Ross sat still across the table. He stared down at the blank paper in front of him, then up at the group again. Budder, Quartz, Fluffy, and Morgan all stood on the other side of the desk with their hands crossed in front of their bodies. Instead of looking like the young adults they were, they looked like highly trained soldiers, ready to jump into any battle no matter how it started. It seemed a lot of people had changed. 

"So" Ross said, finally leaning back in his chair. He looked up at the group with an unwavering face "She's losing her memory again? The potion didn't work. Do you all know how vital it is that we get her memory working and that we get her to tell us everything she can to help us win this war?" 

The four nodded in unison. None saying a word. 

"Good, then one of you go make a new potion. slip it to her in a drink or in some food but make sure it works this time" Ross said in an icy tone. 

"yes sir" The four said together. Ross nodded and they walked out as quietly as they had come in. 

he leaned back in his chair again, staring over the door before picking up the phone. Punching in a number on the keypad, he held it up to his ear as it rang twice and was answered by silence.

"She forgot" he said shortly "And we don't have the other two yet either" 

--------

Crystal stared at the door intently. Something didn't seem right after the others had left. She replayed the morning in her mind, but with each time everything became muddled, and nothing seemed to turn out right. It just didn't make sense. 

Quietly, carefully, she stood up and walked over to the door. Just as she suspected, it was locked tight. The handle didn't even move. she tried again, harder, and again nothing happened. 

Sighing, she gave up and walked away from the door. Looking around she found her bag and looked inside. Everything seemed to be there, so she picked it up and threw it over her shoulder. 

Something was wrong, she could feel it as if it was reverberating off the walls around her. She needed to find a way out of there, no matter what. 

Looking around, she spotted a chest. It was a small one, like the one in her old room back at her father- no. Steve's old house. Crystal shook her head as the flash backs started. Now was not the time to think of the past. She had to get out of there.

Quickly, she moved the chest and started digging into the dirt wall behind it. It didn't take her long to get several blocks in. She stopped and turned around, pulling the chest back into place to hide the hole. The tunnel went dark, but she turned around and kept digging. 

At first, a faint light filled the tunnel ahead of her. Her heart jumped into her throat at the thought of already being found out. But when she turned around, the tunnel behind her had no one, yet was still lit up. Confused, Crystal kept going. She was unaware her eyes were glowing a soft grey. 

-------

Hero stood outside the operating room, staring at the results. Baby Mason lay in a crib in the corner, peacefully sleeping off the side effects. Herobrine growled and threw the papers down on the table in front of him. 

"Negative" He hissed "Are they all negative?" he stared across the desk at the skeleton who was fidgeting badly. 

"Y- yes sir" it nodded. "He doesn't seem to have any powers like his fathers. A- although we can run some more tests and see w-" 

Herobrine shot him a glare. "We aren't running any more tests. This was the seventh one. If he doesn't have the powers, he doesn't have them. It's no use torturing him like this if we don't get any results" 

The skeleton nodded quickly, confused. Mercy was a new concept to him. Especially from Herobrine. 

"Yes sir" the skeleton replied. As quick and as inconspicuously as he could, he hurried out the door. Something didn't shake well with him, but he kept it to himself. Only trouble awaited those who talked. 

The skeleton walked past the holding cells quickly, trying his best not to look at the prisoners inside. A moan stopped him though, and he looked over cautiously. A pair of sad, purple eyes looked back at him. A shiver went up his back, and the skeleton ran off quickly, leaving him behind. 

----

It was raining when Crystal finally managed to make it to the surface. She climbed out carefully, and filled the hole back in as bet she could. Hopefully, if they found out how she got out, the side tunnels and this cover would stop them from finding her. If not, she was out in the open now.

Once she was done, Crystal picked up her bag and headed off under the cover of the trees. Hope was strong in her as she went. Hope for escape, hope for a new life. Hope that everything will go back to normal once a solution presents itself. Hope.... In general.

She kept walking, and walking, and walking. Even as the rain poured harder, and eventually stopped, she kept going. As day turned to night, and a beautiful sunset going down over the treetops, she kept walking. A light in the distance caught her attention. A flicker, like a torch, but motionless. There were several others bunched around it and Crystal ran towards them. 

It was just past dusk, but the village was still in motion. Villagers ran this way and that in a hurry, and no one seemed worried about her walking through the crowd. Everyone seemed too busy, too distracted, by something else. 

Pushing through the crowd, determined to see what had everyone, especially the villagers, found so exciting that the mobs were no longer a problem. An iron golem walked past, but stopped to stare at her before heading back on its way. 

Crystal followed after it in its wake. Before long, she was in the center of the village. Awed whispers and shocked faces stared towards the center of the grouping. The crowd was moving fast, and pushed Crystal along with them. 

Fighting to the edge of the crowd, Crystal took refuge in a doorway. Taking the chance to peak out, Crystal looked over the crowd. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw what all the commotion was about. 

The villagers were crowding around the church now, and standing on the steps was Steve. He was battered and looked like Hell, but it was easy to recognize him even from that distance. Crystal scowled, he was being treated like a hero, even when he hadn't done anything. 

She jumped off the step and quickly pushed through the crowd towards the church. The closer she got, the more excitement seemed to take her over. Even though she had plenty of reasons to hate him, and she counted them as she walked closer in an attempt to stay the joy bursting inside. Everything conflicted inside her the closer she got. Joy, anger, agitation, fear, and many more. All collided with everything else inside her. Crystal stopped short of the steps, but stood in front of the crowd. Steve had already  disappeared inside, but someone else stood out on the steps looking down at her. 

A priest, head bowed and eyes stern, stared down at her angrily. Crystal felt like a child again under that stern glare, and looked down trying to avoid it. She started up the steps slowly. When she got to the top, she stopped next to the priest. The crowd below was silent, and a stillness invaded the air. 

"You should not be here" A deep voice said. Crystal looked over surprised. She looked down at herself and saw the mud for the first time. 

"I- I know" She replied, looking up at the villager in white. "But- I need to-"

"No, that is not what I meant" The priest said in a cold tone. He looked down at the crowd quietly. "Follow me" he walked into the church. Crystal followed closely, and shut the door quietly behind them.

The priest walked up the isle towards where Steve sat in the front. Crystal stayed waiting at the entrance. She watched their conversation curiously, and managed to stay put as Steve looked back, and eventually got up to walk over.

The priest grabbed his arm before he could walk forward. Steve looked over surprised, and the priest shook his head slightly, a worried look on his face. Crystal watched the silent exchange, and even smiled slightly as Steve shot him a glare. 

He hurried down the rows and stopped in front of her. They both stood awkwardly by each other for a moment, before Crystal ran forward and hugged him. 

"No more lies" She mumbled. Steve looked down at her and nodded, smiling.

"No more lies" he repeated, hugging her back "where'd you go?"

Crystal shook her head and pulled away. She looked down at the floor, and the muddy footprints she left behind. In a flash, they turned to blood, and everything took on a red tint. Crystal let out a blood curdling scream and fell back.

Steve took a step forward, concern showing on his face, but when Crystal looked up at him his eyes were gone. Not white, like the man standing behind him, but gone. Bloody hokes were where his should have been, and a pained look was drawn on his face. Tears of red streamed out of the sockets as Crystal pushed herself back and against the front door to the church.

"Stop! No" she held her hands up in front of her as the gruesome corps got closer. A hand latched onto her wrist and she sobbed in fear. She squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"Crystal!" Steve shouted. She opened her eyes again and everything was back to normal. There was no blood, the priest wasn't dead behind them, and Steve didn't look like like a zombie. Instead, he looked concerned.

"Crystal, what's wrong?" He knelt down in front of her, worry wrinkling his face.

Crystal shook staring at him. Carefully, she let him help her up and walk her to a back room. Tears streamed down her face, drawing lines in the dust that dried on her face. She sat silent in the little, dark room with Steve for a while. Both sat silently. Crystal stared at the wall as she calmed down and tried to figure out what happened. Steve watched her, ready this time for another attack.

"Was it a vision?" Steve asked cautiously, breaking the silence. Crystal turned and looked at him, wiping her face.

"I don't know" she admitted "it- you-" She took a shaky breath to calm herself "there was blood. Everywhere. You looked- you looked dead. Everything was red. The priest and others- there were others in the windows. But- they were hanging" she put a dirty hand over her mouth. Fresh tears were gathering in her eyes. "And there were a pair of glowing white eyes"

Steve nodded, listening without giving a hint of emotion away. Crystal looked over, her worry eminent.

"Who was it?" She whispered, as if the perpetrator was listening.

Steve reached into his pack he had set down and pulled out a potion bottle. He looked at her seriously.

"You know who it was" he replied. He pushed the violet bottle closer to her "take this. It'll help get rid of the visions"

Carefully Crystal reached out and took it, she drank it in sips before shaking her head. A sense of calm went over her, and it felt as if something were taken away when she put the now half empty bottle down.

"I don't know who it was" she replied honestly. A sense of familiarity had been there, but now- she wasn't so sure.

Steve sighed "you do, Crystal, you do. Don't deny it. It's not going to help you" he looked down at his hands resting on the table "I should've been frank with you from the begining, but it was his idea for the memory potion" he confessed "now, it seems to have worn off. And I'm done hiding things from you. Ask me anything, I'll answer honestly"

Crystal stared at him, blinked and leaned back in her chair.

"Answer me this then" she said quietly, staring at the wall again "what are you talking about. I went to go for a walk, found some people to camp with, and woke up under ground. I escaped, and found this village. Everything before that-" She sighed and shook her head.

Steve stared with wide eyes.

"You don't remeber-" he said, he shook his head. "What's the last thing you remember?" He asked, a hint of fear playing in with the seriousness in his voice.

"I just told you-" Crystal started but stopped when she saw him shaking his head.

"No. Before that. Where do we- who do you live with?" Steve asked, staring her down.

"With you" Crystal replied hesitantly "and- we just moved here. I'm starting school soon" she blinked again. "Why? What's making you act so weird?"

Steve shook his head. "Nothing" he replied. "Nothing"

---------

A/N well, I wonder how many times I can u see the 'memory loss' thing before it gets old.

"You're getting close there"

Hey! You survived the rain storm! Good job

"Yea, speaking of which where am I l?" *glares*

Oh, don't worry. They'll find you soon enough *waves hand*

"Who will?" *eyes wide*

They will *smirks* oh, you want to know who THEY are. Well, can't tell you that

"MIN! I don't want to die!"

I cant help that!

"Yes, yes you can"

....

"Min"

.... *backing away*

"Mineral, don't you-"

*runs*

"Mineral!!" *runs after*

See ya foxes!

Btw, I can't wait for prom ^-^