"I see your arm is fixed," said 7 with a smile. I nodded. Everyone was gathering to move. We didn't know where, but we were moving anyway.

"Quick attendance check," said 1. "8?"

"Hi."

"7?"

"Present."

"6?"

6? I didn't know we had a 6...

"Here," said a little striped guy beside me. He was weird looking. One of his eyes was bigger than the other, and he had splotches of black all over his body.

"5?"

"Here."

"4... 3?"

Their eyes flashed.

"2?"

"I'm here..." he said, and 5 wrapped an arm around him. 2 looked a little embarrassed, and made 5 take his arm off him.

"And 1. Okay, we may head out."

Probably the hardest part about finding a new sanctuary was not knowing where to look. The second hardest part was walking up and down hills of garbage. I got tired last, being the strongest, but my feet still ached as much as everyone else's. Well, I can't say I was the last to tire. The twins raced left and right the whole time, eyes blinking like crazy. If they were tired, they didn't show it.

Even though we left early that day, it became dark before we found anything. Everyone was very tired, and even the twins just showed up and fell asleep. Where they fell would be where we would camp for the night, 1 said. He said he'd be lookout for a while. 7 offered to take the shift after him.

It was odd to see the twins without their eyes flashing. They looked so calm compared to how hyper they normally are. 6 lay down as if he were going to sleep, but his fingers were doodling in the dirt. He was a little weird, I think. 2 laid down, but once 5 did beside him, 2 stood up again and walked to the other side of the group. I didn't want to think it was my fault, but it just might have been...

"You going to sleep, 8?"

I turned around. It was 7. To answer her, I nodded.

"You tired?" She asked, plopping down beside me.

I nodded again.

"To tired to join me tonight for lookout? I could use your company..."

"I don't mind," I said quickly.

"All right. I'll wake you when it's time." 7 touched my shoulder, then walked away to sleep next to the twins.

Something about her made me shake, now. About her touch, about her voice. Or maybe it wasn't her. Maybe I was cold, or scared. Maybe I was scared. Maybe it was both. But I shook in my rag doll skin, even as I lay on my side and slowly drifted into a warm sleep.

"8? Hey, you awake?"

I opened my eyes.

"Oh. Guess not. Well, you promised to keep me company, anyway, so." It was 7. Not that I expected anyone else. "Come on. Shhh. Don't wake the others."

We tiptoed around our sleeping friends, and then sat. We were quiet for a while, then 7 said, "Not very talkative tonight, are you?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"All right, I'll talk some, then," she said. "Anything new?"

"Nope."

"You sure?"

I thought long and hard. There was the fact that 1 and I were becoming friends... I was slowly needing the magnet more and more... I might have ruined whatever love 5 and 2 had for each other... Oh! Speaking of love, I might have loved 7. "Nope," I said, at last. "Nothing else."

7 nodded. "I hope we find it soon. Our new home, I mean. I don't think I can take much more of this... exhaustion."

"Me too. I wonder what it'll be like." It sounded weird because I was fighting to not grab the magnet. It wasn't so often anymore I got to talk alone with 7. This was special; I couldn't ruin it like that.

"Hmm... If I could imagine my perfect new home," said 7. "All the buildings would be intact... There would be no beasts. Umm... Oh, and we could just relax and live happily together..." She took a big breath. "Like a family."

"Hm."

"What about you?"

"Magnets."

"What?"

"Everything would be made out of magnets," I said. "I thought that'd be... obb... yus."

7 laughed and laughed and laughed. I didn't see what was so funny, but I threw in a giggle or two. "Ah, 8," she said at last, after calming down. She leaned on my shoulder.

I froze up a bit. She was so close. And I wanted my magnet. After a minute of waiting for her to say something, I spoke up. "...7?"

When she didn't say anything, I looked at her face. Her eyes, which normally glowed dimly in the dark, didn't. She was asleep. On my shoulder. And unless I wanted to wake her up, I couldn't get my magnet.

This upset me, kind of. But then, the more I thought about it, it was nice. Being so close. Feeling her breathe her breath onto my arm. It was nice, even though it mad me shake like a madman. I was so close, so warm. So happy. With that, I shut my eyes and slept. I couldn't have gotten more comfort from my magnet.

We left early that morning, and though no one wanted to, no one complained. 1 was mad at 7 and I for dozing off, but after a few hours of walking the garbage heaps, all was forgiven. 2 days pass of nearly the same thing: grouchy 1, crazy twins, 5 trying to make up with 2, 6... being 6, and 7 making me shake.

Then, we finally found it. A building that wasn't completely ruined, and could cover us well. We explored the inside. It was, for the most part, empty and boring. Just another dusty old building. But one unique feature about this one was the windows. Colored, with images of people. It was pretty.

Not that we really cared about the design. We cared about its protection over all else.

"I think," said 1. "We've found it. Home sweet home, at last."

Everyone cheered. In the corner of my eye, I could see 5 and 2 hugging with joy. I was relieved, not only because of the fact that their relationship had fixed, but because after what seem liked forever, we were home once more.

Our new home was nice. Maybe even nicer than the last. Also, there was more stuff on the ground around our new house than our old one. We could gather materials without having to go too far, and before I knew it, 2 found a new surprise for me. Only, it turns out it's not called a surprise. 7 said that "the correct term was sword, or blade." So, yeah. I had a new sword. This one had a circular handle! Nifty.

Also, because there was more junk, 2 said almost right away, "5, let's make something together!" I was happy to see them working together again.

Another thing. 6. In the old home, I'd never even caught sight of him, and I soon learned why. He spent the whole day drawing, that's why! And it was always the same thing, over and over again. Why, he's even dumber than me, I thought proudly to myself. That was a whole other thing, actually. I'd come to accept the fact that I wasn't as smart as everyone else. For example, there were things everyone else knew upon invention that I didn't know until told. And I still had problems with understanding people, sometimes.

Even though we'd found "home sweet home," one day, 3 and 4 just disappeared. We don't know what happened, but they were here one day, gone the next.

"I can't believe they just... up and vanished!" cried 7. We were having a meeting, all of us but 3, 4, and 6.

"I'm not," said 1. "They never did fit in very well. They were off in their own little world, and though they were with us, they never were a part of us."

"Why did they leave?" I asked, confused.

"Because," said 1 with a sigh. "They don't care about any of us, never have."

"Wait-" 5 started.

1 interrupted him. "Most likely, they cataloged their little hearts out the moment we got here, in excitement. Once they realized there was not much else to discover, they left. They never gave any thought as to whether or not we'd care. Face it, they've always been detached. It'd be bound to happen at one point, seeing as they can only communicate with one another."

Everyone was quiet.

"Well, what if that's not it?" asked 2.

"5," said 7. "It sounds pretty likely." Was it just me, or was 7 agreeing with 1? That hardly ever happened. I could have sworn she hated him. "It sounds like something the twins might do, I'm sorry."

"What if they were hurt?" asked 2. "Can we not even look for them?"

"You always were a motherly one, 2," said 1. "But for the sake of everyone, just let it go."

5 snorted at the word "motherly," and 2 elbowed him in the side. "I won't let it go, 1," said 2. "If you really cared about the sake of everyone, you'd at least look for them."

"How... how dare you!" 1 raised his staff and brought it down on 2, cracking the glass on his hat. He raised his staff again, and right when he was about to strike 2 once more, 5 jumped in and took the hit. And he took many more hits before 1 was finally restrained by 7.

"You must stop!" she cried, looking at me for assistance.

I took one step forward, and 1 commanded me, "Don't get involved, 8."

"8!"

Confused, I did nothing.

1 broke from 7's grip, and towered above 5 and 2, who just stared at him. Not with fear, not with anger. They just stared at him, as if silently asking, "What are you going to do?"

"I refuse," 1 said slowly. "To let us fall apart. We've already lost two, do we need to lose more? Is that what you want? To break us apart?"

"I want," 2 said, then glancing at 5, corrected himself. "We just want... We don't want to break us, 1. We want to mend us. Or at least try."

There was quiet for the longest time, and then 1 said, "If a plate is chipped, do you try to glue it back together?"

"Enough with your silly metaphors, old man!" cried 5. "We aren't a freaking plate! We're the last 8 beings on Earth! Sure, maybe you wouldn't glue a chipped plate, but 2 out of 8 is not a chip! It's a fourth, you fool... You damned fool."

1 shook with anger. "8!" he called. "Come here and show them how we reply to defiance!"

"...What happened to majority?"

"8!"

I don't want to hurt them.

"Enough!" 2 stood up, commanding silence. Everyone got quiet. 2 put his hand to his forehead and murmured, "Damn head ache..." After a moment, he looked up at 1, then at 5. "Come on 5. Let's go work on our telescope."

"What? What do you mean work on our telescope?"

"Work on our telescope."

"What- Oh... Oh! Okay! Okay, cool! That's cool. Okay. Except I thought you were all like, 'I'm too old for you, 5' and stuff and-"

"5..."

"Oh, right. Telescope. Um. I call pliers!"

2 and 5 left, leaving me with 7 and 1, who looked at me, and said in unison, "8."

"I am going to bed," I said quickly, before anyone else could fight.

Except I couldn't even do that, because 2 and 5 were making such a racket in the watch tower. Something tells me they weren't really working on their telescope.

"I'm leaving," said 7.

"What?" Maybe I was hearing wrong.

"I'm leaving, 8. I thought I should tell you before I left..."

"Why are you leaving?" I began to shake.

7 shook her head. "It's complicated..." she paused, then continued, "I thought about 3 and 4... and maybe it's not a bad idea... I mean... 1... he's stubborn and arrogant. Beating 5 and 2 like that was unacceptable. A leader needs to be calm... Cool and collected, you know?"

"1 is good leader."

"8," she sighed. "You realize he's using you, right?" I shook my head. "He's using you to enforce his rules."

"1 is my friend."

"1 is nobody's friend."

"He is mine," I insisted.

"...You can come with me, you know. We can escape together..."

"Escape?" She made it sound like a prison.

"8, please come with me..." Deep inside her eyes, there was loneliness that called to me like a... like a...

"I love you," I said at last.

"...8."

Bringing her into a tight hug, I kissed her.

"Stop!"

Stop? I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't want to. Whichever it was, passion was in control at that moment. I felt passion. Passion, and desire. Mad desire, suddenly unleashed. Like... Like... A hungry beast released into a small group of stitchpunks. Which was bad. I was afraid of beasts. I was a stitchpunk. We both were. But I didn't want to stop. It felt to good to finally tell her- show her how I felt.

"What are you-"

Remembering the incident with 5 and 2, I undid the clasp on 7's chest, and, guessing from there, ran my fingers along the metal framework inside her. I was so close to her. So close, and yet not close enough. Desire. Want. I wanted-

With one shove, 7 threw me to the ground. She stared at me, the fold on her torso still hanging open. She stared at me... with hate? With sadness? Despair? Anger? Fear? ...Embarrassment? I couldn't tell, but I felt shame. I was ashamed. Embarrassed. And before I could apologize, she ran. She ran from me. 7.

8 comes after 7. Now I can see why.

"She left? 7 left?"

I nodded.

"She always was an unruly little-"

I looked at him. "I love 7."

"...I realized."

"I kissed her, but-"

"Oh, god..." 1 rest his hand in his palm. "8. 8, 8, 8. You fool..."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. Feelings have to be mutual for... Oh 8... I should have given you the 'talk'."

"...Did she not love me?"

"She loved you, 8. Make no mistake. She loved you like a younger brother. I suppose it'd be hard for one such as you to distinguish... Oh, don't be so glum. You were very important to her."

"Is she angry at me?"

"Oh, yeah. Most likely. ...Well, I mean, serves you right, for kind of raping her... However... Things will get better, 8. She will forgive you with time, I'm sure. And until then, you have me. And the group. Only we can hold us together."

I nodded.

"I'm proud of you. The mind of a child, growing in an adult environment. It must be hard. There must be a lot you don't understand. It's okay, though. You'll understand everything, eventually. You'll grow up, and once you do, things will be better. And the group will stick together, and things will get better..."

I nodded once more, hardly listening as I, shaking, reached for my magnet.