"Shane strangled Ben."

Aiden's words shocked the group, leaving them stunned and speechless. None of them expected to hear such shocking discoveries.

Y/N couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'Is he serious?' She looked at Ben, who was still wearing his earbuds.

Aiden continues, "Not with the intent to kill him, but just enough to damage Ben's voice box, because he knew that singing was something precious to Ben. Afterwards, Ben started to spiraling into depression. And then depression turned into rage."

"When Ben finally went back to school, he confronted the group. But even after he the ones who hurt him, he didn't feel better. He didn't know what to do...to make the anger go away."

"So he kept picking fights. Even picked up street fighting. He stopped going to school and he'd always come home late. His parents didn't know what to do. Ben refused to go therapy and would sneak out of the house."

"At some point, a kid he fought turned out to have an older brother that had connections with a gang. The gang where he lived and, well-"

"They ended up having to move. Ben was ashamed of what happened and realized his temper was far out of his control. That was when his parents suggested he come stay with us for a while. Since we were always traveling, doing new things, and exploring new places, they thought it would help find a new meaning to life."

"Something he loved just as much as singing. He agreed and also started going to therapy. And so that's how he ended up living with me. His therapist also suggested taking up calming hobbies like gardening and drawing in that notebook he carries with him. He's calmed down quite a bit, but there are times where something can trigger his anger."

"Like when he saw Logan and that other guy in the hallway."

Upon learning about Ben's past, Y/N felt a mix of emotions. She was grateful that Aiden had trusted them enough to share such personal information, but she also felt unsure about how to support him through his past trauma. As she looked at the others, she could see the concern and empathy in their eyes as they all processed the information in their own way, trying to understand it and figure out the best way to help Ben. Y/N realized that they needed to be there for Ben, to listen and offer comfort when needed. She understood that this was just the beginning of a long journey towards healing for him.

However, she had no idea how to comfort him emotionally, as it had been a while since she had done so - except for Logan, but that was a different situation. Ben's past clearly had a significant impact on him, and she never would have guessed he was dealing with such struggles. Despite this realization, she remained silent.

"Wait, so he can still talk, right? Just not sing." Tyler asked Aiden, which made Y/N curious because she wonder if he could speak.

"I mean- he can, but he doesn't like hearing his damaged voice. So he chooses to be silent." Aiden shrugged and patted his hand on Ben's shoulder, "Ight bud, ya can turn the music off."

The atmosphere grew quiet, with only silence filling the air. It was a natural progression, something that was expected. However, Y/N couldn't shake one thing from her mind. She empathized with the pain of losing something valuable and knowing it can never be recovered. She understands that feeling.

'Should we talk him about it? It seems like he doesn't even want to hear Aiden talking about what happened, let alone us bringing it up...' Ashlyn thought while feeling uncertain, '...but it feels wrong to just ignore him sharing something personal.'

Not wanting to bring the others down, she decided to go with the latter option. Just when she was about to speak, Y/N unexpectedly spoke.

"I guess... me and you aren't so different," Y/N said in a surprisingly calm tone. "I too, lost something- no, someone important." Her head slightly lowered as she was then reminded of something. "Though I'm glad you were willing to share something personal with us, and I appreciate you for trusting us with such personal matters. For that, I'm truly grateful. I'm sure some of us feel the same." She glanced up at the group who wore a surprised look on their faces.

Y/N hadn't realized it yet, but she was a compassionate person. She wasn't even aware of how her presence and words greatly affected those around her. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel reassured by her own words. It eased her to know that she felt comfortable enough to speak her mind. Meanwhile, everyone else was shocked, except for Aiden and Ben, who were unaware of what had happened in the hallway after they left. Even so, Aiden was surprised by the compassion in her words, his eyes widening as her kind words left him speechless. Feeling a bit embarrassed by the sudden attention, Y/N shifted her focus to her untouched food.

A moment of silence lingered in the air, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty among some individuals in the group. Ashlyn, sensing the tension, attempted to change the topic as she cleared her throat to speak.

"Alright, let's move on then-" Before she could continue, Taylor unintentionally interrupted her. Despite being surprised by Y/N's words, it gave Taylor the courage to speak up.

"Thanks Ben. For letting Aiden share that with us, I mean. You don't even know us that well, but felt like we should as a team. I'm sure it wasn't easy..." Her eyes softened, "...So I just wanted to let you know that it was appreciated."

It took some time for Y/N to process what she told Ben and the group. She wasn't sure why she was acting this way, and it was confusing because speaking up like this was a new experience for her. Maybe she inherited this trait from her mom, who was a very compassionate person, giving her a soft side. Or maybe it was just in her genes to be soft-hearted. But it did feel comforting.

Perhaps this was a small step for her in slowly opening up again. Ben looked surprised, then looked away from the two with a changed facial expression. He smiled and nodded as he listened to their kind words. His face turned slightly red upon hearing the words from Taylor and Y/N, which made him feel happy.

Taylor- "Ah- sorry, Ashlyn! I didn't mean to interrupt you." She said apologetically. "It's just that her words made me want to speak up because..." She calmed down as she glanced over at Y/N, who was peacefully eating her lunch. "She is right. I didn't want it to seem like there was no care for his past, but I do and honestly really appreciate him."

[Ben... My guy, man, sweet boy. You are a lucky guy, pulling Y/N and Taylor? NANI??!!]

Ashlyn- "Huh? No, it's alright. I also agree that Y/N words had struck a spot in me. At the same time, it was considerate of Ben to let us know."

Logan- "M-me too..."

Tyler- "Yeah." He looked at Y/N narrowed eyes and crossed arms, showing that he is still upset about the incident in the hallway involving her and his sister, Taylor.

After the tension in the group was released, everyone felt a sense of relief. It wasn't long before someone broke the silence and spoke up.

"Um... it's a little off topic-" Everyone's attention shifted to where the sound was coming from. When they turned their heads, they saw Logan "-but I think I have a theory of what happened in Savannah. Well- er, not exactly 'what happened' but how we went from Savannah, Georgia, all the way back here to alto, Georgia on the second night."

"Right... that's something we've been stuck in for a while." Ashlyn said as she placed her hand by the side of her mouth, almost covering half of it.



After we left Savannah, instead of a us returning to the motels on the second night, we woke up in our beds back home. Which didn't make sense once we figured out that we always return to where we were previously in the phantom dimension.

We all ended up having to hide ourselves as best as possible until things were safe again. The whole situation was has been a disaster, but the last few nights were particularly brutal...

-That's when we realized that whatever was happening at night wasn't a fluke and it wasn't going to stop.



"Okay, so what's the theory?" Tyler asked.

"Well... because of how our injuries work in relation to each dimension, I think the bodies we use here and use in the phantom dimension are separate but also... connected. So, if they are connected in some way... what if there's a distance limit?"



The pain I feel right now in my back is getting the better of me. However, I'm still willing to keep going, just gotta work on my posture. I still haven't work on the next chapter, but it will be coming in a couple of hours, or so. 🤗