She was right. They were right, and Jonothon knew it. It hurt. It burned at him in a way that the flames never had before, to be so close only to have it all slip through his fingers again. Mostly, he still wanted to concede defeat and lay back down.

But he'd kissed. Kissed and laughed and sang and lived, actually felt alive for an afternoon. He'd held Didi close to himself without fear. He couldn't now, but he had.

In the long run, he'd lost a few bandages, and a bit of hope. And to make up for it, he'd kissed his girlfriend.

//Maybe... we should get out of... th'forest.//