The fairy stopped on the edge of the yard, flitting around Megan's head. "Something's wrong." The fairy drifted near Megan's face. "Be careful. There's a strange presence inside." With that, the fairy fluttered away.

Megan snuck forward into the yard through the stone wall. The lights were on inside. She crouched and walked around to the back.

Suddenly, a man appeared around the corner - someone she had never seen on the preserve before.

He had on a large hood that shielded his face, but he was rather a hulk of a man. He walked right past her without even blinking. He hadn't seen her.

Megan released her breath as she realized her chest was tight. How did this stranger not see her? She may have been crouching, but she wasn't hiding by any means. Maybe he was blind, but why put a blind man on guard. No, something about HER had changed.

Megan reached the back door and slipped inside as quietly as possible.

The house was deathly silent and each step felt like it echoed through the halls. Her breaths seemed deafening. She crept down the hallway, not sure where she was going.

After a while of blind wandering, she heard soft sounds reverberating from up ahead. She reached the basement door. The light was brighter down there and she heard voices echoing up the stairs. She took a deep breath and started down the passage.

The voices got louder and clearer. Megan could distinguish Ramon's talking to a stranger. At the bottom of the steps, she peeked around the corner.

The staff sat tied up along the wall of the basement and Ramon knelt before a tall, older-looking man in a hat. A hole opened in the middle of the floor, previously covered by a metal trap door. A broken lock showed the forced entry.

"You can't do this forever." Ramon spat at the intruder.

The man smirked. "Neither can you." One of the other strangers held a knife to Ramon's back.

The man growled. "You've interfered with my business for too long."

"That door was meant to protect both of our worlds." Ramon pointed at the metal door.

The man scoffed.

Ramon glared at the man. "That is a weak spot between worlds - a potential for unknown threats."

Megan leaned back against the wall. 'A weak spot between worlds?' What was Ramon talking about? She pushed all her questions to the back of her mind. She had to do something.
Pulling a dagger out of her boot, she snuck up behind one of the strangers guarding the staff and sliced his throat. The intruder collapsed, splattering the floor with blood.

The man addressing Ramon - the leader as it seemed - whirled to face Megan. He glanced at his fallen henchman and growled. "It seems we missed one."

Megan smirked. "I think you'll find that I won't be as easy to catch." She jumped back and slashed the ropes that bound three of the staff together. They pulled their hands free.

Megan turned her head slightly to talk over her shoulder. "Help the others." She focused on the man. "Get out of here."

The man glared at her and drew a sword. "You'll pay for that."

"We'll see." Megan snatched the dead guard's sword.

A/N
Hey all! I'm so sorry about the week-long silence. I was at a camp and not allowed to have my phone. I will be going back to this camp on the 4th of July and will be gone for another week so I will upload as much as possible before then. Hope you enjoy the story.
- Cheshire