I left the bathroom, and the others were already walking. I ran to reach Edward, who was waiting for me.

"Did you?"
"Yes, and she's right, they don't have to shoot. Now love, are you..."

The earth shook again, but this time we knew what it meant. Laurent turned to me and said "We're getting closer."

Then he gathered his equipment and marched through the hallway. "Come on, we have to keep going."

Edward stared intently at him; Laurent must be remembering something pretty intense because Edward was too concentrated to notice how I was pushing him to walk. We continued our trek, only the echo of our steps resonating through the hallway. The little voice was quiet, and I was wondering why did she talk to me and Edward and not to the others.

This part of the floor held the bedrooms of the higher ranks in Stefan's team. We passed door after door, all unhinged from their frames; like someone tried to open them with too much force. Laurent was green and nauseous, and I wasn't the only one to notice.

"You know what burst these doors open, right? Was it the explosion?" Jacob asked, while trying to push one of the doors to open completely.

"It wasn't really an explosion." Laurent exhaled.

Charlie sneered "Oh yeah, and how did it happen? Jacob is quite strong and he barely can move these doors."

Now Laurent got angry. "Certainly, I wasn't here at the time. And you have a pretty damn good idea of what happened. Stop being in denial. You knew about Stefan's plan, whether you believed in it or not. So I think you could make a very accurate guess."

"Oh for Christ sake! You won't tell me you believe in all that crap. All that nonsense about Stefan summoning a demon to achieve immortality. It's bullshit! The bastard even offered me..." Charlie got quiet, realizing he said something he didn't mean to.

"He offered you what?" Clearly, this was becoming too much for Jacob; not only he was scared shitless of the unknown, but now, he was witnessing how Charlie was the greedy traitor not the hero he work-shipped his whole life.

"What do you think? Money! The bastard showed me his vault, full of gold and money. It's down there. All I had to do was to be here that day to help him."

Laurent got him by the collar of his shirt. "You lied to me! You said you didn't knew. You were supposed to be here. And for twenty-five years you said you knew nothing!"

"I didn't know shit. He offered me riches; but I heard one of his lackeys talking about a bomb to blow the building. There was no way I would had come."

This was getting too confusing, so Charlie lied... a lot.

"So the FBI blew the building? Why?"

"Not precisely the FBI, but they did it to cover any trace of what happened here." James patted Jacob's back. "Look, we're here. This is the door that leads to the last flight of stairs. Let me open it."

He was right. This was a massive steel door, with a panel with numbers. He brought out his little machine, and worked his magic. This time, it took ten minutes, but the door finally clicked open.

"Now, I think we'll need a lever to open it more."

Jacob looked at me. He was about to make a fool of himself. "Let me handle it, I guess I'm the strongest guy on this group."

We all rolled our eyes.

Jacob got his arm inside and pushed the door, but it didn't move. He tried it again, and nothing. I gotta admit he was very strong, but something didn't let the door move. Edward and James snickered at his attempts.

"Please, let me try. Maybe is more about knack than force." Edward pushed Jacob aside. One little push and the door was open. I found it weird, because Jacob, now that he had phased, supposedly was equally strong as a vampire, or something like that.

Jacob sulked again, but James showed him the trick.

"Just push it a little up, and then it moves."

So it was really a trick.

"Now, before we descend, I want to remind you that I only know a bit of that floor. Perhaps, if someone who knows his way around that floor could do us the favor of guiding us..." Charlie was beet red. Surely he didn't want us to know his previous visits to Stefan's hide out.

"Damn! Get us there. I'll see what I remember. I was here only twice." Charlie grumbled and was the first to descend.

Jacob pulled me aside, Edward right behind me, but this time Jacob didn't argue.

"What is this bullshit about Stefan and demons?"

Edward chuckled. "Took you a bit to get it."

"I didn't want to hear Charlie's explanation. That's why I'm asking both of you."

"Stefan was Charlie's and Laurent's boss. He was sick and wanted to get a cure. Long story short, he dabbled in the supernatural, and tried to make a spell to conjure something that could get him immortality. Something went wrong, and now we're here trying to revert the damage he caused."

"The damage? As in revive all the dead people?"

Edward sighed. "No, he experimented with some people, and we think they're trapped. We want them back. Laurent and James are looking for something lost here, I still can't find out what." This was new to me. Perhaps this was what troubled him before.

"And Charlie?"

"Uff!" Edward exhaled. How would you tell someone that their idol was trying to betray them and kill them? "He's here for the money. He thinks he can get it and run, but we know it isn't that simple."

Suddenly, Jacob sniffed the air. "We're not alone!" He whisper-yelled.

"No, my family and a friend are here, and I'd like you to keep that tidbit for yourself. I don't want Charlie to panic."

"But..."

"Seth is here. He's the friend I was talking about."

"You smell awful. Too sweet."

"Well, you don't smell like roses. Now, shoo. Go with Laurent or James."

Jacob left, lost in his thoughts.

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell him?"

"He noticed the smell when you were in the bathroom. He tried to go to investigate. I don't know how long we could keep it from him."

I nodded. Of course, Jacob also had the heightened senses.

"Bella, I found out two things, and I don't want you to get frightened."

"Sure, just tell me."

"The little voice, she talked to me.

"When? Why didn't.."

"When she told you it was important for you to come, well, she talks to me in a different way."

"So you don't hear the voice?"

"I hear her, and she also shows me images. You know, read her mind." I nodded. "Well, she showed me this place... and how there were only men here. You're the only woman inside."

"But she..."

"I'm not sure if she's a human. And when she told you she can't move, well, she showed me. Her body is trapped on this side of the portal. She's stuck. I think in some kind of force field, like the one that protected the bunker."

"But then how does she communicate with us?"

"It's her mind Bella. The only part of herself that can 'move' is her mind. I think she is gifted, like me." he made air quotes.

"And why should I be scared? I mean, I know I'm the only woman, but it doesn't bother me."

"No, but it should. She thinks your presence is necessary to untangle this mess. Bella, you're another 'ingredient' of the spell."

I was shocked.

"But it wasn't on the papers you had!"

"Bella, the moment Charlie decided to not come here, that spell went to the drain! We don't know what really happened, but now we know that Stefan's plans went wrong."

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait 'til we find her. She must tell us what to do to untangle this mess."

Hi! Well, now we know more about the little voice, and about Charlie's past. Next chapter we'll be right on the last floor, the one with the lab and all the secrets.

BTW, sorry the delay. I was sick, with the flu again. But now I feel better.

Hope you like it.