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Chapter Text

"Doesn't feel real, does it? But now we're finally on our way!"

Vaanu's spirit journeyed home. Time had no meaning to the being, but to the new mind sharing the spirit, it would be quite a long while. "Vaanu?" asked the new one. A name rose, unbidden, into the being's mind: Taylor. "Where...where are we going?"

"Home, Taylor. Where we truly belong."

Vaanu brushed Taylor's mind, which was simultaneously a part of Vaanu and yet not. Taylor was nervous, curious, as to what the future held. That was expected. But somehow, as Vaanu probed deeper, there was a deep root of sadness. Of guilt. Promises broken. Friends left behind. A soulmate abandoned forever. 

Vaanu jerked back at the thoughts. "Why...why?" they asked Taylor. "We move onward. To the future. Why mourn the past?"

"I don't. Leave me." Vaanu felt Taylor's emotions turn inward on themselves, burying the sadness and guilt back beneath its layers of curiosity and acceptance. For the crystal being, though, it was clear these were nothing more than thin walls, unable to truly hide Taylor's feelings from the being they were now a part of. 

Vaanu probed once again. "Please. Do not hide yourself from me. We are one, now."

Taylor's presence recoiled. "You don't understand, not really. You've never had a soulmate."

Vaanu hesitated. There was very little they did not know, but this..."What is soulmate?"

This time, instead of speaking, Taylor drew a memory to the surface of their shared spirit. A hall within a great tree. Friends, human and Vaanti alike, gathered in celebration. A Vaanti warrior speaking words of promise, of vows made, and at the center of it all...was her. Another name arose from Taylor's mind. Estela.

"A human. Like the others?"

"Different. She was...she is special to me. We vowed to be together, and I...I broke that vow. I abandoned her."

Vaanu didn't know how to respond to that. The being pondered the concept. Finally, they thought: "Humans change. Possibilities rise and fall like the tide. In the time you knew, this occurred. But I can help you find closure."

"How?"

"Other timelines. Other possibilities. In seeing alternate times in which you were not...together...I can help you to move on. To accept the future as it is."

Vaanu still did not perceive time. But if they did, they would have felt the mental silence was lasting quite a long time.

"Okay, Vaanu. Show me."

Chapter Text

At the start of the festival, you look around for your friends. Diego and Varyyn are sitting together near the water's edge, gazing at the view in front of them. (Which happens to be each other, since that's what they're both looking at.) You smile at them, especially since your best friend has never looked as happy as he has with the Vaanti leader. You're not quite sure what exactly is going on between them, but you hope it works out. He deserves to find that special someone, and if they happen to be a blue alien, well...hey, why not. You wave to them as you continue wandering through the village.

Raj looks up from a nearby table. "Oh, hey, Tayl--yowch!" he exclaims as Craig pins his arm to the table.

"Chyeah! Three for three!"

"Oh, come on, that's no fair! You know, if this was an eating contest, I'd totally win."

"Oh really? Bring it!" Craig gets up from the table, and comes back a few moments later, arms piled high with Vaanti dishes of every kind. "Let's do this!"

Raj looked surprised for a moment, then went back to his trademark grin. "Alright, bro, you're on!"

You decide to leave them to it. Sean is chatting with a pair of Vaanti about something, Michelle and Quinn are playing with Furball as the neon green fox scampers around trying to freeze their ankles, and the rather unlikely group of Aleister, Jake, Grace, and Zahra are in the center of a crowd of Vaanti, Aleister deftly using a dagger to slice up large blue coconuts that the other three were tossing to him. "Heavens, why did I ever let you talk me into this, Grace?" the tall pale-haired boy says as the Vaanti cheer. 

Jake smirks. "I think we all know why, Malfoy."

"Damn. You're like a ninja," says Zahra, impressed. Grace spots you and waves, and you respond with a conspiratorial wink as you move on.

There's one person in particular that you were hoping to find today, and your eyes scan the village as you seek her out. You allow your gaze to drift higher and higher, until...There. Your eyes meet Estela's from her perch on one of the highest platforms. Immediately your heart soars at the sight and you start trudging up the many, many, many ladders and stairways to meet her.

But when you finally get close, your happiness starts to transform into apprehension. You'd vowed to tell her how you felt once the giant buffalo was defeated. Then once you'd all found the Island's Heart. Then after escaping the Celestial. And most recently, after Varyyn's coronation. But this time, you're out of excuses. With a deep breath, and one final mental rehearsal of your words, you climb the final set of stairs to Estela's platform. 

She looks over at you as you approach. "Taylor!" she says, shocked. "What are you doing up here?"

"Thought maybe I could jump off this tree and fly like a bird if I flap my wings really, really hard?"

She laughs. "Uh-huh."

"Or maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you. Y'know, one or the other." You sit down next to her, your legs dangling off the edge of the platform. In a flash, she scoots over next to you and takes your hand.

"Hey, listen. Taylor. Thanks."

"What for?"

"Everything. You came up here, to sit all lonely with me, when they all look like they'd be way more fun. And I don't just mean this time, either."

You pause, reflecting back on the first time you spoke with Estela, on the rooftop of The Celestial. On that first confusing night after she'd returned to the hotel, everyone was avoiding her like the plague. Diego's suspicion that she wasn't meant to be there had gotten everyone to distrust her right away, but for some reason you'd felt drawn to her. And again, at Raj's party after killing the rampaging buffalo, Estela stood apart from the group, aloof and distant, when you approached her. The utter confusion on her face had been almost comical then. But slowly, day after day, she had learned to trust you. And eventually, it became more than just trust.

"Heh. You're welcome. Us against the world, forever, right?"

The two of you sit in silence for several moments, watching your friends down below. Finally, you gather your nerves and turn to her. "Listen, Estela, can I tell you something?"

"What? Yeah, of course. Why couldn't you?"

Gulp.

"The truth is, Estela, I...you." 

"Um, okay, what?" She looks genuinely perplexed.

"I just want to say that you're...that I'm..."

She raises her eyebrows. "Taylor, are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean no! I mean...Do I think you're thinking what I'm thinking I'm trying to say?"

She giggles. "You're an idiot."

"Guilty."

"Well, Taylor, idiot or not, let me tell you something now." She glances down at the ground for a moment before continuing. "I, uh... I love you."

You're speechless. Completely, utterly at a loss for words. But then, completely on impulse, you lean in closer, wrap her in your arms, and kiss her passionately.

"I love you too, Estela."

She laughs. "Oh, sure, now you can talk. Do I have to do everything?"

"Only if you want to."

After several more intense kissing sessions, the two of you finally stand up to rejoin the others. "So, how should we tell them?" Estela asks. "Subtle, or not?"

"Subtle works for me. Let's just walk in holding hands and see how long it takes them to figure it out."

You reach for her right hand, but she slaps it away. "Left hand, Taylor. Right hand's for my spear."

"You aren't holding your spear."

"No, but I might need to. This is La Huerta, who knows?"

With an exasperated sigh, you cross over to her left side and take her hand. As you approach the main level, hand-in-hand, you see Craig and Raj sitting on a bench facing away from you. You're about to call out to them when you hear your name. "...Taylor? Nah, don't be dumb. They've got, like, seven of us crushing on 'em!"

"Bro, do you even count? Jake, Sean, Quinn, definitely," Craig is saying. "Michelle if you squint a little. That ain't seven!"

"Dude, you forgot Diego!"

"Diego's with that blue dude! Are you blind?" You and Estela share a glance as you sneak closer, trying not to laugh and betray your presence.

"Zahra?" Raj suggests.

"What, hell no, she's not crushing on Taylor in a million years! That's the lamest thing I've ever heard. What the hell, man!?"

"Whoa, calm down, I was just sayin'. You jealous or something?"

"No," Craig says, in the least convincing tone of all time. Estela giggles a little, but luckily neither Raj nor Craig seem to notice. "Fine, so who's number 5?"

"Me!" admits Raj with a grin. "They're a great friend and all, but, well. Point is, Taylor's got plenty of people crushing their way. So who do you pick? Uh, not counting me of course. Much as I'd wanna."

Craig shrugs. "Not Zahra."

"Yeah, we said that already, jealous dude. Me, I'm guessing Jake. Those two have been flirting since the plane."

"What? Bro, you crazy. Quinn, all the way."

Raj looks surprised. "Okay, no take-backs then. That fifty bucks is mine for sure!"

"Keep dreaming. I guarantee Taylor and Quinn will start making out tonight."

"You're on!"

The two of them shake hands and stand up to rejoin the others. After they're a safe distance away, you and Estela look at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter. "They really have no idea, do they?" she says through her laughter.

"I think we should get the fifty bucks in this case, don't you?"

"Heh, probably." Then she pauses for a moment, looking out at the main village floor. "Hang on, I've got an idea."

"Oh?"

She leans in close, whispering in your ear. When she's done, you smile. "This is going to be amazing."

Alone, you casually saunter into the crowd, hoping no one has noticed your absence. A group have gathered around a roaring bonfire, near which Seraxa and Varyyn are reenacting some sort of Vaanti legend, complete with actual weaponry and battles. You catch Estela's eye from the other side of the crowd as Seraxa's character pins Varyyn's character to the ground at blade-point. "And so the Renegade was brought to his knees once and for all," Uqzhaal reads out, "as the brave champion returned to her home, heralded by all as a true hero among the Vaanti." Varyyn and Seraxa both stand up, and all three of them bow before returning to the crowd.

You applaud along with the others. "That was awesome!" shouts Craig, standing next to you.

Diego embraces Varyyn, and the Vaanti warrior kisses his forehead. "Did you like it?"

"Loved it. Steven Spielberg's got nothing on you guys!"

"Steven...who?"

"Ah, never mind."

You wink at Estela, who had managed to get Raj on the other side of the crowd from Craig. Just as planned. She strides out to the middle of the circle before someone else can take the stage, and the others start looking around in confusion. "What's going on, Katniss?" asks Jake. "Something come up?"

"No, don't be silly. I just wanted to show you all something."

"Another clue?" asks Grace.

"Uh, no. Nothing like that. Just this."

On cue, you dash up to her before anyone can react, scoop her up in your arms, and kiss her as hard as you can. But this time, you both keep your eyes open. You watch Raj, mouth wider than you thought it could go, staring in shock. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

Behind you, you hear a simultaneous "WAIT, WHAT, HUH!?" from Craig.

Finally, Estela pulls back. The rest of the Catalysts--and the Vaanti--start cheering, but the two of you can't hold in your laughter anymore. "What on earth is so amusing right now!?" asks Aleister, incredibly lost.

"Raj's face!" you gasp. "I can't believe--what--he looked so--"

"Craig! Like he'd--swallowed a toad--oh my god--here!" She turns and holds out her smartphone, on which is a quickly snapped photo of a wide-eyed and mid-shout Craig.

"It's Zahra's! Ran into her just now."

Zahra extricates herself from the crowd and runs up to the two of you. "Wait, let me see--Holy shit that's amazing."

"IS ANYONE GOING TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" shouts Aleister suddenly.

You smile. "Raj? Craig? Care to explain?"

Realization dawns on Raj's face. "Wait, you knew?"

"Damn right we did," says Estela. "Money's ours now, right? That's how it works?"

"We had a bet," Craig explains to an increasingly perplexed Aleister. "Who Taylor would kiss tonight. We...both lost."

As the two boys reluctantly dig $50 each out of their wallets and hand the money to you and Estela, Aleister holds up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. We are on an island, with no way of getting back to civilization at present, and no one else here besides the Vaanti, who do not use our currency in any case."

"So?" you, Estela, Craig, and Raj ask simultaneously.

"SO WHAT COULD ANY OF YOU POSSIBLY NEED MONEY FOR!?"

Chapter Text

"Protect the Catalysts! The men of the Hydra must fall!" calls Varyyn, drawing twin daggers from his belt and sprinting headlong at the armored troops before them.

Jake groans. "Damn idiots, you're gonna--huh!?" The lead Arachnid, a man wielding a massive arm cannon, is caught off-guard by the sudden charge and fires wildly, the laser nearly scorching Jake's hair. "Oh, hell no." Before you can react, he grabs the pirate cutlass from your hands and darts into the fray!

"Jake!" you cry out.

Armed with nothing but his fists, Sean sprints along the shore of the frozen lake, trying to outflank the enemy, with Craig following close on his heels. "Of all the dumbass ideas..." groans Zahra, rushing after Craig with a knife she'd produced from somewhere.

You and the others hang back, unarmed and unsure of what to do. Out on the ice, you spot Varyyn delivering a flurry of kicks to an Arachnid soldier, then grabbing his arm and twisting the weapon out of his hand. With a final shove, the Vaanti leader sends the soldier sliding backward across the ice, and his weapon in the other direction. The bulky device spins to a stop just in front of where you are standing. You pick it up. "Whoa," says Diego, standing beside you, "is that a flamethrower? On a frozen lake? Why--"

Varyyn sends another weapon, a small futuristic-looking pistol, sliding toward you, and you realize he's doing it on purpose. You decide to keep the flamethrower, and pass the pistol to Diego. "Here," you say. "Let's go save your boyfriend."

Diego nods, lifts the pistol, and the two of you charge forward into the fray. "Wait, what, he's not my--" You just smirk knowingly at him as you approach the enemy.

You spot an Arachnid soldier with her back to you, fighting off Jake and another Vaanti! Rather than risk melting the ice, you decide to slam the flamethrower's barrel into the back of the foe's head and she drops. One of the Vaanti you just saved gasps and points behind you. You quickly duck and turn to see the Arachnid leader, the one with the arm cannon, fire another scorching beam that goes right above your head! The man's eyes light up with recognition. "You! Mystery kid! You're comin' with me to see Rourke," he growls.

"Naktaa!" shouts one of the Vaanti, and he's suddenly in front of you along with Jake, weapons crossed. "The Catalyst shall not be yours!"

"Heh heh, got a death wish, Bluey?" The man charges up his cannon and levels it at the Vaanti. Before any of you can react, he pulls the trigger! ...Nothing happens. "Huh?" Then his eyes roll back in his head and he topples forward onto the ice.

Zahra stands triumphantly behind him, holding up a sparking mess of wires. "Wha--wow. Thanks, Zahra," you say.

"Pff. I don't need thanks for saving your sorry asses."

As she turns and runs back toward Craig, who is grappling with a soldier wearing some kind of exoskeleton, you hear a faint voice in the distance. You turn to see Grace, Raj, Michelle, and Aleister, running frantically back and forth along the shore of the lake! "Guys! GUYS!" Raj is shouting as loud as possible. "GET OUTTA THERE!"

"What?" you call back.

"RUN! THE ICE!"

Startled, you look down at your feet. Hairline fractures are running through the ice all around the battlefield, growing thicker and deeper with each impact from bodies, weapons, and feet hitting the ice. You look back at the safety of the shore, then at your friends and allies still on the ice, and make your decision.

You spot Diego first, hanging on the edge of the battle and firing some sort of laser from his pistol at any Arachnid coming his way. "Diego!" you shout. "Get off the ice! It's gonna crack any second!" He nods to you and sprints back toward the shoreline.

You then grab Jake's arm, and he whirls and nearly slices your head off before recognizing you. "Goddamn, don't scare me like that." You impatiently point to the ground beneath your feet, and he takes one glance and understands. "Good call. Sean! C'mon!" He and Sean follow Diego.

You notice Varyyn and his Vaanti warriors disengaging as well, having realized the danger. You're about to follow them to safety when your eyes are drawn to a patch of broken-up ice chunks farther into the lake, where in the center of a ring of Arachnids lies an unconscious Craig, with Zahra crouching protectively over him. "Come get me, you sons of bitches," she growls, waving her knife threateningly. For a moment, you wonder why they aren't shooting, until you notice strategically-made knife slashes near the magazines of each weapon.

Quickly, you race toward them as fast as your exhausted legs will carry you. With each step, you feel the ice shattering under your feet, but saving your friends is all you can think about right now. Two Arachnids leap over the ring of water toward Zahra, who slashes one's legs out from under him and kicks another into the water. "Zahra! Grab Craig and go! GO!" you call out. At the sound of your voice, the Arachnids all turn in unison toward you, raise their now-useless guns like clubs, and charge you. I didn't think this one through...

The heavily-armored soldiers' pounding footfalls draw closer. You instinctively start to leap out of the way, then at the last minute--

CCCCRRRRAAAACCCCKKKK!

"Oh, shit--"

And your world becomes cold and dark.

The first thing you're aware of is something soft and itchy on your face. You blink open your eyes and see a mass of yellow fuzz obscuring your entire vision. "Huh?" you groan, and at the sound of your voice, the thing on your face leaps up and darts a few feet away.

You rub your eyes and roll over, and it takes you a few moments before you recognize that strange ice-fox from the shelter, so long ago, looking at you quizzically. "Mrrrr?" it says. Behind it is the warm glow of a campfire.

"Oh, hey, little guy. Where've you been all this time?" you ask. The fox purrs again but offers no explanation.

Not that you really expected it to. But this is La Huerta, so you probably wouldn't have been too surprised.

On instinct, you scoot closer to the fire, wrapping the blanket around you. Your clothes are dry, somehow, but it's still impossibly cold for such a tropical island, just like the rest of the area. You look around to see who might have made the fire or brought you the blanket, but you see no one but yourself and the fox. "Okay, something tells me this wasn't all you," you say to it. "Hello? Jake? Michelle? Sean?"

There is no answer but your own echo. "Zahra?" you try again. "Craig?"

Still no response.

"Aleister? Grace? ...Graleister?" you add on instinct, as everyone had taken to calling them that lately. "Quinn, Raj, Diego, Varyyn, ANYONE!?" You wait impatiently, but still, no one responds. The isolation and confusion grows overpowering, and you feel frozen tears appear on your cheeks. Even with everything that had happened since arriving on the island, you had never been completely alone. Not like this. There was always Diego, or Jake, or Quinn, or somebody there with you.

The fox seems to sense your despair and curls up in your lap. Absently, you stroke its fur. "At least you're here," you say quietly. "What the hell happened to me?" You shiver in the cold, and decide to scan the horizon, hoping. A hint of green, indicating the sharp line where the strange winter climate ends. The tip of a rooftop, marking the resort lodge where you'd all celebrated Halloween that one night. Any sign of a destination, a direction, something that might lead you back to your friends or at least anything other than frozen wastes. But the horizon reveals nothing but snow and ice as far as you can see.

"What the hell, island?" you shout angrily, startling the fox. "What the actual hell do you want with me!?"

The exhaustion, despair, and cold all suddenly catches up to you at once, and you no longer have the energy to shout or think or do anything. Frightened and alone, you collapse once again, drifting into the soft oblivion of sleep.

This time, when you return to consciousness, you open your eyes to see a mass of blue-green fuzz obscuring your entire vision. "Why's the fox blue now?" you mumble groggily, remembering the last time.

"You're awake," says a voice, and the smell of cooked meat fills your nostrils. You sit up and the fuzzy thing falls off of your face.

It's a hoodie, not a fox. "Mrmrmr?" asks the fox, still as yellow as ever, sitting beside you.

You look the other way, toward the fire, to see a girl crouched with her back to you, cooking some kind of dead animal in the fire. Her dark brown hair obscures her face entirely, and she is clad only in dark pants and a white t-shirt. "Who--?" you ask. She turns to look back at you, and you find yourself drawn to her deep brown eyes, striking in their intensity. For some reason, she seems familiar, but you can't quite place where you've seen her before. Hartfeld? Someplace else? Then she pushes aside her bangs, and you notice a distinctive scar near her right eye. It's the girl from the plane, you realize instantly. She'd vanished after that first day, and in all the confusion and adventures since, you had nearly forgotten her. But what's she doing here?"

"Estela," she grunts by way of an introduction. "You're welcome."

"Uh, thanks...you saved me?" you ask. Mentally, you smack yourself. Obviously! "I'm Taylor."

She shrugs, continuing to turn the meat slowly above the flames. "Been tracking those soldiers for a while now. Was going to help your friends get back to the resort, but it looked like you needed my help the most. So, here I am."

"Well, I appreciate it," you say, moving closer to the fire. "How long was I out?"

"About a week, far as I can tell with all the weird time stuff happening here."

A week? "And you've been here all this time?"

"More or less. Sometimes I'd leave Zorro here while I went out hunting or scouting."

"Zorro?"

She indicates the yellow fox now snoring contentedly between the two of you. "I found him wandering the jungles near the shore. Since then we've been hunting." Her gaze turns icier than Zorro's breath. "Hunting for Rourke."

Wow, I do not want to get on her bad side, you think to yourself. Out loud, you just ask, "So what's made you so mad at Rourke? Other than the obvious 'everything about this weird place,' I mean." Silence. "Okay, guess we all have our reasons."

The two of you sit in silence for a while, Zorro's snores and the sizzling of the meat the only sounds to be heard. Then, Estela retrieves the meat from the fire, and pulls it off of the spear it was cooking on. "Here, you should eat," she says, holding it out to you.

The aroma is plain, nothing like Raj's incredible culinary masterpieces you'd all been eating since coming to the island, but as hungry as you are it's the greatest smell imaginable. Still... You decide to offer some to Estela first. "You should have some, too," you say. "After all, Raj always eats his own stuff first!"

She pauses for a moment, then breaks into a grin. "He would, wouldn't he? Hah." She grips the sharp end of her spear and uses it to slice several strips of meat, passing some to you and keeping some for herself. "They all seem nice," she says as you eat together. "Like a fun group to spend time with." She sounds almost...sad?

"They are," you say. "I didn't know most of them before this trip, just Diego, really. But now I'd say every one of them is a good friend." A thought strikes you. "Has it just been you and Zorro all this time?"

She gazes down at the permafrost beneath her ankles and sighs. "I came here on a mission. Like I said, I'm here to hunt Rourke. I was expecting you'd all just stay at The Celestial, drinking and partying or whatever, safe while I went after him."

"Wow," you say softly, unsure of what else to do. "Uh, sorry that didn't happen."

Another long silence. "To be honest, I've been...don't take this the wrong way, but I've been watching you. All of you. In spite of myself, I was impressed. Especially with you, Taylor."

"Me?" you ask, surprised. "Sean, or Jake--"

"--are a pair of macho idiots. Good people, hearts in the right place, but it was you who kept everyone focused on what was really important back at The Celestial."

Back at The... "How long have you been watching me?"

At this, Estela blushes and looks away for a moment. "Well, you know, I had to be aware of...couldn't let you become a distraction...I mean! Um!" she suddenly stammers out, sounding not at all like the same person you were just talking to a moment ago. "All of you, not just you, Taylor, everyone was a distraction. Blundering through the jungle, waking up every predator for miles, that sort of thing. Nothing really emotional."

"I didn't say anything about 'emotional.'"

She clears her throat. "Right, well, anyway. I'm gonna go get some...we need fresh water. I'll be back." She abruptly stands and starts to walk off, and you decide not to mention the fact that there's meltable snow literally everywhere around you. As she walks, you notice her wrap her arms around herself and start shivering.

"Estela!" you call out, holding up what is presumably her hoodie. She strides back over and snatches the hoodie out of your hands, brushing away her hair like she's trying to recapture the badass demeanor she'd had before the topic of her watching you had come up. The furious blushing of her cheeks spoils the facade, and you smile to yourself. Maybe it's the relief of not being completely alone, maybe it's the way she looked at you, but you suddenly really wish she'd been with you and your friends from the start.

The sun rises and sets three times, but neither of you have any idea how much time is actually passing. You've come to realize on La Huerta that time really has no meaning anymore. Somewhere during one of her scouting expeditions, Estela had returned with an orange heated tent taken from an Arachnid supply truck, making the cold much easier to bear. One sunrise ago, she finally decided you were well enough to move, and you'd followed her across the frozen tundra and up a gradual slope that slowly became a mountain. Though she still refused to share any more about her vendetta with Rourke, you'd passed the time telling her stories about your friends, and sometimes she surprised you with the reveal that she'd been there, watching, when none of you had noticed.

The snow grows deeper and deeper around your ankles, but the peak of the mountain beckons up ahead, tempting with its closeness. "...so Michelle has to do the Heimlich on him, and wouldn't you know, that glowing flower flies out so fast it knocks Grace out cold!"

Estela laughs, shaking her head in amazement. "All for an extra slice of cheese? I can't say I was there for that one, but I wish I'd been! Then what happened?"

"Everyone was kinda standing there in shock, until Zahra gets right up in Craig's face and just...chews him out. I've never heard an entire sentence of nothing but swear words before, but..." You smile at the memory.

The two of you continue to trudge up the mountainside, both gripping the butt of the spear for support. Zorro runs alongside you, scampering back and forth through the snow like he's in his element, which he probably is. Estela's smile falters, and she lets out a sigh. "I wish..."

You wait for her to finish her thought, but she says nothing. "Wish what?" you ask, hesitantly. When at first she doesn't answer, you shrug. "Uh, sorry."

Estela shakes her head. "No, it's okay. I'm just not used to having someone to talk to. It's...it's kind of nice. I guess I just wish, sometimes, I could get to know your friends. They seem like good people."

"Well, why don't you?" you ask. "If you're always around, why didn't you ever say hello or introduce yourself? I'm sure they'd love you." She doesn't respond, and you decide against saying anything more.

Together, you make your way onward and upward for several long moments, without any further talking. Finally, Estela crests the mountaintop, and you follow close behind.

When you reach the top, you pause. Before you stretches a vast, frozen plain, as far as you can see. Some sort of white-furred beast roams around, but at this distance you can't make out what it is. Near the base of the mountain, a familiar building emblazoned with the Rourke Industries logo stands tall, and you can barely see a group of people moving around in front of it. "Well," says Estela from somewhere to your left, "there you go."

You turn to face her and your jaw drops. Estela stands with one foot up on a small rock, her hair blowing in the wind around her as she surveys the surroundings, the sunset framing her features with a warm glow. She's still as disheveled and dirty as ever, from weeks spent outdoors, but somehow, despite all of that, she seems more beautiful than anyone you've ever seen. She catches you staring, and she looks around in confusion. "What are you looking at? Where is it?"

In spite of yourself, you can't help but laugh. "Well I don't have a mirror, so..." you say.

It takes her a few moments to understand, but when she does, she quickly looks away and starts blushing again. "Uh, wow, thanks," she says, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. Then she straightens up and looks away from you. "Right." She stomps her foot down into the snow, and a large metal disc of some kind emerges. "Huh. Figured it'd be a rock, but this works." She nudges the disc toward you, indicating the slope. "Anyway. This'll get you down there quicker."

"What?" you say in shock. "You're not gonna come with me? We're going after Rourke too, you know. Safety in numbers and all that."

But Estela shakes her head. "I can't. I don't...like I said, I can't afford distractions. Not when I'm this close."

"Estela--"

"Taylor." This time, she looks directly into your eyes, with that familiar steely gaze from the first day on the island. "These last few days, or whatever they are, have been incredible. And I'm so glad I met you. You're..." her voice trails off as she searches for words. "You're an amazing person, and maybe some other time, some other place, we could be something. But I can't afford to care. Because the people I love end up getting hurt, and I can't--I mean!" she suddenly says, her tone changing completely. "You know, 'love,' as in...people I care about, not like--well, maybe--"

You're struck by a sudden thought. Love? You decide that, yes, maybe there is some deeper connection between yourself and Estela. Thinking back to the first few days at The Celestial, before the fiasco with the sea monster attacking the hotel, you recall Diego trying to play matchmaker, as he tended to do. But it never felt right with any of the other students on the trip. You hadn't ever felt that spark that you're starting to feel now, with Estela. If she had stayed with all of you from the start, would you have possibly--?"

Before you can finish your thoughts, Estela yanks on your sleeve. "Taylor! There!" She points down the mountainside, and you follow her gaze to where a pair of massive, white forms are approaching your friends by the resort! "Change of plans, let's go."

"What are you--aaah!" you shout.

Estela tugs you down, hard, onto some sort of metal disc that she kicks up from beneath the snow. She climbs into your lap and uses her spear to propel the makeshift sled out onto the slope, Zorro clinging to her head. You're barely able to wrap your arms around her waist before you're off, picking up speed along the steep snowy slope. Estela deftly maneuvers with her spear, dodging boulders and keeping on a straight course toward your friends. "Polar bears!" she calls out, and you squint your eyes to see that the creatures attacking your friends are indeed polar bears, but gigantic. At least 20 feet tall. "Hang on!" She leans forward, into the wind, and you do the same.

You're more than halfway down when the sled catches on a drift of snow, sending it flying up into Estela's eyes! "Taylor! I'm blind!" she calls out. "Left or right?"

You tilt your neck so you can see ahead, and spot a fallen tree trunk to your right! "Go left!" you call out. She shoves her spear to the right side, and your sled dodges left, narrowly missing the trunk.

A massive snowdrift looms up on the left! "Go right!" you shout, and she again dodges the obstacle.

On the right, you see a smooth rock in the shape of a ramp! "Go right!" you yell, "there's a ramp!"

"This is going to be rough!" she calls out as she maneuvers the sled to the right, barely in time to catch the ramp. As you're about to go over, the two of you lean your body weight back, sending the sled careening into the air, the wind whipping the last of the snow out of Estela's eyes. Below you, you spot one of the giant polar bears advancing on Quinn, who has backed up the wall of the resort. Estela shifts her weight and the sled goes into a spin, plummeting toward the ground and a massive snowdrift below. At the last second, she gathers herself and leaps off of the sled as you hit the drift.

The impact is...surprisingly softer than you had expected. You paw snow out of your face and hastily clamber out of the snowdrift. In front of you is the polar bear that was attacking Quinn, but now you spot a slight figure riding the beast, spear plunging again and again into its flank. "Estela!" you shout, running toward the beast which is ignoring Quinn completely and is now pawing and clawing at Estela. "Hey! Klondike! Leave her alone!" You toss a rock at the bear, but it doesn't seem to notice.

"What the...where the hell have you been?" calls Jake, running up beside you. "Also, the nicknames are my thing." The bear balls its claws up into a fist and punches Estela in the side, and she goes flying off of its back to land in the drift beside the two of you. "Okay, who the fu--" His curse is cut short when the bear lets out an earth-shaking roar and charges toward the three of you, Estela's spear still embedded in its shoulder.

Estela climbs to her feet. "Go! I'll handle this!" she calls out. You open your mouth to protest, but she glares at you. "I have to do this. Alone." She crouches into a fighting stance as the bear advances.

You decide to grab the sled, still beneath your feet. Just as you're about to throw the metal disc, the bear lunges, one massive paw swiping Estela across the side and sending her sprawling. She gets back to her feet once more, but this time you notice three red gashes along her right side. The bear turns again, and is about to attack her once more, and you throw!

"Alright, genius, you got it to attack us instead," snarks Jake as the bear barrels toward the two of you. "What's Step 2?"

"RUN!"

You sprint haphazardly through the snow, stumbling , as the bear draws closer...and away from Estela. You look back at her and she nods in acknowledgement before collapsing. "Taylor!" shouts Jake, several yards ahead of you. "What are you--" Then he stops, eyes wide with astonishment. "Holy..."

A brown-and-white blur suddenly appears atop the bear! As you squint, the blur resolves itself into...Sean, gripping the spear tightly before using all of his strength to shove the blade as far in as it will go! The bear howls in pain, and you watch your friend wrench the spear from its body before falling off of the beast. Then a sudden burst of light lances across your vision, burning a neat patch in the massive creature's fur. You hold your breath, expecting it to attack, but this time the bear turns away from the resort, limping away from the group.

You look around for the second bear, but the only living creatures you can see are your friends, all panting heavily from exertion and fear. "Chyeah, that's right!" yells Craig triumphantly, jogging up to you holding a smoking cannon on his arm. Peering closer, you realize it's the same one the Arachnid leader was carrying at the battle on the ice. "Holy shit, it's Taylor! Guys! Taylor's back!"

One by one, in varying states of injury, your friends approach you, all bombarding you with countless questions. "Uh, guys," says Jake finally, "let's get them inside first."

"Actually, let's all get inside, I've had enough Godzilla bears for one day," adds Diego, limping heavily.

As everyone voices their agreement and turns to head back to the entrance, you wave them off. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

You cross over to where you last saw Estela, and notice a thin trail of red leading away from the spot. You see Estela, at the end of the trail, using her spear as a cane and pulling herself along at a snail's pace. In no time at all you catch up to her. "That was impressive," you say to her. "Thanks."

She shakes her head. "You can go now, Taylor. I got you back to your friends. I'll be fine."

Zorro whines. "Estela, look, even Zorro wants you to stay. You saved all of us. Besides, just look at yourself!"

"It's just a scratch."

"Bullshit. You can barely walk."

"Look, Taylor. I need to do this alone. I told you."

You plant yourself in front of her, no easy task when you're as bruised as you are. "No. No, you don't. We'd all be bear chow if any one of us decided to fight that thing alone, but you, Sean, Craig...maybe even my distractions..." you add with a grin. "It took a team to face it. What makes you think Rourke will be any less dangerous?"

At that, she starts to smile. "Pretty sure he's the most dangerous thing on this whole island," she admits.

"Exactly. We're not distractions, we're friends. Allies. We'll all be willing to help you, I promise."

Still, she hesitates. "I don't know."

"Look. You've got secrets, you've got your mission, your personal vendetta...that's fine. I honestly don't really need to know, and if you never want to tell me, that's completely fine. But I still want to help, regardless."

"Why?"

At that, you stop. You honestly aren't sure. "Truth is, you're special, I guess. From the moment we met, I felt...well, I can't really explain it."

"Of course not. You were unconscious when we met. I had to resuscitate you, and you almost spit water right into my eye!" She laughs and punches you playfully, then winces. "Yikes. I'm hurt worse than I thought."

You decide to offer her your hand. "Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone. Let's get you fixed up."

She hesitates for a moment, then smiles and takes your hand. "Taylor?" she asks tentatively before leaning over and kissing you on the cheek. "Thanks for being you."

You aren't exactly expecting to find an entire audience in the resort lobby, but there they all are, expectantly watching the door. "Finally!" shouts Aleister impatiently. "We were about to give up on you entirely, and--good heavens who is that!?"

Michelle rushes forward immediately. "Grace, the towels, quick! Sean, do you still have that duct tape? Diego, alcohol please!"

"Would you stop wasting all the alcohol?" asks Jake. "At this rate we won't have any left to drink!"

"Shut it," snaps Michelle impatiently. At her urging, you lay Estela's unconscious form down on a towel as the pre-med gets to work cleaning and bandaging Estela's wounds. "So, uh, who am I fixing up here, again?"

You aren't sure how to answer. Luckily, Jake steps in. "She helped us out kicking that bear's ass."

"She saved us," adds Quinn.

"Her name is Estela. Not sure if any of you remember," you explain, "but she was on the plane with us. She had her own reasons for going off on her own, but now she's here. Saved my life after I fell in the ice."

"But can we trust her?" asks Aleister. "For all we know, she could be working for my father."

An awkward silence falls over the group. Finally, Sean says, "Well, she saved our lives. That's good enough for me. I trust her." You smile at him in gratitude for the support as the others voice their agreement, one by one.

"Why don't you all let Estela rest?" suggests Michelle, putting some finishing touches on the makeshift bandages. "We can welcome her to the crew when she wakes up." She stands up and walks up the stairs to the second floor, with most of the others dispersing as well.

Diego lingers for a bit. "That reminds me, we really need a name for our 'crew,'" he says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Just don't let Jake pick," you joke weakly.

The mood dies down as you look back at Estela. Diego gets a sudden, knowing look on his face as Varyyn walks in from the other room. "Diego, there you are!" He looks down at Estela, then at you, then back to Estela, then back to you. "This one fought well against the marituu. You have found quite the mate, Taylor."

"Mate!?" you ask, blushing furiously.

Varyyn turns to Diego. "Was that not the right word?"

Diego smirks at you. "Something tells me that was exactly the right word."

He dodges the punch you throw at him. "Shut up," you say.

"Come on, Varyyn. Let's leave them to it."

You sit by Estela's side, ignoring the pain from your own wounds, until you drift off to sleep.

When you awaken, Estela is sitting beside you, your head leaning against her shoulder. "Morning, Taylor," she says.

You smile and pull her into an embrace. "Quite an adventure we had, huh?" you say. "So, are you gonna stay now?"

She pretends to pull away before laughing and leaning close to you. "I think I might have found a good reason to..." she says. Your faces are nearly touching.

On impulse, you kiss her, your lips coming together for the first time, neither one of you wanting to pull away. Finally, you both pull back for air. "You're not alone anymore," you say softly. "Wherever you go, whatever you need to do, I'm here to help."

"Forever?"

"That's a promise." She kisses you again, and the two of you tumble down off the couch and onto the carpeted floor, laughing and embracing and glad to be alive and glad to have found one another. Somehow, despite having known each other for only a few days, it just feels right.

You're about to kiss a third time when the sound of a plate crashing to the floor snaps you back to reality. You both turn to see an open-mouthed Raj, broken plate of food on the floor in front of him, staring. "HOLY--Wait, is this real life? GET A ROOM, YOU TWO!"

As Raj awkwardly hurries away, you catch Estela's eye and the two of you start laughing. "Well," you say finally, "guess you've met Raj now..."

She stands up and pulls you to your feet. "Guess so," she says, giggling. "Want to introduce me to the others?"

As the two of you head deeper into the resort to meet up with your other friends, she stops. "Taylor?" she asks. "Can I say something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"This might seem a little sudden, but, I think..." She swallows for a moment. "I, uh... I love you."

In response, you say, "I think...I love you too, Estela."

Chapter Text

"I... feel cold..." Estela gasps.

The Watcher locks eyes with you, and once again you hear his words echo in your mind. "It was...She resisted," his voice says. "It was not meant to end like this for her."

You hold Estela's hand, which is already growing cold. Tears well in your eyes, blurring everything around you. "Don't leave me, Estela," you sob. "You can't leave me."

Her eyes flutter open weakly. "There's... so much... I never got... to do..." she says, her voice barely a whisper. "But at least I... got to spend... one night... with..." The light in her eyes goes out. Emotion overcomes you and you can do nothing but sob, cradling her in your arms.

"This changes nothing," the Watcher's voice echoes in your head. "You must come." He puts a hand on your shoulder.

You react instantly, tearing at him, striking his face! Enraged, blinded by tears, you punch him, again and again, rage clouding your vision. In fact, you can almost hear a faint, garbled voice, as if heard through a voice changer, calling: "The necklace, Taylor! The necklace!" You and the Watcher continue to grapple. You block out the strange voice from your mind, even as it grows increasingly louder and more frantic. "The NECKLACE, you idiot! Would you just GRAB THE GODDAMN NECKLACE ALREADY!?"

Then the Watcher pauses in your fight to look up, and you realize the voice wasn't a hallucination. Behind you, framed in the doorway, stands a figure in a red spacesuit, one that you vaguely remember from your dreams. It suddenly occurs to you that the figure is in the closet doorway, not the door to your room, and you wonder how they even got inside. "The Endless..." gasps the Watcher, immediately leaving you to bow before the figure.

"Varyyn, can you give Taylor the necklace, please?" the spacesuited figure asks.

"How...how do you know my name?" asks the Watcher.

The figure throws up its hands in frustration, and you notice one of them is artificial. "Do you have any idea how many times I've watched this battle happen? How many ways? Varyyns keep killing Estelas and I am absolutely sick of it. This is NOT happening again. Absolutely not! Now please, just hand Taylor the necklace, we can rewind space-time, and pretend this never happened. Because it's NOT. HAPPENING. AGAIN."

You stare blankly through your tears for several seconds as you try to comprehend what the figure just said. "'Pretend this never happened?'" you echo. "So Estela won't...she won't have to..."

"Yes! Exactly," says the astronaut, or whatever they are. "Estela is surviving this time, dammit, I am not putting another alternate me through that pain. Absolutely, positively, NOT."

"Wait, 'alternate me?' What did you--?" you ask.

"Uh, I didn't say that."

"Yes you did."

"Nope," the figure says, as Varyyn glances back and forth between the two of you in confusion. "Look, just give them the necklace already, so I can leave, and we can be done with all of this. Okay?"

"Wait, then why are you here, Endless? What has brought you to grace me with your presence?" asks Varyyn.

Despite the expressionless faceplate, you somehow tell that the astronaut is getting more annoyed by the minute. "Because this keeps happening, and each time I have to figure out increasingly absurd ways to stretch the space-time continuum in order to fix it. And I'm sick and tired of it. Just give them. The damn. NECKLACE."

Varyyn still looks confused, but he unlatches the blue crystal necklace from around his neck and passes it to you. "I do not understand, but thank you, Endless."

"About time. Now. Taylor, you'd better just grab that thing next go-around or I will be very upset. I really don't want to have to do this again, understand? Hell, if it wasn't for this anti-paradox suit I'm wearing I couldn't even be here right now."

"Anti-what now?" you ask.

"Shush. I'll get to that part some other time. Now touch that crystal, think about Estela, and don't screw it up this time, understand!?"

"Uh...okay." You grasp the crystal tightly and think of Estela smiling, entwined with you in bed...

"Finally," the Endless whispers to no one in particular, watching the events flash back to Taylor and Estela in bed. "Okay, things are set. Taylor should end up grabbing that crystal all future timelines involving the Vaanti attack."  Their work finished for now, the figure vanishes into the space-time continuum as easily as they had come.

You find yourself back in bed with Estela. You blink, confused, as memories of the encounter with the strange astronaut fill your mind. "You're quiet," Estela says. "You're weirded out by me, aren't you?"

"By you?" you say. "No. Listen, Estela...do you trust me?"

Estela smiles. "I would think that's obvious at this point."

You quickly lead her over to the closet and shut the door, just in time to see the Watcher--Varyyn, was it?--leap through the window. Estela gasps but says nothing, waiting for the blue alien to leave. When he finally does so, you both let out the breaths you'd been holding and emerge from the closet once more. "Listen, this is going to sound crazy," you explain to her, "but I...I watched you die."

"What?" she asks, shocked.

"That Watcher jumped in and killed you. And then some person in a red spacesuit showed up and...well, to be honest, I'm not sure what they were ranting about, but they were pretty upset about something. And then they demanded the Watcher give me his necklace, which he did, and then I grabbed it and thought about you, and it brought me back to before it happened. And...well, that's it."

Estela pauses, trying to take in what you just said. Finally she shrugs. "I'm glad I'm still with you, whatever happened," she says. "This island is weird. I believe you."

Relief floods through you. "You...you do?"

"Of course. Not even Raj on his worst trips could make up something that bizarre."

"..."

"Now help me find my clothes. We need to warn the others."

You rush over to the side of the bed and fish around in the dark for her jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie. She catches the clothes as you toss them to her, but pauses for a moment. "Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"All this stuff happening here...the time warps, or whatever they are, the weird astronauts, the blue people...I don't really understand any of it. So thanks for being here."

"I don't understand it either, to be honest--"

"No, not that," she says. "You. Being here. I may not understand all this, but I understand you. And I know we're here for each other in all of this."

"Oh?" you ask teasingly, raising an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because, well..." she stammers. "I, uh... I love you."

You cross the room and scoop her up into your arms, holding her tightly. "And I love you, Estela," you whisper into her ear. "Always."

Chapter Text

You leap into the air and intercept the volleyball, sending it back over the net straight toward Varyyn!

"Varyyn! Spike it!" Diego shouts urgently.

But to everyone's surprise, Varyyn grabs one of his daggers from the belt around his waist and stabs the ball! "Spiked it!" he calls out triumphantly.

There is a momentary silence. You, Sean, and Diego all exchange confused glances...and then burst out laughing. "Oh my god! Varyyn," Diego says between laughs, "I didn't mean that literally!"

"Oh. But you said 'spike it,' so I thought..." says Varyyn, looking dejectedly at the now-deflated volleyball. "I am sorry, Diego." If it weren't for his blue skin, you're almost certain he would be blushing right now.

Sean shrugs, flashing Varyyn a reassuring smile. "It's all good, dude. There's more volleyballs here where that one came from. But I think you might want to let Diego explain the volleyball terms to you before we play again."

Diego chuckles. "Um, yeah, I probably should. So, in volleyball, 'spike' means..."

You leave the beach volleyball area by The Celestial's pool and sit down on a lawn chair. Sean joins you. "Nice to have some downtime for a change, isn't it?" he asks. "No weird monsters, or time fields, or random space station portals..."

"Heh. Yeah. Almost feels like a normal vacation, for a change." You sigh, dwelling on the memories of your recent terrifying escape from Rourke's satellite. "Sean?" you ask.

"Taylor?"

"How do you do it? Relax completely, I mean." You hold your head in your hands, emotions threatening to overwhelm you. "Everything that's happened since we got here...it's been impossible, the things we've seen. How can you just forget all of that?"

Sean shrugs. "It's not about forgetting, Taylor," he says after a brief silence. "You just gotta take it a day at a time. I enjoy each new memory as it comes, you know?"

Enjoy each memory as it comes...Sean's words seem to resonate with you. "Guess I never thought about it that way before," you say. "Thanks, Sean."

He smiles at you. "Anytime." Then he stares off toward the beach, where Diego is slowly, but surely, teaching Varyyn about volleyball. "Y'know, Taylor, you're pretty lucky, all things considered," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Estela. Just like those two over there--" he gestures toward Diego and Varyyn, "--you two have something special. You gotta learn to appreciate that."

Almost immediately, you feel your cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. "Uh, wait. What? That's not...who said...we're not..." you stammer nervously.

Sean laughs. "Are you serious right now? You do know 'Esteylor' is the absolute worst-kept secret on La Huerta, right?"

"'Esteylor?' Who came up with that?"

"Uh...Diego."

Of course. "Umm, right, anyway," you say, desperate to change the subject. "How about you? Anyone you're interested in?"

"What? Well, I...uh..." Luckily for Sean, he is saved by Estela's sudden arrival by the pool. "Oh, look, your girlfriend's here; guess that's my cue to leave!" he says, standing up abruptly. "Hey, Estela, have fun tonight!" Sean winks at her as he walks back toward The Celestial's back entrance.

You watch as Estela picks up a lawn chair and shoves it as close as possible to your own before sitting down next to you. "Taylor. Hey," she says, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "So, uh...how's it going?"

"It's going fine, I guess," you say, smiling at her. "You missed Varyyn stabbing a volleyball."

She laughs. "Sorry, what? This I've got to hear."

You tell her all about you, Sean, and Diego attempting to teach the Vaanti leader how to play the game, and the result. Estela's laugh is infectious. "...So we've definitely got a long way to go with him, yet," you finish. "Varyyn still doesn't really understand slang."

"That's hilarious. Wish I'd come out here sooner, in that case."

"What were you up to, anyway?" you ask. "I tried to find you earlier."

Estela shrugs. "The Celestial is huge, after all. I was checking out the upper floors none of us are using. I'd hoped there might be some more secret rooms, or hidden passages, or...you know, something."

"So, did you find anything?"

"Nope. Just some perfectly ordinary hotel rooms." Her face falls.

You smile and shake your head. "Estela. It's okay. We're safe for now. Don't you ever take a day off?"

"A day off? From what?"

"I know things have been pretty strange around here lately, but look around you!" You gesture to the beach around you, stretching directly from The Celestial's back door all the way to the ocean. Diego and Varyyn on the sand, laughing about something or other. Michelle and Quinn on beach towels, sunbathing side-by-side. Raj sitting under an umbrella, wolfing down a plate of mini sandwiches he'd presumably made himself. Craig and Sean running in and out of the water, tossing a football back and forth. "We've all earned a few days to relax. The Vaanti are on our side now, Arachnid is out of the picture, and that giant kraken thing won't be bothering anyone anymore." You pause, remembering. "Thanks to a certain badass named Estela."

She smiles at the compliment. "It wasn't all me. This incredibly attractive 'Taylor' person helped me out, too."

You can't help but laugh. "Ha. Guess it was a team effort. But seriously, Estela, it's okay to take a day off. Any other mysteries to solve will still be there tomorrow. Let's just relax tonight, huh?"

"I know. You're right," Estela says with a sigh. "I just feel like...like I can't afford to waste even one day, you know? We've been here for months, now, and I'm still no closer to finding Rourke!"

You take her hand in yours. "I know how important this is. But like I said about the island's mysteries, any clue to Rourke's location will still be there tomorrow. Plus, if you don't give yourself time to relax, you won't be at your best when we do find him. It's important to take care of yourself, too."

"'We?'" she echoes.

"Well, yeah. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm going wherever you go. And that includes fighting Rourke. You don't have to do it alone."

"You really are one interesting person, Taylor. You know that?"

"Someone might've mentioned it...once or twice." You shrug. "Come on. Let's just go."

As you stand up and hold out your hand to her, Estela looks up at you quizzically. "What? Go where, exactly?"

"Oh, I dunno. Someplace we can go, just the two of us. Do you trust me?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this. But yes, Taylor. I trust you."

Estela takes your hand and you pull her to her feet, making your way over to the back gate before casually unlatching it and slipping outside. Thankfully, no roaming crabs or other strange beasts appear in your path to cut your impromptu date short. You lead her further from The Celestial, staying close to the shoreline as you make your way north beneath the rapidly darkening sky. Thanks, Varyyn, you think to yourself, remembering the elyyshar's suggestion about the spot you were now leading Estela to. As the two of you navigate the tangles of trees, vines, and other plant life, the jungle starts to gradually light up with bioluminescence all around you. "It's almost a shame to cut through it," Estela remarks as you come to a particularly dense patch of thorny vines, dotted with small glowing flowers, blocking your path.

"It'll be worth it, though. I promise," you say as she unlimbers her spear and, with a few quick cuts, opens a path for you to proceed.

Eventually, the jungle gives way to a rocky outcropping that overlooks the beach. Behind you, the top of The Celestial is barely visible over the treeline, the Rourke International sign obscured completely. Up ahead is a prominent area of cliff jutting out from the rest, extending completely beyond the beach and out over the ocean. You spot a wooden bench, clearly of Vaanti craftsmanship, at the edge of this cliff and facing the water. "There it is," you say, and glance nervously toward the horizon. "Just in time, too."

"Just in time for what?" asks Estela as you take her hand again.

You smile. "No better place to watch the sunset. Well, according to Varyyn, anyway." You sit, side-by-side, on the Vaanti bench and look out across the water. "I figure he'd know all the best spots on this island. Seeing as he's lived here his whole life, and all."

"Well, you're probably not wrong. I'm guessing the Vaanti come here often, if they'd leave furniture."

"Guess so."

You gaze toward the rapidly setting sun, painting the water with beautiful shades of red, orange, and purple. "Taylor," she says, "this is amazing. I'm glad I let you take me here."

"I'm glad, too. This might sound crazy, but lately I've been thinking. A lot. ...Mostly about you."

"Oh? What about me?" Estela asks, a hint of coyness in her voice.

You gulp nervously. "Just...everything, really. The adventures we've been on, the little moments we've shared, I just...I know we're stranded here, and things have been pretty rough. But given the choice, I'd get on Jake's plane every time, if it meant getting to meet you."

"Taylor, that's...I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me." She sighs, and there's a long silence between the two of you as the sun sinks lower. Somehow, though, it doesn't feel awkward in the slightest, but instead, comfortable.

Several moments pass before Estela speaks again. "Taylor. Back at Hartfeld, people hated me." You aren't quite sure how to respond to that. "I could hear the others talking, especially since they never bothered to try to hide it. They thought I was some kind of...freak. They didn't understand me, and were all terrified of me as a result." She smiles weakly. "I'd almost convinced myself that it was a good thing. That, by letting them be afraid of me, I'd somehow 'won.'" She scoffs and looks away from you. "Like I said. I'd almost convinced myself."

A surge of anger wells up in your heart toward the other Hartfeld students who'd treated her this way, and you wrap your arm around her shoulders protectively. "Estela...I'm sorry. What a bunch of assholes."

"Thanks." Another long moment passes before she looks back at you, a single tear running down her cheek. "Yeah. They really were. I had my mission, had my job to do, and I told myself it didn't matter. And then I came here, and at first it was more of the same. Hell, I left the group right away, on purpose, just so I wouldn't have to go through all that again."

You can't blame her. "To be honest, with what you'd been through before, I probably would've done the same. But I'm glad you came around. What changed?"

"That night. The party. Everyone was down there, having fun, laughing, drinking...like all the college parties I'd ever been not invited to. Everybody was having so much fun, except me, sitting off by myself, alone. But you chose to sit by me instead." She smiles tentatively, and you smile back, pulling her in closer. "I never asked. All the games and fun at the pool...why did you choose me, that night?"

The question catches you entirely off guard, and you struggle for a bit to come up with a response. "To be honest," you say after a moment, "parties are nice and all, but sometimes I just really prefer some peace and quiet. And you definitely intrigued me in all the good ways. Guess I just felt comfortable with you."

The sun is nearly at its zenith, but neither of you are really watching it. "Taylor..." says Estela softly, looking into your eyes. "I..."

"Yes?" you ask.

But Estela doesn't say a word. Instead, she suddenly wraps her arms around you and pulls you in, kissing you softly on the lips!

She pulls away quickly, embarrassment written on her features. She averts her gaze. "I...oh my God, I can't believe...I'm so sorry, Taylor, I swear I didn't...never meant to--" You cut her off by gathering her into your arms and returning the kiss, holding it for several seconds this time.

When you finally break apart, Estela's eyes are watering, and you feel your own eyes starting to do the same. "Hey. You're...."

She sniffs, and wipes away a tear. "I just--I don't know why I did that! Taylor, I was so afraid. I don't even know where that came from."

You laugh, in spite of yourself. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you did. This is officially the best day of my life."

Relief washes over Estela's features as she pulls you in for another kiss. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. This spot, especially. I mean, as long as I was going to suddenly kiss you...this is a pretty great place for it."

You look back toward the horizon. The sun is completely gone. "Really? But we missed the sunset! That was the whole point of coming here," you say, dejected.

"It'll still be here tomorrow," she says. "Besides, we've...uh...well, we've kissed now."

"Guess we have, haven't we?" You can't help but smile out of pure happiness. "Wow."

"Well, uh...considering it's officially nighttime now, think we should be heading back?" Estela asks.

"Yeah, that's probably smart. I'd really rather not run into any weird monsters or anything in the dark. I mean, who knows with this island?"

You both stand up. Just as you turn back toward The Celestial, a sudden light appears out of the corner of your eye, and you turn back to face the ocean. Your jaw drops. There is Estela, framed by the...sunset? Sunrise? Weird-backwards-sun-thing? You aren't sure what to call it, but the sun is back, just barely above the horizon, frozen in that singular moment between evening and nightfall. "I don't believe it," says Estela breathlessly. "How...?"

"La Huerta continues to amaze me," you say to her. "Guess we didn't miss the sunset after all."

"Guess not. I'm glad I'm spending it with you."

There, illuminated by the impossible reverse-sunset, the two of you kiss once more, neither one of you willing to break away until you're both forced to come up for air. "Estela, you're incredible," you say. "I love you."

"What?" she asks, momentarily shocked. "I, er...I mean, of course."

"'Of course?' What's that supposed to mean?" you ask her, shoving her playfully.

She laughs and wraps you into a tight hug. "It means...well, it means I, uh... I love you."

You kiss her softly on the forehead. "Somehow I thought so."

"Shut up," she teases, but she can't manage to wipe the infectious grin off of her face as you take her hand in yours once more. "Let's just get back to the others. For real this time."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," you say, glancing over at the sun. "That thing could reverse again any second, for all we know."

"True. Also, let's keep this a secret from the others for now, huh?" She holds up your conjoined hands for emphasis.

You decide not to tell her that 'Esteylor' apparently wasn't really a secret to begin with. "Sure. My lips are sealed. But can I at least thank Varyyn?"

Estela seems to ponder this for a long moment. "Well, seeing as that place had some kind of magic, sure, why not."

"Wait, magic?"

"Well, yeah. There must have been some kind of magic, to make me kiss you all of a sudden. I'd sort of hoped you would, but I'd never normally have kissed you like that! That was the most terrifying moment of my life."

"You had nothing to be afraid of. It was the most amazing moment of mine," you reassure her.

This time, when the two of you kiss, there is no awkwardness, fear, or uncertainty whatsoever. Just a feeling that for this one moment, all is right in the world.

Chapter Text

"Taylor, you're completely insane."

You glare at Jake. "Don't they mean anything to you!?" you demand, looking around at your friends one by one.

Michelle shrugs. "Of course we care, Taylor. I'll admit I was never the biggest fan of either of them...still, they were part of the group." She sighs and looks down at her feet. "But attacking The Celestial? You heard Varyyn's scouts, that place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox. You'd just get yourself killed."

You think of Estela at the mercy of Rourke and his henchmen, and your gaze hardens. "So you want me to just do nothing ? Like hell I will!"

"Taylor, Michelle's right, you'd just--" Sean starts to say.

"No! No, I'm done with this, okay? I'm gonna save them, or die trying, understand? With or without any of you." Before Sean, Michelle, Jake, or any of your other friends can say a word, you storm out of the audience chamber of Elyys'tel angrily.

Frustration and anger cloud your vision as you wander through the Vaanti city, neither knowing nor caring where you end up. You keep climbing, up and up the massive tree, until finally you arrive at a large platform jutting out from the highest branch. Though it's too far away to actually see, you gaze southward in the direction of The Celestial, tears blurring your vision. "Dammit, Rourke, you BASTARD!!" you shout at the horizon, slamming your hands into the railing. "You...son of a..." Finally you slump to the floor, overwhelmed by hopelessness.

You aren't certain how much time passes. Five minutes? An hour? Half a day? Does it even matter anymore?

"Taylor?" You recognize Grace's voice as she approaches. "Are you--"

"No, Grace, I'm not okay," you mutter. "How could I be? It should've been me he captured...It should've been me."

You both stare in silence for several minutes before Grace speaks again. "Um, Taylor...that's not what I was going to ask. I was wondering..." She looks down and sighs. "I was wondering if you were ready to go yet."

"Go?" you echo. "Go where?"

She smiles faintly. "The Celestial, where else? I'm not giving up on Aleister any more than you are with Estela. Even if the others think it's impossible." She shrugs. "I was thinking about what you said this morning, and you're right, we can't just do nothing. I may not be the strongest or the most useful member of our group, but I'll do whatever I can."

You shake your head. "It's true neither of us are the strongest, but you're definitely one of the smartest, Grace. And even if it's just the two of us, I think we can do this."

Grace shyly looks down at her feet. "Thanks, Taylor. Also, looks like you'd better make that 'the three of us.'" She gestures behind you, and you turn to see a familiar zebra-striped fox watching you from the other side of the platform. "You coming too, Furball?"

"Mrooooow!" says Furball affirmatively.

Hope begins to swell in your heart as you stand up, glancing once more in the general direction of The Celestial. Estela, Aleister...hang on. We're coming.

Arachnid troops patrol the perimeter of the hotel, now sealed up tight with defensive shutters. You, Grace, and Furball watch, hidden behind a dense patch of ferns. "I count five...no, six soldiers," Grace whispers. "Plus who knows how many more inside."

"Right. We need to get in and get out, fast," you reply. "Any way to tell where Rourke's holding them?"

"The rooftop, if I had to guess? Unless you see some kind of clue that might give us a hint?"

You survey the area carefully. You choose to focus on...a large leaf on a windowsill. "What about that leaf?" you ask, pointing it out to Grace. "Does that mean anything, do you think?"

She squints. "I'm not sure, but it might be...Can you get me closer? I need to check something."

It's not going to be easy, but you trust Grace, so you agree. "We'll need to get past those guards," you say. Two Arachnid soldiers are standing at opposite ends of the building, each with patrol routes that take them directly past the windowsill in question. "What do you think?"

She watches for a moment, counting to herself, as the guards continue walking back and forth. "Okay, looks like the guard on the right walks away from the window about every six seconds. The other guard walks away every twelve seconds. We're gonna have to time this right."

You nod and watch the guards carefully. One...two...three...four...five...six seconds! You stay where you are, watching the guards walk by. Seven...eight...nine...ten...eleven...twelve seconds! You run, quickly! Grace sprints toward the window and you dodge to the side, scooping up a rock and tossing it in the other direction. "What the hell was that?" asks one of the guards, moving toward the source of the noise and away from Grace. The remaining guard stays put. "I thought I heard something..."

Holding your breath, you watch as Grace grabs the leaf and examines it closely. Finally, she starts sprinting back toward the jungle and gestures for you to follow her. Once the both of you are safe, she holds out the leaf to you. "Look at this!" she gasps excitedly. "Do you know what it is?"

"A...leaf?" you guess.

"Not just a leaf, this is the same one that healed Aleister's hand, remember?" She gestures wildly toward the leaf. "These markings, the angle of the veins and the shape...it's definitely the same kind. He must have known I would recognize it!"

It still looks like any other leaf to you, but you decide not to mention that. Instead you say, "Okay, so what did he want you to know? Why would he leave this?"

Grace looks down at her feet. "I...to be honest, I'm not quite sure. It was just sitting there, by the window to the--"

You both come to the same realization at the same time. "...The restaurant."

You meet Grace back where you started, after having made a full circle around the hotel. You shake your head. "Shutters over all the other entrances. Looks like this is the only way in or out." The two of you observe the main entrance, now defended by thick steel plates and the four Arachnids posted in front of it. "Any ideas?"

"We can't get in that way. Too heavily guarded.," says Grace.

"Don't tell me you're giving up--"

"Of course not! We just have to open up one of the smaller entrances. One where Rourke and his people won't be expecting us. Let me think...." You absently stroke Furball's fur as she mutters quietly to herself. Then she looks down at the striped fox and her eyes widen. "That's it! We use Furball!"

"Wait, what?" you ask.

She gestures toward the thick shutters surrounding the bottom of the hotel. "The shutters are made of steel. Traditionally, steel tends to be created with a largely face-centered cubic structure, which when exposed to subzero temperatures..." She trails off when she notices your glazed look. "Sorry. I keep forgetting you aren't Aleister."

"Gee, thanks," you respond sarcastically.

"Uh, that's not what I meant, I mean...you know! Anyway, the point is, if Furball can freeze the latches on the sides of one of those steel panels, we might be able to break them and release the shutter. We'll have to be quick, though, because those guards will notice sooner or later."

Having no better ideas of your own, you shrug. "Okay, let's do it then. I think the rear entrance by the pool had only one guard; why don't we try there?" Grace nods.

Slowly, quietly, you make your way back around the hotel, until you are hidden just outside the rear entrance. Just as you expected, a single Arachnid patrols the perimeter outside the shutters. Grace scoops Furball up into her arms. "Okay, Taylor, you need to distract him. I'll handle this part."

You turn your attention to the guard. The moment he turns away from the shutters, you run out of the bushes and shout... "Hey! Bugface!"

The guard turns and opens fire, but you're too quick, ducking out of sight back into the bushes. Angrily, he strides toward you, and you spot Grace lifting Furball up to the first latch. "We're spiders, not bugs, idiot!" the guard growls, but you've already circled several yards away from him. At the sound of your footsteps, he turns toward you, completely ignoring Grace. "Get back here, kid!" Once again he opens fire, and you... duck! The bullets fly over your head, harmlessly.

Clink!  Another latch springs free, weakened by Furball's ice breath. The Arachnid turns toward the noise but you quickly chuck a nearby rock at his face. Angered, he whirls on you again, but before he can fire you've closed the distance and tackled him. The two of you wrestle for a moment, and finally you manage to latch onto his gun. With both hands, you hang on, and finally you are able to wrench it away from him. You bash the gun over his head with a resounding crack! as you notice the final latch breaking free. "Uh, wow," says Grace, eyes widening at the sight of the unconscious Arachnid. "Nice job, Taylor."

"You too," you say, gesturing toward the newly-made gap in the shutters. "Should we go inside?"

Having left Furball safely hidden in the jungle, the two of you now creep through the hallways of The Celestial. Everything feels eerily quiet, your footfalls echoing loudly in spite of your best efforts to walk silently. Making your way closer to the restaurant, the two of you round a corner and you suddenly spot a flash of color on the floor. "What is it?" whispers Grace.

You pick up the object: a small scrap of teal cloth, unremarkable at first glance. But you know better. "It's Estela's," you respond. "It must've been torn off of her hoodie. Of course she'd put up a fight," you add, smiling to yourself in spite of the situation.

"I'm guessing Rourke would probably keep her and Aleister together. We're on the right path."

You grip the stolen Arachnid gun tightly as you advance further down the hallway. Soon you're approaching the entrance to the restaurant, and the two of you round another corner to see... "Well. Rourke's made some upgrades," you observe. Two security cameras scan the area around the entrance, and a set of iron bars block the entrance. An automatic gun turret of some kind extends down from the ceiling. "Now what?" You heft the gun experimentally. "Maybe if I hit those cameras...like, right at the same time...."

Grace reaches out and pushes your gun down. "Don't be ridiculous. That would be an impossible shot. Maybe if Jake or someone were here, but as it stands...I've got a better plan, anyway." She pulls you back around the corner and down a side hallway.

"Grace?" you ask. "Where are we going?"

She enters a deserted banquet hall, and having no better ideas, you follow her. Grace quickly strides over to a maintenance closet on the far wall and pulls it open. "Now what was it...Aha! Here!" She touches a spot on the wall, and a hidden door in the back of the closet swings open! "There's a passage from here to the kitchens. It was probably designed to permit staff to quickly bring out the food during large events."

You're impressed. "Wow. How did you find out about this?"

Grace suddenly looks down at her feet, blushing. "Oh. Well...Aleister discovered it not long after we first arrived. He...er...showed it to me during New Year's Eve, and we...."

"Nice to be able to go somewhere private. I understand." Grace nods, staring wistfully into space. "We'll get him back. Even if it's just you and me. We'll get them both back."

"How do you do it?"

The question surprises you. "Do what?"

"That. How do you stay so hopeful all the time, even in such a hopeless situation?" She gestures around you. "Rourke could have a dozen soldiers in there. We could die. Even getting this far was mostly down to luck."

"Luck and skill, Grace. We wouldn't be here without you recognizing that leaf, or figuring out how to release the shutter, or finding this passage. I trust you, and I trust myself, and I know whatever happens, I'd rather be braving whatever dangers Rourke throws our way than sitting in Elyys'tel doing nothing. When it comes down to it, I have to believe things will work out. And they will!"

She takes your hand and gives it a quick squeeze. "I'm glad you're here, Taylor."

"Me too, Grace. Now let's get to that restaurant and kick Rourke in his stupid face." She laughs in spite of herself, and together, you and Grace step forward into the passage.

When you emerge into the kitchen, you are pleasantly surprised to find it deserted. You can hear people talking in low voices from the restaurant proper, but they are too muffled to make out what is being said. "Wait," you whisper urgently, looking around. "We should grab weapons while we're in here."

"Good idea," whispers Grace. She lifts a sizable cast-iron bar and waves it experimentally. You watch her, surprised. "I'm no Estela, but you'd be surprised what I can do when I'm angry," she explains. "And right now, Rourke is making me particularly angry."

"I'm impressed." You look around the kitchen for something that catches your eye. You take a pair of kitchen knives! You use some nearby rope to fashion a makeshift holster for them around your waist, and lift the Arachnid gun. "You ready?"

Grade nods, looking toward the entrance to the restaurant with a steely expression. "On three." She holds up three fingers, lowering them one by one. Finally, at her signal, you channel all of your pent-up anger and frustration and kick the door open.

WHAM!

In an instant, you scan the room for enemies, but the actual sight before you leaves you stunned. There isn't a single Arachnid in sight. Rourke is seated at one of the tables, and at your entrance he glances your way for only a moment, as though your arrival was just a minor annoyance. But the real surprise is those seated at the table with him....

"Estela!?" you ask, shocked.

"Aleister!?" asks Grace, equally shocked.

Neither Aleister nor Estela react to your presence whatsoever. You lift the gun and point it at Rourke. "You have five seconds to explain what the hell's going on before I pull this trigger."

Rourke casually turns in his chair to face you, as infuriatingly calm as always. "Ah, Taylor. And Grace, was it? I do so dislike interruptions. Would you kindly both wait outside?"

You are momentarily confused, but keep the gun trained on Rourke's face. "Let. Them. Go."

Rourke spreads his arms wide to show his empty hands. "They are not prisoners. You misunderstand, Taylor. We were merely having an enjoyable family dinner together before you two so rudely interrupted. Now please, leave us."

You're not sure why Estela is there if this is supposed to be a 'family dinner,' but you have bigger concerns at the moment. Grace takes a step forward, brandishing the iron bar. "Aleister. What are you doing? We need to leave."

As before, neither Aleister nor Estela are reacting at all. "My son," says Rourke, "would you please inform this young woman of the situation?"

At this, Aleister looks up and speaks for the first time. "Yes, Father. We are in the midst of a family dinner. You must leave at once, Grace." His expression is blank, his eyes unfocused. His voice sounds even more monotone than usual.

"We're not going anywhere," says Grace, her voice angrier than you have ever heard it. "Rourke, what did you do!?"

Rourke gets up from his chair, his smug expression never leaving his face. "There, you see? They are here because they wish to be here. You are trespassing and interrupting, but I am a generous man." He withdraws a small control panel from his pocket and presses a few buttons. "I have disabled my defenses and ordered my troops to stand down. You may leave now, and I give you my word that you will not be harmed. But please, stop disturbing my family's privacy."

Before you can respond, Grace suddenly lets out a yell and charges at Rourke, iron bar raised to strike! "Grace, no, wait!" you cry out, but to no avail.

Rourke deftly sidesteps the attack. As Grace recovers and turns back toward Rourke, he gestures toward the table. "Aleister? Please restrain this madwoman."

Grace begins to charge toward Rourke again, but this time, Aleister gets up, standing between her and Rourke. At the sight, she hesitates. "Grace, you mustn't disturb my father," Aleister says in that same robotic voice. He wrenches the bar from Grace's hands and tosses it aside. As he moves to restrain Grace, he briefly turns to the left, and you notice a small metallic device affixed to his left temple, lights blinking erratically.

The sight snaps you out of your confusion, all the pieces suddenly falling into place. "Mind control. You're disgusting, Rourke," you growl. Rourke has only a moment to glance in your direction before you unleash a hail of bullets in his direction.

When the ensuing haze clears, Rourke remains standing, unharmed, a shimmering crystalline shield surrounding him. The shield dissipates. "I tire of this. Daughter, eliminate this intruder, would you?"

Daughter? Your brain has barely a second to process this before Estela has snatched up her spear and is charging straight at you! You block, the spear-tip coming down with such force that it nearly shears through the gun you hold. Sparks fly from the now-useless weapon as she whirls, advancing on you once more. "Estela! Please, it's me!" you call out, but her expression is just as blank as Aleister's, with a device just like his affixed to the side of her head. She brings the spear down once more and it's all you can do to yank out the kitchen knives at your waist, desperately parrying the blow. "Estela!"

"Taylor! Look out!" calls Grace as Estela comes at you from the side, smacking you hard across the face with the spear's blunt end. Dazed, you struggle to get up as she thrusts the spear point-first toward your right side.

You roll left! The spear strikes the carpet with such force that it becomes embedded in the floor. Estela struggles to wrench it free. and you spot an opening. You go for her head, tossing one of your knives aside as you grab the machine on her temple. You attempt to wrench the device free, but she suddenly cries out in pain and you realize the thing is implanted deep beneath her skin. Shocked, you momentarily lose your grip, and she lashes out with a kick that sends you flying to the floor, landing at Rourke's feet. You look up to see his smug face looming over you. You leap to your feet and try to stab him with your remaining knife, but Estela manages to get her spear free just in time and knocks the weapon from your hand with a well-timed block.

Weaponless, you gaze up into her eyes, searching desperately for some sign of the Estela you've come to know so well, the Estela you've been slowly falling in love with every day since coming to the island. But her expression remains more blank than even a robot's. "Estela, please. I love you! Don't--"

She brings the spear down hard just as you barely scramble out of the way, and she starts to march toward you once more. "Taylor! The bar!" shouts Grace, and you spot the iron bar she had been wielding earlier, now forgotten on the floor. Behind Estela you spot a pirate cutlass mounted on the wall. The knife you cast aside earlier lies on a table. You go for...the cutlass! As Estela lunges left, you go right, darting around her and leaping toward the back wall, grabbing the weapon off of the wall just in time to block another spear strike. "Ah, very good!" calls out Rourke, as if he was merely watching a somewhat-interesting movie. "This should be quite interesting."

Estela strikes again and again, but her movements are slow and telegraphed, nothing at all like the quick style you've grown used to from countless sparring sessions. A side effect of the mind-control, you assume. Each time, you manage to block, and at several points she leaves a clear opening in her defense. But you cannot bring yourself to strike back. You remain on the defensive, blocking and dodging every strike she attempts. "Taylor. Surrender," she says.

"No, Estela." Your blades lock, and you stare into her eyes, desperation written plainly on your face. "Whatever Rourke's done to you...the real you has to be in there somewhere. Please! Snap out of it!"

She backs away for a moment before lunging with a low sweep from the right. You leap over it and block her next attack. "This...isn't you!" you grunt, barely managing to deflect another set of blows. "We promised we'd--" CLANG! "--never hurt each other--" SLICE! "--no matter what!" Your voice begins to waver as the emotion threatens to overwhelm you. You sidestep as she strikes again, her right side wide open for an attack...but once again, you refuse to take it. "Estela, please! It's me!"

Estela suddenly stops in her tracks, blinking in confusion as her expression softens. "Taylor?"

"Estela...are you..." you start to say, but then the device on her head lights up once more, sparks dancing across its surface. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Rourke, frustration on his face, fiddling with the control panel from earlier.

You start running toward him when Estela's spear blocks your path. You turn and see the glazed, emotionless expression back on her face, the device having once again taken hold. "Do not harm Father," she says, her voice flat.

"Screw you, Rourke!" You bat Estela's spear aside and charge back toward him, but once again Estela blocks your path. "Estela, please. Don't do this!" She attacks you, and you block her blows several more times until one final strike sends the cutlass spinning out of your hands. She then flips her spear and smacks you with the blunt end several times, until you're finally sent falling to the ground.

You hear Rourke's footsteps approaching you as he applauds slowly. "Well done, well done indeed. Taylor, you impress me. However, as enjoyable as this has been to watch, I have other things to do and very little time to spare." He steps over you and takes a place just behind Estela. "Daughter! Kill them."

Estela raises her spear, poised to stab you directly in the heart. You are too battered to stand or otherwise avoid the strike. Desperate, all you are able to do in these last moments is cry out: "Estela, I love you!" You close your eyes tightly, waiting for the end...

But nothing happens.

Slowly, you open your eyes. Estela stands over you, her face contorted in agony, the device on her temple sparking and blinking faster than ever. "No! I...won't..." she forces out through gritted teeth as she struggles to twist the spear, forcing its point toward her own chest. "Taylor..." 

"Kill them!" calls Rourke, more forcefully this time. "OBEY!" He glares at the control panel in his hand as his fingers dart rapidly across it.

"No!" you shout as Estela slowly but surely brings the spear point closer to herself. "Estela..."

"I'm...sorry...Taylor..." Then everything happens so fast.

A light-colored blur rams straight into Rourke, tackling him to the ground and sending the control panel sliding across the floor, out of his reach.

Grace grips the back of Estela's spear, pulling it away from her.

Aleister grapples with Rourke on the ground, fighting over a gleaming shape in Rourke's hand.

Grace pulls the spear out of her hands and forces her to the ground, saying something into Estela's ear as Grace does something to the device on her temple. You rush to Estela's side, heedless of Rourke, and cradle her head in your arms as Grace works her magic. "What...what's going on?" you ask breathlessly.

"I figured it out. It's some form of modified neuroprosthetic wired into the temporal lobe designed to override the will of the subject...and with the proper application of force combined with the subject's own participation..." She pauses as she concentrates, intensity written on her face. "We can overload the system with excess feedback, forcing it to...a-HA!" The device goes completely silent and all the lights shut off. "...Forcing it to shut down!"

You let out the breath you hadn't even realized you were holding, and pull Grace into a hug. "I don't believe it! You're amazing!" Then you turn back to Estela, lying on the ground. "Estela?"

She slowly opens her eyes, and this time they are shining with recognition and emotion. "Taylor?" she breathes. "Taylor!" She leans up and wraps her arms around your neck, pulling you into a kiss that seems to last a lifetime. When she finally pulls back, she's shaking, and you see her eyes starting to water. Tentatively, she touches the side of her head, feeling the now-inert device. "How...how did you...."

"It was all Grace," you explain. "She did...uh, something...to get it to shut off."

"Thank you, Grace," Estela says, hugging the other girl tightly in gratitude. "Have you done this before?"

Grace shrugs. "With Aleister, a few minutes ago...Aleister!"

The three of you turn at her words to see Aleister, still fighting with Rourke, on the ground. "Grace!" he calls out. "Watch out!"

Rourke angrily shoves him off and stretches an arm toward you. Estela's eyes widen in horror. "No! Taylor, look out, he's got--"

BANG!  The gun in Rourke's hand fires. A second too late, Aleister leaps back onto his father and pulls his arm away, forcing his next shots to go wide. Terrified, you look first at Estela, then at Grace, and sigh in relief when you see no sign of bloodstains.

Then the pain hits you.

Estela shrieks when she sees the wound, frantically whipping a tablecloth off a nearby table and wrapping it around the blood now pouring from your left side. "No! No, no, no...Dios, no..."

"We've got to stop the bleeding! Aleister, get over here!"

Aleister looks up from where he has Rourke in a headlock. Seeing what has happened, he grips Rourke by the throat and tightens until the older man falls unconscious, then rushes to your side. "Damn my father," he growls. "We've got to get to safety."

"He already deactivated all the defenses," Grace points out. She and Aleister begin discussing escape options, but you can barely hear them as you begin to feel yourself blacking out. "...Estela?" you gasp weakly.

Keeping one arm applying pressure to the makeshift bandage, Estela caresses your cheek with the other. "Taylor. Hang in there. I can't lose you, not now..."

You smile in spite of it all. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise," you tell her. "I love you...Estela."

The last thing you hear before slipping into unconsciousness is the voice of the woman you love. "I know, Taylor. I, uh... I love you."

Chapter Text

"What...what was that?" Taylor's feelings of loss and despair grew ever stronger within their shared consciousness with Vaanu. "I don't understand."

Vaanu, for their part, felt just as confused as Taylor. A set of alternate timelines, picked entirely at random from countless possibilities, and yet that same moment had impossibly, illogically, remained constant throughout. "An error?" thought Vaanu, hesitantly. "Coincidence. I attempted to show you alternate possibilities. Things that could have happened; things that did not happen to you, yet things that did happen all the same. Time is a pathway with many branches."

A wave of anguish swept out from Taylor and washed across Vaanu's mind, causing the being to mentally cry out. "Why show me her, Vaanu? Why make the loss worse?"

"Taylor...I..." Vaanu considered what they had seen. The selection had truly been random, had it not? The chosen timelines? Was Taylor's consciousness influencing Vaanu's choice of timelines, somehow? "I do not understand, either," they thought. "Other possibilities must exist. This was an unfortunate result of the laws of chance."

"Or maybe not, Vaanu," thought Taylor.

Vaanu considered this thought, but no answers came into the being's mind. "Taylor, my child," they thought, "what do you mean by this? I do not understand."

"Soulmates, Vaanu, like I explained. Soulmates are two people destined for each other. Couldn't this apply to all timelines? A...a constant?"

"Constant?" echoed Vaanu in their mind. "Impossible. The branches of time are not beholden to human emotions. All may change. All may be different."

"But are they all different, Vaanu?"

The shared mind-space was then bereft of thoughts as Vaanu pondered.

"Vaanu," thought Taylor finally, "in all timelines, is there a single one where I do not go to the island? Where the rest of the Twelve do not go to the island?"

"No," came the reply. "The island you call La Huerta, and the Twelve...these are convergence points. A point at which all of time's branches become one."

"So La Huerta's a constant."

Taylor's words made sense, but at the same time, they didn't. Vaanu knew time. Knew it as only an outside observer to its flow could. But could their understanding of the ways of time possibly be wrong? "Constant, then. Yes. La Huerta is a constant across all of time's branches. But a moment...no, this is impossible. Illogical. Absurd."

"There are other constants, aren't there? Rourke? The fox? Varyyn? Sure, the situations are different. Some stranger than others. But what if...what if Estela and I being soulmates...what if that were a constant, too?"

Vaanu's mind raced, pondering this new suggestion. "This cannot be. Interactions, moments, emotions...these are not time's constants. These cannot be constants."

"I believe a soulmate is something more, Vaanu. From what we saw...a true soulmate is a constant, not a variable."

Vaanu grew ever more frustrated with their strange offspring, this well of consciousness that still remained so stubbornly human. "You are still bound by emotion. In time you will come to let go, and understand. Your soulmate is no more than one possibility among many."

"Then show me, Vaanu," Taylor challenged their creator. This time, when Vaanu probed their emotions, they found not sorrow, not despair, but a sort of...resolve. A confidence. A vastly different emotional range than before. "Prove. Me. Wrong."

In response, Vaanu thought nothing, but simply led Taylor's consciousness back against the flow of time. Another set of timelines was selected at random, and Vaanu and Taylor proceeded to dive into each, one by one...

Chapter Text

"Good morning Taylor you up!?" a voice shouts in your ear.

You groan and roll over in bed. "What the hell...what time is it?"

"Well your clock says 7:30 if that helps this being La Huerta and all but come on, let's go!"

Groggily, you open your eyes, blinking away the sleep. Diego has a gigantic grin on his face and is practically shaking with excitement. No, wait--you look closer and realize that he is literally shaking. "Uh, Diego? Are you okay?"

"What why wouldn't I be? Of course I'm okay Taylor come on! It's time for breakfast!"

"Okay, Diego! Fine. Let me get some clothes on first, okay?"

"Awesome don't take too long okay I'll be downstairs!" Diego sprints out of your room and shuts the door behind him.

You force yourself to get out of bed, still a bit foggy from tiredness. What the hell is with Diego? you think to yourself. Shrugging, you walk over to the room's closet and start pulling out clothes to wear.

After getting yourself ready for the day, you head downstairs to the restaurant. The moment you open the door, a vaguely teal-colored blur rushes at you and suddenly lifts you into the air! "Taylor there you are it's about time you got up! We should go for a run or do some sparring or I don't know anything let's just go!"

She finally sets you down, and you take a step back. Estela is bouncing on her toes like you've never seen her do before. "Whoa, okay, Estela, back up. Are you...feeling okay?"

"What yeah of course why wouldn't I be? I don't know what took you so long but I'm definitely glad you're here!"

You aren't really sure how to react to this very... un-Estela-ish Estela. You glance around the room and spot Diego and Jake in a heated argument about something, sitting at a table nearby. Near the window, Aleister sits alone, sipping tea. Raj snores contentedly in a corner of the kitchen, with Neon the hot pink fox curled up in his lap.

Who do you talk to?

   Aleister

   Raj

⇒ Jake

"Uh...hey, Jake!" you call out to him. "How's, uh, everything?"

Jake looks up from his discussion with Diego. "Whoa it's Taylor okay you gotta help me with this what's the best movie ever made?” (Jake +2) “Diego really doesn't have good taste in movies at all and he's a total dumbass." Jake says this all so fast that you can barely understand him.

You blink. "What?"

"The greatest movie ever talk some sense into him would ya?" asks Diego. "Come on this is a super important topic and you're gonna side with your best friend right? Right? I still hope we can find some movies around here come to think of it. Imagine a La Huerta movie night that would be the absolute greatest thing ever huh? Seriously? I'm thinking about exploring this whole place today top to bottom we've gotta find something!"

You…

   Side with Jake!

   Side with Diego!

⇒ Say nothing.

You wisely decide not to involve yourself in Jake and Diego’s random argument about movies.

Beside you, Estela tugs on your arm. "We're spending the day together though like you said right? Everything's safe for now so we should be fine to go exploring around the beach a bit I've got tons of energy to burn off and you know who I'd like to do it with?" (Estela +1)

"Jesus I think I could use a beer or two right about now," says Jake. "If we're gonna plan a movie night we should do it outside maybe get Malfoy to set up a projector or something and hell we could even make a drinking game out of it! You down for that Taylor?"

“I have a name , you know,” mutters Aleister, glaring daggers at Jake.

Baffled by how incredibly hyper the three of them are, you put out your hands and yell, "OKAY! Calm the hell down!"

Estela lets go of your arm. "Everything okay Taylor what's wrong? Hope it wasn't me sorry but I'm just so excited for the day I don't know!"

You look around at the three of them. "Okay, okay, back up. I've never seen you this hyper before. Diego, you're even hyper-er than usual, and that's saying something. What the hell is going on? Did you all like...find some crack or something?"

Jake scoffs. "Nah Taylor we're good nobody's smoking crack I haven't even had any alcohol yet and hell that's saying something."

"Maybe we're fine and you're just still sleepy," suggests Diego. "You should get some coffee in you and maybe that would wake you up enough and we'd seem less hyper that way you know?"

"No, I really don't think that's--"

You pause.

"Wait, did you say coffee?"

Estela laughs. "Well yeah of course we all had coffee this morning as usual! Jake opened up a new box this morning it's not nearly as good as back home but it's not bad. Jake get some for Taylor would you?"

"Estela...just how much coffee did you guys have!?" you ask. "Did you all down an entire gallon of it or something?"

She shakes her head. "Just a cup as usual why do you ask seriously we're fine I've never felt better actually!"

Your discussion is interrupted by footsteps and the sound of someone yawning. "Holy hell, you dudes are loud. Morning," says Craig, stumbling into the kitchen.

"Mornin' Drax glad you're up let's do something awesome today huh?" says Jake.

Craig stops in his tracks and does a double take. "Jake?" he asks.

"Yep that's Jake all right!" shouts Diego. "Wanna help me look for movies today? We're gonna have a movie night tonight and we gotta get ready so let's go go go!"

"Hey don't forget the drinks can't have a movie night otherwise so hopefully we find some good stuff today," says Jake.

Craig glances at you and Estela. "Taylor? Please tell me I'm still dreaming. Because this is one weird-ass dream."

"Sheesh you too Craig? Taylor thinks we're acting weird but I'm telling you nothing's wrong!" shouts Diego. "I make myself one cup of coffee as usual and suddenly today it's some big problem I don't even get it."

"You call that coffee?" asks Jake. "You mean an entire cup of milk and sugar with maybe a drop of coffee in there you're completely doing it wrong."

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Anybody ever heard of inside voices?" groans Zahra, walking in. She and Craig exchange a glance. You raise an eyebrow but say nothing. "It's 8 in the fucking morning."

"Whoa Zahra's here too time to all go on an adventure let's get you breakfast!" says Estela.

Zahra's eyes widen. "Okay, what the HELL has this girl done with Estela!?" she asks, looking to you for an explanation.

You shrug. "I...honestly have no idea. But I probably wouldn't touch any coffee today."

Beside the coffee machine, Craig pauses in the middle of taking a big gulp of coffee from the mug in his hands. He spits it back into the cup, a guilty look on his face. "Shit, Craig, that's disgusting. Have some class, would ya?" says Zahra.

"But we're on vacation! I don't have to go to class anymore," he points out. Zahra facepalms at the stupidity.

Diego stands up and grabs Jake's hand, pulling him to his feet. "Alright Jake let's go movie hunting and explore the resort!" he shouts excitedly.

"Don't forget popcorn and booze we've gotta make tonight EPIC ya know?" asks Jake, the two of them practically sprinting out of the kitchen.

"Taylor should we go for a run now or what? Let's go just the two of us uh no offense Zahra and Craig."

Zahra and Craig just stare dumbfounded at this new, hyperactive Estela. You give them an apologetic glance as you let Estela lead you through the lobby and out of the resort.

"Seriously, Estela," you say in between breaths as the two of you run along the beach, "you have to admit, you're not your usual self today." You struggle to keep up with her breakneck pace.

She glances back at you. "Keep up Taylor you can't be getting tired already come on! I don't know why but I definitely feel better than ever is there something wrong with that?"

Your breathing is becoming faster and more shallow, pushing your muscles to their limit as you attempt to keep up to Estela. She shows no signs of tiring. "You really just had a cup of coffee today? Nothing else?"

"For the last time no nothing else would you stop asking!?"

Ahead of you, the beach gives way to a rocky slope along the side of a cliff. Panting heavily, you slow your pace to a light jog as Estela dashes on ahead. It takes her a few seconds to notice, and when she finally does, she turns and runs back toward you. "Estela..." you gasp. "Seriously...I can't...keep...going..."

"Are you kidding right now Taylor? You always keep up with me on our runs what's going on today? You've seemed really tired all morning did you know that?"

You shake your head in disbelief. "It's you who's way too energetic, Estela. Just look how far we ran already!"

Estela looks back along the beach...the very long beach leading back to The Celestial. "Wow I barely even noticed I think this was our longest run yet!" She pauses for a moment. "Actually come to think of it how did I run this far and why don't I feel more tired this really is weird."

"Finally! That's what I've been trying to tell you! I think we need to get back to the resort, and get to the bottom of this."

She gazes out toward the ocean, and you can’t help but notice her fingers twitching rapidly. “You’re overreacting I think I mean sure I’m a little more energetic than usual but is that really a bad thing? I think all the weird things we’ve seen on this island so far is making you paranoid. I’m fine Taylor promise.”

You shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m just worried about you, that’s all. You’re not yourself today.”

“That’s nice of you but seriously I’m fine. I’ll let you catch your breath for a while and then when you’re ready we can head back ok?” says Estela, who is now bouncing up and down restlessly.

“Thanks,” you say to her. “I’ll just...be here.” Exhausted, you flop down onto the grass.

A short while later, after resting yourself enough to recover your energy, you and Estela find yourselves back outside the entrance to The Celestial. For some reason, the doors don’t open at your approach. You shrug. “Umm...."

Before either you or Estela can say another word, the doors abruptly swing open to reveal a large pile of pool noodles, pillows, and duct tape, with a pair of legs sticking out from the bottom. “Sorry sorry sorry I forgot you two were outside and I put this stuff in front of the door!” says the pile.

You, of course, recognize your best friend’s voice instantly. “Diego? What...what are you doing?”

“Getting ready for movie night of course hang on Taylor let me get out of your way it’s gonna be so awesome glad you both made it back!” says Diego excitedly as he attempts to sidestep out of your way. The pile of items wobbles unsteadily back and forth, and you and Estela watch as it finally crashes to the ground, with Diego underneath it.

“...Diego? You okay?” you ask. Beside you, Estela lets out an involuntary laugh.

Diego’s head suddenly pops out from underneath the pile. “Yep haha I’m fine no worries but d’you mind helping me with some of this as long as you’re here?”

The two of you step forward to help Diego up...and both of your mouths drop open when you notice the lobby behind him.

A giant white sheet has been draped from a second floor balcony, with a border made of some kind of leafy vines surrounding it somehow. Bizarre improvised decorations, apparently made from pool noodles, duct tape, pillows, and wrapping paper, hang from just about everything possible, including the statue in the center (which, you decide, explains the things Diego is carrying). A pillow fort of some kind sits off to one side, though upon closer inspection, you realize that it’s really more of a “mattress fort” as it’s been made entirely of mattresses. Several dozen armchairs, plus a few couches, have been set up haphazardly, all facing the large sheet.

You and Estela exchange a look of bewilderment. “You have to be kidding me we leave for one run and this happens!?” she says to no one in particular.

Jake suddenly sticks his head out of the mattress fort. “Ahoy mateys it’s Taylor* ‘n Ripley!” he shouts in an outrageous fake pirate accent. “Come join us fer some rum!”

You blink. “What the...sorry, but... the hell? ”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it!” adds Zahra, also coming out of the fort. “We’re the crew of the S.S.-- ”

“ ‘Craigmobile!’ ” interrupts Craig, coming back into the lobby from a side door, a bottle in his hand. “Yo, you two.”

“Craig, no, we’re not calling it that. It’s a boat! That doesn’t even...make any..." Zahra starts to say, before giggling and falling back into the fort.

Diego chuckles, and climbs to his feet. “We kinda already started without you two sorry you can probably guess what movie we watched though..." he says, scooping up a few of the pillows from the ground.

“By the way Taylor* you missed our discussion earlier we decided I’m basically a younger sexier version of Jack Sparrow just so ya know.”

Zahra pops back out again. “ You decided that. Just because you both like rum.”

“I’ll have you know rum is the best way to decide--”

“Ugh. Hyper Jake’s even worse than regular Jake.”

Beside you, Estela rolls her eyes as she follows Diego. “I don’t even know why I still put up with you people you’re all ridiculous,” she says aloud.

    “You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

⇒ “Admit it, you think some of us are alright.”

A hint of a smile crosses her features. “Maybe maybe not but I’m not telling!” she admits. (Estela +3) “Diego where d’you want these?”

“Just set them in a big pile somewhere I’m gonna make more decorations by the way do you like them?” He bounces on his feet, gesturing to the decorations strung across the lobby.

“Sure, they’re very...creative,” you tell him.

“SHIT!” Jake suddenly shouts from behind you. “We’re outta booze this is an emergency where the hell’s Raj?”

“Hang on I’ll get him wait right there Jake!” shouts Diego, literally dropping everything and sprinting toward the kitchen doors so fast that you actually feel a breeze when he passes.

“Oh hey that reminds me Tay I just thought of an idea be right back bye!” yells Estela, a bit too loudly, into your ear as she dashes off as well.

“...Did she just call me ‘Tay’?” you ask yourself aloud.

You wander through The Celestial, hoping to find someone who isn’t hypercaffeinated, drunk, or both, to help you with uncovering the mystery of what was in that coffee. Especially since, as far as you can tell, neither Jake, Estela, nor Diego show any signs of it wearing off. You spot Raj and Quinn in the kitchen…

Raj: Gotta make sure this is perfect for tonight! Quinn, hand me the cilantro, do you mind?

Quinn: Sure thing! I don’t need it anyway, who puts cilantro in dessert?

And Sean pacing outside by the pool, along with Aleister…

Sean: All you gotta do is be honest with yourself, first. How are you supposed to tell her how you feel, if you can’t even tell yourself?

Aleister: Oh, don’t be absurd. I’m perfectly capable of admitting how I feel about Grace.

Sean: ...Are you?

Who do you talk to?

⇒ Aleister and Sean by the pool

  Raj and Quinn in the kitchen

“Hey, you two,” you call out to them. “What’s going on?”

“Hmm? Oh, hello, Taylor,” says Aleister. “It’s nothing, really.”

Sean shoots Aleister a knowing look. “Al, we were literally just talking about this.”

Aleister sighs. “Very well,” he says, before clearing his throat and addressing you. “Taylor, I must admit to you...that I have realized I am beginning to develop...a certain... feeling for Grace as of late.”

As you take a seat on a nearby desk chair, you see Sean smile and hold his hand out to Aleister for a high five. Aleister grasps Sean’s hand and performs an awkward handshake instead. You and Sean exchange a look, and start laughing. “Close enough,” you say. “For real, though, Aleister, that’s great news! Have you told her yet?”

He shakes his head. “He was just asking me for some advice on telling her how he feels,” Sean explains. “To be honest, I’m not even sure where Grace is. Or anyone is, really.”

You nod knowingly. “Everyone’s kinda all over the place today, huh?”

“Yeah. Especially Jake and Diego; I have no idea what’s gotten into them today.”

“Estela, too,” you add. “I’ve never seen her this energetic before…."

Aleister looks up at you. “Truly?” he asks. “Heavens, I can’t even imagine what’s causing them to be so... excitable ."

You think for a moment. “Maybe it was the..."

   Alcohol?

⇒ Coffee?

   Pool noodles?

Sean’s eyes widen at your suggestion. “Damn, Taylor, I think you’re on to something!” he says. (Sean +3) “Other than you, Aleister, the three of them were the only ones drinking coffee that early, before I made a fresh batch of the usual kind. And you usually drink tea in the mornings, anyway.”

“That’s correct. This morning was certainly no different for me.” (Aleister +2)

You stand up. “Alright, I’ve got a plan. We need to find the coffee bag they used, see if there’s any warnings or side effects on it. Maybe it’ll say something about how to reverse this...whatever it is.”

“It’s not really much of a plan,” Sean admits, shrugging his shoulders, “but it’s more than I’ve got right now.”

Aleister crosses his arms and frowns. “The two of you may do what you like. I certainly have no wish to go rooting around in the trash for hours on end.” He stands and strides toward the doors.

“Where are you going?” asks Sean.

Aleister turns. “I have...er...business to attend to,” he says, pointedly not making eye contact. You and Sean both give him a knowing look. “...Very well, I admit that I am hoping to find Grace. Are you satisfied?”

“There ya go,” Sean says to him. “Good luck.” After Aleister leaves, Sean turns back to you. “Okay, Taylor, let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this.”

“Nothing,” you mutter, tossing aside a dirty paper plate.

“Nothing,” says Sean, gingerly lifting a banana peel out of the trash with a disgusted look on his face. “Lots of nothing.”

You’re about to reply when the door slams open and Estela darts in. “Finally there you are Taylor where have you been never mind I need your help with something come on let’s go go go!” She then sniffs a few times and steps away from you, wrinkling her nose. “Are you two digging in garbage what did you lose a bet or something?”

Sean puts up his hands and smiles apologetically. “Nobody lost a bet, Estela, we were just trying to find that box of coffee from this morning.”

“Oh okay well go wash your hands Taylor and then meet me on the second floor okay?” Before you even have a chance to reply, she races out of the kitchen so fast, you could almost believe she was teleporting. Sean raises an eyebrow. “Wow. This is an... interesting side of Estela,” he comments dryly.

You shrug. “This has been a really weird day,” you say, half to yourself. “To be honest, I miss my Estela. The real her.”

“This stuff should wear off soon, hopefully,” Sean reassures you. Then he smiles knowingly. “And then you’ll have your girlfriend back.”

“What!? No--she’s not--we’re not--”

“Uh- huh ..." says Sean. “You did just call her ‘your Estela.’”

“No I didn’t,” you say unconvincingly.

“Right....Listen, why don’t you go clean yourself up and find out what she needs you for. I can take this from here.”

You eye the half-empty garbage bag Sean is still holding. “Are you sure? I don’t mind helping--”

“Seriously, Taylor, it’s okay, I mean it. Besides, someone has to make sure nobody...I dunno, accidentally burns down the resort or something.”

“Ha. True,” you admit, laughing. “Let me know if you find anything, okay?”

Much to your surprise, Estela isn’t in the lobby, but there is a raging game of...something...going on. “What are you guys playing?” you ask, as you watch Diego dive off of the statue’s outstretched arm, into a pile of mattresses, while Zahra and Craig chuck beach balls at him and Jake swings from a rope while wearing a bowl on his head and carrying a hula hoop.

Diego escapes the mattresses and catches the hula hoop that Jake throws. Craig lifts Zahra up onto his shoulders, and the two of them reach for a tennis racket hanging above them, but miss and collapse back into the mattress pile, giggling uncontrollably. Diego runs ahead and shoves the hula hoop under a couch. “Yes!” exclaims Jake. “The score’s 47⅔ to -13 nice job Diego!”

“Team Wolf! Team Wolf!” shouts Diego.

“I thought that point didn’t count..." protests Zahra. “Craig ate a pancake last round.”

“Dammit she’s right I forgot about that rule okay new rule if you eat a pancake you now have to umm wear Jake’s jacket!” decides Diego.

“Hey what the hell Diego I never agreed to that!” Jake protests. “Ah whatever it’s just for the game.” He starts to remove his green jacket and pass it to Craig. “Don’t stretch it.”

Incredibly confused, you walk into the middle of the group. “What are you doing ?” you shout.

The four of them seem to notice you for the first time. “Oh hey Taylor wanna join we’re playing Diegoball it’s the best game ever!” shouts Diego excitedly. “You can be on our team!”

   Play Diegoball! (9,999,999,999,999,999,999 diamonds)

⇒ Decline the offer.

“Uh...no thanks..." you say, completely unable to even comprehend the game of ‘Diegoball.’ “Have any of you seen Estela?”

“I think she went up to the second floor or someplace you should check there,” Jake suggests. “You sure you don’t wanna join us though?”

“I’m sure. I’ll be back soon, don’t hurt yourselves, okay?”

“Heh. No promises,” says Zahra.

You find yourself on the second floor, wandering the hallway. After exploring a bit, it seems mostly empty, except for three doors that you notice have lights on behind them.

Which door do you check first?

⇒ The first door

   The second door

   The third door

You gently open the door. “...So, perhaps, what I am wishing to explain...I only wish to make my feelings clear--” Aleister turns, surprised, at your entrance. “Oh! Taylor! Er, hello!” he exclaims.

Peering further into the room, you realize he is talking to Grace, who was standing behind him. “Oh, sorry, you two, I didn’t realize you were busy,” you say to them.

“Did you need something, Taylor?” asks Grace.

You...

   Apologize and leave quietly.

⇒ Shout “ALEISTER LOVES YOU, GRACE!”

The two of them stare dumbfounded at your shout. “...Really?” asks Grace after a long, drawn-out silence.

“I, er, well, that is...what Taylor meant to say...it isn’t entirely untrue as such--”

“Why didn’t you just tell me? Aleister, I’ve been waiting for you to say something for weeks now! I love you too!” (Grace +2) She wraps him up in a tight hug, and Aleister looks shocked for a moment before smiling at you gratefully. (Aleister +2)

You decide they could probably use some privacy, and back out into the hallway once again.

Which door do you check next?

   The second door

⇒ The third door

You cautiously open the third door...and are greeted with the sound of gentle snoring. Michelle sleeps peacefully in the bed, the impossible-to-miss bright pink form of Neon curled up contentedly at her feet. I never knew Michelle snored... you think to yourself, surprised. I’d better leave them alone. You leave the room, taking care to shut the door quietly behind you.

Which door do you check next?

⇒ The second door

(AN: Why the hell does Choices even give you the option when there’s only one choice, anyway??)

You quietly open the second door, and find...absolutely nothing at all. Looks like someone left the light on, you observe. Well, that was anticlimactic. You leave, annoyed at wasting your time with a completely pointless room.

Emerging from the last room, you turn to see Estela, running full-tilt toward you!

You… (TIMED CHOICE!)

⇒ Lodge!

  Dodge!

  Hodge-podge!

You stop in your tracks, suddenly thinking of a ski lodge for some bizarre reason. While you’re distracted, Estela runs right into you. “Oh my God Taylor why were you standing in the middle of the hallway anyway I didn’t mean to run into you I’m so sorry!” she says, her voice switching rapidly between embarrassment and annoyance and back to embarrassment in the span of a few seconds.

“I dunno...I just started thinking of ski lodges.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense what kind of excuse is that?” (Estela -1) “Never mind I’ve been waiting forever what took you so long follow me!” She sprints back down the hallway, and you run as fast as you can to catch up to her.

Finally, gasping for breath, you catch up to where she’s standing, her back to you, facing a large white drape hanging on the wall. “...Estela?” you ask tentatively, unsure of what’s going on. “Everything okay?”

She turns to face you. “Look Taylor the truth is there’s something that’s been bothering me for a while now and it’s even worse today with whatever it is that has me all anxious. I need to tell you but I don’t know how to say it but please don’t laugh or...I don’t know.” She crosses the hallway toward you, until she’s standing no more than a few feet away. “Okay here I go now or never listen Taylor I wanted to say that I--”

Whatever Estela was going to say is interrupted by a sudden tearing noise. The white sheet starts to rip in half, and you see the lobby on the other side, suddenly realizing that the sheet was Diego’s makeshift movie screen from earlier. You notice Diego himself hanging from the ripped end, slowly descending toward the ground. “Oh...hey, Taylor..." he says as he passes your level. “What’s...going on?”

Your eyes widen as you move to grab the other end of the sheet, but Estela’s beaten you to it. “Oh my God Diego don’t move we’re gonna save you what’s going on why are you there!?” she shouts all at once, grabbing the other end of the sheet just in time to stop Diego’s fall. “Gotcha okay don’t move!”

“That’s fine..." says Diego, sounding more and more sleepy by the minute. “I’ll just...be here..."

As you move to help Estela pull Diego up, you hear footsteps from behind and turn to see Sean running toward you, a piece of paper in his hand. “Taylor! Found it!” he shouts, waving the paper in your face. “Be careful, that stuff’s gonna wear off any--”

The sheet goes slack in your hands as Estela suddenly lets go!

You… (TIMED CHOICE!)

⇒ Grab!

  Dab!

  Blab!

Luckily, you’re able to grab on in time. “Nice job!” Sean calls out. (Sean +2)

You look over at Estela, and to your shock, she’s just standing there, swaying unsteadily on her legs as if she’s half asleep. “Hey! Estela!?” you shout, suddenly concerned, even as you strain every one of your exhausted muscles to keep Diego from falling. “You okay?”

She looks up at you through half-lidded eyes. “I’m just really...tired..." she says to you, practically falling onto your shoulder. “I just...need a nap.”

Sean steps forward, adding his powerful strength to your efforts to pull up an impossibly sound asleep Diego. “That’s what I was about to tell you,” Sean explains as you pull. “The label said the effect stops exactly eight hours after drinking it, and it’s been exactly eight hours since breakfast!”

That explains a lot, you think to yourself as you finally manage to heave Diego over the edge of the balcony and onto the hallway floor. Sean grabs some pillows from the nearest empty room and arranges them beneath Diego, who is now snoring contentedly. You wrap an arm around Estela’s waist, attempting to steady her and guide her somewhere she can sleep properly. “Thanks, Sean,” you tell him gratefully. “I’ll make sure she gets some rest.”

“Thanks...Taylor,” Estela mumbles into your shoulder.

Sean nods. “Here,” he says, handing you the label he was holding. “I’m gonna go check on Jake. I’m thinking if there’s any more of that stuff in this resort, we might want to just chuck it into the ocean to be safe.”

You laugh halfheartedly. “Yeah, that’s probably smart,” you say to him. “Come on, Estela, just a little further.”

“Why am I...so...sleepy?” she asks as you steer her toward the second floor lounge and onto one of the couches. “I was...fine...a second...ago..."

You sigh and shake your head as you pass her a few pillows and a blanket. “Maybe tomorrow you might wanna stick to decaf, huh? Or at least not this stuff.” You glance down at the label for the first time, reading: ROURKE INTERNATIONAL MAXIMUM EXTRA-STRENGTH HYPER-CONCENTRATED ENERGY BLEND! “Guess we can blame Rourke for this, too.”

“I hate...that...man,” Estela mumbles.

You nod. “Yep. Same here. I’m gonna let you sleep now, okay? Can I get you anything else?”

As you turn to head back downstairs to check up on the others, you hear her say, “Wait, don’t go. I still haven’t...told you yet.”

You turn back toward Estela and take a seat on the couch beside her. “Hey, it’s okay. I can stay here if you want.”

She nods. “I’d like that. Taylor...listen...I love you.”

You aren’t sure you heard her correctly. “Sorry, Estela, what was that?” you ask, but she doesn’t respond. “Estela?”

But of course, she’s already asleep.

You aren’t sure how much time has passed as you sit there next to Estela’s slumbering form. At some point she had shifted herself off of the pillow you’d given her and onto your lap, which was cute, although now you can feel your leg falling asleep. At long last, Estela finally wakes up, instinctively stretching her arms out. Unfortunately, she stretches her arms straight into your face. “Ow!” you cry out. “Good morning to you too....”

Still groggy from sleep, she rolls over and looks up at you, blinking. “What happened? Oh...oh no, that was your face, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” you answer bluntly. “Yes it was.”

She pushes herself upright. “Wow, that was, uh, embarrassing. Sorry, Taylor!”

You shrug. “Not the first time you’ve punched me in the face. And it probably won’t be the last.”

At this, Estela smiles and you both start laughing. “Wow, what a weird day,” she comments. “How long was I asleep?”

“No idea,” you say honestly. “A few hours at least.”

She sighs in frustration and rests her head on your shoulder. “Sorry I got you mixed up in all this. I can’t have been easy to be around..."

Giving her a reassuring smile, you wrap your arm around her shoulder. “Come on, Estela, you’re always easy to be around. In a strange way, it was even kinda fun. In hindsight, at least.” You sigh. “Besides, if you thought you were bad, you should’ve seen Jake.” At this, she can’t help but laugh.

The two of you sit there on the couch in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s company.

“Taylor?” asks Estela finally, looking over at you. “I just want to say thanks. I seriously appreciate you sticking with me through all this. I know this trip can’t have been easy for you.”

“It’s like I said before, I really do enjoy spending time with you,” you reply. “Even if you were more hyper than Diego on four cans of Red Bull.”

At this, she can’t help but burst into laughter. “Oh my God, did that actually happen?”

“Oh yeah. Remind me to tell you that story sometime; let’s just say it involved nachos, a box of Silly String, and a horse. Today was nothing by comparison.”

“I don’t even want to know where the horse comes in,” she chokes out through her laughter. “When was this? Hartfeld?”

You nod. “We were roommates there.”

Estela sighs and gazes up toward the ceiling. “You think we ever saw each other? At Hartfeld, I mean,” she asks. “How many times do you think we passed each other by on campus without realizing it?”

You ponder this for a moment. “To tell the truth, I don’t know.” You frown, struggling to recall details of your time at Hartfeld. Instead, your mind keeps drifting back to your conversation with Estela, and especially what she’d been about to say to you before she’d fallen asleep. “What a weird day..." you mutter.

Estela snorts. “ That’s an understatement.”

“Ha. True,” you say, chuckling. “Do you even remember much of it?”

She shrugs. “I remember you digging through garbage.”

“Wish I didn’t remember that.”

“I remember Diego dangling from a sheet...and I think, Sean was there?”

You nod. “He was. Good thing, too, because I don’t think I could’ve pulled Diego up by myself.” That wasn’t exactly the part you were wondering about, though. “...And what about after that?” you ask, tentatively.

“... After that?” she echoes, and she quickly looks away from you, blushing. “Uh, after that, I--I don’t really remember anything. I just was tired. I went to sleep. And then I woke up.”

You give her a knowing look at her obvious lie. She returns your gaze, but she’s still blushing furiously. Neither of you say anything for several moments.

What do you do?

  Say nothing.

⇒ Confess that you love her.

You take a deep breath and steel yourself, since you know if you don’t say something , you’ll regret it. “Estela,” you say, trying to sound casual and probably failing miserably, “you really don’t remember saying anything to me? Nothing at all?”

She looks away again. “Nope, nothing, just falling asleep here, don’t remember anything, definitely not,” she stammers out.

You take another deep breath. “Well, so if I told you that..." You were going to tell her ‘I love you too,’ but the words catch in your throat and all that comes out is an awkward croaking noise.

Estela raises an eyebrow. “Are you trying to imitate a frog? Because that was a pretty good frog imitation, if that’s what you were going for.”

Sighing, you try again. “No, I was trying to tell you that..." Again your words fail you.

“Dammit, Taylor, what !?” she asks, sounding annoyed.

You groan. “Ugh, what the hell, brain?” you mutter to yourself. Then, to Estela, you say, “Look, what I’m trying to say is that I think you’re really amazing and in spite of everything that happened this morning you’re still my favorite person here or anywhere and even if you don’t remember you definitely told me that you loved me and I was gonna tell you I felt the same way but now I can’t for some reason because I just--I don’t know!” The words tumble from your mouth in a rush.

A slightly awkward silence follows, with neither of you wanting to be the first to speak. Then, finally, Estela breaks the silence. “...So when you say you felt the same way?”

This time, it’s your turn to avert your gaze. “Well, I heard you say you loved me, and I guess--I thought--I..."

She breathes a sigh of relief, and smiles up at you. “In that case, there’s no point beating around the bush. I admit I lied about not remembering. Taylor, I, uh...I love you.”

“Estela--”

“Now shut up,” she adds, pulling you into a sudden kiss.

As you take in the feeling of her lips on your own, you are vaguely aware of some approaching footsteps. “Hey, where is everybody--WHAAAAAT!?” Embarrassed, the two of you break apart and turn to see Diego standing in the entrance to the lounge, a massive grin etched upon his face. “YES! I totally called it! First day, Taylor, am I right?”

Estela glances between the two of you in confusion. You shrug. “Okay, Diego, I admit you told me I had a crush on her the day we landed.”

Diego does the Diego Happy Dance that he invented back at Hartfeld. “Called it! ‘Taystela’ forever!”

Estela is looking more confused by the minute. “‘Taystela?’ What is that?” she asks.

“Your ship name, obviously!”

“I still don’t understand--”

“Look, Diego,” you say, “I appreciate the support, but, uh...we were kinda in the middle of something? I’ll tell you all about it later, I promise.”

Diego slowly backs out of the room, blushing. “Oh! Right. Duh. Sorry, you two, see you later!” As he leaves, you faintly hear him singing ‘The Tequila Song,’ but with every ‘Tequila’ replaced with ‘Taystela.’

You and Estela look at each other, holding your gaze for a few seconds before inevitably breaking down into peals of laughter. “Oh, Diego,” you say, nearly crying from laughter, “never change.”

“So, should we head downstairs now, or...?” asks Estela once you both are done laughing. You detect more than a hint of longing in her unfinished question.

You wrap your arms around her gently. “I think we can wait a little while,” you say to her. “Now, where were we?”

Some time later, you enter the dining area and are greeted with a roaring round of applause. “Tay-ste-la! Tay-ste-la!” chants Craig.

Zahra groans and looks up at him. “Keep it down. How the hell are you not hungover right now?”

Beside her, Jake lays flat on the ground, his face buried in several layers of pillows. “Bluuuuuuuhhh..." he groans.

You look over at Diego, who is proudly holding up a giant banner reading “CONGRATULATIONS, TAYSTELA!” “Come on, Diego, did you tell everyone ?” you ask him.

“Maybe...” he admits. “I made this banner weeks ago, just in case!”

You sigh and shake your head in astonishment. “Well, uh..."

“SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!” chants Craig.

Estela shakes her head in amusement. “Please. It’s not like this is a wedding or anything.”

“...Yet,” adds Diego with a smirk.

You step forward, heading toward one of the nearby tables. “I’m flattered, really, but right now I think I’m feeling more hungry than anything,” you tell them.

“Now that you mention it, I could use some food, too,” agrees Estela, doing the same. “But please, whatever you do, no coffee! ”

Everyone bursts into laughter at this statement. “I promise, no more coffee,” Sean reassures you. “In fact, I’m gonna dump the rest of that energy blend down the sink--” He abruptly stops talking, and you turn in your chair to see him staring at the cupboard next to the coffee machine...the very empty cupboard. “...Uh-oh.”

The doors suddenly swing open, and Michelle sprints into the dining area. “Whoa that’s where you all went I was wondering anyway the whole lobby is a winter wonderland somebody help me catch Neon please please please!” A second later, Neon zooms into the room, looking like a bright pink blur. The brightly-colored fox starts jumping onto every conceivable surface, blasting ice on everything, including your hair. “There you are get back here come on everybody let’s chase that fox!”

Beside you, Estela facepalms. “ Great. Here we go again...."

Chapter Text

"Quick! Go, go, go! " Sean yells frantically as you and your friends sprint as fast as you can toward the newly reactivated portal. Behind you, the roar of the advancing wave of lava grows louder and louder in your ears until you can barely hear your friends, or even your own thoughts. The heat is more unbearable than ever, and you struggle just to breathe.

Estela grips your hand tightly and puts on a burst of speed as up ahead, Grace and Aleister are the first to leap through the portal. Your aching legs strain to keep up. You see her turn around and say something, but her words are swallowed up by the sounds of the lava all around you. You hear an ominous creaking noise from up ahead, but you ignore it. The others, one by one, dive through the portal, and you and Estela are the last… and then you realize what the creaking sound was as a twisted, melted girder collapses between the two of you! You let go of her hand and fall backward, out of the way, but you aren’t fast enough and the heavy metal falls onto your ankle. You cry out in pain!

Just before reaching the portal, Estela whirls at your shout, and her eyes go wide. “Taylor! NO!” she shouts, rushing back toward you… and straight toward the oncoming lava tsunami. “No, no, NO!”

The heat is unbearable. You gesture frantically for her to run, to leave you, to go to the portal… But she ignores it. You’re still yelling frantically as she strains to lift the chunk of steel pinning you to the superheated floor. You can see her wincing as she touches the steel, burning her hands, but she refuses to let go. “Estela!” you try to say, but all that comes out of your mouth is a weak croak. “Forget it! Just go!”

The lava rushes closer… closer...

Out of the corner of your eye, you see something large and blue emerge from the portal and rush toward you. The blur resolves into Varyyn, who pushes Estela aside and grips the heavy steel with both hands. Straining his powerful arms, he lifts the girder and shoves it aside, yanking you onto your one good leg as you throw your arms around his neck for support. Stumbling, coughing, limping, the three of you rush as fast as you can toward the portal, diving through it just seconds before the wave of lava would have engulfed you all.

There’s a familiar flash of white light, and then you’re back in the Theoretical Prismatics room of the MASADA complex, the cold, rusted steel beneath your feet feeling like sweet relief after the overwhelming heat you’d just escaped. Varyyn gently sets you down on the floor and turns to pull Diego into a tight embrace. “Varyyn! I don’t believe it… you did it… you actually saved them…” Diego says.

“Of course, Diego. You said ‘somebody, save them,’ so I did. Was that not what you wanted?”

“What? No, of course I wanted-- I-- I love you, Varyyn! Thank you!” You watch as Diego grabs Varyyn and pulls him down into a kiss.

Then the pain hits. You grit your teeth and grab your injured leg. Michelle rushes over to you. “Taylor? Taylor!” she shouts, already kneeling down to examine your injury.

“It’s… it’s not bad,” you stammer out.

“ Bullshit. Hang on… let me…” she mutters to herself as she works, producing a metal rod, a strip of cloth, and a roll of duct tape from somewhere and making a makeshift splint around your leg.

You look around the room, trying to distract yourself from the pain that shoots through your leg every time Michelle touches it or tugs a little too tightly on the bandages. Craig is kissing the floor while Zahra lays on her back beside him, already sound asleep. Quinn is gazing at the room as if she doesn’t want to believe it’s real, as Furball copies her movements from his spot in her arms. Sean sits with his head in his hands as Raj rubs his back awkwardly, presumably saying something comforting. Jake paces restlessly while cursing up a storm, glancing up every few seconds to stare at the room’s entrance as though expecting Lundgren and a squad of Arachnids to burst through at any moment. Aleister and Grace stand near the dusty computer consoles at the center of the room, conversing in complicated words about the properties of volcanic eruptions. But Estela… Estela is… where is she?

“Estela?” you call out, pushing yourself suddenly upright and sending another sharp pain shooting down your injured leg. Everyone stares at you.

“Taylor! Geez, I can’t fix you up if you don’t stay still!” complains Michelle. “Just give me another minute or so!”

You lay back down slowly. “Sorry, Michelle,” you say. “I was just… worried. Where’s Estela?”

Diego leaves Varyyn for the moment and kneels down beside you. “Your ankle gets crushed and burned, and you’re more worried about Estela. Sounds about right!” He laughs halfheartedly at his own attempt at humor, but you can tell it’s forced. “You… you okay?”

You shake your head. “I just want to know she’s safe, Diego.”

“She definitely came through the portal, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s not back in… uh… you know.” He swallows and averts his gaze, obviously still unwilling to admit that the volcanic hell you’d just escaped from had been a vibrant, thriving college campus just six months ago. “She must be around here somewhere.”

“And… done,” announces Michelle. “Here, Taylor, try and stand.”

She pulls herself to her feet and extends an arm, which you take gratefully. She pulls you to your feet, and you wobble a bit, but manage to support yourself well enough on the makeshift splint. “Thanks, Michelle,” you say.

“Anytime,” she replies. She glances back toward the now-dormant Lernaean Gate, a devastated, forlorn expression crossing her face. “Guess all we have now is… each other.”

The room goes silent as she says this, and everyone around you nods. After a long pause, Sean, finally, is the one to speak up. “Michelle’s right. Whatever… whatever we saw back there, it happened, and we gotta deal with it. Let’s take a few more moments to regroup, and then focus on getting out of here. We can figure out our next moves from there.” A chorus of agreements follow this statement.

Hesitantly, you take a few experimental steps toward Jake, standing near the exit. Diego catches you as you stumble, but you wave him aside. “It’s okay, Diego. I’ve got this.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. There’s… something I need to do.”

Diego gives you a knowing look. “Estela.”

You nod. “I think I know where she went… and I want to be sure she’s okay. I’ll be back, promise.”

Diego opens his mouth as if to say something else, but then changes his mind and nods at you before heading back to where Varyyn is standing, staring at the Island’s Heart in his hands. You continue on toward Jake, who turns when he spots you. “Hey, Top Gun,” you call out to him.

“Taylor! Damn, that leg looks… wow. Shit. Fuck .”

You smile halfheartedly to reassure him. “It’s not as bad as it looks. Michelle knows what she’s doing.”

He gazes at something behind you, and you turn and follow his gaze toward the Gate. “Hell of a thing. What the goddamned fucking shit just happened?!” Unlike the others, he sounds less sad and more… angry.

You shrug. “Dunno,” you tell him honestly. “Maybe Uqzhaal or somebody will know what to do.”

“Yeah… yeah, he’s old, he’s gotta know some shit, right?” mutters Jake, trying to reassure himself more than anything. “All I know is I’m fuckin’ sick and tired of this stupid-ass place. This whole island is some kinda goddamn twisted jackass, throwin’ this much bullshit at us.”

“I’m thinking you’re not wrong,” you respond, and he smirks in spite of himself. “You seen Estela, by the way? Did she come through?”

Jake’s face falls when you mention Estela’s name. “Sure she did. Didn’t wanna talk to me or anybody. Just powered through that door, and then… dunno.” He sighs and looks down at his feet. “I think she took all that shit a lot harder than the rest of us.”

“I was afraid of that,” you say. “Hope the Arachnids haven’t found her. I’m going after her.”

He nods. “If anyone can snap her out of it, it’ll be you, Taylor. That’s for sure.”

“What, is it that obvious?”

Jake nods. “Go after her, Taylor. She needs you.”

You creep through the deserted corridors of the MASADA complex, expecting to encounter an Arachnid patrol at every turn. Strangely, the longer you go without any encounters, the more frightened and nervous you get. The abandoned complex feels eerie and unsettling. You find yourself half-hoping to encounter an Arachnid patrol, or a security camera, or something other than endless stretches of empty hallway when you open a door into another lab to see…

“Estela?”

She kneels on the cold steel floor, her back to you. You step into the lab, closing and locking the door behind you for fear of Arachnid patrols. She doesn’t turn or otherwise acknowledge your entrance. Hesitantly at first, you approach, and as you move closer, you can hear her sobbing quietly into her hands. “Estela?” you ask again, softer this time. “Hey. It’s just me.”

Finally she looks up, wiping her eyes as you kneel down beside her. “Taylor… it’s…” She shakes her head and looks away, blinking back more tears. When she looks back toward you, she is back to her usual stoic expression. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. What’s our next move?”

You give her a knowing look. “Estela. You don’t have to pretend. Not with me.”

She holds your gaze for a long moment, and then her face falls and her eyes fill once more with tears. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I hate that you have to see me like this-”

“Like what? It’s okay to be upset, Estela. It’s okay to grieve. I’m not… I’m not judging you for it. You’re human. We’re all human. You think I’m not upset too?!” Though you haven’t been able to see your reflection in a while, you are sure that your face is as red and puffy from crying as hers is right now.

She shakes her head. “But that’s just it, Taylor. I’m not supposed to be like this. I’m the strong one. The tough one. The one who keeps on fighting, because that’s what I do; that’s what I’ve always done. But this…” Her voice trails off and she averts her gaze again.

You reach out, pulling her into a gentle hug, and she accepts the embrace, burying her face in your shoulder. “Estela… you’re still strong. It’s okay to be upset. This… what happened out there… it’s not something you or anyone else can fight. We all lost out there. Hell, we all lost the day we landed on this goddamn island, even if we didn’t know it yet. All of us are upset. We’re all grieving.”

“I just want an enemy to fight. I want to be able to march up to, I don’t know, Rourke or Lundgren or Lila or someone and punish them for what happened out there. Because that’s what I’ve always done when tragedies happen. Find the one responsible and make them pay.”

You nod in understanding. “That would make it easier, wouldn’t it. To have somebody to point the finger at and say, ‘Your fault!’ But stuff like this… I guess there just isn’t someone to blame this time. You know as well as I do that even Rourke can’t conjure a volcano.”

You hold each other tightly as the tears flow, the both of you unleashing your grief together as you hold each other on the floor of the MASADA laboratory. Several minutes pass, and finally you break apart, looking into each other’s eyes. “Taylor,” Estela whispers. “Do you… think I’m…” You wait for her to finish, but she doesn’t.

“You know what I think?” you respond after a moment. “I think you’re the same tough, strong, badass warrior queen I met the day we landed. The same one who fought off that raptor pack that attacked us as we stepped off the plane; who dragged me kicking-and-screaming onto that mountain zipline to escape from the Arachnids; who dueled Varyyn in one-on-one combat for the title of elyyshar; and who was strong enough to hand him back the crown after her victory. That’s who I think you are.”

She smiles weakly. “Even though I’m… a crying, sobbing mess?”

“Estela. If you weren’t upset right now, you wouldn’t be tough, you’d be a robot. No, wait, make that a statue-- even a robot would probably feel upset about this. You think everyone back there isn’t grieving in their own way?”

She chuckles halfheartedly. “I wouldn’t know.”

You sigh and sit back against a cabinet. “Jake is swearing like a sailor, Diego’s refusing to talk about it, Michelle’s throwing herself into her work of healing everyone, Craig is… kissing the floor for some reason…” Estela giggles in spite of herself. “Yeah, I can’t explain that one either. Zahra’s passed out, Sean’s crying and trying not to show it, Raj is comforting the others so he doesn’t have to deal with his own feelings, Aleister and Grace are talking about… well, honestly, I have no idea, but they’re using a lot of big words, and I think Quinn doesn’t really want to believe this is real. The point is, we’re all upset. And I guarantee you, nobody will judge you any more than you would judge any of them for their feelings.”

She nods. “I know. I just… I just want to do something. Not sit here crying like some kind of--”

“--Human?” you say, finishing her sentence.

“I guess you’re not exactly wrong.” Estela sighs, looking over at the corner of the room, where you see her spear propped up against the wall. “How do I fight something that already happened? How do I take revenge on a volcano?”

You shrug. “Maybe you don’t. Maybe sometimes… sometimes you can’t . What happened out there… well, it already happened. The world’s ashes. All we can do now… is just keep moving. Rise from the ashes.”

“Rise from the ashes,” she echoes.

“We’re here. We’re alive. We’ve got each other.”

“We do, don’t we? And to think I… Dios, Taylor, I almost lost you , too--”

“But you didn’t.” You smile at her warmly. “Thanks to Varyyn. I’m here. I’m alive. And we’re together.”

She smiles back for a moment, but then shakes her head and looks away. “You’re right. Thanks to Varyyn. But imagine if Diego hadn’t sent him back through! If that lava had been just one second faster… it could have been any of us! And there wasn’t a single thing I could have done--”

You interrupt her with a kiss, warm and deep. She sighs, leaning into you, and the two of you hold each other tightly. There, alone on the cold, steel floor of the MASADA lab, you and Estela find solace and comfort in one another; slowly but surely, you can feel her relax, her shock and grief giving way to calm resignation. Finally, after what feels like too short a time, the two of you pull away from one another. She gazes into your eyes, and after a brief hesitation, she nods. “Taylor… thanks. You know I-- well…”

“‘Well’ what?” you ask.

She looks at you, her eyes full of gratitude and warmth. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I, uh… I love you.”

You kiss her again at her words, hugging her tightly. “And I love you, Estela. I’m here. Always.”

“God, I… I was a mess.”

You laugh. “I still love you anyway.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“The same thing you’ve always done, I’d imagine,” you reply with a shrug. “By the way, you’re right.”

“About what?”

“It could have been any of us. It could’ve been you back there, and me standing where you are, terrified and unsure. It could have been Diego who fell, or Craig, or Grace… and then it would be Varyyn, Zahra, or Aleister where you are now. And what would you be saying to them?”

Estela looks at you for a moment, considering your words. Then she smiles. “You’re right, Taylor. I’d tell them there’s only one thing we can do.”

Her face resolves into an expression of hardened determination, and this time, you can tell it’s genuine.

“We rise from the ashes.”