Four inhaled sharply, clutching his cloak. He glared at the shiny black monolith in front of him, raising his hand. "Behind me, X!" He said, as the air started to swirl above him.

       Lightning cracked threateningly, striking the monolith. It powered on like a screen, blasting a bright white light. A figure appeared on screen, not noticing someone was watching.

       They turned to face Four, staring in confusion, then disgust. "Ugh. You." They said, as Four glared at them. "I see your doll machine still works."

        They bared their teeth, standing up. "And what do you want?" They asked, as Four's cloak started to flutter rapidly. "You know why I contacted you." He hissed.

         "Oh. You must have found out about my new friend." The figure smiled smugly. "Yeah, she's the coolest, I would've guessed you'd notice she was missing a lot earlier..."

         X peeked out from behind Four. "Well... you see..." He started to say, as Four gently pushed him back behind him. "She never joined the show."

          The figure stared at them in confusion. "What show?" They asked. "That is confidential. The point is, she isn't one of the contestants." Four answered.

           "She was alone for a while..." X thought out loud, causing Four to stare at him. He frantically shushed him, but it was too late. The figure noticed.

           "Alone...?" They asked, before a small smirk appeared on their face. "What, was she being ignored or something?" They crossed their arms, and Four tensed.

            The figure started to chuckle. "Oh my stars! They did?!" They started to laugh, before they suddenly stopped, a harsh glare replacing their amusement.

         "They ignored her?!" Four glared back, clenching his fists nervously. "How could anyone..." They quietly seethed, baring their teeth.

        They suddenly smiled again, clenching their head. "I'm her only friend!" They said excitedly, before frowning again. "I'm her only friend..."

        They turned towards Four, letting go of of their head. Even though Four knew he was safe, he still couldn't help but back up in fear, holding X protectively behind him.

       The figure smirked, clenching their fists. "I'M HER ONLY FRIEND!!" They let out a spine chilling laugh, as the monolith flickered, shutting off.

Four stared at his faint reflection, shaking.

       Leafy stepped back into the house, a blush still visible on her face. She smiled, closing the door behind her. That's when she noticed Firey standing at the top of the stairs.

       She let out a yelp, as he slid down the banister. "F-Firey! I-I-" He chuckled. "Ah don't worry." He said, patting her on the shoulder. "I know how cooped up you must have felt."

      He crossed his arms. "It must have been pretty stuffy in that room." Leafy sighed in relief. "I thought you'd be mad..." He smiled, hugging her.

      "I could never be mad at you!" He said. "But, do let me know when you want to get up...because you are still recovering." He chuckled, lifting her up.

       "You still need rest, by the way." He said, carrying her up the stairs. "I think I kinda want some tea, do you want some tea?" He asked, sounding energetic.

       Taco sat at the picnic table, blushing slightly. The others were asleep, but she was awake. Wide awake. She literally couldn't sleep, because of her meeting with Leafy.

        She was worried. Something about the mansion didn't sit right with her. She didn't want Leafy to get hurt. But she knew it was probably safer there.

         After all, if she just kept hiding in the woods, the contestants would surely find her at some point...at least the mansion was somewhat hidden away.

          Taco sighed, feeling conflicted. She didn't know what to do. What could she even do? Then, a thought came to her.

What if Leafy was a host?

Firey poured the steaming liquid from the tea pot, into Leafy's emerald green cup. He smiled at her. "This is one of my favorite blends." He told her.

"It has a mix of berries brewed along with the leaves, with just a hint of sugar to give it a sweet taste." Leafy sipped the liquid, smiling in bliss.

"It's good!" She said, her face flushing slightly. Firey stared at her in confusion, getting closer to her face. Leafy blushed brighter.

"What's that?" Firey asked, unaware of what he was doing. Leafy's blush died down a bit, as she stared back at him in confusion. "What's what?" She asked.

He pointed to her face. "That red stuff that was on your face..." He said, accidentally poking her. Firey gasped, reeling his hand away.

"It's warm!" He exclaimed, staring in shock. Leafy chuckled. "Well, I would hope so." She said. "That red stuff is a 'blush,'" she explained, "it's warm because of the blood."

Firey tilted his head to the side. "Blood rushes to your face...to create that?" He asked, still confused. "Why?" Leafy thought for a second, then answered.

"Well, there are a few different reasons. It can happen when we are cold or sick, or when we feel an emotion, like happiness, embarrassment...or love."

She trailed off a bit. Firey smiled, nodding in understanding. "Oh! I see!" He said, bringing his cup closer to him. He took a sip, then sat the cup down.

"So you must really like my tea!" He said. Leafy nodded. "Of course I do!" He hugged her, snuggling against her. They stayed like that for a while.

Firey broke the silence with a question. "Hey Leafy...?" She looked at him. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. Firey took a deep breath, then exhaled.

"Will we always be friends?"