Alone, annoyed, and with many more questions than answers.

(CW: Transphobia, Dead naming)

You wake up feeling an absence. Where the wonderful weight of Olive once was wrapped around you, now you only feel the soaked sheets of last night's revelry. You toss them off with a sigh, streeeeetch out wide and wobbly until you snap back into your new plumper, and as far as you're concerned, prettier form. You scan the room, but see no sign of Olive. You tell yourself she is probably just getting cleaned up, being unable to process and purify waste as efficiently as you do, but a pang of doubt still lingers.

You search the octogirl's dorm, but you cannot find anything out of place, save for the mess you made yesterday, that is, until you see a tiny note lying next to the door. You scoop it up and start reading it, only to feel like it must be in some kind of code. You try again, but this time tears get in your way. You take a deep breath and then another...and another, and eventually you are able to read the letter, if not believe it...

'Dear Willow,

It pains me to write this, because I do care for you, but it's because I care for you that I can no longer live this lie. I was born a boy, and unlike you, I don't belong in a WOMEN'S university. I wish you the best, and hope one day you can forgive me for trying to lead you astray, just as one day I hope to forgive myself.

Sincerely,

Oliver'

It takes you a long time to stop sobbing, and even when you can finally breath with out feeling daggers filling your nonexistant lungs, you still can't make heads or tails of it. It doesn't sound like Olive, but it definitely looks like her handwriting. It's strange that she would misgender and deadname herself, only to refer to you as a woman and call you Willow. You can't believe the same girl that opened her heart to you would turn around and break yours...

Then it hits you...she wouldn't, not of her own free will. Besides, why would she need to slide a note under her own door? Unless...someone got to her. Someone discovered her secret and blackmailed or otherwise **** her into writing that note and leaving school. Your doubt is replaced by stark terror. What if they discover your secret next? They will doubtlessly be watching you since they know you hooked up with Olive. You wonder if the note proves they don't know about your gender fluidity or if they are playing dumb to lure you out?

You don't know who to trust or who you can turn to. Without knowing who sent the note, you can't know if the person you ask for help might not be the one that outed Olive. You are scared stiff and your legs even more jellylike than normal, but you manage to slip out the door and head towards what you hope will mean help and not horror. Though at Hela U, one can quickly lead to the next.

(So I know this chapter is a gut punch. I promise I wouldn't include it if I did not think it was necessary. The world is scary enough that we don't need transphobes in Hell. Still, I wanted to include them in this branch if only to see them defeated. It's no spoiler to say I love a hard fought happy ending. So fight hard, hang in there, and see it through to the end.)