Tam P.O.V

The world was falling apart. 

We had honestly just finished fighting a war, and now all this stupid stuff happened, and the world is like: "Oh, I'm just gonna send you back into another war, how does that sound?"

I mean seriously, is there any point to any of this anymore? What if after all this happens, something else happens and the world is like: "Back to war with you!"? 

Biana is still gone. After everything I tried, after trying so hard, she was still gone. She was gone with the psycho Ruy, who is probably hurting her, or torturing her, and I can't do anything about it. Nothing at all. We tried going after them, and what did we gain? 

We've got a burned, half-dead zombie more commonly known as Marella, and a Dex who doesn't even remember that he is a Dex.  We've also got a miserable Linh, an annoyingly positive in the face of danger Sophie, a Fitz who does nothing but comfort Sophie and a Keefe. 

We're so screwed. 

I was sitting on an empty hospital bed next to my sister, who I could tell was trying to restrain back tears. She had always been close with Marella and Dex, being the fact that she always trained with Marella, and Marella was always over at Dex's place. 

I stared at the scene unfolding in front of me, when Marella discovered that Dex truly had no recollection of anything. It was pretty obvious that Marella and Dex cared about each other in a much bigger way than either of them thought, and the miserable, broken-down Marella in front of me might have finally realized that. 

But it was too late. 

Wasn't it always too late? Too late to save Biana from the clutches of the Neverseen, too late to save Dex from the Washing that everyone had thought was a good idea, too late to protect my sister, too late to save Kesler, too late for everything. Like the world, wanted to play some cruel joke on us. 

"Ok guys," Sophie said, gesturing us over. I reluctantly pulled myself of the bed, grabbed Linh's hand and we walked toward the group together. "What do we do about the Dex situation?"

"He's not a situation!" Marella barked furiously at Sophie. The broken down girl was gone, and the fire was back.  

Sophie's eyes widened at Marella and she reflexively took a step back. " I didn't mean anything by it Marella, I swear..." 

"Of course you don't mean anything!" Marella yelled, tears glistening in her icy eyes. "You don't know what it is like! Imagine you just woke up, and you don't remember anything, and there's a bunch of strangers standing around you, and you're confused and scared, and you don' know anything! And...and, you're just treating it like...like he's some burden, a problem in your perfect plans, and you don't get it! You just don't!" 

"Marella, Sophie never meant anything-" Fitz started, but Sophie raised a hand, and silenced him. She then looked at Marella. Marella glared back. 

"I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have said that," Sophie said in one quick breath. "But you shouldn't lash out either Marella. We're all trying to help Dex here."  

"And Biana," Keefe, Fitz and I said at the same time.  

"And Biana," Sophie agreed. "I guess we should probably go to Dex and at least introduce ourselves, I mean, he's probably confused." 

"He's probably really confused," Keefe added. 

"He's listening to you guys right now and wondering why you guys are talking about him in such a sympathetic, baby-like voice." 

We turned around, and Dex was there, legs leaning off the side of the hospital bed, his arms perched on his knees, staring at us. "Are you guys always like this?" he asked, seeming concerned, like we were the ones with a mental injury. "If so, I don't really think I want to know what this," he gestured at us vaguely with his hands, "Is all about". 

Sophie sucked in a breath and stared at Dex, who stared back unflinchingly. I always knew that Dex liked Sophie, and maybe he would be able to start over again without the knowledge that he had such a crush on Sophie, so they could be un-awkward again. I mean, it honestly was so awkward when they were both together, I mean seriously did nobody notice it? 

Was it that awkward when I was with Biana? Did I act as awkward as Dex did? Oh god, if I actually acted like that around Biana... I was screwed. Well, I was probably screwed anyway, I mean, I couldn't even save her. 

I snapped back into attention as Sophie had begun the long and complicated process of trying to get Dex to understand who she was. The problem was, that even though Dex knew all the knowledge that he needed to know in his age, like all the information from lessons at Foxfire, and all about the council and famous people. He knew about all of the general knowledge, that a person that wouldn't know us and didn't socialize with Sophie would know. But, he didn't remember anything else. He forgot about his parents, his siblings, who his friends were, who his enemies were, and even though he knew what the Neverseen was, he didn't fully understand anything. Nothing at all. 

"I'm Sophie Foster, and-" 

"Wait a second, why do you have brown eyes? Aren't you an elf, I mean I've never know anybody with brown eyes before." 

"Dex, you need to listen. So, unlike other elves I actually have-" 

"Dex is my name? Ok, at least I know one part of information about my life." 

"Yeah, I'm sorry we forgot to tell you that. Ok, so unlike other elves, I have many different abil-" 

"Shouldn't I actually know about myself before I know about you? I mean, to me, I'm obviously more important than my friends. I mean, I would rather know who I actually am, then like, all the biographical info of my friends." 

"We will tell you all that Dex, but like first, I need you to understand that being friends with me again will be danger-" 

"Stop! He should know about himself!" Marella said, and Sophie turned her head toward her and gave her a face that was plainly saying 'Can people please stop interrupting me?" 

"Yeah, I do actually want to know stuff about myself, thank you very much," Dex said plainly, his arms crossed, staring at Sophie. 

It was really strange, seeing Dex talk like he didn't know any of us, like we were complete strangers to him, and I guess we were. I flashed back to Biana's face in the cave, how she didn't do anything, how she was just standing there with Ruy, like she didn't care about any of us. 

What if she had been Washed, just like Dex? What would happen then? What if the Neverseen now had full control over her? What if she was lost forever? 

I snapped back as Marella began to explain the long and complicated life of Dex to himself, but I couldn't focus. I kept thinking about Biana, and how she might be tortured, and hurting. I avoided all eyes, but my eyes locked with the one person that I didn't want to lock eyes with. 

Ice blue eyes locked with me, and Keefe Sencen stared at me, like he was trying to understand what I was feeling, but he would never be able to understand, how even though I cared about Dex, I really was itching to find Biana. 

I felt a sudden buzzing in my cloak pocket, and I itched to reach for it, but didn't want to be rude. Keefe stared at my pocket, and made a strange gesture. I stared at him, and he made the strange gesture again with his head. What the heck was he doing, was he flipping his hair at me or what? 

With a sigh, Keefe walked over to me from behind where everyone else was standing in a crowd. He stared at me, and said something I never thought he would say. 

"Go." he whispered. 

I stared back at him, confusion rising. Keefe stared back at me and sighed. 

"Listen Bangs Boy, I know you aren't stupid, and you know what I'm talking about. You use your shadows to cover us, and then we'll go." 

I figured it out at once. "No, it'll be way to dangerous." 

"Listen Bangs Boy, I know you don't want to risk Linh, or try to get Marella or Dex even more injured than they are already. And I know that they won't agree to stay behind if you decide to go. This is the perfect time to leave to find Biana, and this way we won't risk any of the others like Sophie, and Linh. I'll come with you, if you're really that concerned about being by yourself." 

I stared at him. He stared back. Ice blue eyes clashed with silver, and I sighed. I reached inside me and felt for the shadows inside Elwin's hospital room at Foxfire. 

Keefe nodded and I returned it. He stood close to me, grabbing the edge of my cloak as I moved the shadows toward us. I chanced a glance at my sister, she was still preoccupied with Dex. 

"Bye Linh," I whispered, even though she couldn't hear me. "Don't come after me." 

Keefe raised an eyebrow. "You know she's going to when she finds out you're gone." 

"That's why we have to hurry." I said. Keefe nodded seriously. Carefully, we reached at the double doors that lead to Elwin's room. We each grabbed one, and slid through the thinnest crack that we could. As soon as we were out, I let the shadows fall, and we took off running. 

As we ran, Keefe raised an eyebrow at me. "Nice going Bangs Boy. Never knew you knew the Sneaking out of Doors Technique." 

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Sencen, I sneak out of my house plenty often too. You aren't the only one with Daddy Problems." 

We ran until we reached the edge of the cliff that Foxfire was on. A/N I'm pretty sure Foxfire isn't on a cliff, but please pretend it is, cause it's super dramatic if it is. 

I looked at Keefe. "Ready?" 

"Definitely." 

We grabbed each other on the arm, and then jumped.