I wasn't sure what I had expected, but I was surprised to see that the ruins were clear of any life. We stepped over the rocks and boulders as we made our way towards the cellar door behind the only remaining wall of the old church. With each step, we were on guard, waiting for someone to jump out of the dark and attack. As we grew closer to the tunnel entrance, my body relaxed just a fraction. The Gate Keepers must have all entered the cave, leaving no one to stand guard in the church ruins. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Once we reached the cellar doors, Mr. B grabbed the handle and looked to all of us as if asking for approval. Each of us nodded while also glancing at one another for comfort and support. Looking at the faces of my friends, I felt stronger than ever. But that could have also been the adrenaline pumping through my veins, my racing heart anticipating the unexpected ahead of us.

Staying as closely together as we possibly could, we walked down the steps leading to the tunnel, plunging into complete darkness. Or at least it would have been complete darkness if it weren't for the group of flashlights and reflective gear that blocked our path at the bottom of the steps.

"Lucas," Ms. Pierce whispered, and a second later a small flame grew from the tips of Lucas' fingers like a torch.

The bodies in front of us turned our way, guns aimed at our heads.

"Pierce?" a gruff voice asked as a man in full body armor stepped through the crowd of armed soldiers.

He reminded me slightly of Sir with a graying buzz cut and broad shoulders. Everything about him screamed military.

Ms. Pierce stepped out in front of us to greet the man and his fellow soldiers.

"Martin, thank God you're here. I didn't see anyone outside," she stated, talking to him as if they were old friends.

"We already took out the Keepers that were outside so there was no point in leaving anyone standing guard," he informed her while leaning around her to look at all of us. "I see you broke the rules again."

I wasn't sure what he meant by again, but it didn't seem like either of them was going to elaborate more. Ms. Pierce simply nodded while Martin shot her a quick look of disapproval before finally shrugging and waving his hand for all of us to follow them. I guess Ms. Pierce was right about the Organization having bigger concerns at the moment.

Our now larger group moved slowly and quietly down the tunnel, taking us twice as long as the last time we had made this trip. With each step we took, my heart thumped harder in my chest. I could practically hear the thumping in my ears. I tried to picture all the scenarios of what we would find when we finally reached the cave, which only made my heart race more. Would there be a lot of Keepers? Would the portal already be open? Were we too late?

Trapped in my thoughts, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt someone grab my hand. Turning to look over my shoulder, I locked eyes with Wes. He squeezed my hand and gave a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but it helped to slow my racing heart just enough for me to focus. When I looked past him, I spotted Sage, watching with a knowing smile. Deep down I knew she must have given Wes a nudge to help calm me down and I was grateful for the gesture.

After what felt like forever, we could finally make out the light at the end of the tunnel, the flames from the portal torches. Martin raised a fist in front of the group and the other soldiers quickly switched off all their flashlights. With the end in sight, everyone picked up their pace while also staying as quiet as possible.

The cave opening was only a few yards away, so Martin sent two soldiers to scope out the scene. The two crawled towards the end and peeked into the cave, getting a good look before coming back to report their findings.

"Rough estimate, I say about three dozen Keepers," the first soldier informed.

The second soldier looked confused as he added, "They're in some kind of trance, I don't know what to make of it."

Martin scratched his buzzed head as he thought before finally turning to Ms. Pierce.

"What do you think?"

"We can't waste time. If the portal is opened we'll all die. We need to move now, maybe a surprise entrance will stop them long enough to give us a chance," Ms.Pierce explained, her eye wide like she was panicked but her voice sounded calm and unwavering.

Martin nodded and then helped up his gun in front of him as he led the charge into the cave. The soldiers entered before us, spreading out along the edges of the cave wall, surrounding the room. As for us, we weren't sure what to do exactly. So we took Ms. Pierce's lead and carefully walked down the steps to the rounded stone platform that held the doorway of light and the portal of darkness stones.

Just as the soldiers had described, three dozen figures in dark robes knelt on the ground behind the portal of darkness. Their faces were hidden by hoods and they seemed to be frozen solid. They didn't look up at our approach nor did they seem surprised like Ms. Pierce had hoped. In fact, they didn't move at all. The only exception to the entranced group was a single robed body that stood out from the rest. This being was knelt next to the portal of darkness, their back towards us.

"Stay on guard," Ms. Pierce whispered as we stood behind her.

None of this was what I had pictured. I thought the second we had ran into the cave, the keepers would have attacked, chaos taking over as we fought with them. But this was so calm like we had walked in on a church service in mid-prayer. Why weren't they acknowledging us? Why weren't they moving?

As I searched the room for any signs of an upcoming attack, movement in the middle of the room caught my eye. The figure next to the portal started to shake, their small frame moving as if they were being racked with sobs. They were so small and familiar, causing me to walk towards them.

"Chloe," Wes' voice warned from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to find him and the others slowly following me.

Turning my attention back to the figure, I quietly asked, "Silas?"

The figure's shaking grew and before long I could hear light laughter. I couldn't determine whether or not the laughter matched Silas' voice. It had only been three weeks since our encounter with him in the woods but surely I should have been able to recognize his voice. Right?

"Silas?" I tried again.

The laughter got louder, like the kind of belly laugh where someone would grab their sides and roll on the floor. But the only movement the figure made was to stand as their body continued to shake. They were small, definitely the size of what I remembered Silas to be, I thought.

Finally standing straight, their laughter died down as they turned to face me. They slowly pulled back their hood, revealing their face.

My stomach plummeted, and my throat constricted. This wasn't right, this didn't make sense. How? Why?

"Alicia?" I gasped, unable to hide my hurtful expression.

Alicia's light brown eye lit up with excitement as she let out another laugh, gripping her sides and bending over.

I stepped back, bumping into Wes as I joined my group of friends. Their faces all echoed my own thoughts and feelings. We had been betrayed, backstabbed. How could she have done this? Why did she do this? None of it made sense. She was one of us!

"What the hell, Alicia?" Declan shouted causing Alicia's laughter to come to an abrupt end.

She composed her self, playing with one of her braids as she paced in front of us. The laughter was gone from her eyes, but they still held excitement, glee, and something so malicious that I had to look away.

"Surprised?" she asked in a giddy voice but didn't wait for an answer. "Oh, you should see the looks on your faces! The pain, the anger, this was everything I had expected. Everything I had been looking forward to for so long."

"But why?" Sage asked, her shoulder bumping into mine as she took a step forward.

Alicia's eyes shot to my sister, disgust flashing across her features for a brief moment.

"Why am I a Gate Keeper? Why did I deceive you?" she asked.

Sage nodded, as well as the rest of us. We wall wanted to know, wanted answers. It may not have been the time for explanations but we needed it more than anything right then.

"This was my destiny," Alicia announced, extending her hands out to indicate the area around us. "My mother wasn't some clueless woman, duped by a demon to conceive an unwanted Dembion. Unlike you all, I was planned, wanted. I was raised knowing what I was and knowing my purpose in life."

Alicia rushed to the stone that held the portal of darkness and ran her hands lovingly over the rough and cracked surface.

"I will release my father from this prison, along with all the other glorious beings that are held captive."

Ms. Pierce stepped around us as if trying to shield us from Alicia while she asked, "Then why come to Landry's, why put on this charade?"

Alicia let out another small laugh while giving us a look like the answer should have been obvious by now.

"I had to gain your trust in order to try and stop you," she explained.

With those words, a thought struck me. It was so clear, we had been trying to come up with the answer and here it was, right in front of us.

"You killed Toby and Betty," I stated.

Alicia clapped her hand a few times as she said, "Well done, Chloe. I knew you were smarter then you looked."

"Why?" Lolly's small voice asked. She tried to step closer but Lucas grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her delicate body next to him.

"We needed you all locked away so you couldn't stop us. Sure, it didn't work like I had wanted but it did buy us some time," Alicia answered calmly. "Poor Toby and Betty. They were simple pawns in my game, anonymously paid to torment the kids in the peer counseling class. Of course, they won't receive payment now."

"So everything they did was because of you?" Wes asked, rubbing his forehead like he had a headache trying to piece it all together.

Toby and Betty always seemed so vicious. To think that it was all an act was hard to imagine. Then again, maybe Alicia just played into their cruel nature. It was the only thing that made sense to me.

"Well, yeah," Alicia replied with a smile. "I needed a reason for the Organization to lock you all up. So Toby and Betty were sent to torment and bully all of you. That way, when they did, everything would point to you. You'd be the only ones with a motive, and thanks to Lolly's brilliant plan to escape our cells and throw our own dance, you'd be the only ones with the opportunity. All I had to do was wait for the six of you to pair up, make goo-goo eyes at each other, and then slip away. Thanks to my powers of invisibility, it wasn't hard to go unnoticed. And now, thanks to all of you needing, so desperately, to know the answers, you failed your mission."

With that last statement, the other Gate Keepers stood up from their knelt positions. One of them stepped out from the crowd, throwing their hood back to reveal their face. The woman looked much like Alicia, big brown eyes and dark black-brown hair. Despite her complexion being slightly darker than Alicia's, it was obvious that this woman was her mother.

The woman held a large book in her hands as she began to chant. Several of the other keepers followed suit while the rest took attack positions. But before anyone could make a move, the stone cover of the portal began to glow a dark purplish-gray color. The whole cave shook, though nothing seemed to be falling apart.

"It's time," Alicia announced, her face filled with pure joy and excitement.