Chapter 4

Lucas sat Madison down at the table in the library to check on her injuries as soon as they got up the stairs and away from the crazy ghosts.

"Are you alright?" He asked looking at her, concern in his eyes. She smiled softly at him to reassure him that she was fine. She placed her hand on his cheek and stroked his soft skin with her thumb.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch!" She said of the cut on her face and one on her shoulder. She looked down at the floor as Lucas nodded and looked around for something to clean up them up with. He found some water on the bar, someone had been her recently, probably that cousin of Kathy's. Lucas shook his head in distain and began to clean up Madison's cuts a bit with some water and his shirt. Why did he help me? Madison wondered to herself, not letting on what she was thinking about. As soon as she could, she wanted to find that ghost again and talk to him. There was just something about him that she was drawn to.

"The Torn Prince." She said low.

"What?" Lucas asked, not hearing what she said.

"Nothing." She said with a slight smile, watching him continue to clean up her scratches.

The Jackal was released next and he stood up slowly after his chamber was opened. He looked around and took a deep breathe of air in,

"It's good to be free again." He said with a smile. "Now, about those humans." He said beginning to walk towards the stairs.

"Ryan!" Royce yelled as he passed his chamber but Ryan didn't even look at him, just kept walking. "Come on!" Royce yelled at the door to open, banging a fist into the glass only to receive a jolt of energy through his body. He backed up quickly.

"This looks to be the safest room." Kathy said as she read the writing on the walls. "You want to come with me to find Kyle or stay with Madison? She should be fine here." Kathy said looking back at Lucas. Lucas looked down at Madison. She saw her chance to find the Prince,

"Go, I'll be fine. This room is safe, you heard Kathy." She said touching his hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

"Okay, we'll be back in a few minutes, don't go anywhere." Lucas said leaving with Kathy. Madison waited a few seconds before she stood up and went to the door. Kathy and Lucas had gone the other direction as Madison wanted to go, so she snuck back to the basement door and began down the stairs.

Kyle had gotten lost somehow in the endless turns of the hall and ended up in some sort of lab.

"This is ridiculous. The house is glass, I should be able to see my way back." He mumbled, walking to the entrance of this room and opening the door to leave. He was met by a severely cold breeze and forced back into the room, the gust closing the door behind it.

"What the hell?" He asked himself, looking at the shelving unit he'd been blown into. He spotted a pair of glasses sitting on the self and got the distinct feeling they weren't for reading. He reached out, slowly putting them over his nose to reveal a badly cut naked woman standing in front of him, a knife clutched in her right hand.

"Oh, God!" He yelled jumping back into the shelf, to get away from her before she stabbed him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in her coldest voce, trying to scare him.

"Nothing, I swear. Some friends of mine and I got stranded in the woods nearby. Our car won't start. I swear!" He pleaded, moving as far away as possible.

"Did you start the machine?" She questioned still angry from the last set of teens.

"No, I swear, I didn't touch anything!" He was almost to the door when she blocked it, raising the knife to his throat.

"So why shouldn't I kill you now?" She asked, running the blade across his skin.

"Maybe I can help you figure a way to shut this thing down?" He thought fast. He was smart, got straight A's in most of his classes. IT couldn't be that hard in exchange for his life. She seemed to ponder the thought for a moment before lowering the knife.

"Okay, but the first time you screw up, I'll kill you myself." She threatened as he nodded feverously.

The sound of machinery was louder than before since it was powering up faster and the Jackal's chamber was now open.Madison slowly put her glasses back on, that she had dropped on the floor when she fell and she looked at Royce within his glass prison. Slowly, she walked towards him and stood in front of the glass, her heart beating fast in her chest.

"Why did you help me?" She asked touching the glass with her fingertips. Royce looked up at the sound of her voice and walked slowly to the glass, his bat in hand.

"You shouldn't be down here by yourself. Heck, you shouldn't be down here at all, dolly." He said in a big brother tone. She looked offended at first then intrigued.

"Why?" She asked again. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." He sighed.

"because I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." He said looking at her. "But not everyone feels the same way." He motioned to the other ghosts, silently pacing in their chambers. She cringed slightly, returning her gaze to him.

"What's your name?"

"Royce." He said, moving back from the glass again. "Madison?" He asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah." She said, "Listen, we just got trapped in here. We didn't put you in here or anything." She just wanted to make sure he knew this.

"I know, Dana's just frustrated." He said of his friend, the angry princess.

"Oh." She said looking down at her tennis shoes.

"You better get back upstairs, dolly. Before one of the other ghosts come back." He said, again in the big brother tone.

She laughed slightly, "Dolly?" She murmured with a laugh.

"Dolly." He said with a smile, "I was born in the 40's" He said "Now, go before I get out and take you back up there myself!" He said turning away from her to signal the conversation was over. Madison turned to go back up the stairs with a huff but was confronted by the Jackal standing in her way.

"Hey, there gorgeous!" He yelled with a laugh. Madison screamed at the sight as Royce turned around in his chamber.

"Ryan!" He yelled banging on the glass, receiving another jolt, he didn't really care at this point. The Jackal grabbed Madison by the arms and ripped her jacket off with his claws. Madison screamed louder for help. The Jackal covered her mouth with his hand and threw Madison to the ground as he jumped on top of her.

"Dana! Someone!" Royce screamed but no other freed ghost was in sight. Madison screamed again as Ryan ripped her shirt clean off, leaving small cuts all over her body and face. She tried to push him off her but he was too strong.

"Come on, honey! You know you like it!" The Jackal yelled as he began to reach down for her jeans. Just then a buzzer went off and Royce's door opened with a bang. Royce shot to the hall and struck the Jackal with his bat in the back, causing Ryan to lose his balance and fall to the floor next to Madison. Royce hit him again and again until the Jackal slithered away in pain.

"You'll regret that, Prince!" The Jackal promised, moving quickly in the opposite direction. Royce watches him go then looked down at Madison who was curled up in a ball on the ground.

"Madison?" He asked, using his bat as a crutch and kneeling down next to her. Dana came running in the basement through another door and saw what was happening.

"What happened?" She asked, "I heard you yell I was at the other end of the basement." She said looking down.

"Ryan's what happened!" He yelled taking off his jacket and wrapping it around Madison's shoulders. He sat her up slowly as she was crying and bleeding from the small cuts on her stomach and cheek. She clung to Royce as he lifted her up slowly from the ground. He began to make his way back up to the first floor and he quickly found the first bedroom on that floor and put her down on the bed looking down at her for a second. Madison looked up at him with a tear stained face and reached for his hand.

"Royce? Don't leave!" She asked clinging to his hand. "I don't want to be alone. What if he comes back?" She reasoned, gripping his cold hand. He sat down slowly and rubbed her hand with his thumb.

"Alright, I'll stay, Dolly." He said looking around for a second. Madison looked up at him as he slowly lowered his head and touched their lips together in a fiery kiss. Madison didn't stop him; his lips felt slightly cold to the touch. She wrapped an arm around his neck as their kiss deepened. Royce pulled away a little, kissing her a quick kiss before he heard footsteps. Lucas and Kathy burst into the room in search of their second missing friend and saw Madison.

"Guys.." Madison started to explain but Royce ran out of the room before they could say anything to him.