup. Nick was silently listening to my update.

As I said, it's been about a week since the situation in Omnia occurred. On this Friday, Wallace summoned Isabella, Nick, and me to the Student Council room during lunch to recollect and to bring ourselves up to date with things. In terms of casualties, about several dozen or so SAIBA Enterprise employees, mainly from the Research and Development departments, while some from Security and other departments, were confirmed dead, as were the AEGIS agents stationed for Security during the event. Others were wounded but were expected to make a recovery. Layla was counted among the casualties expected to survive, being checked in Cisco University Hospital. As for the Riverbed students, they all suffered emotional damage for the most part and partook in evaluations, with some being worse off than others.

Akiyoshi Saiba and Director Jones were pressured to put out a public service announcement regarding the mess, with them apologizing for everything. The fact that Garretson and the others were in uniform when this took place allowed them to use the narrative that it was the work of domestic terrorists who infiltrated AEGIS and sought to disrupt the event by any means necessary. Like in Arcadia, some obviously are far from keen on the Golden Age, so the narrative seemed plausible. They also assured that situations like this are rare and promised to strive for stronger safety measures. Still, with this in mind, the future of SAIBA Enterprise became the trend of rumor mills.

As for Melanie, after explaining the situation to my father once we returned, we brought her back home with us. She had no family in the immediate area, nor was she in the mental state to be alone. There have been attempts to try and talk to her, only to be met with "Yes," "No," and "Thank You." My Mom reminded me more than once to give her time, but a mix of impatience and concern made it very hard to adhere to that at times. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, and I know what could happen. Wallace, by the looks of it, was taking my Mom's side on this.

"So, now what?" Isabella asked. "Sorin's defeated, and we're in this new world because of what Mikayla did. So…do we just live in it?"

"That's what I've been doing," I replied. "After I realized the situation, I just accepted that I had my family back and tried to adjust, as hard as it was. At least things for you guys haven't changed much."

"Debatable," Nick replied, reminding me of his unique family situation.

"Fair point." I acknowledged. "Point being, there's no threat of time travelers, interdimensional monsters, or cyber terrorists. We can finally live life like normal for a change."

"What about Mikayla?" Isabella pointed out.

"What about her?" I furrowed my brow.

My reply took Isabella aback, making her cross her arms in disbelief, "So…we're just going to ignore that you two had a farewell kiss before she sacrificed herself?"

I bit the side of my cheek before nodding. Isabella's incessant staring made me point toward Nick. "For the record, Nick didn't want her to get her memories back."

Isabella's attention snapped to him, and she gasped dramatically, "How dare you stand in the way of true love!"

"Do you honestly feel that's a good idea?" Nick asked, retaining his stance. "Think about it."

Isabella relaxed and followed his instruction. After glancing at me, it took all of a few seconds to recede her stance. "yeah…that would be messy when you put it like that."

Wallace continued to sip his tea before finally speaking up, "Not that it's any of my business Zack, but have you given that any thought?"

"About Mikayla's memories? Yeah, of course. It's Nick's decision at the end of the day whether she remembers how she died saving everyone and the years she spent fighting."

"That's…not what I mean," he leaned in.

"What do you mean then?"

Wallace looked over to Nick, with the latter nodding. Wallace then sat his cup on the table and folded his hands. "Allow me to be blunt then…"

I felt my chest tighten all of a sudden as Wallace stared me down. He seemed oddly serious, making me feel like I was missing something very obvious.

"Melanie or Mikayla?"

I had him repeat that since it didn't register the first time. Once it did...

"What kind of question is that?!"

"We're serious," Nick highlighted.

"So am I!" I retorted. "There's nothing between Melanie and me! I swear!"

"I don't know…" Isabella insisted. "You two've been pretty chummy over the last two weeks."

"That's because I was trying to get answers!" I shot up from my seat, "And now all of this happened, so what do you want me to do?!" All the heat was rising to my head. Part of me wondered if I subconsciously suppressed the notion or if I'm just so dense that my interactions with her have painted it as such.

"Aww, you're turning red; how cute!" Isabella continued to tease.

"That's because I'm pissed you—!" A knock at the door cut me off, all of us shifting our attention to the door. My body locked up, and we all grew quiet as Mikayla poked her head through the door.

CRAP! She heard all of that; I know she did!

"Sorry I'm late; I got stopped by a classmate on my way here," She apologized, carrying a lunch bag with her. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Wallace reassured, taking command of the situation. "We were just talking about the SAIBA Enterprise situation now that we finally have a moment to talk and reflect on it."

Mikayla nodded, taking a seat beside Nick. "I've had snippets of dreams here and there, but I guess I'm doing better than most. What about you guys?"

"About the same," I admitted. "My family ended up taking in Melanie Whitaker for a time since our parents were good friends."

"That's right…her father was listed among the casualties, right?" Mikayla mentioned as Wallace poured her some tea. "How is she holding up?"

"She's taking it really hard," I explained. "Hardly talks to anyone, even after being several days now."

"I see…" Mikayla processed. "I feel bad for her."

"Same… it's not the first time I felt powerless, but the feeling doesn't get easier. Just wish I knew how to fix this situation, or at least make her happy, even for a second…"

There was a slight pause amongst us, and that's when Nick broke the silence. He stood and looked at me. "Zack, I forgot I left my textbook in Mrs. Collin's room. Mind coming with me to go grab it?"

I hesitated to answer, quickly realizing the reason why he was pulling me away. Throwing quick glances at the others, I nodded and rose. "Sorry, Mikayla."

"It's cool," she waved off. "We'll talk."

I gave her a small smile and followed Nick out of the room. Once the coast was clear, I exhaled sharply. "Okay, I see your points."

"Can you honestly back your words up from before, taking everything into consideration?" He asked as we approached the elevator.

"I can't answer that," I replied honestly, watching him press the down button. "At least not with an answer I'm satisfied with."

"Well, in case you forgot, both of them are gone; Mikayla died fighting for our sakes, and Eve…"

"Eve waited for me for years upon years…" I answered as we entered the elevator. It closed and began to descend. "For the longest time, it was just the two of us. Ben was there too, but…after everything that happened, Eve still waited for me to save her. And even when I failed, she still ensured I had something to look forward to when the world ended."

"And you plan on paying your debt back by staying beside Melanie Whitaker." Nick deduced, "knowing that she's no different from this world's Mikayla."

"It's pathetic, isn't it? Falling for ghosts?" I chuckled to hide my breaking voice. I fell back against the wall. "So damn pathetic…"

I hated that I was putting Nick in such an awkward position, giving into my emotions like this. He didn't say anything, and when the door opened, I attempted to hide my emotions and followed him out. He finally said something by the time the cold air hit our faces outside.

"Part of the reason I don't want to tell my sister anything is not only because I don't want her to relive those memories but also because I don't want you to be forced to make a decision. I'm sorry for forcing my responsibility on you. I mean it this time."

I didn't say anything prompting him to continue, "Mikayla doesn't need to be protected. We both know how strong she is."

That's true. Time and again has proven that.

"Still, here's something to think about," He continued, "how would you react if I told you she knows everything?"

He got his answer from my drawn-out silence. He had to have been lying.

"...Did you really tell her?"

"Would that change anything?"

We eventually made it to the classroom, got his book, and headed back to the Student Council room to finish off the remainder of our lunch period.

And at that time, I still couldn't give him an answer.

"Ice skating?" I stopped halfway up the staircase, processing Layla Saiba's proposal.

"Megan and Trevor are the ones organizing it," Layla explained on the phone. "It's a way of staying positive with everything that's happened. Do you think you guys will be interested?"

"I mean… it's been years since I've gone."

"Look at that, already doing better than me," Layla joked. "This will be my first time, like some of the others, so expect a lot of falling."

I couldn't help but imagine Isabella clinging to Wallace for dear life, with the others performing to various degrees. Ice skating, in particular, was something my family did when I was younger. When Evie first began living with us, my parents took us ice skating to break the ice (no pun intended). She was too small to skate on her own, but that didn't stop her from trying. My parents had her by each hand, and the three took it slow on the ice. This world's version of Evie may be the same, now that I think about it…

"Hey, do you mind if I invite my family too?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course! My father rented out the venue for the day for all of us, so invite everyone you can think of."

"Awesome; Evie loves Ice Skating, so once she hears the mention of it, she's gonna be fixated on it until someone takes her."

"Speaking of Zack…how's Melanie?"

Hearing the girl's name got me quiet. When I tried to answer, I found myself stuttering. And so did she.

"Invite her too. Tell her everyone wants to see her."

"I'll… try my best. She's been pretty tough to get through to recently.

"I see..."

Layla sounded like she regretted even bringing Melanie up. To salvage the moment, I thought fast. "By the way, when's ice skating?"

"Oh, it's this Sunday afternoon at Frostland Fields Ice Rink in Uptown Cisco City."

That was at least a 45 min drive from here, nearly double if we took public transportation. "Cool, sounds good. I'll try and see if Melanie wants to go; fingers crossed she doesn't rip my head off."

Layla found that funny. "We've been through enough. Try to last until Sunday for all of us."

"Will do. We'll see you guys Sunday." I pulled the phone from my ear and hung up. As I climbed the remaining steps toward my room, I contemplated what I would say if Melanie did respond to me. I'm hoping she's willing to talk finally.

When I reached the door, I took a deep breath and knocked. "Hey Mel, I'm back…"

No response. I knocked again a bit harder and noticed the door push in. "Melanie?" I grabbed the handle to open it and…

Gone.

Without thinking, I rushed in and scrambled throughout, checking the other side of my bed, underneath it, my closet…out my window…

My room was as untouched as it was when Melanie first came. There was no sign of her. My pulse was racing.

Where did she go?

I rushed out of the room, and that's when my senses were suddenly jolted. I became dizzy and disoriented, and everything was white. In my staggering, I tripped over my feet, and something caught me before I fell over.

"Mr. Sullivan," Mr. Morris's voice came from above me, helping me realize that he was the one who broke my fall.

Startled, I straightened up and found myself surprised at his presence. I looked around and slowly realized that I was abruptly pulled into his pocket dimension.

"I presume I pulled you in at a bad time?"

"A little bit," I didn't hide. "I was in the middle of looking for Melanie."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry to have interrupted your search for her, but I had something important to discuss with you that couldn't wait."

Seriously now of all times? "What is it? Because now's not a good time—!" I paused upon seeing Mr. Morris' screen. Being drawn to it, I found myself staring at a bright blue sphere with oddly-shaped continents floating upon nothing on his screen, shining brilliantly. I was in such disbelief that he confirmed it for me upon approaching from behind.

"That is Omnia."

"But how?" I asked. "Chaosdramon should've destroyed it in the battle against Sorin."

"They did."

"So then, why is it still there?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Mr. Morris said, making his way back to the console. From there, he began pulling up various smaller screens of analysis data. "It's possible that, like the Digimon of Omnia, their regeneration capabilities aren't restricted to them alone, as it could play into Omnia's law of nature."

"And as the caretaker, you never knew that?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Granted, I didn't expect Blake to utilize Chaosdramon," He defended. "That aside, with Omnia's return comes new factors to consider. Looking into it briefly, in the time since our last encounter with Sorin until now, nearly two decades have passed in Omnia. Within that time span, the world has flourished and rebuilt itself with no influences from either us Humans or Sorin."

"What about Eve?" I asked. By his tone, I could tell he was withholding information.

He looked over his shoulder, and I made eye contact with him. After a second, he turned back to the console, typed some keys, and pressed the enter key. The scene shifted, unveiling something totally unexpected.

"Deep within Omnia's core…is Eve."

I was taken aback by what I was looking at. Eve—as Morphomon—was curled in a fetal position asleep, within a shimmering rainbow cocoon, the strands of it extending in all directions, pulsating with each of the six colors. The cocoon was also in the center of a wide expanse, a hollow crystal cave shimmering with similar colors.

"She's not in the core…she is the core!" I realized this upon studying her. "But why? How did she end up there if she regenerated like the others?"

"Because that is her origin…" A new voice echoed in the space.

Recognizing it, I spun back and saw a gate open before us. Arylide came through, alone and in her Saibatar form, forgoing the AEGIS uniform and wearing her familiar attire of the Yellow Pillar.

"Why are you here?" I asked, becoming defensive automatically.

In response, Arylide knelt before me and held her head low. Her actions were unexpected, making me wonder what's suddenly gotten into her. I was almost scared to ask.

However, she didn't keep me waiting as she exhaled before speaking up, "To seek atonement for my failure…"

"Atonement…?" I repeated. From my astonishment came anger. "Failure?! What did you fail, and why are you apologizing for that?! You sided with Sorin and got everyone hurt! On top of that, you've done nothing but keep secrets from us for what?!"

She didn't answer, remaining silent while I continued to steam. The longer she stayed silent, the more I began to process the moment. As I relaxed, a line of thought came to mind, and little by little, I began to figure out why Arylide's done what she's done.

"All of this…was to protect Eve…wasn't it? You're still grieving…"

I noticed a tear fall past her raven hair, confirming my suspicion. Even before the world changed, I was so fixated on myself and my feelings when it came to everything…I never thought about what this was doing to Arylide, the one who took over in my place all this time.

"I was a fool…" her voice broke. "I tricked myself into thinking…that sufficient amounts of Tamer Data would help her achieve Singularity once again. And when Sorin corrupted her data for his own purposes… I turned my attention to the X-Antibody. But like her… the X-Antibody was unstable and dangerous…"

"So Sorin's appearances where the victims would be isolated, as well as Melanie claiming I transformed into Alphamon to save her and I…?"

"Illusions, created by Sakuyamon," Arylide confirmed.

"All to have Eve return to normal…"

"I'm sorry to have deceived you…but you left her in my care. As her right hand, I allowed MOD to get to her. I allowed myself to become corrupted…"

I wanted to say something, but the words fell short on me. She rose, wiped her tears, and held her hands out. After a moment, a Core suddenly appeared in her hands—Dorugoramon's Core.

Mr. Morris approached from my side as I began to reach out for it and took the Core. I watched as Arylide surrendered the item to him, leaving me somewhat lost. What were his intentions with that?

"I must apologize, Mr. Sullivan," Mr. Morris began, "but for the sake of preventing a Paradox, I withheld Arylide's intentions from you."

"So they were possible after all?"

He nodded. "Based on my understanding, the risk has been adverted. With Sorin defeated, his captives recovered, and Dorugoramon's—"

"What about Vantus? The other Vantus?" I turned to Arylide, specifying him in my question. If anything, he was the very first one I learned was captured. And he hasn't been seen since Sorin revealed him in his battle with Mikayla.

Arylide visibly retreated, her body language telling me all I needed to know. Honestly, now that I know what she's done, I wouldn't be surprised if she intended on doing him in while he was weak, after his role in the old world.

"Enjoy ice skating, Mr. Sullivan," Mr. Morris pulled my attention from her. "Moments of peace are far and few in between. Enjoy it while it lasts…"

As I went to turn to him, a new gate opened, unveiling the balcony across from my bedroom door. It looks like I was being kicked out for the time being. Fair enough, I can't forget Melanie and needing to talk to her.

As I exited, I felt a gnawing feeling in my head. Morris' words lingered like it was some grave foreshadowing while the gate closed behind me.

I hope that it's just anxiety.

From below, I heard the locks on the front door click and voices on the other side; female voices, to be precise. Reactively, I rushed down the staircase to intercept them. When it opened, the voices became clearer, and I was greeted by those coming in.

Both my Mother and Melanie came through, lost in conversation while carrying grocery bags in their arms. They were laughing—Melanie was laughing—at something said, and it took a few seconds for them to realize I was standing before them.

"Zack, perfect timing; grab those bags in the trunk for us, please?" My Mother asked upon noticing me.

"Hey, Zack," Melanie said, passing me calmly as she walked towards the kitchen.

What?

"Zack, bags!" My Mom reiterated, noticing I didn't move right away. Quickly I scrambled outside to our car and got to work while my brain tried to make sense of what I had just witnessed.

Melanie…not home…out shopping with Mom…not…depressed?

What?

"Ice skating?" Melanie repeated as she stuffed one of the cabinets with canned goods.

"Are you interested? The whole family was invited, and Layla encouraged me to ask you."

"I mean, if that's okay with you all," she didn't object. She caught me staring a second longer than intended. "What's wrong?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"…yes? Are you?"

"Don't know yet," I answered, grabbing a chair to stack cereal boxes on the same cabinet. By this point, she was staring at me.

"You really thought I would do nothing but waste away in your room for the rest of my life?"

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't getting used to the pull-out mattress in the living room. "Not exactly, but…"

"Zack," she crossed her arms, "it's been a week already. I can assure you that I'm fine."

"Are you, though?" I jumped from the chair. "You've seen how I've been when it comes to losing someone."

"Maybe I'm just built differently," She stood resilient. "Also, my Father wouldn't want me to be wallowing away at a friend's house. He died a hero, so rather than grieve, I should be proud of him, right?"

I couldn't argue with that. "I guess you're right."

She then did something unexpected.

Holding her arms out, she stood for a few seconds, prompting me to ask. "What…?"

"Hug."

I blinked. "Okay…?"

"Don't want to?"

"Wha—no, I'm not opposed to it but—why?"

She rolled her eyes and embraced me fully. She hugged me tightly, and out of reflex, I returned it. We stood like this for almost a minute, by which point I realized she was using my shoulder to mask her sobs. His words also chimed in my head to remind me of the promise I had made.

Help her live the life I stole from her…

He left her in the hands of my family and me. It was the least we—I could do to repay his sacrifice.

Before we knew it, Sunday was upon us. Everyone loaded up in my Dad's car, and off we were to the Frostland Fields. Melanie entertained Evie throughout the car ride, the two of them bonding like sisters. The fact that this likely was like how Evie and Eve were in Arcadia left an eerie, albeit wholesome mental image. I had to remind myself to enjoy things going forward. While it was yet another significant change in my life—having Melanie with us for the time being—it was still January, the start of the new year. It was a new beginning for all of us and should be looked at as such.

Very soon, if not now, we'll have something to call 'normal.'

Forgetting to take Sunday traffic into consideration, we ended up taking an hour to get there. When we did, the parking lot was empty, save for several cars. Layla wasn't kidding when she said we would have the whole rink to ourselves. Evie took off the second she had the chance, prompting the adults to race after her. Melanie and I followed, taking our time by comparison.

"Are you nervous?" She asked as we trekked the empty lot.

"Huh? No, why would I be? Wait, are you?"

"In case you forgot, I don't have much of a social life," She answered. "The last time I hung out with Layla and the others was when I first met them at a Gala some years back."

Right, that picture at the academy was of the group of them with Melanie included this time around. "Did Omnia's discovery really take that much time?"

She nodded. "Stumbling upon and learning all I could about Omnia became an obsession. So much so that I couldn't focus on anything else. A parallel dimension birthed and influenced by human technology…it was surreal to think about at the time…and now it's gone, along with my father and Eve…"

Would it be wise to tell her that Omnia wasn't destroyed? Would that give her false hope for her to look for her father? I could ask Morris his opinion, but as he said before, I should focus on the moment at hand and enjoy the day to the full.

"Come to think of it, I haven't gotten to know any of them on a personal level either. I mean, since I met the Beta Testers, we've only been focused on working to save the world and stuff. This is the first time I get to hang out with them like proper friends."

"I can tell I'm dampening the mood," She said. "I'll manage; you don't need to worry."

"Wish I could, but there's a fat chance of that happening." I jogged to the door and opened it for her. Before walking through, she gave me a look, making me think that I may be worrying too much.

Okay, let's try not worrying; see how far we get.

"Hey, you guys made it!" I heard Mikayla's voice as I tied my other skate on.

Looking up, I saw her and Nick approaching, the former trying her best to walk with hers on. In terms of a newborn penguin, you can call it managing. In contrast, I stood up and perfectly balanced myself. "Likewise, it's great to see you guys here, too."

"I didn't think Melanie would show up, to be honest," Nick said, looking over at her. Melanie was off with my family in a small group talking. She was shy, after all.

I stared long enough to make eye contact and went into action. "Follow me, you two. I want to introduce you."

"Oh—okay," Mikayla said. Surprised but not objecting, the pair followed me to where my family was sitting. "Mom, Dad, Darren, Evie, Mel, this is Nick and Mikayla, friends from school. They work on the Student Council with Wallace and Isabella.

"Pleasure to meet you two," My mom spoke, followed by everyone else's greetings. The siblings returned them in kind.

I looked at Melanie, who seemed more reserved than the others, and felt a twinge of annoyance. I grabbed her arm and pulled her onto her wobbly feet.

"What are you doing?!" She yelped, forced to balance on the skate blades. "I told you not to worry about me!"

"Yeah, turns out I don't follow directions well," I replied, bringing her into our circle. "Mikayla, Melanie here is shy. Think you can help her break out of her shell?"

Both Melanie and Nick looked at me as if I had lost it. On the contrary, my logic was sound, and here's why.

Mikayla is a people magnet; I guarantee she can befriend a rock if she tries.

Melanie here is a social rock.

Therefore, Mikayla can be trusted to break through to Melanie.

"I…yeah, okay." Mikayla was initially hesitant but somehow said yes.

"You'll thank me later," I whispered to Melanie, giving her to Mikayla.

"Have you ever done ice skating before?"

"Well—I…no," Melanie told her.

"Cool, then we can suffer together," Mikayla told her with a light tone, beginning to drag her away. "We'll be on the ice, don't wait up."

"Have fun!" I grinned as Melanie shot daggers with her eyes.

Nick crossed his arms and leaned over, "what are you plotting?"

"I don't need any headaches today. If we can all be friends by the end of today, we can move forward properly and start fresh."

"So rather than pick, you're opting for neither of them."

"Surprised? I was attached to their ghosts, not them."

"You say that now…" Nick broke off on that note, heading to the rink to begin skating himself.

Those four words twisted my budding mood, but I planned to block it out with skating. "Evie, you ready?"

"YEAH!" she exclaimed, hurrying off the bench. She immediately toppled over but tried again. Laughing at her expense, I helped her and held her hand as we made our way to the ice.

Skating on ice was like skating on air. With little force, one could glide on virtually nothing, and gentle movements allowed one to maintain it. After not doing it for so long, I surprised myself once I touched upon the frozen terrain. It reminded me of flying as Alphamon, feeling weightless as the wind blew against me. As for everyone else…

"WALL WALL WALL—AHHHH!"

"YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME FALL!"

"NO-NO-NO-CRAP!"'

Eruptions of laughter followed crashes that could be heard from miles away. Everyone more or less ended up splitting into pairs or threes, holding onto one another while they skated—or at least attempted to. As I circled the wide rink, I glided past Layla, Emily, and Ivan, helping one another up and Trevor and Megan keeping one another steady on the ice (expected since this was their idea). Adam was managing on his own, while Tyrone was holding onto the wall, struggling to stay upright.

Meanwhile, Wallace and Isabella likewise were gliding about like two professionals, while Melanie and Mikayla, who recovered from their wall crash, were being helped by Nick. I watched as Nick was coaching the two, and while Mikayla was able to follow instructions, Melanie continued to look like a leaf shaking in the wind. It didn't take long for her to bring them all down, but Mikayla's laughter helped Melanie recover from her embarrassment, some it looked like.

"Daddy, look!" I heard Evie cry to Uncle Darren, who was on the other side of the wall. I flipped around, watching my parents hover around Evie while she learned to balance on her own. Keeping steady, she seemed to be a natural at it compared to everyone else.

I skated my way over to Uncle Darren, who acknowledged me as I approached. "You're not gonna join us?"

"I'm good right here where there's solid ground," He said, stomping on the floor with one foot.

I scoffed, "you're a wuss."

"A soldier will always pick battles they know they'll win."

"That just means you're afraid of a challenge."

"Yeah yeah, I don't wanna hear it from someone who can't be honest with themselves."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He motioned his head, and I turned, realizing he was looking at Melanie and Mikayla. "Trying to run away from your issues doesn't fix anything. Honesty doesn't kill anyone you know."

"That's subjective," I challenged, trying to ignore his blatant point.

"I'm not saying you have to date either of them, but the only one that's gonna end up hurt is you in the long term." He pushed up from the wall and walked over to the opening as Evie, and my parents approached.

"Did you see me, Daddy?" Evie giggled as Uncle Darren knelt at her eye level

"I did, and you were awesome!" he praised while patting her blonde hair. "You may just have a knack for skating."

Evie gasped, "Really?!"

"I'm gonna skate a bit more," I told them, using the opportunity to break off. As I soared away, Uncle Darren's words were taking root annoyingly. He was right; I was running away from painful yet necessary conversations. And if I'm being honest, Mikayla needs to know everything, even if I have to be the one to tell her.

Wallace and Isabella approached from both sides of me, startling me enough to make me stagger. They both grabbed me before I could crash.

"Lost in thought?" Wallace asked.

"A bit; where did you two come from?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Isabella smirked.

"We noticed you were skating by yourself and wanted to check up," Wallace said. "Melanie seems to be doing well."

"Right? She's been like this since Friday. Not 100%, but closer to normal compared to recently. I'm taking what I can get."

"We also noticed that you paired her up with Mikayla…pray tell, what's the method behind that?" Isabella pointed out the obvious.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I countered her, earning a pout.

"Regardless, it's nice to see them both doing well," Wallace continued, "glad Mikayla suggested this."

"Whoa, hold up!" I came to a sudden stop, the abruptness causing all three of us to topple over.

"Zack!" I heard the cries almost immediately. I was expecting laughter, but all I was feeling was pain.

"Zack, are you all right?" I heard Mikayla's voice as those nearby approached us. I was helped to sit up, and Nick and Adam came to help me off the ice while the others grabbed Wallace and Isabella. We were all fine, but it was still a nasty fall anyway.

"Ugh, why did you stop like that?" Isabella complained.

"It was an accident," I answered, untying the skate. After a fall like that, I suddenly wasn't in the mood. Actually, scratch that; after what Wallace said, I wasn't in the mood. My head filled with questions, and now anxiety was distracting me enough from having fun.

"You're stopping already?" Melanie asked, taking note of me pulling my other skate off.

"Yeah, gonna take a break, maybe check out the arcade next door," I replied. "Don't let me stop you, though."

By the look on her face, she didn't seem for that idea. Even so, getting off the ice for a bit might give me enough time to catch Mikayla and talk to her.

"Hey, do you have a second? I need to talk about something important." I said to the other girl, catching her by surprise.

"Um…" She looked to Melanie, who didn't seem to like that either. I was getting the idea that I was upsetting her, but again, I needed to get this off my chest.

"Just for a minute, I promise." I insisted.

"Just go," Melanie told her. "I'll be fine."

Before Mikayla could say anything, Melanie broke from the group and jumped back on the ice, taking what she had learned from the last two hours and putting it into practice.

It felt like all eyes were on us at that point. Nonetheless, I committed to what I said, and Mikayla removed her skates to follow behind me. "We'll be back."

Okay, real talk: What is that girl's deal?! Don't tell me she's jealous all of a sudden! Whatever that was just made this situation way more complicated than it should've been! I just wanted to talk to Mikayla privately! Ask if she was the one who orchestrated this skating day and why! Also, explain everything that happened and confirm if Nick actually told her the truth or not. Gah! Why can't I catch a break?! As tempting as it was to scream all that in the parking lot the second we got outside, I kept it in. I took several deep breaths before turning to Mikayla, who looked as awkward as I did upset.

"First off, I'm sorry for having you babysit Melanie. She insisted that I shouldn't worry about her, yet she's terrible at making friends, and I figured that since you excel at that, you would be able to help her break out of her shell. As for what happened, I don't know how I made her upset, and, you know, with everything that's happened the last couple of weeks, I'm just…venting at this point. This isn't why I needed a sec to talk, but…it kind of is and…I'm so tired…"

"You're fine…" Mikayla sheepishly replied. She spotted a bench and directed us to sit. Once we did, she continued. "So…what did you want to talk about, exactly?"

"Yeah, so…about what happened recently…actually, let me backtrack. About today, were Trevor and Megan the ones who came up with this, or…were you the one behind it?"

It took her a moment to answer, to which she nodded. "When you said the other day that you didn't know how to cheer Melanie up, I figured that ice skating might be a fun idea."

"Why this specifically?"

She shrugged, "First thing that came to mind, honestly."

"I see…"

"…Was there anything else?"

"Yeah, actually. Um…right, so about the situations with Sorin…did Nick explain anything to you?"

"About…?"

"About…what was happening, or why were we targeted?"

"Not really…though when I did battle that guy…it felt like part of me was familiar with being in scary situations like that. It wasn't a lot, but it was like a small voice in my head was telling me to keep pushing forward and not be afraid. Your support made that voice stronger."

I felt my heart thump hard at her admittance to that, only amplified by the pinkish hue her cheeks were giving off.

"Yeah, so…there's a reason why that happened, I think. You see, the thing is that—"

"That's not the first time I've dealt with that, isn't it?" She finished my thought.

I paused and grew silent before nodding. "The truth is…"

"You're not from this world?" She asked.

I was taken aback. "How…?"

"Melanie explained everything to me." She said. "I know about the 'me' in the old world and how you lost her. And what you, my brother, and everyone else had to deal with."

"Why would she—"

"Because she wanted to pay you back," She said. "And she thought that if I knew what happened to me…that would benefit you somehow, I guess."

"Oh…so then why was she upset with me before?"

"I guess she's just not good at showing her feelings?" Mikayla suggested. "Honestly, since you invited her, I think she really wanted to spend time with you. Throwing her to everyone else and then taking me out here to talk privately must've stung."

"But she said not to worry about her."

"Maybe she didn't word it right. She seemed happy alongside your family before you paired us together, remember?"

"Fair point but still—"

"And we only got along afterward because she admitted she was being bratty. We bonded over that common trait."

"I guess…" I was losing room to argue. Not only that, but I was feeling worse thinking about it. "So, in short, I screwed up."

"Your heart was in the right place; you get points for that."

"Yeah, sure…" I leaned forward and exhaled, staring at the ground. "Are you sure…that's everything?"

"Was there something else?"

"Yeah; what you—we did in the old world. Before we broke off…"

"We…did something?" she asked, confused and hesitant to ask further.

My heart began to race. Do I tell her? Do I not? What if I just—but how would she react? Damn it, why did I do this to myself?!

Cheeks flushed and lightheadedness setting in, I looked at Mikayla and felt compelled to act.

"Zack!" Evie's voice ripped through the air, stopping me from committing to a terrible idea. Realizing how close I began leaning in, I snapped back up and caught my family and Melanie walking from the venue.

"Are we leaving?" I called, trying to dismiss the situation for a minute.

"Evie has school in the morning, and Melanie isn't feeling well. We're heading back early." My Dad replied. "If you want to stay, you can; Mr. Lancaster will drop you back."

"It's fine; I'll come home with you guys," I said, using the opportunity to distance myself further. Once my family proceeded to walk onward, I turned to Mikayla, who, by this point, had risen from the bench.

"I am so sorry just now!" I apologized profusely. "I should've been clear in what I was trying to say! I shouldn't have assumed that Melanie or Nick told you about what we did and—look, I'm just—"

"Zack," she grabbed my shoulders. "I understand, don't worry about it."

"Easier said than done…"

Mikayla giggled and stood on her toes to peck me on the cheek. "You're really sweet, and if things were different, I'm sure I would've wanted this…but we both know there's someone who needs you.

It was obvious she was talking about Melanie. Leave it to Mikayla to make the decision for me.

"I love you, though…" The words escaped along with a tear.

"I know…but you also love her too. Even more so whether you can tell or not. I can tell that you spent a very long time with her. It's so ingrained that you don't have to question it. I can't compete with that."

"Mikayla…" I began as she pulled away, "tell me the truth: Did Melanie tell you everything…or do you have all of your memories back?"

She cracked a smile as tears also ran down her face. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

With that, she broke off and sprinted back toward the entrance, causing me to react. "Mikayla!"

"Tell Melanie not to be a stranger!" She yelled back. "I had fun with her!"

I stopped, forgoing my chance of reaching her. I contemplated what had just happened in silence until my family pulled up on the curb. I accepted the results of this talk, jumped into the car, and headed back home with a lot to think about…

My brain and its antics kept me up all night long. The pull-out couch was incredibly uncomfortable, so I slept on the regular couch, which wasn't much better, but I managed.

By the time the rest of the house was awake, I had heard the marching of footsteps coming down the stairs and into the kitchen, signaling the start of the new week.

"Wakey, Wakey Zack!" Evie skipped to the couch and shook me, even though I was awake. I shooed her away and turned toward the cousin, aching all over. I was stressed, and my body was paying for it.

"Gotta get up, Zack; you don't want to be late." I heard my mom call over to me.

"Do I have to…?"

"Yes, you do. We had our fun yesterday; now it's back to the real world."

I groaned and sat up, feeling intense pressure on the right side of my head, down my shoulder, and back. It was definitely stress I was dealing with.

Still, it was futile to fight with my mom, so I mustered up the energy to stand and make my way upstairs. First things first, though, I had to grab clothes from my room before I went to take a shower.

I approached my bedroom door and knocked, "Hey Mel, it's me. Just need to grab a uniform from my closet."

With no response, I knocked again, "Mel, you awake?"

I tried the door handle, but it was locked. I knocked again and then fought with the knob some more. "Mom! Dad!" Immediately they appeared at the foot of the staircase while I continued to fight to get the door open. "Something's wrong!"

My saying that sent them into a slight panic. After explaining what happened, they attempted to reach her to no avail. There's no chance she left in the middle of the night because the door locks from the inside. As for the other possibility…

"Try calling her phone," My dad suggested. "I'm going to grab the ladder and try breaking the window from outside. Be ready to deactivate the alarm!"

"Be careful," My mom told him before he took off. Evie noticed us in a panic and was staring at us from below. My mom took note of her and rushed to grab her to keep her oblivious to what was happening. Stressing to find a solution, an idea came to mind that I didn't think about until now.

"Darkdramon, you there?!" I turned to my D-Streamer.

"What do you want?" His snarling voice came clear through the device.

"Think way back when you were hunting BanchoLeomon, and you ended up inside my PC. How did you do that?"

"You're kidding, right? The internet, what else?"

Knew it. "Think you can reach my computer through the house network and see what's inside?"

"What good will that do if there's no gate for me to materialize with?"

I didn't think about that. What are we supposed to do then—!

I heard the window inside the room smash, and the alarm subsequently blared. "Zack! Hold on a sec!"

After a few seconds, the alarm was shut, and the lock unhinged. My room door opened, revealing my dad. Without thinking, I pushed him inside, only to find the room… empty.

What? Where is she? How could she have…disappeared?

The envelope on my bed made my chest so tight. Seeing how frozen I was, my father went over to grab it for me. Tearing it open, he found a note and read it aloud.

"To the Sullivans…first, I want to thank you immensely for your hospitality. You didn't have to show me the amount of kindness that you have, and words can't describe how grateful I am for it. However, the longer I stay, the more of a burden I feel. With everything that's happened, I can't help but feel like I'm wasting time when I could be pushing forward like the rest of you. I know your family has been through a lot, and I don't want to cause any more trouble for you all. It was too hard to tell you all in person, but at least for now, I need some time to figure things out. As for how long that will take…I can't give an answer. Either way, I hope I can be a better person by the end of it. Thank you for everything,

Sincerely, Melanie Whitaker.

P.S. Zack, if you're the one reading this, know that I'm okay. Though if you must insist on searching for me, there's only one place where I feel I can truly call my own…I'll see you soon.

My father and I couldn't speak for a moment. He looked beside himself upon finishing the note. I didn't know what to feel myself.

"We have to bring her home," He wasn't shy about his feelings. "Do you think she went back to her home?"

"I…I don't think so." I admitted. "That last part was directed towards me so…"

"Did Omnia's discovery really take that much time?"

"Stumbling upon and learning all I could about Omnia became an obsession. So much so that I couldn't focus on anything else. A parallel dimension birthed and influenced by human technology…it was surreal to think about at the time…and now it's gone, along with my father and Eve…"

"She knows about Omnia…" I deduced. Racing to my closet to grab a shirt, jeans, and underclothes, I bolted afterward to the bathroom before my dad could say anything. A short time later, I was racing down the staircase and out the door, only to stop upon seeing Adam leaning against a blue sedan and Trevor in the driver's seat.

Thrown by their sudden appearance, I went to ask them what they were doing, only to be cut off.

"We need your help," Adam said, his tone concerning me.

"It's about Melanie, isn't it?"

"We'll explain on the way; just get in," Trevor ordered, unlocking the doors.

I nodded, racing to the car to jump in the backseat. Just then, I heard the doors open and my mother calling out to me. Turning to see their concerned faces, I swallowed hard. "I'm going to bring Melanie back home. I promise."

The looks on their faces became cautiously optimistic, and without argument, I was allowed to jump in.

"Where are we going?" I asked, strapping in.

"SAIBA Enterprise. We'll fill you in and go from there," Trevor said, pulling off.

"Is it bad?"

Trevor didn't answer, so Adam did, "It's something you have to see for yourself. Afterward, you can make the call."

Okay, so it's bad. Though she told me not to worry, the situation was becoming something worth worrying about. Moments of peace are far and few in between…

…ain't that the truth?