Chapter XIV

   I’m walking as fast as I can! Would you just keep flirting with your little girlfriend, and leave me alone,” Anastasia whined from behind me. I couldn’t help but grin when I heard Matthias laugh, and I could just imagine him sticking his tongue out at her. Surprisingly, he didn’t even make a remark about her calling Cecily his ‘girlfriend.’

 

    At this point we had only been walking for a short amount of time. The dock hadn’t led straight to Magnanimity’s headquarters like we had anticipated. Instead, it led to a wide open space of overgrown grass with a thin strip of gravel for a walkway. It reminded me just the slightest of the path to the Inbetween, and the nights that I had walked it, holding my sweater tight around me, scared that somehow my father would pop out of nowhere and who-knows-what would be done to me, the smell of death penetrating my nose. It was only the night before that I had traveled that path, but it seemed like such a long time ago. Like a distant memory.

 

    Everyone seemed to drift into pairs other than Gray who led the pack. I make us sound like a bunch of rabid, wild dogs. Anastasia and Maddox walked in the back, quiet. I think he still might hold a grudge against her for keeping him up all night when she stayed at his house. Matthias and Cecily huddled together in the middle. I shook my head as parts of their conversation whisked past my ears, riding on the wave of the wind. Random spurts of discussion, and sporadic fits of laughter and girlish giggles on Cecily’s part. I ended up walking side by side with Ander. Surprise, surprise. We didn’t talk to each other much, but every once in a while I’d go to look at him and I’d catch him watching me. Those green eyes making me shiver, and I’d rapidly turn my own back to the gravel crunching underneath my sneakers, but not before he could smile at me with those unnaturally perfect, Inbetweener teeth. He was brave and bold and he didn’t mind the fact that we’d caught eyes, but it terrified me, made my stomach flip and my mind race. Friend, friend, friend. Nothing more, nothing less, I kept reminding myself.

 

    I could see Magnanimity not too far ahead. It would still take us awhile before we’d reach it on foot, but at least I knew that we were getting close. There were several other large buildings surrounding it, all of them creating a circle of identical grey structures, looming tall and wide like rain clouds against the August sky. I knew which one was our destination because I recognized the curly edges of the blue ‘M’ -that was mounted high towards the roof- from the textbook Ander had shown me. The one he’d memorized and read over and over again at night. The only connection he had to an end to the suffering for years. An image flashed through my mind of him lying on his palette on that dusty floor with the textbook spread in his lap, before we‘d met, before all of this was going on. Holding a candle in one hand, the flame lighting up the words that comforted him, and a sleeping Nova across the room. I could hear Ander softly whispering to the unaware little girl, whispering that one day he’d get her out of there. One day she‘d be treated like she deserved to be treated.

 

    I felt warm skin brush against my hand, and even though I was so hot that I felt like I was going to suffocate, chill bumps raced up my arm and prickled my skin, my hair standing on end. It was an accident, for sure. Ander hadn’t even noticed that we had touched. He was mindlessly swinging his arm back and forth. It was an accident, Nyx. I squeezed my eyes shut and reached up to smooth my damp hair out of my face. What was wrong with me? I needed to get my act together and start focusing on what I was going to tell these people at Magnanimity, or else I would be spending the rest of my life in the Inbetween. And, most likely, the rest of my life wouldn’t be very long. I’d succumb to the sicknesses that swirled through the air. I’d just be another meaningless casualty. A girl forgotten in the midst of chaos. Another body to be drove through the crowds of people on a wheelbarrow, my limbs scraping across the ground, leaving pieces of me in the dust. Another body to be stacked inside that four sided structure. Nyxitalia Ariel Fein would just be another name, lost in the devastated whirlwind of it all.

 

    “So how are we planning on getting inside of this place? What do we do, just stroll right in through the front doors?” Maddox asked, coming up beside Gray in the front. It was the first time I’d heard him talk since we got off the boat.

 

    I watched the old man c**k his head to the side. He looked a lot younger from behind, when you couldn’t see his face. He had the body of a twenty-five year old man, toned and muscled up. A twenty five year old with salt and pepper hair, that is. The veins in his biceps bulged, so easily detectable -as he stroked his chin in thought- that it was almost scary. Of course, I’ve always found that those sorts of things make me feel a bit queasy. Just like the pulse on the side of my dad’s forehead that would beat abnormally fast when he was angry. It made my skin crawl.

 

    “We’ll have to see. If they have guards then I might have to find a way to sneak in, depending on if they seem friendly or not. If they don’t have guards, then I assume that it would probably be okay to just walk in. Like I said, we’ll just have to see what happens,” Gray answered, his voice more nonchalant than anything I could’ve managed at the moment, what with all the worry -about what I’d need to do and say- making my body feel heavy. And the fact that I could feel Ander staring at me, he was beginning to make me sweat and feel extremely self-conscious.

 

    I snapped my head to the side, sick of being looked at like I was some sideshow at the circus. “Why do you keep staring at me? I know I can’t be that interesting.”

 

    Ander stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “Because I like the way it makes you squirm,” he said, a mischievous tone lacing over his words. One corner of his mouth turned up, creating a half-moon smile when he added, “I think it’s cute.”

 

    I narrowed my eyes, forcing my hands to my sides. That might of made me melt -to know that he thought something I did was cute- if it hadn’t of had such an insolent sounding undertone. “I just want you to know that I‘m fighting a strong urge to smack you right now,” I informed him, my jaw clenched.

 

    He leaned into me, his arm pressed against mine. “Y’know, most girls would take that as a compliment,” he said, raising his eyebrows at me. I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting away the urge to smile and act all girly because we were touching again. And his face was so close and I could see him so clearly out here in the daylight and-No! I wasn’t doing that to myself, remember? I wouldn’t let my mind think those things about him.

 

    I stepped away from him and tried not to laugh when he had to catch himself from falling over. “Yeah, well, I’m not like most girls,” I responded, watching him from the corner of my eye as he squinted from the bright light of the sun.

 

    He chuckled and brushed his bangs from his eyes. “Clearly.” Ander kept his gaze focused on the ground for awhile, twisting his mouth to the side occasionally as if he were in deep thought. Then he said something else, something that caught me off guard a little. Something that I really wasn’t sure how to respond to. “I like that about you, though. I like different…different is good,” he said, kicking a few rocks up with the tip of his sneaker.

 

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   “We didn’t see any guards,” Maddox announced, his hands resting on his hips, breathing heavily. The three guys had walked around the outside of Magnanimity three times and didn’t spot any guards. I guess that was a good sign, but it seemed a little awkward to just stroll in through the front doors. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, though, I suppose.

 

    “So, are we just going to go in?” Cecily asked, twirling a fiery red strand of hair around her finger. The freckles dotting over her nose and cheeks seemed to have darkened from the sun, making her actual skin look even paler than before.

 

    “I don’t see why not. It’d save us a lot of trouble,” Gray said with a shrug of his shoulder. The way he took things so easily was kind of mind blowing. I was standing there with my hands trembling, probably looking like I’d just seen a ghost or something, certainly far away from taking things easily. I was kind of being a big baby, but I’m pretty sure my reaction to it all was at least mildly justifiable. A lot of this was resting on me, and that was a heavy load on my shoulders for someone like myself.

 

    “Let’s go then,” Cecily said, gesturing towards the frosted glass double doors. I took a deep breath as Gray instructed me to come up front with him. He said that he didn’t want me lagging behind and trying to trick him into doing all the talking. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered that, but I was starting to wish I had. As I shuffled to the front I felt someone reach out and squeeze my hand. Taking a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw Matthias smiling at me and Ander giving me a thumbs-up beside him. I’m not sure which one had grabbed my hand, but I smiled at both of them weakly.

 

    Gray pushed one side of the doors open and walked in, not bothering to hold it open for anyone else. I jumped back quickly before it could hit me as it swung closed. “Not a man of manners, I see,” I stated to no one in particular. The others let out small chuckles as I heaved the door open again. It seemed unnaturally heavy, but that probably had something to do with the fact that I was a bit weak. Seeing that I hadn’t ate since yesterday’s breakfast.

 

    The doors led into a lobby area, much like the one at the Inside. The tile floor was almost the same color as the white one back home, but with a glinting undertone of blue that streaked through in random and irregular spots. The walls were wood paneled all around except for one wall that was painted a muted taupe color. To the right was a sitting area with a coffee machine and a few bookshelves loaded and over crammed with books. The whole scheme of the room reminded me of a library. To the left was a receptionist desk. A middle aged woman with mousy brown hair that was tied back in a tight ponytail sat behind it. She was flipping through a binder with her glasses perched low on her sharp nose. One hand drummed on the desk, making a rhythmic click, click, click sound with her red manicured nails. It seemed so loud, in fact as soon as I stepped inside, every noise seemed to heighten. The whispering chatter of everyone behind me sounded like someone screeching in my ear.

 

    Gray motioned for me to follow him, and held up his hand to halt the others. Our footsteps against the tile pounded in my head, like a hammer beating a brick wall, as I slowly followed behind Gray towards the receptionist desk where the lady behind it had spotted us and was now studying us with a curious expression on her face. She didn’t seem too surprised to see us there, which made me think that we might not be the first strangers to show up here.

 

    I observed from a few steps behind as Gray approached the woman, leaning his elbows on the desk. “How may I help you?” The lady, whose nametag read, Esther, greeted him with a sugary sweet smile. This woman was a far cry from the receptionist at the Inside, who was a plump and older woman who always seemed to wear a frown and barely ever uttered a word.

 

    Gray rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface and from where I was standing, I could see him straining his eyes to get a look at the binder that Esther had been flipping through when we arrived. I suspect that she caught on because she discreetly pushed the binder to the side, out of Gray’s view. The man smirked and leaned back away from the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes, we’d like to speak to whoever runs this place,” he requested, then nodded his head towards a picture hanging on the wall of five men in dapper looking suits. “Those guys, I assume,” he added.

 

    The woman, Esther, nodded her head. “First, may I ask whom I’m speaking to?” She inquired, her speech far more formal than what I expected from her. According to the sly curve of Gray’s smile, I felt that this might be a good time for me to step in. There was no telling what he might say, and I was slowly beginning to wonder if it was really a good idea to bring him or not. But before I could make a move, he began introducing us. So, maybe be wasn’t quite as out there as I imagined.

 

    “The names, Gray. This is, Nyx, and-” he turned to address the others, beckoning for them to come over, “These are our friends, Ander, Cecily, Maddox, Anastasia, and the squirt in the back is Matthias. It’s just us that need to talk to the fine men in the picture, though,” he said, gesturing between him and myself.

 

    “Well, let me just give their assistant a call to see if they’re available.” She stood, brushing off her grey pencil skirt and adjusting her blazer. Swift and sophisticated, she pranced in her heels over to a cream wall phone. Pressing in the correct numbers on the digital screen, holding the handset up to her ear, she pushed her glasses up her nose as she waited for an answer. “Hi, Lysissa. This is Esther, and I was just calling to see if any of The Body are available at the moment. I have a Mr. Gray- hold on a second, Lysissa,” she brought the phone down and covered the speaker with her hand. “May I have your full names, please?”

 

    We both told her our names, and she thanked us quietly. “Okay, I’m back. I have a Mr. Gray Hawthorne and a Nyx Fein here in the lobby who would like to speak with The Body.” There was a pause as she waited for an answer. “Alright, do you know when they’ll be available?” Another pause. “I’ll let them know. Thank you, Lysissa.” Esther hung up the phone and turned back to us, hands clasped in front of her. “They’re currently in a meeting right now, but they should be done momentarily. You’re welcome to take a seat while you wait, and there’s some coffee if you’d like some. It’s a fresh pot, I believe.”

 

    I thanked her, seeing as though Grey surely wouldn’t. He was already half way to the coffee pot before Esther could finish her sentence. The others weren’t far behind him, a few lining up to get coffee and the others plopping down in some of the chairs, thankful for a chance to rest their legs. “Your welcome,” Esther replied, followed up with a crimson stained smile.

 

   I made my way over to the sitting area which vaguely reminded me of a hospital waiting room. Everything was so clean and perfectly set up, the sun shining in through the blinds, creating strips of light across the room. I gratefully took a seat in one of the chairs, running a hand over my face, beginning to feel the affects of the lack of sleep and the nerves churning in my stomach. I could just see it all going down in my head, and it wasn’t going down well.

 

    “Don’t worry so much, Nyx. It’s going to be fine,” a voice alerted me, and I suddenly felt a warm hand on my arm. I raised my head to see that Ander had now occupied the once empty seat beside me, and I was immediately greeted by his inviting eyes that were now splashed with something that strongly resembled worry.

 

    Forcing all I could of a smile, I half-heartedly reassured, “I know, I’ve just always had a lot of nerves. I’m sure I’ll be back to normal once I get in the room.” That was actually quite a big lie. I’d probably be half dead by the time I stepped into the room with The Body, or whatever Esther called them.

 

    Ander cocked his head to the side, nodding slowly as he removed his hand from my arm to grip the styrofoam cup with both hands. I caught my gaze lingering on the pout of his lips as he lightly blew his breath to cool the coffee, the steam vanishing and dispersing into the air. I think that he must’ve seen me watching him because he turned to me, wearing a barely noticeable smirk. “You didn’t want any?” He asked, pointing to the cup as his lips curved around the rim to take a modest sip of the scalding coffee.

 

    I fixed my stare back on my lap, internally scolding myself for watching him like…well, like that. “No,” I answered quickly, letting my hair fall around my face like a curtain.

 

“Are you sure? I can get it for you,” he offered.

 

   Just the smell of the hot beverage drifting through the air was beginning to make me feel sick, and just at that moment an even stronger surge of it creeped up my nose. A wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks and I bit my tongue until it passed. “I don’t think I can stomach that right now,” I told him, keeping my head down.

 

    A few moments passed, only the sound of the others chattering to each other filled my ears. I was beginning to succumb to the noises that drifted through the air like a silky smooth lullaby, my eyelids drooping just the slightest and my mind slipping into the blackness like a welcoming friend. “Nyx, look at me,” the voice of a less welcoming friend interjected into my sweet oblivion that was so close I could almost taste it. My eyes snapped open and I wearily moved my gaze to peer through the gaps in the curtain my hair was making to look at him.

 

    He had shifted positions in his chair, leaning closer to me with one elbow propped on the armrest. He seemed upset or… not really upset but like there was something bothering him. Worry etched into the crease on his forehead like an unsettling guest. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look so good.” When I didn’t answer him quick enough, he sighed. “Now would you just loo-” And that was when I noticed that he had reached out his arm, his fingers almost close enough to touch the edges of my hair so that he could tuck it behind my ear and force me to open up, to look at him, to be exposed. And, at the moment, I didn’t want to be.

 

    I jerked my head back before he could do it. I wasn’t trying to be rude or temperamental, I promise. It was just that I was afraid of the way it would make me feel when he touched me, afraid of the thoughts it would make me think. Ander’s cheeks flushed red, and he slowly brought his hand back to his own bubble where I wanted it to be. It was the first time he’d seemed unsure of himself in awhile. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Matthias watching us from the other side of the room, peering at us over his cup that was raised to his lips. “I told you that I was fine,” I muttered, feeling a bit guilty for acting so irrationally.

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    The room had been silent for awhile, the lighting from outside dimming just the slightest. Matthias had fallen asleep, still clutching his coffee in one hand. Everything was truly silent, not a word being shared between anyone. That didn’t last long, though, for the next thing I heard was a distinct, click-clack. I’d know that sound from anywhere, it was the sound of a woman’s high heels padding along the tile floor. I’d grown up listening to my mother prance around the house in heels, seeing as though that was the only shoes she ever wore. The time that I remember it the most was when I would lay in bed at night when I was little. My parents would still be up, but the house would be silent other than the sound of my mother click-clacking through the house.

 

    The next thing I knew a slender woman in attire much like Esther’s was standing in front of all of us. Her hair was pulled up in a high bun, and her blunt cut bangs skimmed the top of her retro style glasses. A clipboard was held to her chest, and a polite smile on her face, showcasing her prominent cheekbones. “Hi, my name is Lysissa. I’m The Body’s assistant, and if you all would like to follow me, I’ll take you back to their office. And there’s a place for the ones who aren’t going in to sit outside of the room,” she informed us, her voice high and squeaky like nails on chalkboard. She seemed nice, though, so maybe I shouldn’t say that.

 

    I raised myself up out of my chair as did everyone else except for Matthias, who kept on sleeping soundly. I watched as Gray kicked his shoe as he walked past, causing Matthias to shoot up out of his seat and spill the coffee all over the floor. He stumbled over his own feet, and Cecily grabbed his arm to steady him. He cast her a sheepish smile before turning his attention back to the floor where the brown liquid had formed a puddle around his feet.

 

    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get someone to clean it up,” Lysissa told him, waving her hand and then gesturing for us to follow her. Matthias grimaced as he stepped over the coffee, and Cecily giggled behind him. Lysissa led us back through the lobby where Esther raised her head to watch us walk past. We turned down a hallway that looked like it would last forever. The flooring changed into a plush green carpeting, the walls still the same wood paneling. I was in the front, and I could feel Ander’s breath on the back of my neck. My fists clenched at my sides, my knuckles turning white. “It’s this room right here,” Lysissa said, stopping at a white door. She pointed at a long wooden bench and said, “Whoever isn’t going in can sit here. Now, which one of you is Mr. Hawthorne and Ms. Fein?”

 

    I raised my hand, noticing that it was shaking, and Gray stepped forward. We were just about to enter the room when a voice stopped us. “Wait, I’m going in, too,” Ander spoke up from behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut tight. What was he doing? Lysissa raised her eyebrows looking from Gray and I to Ander.

 

   I turned around quickly, the others were already seated on the bench looking like they were quite interested in what was going on. “What?” I hissed at him. He ignored my question, wrapping his hand around my wrist and turning his attention to Lysissa.

 

    “Can you give us just a second?” Ander asked her, his grip on my wrist tightening when I tried to pull away from him. Lysissa nodded and I reluctantly let him guide me a little ways down the hall so that we were no longer in earshot of the others.

 

    “Ander, what are you doing?” I asked him, pulling my arm away from him, rubbing my wrist where he’d been holding it too tight. He didn’t seem bothered by my harsh tone as he stood merely inches away.

 

    “What did I tell you this morning when we were talking? I promised that I was going to be with you every step of the way, and I meant it. So, this is me,” he waved his hand over himself, “being with you.” A smile flitted across his face, and for the time, I was sick of pushing him away. It wasn’t worth it at the moment, and if I wanted to stay sane then I needed to take all the help I could get. I didn’t have much left, I needed to hold on to whatever I had. And Ander happened to be one of the things that I needed to hold on to the tightest.

 

    “Well, a promise is a promise, I guess.” Maybe I wasn’t ready to give in completely. I still had to keep a bit of an edge, right? “You can come in with us then.”

 

    In the next few moments we were back with everyone else. Gray looked a bit ticked-off that we kept him waiting, but I didn’t really care. I was sure it wouldn’t be the last time he’d be mad on this journey or whatever you want to call it. Lysissa greeted us back with a warm smile, her hand on the doorknob. “The Body have a few more things they need to attend to, but it won’t take them long. You can go on into their office, and they’ll be in with you soon. I hope you can get whatever it is you need,” she paused and turned her attention to me,” And don’t be nervous, honey, they won’t bite.” With that she let us into the room and closed the door behind us.

 

    The room was relatively small. The same green carpet carried on into the office, but the walls were just plain and cream colored. A long, black table was set up against one wall with five chairs set out behind it. Each chair had a plaque with a name on it for each member of The Body, but I was too nervous to even bother reading the names. My whole body felt shaky, and it was starting to become real to me. More than it had before. It must have showed on my face, too, because the next thing I knew Ander was stood in front of me with his arm outstretched towards me. “What are you doing, now?” I asked him.

 

    A smile spread across his face, caring and maybe a little concerned. “The same thing you did for me. When I needed someone to hold my hand, you were there, no matter how ignorant or immature I sounded. So if it makes you feel any better, you can hold my hand as tight as you want.”

 

    My eyes lingered on his hand for a moment before they went to his own eyes…and something happened. I’d looked into them plenty of times that day, hadn’t I? But this time, it triggered something. Just like it had triggered something when we were about to get on the boat that morning. Just like before, the image of those green eyes was suddenly all I could see. Once again, they were so familiar but they weren’t Ander’s. My heart skipped a beat, this couldn’t be happening right now. It was the worst timing ever, and this time it wasn’t just the picture. No, this time there was noise. A bloodcurdling scream that still haunts my nightmares to this day.

 

    I pressed my hands to my ears, desperately trying to make it stop. The scream rang and rang in my ears and those eyes….gosh, those eyes. They looked terrified, you could just see it. It was like my vision had turned around to stare into my mind instead of the world in front of me, and all I could think was that I was going crazy. I had to have been going insane.

 

    I felt myself moving, but I couldn’t hear a thing except that freaking scream. That horrible, horrible sound that made me want to pull my hair out. I remember knowing that I was sitting, and slowly I could sense more things. In a way, I could tell what was going on around me, but I couldn’t control my body, or at least I didn’t think I could. I vaguely recall sitting on the bench out in the hallway, rocking back and forth, still clutching my ears as the screaming in my head continued. The green eyes were gone now, replaced by the scene in front of me, but it seemed like I was watching from somewhere far away. It was all just so bizarre and terrifying. Anastasia was sitting on the left of me, a hand on my shoulder. Matthias was kneeling in front of me, a hand on my knee. I squeezed my eyes shut before I could see anyone else.

 

    Slowly, the screaming started to wear off a bit, and then I could hear a voice. It was someone shouting. They sounded so scared and helpless and just…horrible. And you want to know the worst part of it all? It was me. I was shouting so loud, my voice choking with sobs. “Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop,” over and over I cried.

 

    And then the screaming stopped completely, just as fast as it came, leaving me with a ringing in my ears. Once I came to my senses, was when I figured out exactly where I was. I was in Ander’s arms, sobbing into his chest, gripping handfuls of his hoodie in my fists. His lips were crushed into the top of my head, whispering, “Calm down, it’s going to be okay. I’m here, calm down,” into my hair.

 

    Was this really what I had been reduced to? A blubbering mess? Something was wrong with me. Something was wrong with me. I pulled away from Ander and rested my throbbing head against the wall behind me, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes to stop the tears. But when I finally opened them, I only wished that I hadn’t. Anastasia still sat beside me, tears staining her cheeks, muttering something about how much I’d scared her. Matthias sat below me, an expressionless face staring at the floor. Maddox had his arms wrapped around Cecily on the other side of the wall, both wide-eyed and pale.

 

    I couldn’t even look at Ander. Not after I’d just cried into his shirt. All I could think was how much I’d blew it. I probably should’ve been worried about my mental state, but all I could worry about was what would happen now that I’d blew my chance to talk to The Body. “What are we going to do? I didn’t get to talk to them,” I managed to say, not daring to look at anyone.

 

    “Gray’s talking to them,” Ander said from beside me. Great. Now I’d have to wait to find out what The Body decided while everyone stared at me like I was some project at the science fair.The last person who said anything was Anastasia. Her teary blue eyes met mine and she asked me what happened. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied and no one ever mentioned it again.

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    “They said they couldn’t help us,” was the first thing I heard as soon as Gray came out of the room. I don’t think my heart as ever sunk as low as it did at that moment. Everyone’s faces dropped, in fact.

 

    “You didn’t let me finish. They said that they couldn’t help unless we gave them the document that shows that the Inside are supposed to be sending food to the Inbetween. It’s all legal stuff, y’know? If we can get our hands on that, and bring it back, then they can help.”

 

    “I know where it is, but I don’t know how we’d get it,” I said. I knew exactly where that document was. It was in my dad’s office back at home. An office that was guarded and monitored 24-7.

 

    Gray sighed, running a hand across his forehead. “Let’s not think about that right now. They said that we can stay here tonight. They’ll feed us, we can get cleaned up and they’ll give us some clothes, and we can get some much needed rest. The guy who drives the boat is going to take us back tomorrow. Once we get to the Inbetween, we can figure out what our next move is going to be. Does that sound alright to everyone?”

 

    Obviously, none of us were going to argue. I would be more than happy to sleep in an actual bed, and get out of my dirty clothes. Maybe for that one night, the craziness would subside for just a while. I feel like maybe I should have been more disappointed with the outcome of our attempt, but I’ve always been a strong believer in everything happening for a reason.

Author's Note

Sorry that some of this seems kind of rushed. I kept on getting tired, but I really just wanted to finish this.

So, what do you guys think is up with the eyes and the screaming?

Reviews

[Anonymous Girl]

Oh My God! What happens to her? Her hearing of screams made me scared!! OMG!
Post next one quiickly I want to find out what happens next!
I loved it :)

[Krista Weiss]

Gahh! Freaking amazing! As soon as I saw this chapter I started flipping out! So excited for Ander and Nxy! They're sooooo cute :) Can't wait for the next chapter! :)

[Sophie]

I think her dad killed his dad and they had the same eyes or something
also, I noticed you kept changing from Gray to Grey (personally, I prefer grey because that's how I'm always spelled it)
Also, you might want to like remind us of the goal every so often, because I had to pause for a minute and think of what they were trying to do.
Loved this chapter! Ahh! Write more and make then fricking kiss like now

[Lydia]

I didn't even notice about the Gray thing, haha. And to be honest, I sometimes forget what the goal is, too. I guess they're trying to show Magnanimity that the Inside are supposed to be helping the Inbetween but they aren't, and when they make that known, then they can bring out her dad and blah, blah, blah. Hopefully, I'll get it all straightened out soon. Sometimes it's hard to keep my focus. But thank you for bringing those things out to me, and you still have to wait for the kiss. It will happen, though.

[Sophie]

It's hard for me to focus sometimes too, lie I'll create one problem after another and then I'm like... poop, what was i doing in the first place?
and pleeeeeeasseee?!