A painful pressure on my chest pulls me abruptly out of sleep. A cold, snuffling nose brushes against my cheek. A tongue presses eagerly against my face, coating it in sticky, filthy slobber. I try to sit up, but another leg pushes against my chest. I turn my head to the side and try to cover my face with my arm. The dog proceeds to thoroughly lick the inside of my ear. I push its muzzle away.

Footsteps echo from the hallway. A harsh light illuminates the dark room, scorching my eyes. A sleeping bag shuffles. A bow creaks.

Before Jonas finishes saying "Thank Notch," I hear the snap of a launched arrow.

The dog jumps off of me and starts to growl. I hear a bone-crushing thump. The dog squeals.

I sit up.

"Stay down! Let me handle this!" orders Brittany. She pulls back her bow. Another arrow wizzes off. Jonas cries out.

The light begins to fade. I turn towards the doorway and see the tail of Jonas' brown cloak disappear behind the wall. Brittany sprints toward the doorway.

"Stop, please! He's my friend," I cry as I spring off the ground and onto my toes.

Brittany halts at the corner of the wall. She holds her sword ready. Her other hand clutches arrows and a bow. "You must be joking."

"I'm serious!"

She turns her head toward me and stares me down with squinted eyes. "I thought you said nobody was following you."

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

Brittany lets out a deep sigh. "Go talk some sense into the halfblood so he doesn't come back and try to kill me."

I nod and run into the hallway. I follow the fading light around a corner. "Jonas, it's okay! I told her you aren't a threat."

Jonas' cloak settles as he halts his run. He turns around, revealing an arrow lodged beneath his cloak, clinging to the center of his chest. His right jaw oozes blood. He bends over, sets down a yellow-glowing lantern onto the ground, and yanks out the arrow from his chest. He drops the arrow onto the floor. Silver metal glints faintly from beneath the collar of his cloak. "She's certainly a threat to me."

"Oh Notch, she could have killed you!" I cry out, seeing how accurately the arrows struck.

"I thought you were dead..." Jonas chokes up. "What were you thinking, running into the Nether like that?"

"The Book made me do it." I pick up the arrow on the ground and brush its tip with the flesh of my thumb. It's still sharp. I feel the Book watching... hoping... wanting... "It wanted me to escape. It made me burn my armor, too, just so Dan couldn't find me."

"It made you get rid of your only defense..." Jonas shakes his head. "This is the second time the book has put your life at risk. What was I thinking? I was so selfish. I should have used my powers to help you."

"It's been a long day." I lean forward and spread my arms for a hug.

We embrace each other and pat each other on the back.

I clench the arrow tight and aim it at Jonas' neck. Jonas grabs my wrist and tries to push it away. Our arms are in deadlock.

Jonas' violet irises look deep into mine. "Fristad would never do this."

The more I stare into his eyes, the more alien they become. I feel myself pressing harder, augmented with growing hatred. "I would never kill Jonas, but you... you are a monster."

The light suddenly switches off. I realize I've lost control. A terrible heat submerges me. I try to pierce through it, to try to stop the Book from killing my best friend.

"Don't kill Jonas!" I cry out. The light fades back in. I drop the arrow and run backwards. I pull the axe from my belt and the Book from my back pocket. I have to destroy the Book, no matter what it takes.

"Please do not kill me," the Book pleads. "I am a better friend than Jonas will ever be. How can you trust Jonas over me when Jonas lied to you? He even admitted he was selfish. When given a choice between helping you and helping himself, he helped himself! Is that the kind of friend that you want to keep?"

I refuse to listen to you any longer. I throw the Book down, lift the axe above my head, and swing down upon the binding of the Book. A sharp pain slices through my abdomen. I feel the urge to cry out in pain, but my voice is silent. The light shivers and distorts until I am drifting in a sea of bubbles. The world twists again, and I see a humanoid figure standing in front of me, its form covered with pages of text. Its arm holds an axe whose blade is embedded into my gut. The figure places its palm gently upon my chest.

I feel my memories begin to break apart. I try to bring together the pieces, but I am drowning in them...