The Pearl

Stage 16: (Un)Welcome back Lynn

We all turn to Nia (due to her being the most informed/mature person) for an answer. She turns around with an eyebrow quirked upwards, looking to each of us. She mumbles a few "um's" and "er's" before slowly backing up to the door and fumbling behind her as an attempt of grabbing the doorknob. After a few silent and awkward moments, she let's out a sigh of desperation and rolls her eyes and faces the door, her hands quickly finding the doorknob. She swings open the door and dashes out.

Calliope lets out a small row of confused cuss words, but then her face lights up as if there really was a light bulb in her brain signaling that she had an idea. She too flees the room, leaving me and my absolutely fabulous squad all alone in a place still slightly unknown to us.

Without warning, Jett lets out a whoop and charges out the door, Iimura clutched tightly in his arms. Iimura squealed with glee and playfully slammed her fists into his shoulder. To my right, Amanda scoffs and rolls her eyes. The corner of my mouth tilts upward forming a smug smirk. Manda catches this and lightly pushes me.

"Shut up," she says unclearly before I get the chance to even open my mouth to talk. I giggle and wiggle my eyebrows quickly before I make a run for my life out the room, following the trail of dirty footprints on the floor. "I'm gonna get you!" Manda shouts. I think I detect a smile on her voice, even if it was a small one. I yelp and speed up my pace.

Before I know it, I see Jett and Iimura standing in front of me - well Jett standing and Iimura sitting. I dig my heels into the ground, making an unpleasant squeaky noise, and crouch down to avoid greater impact from falling. I end up right next to Iimura, who smiles at me before shifting her eyes behind me. Her mouth forms an 'o' as she slowly watches as Manda trips over my body (which kinda hurt; thanks Manda) and sails over Iimura and right into Jett.

Iimura and I share a look, then continue to watch the Jettanda scene unfold. But when I look over again to Iimura, her eyebrows are pinched together and her eyes are glazed in...what was it? Anger? Annoyance? Hatred? Jealousy? My gears in my head whir to life with possible answers, some so outrageous that it makes me want to slap myself. Amanda hovers above Jett, held up by her two forearms, and Jett's hands are lightly gripping Manda as if he was scared she'd fall. Iimura coughs audibly and looks quickly in a random direction.

Jettanda - I mean Jett and Manda, but you shouldn't blame me for doing that again - vigorously shake their heads left and right and gaze into each others' eyes for one millisecond before Manda pushes herself back up. Jett keeps laying on the ground. With a small sigh of anoyace, she extends her hand to him and he takes it, almost pulling her down again as he pulls himself up.

I smirk gleefully at the two as Iimura starts walking right past them, sparing but a tiny grin to the two. Manda's cheeks are now tinted pink, but Jett seems absolutely normal and acts as if nothing had happened. I refrain from telling them to just hurry up and kiss already but from the look on Jett's face as he catches my eye, I think my expression says it all.

Iimura's uneven steps are now sounding farth - wait, steps?! Iimura shouldn't be walking with her conditions, hell, she shouldn't even be here! She should be back at home resting peacefully as she heals.My giddiness turns sour at the blink of and eye. I jog quickly (but don't run as that is physically impossible for me to do at the moment) to catch up with Mura. Jett and Manda - wait can we just take this moment to realize that I got it right this time - hurry to follow behind me.

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"Took you retards a while," Calliope mutters loudly with a mischievous grin plastered on her face. Jett stiffens beside me but doesn't utter a sound, whereas Mura lets go of Jett and I's shoulders and walks as angrily as she can up to Calliope.