It all felt like yet another dream.

Hope walked up the marble steps towards the statue, she slowly bent down, lifted the tiles as the three others surrounded her and revealed the letters engraved on polished marble beneath. She pushed the first 'button', rolled it till she got to the letter I. She stood up and stepped aside. Not knowing exactly why she did, or if the reason the others thought was really logical enough.

Obi came next, turned the next marble to "S." looked up at the cryptic face of the marble goddess with something akin to reverence.

Few hours ago, they were shouting their head off at Mr Haruna, and eventually had to concede to staying in detention when the man gave them not one but two alternatives as to how the day could go: If they don't behave, he said, he would make sure they spend an extra hour for every word, and if that is not enough for them to begin acting civil, he would personally hand them over for the security personnel's to keep them company in their station office. "can he do that?" Obi had asked no one in particular. The man simply smiled and said, "four more hours." He picked the remote control on his desk and pressed a button. Some weird efik song started streaming off the speakers by the CD player. The man adjusted his tie, picked a red pen and began marking some scripts. That was just two hours ago...

Ada was next. And she was the quickest. "I honestly don't understand why we all need to turn this." She turned, 'IS'. "see_"

She jumped back the moment something rumbled beneath. They were all at the stairs before they knew it. Only Andy stood at the entrance with his hand on the nearest pillar, a small tool bag was slung across his shoulder. He was almost as immobile as the pillar, as his eyes followed what unfolded. He was first to stare into the abyss.

There was a scraping sound and something sounded like the clinking of wheels over wheels, and slowly at first, then picking pace, the statue moved, gliding over the tile like it was floating. The motion picked pace, till a fast blur, resolved in an abrupt stop.

Andy leaned closer, and looked down. It was a wide pit, as wide as the base of the statue, with stairs of about two feet width, leading down till it was invincible, covered with shadow that not even Andy's flash light could penetrate. She never knew exactly what to find, not before now, but she wondered if she hadn't known deep down what it would be. Just the sight of the darkness within, she felt that strange déjà vu, she had either been here before, or she was meant to find this.

"anybody in there!" Obi shouted. His voice echoed back and forth. "wow! It must be some large space in there!" he said, "there," echoed like forever.

Angel barked from behind. Catching every one's attention but Andy's, who was busy muttering and crossing the way "innomine patris et filis et spirito sancti."

On seeing Hope, the dog bounded up towards her, she hugged it and it licked her face. Just as quickly as that happened, the dog struggled off her embrace and down the stairs it went, barking excitedly at a spot where Andy's light could reach.

"come back!" Hope screamed. The dog was gone. Everyone including herself looked nervously around realizing that her scream might have drawn unwanted attention.

"this is what is going to happen." Andy began, "I'm going to go in, see what I can find."

"I need to go get Angel." Hope protested.

"I'll get her for you." Andy said, he looked as serious as ever. "stay here."

He placed a foot on the stairs, and he began walking down. Hope watched as more shadow parted before the flashlight. Angel barked as light reached her again. "she's fine." Andy said. he picked the dog came back up the stairs, Hope grabbed it, and this time wouldn't let the stubborn dog scramble off. Defeated, Angel made some pitiful low noise, rested her fuzzy head on Hope's arm and gazed at her with reproach.

Andy was gone again, they must have waited five more minutes before Hope saw the red car pulling out of the manor. "Hide quick." But there was really no place they could hide much, the vines had all been pulled off thanks to Andy. Obi and Ada hid behind one pillar, Hope and Angel was behind the next. When the car began to slow to a trot and finally to an abrupt stop few paces from the grotto. Obi ran down first, Hope followed. Ada looked out, back at the hole, she eventually ran down too. Hope and Obi walked down few steps to make way for Ada.

They heard the car rumble back to life, they heard it go away. Hope kept going down, however. She's seen this place before. She knew she had, just as certain as she was that this has to be where the captives are held. "Andy!" she called.

"I told you not to come down!" Andy looked furious.

"a car was coming!" Obi replied. "we were supposed to what? Wait to get caught." They were at the floor of the underground tunnel, Hope realized.

"It's like a mine." Obi said, in a hushed tone. Reaching for the stone walls, he made a sound, "wow," he muttered.

"don't touch anything." Ada ordered.

Hope heard a quick flick. They all looked towards Obi who shrugged. "I thought it was the light switch_" he never go to complete that statement, for the statue above began rolling.

They all ran, Hope and her friends, ran away from the stairs. Andy ran towards. It began as a lazy click and slowly picked momentum, humming as it scraped the floor above. Moments later, they were covered in darkness as soon as the base of Isis covered her secret passage way once again.

"and now we are trapped you_!" Ada clenched her fist, glaring at Obi.

Andy ran past them up the stairs, shone his light on the new roofing and all around the ceiling. But that wasn't necessary. As pockets of lights began erupting from the walls. Small yellow light danced like candle light in stone walls, on reliefs. Just bright enough for them to see each other.

"Wow" Said Obi. The walls of the tunnels ahead had light as far as they could see. "this is amazing." He whispered as her reached to stroke the walls. Ada stretched her hands, in a moment Hope thought she was going to grab Obi's and tell him to not touch anything, but she dropped the hand before Obi saw it. she simple watched as her brother trailed his hands on the wavy lines on the wall. Obi rubbed his palm on a gem on the forehead of a facial relief.

"there has to be another way out." Andy said, he didn't seem too surprise by the art or the mystery hallway opening directly underneath a grotto. "we stay together." He said.

"Did you find anything?" Ada asked, looking at the floor now for whatever she thought could be found.

Andy reached to his pocket and brought out a square leathery object. Its surface was brown, cracked and still caked with dust and fungus. He gave it first to Hope who figured it was a wallet. she pried its content, she felt something smooth and hard, she brought out the ID. The writings were all fading. Under Andy's flash light she saw the name, and what was left of the portrait: KENNY BADMUS. At the top was the logo and name of the school. "He was here?" she asked, and was unsure whether to loathe him for uncovering every secret in her life, or be thankful someone believed her crazy theories.

"we've got people to find." Andy said. he unzipped his tool bag and brought three nylon bags, placed it on each of their hands. "Ash." He said. "if anything unnatural comes towards you, surround yourself with it and keep still. Can you do that?"

"Seriously, specifically what ash?" Obi picked a handful and let it blow in the wind.

"I made it from something holy, it will offer protection. Stay close." said Andy, leading the way while the two other's followed. They had no choice.

"who is Kenny Badmus again?" Ada asked.

"the guy that swallowed a bottle of pills. He was a student. Has his name on those medals somewhere near Madam Rosalind's office?"

"he was captain of the Basket Ball team in 1997." Hope said.

"yeah that." Obi said. But from the way Ada looked at Obi like she'd rather he shut his pie hole, Hope could deduce what Ada really wanted to know. Why was he the one Hope kept seeing? Why was he the one helping or whatever it is he's doing? She's spent enough time with her to know when her curiosities are not satisfied. "and he's my biological father."

"what?" Ada whispered, while Obi shouted at the same time. Judging from Andy's silence, he probable knew, or had guessed that too. Principal Charles for example, seems to know more than he let on, who could tell what he knew? It was a secret that never felt secret.

Obi kept poking and prodding at the reliefs as they silently walked on. The dark walls gleamed with moist, the air was damp.

"anybody here!" Ada shouted. Her voice echoed on and on, then back. then there was a chaotic rustle and flaps of countless wings. The tunnel turned sharply, and as Hope walked on, she was sure this was the place Sir Santigo stood and called the shadows, 'my slave.' Just before they got to the wide misty atrium.

It was just as she had dreamt, how the mist danced spilling out of the wider space, how the lights gleamed. How shadows loomed. They materialised just before them, standing sentinel at the entrance. Angel barked.

Before Hope could think, Andy made a line of ash between them as the shadows that were basically popping out of thin air. "YOU DARE!!!" a voice roared. Hope knew that voice. The voice of the shadow with the gleaming eyes. The voice of Louise Jr.

"is this really happening?" Obi stammered, taking a few steps back, and pointing at the shadows, looking at their faces as if to confirm if they all could see what he saw. "what do we do?"

"wait for it." Andy said, focused on the line of ash, his jaw tensed.

The shadows stepped closer, towards the line of ash. As they drew close she saw details, in the way she sees Badmus Kenny, she saw souls in the form of the body they once had. She saw trapped soul, obeying command. They were communicating, but not with her. She couldn't catch a word.