Ok I think this is the last day in a row I'm gonna update because I need to work on homework xd

and no review replies cause im in a rush but ENJOY

"Whoa." Jessica whispered in awe. "It's a me."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Jessica and her double were almost identical, the exceptions being their clothes and the length of their hair, Jessica 2 had hers cut short in a bob.

"And you're a me." The other her said simply. "Now do you want out of this volcano or not?"

"Uh, yes! Definitely!" Jay 2 nodded earnestly.

"Then follow me." Jessica 2 headed back down the tunnel she was in, and the group quickly followed. She didn't explain who she was or why she was there, and she didn't ask any of them that either. She didn't seem like she was a very talkative person. Jessica 1 didn't let that stop her. She trailed along just behind her double, peppering her with questions that were either ignored or answered curtly. Jessie either didn't get the hint or ignored it. Finally, Lloyd went up and suggested she leave her double alone, since she looked cranky. The daredevil complied, falling back to chat with him instead.

After a couple hours of walking, Jessica 2 declared that it was getting late and they should stop for the night. Lloyd was confused, since it felt like it should be only mid-afternoon since they got up, but figured their collective internal clock was off due to wandering around in pitch-black tunnels for days. So they made camp, and complained for a bite about how hungry they were before forcing themselves to rest. It took some time, but soon enough everyone but Zane was asleep.

TheDarknessReturn

Lloyd was startled awake by a loud clang.

The sudden noise was followed by a muttered curse, and Lloyd figured someone had tripped over something in the dark. He was about to go back to sleep when he realized something: it wasn't supposed to be dark. What happened to Zane? He was lighting up the cave with his eyes when he went to sleep. Something wasn't right. Lloyd opened his eyes, and saw nothing but pitch blackness other than the glow of the ghosts. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Hey," a voice said in the darkness. One of the Kais. "What's going on?" Abruptly, there was a thud, then Kai grunted and fell silent. They were being attacked! Rolling over, Lloyd nudged Morro 2 with his foot, trying to wake him. It didn't work. Reaching over, Lloyd shook him hard. The wind master groaned, then said aloud,

"Huh? Why's it so dark?" Lloyd waited for a few seconds, waiting for their attacker to come close. Morro was bait. Sorry Morro. He heard a soft footstep, and instantly charged an orb of energy, lighting up the cavern. To his shock, Jessica 2 was standing over Morro, a rock clutched in one hand which was poised to strike him. Her eyes widened as the room lit up, but she didn't miss a beat, turning and swinging the rock at Lloyd instead. It caught him in the shoulder, and he cried out as pain shot through him, his light flickering.

"WAKE UP!" Morro shouted, scrambling away from Jessica as she raised the rock to strike again. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Lloyd heard mumbles from the others as he dodged his girlfriend's double's swing at his head, taking his cue from Morro and backing away. The others were waking up, albeit slowly, so they could take her on together. She kept coming though, and Morro 2 tackled her from the side, trying to pin her down. Unfortunately, the managed to land a kick to the wind master's stomach, and he slumped to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

"Wake up!" Lloyd yelled, scrambling back further as Jessica 2 turned to him again. Finally, the others got the message, and Lila and Cole 2 grabbed her and pinned her down long enough to get her chained. "Thank you. Kai, light a fire." Lloyd called over to the bleary fire ninja, letting his light fade away as his order was obeyed. "Morro, you okay?" The blond asked, crawling over to the wind master who was still curled up on the ground. He nodded, wincing.

"F-forgot how much a kick to the stomach hurt." Lloyd gave his shoulder a squeeze, then turned to Jessica 2, who was growling at her captors.

"What's your deal?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips. She didn't answer, just glared daggers at him. "Well? Why did you attack us? Why do you want us dead?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you." She hissed. "I just wanted your supplies."

"Our supplies…?" He exchanged glances with Morro 2. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to all our ropes and food, would you?" She snorted.

"A girl's gotta get her food somehow."

"You could have asked."

"That never works." She rolled her eyes.

"It would have with us."

"No it wouldn't." She sighed. "Fine then. Lock me up. Kill me. Lord knows death would be better at this point."

"No, we're not going to kill you. That solves nothing, and we're better than that." Lloyd shook his head. "No, we need to get out of here. Get us out of this volcano, and we'll bring you whatever supplies you ask for." The brunette narrowed her eyes.

"And how do I know you'll do what you say you'll do?" Lloyd frowned.

"I could… give you something valuble to hold onto until we honor it."

"What if you stole it back when I'm asleep?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Jessica, you're at our mercy. We could take it back whenever we want. Look, all we want is to get out of this volcano, and we're willing to give you a lot for it. Would you rather take the deal, or…" Something occurred to him. "Or should I just have one of our ghosts possess you and figure out the way out on their own?" She paled a bit.

"I'll take it."

"Good." Lloyd stood up. "And by the way, where's our food?"

"In my stash." The bound girl muttered. "It's way back- we're closer to the exit then there, we might as well just get out."

"Alright. Everyone, ready to move?"

"Uh… no?" Jessica 1 looked like she had just woken up. "The heck's going on?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Lloyd shook his head, smiling a bit. "Just get ready to go." His girlfriend shrugged, then obeyed. It only took a few minutes for the camp to get packed up and ready to go, then a couple minutes more to get Zane 1 back online after Jess 2 clobbered him with a rock, then they set off. This time with a more compliant guide.

An hour later, they stood on the outside of the mountain on a small ledge. Unfortunately, it was nighttime, and, of course, the Realm Crystal needed sunlight to function. So they waited some more, some chatting, some sleeping, and some just thinking.

Finally, the sun rose. Lloyd unpacked the Realm Crystal and laid it on the ground to charge, and soon it was glowing again. After rousing everyone and releasing Jessica 2, he created a portal back to Stiix and beckoned everyone in. As he watched them go through, he felt his excitement growing. They were almost home! Well, not home home, but safety, anyway. When everyone else had gone through, Lloyd followed, falling through the void for a few moments before landing on a wooden bridge. As he looked around the city on water, one thing became immediately clear:

Stiix was on fire.

That's harsh

Jessica 2 is such a mystery I wonder what's going on with her xd

~FFF