Kyle's POV

     We left Staci alone for most of the way.  We only had a few hours left, so it was better if we just let her go by her wits.

     "We're close now."  Staci said.

     "How do you know?"  I asked.

     "I just know."

     Will tripped on something, so we stopped and I helped him up.  Staci shined the flashlight on the ground where he'd just fallen.  It was . . .  A lever?

     The three of us exchanged looks, and together, we pulled it.

     Nothing happened.

     "Maybe it takes a while to activate?"  Will guessed.

     "Hmm.  Let's keep moving."  Staci narrowed her eyes, and continued to lead us through the darkness.

~~

Aunt Ellie's POV

     Soon, I started to feel a little queasy.

     We had driven for a good thirty minutes by now, and we still hadn't reached this "something" Noah wanted to show me.

     Where was he taking me...?

     Was he...  Going to leave me abandoned in the middle of nowhere?

     Was he going to murder me?  I almost gaped at the thought.

     I tried to calm myself.  He was such a sweet guy . . . he'd never hurt me.

     Right?

~~

Will's POV

     We had been walking for at least a half hour by now, and still had no sign of Emma.  The waterfall was so loud that it was hard to hear anything otherwise.

     Suddenly, there was a cracking noise.  Like an entire forest had just collapsed somewhere nearby.

     We all stopped and looked around.

     "We can't have any delay, or we'll never make it!"  Staci yelled.  "We only have just over two hours!"

     "Oh, god . . .  Oh, god."  Kyle shivered.

     "Don't worry."  I assured him, loudly, trying to get his attention over the waterfall.  "We will find her."

     The sound of the waterfall could be heard so well it sounded as if it were just behind the wall to our right.

     Staci stopped in her tracks.  "D-Did you guys hear that...?"

     "Nope!"  I shouted.  "What is it?"

     She turned and faced the path to the right.  "She's...  Down there."

     "What?"  Kyle called from a few feet behind her.  I couldn't tell whether he was shocked by he was told or simply didn't know what she had said.

     Staci didn't repeat or even hesitate before walking down that direction.

     We followed.

     What looked like where there continued to be an endless path, Staci bumped into something and fell to the ground.

     I ran to her aid.  "Are you okay?"  I helped her back on her feet.

     "Y-Yeah . . ."  She replied, rubbing her head.  "There's something right there."

     Kyle walked over and kicked what he must've expected to be air, only to have his foot collide with something solid.  "What the heck?"

     "Guys, this means something!"  Staci yelped with glee.

     "Maybe it's a secret entrance?"  I guessed.

     "Let's try to open it."  Kyle said.

     We tried pulling, pushing, and sliding the blocker open, but nothing happened.  It seemed just to be an invisible wall.

     "Ugh."  Staci was losing faith.

     "Come on, don't get disgraced yet, guys!  Think back to the prophecy, maybe we're missing something."  I tried to keep my friends calm.

     We all paused and tried to remember.

     "I think the last two lines were—" Kyle started.

     "Fight two battles with the gift of the Missed, and loose the Found One to save the Lost One." Staci interrupted.

     "Yes, that's it!"  I said.

     "So, we fought that creepy old lady."  Kyle said.

     "And then the zombies!"  I remembered.  "So that line's down."

     "And the next one . . . I guess that weird scientist guy was 'the Found One.'" Staci added.

     "Yeah . . .  But what was the next line?"  Kyle asked.

     "I'm pretty sure it was something like make a choice or perish—" I guessed.

     "Make a choice that will either save or perish in a run." Staci corrected, and finished.

     "Staci, you have an excellent memory.  I don't know what we'd do without you."  I said.

     It was hard to see in the lighting of the flashlight, but I was pretty sure she was blushing.  "Thanks, haha."  She replied.

     "So . . .  What's this 'choice'?"  Kyle asked.

     We were all silent for a few moments.

     ". . . I don't know, but we need to find out soon.  And fast."  Staci said.

~~

Aunt Ellie's POV

     My crazy thoughts had subsided when I recognized where we were . . .

     I couldn't believe he was taking me here!

     It was hard not to gasp as all the memories from my hometown fluttered back to me. It had changed in some areas, but the majority of the place was still relatively similar to when I was young.

     "Noah . . ."  I started, but then I noticed him slowing down to pull over.

     He got out of the car and, before I could do the same, walked over to my side and opened the door for me.  "My lady . . ."  He held out his hand, and I smiled.

     "Why thank you, good sir."  I played along and allowed him to help me out of the car.  This was really unlike the Noah I thought he'd turned into . . .

     He held my hand as we walked out into the beautiful field . . . the same field where we'd had our first date.  He took me over to a picnic blanket that had already been set out.

     A moonlight picnic?  This is sweet . . . but—

     Before I knew it, I found myself sitting down next to him.

     "Would you like a turkey sandwich, Miss?"  He offered.

     He remembered . . .

     "Sure."  I said, to be polite.

     How far was he gonna go with this?  I thought as I took a bite out of my sandwich.

    "This is where we had our first date. Remember that, Ellie?"  He asked me.

     "Mhm."  I smiled slightly.

     "I remember how we used to come here all the time.  Have date nights, watch the shooting stars . . ."  He trailed off.

     I set my sandwich down.  "This is nice, but if we're gonna be up early tomorrow to continue the search, we shouldn't stay out here too late."

     He sighed.  "Right, right. But first . . . I want to show you something."  He grabbed my hand and took me to the center of the field.

     "Isn't the sky beautiful tonight, Ellie?"  He said, gazing up at the moon and stars.

     "It sure is."  I replied.

     Suddenly, I heard the familiar crackle and pop sounds coming from the distance before a display of colors lit up the sky.

     Fireworks.

     Oh, no . . .  I think I know what's happening . . .

     After a few minutes of watching the show, Noah looked into my eyes and took my hands into his.

     "Ellie . . . I'm so sorry for our past.  I'm sorry for all the stupid things I did. I really am."  He knelt down on one knee.

     No.  No.  No . . .

     "But if you say yes, we can renew our old relationship and make it better than ever.  I love you, Elliot Taylor.  Will you . . . marry me?"

     My eyes started to water.  "O-Of course I will."

     He stood up and kissed my forehead, then began sliding the ring on my finger.

     But before he could finish, I stopped him and stepped back.

     " . . . But you know this isn't right."  The words poured out.

     He stared at me, stunned.  "W-Wha—"

     "Noah, the kids . . .  They're still missing.  I'll feel horribly guilty and sad if we just got married and never found them.  Imagine that."

     He was quiet for a few moments.  "Ellie . . ."

     He sighed.

     "I'm sorry, I should have waited.  I was worried this would happen."  He looked away.

     "Don't be."  I turned his head back towards me.  "We just need to find the kids first, okay?"

     He paused.  "Okay, Ellie."

     I hugged him, and we walked back to the car in silence, leaving a beautiful, colorful night behind us.

~~

Kyle's POV

     I leaned against the wall.  Beep.

     Wait, what?

     Will and Staci, who were both sitting on the ground, jumped to their feet.

     I hit the wall again.  Boop.

     Staci turned her flashlight back on and the light revealed a panel of buttons next to me.

    "Finally." Will sighed with relief.

     Will and I started pressing random buttons to see if the door would open, then Staci told us to stop.  "I need to study this and see if I can figure out a coding system."

     She tried to read and understand the tiny, foreign print.  Maybe find some sort of pattern?

     After a couple minutes, she attempted a few different combinations, then sighed with frustration.  "I don't get it!  Why aren't these working?"

     "Calm down, Staci, it's okay.  Keep trying."  Will tried to help.

     "I don't want your pity! It's not okay!" She screamed. "If we can't figure this out, then we'll never get Emma back!"

     Will stepped back in shock.  " . . . Fine, then."

     She rolled her eyes and went back to work on the panel.

     "It's okay, buddy. She's just worried and scared for Emma." I told him.

     "I know, I just . . . don't want her to be mad at me." He said.

     "She isn't mad at you, she's just taking it all out on you. Just let her figure this out and cool down." I assured him.

     "You're right."

     After a few minutes, Staci started getting frustrated again. "Why is . . .  Why is there a key symbol here?"

     I walked over and tried to see if I could help.

     "Can you show me one of the combinations?" I asked calmly.

     She took a deep breath, looked at me, and then back at the board. "This is it."

     She punched out a few keys, then waited for the deny alarm sound to go off once again. "You try." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

     I hesitated for a moment, and then slowly repeated what Staci had did.

     At the end, there was no deny alarm sound. Instead, the key symbol lit up green, and we heard the door open.

     Staci gasped. "H-How did you— uh, never mind, we'll discuss that later. We've already wasted enough time."

     The invisible wall was replaced by a bright entrance to a room. The waterfall sound echoed down our path.

     The three of us exchanged looks and nodded before walking in.

~~

     It was hard to hear anything.

     I'm not sure if it was because of the waterfall or maybe I was just shocked by what I saw.

     The first thing that grabbed my attention was a beautiful girl in horrible condition.

     Emma.

     Her hair was matted with dirt and mud, her face had a bloody gash on it, and her sleeves were torn to shreds. Her white sweater was stained with blotches of red. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were closed. She was bound to a chair in the corner of the room.

     Out of all the emotions broiling inside of me, I knew there was no fear. Sadness, anger, hate, and it was all directed at the thing flying above us.

     I knew it was Autumn, but at the same time, it wasn't.

     She was in the form of a hideous creature that appeared to be a cross between wasp, spider, and raccoon. She had wings, beady eyes and fangs, a bushy tail, and paws with long, sharp claws.

     "Hello, Kyle." It said in Autumn's sweet, hypnotizing voice. "To what do I owe the delightful surprise?"

     "What have you done to Emma?!" I yelled.

     "Who? Oh, that girl over there."  She said girl as if she were referring to some junky toy at a yard sale.

     I glanced over at Emma once again to see if she had waken. She only stirred.

     "What do you want from me?"  I shouted.

     She seemed to be smiling with pleasure, as if my reaction had amused her. "Silly . . . I don't want something from you. I want you."

     What?

     " . . . Want me? W-Why?"

     She laughed. "You really don't get it, do you?"

     I tried to stand tall and brave. If I showed even the slightest bit of fear, someone could be killed.

     She sighed. "Decades ago . . . I was a human, just like you.  I was close to graduation in high school."

     Okay, and your point...?

     "I was no different than any other student at this school, you see. There were lots of beautiful, popular girls. Within my first three years of attendance, I tried my best to make friends, but every group of people I introduced myself to rejected me. By my junior year, I was very well known on the campus. If you didn't know my name, well, you were about to find out.

     Most of my peers had boyfriends or girlfriends, but I'd never really found an interest in men until that last year of school. I fell in love with a very charming lad named Bradley."

     She flew down from her pedestal above us and landed in front of me. I took a step or two back.

     She ignored my movement and continued her story. "Bradley was one of the guys that almost all the girls swooned for as he made his way through the halls with his pack of jocks.

     When the end-of-the-year sock hop came around, he asked me to accompany him. Of course, I said yes. He took me on a few dates after that night, and called me his girlfriend. I was happy beyond anything I'd ever felt. I loved him. He told me I was beautiful and that he loved me back . . ."

     "But on graduation night, he dumped me for my sister!" She roared so loudly, the cavern shook.

     "He said he would never leave me . . . That he would marry me one day. He promised."  She looked away.

     "So I wanted revenge. And I got it. I got rid of my sister . . ."

     I almost gasped.

     "My sister's name was Autumn Rai Johnson."

     Wow. I couldn't believe what I had heard.  So she stole her name, huh?

     "After I'd taken out the trash, I ran away from home. Long story short, I came across an abandoned cottage in the woods. I snooped around and assumed the place was priorly owned by someone with powers and ways of sorcery . . . A witch, I presumed. I found a potion labeled envy, that was supposed to completely change my appearance. I thought it would make me so irresistibly stunning, Bradley would have to get over Autumn and take me back instead.  But it turned me into a hideous monster . . . This."  She turned to face us, and waved her insect legs/paws up and down to exaggerate her current image.

     "I was so furious that I burned the shack down, leaving nothing but the remnants of shattered glass from useless potions behind. I never turned back . . . I ventured further and further from my past. Eventually, I learned how to control my power. It turned out, I had the ability to take form of any creature I desired."

     Suddenly, the monster began changing between different things. Humans, including my mom, Aunt Ellie, me, my friends, and a few different animals. When she was Emma, I glanced over to where the real one was. By now, her eyes were wide open with fear and shock. Within just a brief moment, we looked at each other. I asked her a million questions with my eyes, and she seemed to only be asking one.

     "Anyways," the monster went on. "For years and years, I've been coming and going around the world, looking for the perfect man to be my king. Someone who would never leave me. And you, Kyle Stevens, are the most handsome young gentlemen I've ever laid my eyes on. You're sweet, kind, and care about your friends. Except . . . You have feelings for her."  She rolled her eyes, pointing to Emma.

     She then flew over to her so fast, I couldn't move. Literally. My feet were suddenly chained to the ground when the monster snapped her fingers.

     "How could you love this? What does she have that I don't? Kyle, I know you found me attractive when we'd first met. What's so wrong with me now? Are you really that shallow because I've turned ugly?" She said.

     Gosh dang it, I gritted my teeth. She's clever . . . And making me look bad.

     "Look, Autumn—er, whatever your real name is, you know that's not how it is! You k—"  I began.

     "Oh really, sweetie. Then how is it? Tell me, why did you really come here? Did you actually think you had a chance at saving this girl?"  She cackled loudly, and scratched Emma's arm, reopening a wound.

     "DON'T TOUCH HER!" I yelled with all my anger. I snapped my fingers, and the chains that restrained me broke.

     Staci gasped. "K-Kyle, how did you—"

     I walked towards the thing with no fear whatsoever.

     "Oh no..."  She panicked.  "You figured out th—"

     "Shut up." I said.

     The monster changed into Autumn. "Kyle?"

     I got Emma out of her ropes and carried her over to Will and Staci.

     "Kyle . . . D-Don't make me hurt you, honey." She sounded unsure of her own words.

     "I'm sorry, Autumn, but your time here is done." I wished for a dagger to appear in my hands, and it did.

     Just as I went to stab her, she grabbed both the hilt of the weapon and my hand.

     "Kyle Stevens . . ." Her eyes filled with sadness.  "Are you sure you want to do this?"

     "Yes."  I said grimly, trying to fight the hypnotizing plead in her voice. What is she gonna do ...?

     She frowned. "Very well. . . But before you do this, there's something I want you to know. Your life is in great danger . . . You will soon make a choice that will either kill you or someone you care about. Be wise, my love . . ." I couldn't help but let go of the dagger, allowing it to drop to the ground beneath us.

     For just a few wonderful moments, we held hands. Then, she leaned in and kissed my cheek.  "I love you, Kyle Stevens." She bent over and picked up weapon by the hilt. She gave me one last look, and then plunged the knife into her stomach.

     There was no blood.

     She closed her beautiful emerald eyes, and did not open them again.

     A wave of sorrow washed over me. The room turned gray.

     We waited for something to happen.

     Suddenly, a ghostly figured stood up from Autumn's body. It was a teenage girl, probably about 17 or 18. She had long, curly blond hair, and dark blue eyes. She looked at me and smiled. In my mind, Autumn's voice said, "Thank you for setting me free."

     The girl then walked to the opening where the waterfall was, and vanished, along with Autumn's body, leaving nothing but a small glass bottle with a cork.

     I picked it up.  A faded piece of tape on the side of it read envy.

     I stared at it for a few moments, then handed it to Staci. She nodded and put it in her satchel.

     Just as I was about to take Emma from Will's arms, the room rumbled once again, and another monster appeared.

     This one was quick. I ducked as his armed swooped down to grab me and I ran to get the small sword. I tried snapping my fingers and wishing for more weapons, but the trick no longer worked at my command.

     The monster was huge. There was no way I could beat him with a little dagger.

     The only way . . . I glanced at Will.

     He gently laid Emma down next to Staci and ran over to help me. I handed him my weapon.

     "I got this, I still got the good eye from archery." He said.

     I tried to distract the beast while Will coordinated the angle for his shot.

     Then, he perfectly wailed the blade into the thing's eye.  Before the monster fell over, it shot Will in the head with an arrow, causing him to collapse in pain.

     "Will!" Staci and I yelled. We both ran to his aid as the monster evaporated into smoke, and then disappeared.

     "W-Will, no no no no!" Staci examined his forehead.  "Oh god, it's really deep into his skin! Will, can you hear me?" She started to sob into his chest.

     "Sta-ci . . ." Will said, hopelessly.

     She looked up, tears rolling down her face. " . . . Yes?"

     "I . . . I lo-ve you . . ." He barely made out the words. Blood was pouring down his face and head.

     She smiled through her crying. "I love you too . . . please stay with me."

     "I'm s-sor-ry." He said.

     "Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry about . . . I do. I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier. You're such a great guy, thank you fo—"  She gasped when his eyes closed. "NO NO NO! GOD NO!" She screamed into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

     I looked behind me and noticed Emma trying to crawl over. "I'm so sorry, Staci."  Emma whispered, weakly, watching the scene in horror. She probably had no more tears left . . . Or maybe her brain wasn't quite processing what was going on. But that's okay, because neither was mine.

     She came over to me, and I just wanted to hold her tight. But we had to react quickly when she said, "There's a b-bomb in here, you have to go."

     I gasped and pried Staci from Will. "There's a bomb, Staci, we need to evacuate!"

     "NO!" She screamed, and started hugging Will again.

     Then I realized . . . There was only one way out. I glanced at the waterfall opening.

     Emma was lying down now. "G-Go." She pleaded.

     "I'm not leaving you!" I said. "I . . . love you."

     She smiled, sadly. "I love you t-oo . . . But it's the only way you guys can make it out alive. T-There's a raft over there, but it c-can only h-old two people. You and Staci need to g-o."

     I thought for a moment, then I knew what to do. With all my strength, I picked up both Will and Staci and carried them out of the room, back into the caves.

     "W-What are you—?"  Emma questioned.

     I leant down and listened for a heartbeat in Will's chest, but there was nothing. I held back tears.

     "Are you going to come with me or not?" I asked Staci.

     "I'm not LEAVING him!" She yelled. "He would never leave me, so I won't leave him."

     I gave Staci a hug and took one last look at Will. "Take cover."

     She nodded and carried Will's body further and further from the cavern.

     I, on the other hand, rushed back in the room to save Emma.

     I saw her crawling in the middle of the room where the monster had been, trying to grab the dagger.

     "Emma!" I ran over.

     "Dang it, Kyle." She sighed.

     "Were you going to kill yourself?" I couldn't believe it.

     "It would've been easier . . ."

     "No." I said. "I would've stayed here to die myself, Emma. You mean the world to me. Why else do you think we came all this way?"

     Then, she kissed me. "Thank you, Kyle."

     I blushed. "Hey, no biggie."

     She glanced at something behind me and yelped. "One minute! We need to go!" I saw what she was looking at—a timer. I hurried to grab the raft, and then wrapped myself around Emma and strapped us to the protection device.

"Are you ready?" I asked her.

     "Only if you are."  She squeezed my hand, tightly.

     And together, we jumped.