The young men were in shock. They stared with petrified forms at the body of Terra splayed out on the tearoom floor. The silence was suffocating, but to their surprise, the sound of footsteps echoed momentarily through the halls behind them. Hollis winced and, on instinct, turned in the direction of the sound.

"Don't bother. He's gone by now."

"How do you—"

"He was probably only staying to see our reactions and darted off into his door the moment he was satisfied." Hollis couldn't see the face Ambrose was making, but the tone of his voice and the tenseness of his body said he was angry, severely angry to an extent Hollis didn't want to see.

The silence returned and hung over the two for a length of time before Ambrose came to a stand. "We need to get out of here. I'll wake up and call the authorities."

"W-wait. What..." Hollis needed to ask, but he couldn't remember what he wanted to ask. He'd never been put in a situation like this before, so he couldn't figure out what to do.

"We have about three minutes to get out of here before the mindspace closes. I'll take you to mine and you can stay there until we set up a meeting with the others."

The brunette wasn't sure how to handle this. He never had imagined something like this happening. The killer had pinned the blame on Terra, and then immediately went and killed her? Why? Was he just toying with them? Watching them react out of pure curiosity? Could someone really be that cruel? This was a dream world, but these were real people. He really could be that cruel...

The pair promptly left the fleeting mindspace and entered Ambrose's gold palace. The sun was bright and warm, and the cream-colored bricks forming the groundwork outside the building blinded Hollis for a moment before his eyes adjusted. Once they entered, they headed straight to the wall on the far side of the singular room. Ambrose peered over to Hollis before saying, in a low voice, "You can't let anyone know this is here, alright?"

Before Hollis could even respond, Ambrose pressed against the ornately designed wall and a door swung open. Hollis's mouth was agape. "I had no idea this was here."

"No one does. And hopefully, it stays that way." With that mischievous, troublesome sneer, he pushed the door open the rest of the way and Hollis entered.

The moment he stepped foot in the room, he was taken aback by the sheer quality of it. A large, luxurious bed sat in front of a row of floor-reaching windows braced by shining gold. The walls had intricate patterns that resembled things such as flowers and vines, trees and even hands. A large bookshelf rested opposite the bed and knick-knacks and other beauties rested on tables and were mounted to the walls. It looked like a room for a prince.

"Wha...what's this?"

"I come here to rest when I get tired or bored." Ambrose spoke in a casual, lazy way as he sauntered into the room. "All in all, I don't need it, so you can use it." He smirked. "It'd be more useful to you than me. Those windows there are one-way, so no one on the outside can see you in here."

Hollis's gaze drifted over to the stunning windows and many small items in the room, and that soft, fluffy blanket over the massive, king-sized bed. The warm, golden hue of the room made him feel comfortable. "I... Thank you."

Ambrose let out a laugh as Hollis crossed his arms and turned his face out of view. "Man, you can be so cute...despite your age."

"I don't know how to feel about that, so I'll pretend you didn't just say it."

"I'm only teasing. Lighten up, alright?"

Hollis had no intention of doing that.

He glanced back to Ambrose, who seemed to be taking one last look at the room. He was smiling.

Hollis released a slow sigh. He was amazed by this performance. The reaction the taller boy gave to seeing Terra's body was terrifying, intense. He managed to shove it all down and put on a smile for him. Compared to himself, Ambrose was a much more emotional person, so on some level Hollis was worried about what was really going through his head.

Tightening his grip on his arms, he said, "What are you going to do now?"

"Hm?"

"About this...situation. I mean, I'm sure you don't want to think about it right now, but..." Having been listening intently to Hollis's every word, Ambrose scoffed and stepped closer, running his hand over the older boy's short, feathery hair. "Don't worry about it. I'll take some time to, uh...recuperate. Um, I'll set up a meeting with everyone and we'll discuss this. Just don't worry about it."

So, that's what he did.

He had rested on the bed and tried not to think about what was happening. His focus had diverged into concern over his own mindspace. He feared that if he stayed away too long, something bad would happen to it. He wasn't sure if that was possible, but it was a fear that was creeping up. While he thought about this, he tried to forget that he was in Ambrose's mindspace. What exactly did that mean? He was in his head? That thought turned his stomach and thus, he tried his hardest not to think about it too much.

This barrage of thoughts reminded him that he had really forgotten how complicated life was, how strange it was. He hadn't even noticed it was so strange until he lost his memories and could see everything from a fresh point of view. He remembered reading books that took place hundreds of years ago. Life seemed much simpler back then. It seemed hard and rough to live through, but things weren't as technologically complicated as they are now. He wondered what life would have been like had he grown up in a simpler time like that. He would most certainly be a completely different person. All of the work and struggles would have shaped him differently.

He shook his head as the questions kept rolling. It seemed that the more he remembered, the more wide-reaching his questions became. He needed to slow down a little or he might go mad!

Just as he attempted to slow the pacing of his mind, the door at his left swung open and in came Ambrose. Hollis pushed himself upright in the bed. He wasn't entirely sure how long it had been since they last spoke, but he knew it had to have been over a day, maybe two.

"Sorry for the delay," Ambrose chuckled, running his hand across his neck. "A few things happened and I couldn't make it back any sooner."

"Well, you don't have to say that. I don't even know how long you've been gone." His brow perked as he spoke. He had neglected, since the moment they first met, to ever mentioned he couldn't keep track of time. He figured he didn't need to mention it, but he was getting to a point where he desperately wanted to know the length of time that passed, especially considering he was on a time limit. He probably had around three weeks left before the life support was turned off. Maybe.

"Oh, I see. I guess I should have known that." Ambrose squinted as he wore a sheepish smile. "It's been around two days. Everyone on the forum heard the news of what happened to Terra." His voice seemed to grow darker the longer he spoke. "Due to that, everyone decided not to leave their mindspaces."

"As far as I can tell, you didn't drop by at all."

"That's right. I didn't sleep, not well anyway." With a sigh, he dropped down on the bed next to Hollis. "It takes me a while to get to sleep, you know? And if I wake up, I just can't get back to sleep. When I'm under pressure, it's a bit harder to get to sleep!" His chuckle was clumsy as he dropped his head to the side. "But I see you're doing well...so I'm glad for that at least."

Hollis scrunched up his brows and gave a rough punch to Ambrose's solid shoulder. He didn't so much as wince. "What are you glad for? I'm just some guy you happened to run into. If anything, you should be focusing on your real friends."

"You're one of them. Remember?" His lips curled into a sneer as he side-eyed the smaller youth. "If anything, I can't help but feel more protective of you. You're smaller than the other guys, and you still don't really know about this place, right? I do what I can to protect my friends, and that includes you."

"You're awfully cheesy. I hate hearing people talk like that in real life."

"We're in a dream, so it's fine." He laughed as he rose from the bedside. "Anyway, the others should be here in a minute. Let's get out of here."

"Wait. What exactly is going on?" Hollis climbed to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets. Ambrose gave a lopsided smirk as he made his way to the door. "We're having a meet-up. We need to discuss what to do now that, well..."

"I get it."

"If everything goes right, I'm hoping we can get some clues to the killer's true identity."

"And I won't get in the way?" Hearing a slight note of concern in Hollis's question, Ambrose gave him a pat on the back. "Don't worry, guy. This'll be fine the way it is."

After exiting the room, Ambrose closed the door. The main hall was typically empty, but as before, a table seemed to appear from nothing but lights in the center of the room. Chairs on either side of the table showed up after and, at the head were the two chairs that Ambrose and Hollis had occupied during that previous meet-up.

As Hollis took a seat, the pair could hear a slight commotion coming from beyond the doors on the other side of the hall. The doors swung open and in walked Tic, followed by Shyed and Noodle in their usual sluggish ways. Seeing this, Ambrose smiled in a warm, gentle manner—though his eyes held little comfort in them—before taking his seat.

The others followed and sat in their own chairs. The atmosphere was tense, as was to be expected.

Ambrose was the first to speak.

"Everyone is aware of what has happened, right? We all understand what this is about?"

There was a heavy sense of trepidation lingering among the three guests. Suddenly, Tic answered. "Yeah, we all know what this is about. So, can you answer something for us?"

Ambrose winced before saying, in a tone of clear surprise, "Yes. What is it?"

"You're sitting there trying to act all professional and crap, but what about that rumor? I heard you were the last person in Terra's mindspace. What's that about?"

Ambrose relaxed himself once again, his features completely unreadable. "That's true. I was the one who found her and called for the police." With a flick of his finger, a small blue box appeared. "She had sent me an empty message, which is what sent me to her mindspace in the first place."

Hollis groaned under his breath. They were called here to talk about Terra, but it seemed like Tic was more interested in interrogating Ambrose.

"We all saw that picture," Tic continued. "How do we know you didn't go and kill Terra?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Stunned, everyone present turned to Shyed. Her small, child-like features were contorted in a way no one had seen before. Her mouth was crooked and her jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Did it never dawn on you that someone had created an alter pajama? Why would Ambrose ever think about killing Terra? What's the point?"

Tic seemed to take great offense to this opposition. "What are you doing? Who do you think you are? You're the one that showed us that picture in the first place!"

"Ambrose told us to search and I found something he might be interested in. What was I supposed to do? 'Oh! I found this picture of the killer! It looks a lot like our leader! Guess I'll just keep it to myself!'"

"Shut it! You know what I'm talking about! You started this crap and now you're trying to back out!"

"I-I was with Ambrose!"

Before the taller boy could say anything to stop this, Hollis had raised his arm and shouted out, not really thinking about what he was doing. "I...I was with Ambrose when we found her. He didn't do it." He wanted to mention seeing the killer and Ambrose fighting, but he wasn't sure if that would help or worsen the situation. So much of this was uncertain, especially seeing the way the others were starting to act. If Ambrose didn't mention it, he wasn't going to. Like Shyed said, Ambrose was the leader here.

"So," Tic began, leaning back into his seat with a strict stare. "You were with him? You saw everything? You were with him the whole time? He never left your side?"

"W-well, not exactly." In reality, he saw everything after Ambrose had already gone in. "I mean, I saw it, but only after he..." Being honest wasn't feeling so good right now.

"So, he could have tampered. He could have set it up to make him look like the good guy—"

"You're being a real ass right now." Shyed leaned forward, rage clear as day in her voice, on her face. "You were so quick to turn on him. I can't believe you!"

"You're feeling awful chatty, what's that about? Now that Terra's gone, are you trying to replace her?"

The small girl winced, her gray eyes shooting wide and her breath hitching in her throat.

"Tic, stop it. Don't drag her into this anymore than you have. Talk to me." Ambrose shifted in his seat to face the large man. This was the man he once deemed his good friend.

"Aren't you so heroic. Do you have any clue how suspicious you are?"

Ambrose wore a vague sneer. "I've been told that a lot, so I'm aware of it."

As they spoke back and forth, a small straining laughter caught everyone's attention. All focus drifted over to Shyed who had dropped her head. The longer the laughter went on, the clearer it became that it was not laughter, it was sobbing. Noodle reached over and rubbed her back with a gentle circling motion. His narrow, intense glare set on Tic.

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"When fueled by anger, you should not make such rash, hasty decisions!"

"Oh, come on! There's no way you can't see this, Noo! Are you blind!?"

The gray-haired youth's squint deepened. "I take no sides other than the side of logic."

"This is pathetic..." Shyed wiped her eyes off and stood from her seat. "I won't put up with this. You can be as blind and whiny as you want. Terra's gone and I'm sitting here trying to show you how stupid you're being and all you can do is complain about something there is not a shred of proof of!"

"You showed us potential proof! If anyone's blind here, it's—"

A shattering crash shook the room! A crack shot down the center of the long table, and at the head of it Ambrose's hand was buried in the splinters and cracks. His breathing had gone shallow as he collected himself. With a steady, flat tone, he said, "It seems we won't be making any progress today. Go and take a break. We'll try this again later."

There was some hesitance in Shyed's movement, but eventually she continued on and exited, followed by Noodle. Tic watched Ambrose for a moment longer before getting up and leaving.

The tall youth roughly withdrew his hand from the table. As the chunks of wood went flying, Hollis winced back. There was a slight sense of fear welling up as he watched this intimidating figure next to him. He knew now just how terrifying Ambrose could truly be.

"That..." Hollis went to comment, but he held his tongue. It didn't seem like there was any proper way to talk about what had just transpired.

"I agree," said Ambrose, a slight light-heartedness in his words, "that was a big mess, wasn't it? I didn't think it could go so wrong."

"I...I'm sorry about what happened."

"You have nothing you need to apologize for. Really, I appreciate what you said, you know?" He opened and closed his hand as he turned to Hollis, a smirk playing at his lips. "This whole thing is hard on everyone. They just need time to get their thoughts together." Though he said this with a smile, there was hesitation in his words and a gleam of despair in his eyes.

He didn't seem so sure anymore.

"I don't know about that," Hollis spoke under his breath. He felt the need to heavily disagree. He found Tic's actions inexcusable, even if he was grieving. The things he said showed he had little trust in Ambrose, right?

"Either way," Ambrose spoke up, "I want to talk to Shyed, but given the fact that everyone is worked up, we might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why Shyed?"

Hollis asked this, but he had high suspicions towards the little white-haired girl since she showed that picture. It was true that she was doing as was expected of her, but it was because of that picture that suspicion landed on Ambrose to begin with. She did defend him just now, but he found her sobbing to be somewhat over-the-top. Though really, how could he say that wasn't just a natural reaction? Regardless, he felt she was worth keeping an eye on.

"Why? Who's to say. There isn't much reason to pin the killings on her, but there isn't much reason to suspect anyone in specific. I feel we need to look into everyone, so why not pick the one who doesn't blame me, first?"

"Still," Hollis interjected. "You said you had tailed her before. You seem to have a specific interest in her."

A smile etched onto Ambrose's lips as he sat back down. "Yeah. Then, it was because she was next to Terra in our group list. I was going in order since we had already talked with Terra. Now, well...I already said why now." He glanced to the shattered table before standing back up. Hollis followed. "I feel like she had the most reaction and since she defended me, it would be natural to speak to her over the other two."

Hollis nodded. He actually agreed.

They had made their decision. In one day, two at most, they would travel to Shyed's mindspace.

Hollis wasn't aware, but three days had passed since he and Ambrose had last spoken. It seemed he was preoccupied or having trouble sleeping, which would have been completely understandable. Alas, Hollis had found himself hiding in that room with no other company. It was getting lonely, but he wouldn't complain. He tried reading through the books on the shelves to occupy himself but found the text was total gibberish.

This is a dream, why would I think any of the text was sensible?

Once again, he found himself lying on the bed, wondering how much longer he was going to be waiting. Suddenly, the doors pushed open and in walked a youth, his hair dark with hues of purple when the light struck. His bangs were messy and left a clear view to his forehead. His face was pretty with strong, thick brows, and his jaw angular.

Hollis only glanced over to this youth before returning back to the lights reflecting off of the ceiling.

This boy had been sent by Ambrose to watch over Hollis while he was away. Time was moving on and the chance of the Somnium killer realizing Hollis was staying here was growing more probable by the day. Hollis understood Ambrose's concern, but it made him feel weak that the protective youth decided he needed to be watched over. Granted, Hollis did know he was weak, but it wasn't fun feeling that way, even if it was true.

"Morning, or...night. You know, I don't know where you're from."

"Would it even matter?" Hollis's brow perked.

"I guess not." The boy's voice rose as he spoke. With a casual stride, he sauntered into the room similar to how Ambrose would. It was clear these two were close from the similarities in their mannerisms to the way they spoke.

He continued, "You've been stuck in here every day now. Wanna take a walk around the space? It's really pretty once you get past Ambrose's ego in gold." He started to laugh, but seeing little reaction from Hollis, stopped. "It couldn't hurt to go out for a bit."

Hollis rested his head and crossed his legs; his attention was once again on the ceiling. "I guess. But if something happened, it'd suck if you were thrown into some trouble because of me."

Like if the killer came around.

"I don't mind a little trouble," he retorted with a pout, his arms crossed. Hollis tried to ignore this, figuring he might go out on his own and leave Hollis to his dreamless naps, but he didn't. Instead, he marched over and dropped onto the end of the bed.

"It's pretty cool that you took Ambrose's words to heart honestly."

"Excuse me?"

"He's really worried about you. Constantly. It's kinda scary if I'm being honest." He chuckled, but his brows betrayed the jovial tone of his comment. "And after what happened at that last meet-up, he's been torn up over it." His dark gaze passed over Hollis. "You've got a lot of sway over him. Don't misuse it."

Hollis only blinked, his mouth falling as he sucked in his cheek. He hadn't realized any of that.

"Alright..." Hollis sat up right and dropped his leg from the side of the bed. "Veri, right? You just showed up and haven't really said much about yourself."

"Huh? You're not really interested, are you? Ambrose told me all about you, I doubt you're really interested."

Damn, he saw right through me.

"Well, anything would be better than talking about him right now." Hearing the weariness in the brunette's response, Veri laughed, his cheeks darkening as he fell over. "You are a unique kind in our group. I can see why he took to you. Alright, let's see. What d'you wanna hear?"

"I'm good with anything."

With a strong nod, Veri started with the first thing he could think of. "Well, if it's something about me, in reality, I can't go outside."

He hadn't expected things to start off so strong.

"You see," Veri explained, "I've been sickly, very sickly since I was little. If I go outside just about anything could make me sick. I'm so weak, I can't so much as leave my bed of my own free will." He paused. "I'm in my twenties and still live with my parents. They have to do just about everything for me. With the internet nowadays, just about anyone can be their own little celebrity with the help of a microphone and web cam, but I have no real social skills. It's hopeless for me unless I come here."

His relaxed, dreamy expression quickly turned to shock, his form solidifying without a moment's hesitation. "I might have said a little too much, do you think?"

Hollis shook his head. "I was getting pretty interested."

"Really?" His cheeks flushed as he leaned away, his hands grasped behind his neck. "You know, if it wasn't for Ambrose, I don't think I could sit here and talk to you like this." He paused again before finishing, "Because of him, I learned to take on a form that, well...pushes my confidence a bit."

So, is every pretty boy the result of that guy?

Veri chuckled with forced pleasure. "Ah, look at this. I'm getting nervous now. Just talking about this makes me sweaty and awkward. I'm still pretty hopeless around anyone but him."

"He sure has a lot of us around his little finger."

"Doesn't he? A real people person if I ever saw one." Veri blinked, then once again. He sighed, resting his arm on his leg. "He's like that out there too, I think. We only ever video called, that's the closest I got to meeting him in person, but he's something. I'm kinda jealous."

Hollis nodded, understanding to an extent those feelings. Being so positive and outgoing, it must be nice. At the same time, it's clearly going to be his downfall one day. It was quite the double-edged sword.

As the two continued to converse, the man himself entered the room. With a gentle smile on his face, he greeted Veri with the utmost grace. Veri stood, stretching as he did, his smile like that of a naive child.

"How ya doing? I've been sitting around this place for ages and let me tell you, it gets boring seeing the same bland walls over and over like this. Mind adding something fun around here?"

"I figured you'd appreciate my taste, Veri. I'm the closest to the upper crust around here than any of you. This building is impeccable to any who see it."

Veri scoffed and dropped his hand onto the taller boy's shoulder with gusto. "Only you would say that. This place is just your blown-up ego in tangible form. When you get a girlfriend, you'll see for yourself."

Ambrose let out a laugh. Pinching the top of Veri's hand, he removed it from his shoulder. "The day I get a girlfriend is the day you give a speech to the whole Somnium server." He tilted his head with a sneer. "When you do that, I'll go out and woo a girl."

"You woo any girl that sees you."

Hollis crossed his arms as he listened to their back and forth with little interest, though now and then his ears would perk up and he'd take in the conversation with the highest of interest, but for the most part he tried to block it out.

Once their discussion came to a close, Ambrose gave Veri a pat on the back and the dark-haired youth departed with a smile. Once the boy was out of sight beyond the closing door, Hollis spoke up, "So, what is it now?"

"Ah, right!" The tall youth snapped his fingers as he approached the bedside. Noticing this, and assuming he was planning to sit next to him, Hollis stood. He cleared his throat and said, "You told me you wanted to check on Shyed, right?"

Ambrose nodded. "That's right. As usual, she's been pretty scarce online, but she should be here. If not, we'll have to change plans, but it's not that big of a deal."

I'd hope it wouldn't be, but who knows, Hollis thought to himself, but he didn't speak a word.

With both fully aware of what needed to be done, they exited the golden mindspace and promptly landed in Shyed's. The world was gloomy and shadows hid most of the scene. Before them stretched out barren land and on that land was a massive, gothic castle. Towers adorned the walls and light from within appeared red through the crimson curtains.

Hollis was shocked by this sight. A small girl like that made her mindspace like something out of Dracula?

Of course, that's probably not what she really looks like...

Without hesitation, Ambrose walked up the path to the castle, clear signs of confidence in his every step. Sucking in a breath, Hollis followed after. The path was long and rough, but they reached the castle without a hitch. The occasional bat that flittered by would startle Hollis at first, but he quickly got used to their presence and before long, he would simply turn in their direction to try and get a good look at them when they came close.

Upon reaching the steps, they ascended and entered only to find themselves standing within a massive foyer. Unlike the exterior, the interior was pale and bright with a large, ornately decorated chandelier hanging above.

"I find Shyed's taste to be...interesting." Ambrose laughed as he continued into the hall, Hollis following behind, stopping and staring in awe from time to time. It took no time at all for them to come across a room with its door ajar and a stream of life poured out from within. As they approached the door, the mumbling from within stopped and Ambrose gave a soft knock on the frame. There was a momentary silence before a small voice called out,

"Come in."

With a smile, Ambrose pushed the door open, and they entered. It was a small room with lavish furniture and decor. The floor was carpeted, and the windows bore red curtains over them. Shyed sat at a makeup desk on the far side of the room. As they entered, she spun round to face them, her expression still and harsh.

"What do you want?" Her tone was flat, yet cold as she cocked her head sideways.

"I'm sure you can guess." Despite his smile, Ambrose's tone was just as flat as Shyed's. "I'm going and checking on everyone. I figured I'd start with the one who, uh..."

"Who took the biggest beating, right? Yeah." Her words shot from her lips like venom as she squinted, shifting around on her seat as she focused on her foot. "Sorry I ruined the whole thing, but can we just forget it?"

"That might be a little hard to do." Ambrose crossed his arms over his chest. "We need to look into this more. And believe it or not, you're a valuable member to our little team of ragtag Somniums. We're friends. I appreciate you saying what you did."

Her attention paused on him before dropping back to her foot. "It really wasn't like me, was it?" The sound of distress in her voice caught Hollis's attention. She continued, "It really is more like something Terra would have done, right? She was always sticking up for you."

Ambrose's voice was gentle and smooth as he spoke. "Oddly enough, you two were pretty close. I don't think it's weird if some of her rubbed off on you. It's not the first time you've defended me." He stepped forward as he finished, "Everyone has their own way of mourning."

"And me replacing her is my way, huh?" There was a touch of cold in her words as she huddled in on herself, turning away from the two young men. "Tic was right. I'm just some crappy replacement."

"Nobody said that." Ambrose froze, realizing what he said wasn't true. Though he wanted to help, none of the things he could think of would actually make this situation any better. Hollis realized that Ambrose had hit a wall. He didn't know Shyed at all, not really, so he felt like he had no place in any of this conversation. But watching Ambrose struggle was giving him metaphorical heartburn.

"Um, Shyed." Hollis winced as he felt his voice crack. Ambrose smiled quick, but it faded as soon as it arrived. Shyed gave no reaction aside from a hasty glance before looking away again. Hollis went on after clearing his throat. "Shyed. I can't say I know you well, or at all...but the fact that you stood up for what you thought was right, there's no reason to be upset about that."

"Exactly." Though he said this under his breath, he still gave Hollis a rough pat on his shoulder. Seeing this sense of camaraderie, Shyed peeked up, leaning back in her seat, though there was a heavy dread over her face still. "You two are pretty close." Her eyes lowered. "Are you two equals to each other?"

"'Equals'?" They spoke in unison with a shared amount of surprise.

"Yes," she went on in her flat voice. "Aren't you ever jealous of each other?"

Hollis got a sense from the look on her face, the sound of her words, that she was reflecting on Terra. Had she been jealous of her?

"Jealous?" Ambrose asked in an overly dramatic voice. "Why would I be jealous of him?" He burst out laughing, Hollis's face darkening in embarrassment or rage. It was anyone's guess. He had planned on being honest, but that was out of the question now.

"Jealous?" The tall youth's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Of course, I get jealous of him. Well, actually, I envy him."

Shyed dropped her head to the side. "What's the difference?"

"Well," Ambrose began, "I'm jealous of the people he has in his life...but I envy the way he is. I wish I had a sibling who cared about me. It's something I'd always wanted, and I'm jealous of that. But I envy his attitude. He's always so serious and he isn't driven by emotions like me. I envy that ability to steel yourself. It's not something I've ever been good at."

Hollis couldn't believe what he was hearing. He hadn't realized Ambrose felt like that, that he truly envied what he had.

How could anyone envy him? His bland attitude and lack of personality, what was there to envy?

He felt his face warm up, his hands shake. Was he angry? If so, what for? Or was he...actually happy a little? Happy? Why?

Before he knew it, Ambrose had wrapped his arm around Hollis's shoulders. His heart leapt to his throat, and he could have sworn he was about to choke it up. That would be perfect...

"I'm not sure what there is to be jealous of with me, but it's really not unusual for friends to be jealous of each other; for friends to envy one another." He sneered. "We're only human, after all."

Shyed spoke not a word. Her attention seemed to flip back and forth between them before settling on her foot once again. "Right." Her lip trembled and she promptly turned her face away from view.

Hollis was feeling increasingly awkward. Peering over to his taller companion, he couldn't get any kind of sign as to what he was feeling. Suddenly, he felt Ambrose pull him back. "Well, Shyed," he said in a pleasant voice, "we'll let you go now. We've interrupted you I suspect and it's still a little soon to be discussing this stuff." Without further hesitation, he pulled Hollis from the room and the two hurried back to the foyer. As if he had been holding his breath, Hollis let out a heavy exhale and slumped.

Girls crying...I can't handle that...

"What do you think, guy?"

Hollis rose a brow as he turned to Ambrose whose posture was strong and his head tilted to the side.

"What do I think about what?"

Ambrose sneered, his teeth bared as he shifted his weight. "Are you jealous of me?"

"What are you talking about? Aren't we over that yet?" Hollis sighed as he pulled himself up to a stand. Ambrose shook his head and waved his finger, his lips still forming that sneer and his eyes twinkling with youth. "Not yet. I gave my honest answer back there. Now it's your turn. Go on. Humiliate yourself before me."

Does he realize how that sounds? He has to...

Hollis shook his head back and forth before saying, "Sure. I'm jealous...and envious." He shrugged and his head dropped.

"Of what?" That sneer remained steadfast in its place. Hollis groaned, his finger pulling at his shirt's collar. "Of...your optimism, I guess... Of all of your friends, I guess. Okay, I said it. I'm done."

Upon hearing the embarrassment and eagerness in the shorter boy's words, Ambrose began to laugh but a sudden scream from above startled the two. It was a girl's scream that pierced through the floor above and echoed in the foyer around them.

"Shyed!" Ambrose immediately darted back the way they had come. Hollis, pulling in a breath, gave chase.

Charging up the stairs and down the hall, they eventually returned to the girl's room, but inside they found what they had feared most.

On the floor, below the chair she had occupied during their conversation, rested her body. Her neck had been slit and quite nearly separated from the rest of her. Hollis felt his pulse turn ice cold. The severity of the situation had increased tremendously. A foreboding silence clung between them, only to be suddenly broken by Ambrose. "We can't wait any longer. We have to catch him...now!"