Laughter was not something Six thought she would ever hear in the Maw – or anywhere else for that matter. But as she stood there on the stretch of beach, her toes digging into the sand, the waves lapping against her ankles, it echoed all around her in abundance.

The girl in the yellow raincoat turned her head slightly to the left, gazing upon the children and nomes that frolicked the beach. There weren't many children left alive – only fourteen or so – but the number of nomes tripled the humans, so much so that they were practically an army all their own. Six did wonder where the Nomes came from. With the exception of the Hunter's attic, Six had never seen these creatures anywhere else. And it might have been her imagination, but Six could have sworn their numbers had grown since she had been gone while the children's dwindled. Was there a connect, she wondered.

Some of the children were racing up and down the shore, screaming with happiness instead of fear, the salty sea breeze flying against their faces. A couple of girls were giggling in the tide, splashing each other was gleeful abandon. And some were just lying on their backs basking in the sun's rays. Most of these kids had not seen the outside world in years; they're just trying soak it all in, coming to terms with the fact that they were finally free.

Six was unconsciously smiling at them before she caught herself and turned away. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

She walked to the farthest end of the beach as she approached the gigantic steam ship still moored to the rocks. Six had seen in briefly when she climbed the outside of the Maw. It was the ship that the guests had arrived on. Six had known it would be big since it carried almost fifty passengers to the Maw, but seeing it up close made her really understand the scope of the situation. If she took into consideration the size, the number of children and nomes, plus their (most likely) nonexistent navigational abilities, this was proving to be a more difficult challenge than she had anticipated.

"There has to be a way to get this ship running," Six mumbled to herself. "The nomes worked the boiler for the Maw, so they can take care of the engine. But steering the ship itself will be problem. Maybe if I get two or three people working at once…."

Six cut herself off when she heard several footsteps crunching the sand behind her, getting closer. Six turned around cautiously…and quirked her brow with surprise when she came face-to-face with three familiar faces.

When she had been running from the twin chefs, Six had ran through the ventilation system and accidentally stumbled upon a secret room that had already been occupied by five other escaped children. A refugee boy, a boy in green, a long-haired Girl, a humpback girl, and a bandaged kid. They had all taken turns telling their stories of how they arrived at the Maw (even though Six never asked them.) But the campfire stories were cut short when one of the twins barged into their hideout and every scattered.

Six had assumed that they all died. But no, the refugee, the boy in green, and the long-haired girl approached her cautiously, as if not believing what they were seeing. The boy in green actually crouched low and tried to stare up Six's hood, making the girl take an awkward step back.

"…¡Dios Mio! I knew it was her!" the boy in green suddenly shouted, jumping up and down in excitement. "I told you! It's the quiet girl from the hideout! She –

"¡Cállate, tonto!" the long-haired girl snapped, smacking the boy over the head. "You can't just scream in someone's face like a monkey, estúpido."

"You three…," said Six thoughtfully, which seemed to catch everyone off-guard. "You're those kids who were telling stories. I guess you survived after all.

"So she can talk," said the refugee. "You should've said something last time we saw each other."

"I was in a hurry," said Six curtly. "I couldn't waste time sitting around a campfire listening to everyone whine about how much their lives suck."

"Fair enough," said the refugee calmly, raising his hand before his companions could retort. "I think we all got off on the wrong foot. Let's start over. I'm Otto. That's Nueve," he gestured to the long-haired girl, who nodded affirmatively. Then he pointed to the boy in green. "That's her younger brother, Diez."

"…Six," she answered, suspecting they would badger her if she didn't respond.

"Is that your name or – OOF!" Diez doubled over when his sister elbowed him in the gut.

"Do you ever keep your mouth shut, estupido?" Nueve hissed at her brother, then turned apologetically to Six. "Sorry, he always speaks before he thinks. So, you're Six, huh? We've heard some rumors about a girl named Six who used to live in the Maw a few years back. Said she was the Lady's kid or something. Is that true?"

"What does it matter?" said Six sharply. "The Lady is dead and I've taken her power for myself. That's all you need to know."

"Yeah, guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," said Nueve sedately.

"Seriously, that's all your gonna say?" Diez complained. "Come on, give us the details! How did you kill the Lady? Did you cast a magic spell? Does she really turn kids to nomes? Do you have a boyfri – GURK!" Diez dropped to the ground when his sister sharply kicked him in the gut.

"You never know when to call it quits, do you?" said Otto, shaking his head exasperatedly.

Six let out a small amused chuckle, but caught herself again and disguised it as a cough. She cleared her throat and asked, "By the way, what happened to the other two who were with you?"

"The hunchback girl was caught by the twins after we got separated," said Nueve. "I watched them throw her into the pot while I was hiding in the rafters. Don't know what happened to the mummy kid. I didn't see him after we got out."

"He was with me," Otto admitted, looking off to the side with a hint of anger and remorse. "We tried slipping through the floorboard, but we were attacked by leeches. Last time I saw him, we got separated in the darkness."

"Maybe he managed to get away," said Diez reassuringly. "He probably found some hole to hide in – "

"If there was anyone left alive on the Maw, I would've sensed it," said Six indifferently, making Diez flinch. She turned around again and tilted her head back up the giant ship. "He's dead; no point in worrying about it. Right now, we need to figure out how to get this ship running."

"That is…very big," said Otto, sounding impressed as he, Nueve, and Diez joined her. "How do you plan on getting this thing to work?"

"I figured we could get the nomes to work the boilers since they already did the same in the Maw's depths," Six explained tactfully. "The rest of us can steer the ship from the command room – or whatever it's called. Since there's so few of us and the ship is meant for…people ten times our size, everyone's going to need to pitch in."

"And why do we want to get this thing running?" asked Nueve curiously.

"I need it to cross the Primordial Ocean," stated Six. "It's the only way I can reach the Nest southeast of here."

"You want to cross the Primordial Ocean?!" Nueve shouted in shock. "Are crazy? That place is full of monsters that will gobble you up! I heard there's even this ocean god squid or something out there. Chew…something or other. Anyway, it's suicidal. The only one that can cross it safely is the Ferryman."

"The whole world is full of monsters," said Six apathetically. "The Primordial Ocean isn't special."

"All the more reason why we shouldn't go," said Nueve earnestly. "Why can't we just stay here, in the Maw, where it's safe? The Lady is dead. So is the Janitor, the chefs, and the guests. We have months' worth of food down in the kitchen. And with you in charge, we don't have to worry about – "

"I'm not staying," said Six sharply, cutting Nueve off. "There are things I need to do. Things I have to do. I'm not going to spend my time sitting around doing nothing. If you want to stay in this hellish place, that's fine by me." She shot a leer at Nueve, who looked away timidly. "But I wouldn't recommend it. Without a supply of guests to fuel it, the Maw will eventually shut down and die. And when that happens, everything will sink to the bottom of the ocean, and you along with it."

"Then it sounds like we don't have much of a choice," said Otto thoughtfully.

"You don't," Six confirmed.

"Then I guess we'd better get this tub running," said Otto. "But you're gonna have to convince the other kids to go along with your plan. Everyone's heard the rumors of the Primordial Ocean. They'll less than enthusiastic to travel through there."

"Just tell them there's nothing to worry about," said Six impatiently.

"They'll feel better about if they hear it from you," said Otto.

"Why me?" asked Six irritably.

"Because you're they're hero," answered Diez.

"Everyone knows it was you that killed the Lady and the monsters of the Maw," Nueve added. "You're the girl who opened their cages and gave them their freedom back. If they're going to listen to anyone, it'll be the Hero of the Maw."

Six resisted the urge to scoff. 'The Hero of the Maw?' What a joke. Six wasn't a hero. She had lied, cheated, stolen, and killed more people than all these kids put together; maybe even more than the monsters. And she never did any of it for anyone but herself. Even freeing these kids was just a means to an end. She needed a crew to steer the ship and, if possible, act as vessels when she eventually found the other Sins. If any of them died, she wouldn't shed a tear – not like she did for Quartet….

But Six kept that to herself. She still needed them, after all. And if they wanted to see her as a hero, she wasn't going to do anything to dissuade them.

Six marched across the beach towards where the children were playing; Otto, Nueve, and Diez were a step behind her. When she was within shouting range, she yelled, "Listen up!" The girl in the yellow raincoat was honestly taken aback by how quickly everyone quieted down, all of them dropping what they were doing and giving her their undivided attention. She looked back at Otto, who nodded that, yes, they were listening. Huh, Six had not expected them to follow direction so easily. She could get used to this, she thought.

Six cleared her throat and spoke in a firm and clear voice:

"All right, everyone, you've had your fun, but now it's time to get serious. We may be free from the Maw, but that doesn't mean we're safe. Without the guests, the Maw's engines will burn out and the entire thing will sink to the bottom of the ocean in a few days."

As Six had anticipated, the children broke out in nervous chatter. They were all asking the same questions: "Is the Maw really sinking?" Are we going to drown?" "How do we escape?" And everything else in between. Good, Six thought, at least they're taking this seriously.

"Everyone, please, remain calm!" Nueve shouted over the anxious chatter. "Six has a plan to get us all to safety! Isn't that right, Six?"

"Not exactly safe," said Six honestly. They needed to know what they were getting into. "But it's better than staying here, waiting for the Maw to go under." She turned around and pointed to the ship at the end of the beach. "The plan is to take the guest's boat and sail towards the southeast. I know it's big compared to our size, but we combine our efforts with the nomes, we might be able to make it through the Primordial Ocean and to the Nest."

"The Primordial Ocean?!" one of the children screamed.

"Aren't there monsters in the ocean?!"

"Why would we go there?!"

"Can't we just head to the mainland?!"

"The mainland isn't any safer than the Primordial Ocean!" Six shouted over their incessant chatter, stunning them into silence. "If anything, it's worse. If you thought the Lady and her followers were bad, they are nothing compared to what's waiting for us on the shore. Hunters that skin you alive; teachers with necks as long as snakes; doctors that stalk you from the ceiling. And even worse than them are the Avatars of Sin, who turned this world into the living nightmare it is now. If we try to reach the shore before we're ready, we will die."

"And what makes going to the Primordial Ocean safer?" asked a deathly gaunt boy.

"Because Six'll be with us!" Diez spoke up before Six could get a word in. "She survived the mainland, killed the Lady, and has this cool – and scary – powers! She'll keep us safe!" He turned to the girl with eyes sparkling. "Right, Six?"

Under normal circumstances, Six would've slapped Diez in the mouth for making such a promise in her stead. She wasn't about to risk her life for a bunch of children she barely knew, that much was certain. But the way everyone looked at her with hopeful gazes made Six's skin itch uncomfortably, especially her right hand. She looked to Otto and Nueve for help, but they looked to be waiting on Six's answer as well.

After a moment of award silence, in which Six contemplated her next move, the girl in the yellow raincoat grimaced and finally answered, "…Yes…I will protect you."

A wave of relief seemed to wash over the children and they started chatting happily among themselves, as if Six's word had blown away all their troubles. Even the nomes were hopping around, chittering in their own language They really did think of her as a hero, Six thought with a deep frown. Sooner or later, they are going to be gravely disappointed.

"Sounds like everyone's onboard," said Otto. "What's first, leader?"

"Don't call me that," said Six warningly. "I want everyone to start climbing the rope and board the ship. We'll have to come up with an elevator system for the nomes since they can't climb. Once everyone's onboard, we'll – "

"What about food?" Diez suddenly interrupted, nearly making Six pratfall. "It's gonna be a long trip to the Primordial Ocean, so we're gonna need food for the trip…. And I'm a little hungry right now." He added sheepishly.

Now that he mentioned it, Six's stomach groaned loudly, and the raincoat girl doubled over slightly with a grimace. Six had been riding the high of her new powers and the pleasure of murdering the guests that she had forgotten how hungry she was. Six had only taken enough of a bite out of the Lady to transfer the Sin, and before that, the nome she had devoured in a fit of hunger-induced rage was hardly filling. If she didn't fill her belly soon, there could be a similar incident. She couldn't afford to lose these kids before they made it to the nest.

"Yeah…I'm a little hungry myself," Six agreed. "Why don't we all down to the dining quarters and get something to eat before we leave? The guests don't need all that food anymore, and it'd be a shame to let it go to waste…."

The children cheered and practically stampeded back downstairs into the depths of the Maw; something that Six never thought she'd see. The twins chased after them – Nueve pulled back her little brother's cloak to get ahead. Otto chuckled and shrugged at Six before following at a leisurely pace.

Left alone on the beach, Six stared out into the open water towards the direction of the setting sun. She would've liked to leave as soon as possible. Being back at the Maw made her skin crawl, and that feeling only intensified with the Sin of Gluttony coursing through her veins. But…she was hungry. And sailing at night didn't seem like a good idea, especially when their destination was the Primordial Ocean. Maybe they could eat their fill, stock up on supplies, and set sail at first light?

What could one night hurt?

Six was hurting – more specifically, her bloated stomach.

The girl in the yellow raincoat rolled over on her back with a pained groan, bits of blueberry pie smudged all over her mouth. Even when she was being groomed by the Lady, Six had never been allowed to eat whatever she wanted; the Lady had kept her on a strict diet and provided meal with limited food three times a day. She had said that despite being the Avatar of Gluttony, they must never overindulge, or it would come back to bite them. Six wished she had listened….

It took a lot of effort and energy for Six to push herself up into a sitting position and looked around from her place on top of one of the tables in the dining hall.

The other children were in similar food comas; their weak groans echoed in the silent hall with their bellies fit to burst. Some were lying flat on the tables like Six, too weak to move. Others had collapsed in the middle of eating and had bit of unchewed food stuffed in their mouths. A girl in a tattered mint-green dress had fallen facedown into a plate of spaghetti, staining her already ruined clothes in meat sauce and using a meatball for a pillow. A tiny boy, even by Six's size, had fallen into a gravy boat and was floating listlessly on the surface. And a shirtless boy had tipped backwards and plopped on his back on the floor, landing next to the corpse of a guest whose head had been twisted at a 90-degree angle.

Six frowned. The children had done their best to ignore the hall littered with dead bodies, which were already starting to smell foul, even though they only died an hour ago. The kids were naturally weary at first – in a place like the Maw, you can never tell if something is truly dead. But one brave boy – the kid had given her bread, Six remembered – run up to a corpse and started kicking it relentlessly. He had some pent-up aggression he needed to let loose; Six could understand that. The other kids followed his example, punching and kicking and voicing their anger at the dead monsters.

These kids were tougher than Six had given them credit for.

Once they had gotten it out of their systems, they climbed the tall tables and claimed the spoiled of Six's triumph. They shouted, and laughed, and even sang as they gorged themselves. She wouldn't admit it, but it had been one of the best moments Six has had in a long time….

And all she had to show for it was a bloated stomach full of regret.

"Ugh…I hate my life…," Six moaned miserably. With a groan, she forced herself to stand up, throwing her arms out to balance herself. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Is anyone still alive?"

Her response was a chorus of moans.

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing," Six said to herself.

"I think we made a big mistake with this," Otto grimaced from two tables away, holding his stomach.

"Speak for yourself," said Diez with a lazy smile and a glazed look in his eye as he lay in an empty soup bowl. "I've never been this full before. Now I can die happy…."

"Don't say stupid things like that, tarado," said Nueve, throwing a piece of stale bread at her brother's head.

Six walked to the edge of the table where she jumped off and landed on a dead guest, bouncing off his bulbous gut like a trampoline and landed awkwardly on her feet. After watching Six jump down, the other children reluctantly got up and made their way down to the floor. Most of them climbed down the benches while others followed Six's example and bounced off the corpses. They all gathered around Six eventually, including the nomes, who had been running up and down the dining hall the whole time for reasons beyond Six's understanding.

"All right, we've stu – burp!" Six belched loudly, earning more than a few chuckles and giggles. Six glared, but ignored them. "We're stuffed our bullies enough. I want everyone to go down to the kitchen and start gathering supplies for the trip. Food, fresh water, weapons – anything we can use. Make sure to grab only the canned goods; they'll last longer. I guess we'll also need a can opener, too. Oh, we'll also need – "

"I'm tired," a small boy – the youngest of the group – yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, and I wanna get a shower and change," said Nueve, gesturing to her dress, which was covered in a mixture of ketchup and relish. "No way I'm leaving here looking like a mess."

The other children murmured and nodded in agreement, some of them yawning or rubbing their eyes; the girls were especially adamant about getting new clothes, which Six couldn't possibly understand. Even the nomes were laying themselves on the floor, acting like they were about to take a nap, despite their kind having no need for rest. Six sputtered in disbelief.

"Wha – no!" Six firmly rejected. "We need to get everything ready before we set sail first thing in the morning!"

"Do we need to go in the morning?" asked Diez, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I mean, the Primordial Ocean isn't going anywhere. Can't we just sleep in for a little while?"

"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I wore something other than these dirty rags," said the girl in the tattered mint-green dress.

From that point on, the children just chattered about endlessly about sleep, clothes, and bathing. Six's clenched hand was shaking. Didn't they realize how important this journey was? Six needed to find the other Sins as soon as possible! She couldn't afford to waste time on these…pointless activities!

Though she did it unconsciously, Six's tapped into Sin of Gluttony and manipulated the shadows beneath everyone's feet. The darkness slowly inched up everyone's ankles, unnoticed by all until –

Someone clapped Six's shoulder gently. The girl in the yellow raincoat looked over and leered at Otto, who slowly removed his hand from her personal space.

"I know you're in a hurry," said Otto carefully, "but we can still do all that stuff tomorrow – we have a good while before the Maw sinks." When Six's glare intensified, Otto cleared his throat nervously. "How 'bout this: Everyone gets cleaned, changed, and a good night's sleep. Then we all get up at sunrise, gather all the supplies we need onto the ship, and then we cast off immediately. Sound good?"

"Aw, does have to be sunrise?" Diaz complained. Nueve kicked him in the back of the leg. "OW! STOP THAT!"

"C'mon, Six, you defeated the bad guys and saved the day," said Nueve encouragingly. "If anyone deserves a break, it's you. Don't you just want a chance to relax without having to look over your shoulder. At least for one night?"

Six stared at the girl mutely for a moment…then unclenched her fist; the shadows receded accordingly. As much as she was in a hurry, Six couldn't deny that she was tired. She had spent years running – from the Pretender, the Thin Man, the Lady. For the first time in memory, there wasn't some giant monster chasing her. She had killed them all. And she would kill anyone else that entered the Maw without her permission.

She was safe.

"…All right, we do everything tomorrow," Six crossed her arms and tried to sound reluctant. The children threw their hands up in cheer. "But the second the sun comes up; everyone is going to work! No moaning, no whining, no complaining! Got it!"

"Yes, ma'am," the twins answered simultaneously in mock salute.

"Then let's get going," said Six, turning on her heel and walking away. "I don't want to stay up too late…."

"Are we going back to the nursery?" asked the tiny boy.

"I hate that place," groaned the shirtless boy. "It's so damp and cold."

"That's because you don't wear a shirt," Bread boy chastised him.

"We can stay in the Lady's quarters," said Six, turning back to the children. "Nobody except the Lady – and now me – can get in there, so it's secure. It has a fireplace, lots of fabric for clothes, and warm water for a bath. So we just need to take the elevator to – "

The girl in the yellow raincoat didn't say any further because she was preoccupied by the stampede of screaming, laughing children and nomes that nearly bowled her over. They ran to the elevator where Six had made her dramatic entrance before slaughtering the guests, eagerly waiting for her. Six hanged her head with an exasperated sigh. Why did children have to be so…childish.

Six braced herself, staring ahead resolutely, as the bucket of warm water cascaded over her naked body, resisting the urge to hiss like a cat. Her bangs, which normally shadowed her eyes, had completely blinded her. She started shaking her head like a dog until the person behind her grabbed Six by the skull and forced her to hold still.

"Stop moving so much," Nueve commanded. "I need to put in the shampoo next and I don't wanna get it in your eyes."

"I don't need a bath," said Six vehemently.

"Tell that to the dirt and grime," said Nueve, pointing out how Six's bath water had turned a disgustingly murky shade of brown.

Completely against her will, Six had been dragged into the Lady's private bath chamber after the girls – of which, there were six out of the fourteen remaining children – declared that they wanted to clean themselves before doing anything else. The boys were fine with it; they preferred curling up to sleep in front of the active fireplace than washing themselves. Six would've joined them, but Nueve literally dragged her by the hood.

Six repeatedly asked herself why she had not killed the girl yet.

She had hoped they would give up when they realized that the Lady's bathtub was too large and any attempt to bath in it would likely end with them getting dizzy and drowning. Unfortunately, a brainy girl in glasses and come up with an admittedly good idea. They took the Lady's tea set (more like forced the boys to carry it for them), and filled the pot with hot water. They used a pulley system to tip water into the cups, which were then used as personal bathtubs, and acquired thimbles from the lady's sewing kit to use as buckets.

It astonished Six the lengths these girls would go to in the name of cleanliness.

Six grimaced as Nueve splattered a glob of gel from the tipped over shampoo bottle and tried to lather the wild jungle that Six called hair. When suds didn't immediately form, Nueve slapped another glob and grinded her fingers across Six's scalp like she was digging for gold. Nueve was dangerously close to being swallowed by her own shadow if Six hadn't restrained herself. Once she finally got Six's unruly mane coved in suds, Nueve took another thimble of hot water and poured it over Six's head. The Avatar of Gluttony whined when she failed to close her eyes in time and felt the suds sting her eyes.

"I warned you to close your eyes," Nueve said like a scolding older sister.

"I don't need your help to clean myself," said Six grumpily.

"I know, but I wanted to," said Nueve, now running her fingers through Six's hair trying to untangle all the knots. "To tell you the truth, I've always wanted a little sister. Instead, I got an hermano pequeño molesto. Do you have any siblings, Six?"

"No," Six answered curtly.

"Oh," said Nueve awkwardly. "Well…any boys you like? Or girls? I don't judge."

"I'm nine years old," said Six shortly.

"Really? I thought you were older than that," said Nueve, surprised. "Okay, friends. You had to have had a few friends." It seemed like she had hit the nail on the head with that one, based on how quiet Six had gotten. "Ooh, finally getting somewhere. Tell me about them? What're they like?"

"…You're just gonna annoy me until I tell you, huh?" Six grumbled.

"Wow, it's like you really know me," said Nueve teasingly. "C'mon, Six, talk to me. It'll help pass the time while I scrub all this muck off you."

"…I guess I had two friends while I was away," Six spoke reluctantly, no longer fighting the girl's ministrations. "One of them was a girl named Quartet. We met on the Nest, which is where we're trying to go. She helped me a lot. And she was always nice to me. I guess…she was kinda like a big sister to me. She helped me escape the Nest. My yellow raincoat used to belong to her."

"That so sweet," Nueve cooed. "Where's she now?"

"She's dead."

"Oh," Nueve mumbled, mentally kicking herself. "I'm…I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to – "

"It was years ago – I'm over it," Six lied.

"Well…what about your other friend?" asked Nueve hopefully. "What're they like – "

"I'm done here," said Six, shooting up to her feet and stepping out of the murky teacup. She started walking out the bathroom when Nueve yelped and shouted:

"Six, wait, you're still naked!"

Nueve managed to get Six into a pair of clean shorts and a t-shirt without grime before she left the bathroom. It hardly mattered in Six's opinion; they wouldn't be seen anyway under her yellow raincoat.

The girls walked back together as a group, chattering nonstop like they were on some school trip. Six wanted to chastised them for their lack of awareness. Just because the Lady was dead, didn't mean there weren't any more potential threats. There were still leeches crawling around, as well as the glowing eye that turned children to stone. Six assumed that they were created by the Lady's spell. But the greatest threat appeared in the main living area near the fireplace; something that made Six's heart jump up to her throat.

The boys had managed to find an old TV set and dragged it into the living area. It was small – smaller than the one in Roger's room – but that didn't make it any less terrifying in Six's eyes. Her fear must have been noticeable because Nueve touched her arm with a concerned gaze.

"Six, are you all right?" she asked.

"Hey, girls, check it out," said Otto cheerfully, waving them down when he noticed them. "Diez found this old thing in the back room, hidden under a pile of junk. We think it might still work."

"Is that a TV?"

"Awesome!"

"Is there anything good on?"

The girls all clambered on the rug around the television, except for Six, who stood paralyzed on the spot, and Nueve, who was starting to feel scared by Six's reaction. Six's was starting to panic as her breath came out in short bursts and her heart started beating erratically in her chest. Memories started swelling in her head – terrible memories of Pale City and the Signal Tower….

Diez, who Six only just now realize had been missing, suddenly appeared from behind a tower of books and yelled, "I found an outlet! We're all plugged in!"

"All right, let's see if this thing still works," said Otto.

When the refugee approached the TV and turned the dial, several things happened at once:

The screen flashed on to a wall of crackling static that made everyone's ears hurt – the set had automatically been set to the highest volume. While everyone else was leaning over covering their ears, Six saw a faint picture starting to form on the screen. A picture of a boy in a chair…staring at them. Six didn't hesitate to call upon the power of her Sin, bringing the shadows of the children to life to attack the television. The shadows smashed through the screen like a hammer, shattering the glass, and ripped the back of the set open. The children screamed and jumped back before the glass fell on them and their shadows returned to their proper state.

When it was over, everyone was staring at Six with eyes – some fearful, others confused.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Diez complained, somehow unperturbed by the supernatural attack. Six didn't answer right away; she was pressing her hand against her chest trying to slow down her racing heart.

"Six…?" Nueve tried calling out to her again, more hesitant this time.

"Don't…," Six gasped weakly. "Don't…ever…turn on the TVs."

"How come?" asked Bread Boy, slightly annoyed.

"Just…don't do it," said Six, finally calming down.

"That doesn't explain anything," said Glasses Girl.

"Looks, just don't turn on any TV you see, no matter what," Six repeated firmly.

"I'm sure you have a good reason for this, Six," said Otto, trying to sound understanding. "But you're going to have to explain yourself if you expect us to trust you."

"I don't expect you to trust me," said Six sharply. "Bad things only happen to people who do."

"That seems a little negative," Diez commented.

"If you don't want us to trust you, then at least tell us why we shouldn't turn on the TV," said Otto. "We've all be here in the Maw for so long, we don't know what's going on. We don't know what could be waiting for us out there or what could be dangerous. At least give us a chance to protect ourselves."

Six paused for a moment, lost in thought, then said, "If you want to know, there's a monster called the Thin Man who uses TVs to control or capture his victims. The Thin Man is just as powerul, if not more, than the Lady."

That news alarmed them. They had all thought that the Lady was the most powerful monster of all, but clearly they were wrong.

"Just stay away from TVs and you'll be fine," said Six with an even tone, before she walked away. "If that's all, I'm going to sleep."

Rather than join the rest of the children near the warmth of the fire, Six walked into a shaded spot underneath the chair, curling up on a ball. Her old survival instincts told her that under the chair was the safest spot; monsters were too stupid to look under furniture.

She heard the other children complaining before they decided they need to sleep as well. After a few seconds, the first hums of quiet snores began to echo through the room. And as sleep slowly started to take hold, Six felt someone – most likely Nueve – throw a thick rag over her body like a blanket before rejoining the other children.

Six soon drifted off into another dreamless slumber….

Mono was cold, both inside and out.

It was only for a brief second, but one of the hundreds of screens that entombed him flickered on. This one was different because the signal came from outside Pale City. When he looked at the screen, he exhaled a silent gasp.

There were more than a dozen children leaning over and covering their heads, but his attention was drawn to the background, to a bright yellow raincoat and the girl who wore it. It was only a split-second before the TV was destroyed, but he recognized that raincoat right away. It was Six. After two years of avoiding him, she had finally appeared again. Alive. With another group of kids.

Mono hands clenched, gripping a handful of his pants. That's when the voices – the voices of the Flesh – started whispering into his ear again.

She replaced you with new friends.

She's just using them like she used you.

She'll betray them like she betrayed you.

She is a monster.

A heartless beast.

SHE NEEDS TO DIE.

With an angry yell, Mono threw his chair at the screen and smashed it.

As promised, the children were up at the first crack of dawn – Six made sure of it by being the first to rise and forcing everyone awake. Those who complained or refused to get up got a first-hand experience of what it's like to be a tennis ball.

Six monitored the children and the nomes as they carried cans of food and bottles of clean water up the gangplank and stored them in one of the rooms. They also gathered things like kitchen knives and hammers, which they could use for weapons, along with things like rope, bottles of medicine, and cloth and a sowing kit for making clothes. Six relented when the girls demanded to bring the bathing tea set, but put her foot down when the boys wanted to bring useless items like building blocks and a giant teddy bear.

Finally, after hours of prep work, Otto walked into the captain's deck where Six was standing in front of the window staring out at sea, while several children, including Diez, were running around trying to figure out the controls. Otto climbed a rope to reach Six and stood beside her, folding his hands behind him like a formal business partner.

"Preparations are complete," he announced. "Nueve and the girls have finished stowing everything away. We're ready to leave at any time."

"Then cast off at once," said Six shortly. "I want the Maw out of sight within the hour."

Otto nodded to Six in agreement and made a similar gesture to Shirtless Boy on the far side of the cabin. Shirtless Boy received the signal and jumped up to pull a rope, which blew the ships horn.

On the ship's bow, two more children were waiting with a small handsaw against the rope mooring the ship to the Maw. When the whistle blew, they immediately went to work, pulling the saw back and forth, splitting the rope little by little. Once the last fiber had been snapped and the ship was free, one of the kids raised a cracked mirror and turned it to reflect the light of the sun.

Otto waited until he saw the flash of the mirror before calling to the rest of the crew, "Hard to starboard!"

"What?" asked Diez, tilting his head.

"Just turn it to the right," said Six impatiently.

"Oh, why didn't you just say so!" said Diez.

Diez and another boy worked together to turn the steering wheel while the other children worked the ships controls, slowly – if unsteadily – pulling the ship away from the shore. Six honestly didn't know how they managed to do it, but within twenty minutes, they managed to turn the ship around and were sailing out into the open water. And, as promised, within the hour, the Maw had completely disappeared in the background.

They had done it. They finally escaped the Maw.

But they would soon be sailing into more dangerous waters: The Primordial Ocean.