Four nervously stared at the doors to the mansion. Out of all the places they could have placed it, why did the council choose a populated area?

           Clenching his pendant, he started to regret bringing it along. If "Firey" got ahold of it...what would he do? Sighing, Four turned around to face the group.

           He held a finger up to his mouth, making a shushing motion, then waved for them to follow. Quietly tip-toeing, the contestants walked towards the door.

            Grasping the handle, Four tugged it, and the door gently swung open. Everyone stepped inside. Four glanced around frantically. However, his gaze lingered on the stairs.

He knew how to end it once and for all.

            Weaving through the crowd, he whispered to everyone. "Make groups and split up! Don't trust anyone acting strange, and look out for dolls."

              As everyone started to split up, he pulled Match aside. "I need a whole box of matches." He told her. She gave him a questioning look.

               "Okay..." She pulled out a box, handing it to him. "Am I allowed to ask why?" He glanced down. "It's complicated." Walking away, Match nervously glanced at Pencil.

                Taco gasped for air, as she jolted awake. Her arms were locked firmly to the side as she came to. Green ribbons where tied to her wrists and ankles, hanging from the ceiling.

               She couldn't see how far they went up, being obscured in darkness. That was when she noticed the long table in front of her. It was almost cluttered with items.

              It had emerald green cups and plates, small trays of sweets and baked goods, two different teapots, and fancy napkins folded into various flowers.

               Taco stared down at her plate nervously. There was a dark red cupcake with a steaming green liquid ominously oozing out. A quiet cough made her jump.

Glancing to the side, she smiled. Leafy was sitting in the chair at the end of the table. She sighed in relief. "Leafy!" She called out. Leafy rose her head, glancing around.

Frowning, Taco noticed she was blindfolded. "Oh my gosh! Did he hurt you at all?!" Taco asked. Leafy tried to pull against the ribbons. "No..."

Wiggling slightly, Leafy was able to flex her hand towards her face. Grabbing the blindfold, the ribbon suddenly snapped back, inadvertently helping her tear it off.

Her eyes traveled over to Taco. She frowned, noticing she was in the same situation. "I tried to get him to talk to everyone..." Leafy sighed.

Taco struggled against her binds. "He's a monster, Leafy!" The ribbons tightened, freezing Taco in place. "It's not your fault he can't listen to reason!"

Leafy looked down. "But-" Taco sighed. "He's scared? Is that what you're going to say?" She asked. "Innocent people don't capture their best friends."

Taco glared at the cake. "Innocent people don't poison their friend's lover's food." She fought against the ribbons again, pushing the food away before being restrained.

"Innocent people don't try to take away their best friend's memories!" Taco's glare softened, once she noticed the sad look on her girlfriend's face.

She wanted so badly to hug Leafy, and tell her everything was going to be okay. But she couldn't. Not while she was still tied up like a puppet on a string.

"He's not what you think, Leafy..." She said. Leafy looked up at her. A strange emotion shimmered in her eyes. "Taco..." She started. Leafy nervously looked down.

Something seemed off. Taco knew by the look on her face, that she wanted to say something. Leafy finally looked back up, taking a deep breath.

"I believe there is good in everybody."

She smiled sadly. "After all, you do know why everyone hates me, don't you?" Taco frowned. "Your crime and his crime are not on the same level." She stated boldly.

"Yeah...mines worse."

"Leafy, no!"

Taco groaned in frustration, clenching her teeth. "How could you even say that?!" She asked, voice strained. Leafy flinched in shock. "W-What?"

Staring her dead in the eye, Taco spoke. "I'm going to be the first to say it." She said. Leafy nervously gripped the armrests on the chair. "...What...?"

"I don't care that you stole Dream Island."

X coldly glared down the hallway, hand glowing slightly. He refused to carry a blade with him. Mostly because he was worried he'd stab the poor little leaf.

            Hesitantly, he glanced around. "Firey" was nowhere to be seen. It was both relieving and nerve wracking at the same time. Turning to face his group, X took a moment to look at everyone.

            Firey, the real one, was standing next to Coiny. They both had nervous looks on their faces. Lollipop held a sharp fire pick in her hand, a determined look on her face.

Donut on the other hand, was even more nervous than Coiny and Firey combined. He held a rusty pipe in his hands, shaking slightly.

Gelatin seemed oblivious to the threat of the mansion. Of course, he was still just as quiet as the rest. He had a small box cutter, the blade sealed away in the plastic husk.

X was unsure if Four should have even brought the contestants along, but he knew they would need help.

Though, he wasn't sure how a bunch of powerless objects would be able to take on a powerful algebralien. Of course with any luck, he was still trapped.

Suddenly, a metal clang caused X and his crew to jolt. Holding out a hand, he protectively backed up towards the contestants.

Green ribbons descended from the ceiling, and X's magic grew brighter. He glared at a new emerging figure. The familiar plush vessel smirked, eyes glowing green.

"Welcome to Hell, dear guests."