"I thought s/he was inside?"
"You shouldn't go blaming yourselves."
"How's s/he doing?" s/he asks, just because s/he is worried.
"Nothing different," Shaklyn 2 answers. "S/He's still out cold."
"Really? It's our fault."
"No one's blaming you," says Shaklyn 2. "Shaklyn 1 wouldn't."
S/He turns around again and walks back into the house with Shaklyn 2 following closely behind. S/He turns to the others and looks them straight in the eyes.
"I feel awful about all this," s/he says, sitting down and putting their head in their hands. "I feel like it's my fault."
"You saved them after Shaklyn 2 brought them back out."
"Look, I just wanted to tell you..." Am I really going to do this? "...thank you." There. I said it. No use backing down now, so I
continue, "You... you were so calm, and I needed that. We . . . I was panicking. If it weren't for you, we would be having Shaklyn 1's funeral right about now."
"I've been a jerk of a cousin to them, though," s/he says. "Their whole life they've been a jerk. The only time I actually treat them like family, or even a friend, is when their life is in danger."
"That's true," I say, "but it doesn't have to be true. Weather you accept it or not, thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
S/He turns to them and smiles. They smile back, but then they hear Shaklyn 1 's voice from inside the house.
They walk through the doorway, and cry out in unison, "Shaklyn 1! "