The night was surprisingly clear, each star a perfect pinprick of light against

a black backdrop, the moon hanging with its wide grin just behind the forest canopy. Winter had
arrived and settled in with full force, lending the air an icy permeation. All life had fled from the
once green forest that had been filled with the chittering of birds and other animals and insects.
In its place were gnarled trees with branches bare and most of the local wildlife having fled to
hibernation.

All around, the forest was quite literally lifeless, brimming to its breaking point with silence. All
that remained to break said silence was the indolent wind which occasionally stirred up leaves
from the ground or perhaps the water of some babbling brook. There was one other as well,
though she was less a part of the nature as the previously mentioned things.

She was actually a girl who appeared to be somewhere in her teens, with an appearance that
could easily be described as average. Standing at 5'6", her most striking feature would likely be
said to be her wide, bright aquiline eyes. Her face could be described as pixie-like, round, much
like a child's, with a small nose and pink lips which resembled rosebuds. Her skin appeared to be
sun-kissed, with a dusting of freckles, and her body was willowy. For clothing, she wore only a
simple white dress that reached her knees in length and had certainly seen better days as the
stains that covered it--as well as the worn and torn patches--showed.

This night found the girl crouched before a shallow stream, head hanging over the water,
goosebumps having formed all over her skin as her small frame shivered. Her hair, a pale white-
blonde resembling the color of sunshine, hung in snarled strands over her face, heavy and
dripping with water. Her hands and arms, nearly up to her elbows, were wet as well. As she
peered up at the sopping hair that hung limply in front of her face, Amnesia nervously bit at her
bottom lip, bright blue eyes shining with what could have conceivably been unshed tears. "Do
you think its clean enough now?" She whispered, the anxiety she felt obvious in the hushed tones
of her voice.

"For the moment, it'll have to be," came the reply in her mind. "Make no mistake, however. I will
be teaching you all about shampoo and conditioner. And soap. Unless you want to die, that is?"
This was Amaryllis, sister to Rosa and an unwanted inhabitant of Amnesia's mind. She was
never nice, complained quite a bit, and recently, she had begun to scare the girl.

"No, I don't want that!" She insisted. "I'll listen to whatever you say. I promise," she added
before Amaryllis could say anything else, sitting up and pushing her hair back out of her face. A
shudder traveled through her body as the cold, wet hair slapped against her back and trails of
water began to run down her skin, soaking through the cloth of her dress.

He released a sigh as the coughs began to subside. "Any ideas of what's

wrong..?" He asked, talking aloud, yet, speaking to the two who were left in his head. He let
silence fill the time in between his question, listening intently. There was nothing. He could still
feel something, but, he got no response. He could not hide the rapid shaking that overtook his
body as he lowered his head once more, pressing it into the ground as his body shook.

The tears were automatic, and, as they began, he could not stop them. His head shot upward,
ignoring the water pouring down and falling beneath. "What!? Do you think this is funny!?
C'mon! Make fun of me, crack a joke! Call me a dumbass! Just...let me know you’re not gone,
dammit!!!" His yelling filled the forest, echoing farther with the silence that surrounded.

Seeming to give up, the hand that had covered his mouth dropped to touch the ground, clenching
as he took leaves and dirt in his palm. "..So...now you’re gonna leave me to die hollow...huh?"
His body had stopped shaking, shoulders slumping as best they could, his hand dropping what it
had collected. Using another tree, he lifted himself up and began to move once more, eyes
showing no clear goal as he simply stumbled.

With a short amount of walking, his body turned, head resting on the tree he was using for
support. He closed his eyes, breaths unnaturally shaky as they came from his lips. He couldn't
help but feel like this. He didn't know why, but, his body was getting weaker. He didn't know
why, but, everything in him was being taken away! He could not feel much rage, but, as he
thought of this, he raised his fist and smashed it into the tree, ignoring the pain that it brought
with it.

Yet he still seemed to think it was all his fault. Maybe it was...maybe he was just being too
stupid to notice it. He stood for a moment, simply letting tears flow, allowing the pain of his
hand to ebb away. It was only when he raised his head from the trunk that his dull blue eyes
noticed her. Why it was that they always seemed to meet here, he would never know, and, at this
moment, he didn't really care. The only thing he did wonder was why she was talking to herself.
Last time he checked, that was his problem.
 Whatever reply Amaryllis might have given was interrupted by yelling in the
distance, though it was far enough away that Amnesia couldn't make out any words. "How many
psychos are there in this goddamned forest?" Amaryllis sounded annoyed and vaguely curious,
her voice a growl in Amnesia's mind.

"I'm usually the only person here, but others come and visit sometimes... Sometimes they're good
and sometimes not," the girl responded quietly, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing
her arms. Her skin was freezing to the touch, though she admittedly seemed to be faring better in
the weather than most would be.

"Oh, that makes everything great then!" The demon's voice dripped with sarcasm which
Amnesia seemed unable to comprehend, which was shown as she sat up a little straighter, a shy
smile appearing on her face.

"Really? I thought it was nice that others came and visited sometimes too, but I thought for sure
that you were going to say something really mean to me again!"

"Your ignorance really knows no bounds, does it? I was being sarcastic. Now, stand up. We're
leaving. I am not taking the chance that you'll get yourself killed while I am stuck in your head.
Did you hear me? Up! Now."

Though Amaryllis had no way of actually forcing her to do what she said, Amnesia did as the
demon commanded of her, pulling herself up to her feet. She wished the forest would bloom to
life again and give her other things to listen to aside from the demon, or that she could find Rosa
again and talk her into taking Amaryllis away. Rosa could just take her back, because Amnesia
didn't want her. Not at all. Amaryllis was mean and scary and... She just wasn't good.

As Amnesia turned her back to the stream, however, preparing to leave as she'd been instructed,
she paused as she saw a familiar person standing nearby. James! Joy burst in her heart as she
recognized the person who had been so nice when they had first met and given her a name. The
feeling quickly dimmed and fluttered away as she noticed the water tracks that streaked down his
face, however.
Amaryllis and her directive forgotten, Amnesia quickly scrambled over to James, bright blue
eyes wide with worry. "You're leaking water!" She exclaimed, a hand reaching up and touching
his cheek to confirm.

"Oh my dear fucking hell, you cannot be serious."

"Don't worry, I know exactly what to do!" Once again ignoring the demon in her head, Amnesia
grabbed hold of James's arm and pulled him over to the stream she had been crouched in front of.
Once they were standing beside the gently trickling water, the girl let go of his arm, bending over
and cupping water in her hands. When she stood up again, she flung the icy cold water into his
face. "Do you feel better?" She asked anxiously. "I can get more water if you need it!"

"Oh yeah, he definitely needs more water. See the way it’s just rolling down his face? It's not
soaking up. You might have to dump him in the stream." Amnesia blinked in surprise, peering at
James as if she were really considering whether Amaryllis possibly had a point, or if the demon
was just attempting to be mean again. It seemed mean, but... he was leaking!

He ignored the meaning behind her words, simply listening to her voice as
she spoke to herself, head turning as his face pressed into the tree supporting him. With silence
taking over, his eyes, which had closed, slowly opened, head moving once more as he looked
over. Oh...she had noticed him.

Realizing she was drawing closer, he loudly turned his body, using the tree and letting his back
press against it instead of his face. Even with his current situation, he could not hide the smallest
of smirks. "Yeah...guess I am," He responded, eyes following her hand when she touched his
cheek. He started to protest, but, when she grabbed his arm, any effort he might have made to
stop her would have been a weak one at best.

Despite nearly losing his balance more than once, he tried his best to keep his body still, eyes
wondering toward the stream. "What is this supposed to-" He was interrupted, the cold water
making contact moments after he had begun to speak. James, not clearly feeling just how cold
the water and his body already was, simply raised his arms, weakly wiping at his face. "I mean...I
don't really feel anything...but, I guess it's slightly better...?" His words began as a statement,
though, as he reached the end, it seemed to slowly become that of a question.
"Why would more water help me?...Besides...if it would do anything for me, it would only be if I
drank it..." He trailed slightly, looking down toward the water, which was a random stream in the
forest. "I'm not thirsty, though!.." He added quickly, suddenly imagining Amnesia forcing him to
drink random stream water. Huh...Jack would have called him a 'fucking pansy' right there. He
released a slow sigh. Dammit... It was really his fault that he couldn't get over having no voices
in his head when he kept fucking reminding himself of it. Of course, it wasn't hard...everything
was too quiet. He quickly shook his head.

"....Maybe it would be a better idea to find some cleaner water before randomly splashing it in
my face...thanks for the effort, though…" He said slowly. Why was he thanking her for splashing
water in his face?

As he began asking questions, Amnesia's mind was gently steered away from
Amaryllis's suggestion of dumping James into the stream so that he could get more water and
back towards a more innocent train of thought uninfluenced by the demon's presence. The
expression in the girl's completely open aquiline eyes as she looked at James was something near
a mixture of motherly and pitying.

"If you keep leaking water like that and you don't get more, you'll wither and go to sleep like the
trees, or worse, actually die," she explained with the utmost seriousness. The leaking seemed to
have stopped though, thankfully. It was a definite improvement and caused the worry which
constricted her chest to ease somewhat. At the very least, it was enough that she was able to give
him a patient smile as she gently swiped her wet hands against her dirty dress in an attempt to
dry them. She was still cold, which her body reminded her of by way of the occasional shiver,
but it suddenly seemed less noticeable now that she had something else to think about.

"No need to thank me. You've been so kind to me, so now it's my turn," she reassured him. "I do
have a question though..." Pursing her rosebud lips, Amnesia's head tilted a bit to the side.
"What's wrong with the stream's water?"

Amaryllis, who had been quiet thus far, suddenly seemed unable to take any more of the
conversation in silence. "It's dirty, that's what's wrong with it. All sorts of animals and bugs have
taken humongous dumps in the water many times over. They pee in it too. Some of the psychos
you've seen around here have probably done the same thing. There's all sorts of germs that'll
make you sick, and once you're sick, then more germs can get in and make your more sick, until
you'll just die. Which is why I've been trying to talk you into cleaner habits since you were forced
upon me. Really, while I may be paying for my sister's mistake, you actually got really lucky."

Amnesia didn't really hear the last of what the demon in her head said, her focusing having
transferred back to the horrible tales about germs and deaths that she kept hearing. As her eyes
widened into huge bright blue orbs, her hands flew to cover her mouth as she stared up at James
in horror. "Is it true?" she asked, her voice half a whisper and half a squeak. "What she said
about the stream water?"

"Eh...I don't think there's any reason to worry about me leaking water and
dying. I don't ne-" He shut his mouth as he nearly finished what he was about to say. The girl
was freaking out because he was crying because she thought he was leaking water and was going
to die. It would be a lot easier on her if he skipped the part where he was probably dying anyway.
He did have to admit though...the girl cared, and, that was something. She seemed to care less
about how handsome he was and more about the fact that he had been coughing blood earlier, or,
the fact that he was 'leaking water' moments before. Plus, she seemed like the type to cry very
easily. Which meant she was going to be hard to not have a soft spot for.

Rubbing his eye with the bottom of his right palm, he hoped his eyes had not started to puff and
go red. As if to return the favor of her caring -despite it not helping much at all-, his eyes moved
from her smile to her dirty dress, that which led him to discover that she was shivering.

"You look like you could go for a change of clothes..." He told her. "I owe you one… so, why
not let me pay for some new clothes or something? At least something warmer" He asked her.
By that, he meant why not let Drake pay...but, it didn't matter. A brother was supposed to share.

Wobbling slightly, he took a moment to steady himself, before she asked him a question. "The
stream water?? Well... there's a lot of things that aren't right with it..." He trailed, stopping as he
saw her eyes widen before he'd even finished. "What who said about what?" He asked her,
raising an eyebrow. He shook his head. He knew the feeling of no one else hearing what's going
on in your head.
"Well...whoever she is, if she said something about it being filled with fish and animal piss and
poop...she'd be right," He told her. It was bad that she found out now, being that he'd seen her
playing in it moments earlier.

"See?" The demon's voice was triumphant as James confirmed what she'd
just told Amnesia. "Now will you listen to me without complaint?"

"No! Rosa still needs to take you back because I don't want you. You're always mean, and you
scare me." Having turned her attention away from James to yell at the voice inside her head,
Amnesia's eyes now focused on her friend again.

"Yes, she said things poop and pee in the water, and what they leave behind makes germs that
are going to make me sick and kill me. And even though it's cold, she said if I didn't wash, the
same thing would happen. Her name is Amaryllis, and this nice girl I met put her in my head. I
don't think she meant to, or maybe she didn't know she'd be so mean, but she disappeared, and I
just want to find her. If I ask her, she'll take Amaryllis back, and there'll be no more scary, mean
person in my head."

As she spoke to him, her eyes had begun to tear up, though just as soon as she stopped talking, a
bored, exasperated look overcame her usually sweet features. "Oh, shut up already," she said,
then stopped as she seemed to realize that she had spoken out loud. "Well, isn't this interesting?
You get worked up and your control slips, it seems... This is quite helpful..."

Ignoring James entirely, she peered down at herself, suddenly sneering in contempt. On her
usually open, innocent face, the expression appeared twisted and wrong. "Disgusting though. I'm
really going to have to do something about... Oh no you don't!"

Her eyebrows drew together in concentration, and after a brief internal battle, Amnesia's
expression cleared and opened up into something nearing horrified. She hadn't known Amaryllis
could actually do more than talk in her head. Shivering this time because of more than just the
cold, Amnesia turned to James, her bottom lip wobbling slightly. "I-I'm sorry. We should... we
should find some water so you don't die. You don't look so good..."
 James remained silent as she turned away from him, simply listening when
she began to yell at what he could only imagine was something in her head. Realizing she had
turned back toward him, his blue eyes closed and opened in that of a blink.

"Well...that's actually not much of an exaggeration...you never really know with animals. You
probably wouldn't die just from not bathing...but, playing in a stream covered in poop and pee
isn't really all that clean...along with the fact that you're freezing..." He went quiet as she
continued to speak. Someone placed something in her head by accident? No... he didn't know a
lot of the people at this school, but, he could almost guarantee that something like that was done
on purpose.

"You sure she didn't do that on purpose?" He asked her, abruptly turning his head, as if he knew
she may start crying and wished to not see it. His head only shot back toward Amnesia when she
began to speak. Only...something about her had changed. He never thought he would hear
someone like her say 'shut up'. She seemed to be the kind of person that would cry and feeling
bad if she accidently hit a fly. Starting to speak of her change, his mouth stopped halfway. She
changed again, and, he felt pity when she appeared horrified....well, maybe it was pity.

"I'll tell you what… let's not worry about me. Let's go get you something to change into and calm
you down. If I died of anything, it would be of being too handsome," He told her, holding out his
hand toward her, ignoring the fact that it was shaking without his control.

"I'm calm!" Amnesia insisted, though perhaps a little too quickly and a little
too emphatically. She knew that she wasn't really calm, but she was trying really hard to be. She
was sure that she just really needed to do something and try to put Amaryllis out of her mind
completely.
Maybe helping James, who had been so nice to her, would do the trick. And afterwards, she
could look around for Rosa some more. She had to be around somewhere, and even though
James had questioned her on whether Rosa had done it on purpose or not, Amnesia felt sure
about her answer. She'd met Rosa, shared soup with her. Rosa had tried to give her a name,
though she hadn't been able to accept the name of the other girl's sister. There was no way Rosa
could have known what she was doing. Rosa was so light and warm. They had gotten along so
well, and it had seemed as if they would be good friends. As soon as she found Rosa again,
everything could be straightened out all fine.

Taking a little breath meant to calm, she started to reach for James' outstretched hand, though her
own small hand gave pause as her aquiline eyes took in his shaking. Was he cold too? The
question went unasked as she took his hand, her mind going over his words. "Can you something
like that kill you?" she asked with a touch of worry, the question consuming a large part of her
thoughts and causing her eyebrows to knit together. She shook it off though, forcing it away as
she looked up at him.

"I'm fine," she asserted. "I'm not the one who was leaking water, so we need to find you clean
water first! Besides, you feel as cold as me, so that can't be good either." She didn't hesitate or
seem self-conscious in any way as she moved closer to him, shifting her position so that she was
hugging his arm instead of holding his hand, sharing her heat with him.

Well, that was the idea at least, even though she wasn't warm herself. It seemed to work for
animals, so she guessed it would work here as well. And though Amaryllis still said nasty things
in her head, she was doing her best to ignore them, refusing to reply to her.

"Oh really?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. He didn't really believe that one
for a second. He gave a small smile as she reached out for him, but, let it fade slightly as she
paused.

A small laugh was brought forward as she asked him this. "Well...apparently not. If it could kill
you, I'd be dead by now," He told her. It was just his luck that he could be dying at this moment.
Maybe you could die from being too handsome. Guess he was screwed.
Shaking his head at her declaration of being fine, he waited until she was finished before he
opened his mouth once more. "I don't think you need to worry about me being cold. I'm pretty
much numb to that stuff…" He explained. "Besides, if we're going to get me clean water, we're
gonna need to get you a change of clothes and a shower…" He trailed as she wrapped herself
around his arm, hugging it.

Sheesh, this girl. Even though this really would not help, since they were both pretty cold, she
seemed to think it would. It might have helped if they were just cold and not soaked. "You do
realize you're just going to get colder, right?" He asked her, hoping she didn't suddenly try to
lean too much on him. At other times, he may have been able to hold her weight, which, didn't
seem to be much. In times like this, he would probably end up falling. "If you're going to touch
me, I'm going to end up teleporting us both out of here."

As he answered her question about whether or not handsomeness could kill a

person, Amnesia tilted her head back, peering up at him with her bright blue eyes which always
seemed to give away her every emotion which she felt. The way she was peering at him now was
in a studious manner, as if she were examining him and coming to her conclusions. The longer
she stared at him, her blonde eyebrows began to knit together and her rosebud lips pressed
together.

Then, as she seemed to come to a conclusion, her already big eyes widened further. "How do you
know it isn't happening? You looked fine the last time I saw you! And now you're leaking water
and shaking and coughing, and there's probably more!" She pressed her lips together again as he
spoke once more, however, going quiet so that he could speak.

Amaryllis took the quiet moment to say some mean things, but she focused on what James was
saying, so hard that her whole face squinted, just so that she wouldn't have to hear her. However,
by the time James finished speaking, confusion had also lit up in her eyes, though this was not
something that seemed particularly uncommon with her.

Almost as soon as his voice trailed away, the questions bubbled up and tumbled past her lips, not
particularly quick or forceful, but definitely imbued with the curiosity that came so naturally to
her. "What's a shower? And why do I need different clothes? And why would I get colder?" She
still shivered, though perhaps a little more noticeably with their proximity.
"I don't think I can, after what Amaryllis made me do..." She trailed off, her face darkening at the
mere mention of the new, unwanted presence in her mind. Remembering she still had one last
question for him, however, she shook her head, damp strands of hair sticking to her skin as they
slapped her face in the process. "What's that you said you were going to do anyway? If you want
to leave, we just have to go..." She frowned a bit, peering around, and then extricated one arm
from around his to point. "That way goes to the cliffs..." She turned and pointed in another
direction. "That way to the Strange Wood."

He returned her stare, keeping a somewhat straight face, before, noticing

how she seemed so concentrated, he began to mimic her, lips pressing together. He only dropped
it as her eyes widened. "If, by fine, you mean pale and cold, I guess I've never really been
better..." He told her simply. She forgot to mention his bad balance and the fact that some of his
coughs result in a sticky red liquid. There was no reason to correct her, though.

Instead of seeming surprised by her sudden questions, he instead bit lightly at his lips. "Well...a
shower is a thing that can pour hot or cold water out by turning knobs..." He paused. "You need a
change of clothes because you're dirty and covered in cold water, which is another reason you
would get colder when you're hugging on to me. I'm cold and soaked, so, you won't get any
better by hugging on to me…"

After this, he lowered his head, looking down toward her as her face darkened. "Don't be afraid.
You can't be scared of the things in your head, you've got to fight back," He told her, completely
going against everything that he had ever done in the face of Insanity or the strange one in his
head. If it helped, it didn't matter. He didn't really seem as if he was going to take them far, but,
as she asked what he aimed to do, he smirked towards her.

"Strange Wood?" This was his question to her, as, reaching up and placing a hand on her, he
closed his eyes. Opening them, both of them were gone with the smallest of flashes, only to
quickly reappearing on the other side of the stream near both of them.

"That was what I was aiming to do. I can go different places really quick if I concentrate…" He
said, making it about as simple as he could for her. Speaking of concentrating, he had to only
hope he didn't take them to the wrong place. He wasn't very good at the whole focusing thing as
of late.
 The first two of James's answers were met with little bobs of Amnesia's head,
indicating that she heard him and understood. Well, somewhat. She still wasn't really sure what a
shower was, but from what he said, she guessed she'd be seeing one. It sounded like a waterfall
that people could control, from what he said, and she was curious what it was used for.

The intensity behind his words when he told her not to be afraid, however, gave the girl pause as
she stared up at him. "I can't help but be afraid though," she argued. "You saw her earlier! She
did what she wanted, and I couldn't stop her. She's just scary and says horrible things." She
trailed off, a frown etching across her features, her worry and fear clear in her eyes, though as he
asked about the Strange Wood, she seemed to cheer up a little, managing to conjure up a little
smile.

"That's what I call it. There are these things there that look a little like really big, short trees that
have places in them where you can see in. I saw people going in and coming out of them last
time I was there, and I even learned that how you do it is these things called doors. It's this place
in the trunk that opens up," she explained, guessing that he would know what she was talking
about. He seemed to know a lot of things. No sooner had she finished explaining what she meant,
however, than he'd put a hand on her, and they were suddenly standing on the other side of the
stream.

Amnesia's eyes went wide as she looked up at him. "Wow, that's really cool," she breathed. She
still had an arm wrapped around his as they spoke, but something about it seemed to comfort her
a little. Besides that, it wasn't very often that she was able to see nice people, especially those she
considered to be friends, and her concept of personal boundaries appeared to be almost
nonexistent. To her, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what she was doing.

"You can go anywhere you want like that? Just like that? I wish I could do that..." A frown
creased between her eyebrows. "Wait, can I do that?" She asked him.
 Her nods helped him to notice that she had understood him for once, and,
this brought about a small smile. It faded as she spoke up again. "It's your body Amnesia. If you
let whatever it is that's in your head take you over whenever you want, it's not yours anymore.
Sometimes it's good to be afraid, but, sometimes you have to get over the fact that you’re afraid
and take a stand. Fight back. Don't lose what should be yours," He told her, his words hurting
slightly as he spoke them.

Again, he was telling her to do exactly what he had never done. Maybe that may help her more
than what he could have said. Before they had teleported, he listened to her, trying to hide the
smile that was creeping up and the laughter. "Oh...that place. You'll have to show me around
sometime," He told her, nodding his head.

Taking his arm away, he was surprised to find that she had still kept her arm around his. "If I've
been there before and can remember something about it, I can go there. All it takes is enough
concentration to focus in on it. Relies a lot on my mind," He explained to her, saying nothing
about how close she was, though, it did make him feel slightly nervous.

If it was any other person...any other female, then, he may in fact take advantage of the
closeness. This was a different situation. Amnesia was too innocent to try anything like that on.
He'd be too worried that anything he may do would hurt her in some way, make her cry in some
way. It made him sick just thinking about the fact that he could be the one to make her cry.
Again, he hated himself.

Hearing her question, his attention moved back toward her. Rubbing his chin with the hand that
had been on her, made that of a 'hmmm' sound. "I don't know… but, it never hurts to try. Okay,
close your eyes and think real hard about a place that you want to go. When you've got the
image, open your eyes,"

"Yeah, he has room to talk. He has no idea what's actually going on. Are you
really going to listen to someone that has no idea? At least I actually know what's going on,
since I'm stuck here, and let me tell you, I'm as happy about this situation as you are. Not at all.
I'm just trying to fucking survive," Amaryllis interjected before Amnesia could reply to James,
giving her opinion on the situation.

Despite what woman said though, Amnesia still felt more inclined to listen to her friend, the
person who had always been nice to her. "I'll try," she promised, gifting him with a little smile
that had gained back some of its usual brightness. "And I would show you around the Strange
Wood, but I don't know how to get around myself. I don't like it there very much," she informed
him, trailing off as he told her about how his ability worked.

She frowned a bit at him when he removed his arm from hers, but didn't say anything about it,
even if she didn't move away from him either. When he instructed her to close her eyes, she did
as she was told, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't know very many places, but she tried to
imagine one out of the forest all the same, which was how she came to think of the Clear Tree. It
had looked really cool, being see-through. She thought as hard as she could about it, so hard that
she shook, unless she was just still shivering, but when she finally opened her eyes, she still
stood in the dark forest next to James, the stream a few feet before her.

"Guess I can't do it," she said, a little ring of disappointment sounding in her voice at the
knowledge. It would have been really cool if she could have done it too, after all. But she
guessed she would have to be happy with the wind and trees, though that was fine with her.

"I would know what you're going through. I've had to deal with four voices
in my head since I was a child. They can get really annoying…" He informed her, unaware that
Amaryllis he been speaking to Amnesia.

"Good. You have to keep positive, even when you know things are bad." So, now he was telling
her to go into denial? If this actually helped her, he would be more than surprised. He was
willing to try, though. Her brighter smile made even him feel somewhat brighter, despite his
current situation.

"Ah! You don't know either? Well, I guess we'll have to go looking around together sometime,
huh? Maybe it'll be easier to learn to like it if you've got a friend," He responded. His confusion
quickly led him to her reason for frowning.
Shrugging his shoulders to no one in particular, he held his arm back out after she had opened
her eyes once more. "Eh...it's hard to pick up at first. Don't hurt yourself, but, don't give up hope
either. If you can't get it, just concentrate on what you do know. If you're supposed to pick it up,
you'll get it. If not, well, you can always tell me where you want to go, and, if I've been there
before, I can give it a try," He offered, arm still held out toward her if she wanted it back.

After that, what he had been talking to her about suddenly came back toward her. "So...do you
want to go get a shower and a change of clothes now? By the way...the shower part, you're going
to have to figure out by yourself."

"Four?" Amnesia asked in disbelief, as she tried to imagine four of Amaryllis

in her head, not just for a little bit, but all the time, for a long time. "I'm so sorry..." She trailed
off as he told her to stay positive and gave him a little determined nod. "Okay!" she agreed,
almost immediately, though all enthusiasm seemed to flee as he turned back to the Strange
Wood.

"Umm, I guess we could... if you wanted to. Probably the only thing I could show would be the
Clear Tree... it's see-through, but even if you do make me feel better, I don't know if you could
make me like that place..." Trailing off, she gave a little shrug, which transformed into a smile as
he held out his arm as if he wanted her to take it again. She did, of course, hugging her arms
around it once again as he spoke.

Even though he claimed that them being close wasn't going to make either of them any warmer
since they were both cold and wet, she always felt warmer around him. She'd felt warmer around
Rosa as well, who'd seemed so nice... She really had to try to find her other friend. Even though
James had mentioned the possibility that Rosa had actually meant to put Amaryllis in her head,
Amnesia couldn't bring herself to believe that the sweet, warm person she had met would do
something so horrible on purpose. Which was why she also continued to hold onto the belief that
Rosa would fix things next time they saw each other.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts, though, as James began to speak again, eyes widening as
she suddenly remembered how their conversation had started in the first place. "No! We were
supposed to find you some water! Oh, no, I'm so sorry for forgetting! Here I was, trying to be as
good a friend as you've been, trying to help you, and we've just been standing here talking!"
Though she didn't pull away from her, she turned her aquiline eyes to the forest around them,
trying to remember where everything was. He'd said something about cleaner water, so she had
to remember where to find some.

"Yeah. Four of them...I think I can understand why you feel like you do."
Nodding his head slightly, ignoring the drying strands of the hair that fell near his face.

He shrugged his shoulders. "No reason to say you're sorry. Nobody's fault," He told her. Yeah, it
was no one's fault...except for his father's. Hitting a kid in the head didn't do any fucking good
for them, did it?

Deciding he needed to follow his own advice, he turned back toward her. "Wouldn't you feel
better if you knew what some of the things around you were? I know a couple of the areas
around here, and, you can show me this 'Clear Tree' while we're at it. Not going to make you do
anything, though." His head turned away for a moment, looking around.

He'd kind of forgotten that they were in a forest...in cold weather....soaked and slowly drying.
His attention only moved back toward her as she hugged on to his arm again. Putting on another
thinking face, he seemed to come up with something.

"I'll tell you what...I know a place where we can get clean water and get you a shower, but, we
have to go get you clothes first...sound okay?" He asked. He was getting a little bit tired of
asking this over and over, but, he could deal with it for now. After all, not many people called
him a good friend. In fact, people had called him things much worse than that.

"Nah... I'm not all that great of a friend. I've been doing this exact same thing you have for a
good bit now, haven't I?" Other hand raising up, he rubbed lightly at the back of his head, than
moving somewhat down toward his neck as he gripped onto it elbow pointing outward straight
ahead. "So… do you trust me enough to let me take you somewhere?"
 James's question caused Amnesia to pause and wonder. Would she feel better
if she knew what more things around her were? She supposed she would... the Strange Wood
would be less intimidating at the very least. "Okay," she said softly after thinking it over, casting
a shy smile his way.

"In that case, it sounds like it might be fun, and I guess you might like the Clear Tree..." she
trailed off. "I think it’s pretty, at least." She finally reached up to push her damp hair away so
that it was no longer stuck to her face, though as soon as she had accomplished this, she went
back to hugging James's arm, seemingly perfectly content to stay in this position for a while.

"You are a really good friend though!" She insisted as he tried to say he wasn't, looking up at
him with an expression that bordered on stern. "You're always really nice and caring, and others
are mean. The only other person who's been half as nice as you was Rosa, though I haven't seen
her since the first time I met her. She was really nice and warm too. But of course I trust you. As
long as we're going to get you some water so you don't leak to death, I'm fine with wherever we
go," she told him.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be teaching you all about showers as soon as he takes you to one,"
Amaryllis put in. "Really, this kid couldn't have come at a better time. I thought I was going to
have to fight you tooth and nail to get clean. I may not be directly in control, but I'm here too,
and your filthiness frankly disgusted me."

As Amaryllis spoke, a little frown stole over Amnesia's features. It was the first halfway nice
thing the woman had said to her, and she wasn't really sure how she should respond, or if she
should respond at all. She was also suddenly a little worried about showers, now that Amaryllis
had said something about it, considering how unpleasant her experience with the stream had
been. Her hair was still damp, and she was still shivering.
 "Where'd you say it was?" He asked her, turning his head to look around. He
still would like to know what the 'Clear Tree' was to begin with. Something made of glass,
maybe? Eh...who knows?

He gave no complaint when she hugged on his arm again, shaking his head. "Alright… you can
think whatever you'd like," He said this after noticing what could have been a stern look from
her. He quickly turned away.

"Are you sure everyone else is mean? There's a lot of good people around here, you know. There
are a lot of mean ones, though." He said this after she finished, closing and opening his eyes in a
blink.

"Alright… if you are okay with this, we're gonna need to find you some more clothes first..." He
allowed this sentence to trail on his tongue, looking down toward her to make sure she was still
holding on to him. Of course she was; he could still feel arms around his. He couldn't feel how
cold she was, though.

He was going to ask if she might have known a place in which she could buy clothes, but, being
that it was Amnesia, he released an unneeded breath. Suddenly, another idea hit him. Turning to
look toward her, he opened his mouth. "Hey, Amnesia. Do you think Amaryllis may know a
place where we can buy you some new clothes?" He asked. He was just taking a random shot in
the dark with this one. He honestly wasn't sure if the person in Amnesia's head would respond.
He had no doubt that she was real, though. He'd seen Amaryllis take over Amnesia many
moments earlier.

"The Strange Wood... I would have to show you where myself though. I've
only been there once. I'll know it when I see it though!" Amnesia reassured him. It was hard to
forget the trees of the Strange Wood, especially one that a person could completely see through,
which was where her name for it had come from in the first place.
At least he hadn't attempted to argue with her again about whether or not he was a good friend,
since he obviously was, whether he actually thought so or not. "I don't think everyone is mean...
Just everyone I've met so far, except for you and Rosa. I'm sure there are others who are nice...
They just don't come visit me like you do."

As he mentioned finding more clothes again, she went quiet, waiting for him to take her
wherever it was that he was planning on taking her. Therefore, when he asked if Amaryllis knew
a place to get clothes, she blinked her bright blue eyes at him in confusion. "I don't know," she
said softly. "... Amaryllis, do you know a place?" Her voice sounded a little timid, though at least
it wasn't downright fearful.

"If I did, I would have directed you there before now. I don't know anything about this place, or
where the hell Red Blood High is in the world for that matter. A shop or a mall would be a good
place to look, if your little friend can find one of those. And here I was thinking he wasn't half as
ignorant as you."

The unhappy answer left Amnesia frowning, and when she looked back up at James, she decided
to only translate part of what Amaryllis had said. He didn't need to know everything... "Umm...
She doesn't know where we are, so she can't give you directions or anything, but she said a shop
or a mall, and I think she likes you better than me," she offered hesitantly.

"I didn't say that," Amaryllis grumbled, but as Amnesia opened her mouth to take it back, the
demon continued, "It is true though," and so Amnesia simply closed her mouth again, pressing
her lips together.

"Ahh... alright. I guess you can show me whenever we go looking around,"

He told her. "Yeah...not everyone is mean... just, certain people. Those are the ones that you need
to look out for." Saying this, he was beginning to grow tired of constantly staying still, but,
wanting to keep his balance.

"Every single person? You must have been unlucky. There's a lot of people that are a lot better
than I am....even if I visit you the most." There were a few times that he hadn't expected to find
her here, honestly. Many of the times, like the first one, he simply just ran into her. This time
was just about the same, except for the fact that he had been a little worse for wear when she'd
seen him, and, she had been soaked and freezing.

His attention moved from the stream nearby over to Amnesia, listening as she asked the voice in
her head for a place to go. Eyebrow raised as she frowned, he waited for the answer he hadn't
been wanting to hear. "A shop or mall? Well...we could take you to the mall, but, there's
probably gonna be a bunch of people there, and, we don't need you freaking out...and, the shop
probably won't have anything except for food and possibly stuff for your hair and so on."

He tried his best to think of another place that may sell clothes, but, his mind wasn't giving him
anything. This was the way it had been for a bit now. No replies, utter silence and having to
figure out his problems with help from no one else. Amnesia didn't know it, and, Amaryllis
didn't. "Why does she like me better? There's not much to like...well...attitude wise. Physical
appearance, maybe. Otherwise, it makes no sense."

"I can't imagine someone better than you," Amnesia admitted, looking
thoughtful, as if she were trying to consider just such a person. "But that's probably because
you're the best person I've met so far. Partially because you do visit me the most! Actually,
you're the only one who's come back to visit again, so far, though I am still hoping to find Rosa
soon..." she trailed off, giving him a little shrug. She wasn't really sure where Rosa had gone off
to or how long it would be until she saw the other girl again. It had been a while already, and
though she kept searching through the forest for the sight of the warm fire that had led her to
Rosa the first time around, she'd had no such luck so far.

James pulled her thoughts from Rosa as he spoke up about Amaryllis's suggestions. "It's okay,"
she reassured him as he trailed off, seeming to be out of ideas since Amaryllis's ideas hadn't been
very helpful. "My dress will probably dry by the time the sun wakes up, so we can just wait until
then, and everything will be fine!"

At his question, she didn't even bother asking Amaryllis for the answer first before she answered
him. "Well, she doesn't like me, at all really, so she's bound to like everyone else better," she
answered, giving him a little smile. "That aside though, you need to stop insulting yourself!" She
added, giving him the same look she had earlier when he'd said he wasn't a very good friend. "I
don't like you because of the way you look. I like you because you're you, and you're a good,
nice person." Her smile this time was more earnest.

"I like him more than you because he isn't a complete simpleton," Amaryllis offered. "Though his
appearance doesn't hurt his case either..."

"I can... I'm honestly not all that great." He would continue to repeat this
until she stopped mentioning it. He really didn't know if she would.

"Where did you last see her? Was it somewhere around here?" He asked, mind still partially
trying to decide where he should take her. He knew he had a shower in his apartment. He'd have
some trouble explaining all of the dirt in the shower to Drake, but, it wouldn't hurt anything.

"Even if it gets dry by the time the sun comes up, I can't stay out in it for long, and, you'd still
need to wash it to get it clean," James explained.

"Ah...that's right, she's not really a part of you, is she? I guess I'm letting my situation mix a little
bit with yours." James said this with a small frown. He'd been somewhat doing that the whole
time. Dammit, thinking about that whole situation made him nothing but somewhat depressed.

"It's really hard to not like you, Amnesia. Even if she doesn't, she can't really hate you..." His
words were somewhat interrupted as she spoke up once more, but, he seemed to not mind. "Eh.
I've been raised to kind of put myself down...it's really pretty natural now," He replied, seeming
to not care all that much for the memories that one brought up.

He had honestly no real reply for her next words, for, he'd never really heard something like that
before. "Uh...thanks, I guess....you're… pretty nice yourself.." His words felt so completely
unnatural after what she had said to him.
 "I disagree," Amnesia insisted firmly, her expression perfectly mirroring the
obstinacy she was showing on the matter. She was distracted from it, however, at the mention of
Rosa. She'd sort of been drifting around the night she's met Rosa, so she wasn't really sure where
in the forest she'd been. It didn't help that her head had hurt so bad after their meeting, because of
Amaryllis she guessed. She just knew it had been in some clearing in the forest, and that there
had been a fire.

"I don't really know. I've just been kind of wandering around, hoping to see another fire and find
Rosa dancing around it and singing again," she admitted with a tiny exhalation of breath. When
she opened her eyes again, she turned them back up to James, making sure that she was quiet
while he spoke.

"That's okay. You don't need to stay. You should go get your water anyway, and if I need help, I
guess I can ask Amaryllis. She might help..." She trailed off because she really wasn't sure
whether or not she actually would receive help from the voice in her head. She'd never really
thought of Amaryllis as something that could help with much of anything. She'd always just
seemed mean, and Amnesia had tried to avoid talking to her as much as possible. She wasn't sure
how to feel about this change where she would actually try to see if Amaryllis might help her.
She wasn't sure how she would feel about any help the voice may offer either. She didn't really
trust Amaryllis.

"Well, that kid may not be a complete simpleton, but he really doesn't know anything about me,
even if he thinks he does. Proven by the fact that he thinks that I don't hate you."

Amnesia bit at her bottom lip as Amaryllis spoke up, as if to confirm her thoughts, though she
was really just replying to James. Actually, getting caught up in her own thoughts, Amnesia had
missed a bit of what he said, her eyes distant as they stared more through him than actually
seeing her friend. She pulled herself back to reality in time to hear him call her nice, however,
and the resultant smile was like a flower flourishing under the warm radiance of the sun. "Thank
you! I try to be!" she replied happily.
 "I just can't win, can I?" He asked, releasing a sigh. "You can think whatever
you want, I guess. Can't stop you there." He was getting tired of fighting this out with her. They
weren't actually fighting, but, still.

"So… you just randomly met her in the forest? Singing and dancing around a fire?" These
questions of his were beginning to get old. If he were the one being asked so many questions, he
would get annoyed very easily. Yet, she had asked plenty of questions and he had been just fine
with those. Those had been on other things, not, 'how did you get another person in your head
and where is the person that did it', unlike most of his more recent questions. They weren't in the
same situation, but, still.

"If I'm going somewhere, than I may as well take you." He would have crossed his arms had she
not been hugging on to him. They were just completely ready to disagree with each other,
weren't they? "Besides, do you really think she would be willing to help you after all that's went
on?" This was less of a question and more of something he knew. She probably wouldn't be
much help if she could help her, anyhow.

When she responded, his head moved up and down slightly, taking the form of a nod. "I can tell!
You've been trying to help me as long as I've been here." Even if she wasn't very heavy, her
weight was somewhat like an anchor to him, keeping him on the ground and steady. It didn't help
him when he needed to cough.

When that happened, which, in that next moment, it did, he moved his hand quickly and placed
his mouth in the crease of his arm, releasing coughs continuously, before he took a breath.
Dropping his arm, he turned back toward her. "Sorry about that..."

Amnesia cast a self-satisfied grin at James. "No, you can't," she said, though
whether she meant it as he couldn't win or he couldn't stop her from thinking what she wanted to
think remained a mystery.
"Mmhmm, and she saw me and asked if I wanted some soup. Soul soup or spirit soup or
something like that. I can't really remember what she called it, but it was good. She was as nice
as you," she told James. Though she didn't say so, she was starting to get a bit tired of all the
questions about Rosa. It seemed as if he were trying to figure something out, anyway, but as
she'd told him, there was absolutely no way that Rosa had left Amaryllis in her head on purpose.
It had either been an accident, or Rosa hadn't known. She just couldn't have done it on purpose.

As he pointed out that Amaryllis might not be exactly willing to help her, she sighed, shoulders
drooping a bit. Some part of her had already guessed that might be the case, but somehow,
hearing James say it made it more true... more likely. "I don't know... Maybe..." Amaryllis was
pretty mean, which was way Amnesia had doubted if she wanted the voice's help in the first
place.

"But if I'm going with you, you have to promise not to leave me alone, because I won't know
how to get back if you do," she added to her friend suddenly, an edge entering her tone. She was
used to the forest, but not the sort of things in the Strange Wood. They made her nervous, as did
all of the people, which was why she stayed here even though she was curious. She didn't want
to be left alone in a strange place, not knowing how to get back to the welcoming forest.

When he started coughing, and kept on coughing, she hesitantly let go of his arm to look up at
him, giving him a concerned look, her bright blue gaze peering over him and making sure he
wasn't leaking water again. Even though he wasn't, she still got the sense that the coughing
wasn't any good. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything bad. But we should probably hurry
and get you that water." She gave him a playfully accusing look. "You've been distracting me!
Not any longer though!"

"Well, there's no use trying," He replied.

"So, you took soup from a stranger? Is it at all possible that there may have been something in
the soup? Something strange...or, something magic or something? Maybe the soup caused it
somehow," James said, throwing out an idea in her direction. He didn't know it if was possible,
but, there were many strange people at this school, so, there was no surprise if that was in fact
the case.
Realizing she had drooped her shoulders, he parted his lips and let out a small breath. "Well...she
hasn't seemed to be very helpful so far… but, there's no telling, I guess."

He somewhat nodded his head toward her. "Sure, sure. I have no problem with that one. I don't
think I'll leave you alone, but, don't wander off," With that, the coughing began.

At first, it was small, somewhat easily stopped. Than they suddenly became worse, causing his
body to move with him. When he had dropped his hand, he turned back to notice that she had in
fact taken her arms away, and was now staring at him. "I still don't really need water, but, we
may as well head on…" As he said this, he made sure he would not begin coughing once more.

As she accused him, he brought a hand up to his damp chest, placing it there before he looked
toward her with widened eyes, seeming somewhat offended. "Dear old me? Distracting you??
What would even make you think of such a thing?" As he talked, he could not hide the playful
smile slowly tugging on his lips.

As James suggested that the soup may have somehow been to blame for the
unwanted presence in her mind, Amnesia released a small sigh, casting James a look with her
aquiline eyes that could only be described as patient. "Rosa didn't do it on purpose," she insisted
firmly. "And there was nothing wrong with the soup. It was actually pretty good." She went
silent as she finished what she wanted to say, giving off an air that made it abundantly clear that
she didn't wish to discuss the subject any further.

Despite all of his questions, there was nothing he could say that would convince her that Rosa
had done this to her on purpose. He didn't know Rosa, hadn't met her and felt her light and
warmth. And as soon as she could find Rosa again, she would prove him wrong about her.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to wander away. I don't want to get lost in a place I don't know," she
assured him with slightly widened eyes when he even suggested such a thing. Unconscious of
herself doing so, she shook her head, the damp hair she had previously tucked behind her ear
snapping back out to slap against the sides of her face once more, becoming stuck to her cheeks
as it did.

She stopped as he once more denied that he needed water, but if he hadn't figured it out yet, she
wasn't really listening to him on that point. He was leaking water, and that meant he needed more
to replace it, or he'd get sick and die. She was so convinced, much as she was on that matter of
Rosa, that she simply wasn't willing to listen to any arguments.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She was willing to listen; she wasn't, however, willing to accept
any other way of thinking than her own. She settled her hands on her hips as she stared at him,
trying not to smile... though it was a fight she was badly losing. "Because you are! Every time I
try to get us moving to get you some water, you say something, and I forget!"

He might have given a smart reply, or, chided her for taking soup from
strangers, but, he honestly didn't feel like fighting it, physically and mentally. There was that,
and, the stubbornness Amnesia was showing him that made him sigh. "Alright. Whatever you
want to think." Was his simple reply.

This girl had seen too little of the world and still chose to put trust in people. She still chose to
see the good in people, and, more importantly, she saw him as something more than what he
actually was. Honestly, it made him somewhat jealous, speaking since he'd lost the ability to see
the good in things a long time ago. It also made him feel somewhat protective over her. She was
naive, easily swayed to do certain things with no real ability to know what should be trusted and
what shouldn't be trusted in the world. Almost nothing could be trusted in the world or the
people that inhabit it. He was the same way, but, she still chose to trust him. That wasn't the best
move. He barely trusted himself.

"Well, it should be easier to walk you around, then." He replied. "Your hair's back in your face."
He said simply, hand reaching out as he grabbed what he fallen toward her cheek, smoothing it
back behind her ear.

Taking a step back, he mimicked her stance, smile wide on his face. He'd almost forgotten he
could barely stand moments before. It would take a quick movement for him to remember it
again. "I don't know what you mean! I've been doing nothing but trying to get us moving. Hey,
by the way… you did want to get moving and get some water, right?" He asked, holding back his
laugh as the smile changed to more of a smirk, knowing he was proving her point right now.
 Amnesia's head bobbed in a little nod of satisfaction as James gave in. She
hadn't been enjoying all of the questions or having to insist over and over that Rosa was her
friend, so it was nice that they could once again be on the same page. Or at least as close as they
could get, the difference in mindsets being what they were. It was fine that he thought bad things
of Rosa, since he'd never met her and couldn't know, but she was determined to find Rosa again
and clear things up. Then she'd tell James, and all would be well again. She wasn't stupid, and
she could tell who she could and couldn't trust, though others sometimes seemed not to think so.
It was usually actually pretty easy to tell a good person from a bad.

When he pushed the hair behind her ear that had once more stuck to her face, after stating that it
was there, having stuck after she shook her head, she gave him a little smile. "Thank you," she
told him as he stepped back once more. If she didn't know better, she'd say that he seemed
uncomfortable being too close to her, despite that she actually enjoyed being close to him. But he
never tried to push her away, so it was hard to tell.

Seeing him standing there with his hands on his hips like her, she couldn't help the fit of giggles
that escaped because he just looked so funny. She very nearly missed what he said, having to
clap her hands over her mouth to make the noise escaping her stop long enough to listen. She
shook her head again as he finished, though more gently this time so hair didn't slap her in the
face. "You're doing it again!" She insisted as she dropped her hands from her mouth, though she
fought back a smile.

He gave her nothing more than a nod at her thanks. It was all that was really
needed in response, anyway. When she spoke up again, he dropped his hands from his hips.

"What am I doing, again? Something about water, wasn't it?" He asked, head cocked the slightest
to the side as he spoke, trying to force away the amusement trying to surface. He was honestly
somewhat happy she had not attempted to get close again. He would not have fought her, or
made it seem as if he was completely against being near her. It was just the simple fact that he
trusted himself just about as much as he trusted the world and people. Not very much at all.
Anyone other female that chose to get so close, he might have given in and allowed himself to do
certain things. With Amnesia, he would not even allow such a thing to cross his mind.

Watching her as she fought back a smile, he lifted his head slightly up in the air, looking as if he
was thinking. "So... where were we going again?" He asked her. Aside from being quite caught
up in the moment, his focus, along with many other things, had begun to slip from him much
easier than it used to. He would easily lose focus at any point, sometimes it would go so far as
completely blanking out and forgetting what he was going to do, such as what had just happened.
He was honestly surprised it hadn't happened more often while the two of them had been
chatting. It did have to happen eventually, though.

As she was asked what they were doing, Amnesia released a sigh, shaking
her head gently. "Yes, we were supposed to be finding you some clean water since you were
leaking earlier and you don't seem to like stream water," she reminded him in a tone which
contained an abundance of patience.

She only stood back because he had backed up from her earlier, and she didn't want to make him
uncomfortable, him being her friend and all, despite her personal preferences. She guessed he
was probably just a little shy, though that did seem a little odd considering how he'd called
himself handsome earlier. Though she was curious enough to want to ask, she was determined to
keep her mind on track for the moment, and so she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind
to the best of her ability so that she could focus on what she needed to. It was just hard
sometimes, since she was often thinking of many different things or curious about things around
her.

When he asked her where they were going, she blinked, then squinted at him to see if he was
being serious. Seeing that he seemed to be, she finally just shrugged. "You never actually said...
You just said there was clean water and that thing you called a shower." Which he said she
would have to figure out for herself, though she wasn't exactly sure why. Then again, he'd made
it sound like a waterfall where a person could choose how warm the water was, so she wasn't
really sure what in the world she was supposed to make of it.