Alice's breath hitched in her throat as the word echoed through her mind, sharp and sudden like a blade slicing straight to the core of everything she had ever known about Juno.

  Her hands trembled violently at her sides, fingers curling into fists so tight they ached. Before she could process any more of her strife...

  A call from behind.

  "...What?" Alice's whisper was barely audible, a broken thing, torn from somewhere deep inside where hope still clung desperately, forcing herself to turn around to the unfamiliar voice.

  Alice's tear-filled eyes shot open, her breath hitching in her throat as she whirled around.

  Her body was still shaking, but the familiar fire and determination was slowly creeping back into her voice as she turned toward the source of the unexpected voice.

  She didn't know who was there, but whoever it was, they had better have a damn good reason for speaking up right now.

  The source of the voice? A petite girl.

  Alice's eyes widened as she took in the girl’s appearance. She looked like a pop star, with her sparkling stage outfit and bold makeup. It was definitely unexpected...but there was something more to her. A hint of something beneath that pretty exterior that Alice couldn't quite place…

  The girl tilted her head, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she took in Alice's shocked expression.

  "Surprise~," she said sweetly, twirling a lock of hair around one finger before gesturing to herself with theatrical flair. "Name’s Juniper—professional disaster magnet and part-time actual singer." She winked before adding: "And also…the reason Juno isn’t currently dead.”

  Alice just stared at the girl—this ‘Juniper’ person—in disbelief.

  She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This tiny girl was responsible for...Juno surviving? It didn't make any sense.

  Her eyes scanned Juniper from top to bottom, scrutinizing everything about her...before blurting out: "You're lying."

  Juniper gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest as if wounded. "Rude! And here I was thinking we could bond over shared trauma or something." She rolled her eyes before crossing her arms with an exaggerated sigh.

  Then, her expression shifted into something more serious like she knew exactly what she was dealing with.

  "But fine," Juniper said, dropping the act completely now as she took one step closer, just enough so that Alice could see right through those sparkly stage lights and straight into whatever hidden power lay beneath them... "You wanna know why your best friend isn't dead? Because I stopped it. Not some miracle…not luck either; just me being annoyingly good at my job when it counts most.”

  A pause.

  Then softer: “And you’re welcome.”

  Alice blinked in surprise at Juniper's dramatic shift.

  She could sense there was more to this girl than just some over-the-top pop star…and the certainty in her words when she said "I stopped it" made her heart flutter with hope.

  But she still needed answers. Her voice was thick with emotion as she forced herself to ask the one question that had been haunting her since she first saw Juno disappear.

  "…How?"

  Juniper looked mildly impressed.

  She had been half-expecting Alice to argue and demand more details, but instead, she went straight for answers. A part of her had to admit it was kind of…endearing.

  So, she folded her arms once again, leaning back slightly.

  Her voice lowered to a dangerous whisper as she replied; "…Do you really wanna know?"

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  Alice's eyes narrowed with determination, her heart hammering against her chest as she nodded slowly.

  This Juniper person was acting mysterious as hell. She had stopped Juno from disappearing into thin air for good, and now…now she was saying she had answers?

  Alice wasn't stupid. But she had a good feeling about this mysterious pop star…so she braced herself for whatever truth was coming next:

  "Tell me."

  Juniper smirked.

  She seemed satisfied by Alice's response, like a predator who'd found its prey and was now toying with it.

  Her voice was low and smooth when she spoke, like smoke on the wind...

  "Close your eyes."

  Alice hesitated for a fraction of a second, her instincts screaming at her that this was probably some kind of trick.

  But...she needed to know the truth about Juno. She needed answers.

  So, she took in one deep breath before squeezing her eyes shut and forcing herself to obey Juniper's command…

  "Fine."

  Juniper’s smirk widened as Alice closed her eyes.

  She could practically feel the tension radiating off her, like a coiled spring about to snap. But she didn't move yet, savoring the moment just a little longer…

  Then, her voice dropped even lower; “Now…I won't be able to tell you right here...there are...ahem, other ears where we can't see them. So you're coming with me.”

  Alice's eyes snapped open, her breath hitching in her throat as she took a step back.

  "...Coming with you?" She repeated slowly, suspicion creeping into her voice despite the desperate hope still clinging to every word.

  She wanted answers…but trusting this stranger blindly? That was dangerous territory…and Alice knew better than most how quickly things could go wrong when they seemed too good to be true…

  But then again...

  Juniper had already proven herself capable of things beyond human understanding by stopping Juno from vanishing forever just moments ago.

  So, after another tense second where Alice weighed all possible outcomes carefully against each other inside that head full of doubt and fear alike...

  She exhaled sharply through gritted teeth before nodding once more with a gaze so stoic that even Juniper’s smirk faltered slightly:

  “Fine.”

  Then quieter; barely above whisper:

  “…Where are we going?”

  Juniper grinned, sharp and knowing, as she took a step closer, her pale and slender hand suddenly grabbing Alice’s wrist with surprising strength.

  "Somewhere quiet..and hella neat."

  And before Alice could even react…the world around them warped. The air twisted like ink in water as reality itself seemed to fold inward, and then: gone.

  One moment they were standing there. The next? Outside of an extravagant skyscraper with a double helix design.

  Then came Juniper's voice again from somewhere behind her:

  “Welcome,” the superstar said casually, despite having just teleported someone she just met in front of some luxury hotel they've never seen before, "To the only 10-star hotel in the entire realm: Amberogen Euphoria.”

  Alice's breath caught in her throat.

  She looked around as she was led inside, her senses assaulted by the sheer extravagance of the place. There's luxury...and then there's this place. She didn't even know what to process first: the massive crystal chandelier hanging from a towering ceiling, the shimmering walls made of some kind of iridescent material that glowed in the sunlight…

  It was all so overwhelming…but in the best way. And then she remembered how Juniper had gotten them here.

  Alice's eyes shot back to the pop star, a thousand unanswered questions dancing in them…

  Alice's breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of Juniper, her stage outfit replaced with something more…formal.

  A deep purple skirt suit, paired with a silken shirt that shimmered like starlight under the hotel’s extravagant lighting. Her multicolored hair was tied up neatly, and her sharp nails now gleamed gold instead of black.

  It was a complete transformation from moments ago, and yet somehow still unmistakably her.

  Juniper smirked at Alice's stunned expression before turning on one heel toward an elevator at the far end of this lavish lobby space...

  "Come on," she called over shoulder casually, as if none of what just happened between them mattered anymore now than it had five minutes prior... “We got things to talk about. Follow me to my room.”

  Alice just stared for another moment, completely caught off guard by how different Juniper looked now, how elegant and confident she was in the midst of all this luxury.

  It all took the breath right out of her.

  But then Juniper called out to her again, a casual invitation to follow her into her hotel room. Alice blinked, the words still echoing in her mind as she took in the luxurious space around her...

  This felt so surreal. Like she'd stepped into some kind of dream.

  Then she shook her head, trying to clear her mind just enough to actually think this through before replying:

  "...Fine," Alice replied, not even trying to hide how uncertain she sounded.

  Was this a mistake?

  Maybe...probably. But…

  She needed answers. About Juno.

  And right now, this was all she had to go on. Alice let out a shaky breath, doing her best to keep her heart and mind in check as she followed Juniper into the awaiting elevator.

  The ride was silent as the elevator ascended. Even the interior was jaw-dropping, with doors made of pure gold, plush chairs to sit down on, and gentle lights surrounding the two from all directions. Even Alice felt like a celebrity.

  Alice's ears popped from how fast the elevator went up, her hands instinctively reaching up to cover them. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Juniper and the elevator screen, watching the numbers quickly rise above their current floor.

  She had so many questions...but she kept her mouth shut for now. There would be time for those later, if whatever it was that Juniper had to say was actually worthwhile, that is. So she stood there stiffly in the corner, watching and waiting until the doors finally opened once more…