Amity slipped backwards into the depths of the deep blue sea.

“Amity!” Katie tried to catch her, but she was too late.

She flailed her arms around, before coming into a calm state. She focused, attempting to create an air bubble around her…

But it didn’t work. Her hands couldn’t pull anything forth, her chest couldn’t push. Her mind was weakened, and she panicked.

Luckily, refraining from gasping any water in, she began to swim, blind to the surface and unable to open her eyes. She swam up, feeling the wind hit her hands as she ascended, and just as she began to feel the safety of the dry air, she felt her head bash against the cold ice above her, cracking it and breaking the chunk off.

It floated above her, as she slipped between it and the main block, picking herself up with the ledge and managing to lift herself onto it.

“Shoot, Amity, are you okay?”

“I’m fine… I’m soaked though…”

“We can get your clothes dry soon, we’re almost at the shore.”Kaiya began walking the ice forward, and they all helped keep Amity from falling again as they reached the dry sand.

“God, finally! We’ve been on the ice for like four hours.” Katie said, exasperated.

She stepped backwards, falling deliberately backwards to lay down, exhausted after walking for as long as she did. The remainder of the group followed, taking a short break as they all stepped onto the coarse land of the second island.

The group stayed on the ground for probably 15 minutes, before deciding to start walking again.

“Hand me the map,” Raleigh requested. “Okay, so. We’re like, here I think.” He pointed towards the top of the left side of the island. “The nearest point of interest is…”

Raleigh grabbed his phone, referencing the saved images.

“Right there, a bit next to us. We should grab whatever it has, and then go to Winter.”

They all mostly agreed with this plan, and they began following the coastline to reach the ruins laid against the beachline, well to the west of them.

“Hey, Raleigh?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh, what time is it? I know we’ve been here for a day or two, but like, what time exactly..?”

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Raleigh looked nervous, before pulling out his phone.

“It’s, uh…”

He stopped walking.

“It’s the 24th.”

Amity stopped, hearing this.

“What… do you mean, the 24th? It’s only been like, two days since we left!”

Raleigh turned his phone towards her.

“See, right there! It says it’s the…

Oh.”

They all looked towards the phone, shocked.

“It’s been almost a week??”

“We left on the 19th! How has it been 5 days?!”

Himiko was the last to see it, not quite believing it. She moved towards the phone, checking it. She picked up the phone, and looked closely. She zoomed in on the time. She verified.

It was the 24th.

Himiko dropped the phone. The sand shifted under it, keeping it from shattering as tears welled up in her eyes.

“It’s… the 24th… I-”

Himiko’s legs worked faster than her brain, sending her running off, beyond the horizon and towards the ruins they were already on their way towards.

“Himiko!” Amity darted in the same direction, flying past the group as the sand slid beneath her sandals, hampering her progress towards Himiko.

The three remaining tried to keep up, but they weren’t easily able to, especially since they were still worn out from walking for so long.

Amity pushed ice beneath her feet, the water sopping from her clothes allowing her to glide forwards atop it as she gained on Himiko. She felt the cold, turning back to see Amity nearly reaching her already, and she tried to pick up the pace.

A wall stopped her progress as she crashed into a piece of rubble, surrounding another bottomless moat.

“Himiko, are you okay?”Amity reached out to grab her, swiftly pulling her onto the ice bridge and continuing to slide to reach the other side of the moat.

“It’s the 24th…” was all she could say.

“Yeah, it’s the 24th, but… We still have a while before they can report us presumed dead. I think it’s like, a month or two minimum, and we can definitely get out before then.”

“I know, but it’s not that…”

“What is it then?”

“It’s… her…”

“Hm..?” Amity slowed down as they hit the edge of the ice, stepping onto the sand.

“My friend… Cynthia.”

“Kay- Her? What about her?”

“She… I didn’t tell you about it but… the night before you showed us glyph magic… she tried to… she…” The tears stifled her speech as she slid down the side of the ruins, scraping her back as the rough rubble guided her to the coarse floor.

“She… Oh, jeez… Did she… y’know…?” Amity knelt down next to her.

“No, but… right before she did it, she… she said she loved me.”Water built back up in Amity’s eyes, although she knew it wasn’t her time to cry.

Himiko continued.

“I didn’t feel the same way, and she… did it. I found out, and went to the hospital, and she… said if I left her… she would-” She hiccuped, the tears overwhelming her once more as she buckled into her own knees, clutching herself tightly.

“She would… try again… right?”

Himiko could only nod.

“I… Himiko, I’m sorry.” She leaned in to embrace Himiko, as best she could. “You think that since you’re not there… she might have succeeded this time… yeah?”

“Y- Yes…”The two stayed in each other’s arms for a few minutes, allowing Himiko to breathe and calm down before Amity realized they needed to find the rest of the group.

“Himiko, I’m so sorry that this all happened to you. Is it okay if we try to find the group, and we can have an honest talk at the next spot we’re meant to be?”

She pulled away from Amity.

“Yeah, sure. Where are we, actually..?”

“Oh, I think we’re… at the ruins we’re meant to be, actually!”

“Wait, really?” Himiko rubbed standing tears off her face.

“Yeah, these are the only ruins in this area.”Amity conjured another ice bridge, the two being halfway across it before Katie spotted them.

“Hey, is that…! Amity! Guys, there they are!”

“Finally, we’ve been following the wet sand for ages!”Amity sped up, running past Himiko in a rush to meet up with the rest of the group.

In this rush, she forgot to keep strengthening the bridge, and a snap sent a shock through her body. Ice fell out from underneath her, shattering as a foot went down.

“Shit-!”The cold air surrounding her made the wet fingers that failed to grasp the sides of the bridge all the more uncomfortable.

“Guys!”

“Amity!”