(Misaka's POV)

My first thought when I woke up was Why is it pitch black in here?

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. The spirit that had occupied the corner was no longer there--which I actually preferred. It had told creepy stories, stories that had seeped into my dreams, turning them as dark as outside.

"Aiko," I hissed. No response. "Aiko!" I picked up my pillow and smacked her with it, catching a glimpse of her dimly lighted wristwatch.

"Owww..." I heard. "Saki..."

"Get up, get up."

Aiko sat up and stretched, yawning. "Is it time to go?"

"You're closer to the curtains. Open them." I demanded, my heart beating faster. I had a really bad feeling.

"Why? I thought we were going home. Should it--"

"Have you opened the curtains yet?"

"Hold on! Geez."

I heard the sound of metal rings on a rod sliding, but there was no effect of sunlight. Instead moonlight had streamed in.

Aiko stumbled back from the window and bumped into a bedpost. "This can't be right..." she said, her voice shaky.

I crawled backwards off the bed. "It was 0:30 AM when we came up here. Now it's 13:10 PM."

"Eclipse?"

"I don't think so."

Creak.

Aiko and I turned and saw the six we had met yesterday and one unfamiliar other. Miyu and Haru and the same facial expression; Rei had a sad look on her face; Kurogane was blank-faced as usual; Rin was holding a platter and the butler's face was sympathetic.

"What is the meaning of this?" My voice rang loud and clear. "You heard what time it is. The time outside, correct?" Even though my voice was strong and my face blank, I had a thread of fear unraveling...Getting faster and faster each second.

"Outside?" Aiko sounded more scared than I. "Saki, what do you mean?"

"I've figured it out. Won't you tell me the rest?" My voice wobbled a bit, but then steadied.

Miyu and Haru's faces split into a wide, sickeningly sweet grin.

"We have..."

"...A secret to tell you~!"

"That clock..."

"...In the grand hall..."

"Might have the answer!" They finished together.

"The frozen clock?" Aiko asked, her voice cracking with every word. "I thought it was just broken, so I ignored it. What are you trying to say?"

"Aiko and Misaka...this house is stuck in time," Kurogane spoke finally, closing his eyes. "Once you enter this house, you can't escape until you find the key."

"So if we find this key then everyone can leave? Then why haven't you looked for it? Why haven't you found it, Kurogane?" I asked, my voice deadly quiet.

The thread of fear quickly turned to suspicion.

"We can't touch it," he said simply, shrugging. "We've been in here too long. Misaka, you need to find the key before four days on Aiko's clock is over..."

"...Or you're stuck in here forever!" Miyu and Haru exclaimed, clasping hands and spinning around us in a circle.

"You're lying!" Aiko shouted. "You just want a ransom from Daddy! We can have you arrested and executed." She gave a scream of despair and pushed everyone to the side, running toward the stairs.

Maybe not executed. We'd have to fill out a giant lawsuit. Just because Father's basically the government doesn't mean that they'll let him have some people executed for no apparent reason.

Kurogane swore and he and I dashed after her, Kurogane apparently having the same thought as I. Aiko was going to hurt herself trying to do something stupid. Why couldn't she just accept the truth?

I already did. I knew what they were saying was the truth. When I was younger, Mother used to tell me stories about a house in the woods who was stopped in time. I always thought they were true, but all Mother told me a definite no.

And maybe I should've told Aiko about the whispering. She gave no indication to hearing them at all, probably from her own stupidity. She wasn't that good of a listener both ways, anyway.

Kurogane grabbed my waist and launched himself over the railing onto the floor three floors below. I looked down at the ground rushing up fast, desperately praying the Kuro boy here didn't drop me before impact.

Besides, I've fallen from greater heights, but that usually hurt.

Aiko had sprinted to the door and was furiously pounding on it. "Why'd you lock it!? Open it, open it!" She stepped back and roundhouse kicked it hard.

Their desolate chronicle, the crazy night was just starting...

The words vibrated in my skull as I grabbed Aiko and pulled her away from the door.

"Saki, let go! Why are you helping them?!"

"Aiko, it won't work," I replied slowly, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply. "Remember those spirits in the forest, warning us to turn back and not to go in any house we find? They were trying to tell us not to come into this house. We're a duo of fools, Aiko. We got ourselves into this mess, and so now we must get ourselves out before our time is up."

"You believe them." My sister's eyes were full of a cold type of fury.

"No, I believe the spirits and the stories Mother used to tell me. They tell me part of a story, something that has to do with our current predicament. Mother told me stories of how it had happened in the first place."

"Why haven't I heard them? Why haven't I heard the spirits and the stories Mother used to tell?!"

I shrugged, not really knowing the answer. It could've been possible that I heard them better than she did. It could've been possible that Mother knew what our future was going to be.

By that time, everyone else was gathered in the foyer, along with unfamiliar faces. They were all silent, all staring.

"Oh dear..." Rin said, her eyes wide and concerned. "You said you could..."

"Danger, danger~!" Miyu and Haru exclaimed.

I gave all three of them a dirty look and they shut up, but didn't stop their creepy staring.

"Do you trust me?" I asked Aiko. "I swear to get us out."

Yes, and if there's a way to save Aiko instead of me...Then I"ll take it. She has more of a life to lead than I. She's so much prettier, more years to live (by two), so much smarter and I have reason to believe that she'll be our next head of family. No one is in need of Misaka, the sarcastic brat.

Aiko stilled in my arms and nodded, tears running down her face.

"Good." I said and dropped her in a heap on the floor. I then pushed past Kurogane, Miyu and Haru who were directly behind us and wove in between the servants, Rei, Dietrich and Rin.

Stopping in front of the frozen clock, I surveyed it, trying to figure out what might be the key. I had three days, fifteen hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds to figure it out.

At the top of the clock was some inscription in some other language, following the curve of the face. The shorter hand was silver, while the longer hand was gold and they were both stuck at 12:30.

I cocked my head. Weird.

I turned to Miyu. "You said the clock would have the answer. What is it?"

"Where's the key?" Haru answered instead.

"Can you find it in the time you have left?" Miyu said in a sing-song voice.

Do they think this is a joke? They must, after being trapped in here for so long.

Scared, the younger sister ran, ran as fast as she could past the clock...and the older followed...

I whirled to find Aiko doing exactly that. She hit the wall with her shoulder and it opened inward.

Wait...inward? 

I followed Aiko down the winding stone steps, ignoring Rin and Rei's cries of Wait!

...And ran straight into Aiko's back, knocking her forward, narrowly missing the edge of the great wooden door.

"Ow!"

"Don't stop at the bottom then, stupid! Geez!"

I crawled off of Aiko and held out my hand. She didn't grab it though. Instead she sat up and stared at the interior of the room, her eyes wide and glistening with even more tears.

"What is it?" I asked, following her gaze and gasped. "What in the..."

...And found themselves in a room of coffins and dolls.

AN: The picture is Rei.