It was dusk when I and Aarmen, completely out of breath, reached the forest's border by the Nile. A lone fire torch beamed in the distance near the trees, somewhat making Dunkin's silhouette visible.

In the dark, windless evening, as we neared their spot, Cheryl's body became visible.

I faltered in my steps, a downpour of tears blinding my sight at her still frame, pale as the moon, laying in the sands. Her clothes were still soggy, clung to her lifeless body.

"Fuck the department! Fuck you all!" Lorenzo screamed, breaking into a harsh cry as he desperately rubbed her lifeless hands, "Please, please c'mon please, Cher," he hiccupped, tears streaming down his face.

No. I refused to believe that she was dead.

Why is he blaming us? Aarmen sent a message connecting me and Dunkin, but Dunkin's eyes were just strained at Cheryl, barely paying any notice to us.

"Did any of you stop her?!" Lorenzo's lethal cry directed our way, seething in such malice as if we were his enemies.

"Except me, did any one of you? Tell me!" he shook in a bitter cry, his eyes bloodshot, "Oh, why the fuck would you all care? Someone had to volunteer to test out that shitty way those morons asked us to return, but she did…" his voice convulsed as he stared at her face, "She was a true friend…" he whispered.

"But what did you all do? Let her kill herself, right in front of your fucking eyes!"

"Lorenzo," Aarmen cut him off when he couldn't bear the curses anymore, stepping ahead with a controlled voice, "Cheryl planned her death without informing us. It was an impulsive decision on her part. Had she discussed it with us, we would've figured out safer ways, tested out which-"

"Oh please, shut up already, leader." Lorenzo let out a mocking laugh. "Where were your leadership skills when a team member was on the brink of death, without your tested ideas to die, huh? Did you pull her back? Did you even fucking talked to her about it before she died?!"

"Lorenzo, I swear she never-" I held Aarmen's hand, stopping him from going any further, with his words or actions. I sent him a quiet message.

He's angry and very heartbroken. Let him take it all out.

"I swear I would've gone with her if this coward piece of shit didn't stop me," Lorenzo snarled, looking at Dunkin with so much disgust, I covered my mouth, my hands shaking to control another sob of tears.

In a time when we should be together, to discuss further actions in this situation, we were falling out.

He raised from the ground beside Cheryl, going to stand in front of Dunkin whose head was still lowered, expression grim.

"Why, Welsh, why did you stop me?" Lorenzo breathed out, sounding like a mad wolf ready to tear his flesh apart. "Why did you separate me from my girlfriend? Because you didn't have any? Because you wanted me to drown in celibacy and a loveless life as you are?"

"He's taking it all to an entirely different topic," Aarmen grunted beside me, removing his turban to move a hand through his hair.

I gasped when he held Dunkin by his collar to shove him back. Dunkin did nothing to defend himself as he staggered back, his eyes strained on the sand, but his knuckles were clenched. He was breathing heavily, so much control as I just stood helplessly at my spot, having no idea how to fix it all.

"P- Please don't fight…" I wanted to shout, but the words died on my lips.

"You're nothing but a fucking coward, Dunkin!" Lorenzo's words were nothing but venom stabbing through each of our hearts, mercilessly.

Now I knew why Dunkin wasn't saying anything. The moment they had found Cheryl's body, Lorenzo must've been blaming him for her death. He had wanted to go after her, be the first one to go to avoid any risk on Cheryl. But she wasn't ready to let anyone die before her.

Dunkin had only taken the rational step of stopping Lorenzo because if two members were gone, it would've been difficult for just the three of us to handle further writings here.

Lorenzo wasn't realising that Dunkin had, in a way, saved him from dying.

With shaky steps, I walked over to kneel near Cheryl's body. Her fingers were cold, so cold as I felt no pulse at her wrist. I moved a hand through her hair, my tears choking my breath as I fought hard against them.

"No… you couldn't," I whispered, tightening my fingers around hers. "Remember, you'd told me… death was too afraid of you…" She would always tell me that this was her second chance at life. Something terrible, beyond my understanding, had happened to her. But she couldn't speak about it. That was the only thing that would break her every time she even thought about it.

The fact that she was immune to snake poison, the bone-chilling fact that the original colour of her eyes was green, but after whatever had happened to her, had changed to a complete grey. I didn't know what her life was before she met us.

She always promised me when the right time comes, she would tell me. But now, it was gone with her. I clasped her hand in my equally cold ones, praying for her soul that she was at peace. But my eyes betrayed my will to be strong through it all.

"Move, Coretta."

Lorenzo's gravelly voice, the consequence of his dried tears, reached me as he sat across. His eyes were dead set on me, but their colour was reminding me of nothing but Julian's eyes.

Julian's light brown tear-soaked eyes.

"Weren't you in your own little bubble these past days? I'm sorry, but do you even care?" he prompted.

His words struck right at my heart as I silently removed my hand from Cheryl. Humiliated that I was still thinking about Julian when my friend lay dead in front of me.

He was right. I hadn't bothered to ask about any of them these past days. As if somehow I wanted to forget them. Because I was lost in my very own fairytale with Julian.

"You are crossing the average decency of friendship now, Lorenzo," Dunkin seethed silently, his voice hardened.

Lorenzo laughed like a madman, as if the recent incident had brought out a new face of him.

"Struck a nerve now, have I?" he smirked cruelly.

"You can bear all my words, Welsh, but not a single one towards your Coretta. Why don't you just leave your cowardly shell and tell her already, huh?"

I did not know how the situation took this turn as Lorenzo sneered at Dunkin, then faced me with a smug expression.

"That you were crushing on her, all this time."

The silence that followed was ear-shattering, more so from Aarmen, who had no clue what was going on. While Dunkin… he looked mad beyond measure.

As for me, I wanted to let out the biggest sigh and bury my face in my hands.

Because I already knew what Lorenzo said.

But what he didn't know was that Dunkin had a crush on me in fifth grade.

"I've had enough of your bullshit for the last three hours, Swarwoski," Dunkin snapped, his fists still clenched as he stood fixated at his spot. "Don't cross your line now."

"I'm not crossing any line, dude. I'm just changing the terminology." Lorenzo snickered, and I had this premonition that whatever he was about to say would lead to the ultimate disaster.

He dusted himself to stand in front of Dunkin again, amusement dancing on his face.

"I was wrong to say that you're a coward." he threw his head back in mocking laughter.

"Cause the truth is, you're just a fucking simp, Dunkin."

I let out a shriek of cry as the sickening sound of a fist connecting to the jaw echoed in the area; the hit throwing Lorenzo off balance.

"You want to know the truth, right?!" Dunkin had lost all his composure as he hauled Lorenzo by the collar, his voice hoarse, "The truth is that unlike you, I don't go around fucking my own friends, okay?! Unlike you, I'm not coward enough to wait for the right girl instead of ruining my friendship of ten years with a girl just for a quick fuck, damnit!" He shoved Lorenzo hard, his face all red with the anger I so rarely saw.

"Shit, they're going to kill each other. Come fast, Coretta!" Aarmen screamed. We rushed to tangle them off each other, who had started a bloody fistfight.

"Lorenzo, let go! That's enough!" Aarmen looped his arms around Lorenzo's shoulders, trying to drag him back, but he continued his curses and shouting.

"There's no rule that says you can't fall in love with your friend, you moron!" he screeched as I tried backing Dunkin. It was beyond difficult for me because he was so much taller and stronger.

"Yes, I love her! I would die for her! But I do not fantasise about sleeping with her, there's a difference, you dickhead!" he screamed back.

"You'll die in the friend zone, suck it!"

"And you'll die a thousand times more with your friends with benefits!"

"God, Dunkin, stop, please!" I shrieked, grabbing his wrist that was about to land another punch on Lorenzo. He didn't look in the mood to retreat, his arms all popping with veins in such hostility.

"He doesn't mean any of it! He's angry!" I tried again.

"I mean every damn single word I said!" Lorenzo howled back.

I shoved Dunkin backwards as hard as I could and this time; he let me as his fist fell back to his sides, knowing well if he continued, it would hit me instead.

I dragged him as far as possible from Lorenzo's still howling self. But it pained me when Lorenzo broke into a bitter cry once Aarmen had dragged him back near Cheryl.

"Sit," I pushed Dunkin on the sand and he reluctantly obliged. Still breathing harshly, looking anywhere but me. There was a cut at the side of his lips.

I moved forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Count," I whispered.

He hardly became angry, ever; diverting it with jokes and laughs. But when he did, it was volcanic. He was a dormant volcano.

"Coretta, please… not now." His body hadn't relaxed at all, voice still controlling the anger. As if he was going to bust a vein.

"I said count!" I thumped his back.

My relation with Dunkin was fantastically complex. If one threw a friend, a boyfriend, and a brother into a mix, the relationship that came out was what I had with Dunkin. It wasn't surprising when people mistook us for siblings and couples all at the same time.

He huffed, then sighed heavily. "Okay. One… two… three-"

"You know you're doing it wrong," I scolded, banging his back again.

He let out a distressed sigh, then went slack against me, "One donut, two donuts, three don… uts, four…" he rested his forehead against my shoulder, breathing contently at last.

A small smile came up to me. The trick always worked, and I was glad that he was never so angry that he had to count beyond five. He always stopped at that.

But my smile faltered once I felt moisture seep into the fabric over my shoulder.

And once again, I wasn't able to think of anything but Julian's tears.

"Isn't it… pathetic," he backed away slowly, staring at the sand, "I'm always using your shoulder to cry on."

He coughed, pressing his fingers over his eyes. "He's right to say I'm a… coward. She used to say so too. When she- she went away or when I became the cause of-"

"She didn't go away. She cheated on you, Dunkin. And we are not talking about those toxic exes of yours right now," I told him firmly, but my face softened.

Lorenzo's words, although in anger, had hurt Dunkin. More than he could ever know.

"But wasn't she right?" He held my gaze, pain and insecurity swirling in them as he lowered his head, pressing his lips together, helplessly.

"I just know how to joke and laugh. I'm not serious, I don't have tattoos because they look painful to me. I do not have that bad and moody aura about me. I just joked and made her laugh and that made her look like a loser, with me," His lips trembled, "Coward would… suit me…"

Steffi Beckinsale, epitome of the spoiled rich girl. Dunkin's love for her was clear honey, while she was like that cheap fondant over a cake. Sweet and beautiful just on the outside. He loved her, but she just used him to get back to her ex. What a girl.

I just wrapped my arms around him, patting his back. "Should I start with what the guys talked about me?" I whispered.

"You dare not." His voice stiffened as he placed a shaky hand over my hair.

"Then you dare not, too," I smiled at him. His eyes wavered on the sand as he backed away.

"How would Lorenzo ever know that sometimes you do not need another girlfriend to fix your broken heart," he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"You just need a friend. Who would listen and… understand you." He looked up at me. "That's what you are to me, Cors. I'll… I'll go insane if you ever believe in whatever gibberish he spit out before. I don't want to lose you."

I laughed, slapping his shoulder. "People shipped us like crazy back in school when we faked that relationship. Did you feel electricity zing through you when I touched you?" I smirked.

That made him laugh, which he couldn't stop. I smiled, glad that finally, his sadness was lifting.

"The best-friends-falling-for-each-other phenomenon is mad crazy," he snickered. "We were laughing our heads out at how we were pranking everyone. Best time of my life."

That indeed was the funniest and craziest time.

"Who told him about the crush thing, though?" he grunted.

"Maybe… Cheryl did," I mumbled.

"You told her?" he gasped, "Didn't we decide to take this secret to our graves?!"

I chuckled. Now when we were grownups, he was beyond embarrassed by the little proposal he'd given me in fifth grade.

I- uh, I love you, Coretta Hayes. His eleven-year-old self had stuttered.

Why? Eleven-year-old me really had to look down at him. He was so much shorter than me back then.

"I still remember what you said." I rested my face in my hand, grinning at him. He looked on, horrified.

"No, please don't start that again-"

"Why do you love me?" I mimicked my fifth grader voice, pouting.

"Uh, because I- uh, because you are pretty," I imitated him, unable to control my laughter.

"God, no Cors stop this is embarass-"

"There are other pretty girls, go love them!" I made a high-pitched noise, stifling my laugh. Being a single parent, my dad had taught me enough how to turn down some random boy telling you he loves you.

"Nooooo," I continued, now starting Dunkin's words as he buried his face in his hands, "I- I love you because, um… you finish your homework on time and… and you are every teacher's favourite and Ms Tori always gives you candy. OhmyGod," I burst out laughing.

"That was the millionth time you made me remember that," he snorted, breaking into a laugh himself.

He stretched back on the sand, gazing up at the starless night, his hands tucked under his head. "I miss that childhood innocence. But, goodness, girls of our time are crazy. When I started hitting the gym for the ancient man training, which I absolutely hated, they started chasing me for the muscles and abs, which by the way I also hate. Before that, I was practically invisible."

He was one being who liked to remain fit without all those extra muscles and six-packs. Lorenzo literally had to drag him to all those gym sessions. Unique was what I'd call him.

He continued with a bored expression, "When I was all smiling and talked to whoever said me hi, they didn't pay attention," he tched.

"But when I started ignoring them right at their faces and, as part of the training, changed my behaviour to that of an ancient caveman, they were running after me. Some even sent nasty DMs," he scowled, "Like what even, Cors? I swear those twenty-first-century girls are damn masochists."

I went into a fit of laughter at the reality of it, but pressed a hand to my mouth. Cheryl is dead. And here I was laughing…

Please, you two are so funny. If you happen to visit my funeral someday in the future, please laugh. My poor soul won't be able to handle hundreds of peeps crying their eyes out!

Staring up at the night sky, I remembered what she'd said one day, wondering if she was watching us. And laughing with us.

The buzz of insects from the nearby forest was the only sound as we fell silent.

"Cheryl's words are haunting me now." He whispered, "Do you remember what she said the last time I and Lorenzo fought?"

Stop! I said stop both of you right now! Next time if you fight, remember! You'll be doing that 'over my dead body' Get it?!

"Yes, I do…" I whispered.

We sat quietly for a while. He glanced aside, looking in the distance to see Lorenzo's head bent over Cheryl's unmoving frame.

"Did the department lie to us? Are we really stuck in this goddamn world?" He gritted out. "Heck, I cannot survive being a priest. I have good moral values and all, but I do not wish to remain holy pure for the rest of my life!"

"Who told you to become one?" I asked solemnly, crossing my legs. "You became a priest without informing us. Just like Cheryl took this step."

"There wasn't anything, really," his shoulders rose and fell, "I don't have the guts to be a warrior and fight in a war filled with axes and spears," he trembled. "Nor could I sit in an institution like Aarmen and solve meaningless mathematical geometries with Euclid all day."

"You could've looked for some jobs in the palace?" I suggested.

He paled out at that, getting back into a sitting posture. "Are you serious? You know well what's the first eligibility for men to work in palaces." When I gave him a confused look, he ran a hand over his face. Even thinking about it had goosebumps rising on his arms.

"They are fudging castrated, Cors," he gagged, closing his mouth with his hand. "I'd anytime want my neck chopped off than that."

I cringed. Back when the three of them were taught about eunuchs as part of their ancient men's training, the first thing Dunkin did after reaching home was to puke the hell out of himself.

"Anyway, I guess I should be happy being a priest." he rested his face on his palms as I stared at the wig covering his bald head. "How's it going for you?" he asked.

Memories came crashing back, ripping my heart. I closed my eyes.

"I met a warrior. Surprisingly sweet. I kissed him, but then I left him, stating I was cursed and would have to become a priestess."

He looked up at me, worry etched on his face, "That sounded like a sad ballad, Cors, are you alright?" He held my arms.

I shook my head, and this time, he pulled me into a hug.

We were like an emotional support system to each other. Sharing each other's sorrow. I loved him. It was pure platonic joy only a few were lucky to have.

"I know it's hard, but we have to resist it," he uttered, "You know, the other day, I saw this really cute priestess…"

Despite my sadness, I couldn't help but stifle a smile.

"I'm sorry," I apologised quickly. Maybe he was as sad as me.

He snickered, "No, it's alright. Look how weird I'm getting? Priestesses are becoming my type," he laughed.

"But but but," he bit his lip to avoid a threatening grin, "I have only one type at the moment. And that is, my sway."

I gave a perplexed look. "Your sway? Who's that?"