Present Day

Jay and Nya were finishing cleaning Jay's house when Nya's parents finally arrived at the front door. Nya had contacted her parents and asked to stay and help Jay clean. Michael allowed it, and so did Timbue, reluctantly.

It had been much later; nearly five hours after Nya had run away. Cole had gone to sleep a while ago.

Michael immediately hugged his daughter tight, as if afraid she was going to run away again. Timbue was also happy to see Nya again, but was so distracted being disgusted of Jay's house that she didn't even remember to greet her.

"Nya. Nya, are you alright?" he asks after finally letting her out of his arms. "Are you hurt? Were you lost?"

Nya shakes her head, smiling. "No, Dad, I was fine. And Jay took very good care of me, and I helped him and Cole finish with their house." But Michael caught Jay himself turn pink in the face and narrowed his eyes; he was no idiot.

"Well, we're glad that you're safe," Timbue cuts in quickly. "We should get home, shouldn't we? There's still plenty of work to do in two days!" Michael rolled his eyes while Nya held back a scowl. It was blatantly obvious that Timbue doesn't like any house that isn't equivalent to absolute perfection, and Jay's house was extremely far from it. It was a quality that made Nya furious.

But nevertheless, she was right; packing was a necessity at the moment, and now was not the time to think of any other. The boats were arriving in only two days, and there were still a few rooms in Nya's house to clean and fix up. Knowing this, the three began to leave and say their goodbyes.

Before Nya was out the door with her parents, however, she stopped and turned to Jay.

"Thanks, by the way. For everything," she says. Jay rubs his neck and smiles at her.

"No problem," he replies. "And thanks for helping Cole and I clean up. We couldn't have done it without you," At that, Nya smiles, glad to hear a positive thing about her today.

Then before Jay could react, Nya plants a soft kiss on his cheek, leaving Jay's face beet red and his eyes wider than usual. And as quickly as the kiss had happened, Nya leaves and joins her parents outside. Jay touches his cheek, swearing he was never going to wash his face again.

Kai's eyes burst open to the sound of the wooden floorboard creaking. He bolts up, only to find himself looking into the eyes of a woman; a woman he knew. But it wasn't his mother or his sister. This woman had eyes of purple, and a voice so eerie that when it bounced off of the walls in Kai's room, it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Kai..." she said, flickering as if she was a hologram, then appearing across the room. "Stay away from the woods this Night Kai. Don't let them see you!"

Panic filled Kai's body. What did she mean?

Isn't he going to be on the boats?

Most of all, who was them?

The mysterious purple-eyed woman's figure glitched, and was beside Kai in a second, as if she teleported there instantly. "Hear me, Kai. You must not let them see you,"

"I don't understand. Who's they?" Kai asked, but her mysterious warnings were all that the woman would say. Her words faded out of Kai's mind, while his own heartbeat grew louder. What was happening?

"Stay away from the woods...don't let them see you..."

"KAI!"

Kai bolts up again, this time covered in sweat and his parents at his side. Their faces were full of worry, and sadness. "Did it happen again?" Timbue asks, and Kai nods, unable to say anything.

"What happened Kai?" Michael spoke next, his own voice calm, but worrisome. Kai shook his head panting and wiping his sweat on the sleeve of his shirt. After a full minute passes, Kai finally speaks.

"It...it was all so real," he says, which was absolutely true, just as always. His nightmare tonight was recurring, and had been happening almost every night. It had started around the time of the fight Kai had with Nya at the pond those months ago; when their relationship had first begun to fall apart.

Knowing their son wasn't in a state to explain to them about his dream, Kai's parents kissed him on the forehead and walked out of his room, shutting the door softly behind them. Outside of their son's door, Timbue and Michael exchange worried looks. His dreams have gone on too long to be a phase.

The two go back to bed, but don't fall asleep for hours.

Nya's eyes open slowly, and sits up yawning. Her entire room was completely spotless; the only thing needed to be fixed was her bed. Boxes of things that were found scattered around her floor sat in the corner, waiting to be opened in fifteen years, when Day began again.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, Nya stands up, stretching.

But when she got closer down the stairs to fetch breakfast for herself, she heard voices. Strange voices.

Nya peeks around the corner, glancing for a few seconds, then quickly turns away before she's caught spying.

It was the Mayor, and his top guards; she could tell by the hats the guards wore. Only they can wear the hat of that rank. But what were they doing here?

Timbue and Michael were there, and having a conversation with the three men at their door. Her parent's voices sounded even; perhaps it was nothing.

But Nya saw she was mistaken when the Mayor caught her eye, and gestured her forward sternly. It was then Michael and Timbue suddenly turned, startled seeing their daughter spy on them. "Nya! What are you doing?" her father asked as Nya walked toward them. But the Mayor spoke over them.

"Nya," Dareth says. "We need your help. It's very urgent."

"What is it?" she asks, concerned. Mayor Dareth almost never looks or acts this serious; whatever has happened must be extremely important.

"A boy is missing. He's disappeared, within the last twelve hours," Now the Mayor's guard spoke, his voice deep and straight, just like his expression. Nya could only feel bad for the missing boy, but something wasn't right.

"With all do respect, Mayor Dareth, what does this have to do with me?" Nya asks.

"You know him." he replies hesitantly.

"Who?"

"That boy you visited me with yesterday. Jay. He's missing."