War Of Millennium

Chapter 16: Invaders

Ivy woke me up early the next morning.

I was surprised to see her instead of Shane, but I was pleasantly surprised. "Hi." I greeted. Since I'd done something stupid again, I wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to deal with the situation.

"What are we?" she asked. "What are we?" I repeated. She suddenly looked surprised at herself, like she hadn't meant what she said. "Yeah?" she replied shakily. "What do you think we are?" I asked. I knew we were treading in dangerous waters. That particular subject was toxic.

I didn't know what she wanted to hear from me. All I knew was that she wanted an answer—and I wasn't sure if mine was the answer she wanted. I knew what I wanted, but I was still terrified.

She didn't answer. "You're avoiding the question." She concluded. "No, I'm not!" I assured her quickly. Cyrus! Kevin shouted. Don't talk so loud. I was sleeping. "Shut up, I'm busy." I told him.

Hey, I'm just here to give you some free lady advice. Maybe stop kissing the girl that you're not dating, but secretly want to date. I almost slapped myself. I was angry at myself, and angry at Kevin for being right.

She's confused. She doesn't know what you mean by all this mushy stuff. "Mushy stuff isn't Ivy's forte." I said aloud. Ivy stared at me for a second, probably before realizing that I wasn't talking to her.

"What's he saying?" she demanded. "Nothing important. Just hold on a second." I told her. "Look, this isn't actually what I came to talk about." I stopped her. "Just wait, please. I just need a second." She shut up.

If mushy stuff isn't her forte, then why do you keep kissing her without saying anything? "Because." I muttered. "You're the one that's supposed to know my thoughts and feelings better than anyone else." I remarked. Kevin gasped dramatically.

Oh—I see. If that's how it is, maybe you should stop being a baby, MAN UP, and tell her how you feel. I cringed at the thought. Man up, Cyrus. It's time. You both need this. Maybe there's something apart of the whole awkward romantic situation that you don't even know about—maybe it'll be perfect, and you don't even know it.

I looked straight at Ivy. "What's he saying?" She repeated. "Nothing important, as usual." I repeated, knowing I was lying. Hey! What I say is very important! "I may have missed you, but I did not miss your commentary."

I'm just trying to provide to you some of the common sense you clearly lack. He yelled. I cringed.

Before Ivy could say anything more, the door to my bedroom opened. We both jumped. Shane looked in on the two of us. "Am I interrupting something important?" he asked. "No." Ivy said quickly. "Yes, actually, you are." I protested.

Shane sighed heavily. "I'm going to assume I'm not interrupting." He said. "The midget servant has another message for you." Shane walked in the room followed by the midget servant, who looked pretty angry for being referred to as the 'midget servant.' He practically threw his tablet at my face.

I pressed the play button. Joey's face appeared. I could physically feel Ivy stiffen next to me.

"Here's the deal, kid." He said, hostility filling his voice. "You can either make your way down to the Sea Faction today, or I'll be at the Volcano Faction first thing tomorrow with an army. The Sea Faction will find you if you choose not to show up."

The video message was short and to-the-point. I handed the tablet back to the midget servant. "Thank you." I said. He stormed out of the room in a huff. "Hannasha wants to know what the decision is." Shane said.

"Does she have a preference?" I asked curiously. Ivy looked at me funny. "You're not going today?" she asked. "Ivy..." I trailed off. "Shane, get Hannasha. She can help me decide." I suggested.