Shivering cold

Mending the wounds

"Holly, it's been a month, you need to try and make amends with them." Star said. Holly glared at her as she spoke. "Sorry, but I'm past that point of my life. Let me move on from them." She said. "If you're really past them, then you wouldn't mumble about Eli in your sleep, or have frequent nightmares about them all dying back at their home." Star said. "Shut up Star, you're not helping!" Holly snapped. Star had a guilty look and Holly immediately apologized. "Sorry I just...don't want to see them again. Tess, Annie and Oliver finally helped me accept my mom's death, and I feel like seein the Shane gang again will just ruin all that progress..." She sighed. "It's okay, it's kinda my fault for pushing it, but please, sometime try to forgive them." Star said. Holly nodded and hung up the call before heading to kitchen to grab a snack. She remembered the time her and Eli had made pancakes for everyone once and shook her head clear of the memory. As she grabbed a bag of chips, an alarm rang throughout the cabin, signalling a distress call, and Holly groaned in annoyance. She put the chips down and rushed to the Holodesk to see what it was. She sighed as she realized it was just another thug causing trouble in Icespikes cavern. "What is up with that place and trouble..?" She muttered. Tess, Annie and Oliver had all gathered and were ready to go. Holly gave them all a nod and they all mounted their mechabeasts and took off.

As everyone returned to the cabin, Holly groaned. "Ughhhh, such an annoyance!" She exclaimed. "Went all that way out just to beat him in 3 slugs!" She sighed. As she grabbed her chips again and slumped on the couch, she thought about her conversation earlier with Star. 'I guess I could try...' She thought. She sighed as she put her food away and gathered her slugs again. "You guys ready to see the Shane gang again?" She asked them. They all chirped with glee and Holly couldn't help but smile. "TESS, ANNIE, OLIVER! YOU GUYS CAN HANDLE WITHOUT ME FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, RIGHT?!" Holly called out to her friends. She got 'yeah's and smiled as she went to get her mecha. As she hopped on and took off, she started stressing. "...what if they don't wanna make amends with me...what if I've already pushed them too far and now they hate me...what if Eli doesn't want to forgive me for killing Blakk anymore..." She muttered. Flare gave her a comforting nuzzle and she calmed down a bit. "Thanks Flare." She said. As she slowed her mechabeast, she saw the end of the Northern caverns and teared up a bit. 'The spot where mom died twice, and where I treated the Shane gang like shit...' She thought to herself. "Waddle, Abyss, Toxi, Ember, it's time to see the Shane gang again. And I swear if this stupid cavern comm Star made doesnt work I'm gonna slap her..." Holly said. She used the slugs energies to open a portal to the 99 caverns and walked her mechabeast through. As she got to their other side, she closed the portal and took a breath of the warmer air. "...soooo...which way again Flare..?" She asked her Infurnus awkwardly. Flare rolled her eyes and pointed in a direction with a chirp. Holly nodded her head and took off.

As Holly rode her mecha up to the Shane gang hideout, she took a deep breath and hopped of it. She knocked on the door and pet Flare, trying to ready herself. Eli opened the door and Holly smiled. "Hey." She said awkwardly. Eli immediately hugged her and she was taken aback for a second before hugging him back. "I missed you." He said. "...Wow I uh-didn't think you'd miss me this much..." She murmured. "What do you mean, of course I would." He replied. "Let's uh...talk this all out with everyone, okay?" Holly asked. Eli nodded and let her inside as he gathered everyone. "So...I'm sorry for yelling at you all, and blamin you all. I realize it wasn't any of your guys faults, it was the goon's. So, I'm here to make amends, if that's okay with you all..." She murmured. She was immediately brought into a group hug and started crying a bit. "Thank you all so much for still carin for me." She said as she wiped away her tears.

The rest of the day was spent chatting and having fun. Holly Finally remembered about the cavern comm Star had given her and internally facepalmed. "Guys guys! Star thinks This device can make communication across cavern sets, so we can still stay in touch when I go back!" She exclaimed while showing off the cavern comm. She attached it to their holodesk and it beeped before a green light appeared. "Star, Star I swear to the guardian slugs this better work, STAR!" She yelled. "Huh? Oh yes! It worked!" Star popped on the the holodesk's screen and smiled widely while waving. "I can't believe I actually got it to work!" She exclaimed. "Hey Star, thanks for pushin me to come visit the Shane gang again, it's really helped." Holly said. "No prob, it's just a part of being yo-" Star started speaking but was cut off by an explosion in the background. "Oop, gotta run! Don't want this place to explode!" She then hung up the call before Holly could say anymore. "...Explode..? Oh when I get home ima slug that little shit..." Holly grumbled, but smiled. "Anyways, I also picked up 2 new slugs since last time! A Tenasher and Makobreaker!" She exclaimed. 2 slugs hopped on each other her hands, one was a bright teal and green with a bit of a dark blueish-purple colour, while the other was a slightly dark red and beige colour. "Meet Chomps the Tenasher" She said while holding up the hand with the teal slug. "And Jaws the Makobreaker." She said while holding up the hand with the slightly dark red slug. Eli let out a chuckle and Holly's eyes widened in joy. "Please tell me that means you understand the reference!" She said. "Wait wait wait, that was purposeful?! How do you know about that movie, it's only on-" Eli rambled but was cut off. "Dude, my mom took me up there for visits all the time, if we're thinkin about the same place. I have some aunts and uncles up there, and my cousins, though it's only ever me from our bloodline that is supposed to come down here." Holly said with a smile. "YOU'RE ALSO FROM THE SURFACE!?" He exclaimed with shock. Holly shushed him violently but he shook her off. "They all know, it's okay." He said. "Wha- YOU KNOW SLUGTERRA AND THE SURFACE ARE MEANT TO BE SEPARATE, ELI YOU DUMBASS!" She yelled. She sighed but continued on about Jaws the Makobreakers name and how it was a reference to some sort of movie from the surface. "I'm not from from the surface, I was born down in slugterra, but my mom always loved to visit her siblings, so me and her commonly went up. I watched Jaws when I was probably 14 and I knew from that day on if I ever got a Makobreaker I'd name it Jaws." Holly said with a smile.

As the lumio lights in the cavern started to darken, Holly went to leave on her mechabeast and smiled. "Hey Junjie, tomorrow I'll see if I can head over and get you back to your caverns." She said. Junjie gave an appreciative nod and smile before Holly waved and took off. "So son, you and Holly seem close again." Will said with a smirk. "Daaad! It's not like that!" Eli said while blushing. "Sure it's not, sure." Will said as he walked back into the hideout with a smile. Eli covered his face with his hands in embarrassment as everyone else also went back inside. He gave one last glance to where Holly had taken off towards before going back into the hideout. 'It's totally like that...'