When I open my eyes the next morning, I immediately notice that something is not right. "Adam?" I yell, only to receive silence as a response. I then realize that today was the day that all eight of us were supposed to go to Terrabyssia, the scariest, most horrifying place in Maurasia; at least, to an outsider, it is. Hurriedly, I go through my morning routine; when I finally reach the breakfast table, Adam grabs my hand and smiles at me.

"Good morning, beautiful. Have a good sleep?" I shrug my shoulders and mutter "Yeah, I guess so." He smiles his devilish smile. "I for one had a wonderful sleep; how 'bout you, River?" River rubs his eyes. "I had nightmares about what kinds of god-awful creatures we might encounter." Violet rubs his shoulder as he rests his head in the crook of her neck. Adam is immediately intrigued. "Such as which creatures, River?" River purses his lips in thought.

"Well, I don't know what they're called, but they were ug-ly!" River splits the last word into two syllables, for added emphasis. Violet laughs her tinkling giggle. I turn to him and ask "Can you draw them? Then maybe we can take a stab at the names." I hand River a notepad and pencil, and he draws a creature with bat's wings, a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent for a tail. "Chimera" Adam says.

River flips the page over and draws again. This time he uses half the page and draws a cat-like creature; half-tiger and half-leopard. I recognize the animal right away. "Tisegron" I exclaim. And then he draws a creature which most of us don't know; a creature that could only be described as hellish and ungodly. Aiden speaks now; apparently he knows what the creature is. "It's a Heater," he says. The five of us who have no idea what a Heater is look at Aiden, who clears his throat.

"It's the national animal of my Realm, as well as Katie's, just as Ciro and Ayla have the kitty-bird, you two from the Earth Realm have the tisegron, and the Water Realm has those oh-so-boisterous dolphins!" At this comment, River and Violet laugh, and Aiden unexpectedly joins in; Adam slaps him on the back so hard that he coughs a few times. Apparently Aunt Kellie saw this, because she walks into the sitting-room and, at the top of her lungs, yells at the one person with whom I plan on spending the rest of my life.

"Adam! How dare you abuse Aiden like that! You'll be lucky if I don't drag Ilmatar into this!" Now he's pissed; I can tell because his hand, which holds my own, begins to ball up into a fist. My left hand brushes his cheek lovingly, in an attempt to calm the tumult I know is ensuing inside the once-brilliant mind of Adam Birch. Instead of yelling at my aunt, he looks her square-on and begins to explain why he slapped Aiden on the back so hard.

"Look, Kellie, before I offer any sort of explanation, know that we were all just trying to have fun; have a few good laughs, you know?" Aunt Kellie raises her hand so it's level with Adam's face.

"Don't bother, Adam. Were you an only child? Sorry if I'm being nosy; I would just like to know." Adam lifts a hand to his chin; a gesture I know signifies he is thinking. It's a slow burn, but eventually a flame ignites.

"No Kellie; I was not an only child. I had 3 older brothers and one older sister, but at 4 years of age I was taken away from my parents. I still don't know why, Kellie." Violet nudges my arm. "Hey Marie, does Adam normally do that?" I look up to see tears streaming down his face.

River, who had originally been the quiet one, says "The beast has been defeated!" with a loud whoop immediately following. As it had earlier, Adam's left hand begins to ball up into a fist. I move out of the way, but instead of aiming his fist at me, Adam takes a swing at the current origin of his rage.

River tries to duck out of the way, but Adam grabs him by the collar of his fish-patterned pajamas and holds his fist just inches from River's lower jaw. "I think you're a little overdue for some 'quality time' with my fist, River; what do you think??"

I can see sweat beading on River's glistening forehead. After a little while, he starts to pant. "P-please, Adam" he manages to say "I-I'm claustrophobic. P-please stop-" Without warning, River's eyes roll back into his skull, which causes Adam to drop him onto the floor with a scream, a string of curses following. Now he's the one stammering.

"I-I swear on Denna's soul, I never meant - I'm so sorry, Violet..." Violet looks up at Adam and replies, with a hint of razor-sharp anger in her tone, "I will forgive you the moment my fiancé wakes, and not a moment sooner, Adam Birch." She spits at him on the last word. The remaining 6 of us that are standing gasp in astonishment at the fact that River had even proposed to her.

A moment later, Aiden speaks. "My love!" he says, and walks over to the staircase that leads to the upper bedrooms. The rest of us look over and see Katie standing by the stairs, rubbing her eyes. Ciro looks over with us and, quite sarcastically, says "Hey, look; it's Sleeping Beauty!" I can see Katie fold herself into Aiden's chest, something she only does when she's crying.

"Don't cry, my love" he says. She mutters something akin to "But I want to" though it's hard to tell if that's what she's saying. She speaks again, this time with a query. Katie walks over to River's unconscious body and asks "What happened?" Violet, who's never sworn a day in her life, responds with "What the hell do you think happened? Adam hurt my River!"

Katie recoils at our friend's attitude. "Gee, Violet... I had no idea... If there's anything I can do... let me know, okay?" Violet nods and resumes glaring at Adam. "Kellie!" she screams, "River's not waking up!" Aunt Kellie runs into the room, after leaving to wake Dad. "Neither is Lazarus, dear. Something is not right; something is causing the Water Realmers of Maurasia to fall into a deep sleep, and I suspect Adam had nary a thing to do with it. This is a black magic we're dealing with here."

"Gramma Kate..." Ayla mutters. We all look at her now. "What?" I ask. "What does your grandmother have to do with this?" Ayla is startled by my enquiry. "A-At the farm... there are sorcery books in the library. I would read them out loud to myself, and then she'd take them away and say that they're not a child's plaything, but I only read them because I didn't know what they were." Ayla hangs her head. "In other words" Aunt Kellie muses, "Kate is a witch. Is that what you're saying?"

As thunder ensues, Ayla screams "I-I'm sorry, Gramma!" and starts to cry. "Don't be mad at me! I had to tell... I had to..." Ciro pats her on the back and she runs her fingers through his platinum locks, choking on the saliva that wells up in her throat.

"You haven't fainted since we got here, Ciro. I think it's a sign..." Ciro looks at her blankly, a stare of bemusement crossing his face. "A sign; what kind of sign could it be, Ayla?" Ayla smiles and chokes again, though not with despondency this time around. "I think.... I think you're improving, my love; I think you're getting better... getting stronger..." As soon as she finishes what she is saying, Queen Amethyst barges into the room and screams "Who has done this; who has dared an attempt of regicide on my most beloved husband?"

Kellie stands up. "Egan is dead? How can this be-?" Queen Amethyst reels on my aunt. "I said someone attempted it, Earth Realmer! Someone has attempted regicide, and I must find out who before my significant other's soul makes its flight to the Air World*. However" she says "all other evidence leads to Ilmatar's quarters. Adam and Marie know what they contain; don't you, children?" Adam and I nod without speaking. "And what, exactly, is in Ilmatar's quarters... Adam?"

"S-swords... a-and spears..."

"What else?"

"O-other things..." By now, it's obvious that my boyfriend is nervous, a rare event only seen on certain times. "What else is there, Adam!? What else is in that room?"

"M-muskets; he has lots of muskets, ma'am."

"Ah, muskets... Thank you. Ilmatar, your lynching is scheduled for tomorrow morning." At that moment, River wakes up. "What happened? Amethyst, why are you here?" Violet rushes to his side with a cold cloth and dabs at his face with it. I can see her muttering to him that everything will be all right. "I'm securing my husband's continued sanctity." After she speaks, Queen Amethyst leaves. River speaks again. "For some reason I feel an innate pull towards the palace, to protect my father." Katie stares at him. "Your father doesn't live at the palace, River. I thought he lived in Dyseria."

"No, he's the king of the Earth Realm... oh, damn it!" He utters a few swears under his breath, one of them the 'F-bomb', then regains his composure and asks "So how long was I out; and how come I could hear everything?" Ciro gasps and stutters, as Adam did moments ago. "E-Everything; y-you heard everything?" Adam joins in on the conversation. "And apparently Ilmatar is getting hanged tomorrow morning." River's face becomes contorted. "He-he's what?" Kellie pats River on the back and says "I must go check up on Lazarus; he could still be slumbering." At the moment that my aunt's hand leaves River's back, Dad comes down the stairs, the familiar rhythmic thump-thump of his feet as audible from the main level as anywhere in the house.

"Did I miss anything, darling?" Aunt Kellie grabs Dad's right hand while his left wipes the sleeping dust from his eyes. "Not much-" Adam interrupts her. "Oh, hell, you missed a lot, Lazarus!" He then goes on to explain how he got mad at River, how River fainted, and Violet's act of rage. "Then Amethyst came in and accused Ilmatar of attempting to kill Egan. And who was stuck in the middle of it but poor old Adam. Also, River is actually Ilmatar and Brook's son."

"That is interesting, Adam." Dad's stomach growls its protest, as if to say 'Feed me, you fool; feed me, or you will die of starvation!' I amble over to him and ask "Can I get you anything, Dad; a bagel, perhaps? Or do you prefer toast?"

"No thank you, dear" he replies, "I am fasting." Aunt Kellie looks at him, startled by his response. "I never told you to fast, Lazarus. Are you alright? You slept for quite a while, too; fourteen hours to be exact. We went to bed at almost 10 PM last night; it is nearly noon." I turn to Aunt Kellie and tug on the sleeve of her night-dress. "Aunt Kellie; I'd like to have a word with you, please."

"Alright dear," she replies. "What is it?"

"I think Dad's... well... I think, but I'm not sure... I think he's reliving the past, things that happened a decade ago."

"Like déjà vu?"

"Yes, sort of; watch." As if on cue, Dad starts to talk to the air, making hand motions as he does so.

"Denna, please don't be mad- no... No suicide, no overdosing... what would your sister think? What would I think? But you should also be thinking of Marie, love. She is merely six years old. Do you expect me to provide for her all by my lonesome?"

"I remember this..."

"What?"

"Mom and Dad fighting... Mom threatening to commit suicide... He fasted after Mom died, for two weeks... or so I heard." All of a sudden, I experience a flashback:

Once again, I am little Marie Padgett, six years old, forced to listen to her parents' argument. I can hear them, loud and clear." Denna" Daddy says, "do not be so... so brainless, love..." Mommy yells at him for calling her names. "How dare you call me stupid, Lazarus William Herring? Once more, and we're through!" My feet yank me out of bed, and over to the doorway; my head betrays me by banging against the door several times. I hear the distinct tapping of Daddy's shoes on the cobblestone floor of our shack. I move out of the way, so he doesn't run me over with the door. As I suspect, he opens the heavy entryway, and comes into my room.

"Marie" he says "were you listening to your mother and I fight?" I start to cry.

"Yes, Daddy," I say.

"How much did you hear, my pretty girl?" he asks me, pulling me close.

I reply "All of it, Daddy..."He starts to rock me back and forth, as he's always done, helping me to kick-start the slow drift to Dreamland.

Your mother and I love you very much, Marie, but... I think, we think it's best if you, ah, spend some time with Kellie."

"I get to spend time with Auntie?"

"Yes, you do."

"When do I go, Daddy?"

"Tomorrow, my dear; I'll help you pack your things in the morning."

Suddenly, I am back in reality, and can feel the contents of a cold cloth being dabbed onto my forehead. When my eyes finally open I take note that it is Adam patting the cloth.

"Adam" I say, "my forehead is numb."

"Oh; I'm sorry, Marie."

"That's okay, Adam. I still love you, honey. We should probably go to Terrabyssia, don't you think? The Terrix might be there."

"You're right. Come on everyone."

"I think Violet and River should stay here; after all, Violet has found the Hydrix already."

Aiden suddenly becomes jealous. "Then Katie and I should stay here, too, since she's found the Pyrix."

"No" my aunt chides. "You must resume the journey, young Elemental." All the talking fades from earshot as I glance over at Dad, who is still chattering away with the space in front of him. He had finally moved to the island in the kitchen, but I still do not see him eating. I walk over to the counter and ask "Dad; are you okay?"

He replies "Yes I am fine, Marie; your mother is just being a know-it-all... again!"

"Dad, Mom's dead... she's been dead for ten years." I see a heartrending look shadow his eyes as he mutters "Oh..." which ends in a sigh as he rests his head on my shoulder.

"But I'm serious, Dad; you need to eat something. At least try to choke down a bagel."

"He will eat" Aunt Kellie says, "even if we must shove food down his throat."

"The reason I'm not eating is... for the past few nights, I have been plagued with nightmare after nightmare, each one ending differently, all with my now-dead wife as the star. Thus, I have not been very ravenous of late."

"Eat something, dear" Aunt Kellie urges. "Please eat at least one thing." Aunt Kellie takes his head in her hands and lifts his chin so he is facing her. "Fine; I'll eat a piece of toast; but I shall not put anything on it."

"Good." Aunt Kellie places a piece in front of him, pats him on the back and leaves the room. Moments later a scream is heard, followed by Aunt Kellie crying "Please don't hurt me, Craig; please!"

Violet's head snaps up and she mutters "Daddy..." She looks at Lazarus, and shakes him from staring at his toast, which he has done for the past ten minutes, refusing to take a bite. "Uncle, my daddy is here; I think he's going to try to kill Kellie!"

My father's head snaps up. "He-he's what? Go see him, Violet; this may very well be your last chance." Violet leaves the room, running instead of walking, and next we hear "Daddy, stop, please!" I can hear what I presume to be Craig's voice radiating from the next room over.

"Ah, here she is... my daughter... my baby girl... my spawn... I have not seen you in eleven years. You're not toothpick-thin, yet you aren't fat as a marshmallow. That is a good sign that Lazarus has taken care of you and amply fed you. You mother will be pleased."

"M-Mama; has she escaped, too?"

"No; just me; I left that ungrateful woman in our cell...." I hear a sigh escape him. "I love your mother so much, Violet... but she doesn't love me anymore... and so I am afraid. I am afraid to even climb into bed with her anymore... but your mother and I weren't the ones who killed Denna, no matter how much you children, naive as you are, have chosen to believe what Lazarus has told you; especially you, Violet. The real culprit was-"

"Trying to rat me out to my beloved niece, Craig?"

"Ah... L-Lazarus! I hadn't expected you to be here right now..."

As I step into the den, Dad pulls me close to him and asks me "Whom would you rather trust, Marie? The first man to love you and to help you enter this horrible world we live in, or that same man's crazed, vicious brother-in-law?" The man whom my aunt referred to as 'Craig' steps forward a bit and says "Don't listen to him, Marie; he killed your mother! I know because I witnessed it; both Violet's mother and I were there at the time!"

"You killed my wife and you know it, Craig! I saw the blood on both your and Jennifer's hands, and it damn well looked like my Denna's! I will do anything to defend her; even in death, she still means so much to me..."

"So does Jennifer to me, Lazarus, but I never see her defending me in prison. When I'm behind those bars, I'm essentially on my own. On that note, you have no idea what it's like to love a person so much, yet they don't love you back. Denna knew how I felt; she knew what it was like to give all your love to that person, and receive naught in return."

Dad glares at him for a while before saying "I hope you are done, Craig, because you talk too much. I'm sure Jennifer has told you the same."

I am puzzled at what just happened even though I was standing right there! Violet voices exactly what is on my mind. "Okay, so who killed my Auntie Denna? Was it Daddy... or was it you, Uncle? Was it the man I trusted with my own life for the past 11 years, or was it the man I barely know at all?"

"Violet" Dad says in a soothing voice, as he'd done for me just a few short weeks ago, "please try to understand the danger you are in by even being near this man-"

"Shut up, Lazarus!" she screams. I think she's figured it out now. "That's right; I called you Lazarus. You don't deserve to be called my uncle until you explain to me what the hell you did to my Auntie Denna!"

At this point, River rushes into the room and holds Violet to his chest to restrain her. "What happened, beloved; are you alright?"

"M-My uncle... he... he killed my Auntie Denna..."

"Violet," Dad berates my crestfallen cousin, "I thought I taught you only to give blame when and where blame is due, not whenever and to whomever you want to give it."

Violet recoils at his response, and ends up huddled in River's arms once more. "Who would you rather believe River; your loving and truthful fiancée or her lying, repulsive uncle? You choose."

"I will always believe you, my beloved; besides, the facts are there, Lazarus." He kisses her forehead, probably in an attempt to calm her. The ring on her finger, the ring that my eyes had failed to notice before now, flashes dazzlingly as she takes River's head in her hands and kisses him. Dad walks over to them and says "Give me the ring, Violet."

"W-what ring?" My timid cousin twists the object of conversation around her finger in anxiety. She still does not call him by his usual title, 'Uncle', a sign that she is gaining independence from him, or trying to, at least. I walk forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Violet; men like my father feed off of the fear of others, especially women like my aunt and my mother, and young girls like us." Adam chips in "Yeah, like a tisegron feeds off of your flesh-" I punch his shoulder lightly.

"Stop that; she's already scared enough, Adam. She doesn't need your 'help'."Dad speaks again. "I reiterate: give me the ring, Violet." He looks at River with eyes as cold as the Terrabyssian winter; River pulls his beloved bride-to-be close to him for a third time. Violet whimpers, pleading her father to help her.

"Daddy" she cries, "go and get Queen Brook... please go, Daddy..." Craig nods, and then leaves to alert their Queen. I look at my father and snap "Now would be a really good time to tell me what happened to Mom." Aunt Kellie walks over to Dad and asks him "What if I tell her, darling? Will that help?"

I see a twisted smile dance across his mouth. "Of course, my dear Kellie; whatever pleases you the most."

"Here goes" my aunt says. Then she begins. We all lean forward, so as to catch every word. "You see, after Marie's parents got married, I began to get worried for my little sister. Being the older one of us, I had thought I would be the first to marry. I was also jealous of Denna because I, too, was infatuated with your father, Marie. But the real truth begins after your birth."

"Six years after, Aunt Kellie?"

"Yes dear. Lazarus and Denna had gone out for a walk; I had asked if I could join them, as I needed to 'do some research'. I had to lie to protect my baby sister-" She pauses for a moment, and then she says "Wait a moment. That isn't exactly true. I don't want you all to think I lie on a regular basis. The story still begins that same day, with me still following Lazarus and Denna. I told them I had to 'do research', when really, all I was doing was making sure Lazarus didn't pull anything funny. He remained serious, until they got to the overhang; the same one that Adam said Marie had fallen over. He didn't pull anything funny, but what he did pull was a knife as long as your tibia. It was more like a sword, in that respect." We all stare at her, and she goes quiet again. "For you kids, it would be a little longer than your forearm, from your elbow joint to the end of your wrist in length, if you don't count your ankle. Your tibia is one of the bones in your inner, lower leg, the section after your patella, or kneecap." Everybody nods, and she continues.

"He raised the sword above his head- wait, no; that isn't right- he raised the sword a little ways from its position at his hip, backed up a ways, then ran back and forcefully lodged it within my sister's chest."As I am sure everyone else does, too, I see tears welling in her eyes. Dad tries to comfort her by holding her hands, or bringing them to his lips and kissing them, but she covers her face with them and sobs before he has a chance to do either of the two. Beneath the shield she has made for herself, she manages to mutter "Don't you bother, you murderer; you slaughterer!"

"Kellie-"

"Shut up! Did Violet not already tell you that?"

"She did, but-"

"My sister's murder was the straw that broke the camel's back, Lazarus! My baby sister, only 28 years old, slain before my very eyes!" She settles down when I place my hand on her shoulder and says "Anyway, on with the story; you children must know-"

"Aunt Kellie, stop; we don't need to know... we get it; you're sad, and you would rather not talk about it."

"I love you, Marie... I always have..."

"I know, Aunt Kellie." I turn to Dad and say "I think you should leave, Dad."

He starts to turn away, but then he whips around and says "I think you should come with me, Marie. You would love it in Dyseria; there are pristine oceans everywhere you turn, you could go swimming in Riptide Cove-"

"One: I hate the ocean, and two: I can't swim."

"Ah; I see." At that moment Craig bursts in, Queen Brook shadowing him.

"Lazarus William Herring, you must come with me at once."

He bows. "I was not expecting you, Your Majesty." When he finishes speaking, King Ilmatar walks into the room. "Then you definitely were not expecting me. I'll have you all know that her mother has caused me a great deal of stress as of late!" He points his finger straight into Katie's face. "In that case, she must come with us as well."

"Then I'm going as well; I won't leave her side."

"Aiden" Aunt Kellie says "sit down this instant!"

"No! I must go with her."

Katie caresses Aiden's faces and says "Aiden, no; I will be fine, honey."

Though he is from the Realm whose element can kill my flame-composed friend, River says "I'll come with you, Katie; I will ensure no harm comes to you."

Aiden looks at River with a gaze of trust. "I know I can trust you, River; take care of my girlfriend, and I will ensure your fiancée remains unharmed." He turns his head toward Violet to indicate her.

"Let me just say something to my beloved first." He walks over to Violet and cups her head in his hands. "Violet" he says "I've been thinking about some things, especially about what you said while Marie was in that canyon... You asked me if you weren't good enough for me anymore, and I postponed answering; my answer is this: you are, and always will be, good enough for me, Violet, my beloved." He places his hand on her stomach again, which causes her to back away. "Just stop, River. I already know you don't want-"

"I told you I would try my best when the time came; I do not recall ever denying you." River then scoops her up in his arms and kisses her fervently, but afterwards puts her down and says "I must go; my father is getting edgy."

"The hell I am, River!" Adam rolls his eyes and says "Ilmatar, you're getting to old for this!" to which our king responds "You're damn right, Adam." Brook responds by smacking him on the back of the head with the first book she can find; River identifies it, mouths 'Great Gatsby - hardcover' and winces. Brook lifts the book, aims at her son, and screams "You want a piece of me, too, River?"

River recoils at his mother's sudden attack of fury. "N-No, Mother; of course I don't." At that, Ilmatar awakens, jumps to his feet, and kisses Brook so passionately that a little moan (of happiness and surprise, of course) emanates from her larynx, and she drops the book. When he disconnects their lips, she smiles and says "Now there's my happy husband." He returns the smile and replies "I have always been extremely happy in your presence, love; besides, it's Randomly-Kiss-Your-Wife-For-No-Apparent-Reason-At-All Day today" before kissing her pale forehead. I lean towards Violet and ask "Has Brook's skin always been that... fair?" She shakes her head and replies "No; at least, not the last time I saw her." As if on cue, Brook's entire frame starts to rock back and forth, like it is windy inside the room. Ilmatar knows what is happening; he steps forward and catches her before she hits the ground. "River," he snaps, "help me move your mother onto that couch there."

"Adam" I whisper "isn't that your couch?"

"Yeah, but they can use it; I don't care anymore who does or who doesn't."

"That's very kind of you to do, Adam."

"I figured it was the right thing to do; besides, he's our Royal. I might as well be nice to him." I can see tears developing in the corners of Brook's eyes as her voice noticeably starts to crack. "Ilmatar... oh, Ilmatar; I am so sorry I attacked you with such antagonism, my darling..."

"I think not of it, love, and so neither should you."

"I just- I feel so horrible. Is there blood?"

Adam snorts. "There's always blood." Ilmatar seems to feel the sting of Adam's words. "Watch your words, young man. They may get you into trouble out of which you can't get." He turns to Brook and River and says "Come, you two; we must go."

"What about Katie, my dear?"

"Ah, yes; come with us, young miss."When Katie leaves the room, I can see Aiden's eyes drop to the floor. I sit down next to him and ask "What's wrong Aiden? Are you afraid she's going to get hurt?" He gives a curt nod, and then speaks.

"She means everything to me, Marie. I'd hate to see her get hurt, or even hear of it. If you'll excuse me, I must go and kill myself." Aunt Kellie steps in front of him and says "Oh, no, you don't, Aiden!" she grabs his shoulders (quite a far reach for such a tiny woman) and lectures him. "What would Katie say if she found you sprawled on the floor, drenched in your own blood?" Aiden stares at her, wide-eyed. "I-I didn't think-"

"Exactly, Aiden; you didn't think! You don't think about the things you say before you say them!"

"I do! I just didn't think too hard this time! I know how much I mean to Katie, and she knows how much I cherish her every breath." He turns to Adam and whispers "If Katie doesn't return, kill me, Adam" to which my once-aggressive boyfriend nods, though I can't be certain of the type; whether it was a 'yes' or 'no' nod. Aunt Kellie slaps both of them on the side of the head.

"Aiden, stop planning your death; and you..." She turns to Adam and squints at him over top of her glasses while muttering, loud enough for us to hear "If you try to do anything to anyone, especially my niece, I can and will tell Ilmatar..."

"Watch it, Kellie; don't think I don't know your secret."

"So you know my secret; what about Lazarus'?"

"What about Lazarus' secret?"

"He hasn't always been a Dyserian, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"He used to live in Terrabyssia. He's a Fryktor, a creature that feeds off of the fear of other beings. To them, it is (like a drug/ a drug)"

Adam smirks and mutters "So he belongs in the Woods with the tisegrons?"

"Yes" I agree; Dad, who hasn't left with the Royals yet, bends over by my ear and whispers "What, my dear Marie, are you most afraid of?" After I don't respond for a while, he asks

"I said... what are you most afraid of, Marie?"

"Losing Adam; but most importantly... losing you, Dad..." As if from a scene in a movie, everyone else sighs at the same time. Violet asks "Does this mean that Uncle Lazarus is actually from the Earth Realm, then?" Aunt Kellie shakes her head. "No, dear; your uncle is still from the same Realm as you; he may have moved to Terrabyssia at some point in his life, but then moved back when he met-"

"Auntie Denna."

"Yes." Aunt Kellie starts to cry again. Dad rushes to comfort her; this time she does not push him away. Instead she leans into his embrace and nuzzles his cheek. "I can tell you're afraid, Kellie; if you're so educated on what I am you should know that we also leach the bravery of others through skin contact; for all we know, you could be cowardly already." After a few minutes, the Royals (which include River and Katie) leave with Dad at their heels, in shackles. He deserves that, I think to myself, and then silently berate myself for considering such a vile thing. Adam hugs me from behind and asks "Are you alright, sweetheart? You're being very quiet." Nothing, Adam; it isn't important. "I'm just thinking" I whisper as I lean back against his chest and sigh in comfort.

All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning strikes the window, which causes Ayla to shriek in terror. She curls up into a ball and shivers, and that causes Ciro to hold her to his chest and kiss her hair, which I'm guessing he doesn't do very often. "It'll be alright, my love... she shall not capture us yet." Just as he says this, the window flies open and a hand grabs Ciro, dragging him into the dark, cold night. Ayla whispers "Shade..." before we all fall asleep. I hold her hand so she doesn't have nightmares. She needs that kind of comfort sometimes.