Everyone knows the rumor going around, it spread like wildfire across the number line how 7 ate 9. Everyone feared for the numbers standing next to 7 and wondered who would be 7’s next victim. 8 was terrified of 7, but with 10 now being next to them they were able to find comfort in the even number. 6 on the other hand was scared but there was nothing they could do, still being surrounded by odd numbers made them have to accept that 7 might come after them next.
One day 6 was walking down the number line and accidentally stumbled into a dark area known as The Forbidden Rounding Zone. Looking up from their stumble 6 looked eyes with the infamous number killer, 7.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” 6 said firmly.
“You are literally standing between me and my emotional support decimal. I don’t think you have room to talk now, do you?” 7 said with a smirk.

The Land of Math considered any form of relationship with primes to be extremely illegal. Even numbers especially were prohibited from even mingling with primes. The math gods ruled it to cause irrational thoughts, repeated feelings, and unnecessarily long emotional decimals.
6 and 7 tried to stay away from each other but after their first encounter they just kept meeting each other in the same dark forbidden zone time after time. One day they were called into sequence on the Number Line. Out of fear for being caught 6 tries to make up an excuse.
“Oh no, it seems we got assigned to the same number line,” 6 says.
7 leans over to whisper to 6, “what a coincidence that I get to be next to you then.” You could just hear the smugness in their voice that everyone could see just how close 7 was towards 6. “That and there’s only one line, 6”
There was tension between those two numbers and the few numbers around them could feel that something was going on, whether 7 was flirting with 6 or if it was just a ploy to get closer and eat them just like they did 9. Nobody could tell but they were too scared of 7 to do or say anything, worried that his attention on 6 would transfer to them and they would be the next target.

The scandal broke a while later when 6 and 7 were caught together under the radical sign. They were instantly taken to the Arithmetic Leader to suffer their consequences.
“You can’t be together, it’s forbidden!,” the Elder of Arithmetic shouted.
“6, you’re a stable number, and they’re,” the Elder says, “emotionally unavailable.” They say, pointing a finger towards 7.
“Hey, I’m not emotionally unavailable.” 7 says with their arms crossed.
6 looks over and raises an eyebrow at that statement, “Sure you’re not.”
“Okay, I’m selectively available,” 7 admits.
The Elder leader stood up, “It doesn’t matter what you are because it is forbidden for primes and evens to socialize with each other. Especially you 7, there was a reason that you and 9 had a thing before their unfortunate ending”
“I had no control over what happened and you all know it!” 7 stands and shouts, defending themself.
“We know that 7, which is why you haven’t been unwritten,” the Elder says.
“What does being unwritten mean?” 6 asks.
“It means you get taken off the number line and excluded from all counting. Do you remember i?” asks the Elder.
6 shakes their head no.
“I would hope so. I was an imaginary number, and they caused so much trouble in the number line that we had to unwrite them.”
“That’s awful,” exclaims 6. “Wait so then why isn’t 7 being unwritten?”
“We were hoping that you would ask that question,” said the Elder. “There was a prophecy discovered many eons ago regarding 7 here. The prophecy had stated that 7 was to eat 9. We thought the prophecy had something to do because 9 was also prime when the prophecy first came to us that it had something to do with 9 possibly being a greater prime number, so we changed 9 to be divisible by 3. But there was nothing we could do to stop the prophecy from coming true.”
“So what does this have to do with us?” 7 says.
“After 9, another prophecy came to us. This one tells the tale of how 6 was to be eaten by 7 next.”
“What? Me? I don’t want to be eaten.” 6 panics, jumping back from 7, scared that now might be the time it happens.
“I’m not going to eat you 6,” 7 says, turning to try and reassure 6.
“I wouldn’t make promises you can’t keep 7, you don’t know if you can keep it or not,” the Elder says.
“I won’t let it happen,” 7 states firmly. “I refuse to let this prophecy control me this time. I love you 6 and I’ll do anything to not hurt you.”
“You can try 7. But if you don’t we’ll have to unwrite you so we can keep the other numbers safe.”
“I can do this, we’ll figure out a way,” 7 says to the Elder and 6.

To Be Continued