So part of this segment is technically part of Day Fourteen and carries into Day Fifteen, since it's midnight, but I will refer to it as Day Fifteen. It's...going to take a long time. I know where the story is going, how it ends, but there are so many plot details I'm still figuring out. And then I actually have to write it. Also I'm not going to do R.I.P.s anymore.

---------

It's the last midnight

It's the last wish

It's the last midnight

Soon it will be boom--

Squish!

DAY FIFTEEN  

"Is she going to live?"

All the vacationers were in the infirmary, standing outside the Special Patient room. Mem blocked the door, hands crossed against her chest, stonefaced. 

"She's getting better," the chef responded, not answering the question.

Owlgirl pushed through them. "Let them in." She had a Band-aid on her cheek and some scratches on her arm. Her ponytail was falling out, with flyaways framing her face. But she was better off than some, at least more so the person inside the room.

The door opened, and they filed in. It was a little tight but fairly large. They were greeted by a steady beep and an occupied bed with tubes and monitors. Whereas the rest of the infirmary resembled a school nurse office, this room looked and smelled like a hospital.

It wasn't a comfort.

"What's...what's her, uh, condition?" Clouded Leopard asked, gesturing towards Hermione. She was one of the lucky unscathed.

"Yeah, what happened to her?" Danie pressed a bag of ice to her hand.

"From being inside that net, it nearly choked her. Her breathing was fragile. She needed to recover. I said, I said so, that if she overexerted herself, she'd have trouble breathing. And she did. I don't know what happened, but she must've...overexerted herself. And..." She hesitated. "When she was going in and out of consciousness, she...kept rambling about stars. White stars. And Shadowmoon." The CBers looked at each other with expressions of confusion and concern. There was also a sudden twinge of pain. Shadowmoon. It was like a trigger word. They still had no idea what had happened to her. Their rescue mission was a failure.

"I don't know what happened," Mem said again.

"Tell us again what happened when you found her?" Owlgirl said, looking Mirax.

Mirax bit her lip. "I was out with Whistler here, and we could hear the commotion. You know..." She made a chaotic gesture. "...I saw Hermione just lying there. There were lots of boulders and rocks behind her. Nothing falling apart yet. Just the landscape. Right then everyone else came." People began to whisper amongst themselves. 

Teacup whimpered. She was curled up next to Luna. "Hrmi." 

"Why'd you do it?" Saphira asked abruptly.

Everyone turned to her, and she cringed. She hadn't meant to say it at the exact moment everyone fell silent. Whatever, doesn't hurt.

"Why did who do what?" Bumblebuddy said.

"Danie. I wanted to know why she tried to save Hermione. How could she be brave enough risk her life? I wanted to hear from her 'cause no one's saved anybody yet. I didn't think any of us would actually risk our life for somebody."

"Just because you wouldn't doesn't mean someone else wouldn't," Clouded Leopard pointed out, her tone cautious.

"Really. And you would?"

Clouded Leopard turned to Danie, looking at her expectantly and ignoring the smirking AE. 

"I did it because everyone was forgetting about her, but mostly because I couldn't stand the idea of losing two CBers in one day. Especially Hermione. Isn't it depressing without her?" Danie said. "It seemed like the most practical thing to do."

"Two CBers?"

Danie sighed. "Hermione and Shadowmoon." There it was again, the triggered nerve. "I mean, Shadowmoon's dead, isn't she?"

"Stars," someone whispered, their voice breathy and weak. 

There was a collective gasp. Mem and Owlgirl stepped forward and the latter hissed for the ohers to back up.

Hermione's eyes opened slightly, although they didn't quite seem to be seeing. "Where's Shadowmoon?"

Danie started to answer. "She's not--"

Hermione's voice rose. "No, I heard what you said. But she isn't dead. I saw her!"

"What do you mean you saw her?" the Manager demanded.

"The rocks fell."

"So she's dead."

"No!" 

"Look, there's no way she could be alive." Danie interjected. She looked to the Manager for approval to go on. The Manager nodded. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this. "She's gone."

For a moment, she was seeing. They were filled with the gentle determination the CBers were used to. Then they were swallowed by a look of despair. They lost their focus. Hermione made an angry noise and fell unconscious again.

"I didn't mean to upset her," Danie looked worried.

Mem sighed for what seemed like the hundreth time. "You didn't. She wouldn't have stayed awake." She went to Hermione's bedside, checking the monitors.

Crypto began to recite an Edgar Allan Poe poem.

Suddenly there was a gasp and smacking noise. Mirax picked up her phone from the floor and looked up.

"The helicopter isn't coming." 

**********

I didn't mean to end there--it goes on, but I must stop for today. Apologies for the increasingly depressing plot, but that's kinda the point. :P :P :P Pop quiz: anyone know where that intro quote was from?

Owlgirl, this is amazing! I can't wait for it to continue!!

It has a new part followed by another part on p. 25. This is just in case someone skipped to p. 25 by accident.

*jumps up and down excitedly*

@Admin: I am on a laptop. I typed the story out on Microsoft Word then copied and pasted as plain text. I've done this many times before, although many times it still comes out with a weird format. Could you please do whatever you sometimes do where you copy and paste it onto something and make sure that it does not come out weirdly formatted? I know I pasted as plain text but could you still do it? And if you have time, tell me how you got it to come out right? Oh, when I previewed it, it wasn't weird. Does that mean it will come out fine? Too many questions :P but thanks.

My soundtrack: "Your Fault/Last Midnight" from Into the Woods. I wouldn't recommend listening to it while you read; it's distracting with the words and all. But I listened to it because it conveys the mood of this part perfectly. 

DAY FOURTEEN, continued (yes I decided to go back to calling it Day 14)

********** 

“What do you mean the helicopter isn’t coming?” Bumblebuddy said in disbelief, speaking for just about everyone.

“It…isn’t coming.”

Bumblebuddy shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Wait a minute. Who saw Mr. Helicopter’s text in the first place?”

Something in Mirax’s expression changed. “I did.”

The Manager flinched as Bumblebuddy pointed at her. “Did you see it?”

The Manager blinked slowly. “Well, no.”

“So only Mirax saw it. You still have it?”

The computer whiz nodded.

“Well let’s see it. Maybe it said he’d coming in two days. Or three. Or it was from the killer or there was no message and you were lying or maybe there was a loophole in what Mister Tomato--”

“Tomatoa.”

“Right. Maybe he faked it. Can we see the message? We can do the stupid puzzle-solving-analyzing stuff we always--”

“No,” Mirax snapped. “It’s confidential.”

Bumblebuddy took a step. “Can we see it?”

“Stop being so controlling! You can’t see it. He asked…for it to be confidential.”

The Manager touched Mirax’s shoulder. “It’s alright, Mirax. We just want to see the message.”

Mirax shook her head. “I told you, it’s not supposed to be. It’s only fair.”

Bumblebuddy lunged, grabbing hold of one end of the phone. 

“No,” Mirax said, managing to wrench it from the other person’s grasp. She threw it to the ground, and the robot CAPTCHA brought out his mini torch. The others watched in shock as the phone burned into the ground, until it was a strange black spot melted to the ground. They looked to see Mirax’s reaction, but she was already gone.

Cortana smacked her gum. She seemed to have a limitless supply. “Guess we’ll never see the message.” 

“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”

“Shut up,” Saphira said coolly. Crypto grinned wider.

Bumblebuddy was staring at the floor, scowling like she wanted to strangle it. 

“I have theories on all of you, you know,” she said loudly, almost yelling. “I have a list. In here.” She bumped her forehead. “All of you! Leopard, Danie, Mirax—that’s right, Ms. Helicopter—and even Hermione, little Miss Perfect. And the AEs. And you, creepy cat.” Crypto hissed, muttering further Poe quotes under his breath. “Only the other CAPTCHAs are excused because they’re too pathetic,” Bumblebuddy spat. She was angrier than they’d seen her in days. It was hard to believe circumstance had turned her from cheerful at the beginning of the trip to…this. 

“You’re all suspects!” Bumblebuddy said. “You’re- ”

“Just…just stop it!” Clouded Leopard interrupted suddenly. She looked pained. “You keep…going off, ranting and pointing your finger at everyone, and we let you, but you can’t keep doing this.”

Bumblebuddy stared at her, too surprised to retort.

The others voiced their agreement, but didn’t start talking. Clouded Leopard swallowed and continued. “You keep being awful.”

The Manager nodded. “The way you’ve been acting is unacceptable.”

Bumblebuddy found her words. “You all think I’m awful and that I don’t care about anybody. Bumblebuddy this, Bumblebuddy that. She's so awful. Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I hear you! Well guess what? I did care about somebody. I cared about Tulip. And Spirit-Rain. Then one of you stole them from me. Why should I care about any of you when it could have been any one of you!”

“Well we don’t all act like that and you do. We’ve lost people too,” Danie said calmly but firmly. “Squeak. He burned to death, and I literally had to remind you guys that he was missing.” The room tensed. “But did I hold a grudge or go completely insane like you do?”

Clouded Leopard opened her mouth to argue again, then thought, What would Hermione do? “We’ve all lost someone,” Clouded Leopard said, gentler this time.

Bumblebuddy wasn’t having any of it. “I’m not interested in bettering myself and I don’t want your fake sympathy. I want answers!"

"You'll never get anything with that attitude," Saphira snapped.

"Savage!" Cortana laughed mirthlessly, popping her gum.

"You pop that gum one more time..." Mem muttered.

The Manager grinned and sang, "He had it comin. He had it comin. He only had himself to..." She stopped because everyone started at her, not getting her Chicago reference.  

"Shut up all of you!" Saphira screamed.

"Shut up all of you!" Cortana screamed back.

"Stop yelling!" Clouded Leopard pleaded.

"You just yelled yourself!" 

"AAAAAGH!" MP roared as Cortana spit her gum onto him. 

Suddenly Hermione sat up, eyes closed. Was she sleep-talking? "Star!" she shrieked, her voice rising above everyone else's. "The white star! We have to find the white star!" She fell back onto the bed.

Bumblebuddy started to laugh hysterically. It was a terrible sound. She just seemed beyond herself at the moment. Had she finally gone insane?

"We're freaking doomed! Don't you see!" She was already being given a wide berth, just like a madwoman. "Hermione's crazy! Shadowmoon's dead! Mirax is crazy! Tulip is dead! Everyone's dead! The freaking helicopter ditched us. No, no, the freaking helicopter never existed! Because Mirax is crazy! Because everyone's crazy! HA!"

She tore off her leather watch and held it up, shaking it. "And it's midnight! Everything goes wrong at midnight! Everything's falling apart. It's like a fairytale. Cinderella, dressed in yella! She ran away at midnight. It's a fairytale without a happy ending! No, I'm stupid, there's no fairytale! HA! It's midnight."

"The last midnight," Crypto hissed.

"Exactly, our last midnight! Because soon it'll be boom, splat, smashed flat! We're doomed!" She laughed again.

"Star..." Hermione whispered. Apparently she hadn't knocked herself out yet.

"Mem," the Manager said. "Please...relocate Bumblebuddy. Take her to one of the other rooms."

Bumblebuddy glared and walked out, still laughing. Mem followed.

"Anyone else?" the Manager asked sarcastically, daring them to speak. I am so done.

Masked Piester discreetly released Cortana's ponytail. She sent him one last glare and handed him his pie blaster.

"Can you help me stand?" someone said quietly.

First I'll post this just as you sent it. It looks OK to me here. Then I'll check and reformat it if necessary.

Admin

I see it came out fine just the way you submitted it. 

Admin

It was Hermione, sitting up. Her speech no longer had the sleep talk-like lisp to it, and gone was the lost look in her eyes.

"Is my grammar correct?" Hermione asked, sounding a little worried. "Because I was delirious, and I hope I don't have incorrect grammar."

Mem smiled for what seemed like the first time in a long time. "That's a first. I've never had a patient wake up and ask if their grammar was correct."

"You're good," the Manager assured. She smiled too. 

"Hrmi! Yure back!" Teacup squeaked joyfully, hopping out of Clouded Leopard's hands and onto the bed.

Hermione chuckled lightly, stroking her soft white fur. She coughed, but she was smiling. "I'm glad you're safe, Teacup."

"Hermione!" Clouded Leopard and Danie cried.

Crypto rolled his eyes. "CBers are so sentimental."

"Could you help me stand?" Hermione looked at Owlgirl. "If I stay on this bed, I feel like a sick person. I should like to not act sick. If I stand, then I won't feel sick." The Manager helped the patient to her feet. Mem came back into the room and stood behind her, ready in case anything happened. 

"Whre is star?" Teacup asked. 

Hermione was confused. "Did I say something about a star?"

"You did," Saphira said. "You were screaming about a white star."

The confusion left Hermione's face and was replaced by urgency. "Yes," she said, her tone grim. "Yes, I have something of utmost importance to tell you all."

"Us too," Danie added.

"What?" Clouded Leopard asked.

"You know...Kai..."

"Oh! Yes, us too."

"The helicopter's not coming," Clouded Leopard announced at the same time Hermione said, "Shadowmoon's alive."

"We're not being rescued by the helicopter?!" Hermione cough-choked.

"Shadowmoon's alive?!" Clouded Leopard gasped.

"Alive!" "Shadowmoon's alive!" "I was wrong!"

"The helicopter? Your first. My story is a long one."

Clouded Leopard winced, "Well, I'm not sure how to tell you this. Um."

Danie took over. "Mirax dropped her phone. Said the helicopter wasn't coming. Bumblebuddy asked to see the text. Mirax said no. She dropped the phone and Whistler burned it. Then she and Whistler left."

"And Bumblebuddy went insane," Cortana yawned.

Hermione's eyes were wide as saucers. "Bumblebuddy went insane?"

"Not exactly..." Clouded Leopard said..

"She pretty much did," the Manager said gently.

"Well then, this is all...quite unpleasant news."

"Ya think?" Danie snorted. 

"At least yours is...pleasant." Clouded Leopard said.

Hermione's face fell. "I'm afraid it isn't very pleasant."

She told everyone how after she was blocked from Danie and the Manager, she ran down the corridors carved into the rock, then found the manmade hallway. Then she got to Shadowmoon. It was difficult to tell, and she felt a sob building up in her throat, which came out as a hiccup, but Teacup nuzzled her cheek and she went on.

"...and she was telling me that I had to tell you who the killer was, but then she started breaking up...and she said something about a white star. I don't know what she meant. But it must be the key to finding the killer."

"Did she say anything else?" the Manager inquired.

"No. I kept running. I got outside and I was sure I was dead."

"Hmmm," the Manager muttered, then asked, "Could you find where you got out? Possibly it's an entryway." 

"It wouldn't be any use. That hallway where I was...I don't believe it's there anymore. It was literally collapsing behind me as I was going, like an action movie. "

Everything's like an action movie, the Manager thought.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the exit was destroyed as well." She paused. "Do you think Shadowmoon survived?"

Even Danie looked like she didn't want to explain this. So the Manager did. "That's part of what you were yelling about. You were actually talking to Danie, though you didn't look awake. We all thought she was dead...but your story...pretty much confirms it."

"Oh," Hermione said softly. "I think I knew." She sat on the bed, then jumped up suddenly. "What on earth--"

She drew an object out of her pocket, bewildered. She had noticed something in her pocket before, but never paid notice to it until now.

"What on earth?" she repeated, holding it up.

It was a three by three inch box the color of metal. At the bottom part of it was clear, and a bubbly clear liquid was seen. Multicolored wires poked out from a hole. A silver knob protruded from the top. Hermione cautiously tugged on it, and it moved. She pulled more, and it grew longer. Now it looked like a remote control. She turned it over and there was a large silver button.

"Don't press it!" Owlgirl barked.

"I never intended to do so."

"Hand it to me," Owlgirl said, her brow furrowed with worry.

Hermione passed it to her. "Are you alright?"

The Manager shook her head. "I...this is what I used before. I found it near the slides. I pressed it, and there was a weird red flash. I could've sworn that there were these orange-red lines of lights coming out from it, but it was probably my vision. You know, how you see weird colors and stuff when you try to look at the sun? It was like that. Then everything was normal. I put it in my office, or the lobby. Somewhere in the hotel, and then...it wasn't there."

Hermione thought hard. Now she really felt like a detective in a mystery novel. "When did this happen?"

"Before the Resort opened. The construction workers had left. It was just me and Mem. In fact...I think it was the day you came. Wait...yes, it was! Because I remember afterwards I spilled a milkshake all over my clothes, and thinking what a weird day it was."

There was something awfully familiar about this story, something she couldn't put her finger on. She looked around, and the others seemed to be feeling the déjà vu. She should start there.

"Where were we when it happened? I mean, where were we that morning?"

"I was reading by flashlight, and I got caught by my mom," Clouded Leopard

Lightbulb. 

A chorus of "Me too!"s filled the room.

"And you got grounded?" Hermione said excitedly.

"Yes!"

Hermione was hit with a sudden memory, and the others gasped too.

"Her eyes turned scarlet."

"Me too!" "Me too!" "Same!"

"What does this mean?" the Manager wondered.

"Quick, Owlgirl, what were you thinking about when it happened?" 

"Hm...I...I was trying to remember if I had let the selected CBers know they were invited to the Resort! I had their addresses and everything, and the written letters were sitting on my desk. I had meant to send out letters. With this secret controlled wind express company that sent letters by wind. That's how I was supposed to send them. Then after the weird light and stuff, I went back to my office, and I got a confirmation letter. So I just assumed I had sent out the letter."

"That must have caused it! May I hold it? And a piece of paper, please." Mem picked up a notepad from the table by the hospital bed and tore out a sheet. She gave it to Hermione. Hermione wrote something on the paper and clutched it. With her other hand, she took the mystery device from the Manager. She took a deep breath.

And pressed the button.

"No!" the Manager shouted, but it was too late. There was a familiar flash, a familiar ground shake, a familiar red laser-like line.  Someone screamed. The note disappeared...

And reappeared in Mem's hand. She dropped it like a hot coal. The Manager picked it up, almost shaking. There was a message written in Hermione's handwriting. She read it out loud:

"To Mem, the Special Patient Room in the Infirmary at the Island Paradise Resort. Hello. From Hermione."

"It worked," Hermione whispered in disbelief.

"Wind Express...isn't supposed to work like that. This is something different. What...what..." the Manager stammered. She snatched the device from Hermione's hand. "I don't know what this is, but nobody else touches it." 

"We have to go back." 

**********

That was l-o-n-g! Believe it or not, it actually took me hours to write! I typed the majority of it straight on here.

It was fun though; it feels like I haven't had a dialogue-driven scene in a while. Which is maybe why it took so long. Before I had been writing lots of action... and action is tiring. Fun in its own way, but also fickle; sometimes it flows, sometimes it doesn't.

Quick story about a quote in this installment that may have seemed weird, that's because I intentionally put it in. So years ago I got this infection on my leg and had to have anesthesia (meaning they put me to sleep) while I had minor surgery and the first thing I asked when I woke up was, "Is my grammar correct?" My voice sounded weird to me, and I knew I was probably delirious, and I was legitimately worried that I was using terribly grammar or slurring or something. (I wasn't.) My mom and the nurse, which is where Mem's response comes from.

I gotta post now, one minute till I have to shut it down. 

Once again, let me know what y'all think!