Nya sprinted to the shoreline, the water barely licking the front of her sneakers. Placing her hands on either sides of her mouth, she begins yelling in hopes of the people on the back of the departing boats could hear her. But the horizon remained dark and fog was still all that remained there. They weren't coming back.

But Nya was never one to give up so easily. She ran away from the shore and toward the forest once again. Quickly, she made her way through the trees before she arrived at the cliff; the same one, in fact, that she and Jay had climbed together to take a glance at the ice a few days ago.

Nya climbed to the very top of the tallest tree closest to the edge of the cliff. And there they were; the dozen boats sailing away from her like a fleet. Excitement filled Nya; perhaps they could all be saved after all.

"Mom! Dad! We're here! Come back!" she yelled, hoping someone, anyone, would pay heed to her. But every single visible figure kept their heads facing straight ahead. Nya's shouts were useless.

She continued to yell from the top of the tree until her voice grew hoarse. But Nya knew when she'd been beat. Reluctantly, she climbed down.

Nya lands in the dirt once more and turns to Kai and Jay, who had followed her. She sighs. "Sorry. They're not coming back," Nya tells them, and she watched as Kai's shoulders simply slumped while Jay's eyes turned wild.

"But...but they have to!" he says, panicking. "My brother is on that boat!"

"Jay, we're sorry," Kai tells him, and places a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, but Jay shoves it away bitterly.

"No," he tells Kai. "You did this! You left my brother alone!" Anger was spawning in Jay's eyes, and it was troubling to Nya.

"Jay." Nya says sternly. "It's not Kai's fault. I'm the one who left him alone, okay? But it was only because we had to save you!"

In a sarcastic gesture, Jay throws up his hands. "Well, you guys sure did a great job of that, didn't you? Because now we're all stuck here, and we're all going to die. So great job, guys! Keep up the amazing work!"

Of course, everything Jay said overflowed with sarcasm and anger, and it annoyed Nya so much that she slapped Jay hard in the face.

Jay stumbled back a step, his own hand clapped on the spot Nya hit him. He looked up to see the very angry face of Nya, and she was staring bullets into his very soul. "Talk like that again, and we won't save you next time. Clear?" Nya told him, and Jay nods meekly.

"Good," she says. "Because we don't have time for this. Twilight is close to ending, and once Night hits, it's going to be cold and dark. We have to rest somewhere so we can figure out our next move."

Kai thought quickly.

The Mayor had the most knowledge about Night; as he should, for if something were to happen, like the boats didn't arrive in time before Night officially came, then he could keep the people safe and know what to provide. Maybe his sources were hidden somewhere in his mansion. The information would be vital, especially in their situation. He explains this to both Jay and Nya.

"Great," Nya agrees. "We should go, then. I can already see the Moon coming up from the mountain. We have to hurry."

The Mayor's house was dark and lonely. Everything was buried in coverings and sealants, probably to protect it from the ice.

It was also extremely cold, and all three shivered as they walked into the house. Nya could feel the coldness of the marble floor beneath her boots, and saw the frame with the picture of Dareth begin to spawn ice.

Jay glanced at Nya as the three friends made their way up the staircase. He felt horrible for having said ungrateful things to her and Kai; they had to do what was necessary to save his life.

He was about to apologize when Nya abruptly stopped in front of a closed door. And because of it's large and grand design, Jay could tell it was the Mayor's own room.

Kai looks at his sister, confused. "What is it?"

"There's a note," she replies, and Jay hears the excitement in her voice. "But it's too dark. I need some light,"

"It's okay," Kai says. "I can see it."

Nya steps aside, giving Kai room to read the note. Written neatly, Kai saw there was only one word of advice.

HIDE.

The boy sprinted through the woods, most of the time keeping his eyes on the ground below him so he doesn't trip on any roots.

Cole had disobeyed Nya. He had covered for her and Kai while they searched for his brother as promised of course, but at the last moment, he had dashed into the woods, thinking they needed help.

But now he was lost, and alone. Cole knew all too well the boats had left him behind, but the question that made him sick to his stomach was if he was left behind alone. What if Kai and Nya had found Jay, and he didn't see them board the boats? He would be alone with nobody to rescue him.

The thought scared the young child so much he pushed it out of his mind; fear was not going to help him. He knew that much.

Cole continued to run, concentrating only on the thought that he was not alone; that his brother and Kai and Nya were here and he had to find them.

He lost his footing, and Cole tripped on a large protruding root and fell into the dirt. Not hesitating, he lifted himself up again and continued running. "Jay!" Cole began to yell, hoping to receive an answer. "Kai! Nya! I'm here!"

But all that responded the boy was an eerie, dead silence. It sent a chill down Cole's spine, and a disturbing pit in his stomach. He had to find his brother and his friends. He just had to.

"Hide?" Nya squinted and read the note again. "From what? We're the only ones here,"

"Let me see," Jay says, and Kai obeys. He flips it over and squints more times than he himself could count. But that was all that the little slip of paper said. "This has to be some kind of a joke."

"I don't think it is." Kai tells him. However, he takes the paper and crumples it into a ball. "Let's not think about that right now. What we need is a plan. It's getting dark, and much colder."

"Agreed," Nya replies. "We should rest. We've had a really long day." She gestures to the door from which the note had been taped to. "And our best bet is probably the Mayor's room."

Kai opens it for the three of them, and closes it behind him once they've entered the room.

It was large, which wasn't surprising, and neither was the fact that almost everything had a hint of brown to them; the curtains, the bedspread, the walls.

On the far wall, there was yet another door, which lay next to the Mayor's large dresser. Jay walked over, curious, and cracked it open. The sight was very unpredictable.

In the center of the room was a small pool, complete with a pool net and towels hanging on the wall. Steam rose out of the pool, signaling it was also heated. Nya and Kai joined their friend out of curiosity, and their eyebrows arched. "I can't believe the Mayor has an indoor heated pool," Kai says, rolling his eyes.

"I can," Jay replies. "It was probably a rule, besides to have his face on everything."

Nya chortled and went forward, dipping her hand into the pool experimentally. "It's warm," she reported. "Borderline hot,"

Seconds later, Jay was beside her. It took Nya a second to realize Jay was slipping off his shirt and pants, leaving only his undershirt and underwear on his body as clothes. She turned away to hide her blush; there was something unnerving about seeing her friend almost naked.

"Great," Jay says. "I'm freezing. Nearly dying at the bottom of a pit can do something to you,"

Kai and Nya watched as Jay lowered himself in the four-foot deep pool, and he rested his head against the edge.

Jay felt the heat caress his skin and warm his blood. The cut on his arm suddenly didn't seem so painful, and he almost forgot about it.

The water brought feeling to his clothes and color to his face, and Jay began to close his eyes.

Nya was right; it had been a long day.