Leafy froze, clenching the trunk of the tree. She heard footsteps walk closer to her, and a hand waved in front of her face. "Hello...?" The voice asked.

Her head snapped towards the voice, as she panicked slightly. A taco stood in front of her, a slightly concerned look on her face. "You okay?" She asked, as Leafy's face flushed red.

"O-Oh!" She finally said, her voice cracking slightly. "U-Um-" The taco smiled slightly. "So you're the one who's been sneaking around, right?" She asked, holding out her hand.

"I'm Taco." She said, as Leafy places a hand in hers. "L-Leafy." She told her, feeling her face flush even more. Taco chuckled. "Nice to meet you."

Leafy smiled, nodding. "Do you wanna maybe...come out from behind that tree and meet everyone?" Taco asked, and Leafy tensed. "N-No thanks-" She said.

Taco frowned slightly. "Why not?" She asked curiously. Leafy looked at the contestants, then back to her. "I uh...h-have a bit of bad history with e-everyone..."

Taco stared at the contestants. "Hm." She mumbled, wondering what Leafy meant. "Well, could we maybe hang out sometime then?" She asked, as Leafy perked up.

"D-Do you mean it?" She asked, as Taco smiled. She nodded, and Leafy smiled happily. "I can hang out anytime in between the challenges." She told her.

Leafy let go of the tree. "O-Okay! I'll have to find a good time to hang out!" She turned back towards the forest. "If you need me, I'm in this old mansion hidden away in the woods!"

She ran off before Taco could ask why she was there. Taco stared at the space where Leafy once was. She was confused. Why would Leafy be hanging around in an old mansion?

Leafy stepped into the mansion, a bright smile on her face. Before she could think of the happy moment she just experienced, she was tackled to the floor.

She let out a yelp as a plush body made contact with hers. It took her a moment to realize it was Firey that had tackled her to the ground.

She attempted to push him away, but he clung to her. That was when she heard faint sobbing. She froze, gently moving his head to face her.

He was crying. Leafy frowned, placing a hand on his head. "Firey..." She mumbled, as he sniffled. She wiped a few tears out of his eyes. "Where were you?!"

Leafy's felt a wave of guilt rush over her. "What?" She asked him, confused. "Where did you go?!" Firey asked again. "Didn't you see my note...?" She questioned.

He stared at her in confusion. "...Note?" He mumbled, as Leafy pulled him to his feet. She lead him back to the parlor, showing him the sticky note on the table.

He glanced at it, then turned to face her in concern. "You went out by yourself to see what caused an explosion?!" He frantically questioned her, grabbing her shoulders.

She raised her hands in defense. "I'm fine, aren't I? I just wanted to see what caused it..." She said, hoping it would calm him down. It did not.

"Leafy, you could have gotten hurt!" He said, starting to hyperventilate. She sat him down on the couch, sitting beside him. "Calm down! I'm sorry I didn't wake you up!"

She said, patting his back. "You need to slow down." She told him. "Inhale through your nose...and exhale through your mouth." Firey followed her instructions.

After a while, he finally could breath normally again. He sighed, pulling Leafy into a hug. "Please don't leave me." He said, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't want to be alone again." He admit, as Leafy pulled him back to his feet. She broke the hug, grabbing his hand. "Let's go explore a bit, take your mind off of everything."

He smiled, nodding, and they both took off into the mansion. Leafy couldn't help but worry about what he said. What did he mean by "alone again"...?"

          How many years had he been in this mansion? Leafy knew she needed to get some answers. Firey quickly pulled her into a room, causing her to squeak in confusion.

          He smiled, and let go of her hand. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired!" He said, as she recognized where he had taken her. They were back in the bedroom.

          Firey hopped onto the bed, patting the spot beside him. Leafy hesitantly walked over, sitting down on the bed. They both laid down, Firey snuggling closer to Leafy.

         Leafy suddenly felt tired, even though she hadn't been just a second ago. She started to nod off, the room growing darker. Eventually, she fell asleep.

        Taco stared at the woods, deep in thought. She couldn't help but wonder why the other contestants disliked Leafy. Although, she could have asked them if she wanted to.

         She didn't though, mostly for Leafy's own safety. If they were as bad as Leafy saw them as, who knew what they would do to her? She didn't want her to get hurt.

        Her face flushed slightly. Taco knew she shouldn't have felt this way, as they had only just met, but she couldn't help it. From the small interaction they had, she thought Leafy was cute.

       Leafy just seemed so uncertain about everything, confused, but cautious. Not to mention she wasn't very good at hiding her feelings.

         Taco saw her blush when she faced her. She saw her blush at her smile. While she wasn't completely sure, she felt like Leafy had a small crush on her.

         Taco couldn't help but crush back. Although she knew it was wrong to. They literally had just met. But she didn't mind taking things slow.

          It was better to take things slow then to just ask Leafy to date her right then and there. Taco wanted to get to know her better. She hoped she would be in the forest that night.

          Someone broke her out of her thoughts. "Are you just gonna stand there?" A familiar scratchy voice asked. She turned to find Four curiously looking at her, mug in hand.

            He sipped the hot beverage, as Taco composed herself. "Ah, sorry." She said, standing up. "Guess I was just lost in my thoughts."

           Four stared at her, setting the mug on the picnic table. He smiled. "It's a girl, isn't it?" He asked, a teasing tone in his voice. She blushed, looking away.

         "Maybe..." Four chuckled slightly. "Let me guess, you met Leafy today?" He asked, taking Taco by surprise. "You...know her?" He shrugged. "In a way."

          He turned, glaring at the contestants. "I know why she's being shunned..." He growled slightly, his fangs slightly visible. Taco curiously stared.

        "Why...?" She asked, hoping to get an answer. Four looked back at her. "You'll have to ask her yourself." He grunted. "I don't want to tell you something she isn't ready to tell you directly yet."

          He walked away, his mug despawning. Taco turned back towards the forest, watching the sun go down...

      Leafy opened her eyes, yawning. She felt Firey's plush body beside her, and smiled, hearing his calm breaths. His arms were wrapped around her body.

       She rolled her eyes slightly, trying not to laugh. Then, she remembered why he was clinging to her, and frowned. She looked at him, a worried look on her face.

         She wanted to find out what was wrong with him, but wasn't sure she should leave him alone again, even if she was going to be in the house.

       Leafy knew she wouldn't find any answers lying down, so she grabbed her pillow, and slid out of his arms, pulling the pillow through his arms.

        She stood up, smiling as she saw him hug the pillow. After she knew he was going to be okay, she exited the room, heading towards the stairs.

        The first thing Leafy wanted to check was the off-limits room. She hoped to find some answers there. Walking the three flights, she looked towards the end of the hall.

         The door opened slightly, but Leafy couldn't see anything. As she got closer, she started to hear whispering. It was incoherent. She started to feel uneasy.

          She was closer to the door, but she was having second thoughts. Something wasn't sitting right with her. But she knew she wouldn't get any answers if she chickened out.

        Leafy winced, walking into the dark room. She felt around the walls, finding the light switch. She flicked it on, and the lights blinded her.

         Covering her eyes, she waited til they adjusted to the room. When Leafy uncovered them, she saw that the room was mostly empty. All that existed was a black framed object.

           It hung on the wall, a plaque beneath it. She stepped closer to read it. "Abyss." She stared at the object, realizing it was a painting of some kind.

         The more she stared, the more she started to see something. Leafy realized after a moment that some kind of reflective glaze coated the piece, reflecting the room.

          She saw herself in the piece, waving slightly. This must have been one of those abstract pieces that was supposed to say something about art existing everywhere.

         Although, she wouldn't have known. The only thing Leafy knew about art was that it required passion. However, the more she stared...the more she noticed something else.

         She squinted her eyes, getting closer to the painting. Tilting her head, she tried to make out the shape hidden on the canvas. Suddenly, she gasped, backing away.

There were hands reflected in the painting.

         They faced her, like the painting was a window. Leafy backed away, frightened. That was when she noticed a pair of eyes were being reflected as well.

        Leafy sprinted out of the room, dashing down the hallway. She nearly screamed, but couldn't, as her voice seemed to fail her. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

          She couldn't think, she could only run. In fact, she failed to notice the stairs at the end of the hallway. Leafy tripped on the step, and time seemed to slow down around her.

         Everything became dark, as she felt her body collide with multiple steps, and then the wall. She couldn't hear anything...except the faint sound of Firey's voice...