Evolved [Book 2 of the Life Hearts Trilogy]

Don't Interfere - Blue

Here's where the chapters start getting really, REALLY long...

-Indigo

~~~

The beginning of the next day was far from normal. Grian was red, and the Southlanders were one short.

Grian built a little place near the snow castle because Bdubs lived there. He still wanted revenge on the clock-obsessed moss boy. The base was just a tiny hole in the ground that he put a crafting table and furnace in and then called home. He didn't decorate the outside or the interior. I figured that since he didn't decorate, then the shelter was only temporary. He was probably only using this as a base of operations to get his revenge on Bdubs.

Grian then went to the Southlands to steal some sugarcane, probably to make a farm for TNT. When he left, I stayed to check on the other four Southlanders.

They hadn't noticed that Grian had come. They were just getting together for another round of life-passing. But the Boogeyman was being chosen first.

3...

2...

1...

None of the Southlanders had the Glow, so they were safe for now. None of the red names had anything against the Southlands that I knew of. Perks of being harmless idiots.

I headed to Ren's tower to check on him. He was not Boogeyman, nor were Lizzie and Bigb when I went to the Fairy Fort. But while Ren was underground, building some sort of meeting room, Lizzie and Bigb were in a situation where they needed him.

Cleo was at the Fairy Fort with a lit torch. Before I was in earshot, she said something to Lizzie and Bigb before thrusting the torch into the tree she sat in.

The flames spread like - well, wildfire, quickly consuming the wooden defenses. Cleo jumped down from her tree and ran, sealing the entrance before leaving Lizzie and Bigb trapped in the burning clearing. I watched with horror. The worst part was that I knew Cleo. If they survived this, Cleo wasn't going to give up.

They managed to put out some of the fire with a bucket of water and, coughing in the smoke, made it out alive. But the Fairy Fort was already too damaged to save. The two Forest Fairies ran away from the forest and to Ren's tower, leaving the burning dark forest behind them.

I went back to the Southlands, panicking. They had spent the entire time I was watching just sitting there talking, and now Martyn was finally starting to recite the give life spell for the life passing.

Jimmy's life heart turned green. He turned to Mumbo... and threw down his spyglass and yelled, "Here you go, I'm out!"

Then he ran.

Martyn, Mumbo, and Impulse's laughter quickly turned to cries of alarm as it became apparent that Jimmy was not coming back.

"Jimmy!" Martyn yelled, enraged, and ran after the cod.

"No, I'm gone, I'm gone, I am NOT coming back EVER!" Jimmy yelled, crossing the bridge and entering the forest.

Forget the rules.

Martyn glanced at the darkening sky before pulling out his sword and slashing at his ally. It was illegal, but not unheard of.

The opportunity...

Martyn, still yelling at Jimmy, slowed down and started shooting arrows, putting him farther behind.

Retrieve it now!

"I'm trying," Martyn muttered.

The rest will agree.

Martyn repeated those words like they were his lifeline, and I realized he was scared that the other Southlanders would choose Jimmy over him.