"Get the book!" Ms. Pierce shouted to all of us, just as the Organization military started firing off gun shots into the group of Gate Keepers.

A few of the bullets connected with bodies, and as they fell to the ground, the guns were plucked from the hands of the soldiers without a single keeper nearby. It was clear the Keepers had brought a few powerful beings of their own. Though they were all covered with hoods, making it difficult to decipher who was human and who wasn't.

Declan multiplied and scattered throughout the cave, attempting to retrieve the soldiers' weapons. Wes charged for the woman with the book but was quickly tackled by several larger Keepers. A fight of fists broke out between them. Lolly joined in, popping in and out of the Group of Keepers, only staying long enough to deliver a well-placed punch or kick to an unsuspecting body before vanishing and doing the same to someone else. Doing this didn't mean she was able to take anyone completely out of the fight, but it did an awesome job at distracting a good number of them.

Sage and Lucas dove into the throng of fighting, Lucas shooting off fireballs and Sage putting her fighting skills to good use. The woman with the book stood in front of the portal, unguarded and alone. I reached out from yards away and attempted to swipe the book from her hands the same way the Keepers had done to the soldiers with their guns. But the woman held on tightly, visibly struggling as I attempted to pull with every ounce of strength I could muster.

It seemed getting the book without getting close wasn't going to work, so I did the same as Wes had tried and charged for the woman. If I could knock her down or knock her out, I might have been able to get the book. But before I could reach her I felt something solid hit my stomach.

I flew back and hit the ground, the air in my lungs forced from my body. Gasping for air, I tried to push myself off the ground only to have another force hit me in the face. The force flipped me over and the back of my head smacked against the rock platform. Black spots danced in my vision and I was once again left gasping for air.

Laying on the ground, I tried to pull myself together. I could make out the others fighting off in the distance. Wes was going hand to hand with a few more Keepers with the help of multiple Declans. Lolly was still bouncing around and Lucas tried to stay as close to her as he could while shooting off fireballs and landing a few punches with some extra firepower behind them. Even Mr. B and Ms. Pierce were tangled with a few keepers, along with Martin and a couple soldiers. It seemed that Martin's army was down several people but I tried not to think about that as I rolled over and slowly pushed up from the ground.

I had barely lifted my body a few inches when another force landed on my back. Though unlike the other times, the force stayed in place, pushing me back down to the ground. Frantically, I looked around and caught sight of Sage a yard away, landing a strong kick to a Keepers' chest and sending them flying. As if sensing me, or maybe hearing my thoughts, she turned to lock eyes with me. Using only my eyes and my thoughts, I pleaded with her to think of something, do something.

Sage's eyes bounced around me, her brows pinched together in confusion. After a quick second, and another kick to a Keeper that engaged her, Sage's eyes popped open.

"It's Alicia!" she shouted to me.

I wanted to slap myself. Of course it was Alicia.

"She's holding me down!" I yelled back, but before Sage could do anything, I spotted a fireball fly in my direction.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I didn't get burned, and soon heard Alicia curse before the pressure was lifted from my back. As fast as I could, I got to my feet not wanting to give Alicia enough time to knock me down again. I looked around, trying to keep my back to the edge of the platform. But with Alicia being invisible, I couldn't see or do anything to prepare for her next attack.

The cave shook harder and my eyes darted to the woman with the book. We needed to get that book, one way or another. 

"Don't even think about it, Chloe," Alicia's voice announced.

She sounded close by but I still couldn't figure out exactly where she was.

"Real tough, Alicia, fighting someone who can't even see you," I shot back. Maybe if I made her mad enough she would show herself.

Instead, her laugh echoed to the right of me. I threw a punch in that direction but the only thing I hit was air, causing another laugh to ring out somewhere else.

"Fighting someone who can't see me is the best thing in the world. You should have seen Toby and Betty try to do it, funniest thing I've ever seen," Alicia's voice taunted.

I slowly tried to ease away from the rock edge in the direction of the portal while I asked, "What about that night in the dorm showers? Was that even real?"

"Of course not, just more lackeys paid to follow orders," Alicia answered in a flippant tone before adding, "I need you all to welcome me into your little club, so what better way than to play the victim."

I couldn't believe how calculated she was about everything, and worst of all, I fell for it. But I couldn't focus on that now, I needed to get that book. Problem was, the portal's glowing was getting stronger and the cave's shaking was more intense. I had a feeling we didn't have much time left. On the other hand, the rest of the group seemed to have taken out the majority of the Gate Keepers.

Wes and Declan were both finishing off their last opponents, while Lolly and Lucas squared off, side by side, against a demonic looking being whose hood had been singed off. Sage rushed over beside me, her body tense and ready to fight.

"Oh, great, the wonder twins," Alicia's voice snapped.

I had had enough of this. We needed the book, and Alicia was in the way.

I looked around and spotted a large stone off to the side of the cave. Reaching out with my abilities, I lifted the stone off the ground and brought it over to where we stood. Going from left to right, I used the stone to sweep the area around us and was pleasantly surprised when a loud thud sounded. Off to the side of us, Alicia appeared, laying on the ground. She was conscious but clearly dazed by the fall.

This was our chance. Sage and I ran for the woman, who was sporting a few burn marks over her skin and clothes but seemed unaffected. I assumed the marks were from Lucas attempting to take her out but due to the other Keepers, was unable to get close to her. The Gate Keepers may not have been able to take any of us down, but they were definitely effective at keeping us away from the woman and the book, until now.

As I reached the woman, I tried to snatch the book from her when out of nowhere, Lolly popped up next to me.

"Don't touch her!" Lolly shouted.

But it was too late, as soon as my hands touched the book a wave of electricity raced through my body and sent me sailing across the platform.

My head was spinning and my ears were ringing as I laid there, sprawled out. I could faintly hear the others calling my name but they sounded so far away. Propping myself up, I could feel that familiar fire starting to stir in the pit of my stomach. I was wondering where that feeling had gone and realized that maybe my nerves had kept it blocked from me. This fire was what I needed, what we all needed, to defeat the Keepers.

In a flash, I was on my feet, and without even having to use my hands to guide my abilities, I lifted the chanting woman into the air. The higher she rose, the more intense everything became. A loud growling echoed off the walls and the portal stone was starting to smoke.

Before I could throw the woman and attempt to knock her out, she screamed, "liberate ac tenebras!"

Everything in the cave stopped. No more shaking, growling, smoke, or blinding light. It was as if the entire scene had frozen. The woman's body went limp in the air and the book fell from her hands, landing on the ground with a loud thump, dust wafting up into the air. Carefully, I placed her back on the ground and Alicia rushed to the woman's side.

"Is it over?" Wes asked, approaching me while keeping his eyes on the portal.

I looked at Ms. Pierce who could only shrug back.

"I don't know," I answered.

"Is everyone o...." Ms. Pierce was cut off as a loud cracking noise sounded from the center of the platform.

Everyone looked at the portal just in time to witness a large fracture in the portal's stone surface spread from the top to the bottom.

"Oh, shit," Lolly proclaimed in a breathy voice.

"Your all going to get it now," Alicia informed us as she tried to drag the unconscious woman's body away.

We all grouped together and stepped as far away from the portal as possible. Once we had reached the rocky edge, a small amount of smoke started to seep from the fracture in the portals cover. I looked at everyone, hoping someone had an idea as to what we were supposed to do next. But everyone looked just as confused and scared as I felt. Whatever this was, I knew it wasn't going to be good.

The smoke slithered down the stone and towards the platform floor. As it touched the ground, it grew larger and splintered off into four separate clouds. Each cloud slowly swirled and grew, forming into outlines of four figures. The cloud figures darkened and the smoke became solid. Soon, facial features could be seen in the ever-solidifying smoke, and before we had a chance to run, we were faced with four men in gray suits.

Each mans' looks varied but at the same time were so familiar. The first had pale skin that was splattered with freckles and shoulder-length red hair. The second's complexion was almost as light as the first man's, but his stature was smaller. His pale blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail that reached halfway to his waist and his big brown eyes held an anxious excitement as they bounced around the room. The third man's skin was a dark tan complexion, much like Alicia's, and his brown-black hair was cut short.

When I looked at the fourth and final man, my stomach felt like it plummeted. His eyes were a dark sea blue, his skin fair, and his jet black hair was combed back, the ends brushing against his neck. He smiled a toothy grin as his eyes jumped back and forth between Sage and me.

This couldn't be happening, could it?

"Yes, Chloe, this is happening," the fourth man, the one with the jet black hair and fair skin, answered.

He stepped away from the others and slowly approached us. Only when both Sage and I's bodies tensed did he stop, halfway between the other men and our group.

"My how you've grown, my sweet daughters," he said, stretching one hand towards me and the other towards Sage.