"You rest." I said to Joey, after feeding her medicines.

 Getting out, I called out to the auntie and thanked her trusting us into the house. She excused herself out of the house for a while and I decided to go to those two to figure our next motive, but they seemed to have a conversation of their own.

I decided to eavesdrop, before getting into the room.

"We met each other in an accident." She began, "My father's death. It was caused by his aunt, who was driving the car. But even I knew it wasn't completely their fault. My dad was lying sick for years. But I couldn't accept the truth, so I blamed them. She, however, didn't end in jail, though. But since Travis shifted to my school the same week, I bullied him since I was 8. It started with my hate, but as I grew up in the mature path, I realized it wasn't his fault, I mean he wasn't even driving."

"So did that idiot tolerate your bullying for so many years?" Clay chuckled.

"Of course, he did. He could barely take any stand for himself. And I took advantage of it. I loved it, in fact. Due to my anger issues and social matters, I didn't have friends, my mom was still traumatized. I - leave that. That's a past I don't want to talk about-"

"It's alright. I won't mind it if you do tell me, though mate." Clay reassured, putting her hands inside his.

A bitter taste crept up to me that made me clench my fists and I turned my head away, but I knew it shouldn't had to matter.

"Thanks, but well. The point- teasing him made me feel relieved, safe, and confident. He made me feel myself, you know."

My eyes widened, a crowd of emotions flooding over me. 

"He was that type of a guy who would make you love yourself, and then-" She paused, her instinctive smile dropping down.

"Himself? Okay, let's skip to the part when you started dating."

She silenced herself for a while, then continued, shaking her head, "One night, at New year's eve, I was all alone in the balcony, crying over...over some bullshit life had to offer me. And then I saw Travis doing the same. I couldn't understand what he had to possibly cry about. So I approached him. And by the time I knew, we expressed our feelings, our lives, families, and we practically spent the whole night together chatting and lying on the grass, watching the stars silently playing."

"One night I could never forget," I whispered to myself, the corners of my lips lifting up.

"Then what? You stopped bullying him?"

"Of course not. As much as cruel it might seem, we both loved it. We started dating at 13. His ranting over star wars, spiderman, and the silliest things he adored, made me love-" She paused again, closing her eyes in...shame. Was she ashamed to call herself my lover? Was I that bad?

"I'm sorry I'm just uncomfortable to speak that word. I always was."

"Well, you both seemed like a happy young couple. What changed?"

My mood was drenched in a downhearted emotion, feeling a cover of shame enwrap me, as she trailed off, "Everything. One day, I fainted during PA class. Later got to know, I was diagnosed with...with a brain tumor. It was stage III."

Clay gasped, his expression hardened.

"I can't really express how it felt. The moment I got to know that there was no certainty of life and death. And that I could die anytime. By that time, my mom came to firmer stability. But we didn't have enough money."

"You did tell Travis, didn't you?"

"Yes and no. I was afraid he would leave me, so I didn't. When I fainted a second time on one of our dates, he was informed about it by the doctor. Unexpected, he said he loved me to the extent he would stay with me, no matter what." With her welled-up eyes, she glanced at the ceiling in an attempt to dry up the tears. And here, it felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest and thrown into the sea.

"Then?"

"Then what? I believed him.  Was overwhelmed with happiness, followed by the realization of its outcome. I had so much hope stored in me, that...that when it got crushed, I knew the world had ended, no sky above my head and no ground down my feet."

"What did he do?" Clay stuttered, his forehead furrowed.

"Left. Left me like I was shit. He said he had to go after his dreams. Even so, he promised he would keep in contact every hour, and visit me every month. During my first operation, he was late but present. That was enough to make me happy. Confident with that satisfied smile, I bore the pain, hoping it would soon lead to my well-tuned future. After that operation, his contact with me...decreased. I felt selfish at one point, angry at why did he have to put his studies above me. He never exactly told why he had to leave for Colombia, just vague details. I never bothered as well, but when he didn't come to the second operation, I lost faith.

 Infidelity was one thing I never expected nor wanted from him. I called him several times when my mom would go insane over some silly stuff, and accidentally hurt me. I called him, but he wouldn't dare to receive the call. That was my second hit from reality and life. I stopped calling. I never did. Nor did I ever shed a tear for him, for anyone, in fact. 

I promised the world that I will never bow down to defeat the problems and people, life has to offer me. And now, after 3 years we meet again for some mission in which both of our presence is crucial." She sarcastically chuckled.

By the time I knew it, my lips were trembling; that concealed, dried-up scars renewing their youthful torment. I watched. I watched her eyes. Then I knew. All her anger was nothing but a shield for pain. I breathed in slow. I knew I shouldn't have left her like that. But I, myself didn't have any option.

She might think I was just a selfish, nerdy jerk who must have forgotten her name and existence throughout these 3 years. But she's wrong. Absolutely wrong.

"I don't know if he ever thought of me, during that time. But all I know now is that I suffered greatly. I did. I showed courage no one else would, and I knew it cause I had stage III cancer which could lead to the doom of death, I barely ever had my mom properly take care of me, had no friends to stay by my side, and got betrayed by the person I loved the most. And of course, I was afraid, am afraid to mention it, all the pain, the agony I had to go through, knowing it would damage my self-respect but-"

"You need to let it out. You need to, Jo." Clay uttered, before tightly wrapping his arms around her neck, her hands slowly creeping up to his back. 

Once again my emotions turn jagged and my insides tight. I didn't know if it was because of her getting to find a special someone to love her more than I did, or was it because of her getting hurt by the person who loves her the most.

Before I could have another mental breakdown, I decided to move away from them. My thoughts were still enwrapped around Joey and our past, but there were things more important.

I thought about it all over again. Fearing the pain that I would get after her possible death was not the only reason I left her with no support. But was it all worth it.

"Left me. Left me like I was shit." Her words replayed.

As I walked past the corridor, I saw the notebook, focused on the page where the lyrics of that anthem were written, by Joey's spirit dad.

As a tool for distraction, I decided to read the lyrics to make some meaning out of it. Even so, I couldn't get rid of our past, basically the formation of it- how we have known each other since kids, then the couple stage, and lastly the unwanted separation. Just like- wait- I looked into the lyrics. What I found is the concept is a bit similar. Starting with beautiful statements, it ended with a darker turn. 

With Taylor's love story song, where it means the protagonists meet where they were kids, it refers to just like me and Joey's. Also, looking more further, it also points out Austin and Clay's childhood relationship which, growing up became a conflicting one. Then deeper, Beca and Addy, then Beca and Casper. Oh lord! 

Not able to hold my rushing thoughts into one plot bottle, I hurried to speak my thoughts to Clay and Joey.

"Guys! I think I figured out something about that anthem!"

-

"You're right. But there's this thing. If it talks about our past, present, then-"

"It must lead to something in the future." Clay completed.

"The only distinct words in this song is the last line. It's  Beauty and the Beast, but it says Beauty kills the Beast. There is much more darker things to consider at this point." I pointed out.

"It obviously means, some beauty in this group, which is, either three of the girls here are going to kill the Beast." Joey stated.

"But who's the Beast? That's the main question." Clay mentioned, which made the three of ours heads go in circles. 

"Maybe that's a question to be discussed with the other teammates?"

"That's the thing! There's no communication source!" Joey complained, "Doesn't the phone here work?"

"I've tried calling each of them multiple times when you were unconscious. None of them answer. I think they were busy fighting the shapeshifter, so I took a break and called again. It was still useless. But as Organa said that time, we cannot stop our journey. We have to reach Paris within the next 2 days."

"Where are we, again?" Joey questioned, getting out of the blankets.

"Michigan." Saying that suddenly reminded me a sign of disaster, "Shit, shit! Holy shit! This can't happen!"

"Wha-what's wrong?"

"Don't you get it? We are not even miles, but oceans away from Paris."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Michigan is in the American continent. Paris is in-"

"Europe." Joey muttered lowly, her eyes getting into a deadlier trance, which was enough to make me gulp. We three exchanged anxious glances, our lips set in a straight line.

"You only found this American Peninsula to find copper? Are you crazy? You idiotic dumbass! I swear to god I will not spare you! " Joey shouted menacingly, getting up to pounce on me. I jumped up from my seat and ran to the farthest room.

"Where did you go, you unholy, pig-headed man?" She yelled, as I had myself concealed behind a cornered couch. I wrapped my hands around my folded knees, hoping her to calm down.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to put us in this trouble!"

"Now we are in trouble! All because of your overconfidence and your lack of knowledge!"

"I study science, not geography, for your information!" 

"You dare to speak again?" I looked up, to see the vicious glare ofJoey.

She didn't waste another second to pull me up by my collar and drag me from the couch, but as she did, my feet tripped on a newspaper, and I couldn't control my fall backwards. Since Joey had her grip on me, she came down on top of me.

I sensed my accelerated heart rate followed by butterflies in my stomach, which I knew wasn't a good sign. I had my eyes steady on hers, and remembered what it was like again- that she was an enigma to me cause she could simply steal my breath away with her eyes and bring me back with just a touch.

She blinked her eyes a few times before moving her head away and getting up.

"We don't have money, let alone passports. What are we supposed to do?"

"My home. My uncle is a sailor. Let's just hope he's home today."

"Your home? It's in America?"

"City of Toledo."