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One of my friends just sent me some of these lovely things.

Who wants to help me pretty up parts of the OC? I promise, they're completely harmless... unless you get hit in the head by one, I guess.

I'm almost definitely going home tomorrow, and Joly and Marius, who I gave this thing to are going to be okay too. This is the outcome that I didn't see coming, even as of two days ago. I'd imagined when everything started to fail, that I was never getting out of this bed or walking out, but I'll be getting there under my own power several hours from now, and going home, and somehow, against all odds, they found the cure and manufactured it in time.

The time HAS been helpful in a couple ways. I've learned a lot. About myself, about philosophy and about my friends. It's a crazy way to get to know someone you thought that you already knew, especially with Joly who got this thing almost at the same time I did, which meant we spent a lot of time together. And well, with everybody who was quarantined with us too.

The other thing I learned, the most important one in all of this is that I shouldn't always have to hide emotions, feelings, or anything else. They don't actually make me weak, and sharing some of them can help to break the ice, or even just to let people know how you feel in case it's too late.

I've learned not to put that kind of thing off, and that the time to say that you appreciate someone is probably when it occurs to you, before it's to late. So that said:

Joly, Combeferre, Jehan, Bossuet, Marius, Courfeyrac, Grantaire? Thank you.

You mean more to me than I can actually put into words. Not to get too Hallmark on all of this, but you, yes even you, Grand R, are my friends. My BEST friends, and I never say this but I love you and appreciate what you've done for me, and what you were prepared to do. If you hadn't been here, I don't know that I would be here now.

Thank you for that, and for the other support as well, the soup and reading, and the entertainment value. I hope we never have to do something like this again, but if we do? I'm comforted by knowing we'll be there together.

I'm lucky, really lucky that I've been given you guys, and the supportive people on this network. Thank you, and I mean that.

I think it's time for a new start. A new me. Before they drag me further into their world

Hi, I'm Éponine. I've just started studying at UCLA... and, well, I'm new to all of this. And to California as a whole, really.