Episode 02.07:
Haunted

Cassie closed her locker, resting her bookbag between her feet as she zipped her charcoal gray hoodie over her lavender tee shirt. Even though tomorrow was the last day of October, it was one of those amazing days where the sun was still shining, and no more than a mild breeze brought in by the ocean chilled the air. Normally, Cassie would have wanted to sit on her porch and enjoy some of the last potential sunshine until spring, but she was in a hurry today to go home before she started her shift at the Java Brew. She had forgotten her work shirt that morning, and had no time to linger.

Turning on her heel, Cassie just about collided with Faye, who was looming over her.

"Faye!" Cassie exclaimed, taking a step back toward her locker. "What are you doing?" She had been extra jumpy since they performed the Attraction Spell.

"Any news on the spell?" Faye asked in a hushed tone. She didn't budge, and Cassie wondered how long she had been standing there watching Cassie pack up her bag.

"No," Cassie sighed. "Nothing." She paused, reading Faye's reaction. A well-groomed eyebrow titled slightly upward, but otherwise Faye was measured and composed, trying to figure out Cassie's reaction without any interference from her own. "I think we might need to re-do it," Cassie finally continued. This garnered a slight look of annoyance on Faye's face.

"Well, how do you know it's going to work any differently this time?"

"Maybe we need to concentrate longer." Cassie tried to take a step forward so she could head home, but Faye leaned slightly onto her left leg, a subtle movement that effectively blocked the smaller girl from moving away.

"I think you need a better spell," Faye replied, crossing her arms.

"I'll look for one, I just have to—"

"You made me a promise, Cassie," Faye said, her voice slightly lower than usual. Cassie wasn't sure how she made something that wasn't a threat sound so threatening.

"I'm working on it, Faye," Cassie said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Good," Faye said, tone suddenly upbeat again. "Because I was going to ask if you want to go to a haunted house with Jake, Melissa and me tomorrow. No one is throwing any good parties this year." Faye rolled her eyes, as if she had been tremendously and personally let down by Chance Harbor High School.

"I don't know if I want to go out—"

"I'm going to tell Adam to go too. You should come!" Faye wagged her fingers as she started to saunter down the hallway, leaving Cassie free to go.

Cassie hurriedly started down the hallway, thinking about Faye's invitation and whether or not she wanted to spend time with Adam outside of school. It was painful enough whenever he came into the Java Brew and tugged her emotions every which way, but then there were those moments like when he had shown up at her door for Homecoming…

As Cassie pushed open the front doors and the fresh air hit her face, she took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. She turned the corner for her car, pausing as she thought she saw a black shape bobbing around in the back seat. Her mind instantly went to an urban legend her mom had told her of a serial killer hiding in a woman's backseat, and how the gas station attendant tried to alert her. Immediately after that, however, she thought of the black dog that had attacked her a couple weeks ago.

Cassie stumbled forward as someone ran into her from behind. He immediately apologized, red-faced and blubbering. He hurried of with his friends toward the bus, and Cassie turned to face her car again. A cloud rolled past the sun, dragging its dark reflection along the back window. Once it passed, nothing seemed odd or suspicious, and all she could see was the back seat.

Shaking her head, Cassie decided she had been watching too many of the horror movies that had been on lately, and ran toward her car, knowing already she would be late to work. She had been so jumpy since the dog…animus…attack. It made her almost yearn for being afraid of witch hunters—at least they were only human. A stabbing pain coursed through her gut as she remembered those witch hunters were the ones who took her grandmother away from her. She took a deep breath and started the car.

Adam grabbed two menus as he walked to the Boathouse entrance to greet Jake.

"Table for one?" he asked jokingly, using the two menus to wave Jake toward the left and usher him into a booth.

"Actually, yeah, tonight," Jake said, sliding into the seat.

"No Faye?" Adam asked with a tinge of serious surprise in his voice. Ever since the witch hunters had kidnapped Faye last spring, she and Jake had been inseparable. School and work were the only things that seemed to keep them apart. And Dawn occasionally, he supposed.

"She was going to meet me, but I guess she and Cassie have this big project in their Graphic Design class and she had to go over there to work on it," Jake explained.

"In that case, I'll only bring one water. Anything else to drink?" Adam asked. Jake shook his head, and Adam went back to the kitchen.

It was fairly busy for a Tuesday night at the Boathouse, and Adam had a steady stream of customers filtering in and out. Teenagers buzzed excitedly about their plans for Halloween or sneaking out on a school night, families brought their children to run around by the water on an unexpectedly nice day, and those who decided to take their boats out on one last sail stopped by for a beer or meal on their way back. It should have been enough to keep Adam busy and focused on work, but instead he found his mind continually drifting back to Cassie and Diana and his conversation with Melissa last week. He knew he shouldn't want both of them at the same time—at least according to Melissa—but the fact that he couldn't have either made him want them both even more. He wondered if his feelings for Cassie would disappear if Diana dumped Grant and got back together with him. Something told him it would just make things worse. But now that he had the Skull…he felt invincible. Maybe he could have everything—everyone—he wanted.

After taking orders, serving food, and bussing tables, Adam eventually returned to Jake's booth with the cheeseburger he'd ordered.

"Thanks, man," Jake said gratefully. "You can only do pizza so many nights in a row, you know?" He laughed at himself slightly.

"Yeah, two-in-a-row pizza always sounds like a good idea, until you feel like crap on the third day," Adam laughed.

"It'd be four-in-a-row, dude."

"Euugh," Adam cringed, shaking his head. "You've got to learn how to cook, man. That's disgusting."

Jake laughed with Adam, and then asked, "Hey, did Faye talk to you about the haunted house thing tomorrow?"

"No."

"Well, there's this haunted house thing tomorrow she wants to do. We're going with Melissa, and I think she invited Cassie. You should come."

Adam paused for a moment, his eyes dropping from Jake's face to the table. He hadn't had any excuses just to hang out with Cassie since the Homecoming dance, and that had gone terribly…

"Do you think it would be cool if I invited Diana?" Adam asked, surprising himself with the question. He hadn't expected to ask it, especially since he had just considered that this could be an opportunity for him to be with Cassie.

"Yeah, sure. If you think she'd even go." He paused, noticing Adam's expression hadn't faltered. "Yeah, we'd just need two cars."

"No problem," Adam said, smiling. He turned to the booth two down from Jake's, then said, "Look, I have to get back to work, but thanks, man." He smiled, then turned to see what the family at Table 3 needed.

As he walked back into the kitchen for drink refills, Adam's thoughts wandered back to why he had immediately asked to bring along Diana. Was this his subconscious warning him about pursuing Cassie? Or was this a sign that he wanted Diana more than Cassie? Melissa's voice popped into his head just then, telling him it was just him being possessive. Gritting his teeth slightly, he shoved a glass under the soda machine and tried to block his thoughts.

"All right," Cassie said, trying to make her voice as confident as possible. She turned to look at her clock, and then out the window. She and Faye had been combing through the spell books that had been in Jane's room, looking for ways to enhance the Attraction Spell. One book said magic was more powerful at dusk and dawn, the in-between times. Both girls had tied quartz around their necks to help focus their energies as well.

Faye sat down opposite from her, reaching out to take Cassie's hands. She opened one eye and scrutinized the other girl. "How are you going to make this work?"

"I told you," Cassie said, anxious to start the spell before dusk came and went. "I am going to focus on Parker's face, and try to find the energies of the rest of them after that. We're connected somehow. Through our bloodline."

Faye continued to stare at her, making Cassie aware of all the details she had purposefully left out—she didn't tell Faye about her half-sister's face and voice, or about the fact that she would be reaching out and trying to draw in Diana.

"Are you ready?" Cassie asked, uncomfortable with the gaze.

"Yes," Faye said, closing her eye and holding onto Cassie's smaller hands. Both girls took a deep breath at the same time, and then fell back into the trance. This time, it felt quicker and stronger—or maybe Cassie was just imagining that.

She and Faye remained in the trance for nearly a half hour. She imagined Parker's face again, her sister's face and voice, this time with remarkable clarity. She had managed to recall the spatter of faint freckles across Parker's nose she didn't remember noticing. The long eyebrows and narrow nose of her sister wandered into her thoughts, also details she couldn't remember from when she conjured her image, but details she was certain were accurate. Even reaching out to Diana felt somehow easier. The dog had entered into her consciousness, frightening her, and she didn't stay connected to it for very long.

Finally, Cassie's concentration was broken, and she faded back into the present. She opened her eyes to see Faye's glassy green eyes staring straight ahead at her.

"Did it work?" she immediately asked.

"I think so," Cassie whispered.

Adam looked down at the Crystal Skull. That day at school he had managed to convince Diana to join them at the haunted house. For the past hour, he had been concentrating on the skull, letting its power flow into him. His thoughts moved between Cassie and Diana, wondering about how this night would go, how he would connect to either of them. Unsure of himself, he widened his grip on the skull, trying to banish the doubt that always seemed to creep over him. Tonight he needed confidence. He didn't want to be the failure who couldn't save either of the girls from Blackwell last spring, didn't want to be the kid who got sand kicked him his face over and over again. It was his turn now.

Melissa sat on the end of Cassie's bed as Faye teased out her hair for her Wonder Woman costume.

"When is Troy supposed to get here?" Faye asked, glancing at her cell phone screen. "Jake, Adam, and Diana should be here in about twenty minutes."

"I told him 6:30," Melissa said, trying to fight off the bit of anxiety she had that Faye seemed to pick up on. "I'm sure he'll be here soon."

She looked down at Cassie's comforter, wondering how much longer it would take Troy to arrive. She had called him last night and invited him to come out with her friends. He had been excited at the chance to meet them, and agreed to show up at Cassie's. Melissa had even asked Cassie to drive instead of Jake so there would be an extra seat for Troy.

Turning to look out the window, Melissa started to second guess him as the night became dark blue and windy. The day had been as bright and nearly-warm as yesterday had been, but the winds had started to pick up that afternoon. The whistling sounds and rustling leaves made it seem almost ominous outside, which wasn't helping her mood.

"Ta-da!" Cassie announced, pushing open the bathroom door to reveal her costume. She was wearing a white strapless dress that hit mid-way down her thigh, with a bright yellow spot over her stomach. She was wearing white go-go boots, and had a pair of devil horns on her head.

"What are you?" Melissa asked, her mood lightened by Cassie's enthusiasm.

"I'm a deviled egg!" Cassie exclaimed, pointing to the yellow spot on her stomach and then her horns. "Get it?"

"Nuh-uh, not fair!" Faye announced, getting to her feet. She was wearing a dark red halter dress, a black cape, over-the-knee black boots, and had a trident waiting for her downstairs. "I'm a sexy little devil! You stole my costume!"

"Faye, I'm an egg, not a sexy anything. You eat me at parties and get gas," Cassie muttered, rolling her eyes and walking over to her dresser. Melissa couldn't help but laugh at the comment, made even funnier by Faye's repulsion at the costume.

"You did punny last year," Faye whined. "Is this your thing or something?"

Cassie turned to look over her shoulder and gave Faye a knowing glance, which only made the girl throw up her hands and sit down on the bed again to finish Melissa's hair. "Well, the horns are fitting, at least," Faye spat out.

Before Cassie could protest, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," the blond girl said, spritzing her hair quickly and then leaving the bedroom.

"Do you think she knew what I was dressing up as?" Faye asked after they heard her footsteps go down the stairs.

"Faye, no," Melissa sighed. "You gave her less than a day's notice! Unless you told her, there's no way she could have known."

"I guess so," Faye said. "There! Hair is done!"

Melissa stood up, glancing in Cassie's mirror and beaming. "Let's go meet everybody. That could have been Troy!"

The two went downstairs to join Cassie, who was sitting in the living room with Adam and Diana.

"Where is your costume?" Faye asked Diana. Adam had put on a gray tee shirt that had been shredded up, jeans with the knees ripped out, and had on a furry hat with wolf ears. Diana, on the other hand, was wearing the same black leggings and beige-and-black striped button-down tunic she had worn to school that day.

"I forgot it at home," Diana responded, quickly looking away from Faye and back toward the door. Melissa eagerly turned to see if anyone was one the other side, hoping Troy had followed them in.

"Can I get anyone a drink?" Cassie asked, obviously trying to break the tension.

"We have to leave soon," Faye said, ignoring Cassie. "I'll go get Jake."

Melissa crossed her arms and took a seat on an armchair near Adam and Diana as Faye briskly went through the front door. She tried to keep herself from looking over her shoulder out the window, which only made her check her phone again…and see that, still, there was nothing from Troy.

The wind moaned and howled outside, distracting Melissa as they all turned to look at the branches being whipped back and forth.

"Don't forget your coat," Melissa muttered to Cassie as she clutched her own dark gray jacket.

Faye and Jake walked back in, Faye's dark hair tossed around her face from the wind. Jake was wearing a black v-neck, black jeans, and a pair of devil horns.

"Nice horns," Cassie complimented him.

"Back atch ya," Jake smiled.

"Can we go now?" Faye asked, crossing her arms.

"Troy still has to—" Melissa started, before being interrupted.

"He stood you up."

There was an awkward silence in the room as Melissa simply stared at Faye. When the other girl finally realized she was the cause of the lull, she exclaimed, "Well, what? He hasn't called, hasn't texted, is already late…"

"He's not like that!" Melissa retorted.

"We can wait longer for him," Cassie spoke up quickly. "We'll still make it in time if we leave at 7."

"All right," Faye sighed, rolling her eyes.

Melissa crossed her arms, wishing Faye was a better friend. At the same time, though, she wondered if Faye was right…

"We have to get going," Jake said cautiously. Cassie nodded her head. It was already 7:10, and Troy hadn't answered any of Melissa's calls or responded to any of her texts.

"I know," Cassie whispered. "I just…"

"I get it," Melissa said, standing up and putting her coat on. "Let's go."

"Do you think you could get the three of them in your car if I take Diana?" Adam asked.

Cassie felt her heart plummet slightly. She knew she and Adam were the drivers tonight and wouldn't be in the same car…but she hadn't thought Adam would immediately sequester everyone in her car so he could be alone with Diana.

"Yeah, sure," Cassie said, forcing herself to smile. "Let's go, gang!"

She briskly walked out the front door, not wanting to see either Adam or Diana's expressions. Staring at her shoes as everyone filtered out, she locked the front door and then immediately hurried to her car.

"See you there!" she called over her shoulder, pulling open the car door and starting the engine, hoping it would drown out any response from Adam and Diana.

"I like the hustle, Blake," Faye said as she cozied up in the back seat next to Jake.

"You can choose what to listen to," Cassie told Melissa as the smooth jazz started playing. She hadn't bothered changing it since last week when she drove to Diana's.

Adam's Jeep pulled into the road, and Cassie turned to follow him, unaware of whatever conservation Melissa, Jake, and Faye were having, and started wondering what Adam and Diana were talking about. As they left Chance Harbor and slipped into the foggy darkness of the forest surrounding it, her thoughts wandered and became lost among the tall trees lining the empty road.

Cassie closed the door behind her, trying to stay focused on Jake, Faye, and Melissa. Adam and Diana had already parked but hadn't gotten out of the car, and Cassie was already tired of obsessing over them. Let Adam do what he wanted to. She couldn't keep doing this to herself.

"Are you ready?" Jake asked as he and Faye passed Cassie. "It's sure to be spoo-ky!" he said sarcastically, then laughed at himself as he grabbed Faye's waist as if to startle her.

Cassie rolled her eyes slightly. Jake had been in an impossibly good mood since his dinner at the Chamberlains'. Cassie tried to make herself feel happy that at least someone was happy. It had seemed like such a rare emotion in their Circle these past months.

Adam and Diana emerged from around a large truck, Adam smiling at Cassie. She quickly turned away.

"Ready, guys?" she called, following Jake and Faye. Melissa lagged behind, her mood obviously deflated by Troy's lack of arrival and explanation.

"Let's go!" Adam said cheerfully, walking down the trail that had been marked with a sign reading "HAUNTED HOUSE THIS WAY." It was a narrow dirt path, almost more of a deer trail, making Cassie wonder where exactly they were headed and questioning for the first time how Faye heard of this place. They had to walk single-file in order to barely fit. Jake and Faye led the way, Cassie following behind Diana and Adam, with Melissa lagging behind her. The darkness was even heavier with the trees on either side of them, and a slight fog hugged tree trunks at Cassie's furthest point of vision.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to Melissa. The girl shrugged slightly, clinging her coat around her shoulders. Cassie wasn't sure what to say in response.

"There it is!" Faye called, uncharacteristically excited. She pointed ahead, where there was a line of people outside the gray house. Faye was positively beaming, and Cassie was surprised and impressed by the structure. Unlike the painted plywood exterior she had been expecting, there was actually a house in front of them, decorated with fake cobwebs and bats. The paint was peeling and most of the shingles had either fallen off or rotted on the roof. It seemed to be a very part of the woods, as if it had grown out of the forest floor. There was a short line of people wrapping around the front porch, and an usher taking tickets before letting a group enter.

"This is actually a cool haunted house," Adam said, obviously as surprised as Cassie was. "How did you find this again, Faye?"

"I don't know," Faye said distantly, still mesmerized by the house. "I started googling stuff on Sunday night to find something to do, and there was an ad for this place."

"Well, it's totally awesome," Adam said through a smile. "C'mon, let's get in line."

The six of them walked up to the porch, standing behind the couple ahead of them. The girl was dressed as a witch, wearing a mask with an impossibly large beak of a nose, green skin, and warts. Her long brown hair cascaded down from under the pointy hat, and her figure was shrouded in a billowing black dress. The guy standing next to her, who looked to be about their age, was wearing regular clothes, his square face stern and serious-looking, his dark eyes fixed on the woods. Jake tried to give him a knowing glance, as if his girlfriend has also dragged him out there, but he didn't seem to notice, and kept his heavily muscled arms crossed. They weren't speaking to each other, making Cassie wonder if they had gotten in a fight.

"Should we tell her that's not what witches really look like?" Adam whispered with a grin, earning a "shhh!" from Melissa and a tiny grin from Cassie. Diana had her arms crossed against her chest, her face also stern and serious. She looked like a smaller, female version of the annoyed boyfriend in front of them.

As Cassie got closer to the house and continued to study it, it reminded her of the Abandoned House. She was surprised that she felt an ache of longing at the memory. It had been months since any of them were out there. She had gone once over the summer, but there was an overwhelming dark energy there, as if Blackwell were somehow haunting his old home, the place of his death. Cassie had only stayed five minutes before turning back. Yet somehow, being with her Circle in front of this house made her yearn for last year, when she had friends to face all her problems with. Even though they were together tonight, she didn't feel connected to them anymore, Bound or not. Too much had happen to push them apart.

Cassie's thoughts were interrupted by the usher at the front door.

"Enter, if you dare!" An eager group of four smiled and cautiously walked through the doorframe.

As the door opened, Cassie's eyes were drawn to the sliver of black inside the house. It was thick and heavy like velvet. There was something hypnotic about it, something that wouldn't quite let her look away. She stepped to the side so she could peer around the people ahead of them, feeling like there was something there, something she could see but couldn't yet decipher in the darkness. The usher was about the close the door, and she was so close to—

"Are you all right?" Jake asked. Cassie snapped back to consciousness and realized she was now standing a foot away from the line, staring blank-faced at the door.

"Yeah," Cassie, said, shaking her head and walking back to stand next to Melissa. "Fine," she added, noticing everyone was still staring at her. "Just trying to look at what's inside, that's all."

Jake nodded slowly, and Cassie turned to look at the door again. It had sealed behind the guests. She crossed her arms, now impatiently awaiting their entrance.

"All right," the usher said, smiling at an eager Faye as the pair ahead of the Circle slipped through the front door to the haunted house. "You're up next!"

Diana pressed her lips together, vacillating between excitement and dread. On the one hand, she was happy to be—at least pretending to be—normal again, out with the people who had been her friends. On the other hand, last Halloween she had almost been killed, and since John Blackwell and the witch hunters arrived, these sorts of thrills had become decidedly less thrilling to her. She couldn't shake that feeling of dread, no matter how much she tried to.

"Good job again on finding this, Faye," Adam said with a smile, drawing Diana out of her thoughts.

"Well, it looks really cool," Melissa said, nodding her head and forcing a half-hearted smile. Diana felt bad for her, but was also nervous around Grant still and knew she wasn't being as sympathetic to Melissa as she normally would. Grant had arrived back in Chance Harbor on Sunday, and Kate had brought him over for dinner. Diana had felt so guilty after her lunch with Adam and the Grant-lookalike she barely got through the meal. Grant had asked to come along when Diana told him her plans to go to the haunted house, but she insisted he do something with his friends that required an ID. In all honesty, though, she wanted the space from him.

"Ready to get scared?" Adam asked, leaning toward Diana. She forced a smile and he elbowed her lightly in the side.

"All right," the usher said. "Head on in!"

Faye excitedly leapt through the doorframe, Jake tagging along after her. Diana watched as Cassie stared at the door questioningly before disappearing inside with Melissa.

"Let's go!" Adam said in a low voice, herding Diana through the door.

Crossing through the doorframe, Diana instantly felt an icy chill wrap around her body. She glanced at Cassie from the corner of her eye, wondering if she felt it too. The girl's blue eyes were still round and cautious, but nothing told Diana if it was a different kind of caution since entering the house.

The entryway had the same cobwebs and spiders that the house's exterior had. A narrow hallway ended on their right with a china cupboard full of doll heads and fake hands—kitschy Halloween decorations that took away from how eerie the house truly felt, at least how it felt for Diana. On the left, the hallway disappeared into darkness around the corner, a gray, lifeless light filtering in through the dust-caked windows.

"Well, it's definitely creepy enough," Melissa muttered, crossing her arms across her chest.

"C'mon, let's see what else is in here," Faye said through a smile, turning on her heel and heading around the corner.

"How is it so far?" Adam whispered, letting his hand rest on Diana's lower back. She became extremely aware of its presence there, and wondered what Grant would do if he was there—or if Adam would have done this at all if Grant had joined them.

"It's…definitely creepy," Diana replied. She and Adam were at the back of the group, and she wasn't eager to move much further. The hallway had spilled into what looked like it had once been a modestly furnished living room. Now, however, it was in great disrepair. The floral couch had gashes as if it had been sliced open by a knife, and the bony armchairs were motheaten and dusty. A threadbare rug lined the center of the room, and hutches, filled with more cheesy decorations, lined the perimeter of the room. A tall window, hazy and thick like the others, let some light in.

"What do you think this place was?" Diana whispered, looking around. If it hadn't been for the plastic Halloween décor, she would have thought this to be an abandoned house, condemned and forgotten. The floorboards creaked in a way that suggested decay rather than age, and there were several holes that had been covered with 2x4s to avoid injury to the visitors. What made the house stand out as more than just of abandoned, however, was a lingering sense of disaster that was a part of the house itself.

"I'm not sure who would live out here," Adam responded, looking into one of the china hutches, where pictures of zombies were edited to look as if they had been taken in the nineteenth century. "It's pretty far out of the way."

"So was the Abandoned House," Diana whispered back.

Adam turned to face her and had a quizzical expression drawn over his features. He seemed to be waiting for Diana to elaborate, but she didn't have anything in particular to add other than observation.

"Oooh, look at this!" Faye announced, holding up a bloody butcher knife that had been left on a side table. "It looks so realistic!"

"That's gross, Faye," Melissa said in a quiet voice, cringing at the bright red substance that had caked onto the metal.

"Is that a real knife?" Jake asked, taking a step forward to inspect it further. "Wow, they're not really going out of their way to take any safety precautions, are they?" He frowned as he looked from the knife to one of the holes in the floor.

"It's 13+," Faye said with a shrug, as if that justified the weapon or the veritable potholes in the ground. After Jake gave her an impatient look, Faye sighed, turning around and placing the knife in a display cabinet with rusty silverware. "Someone probably took it out of here anyway," she said, slightly irritated.

"There's a dining room around the corner," Jake said, leading the way out of the room. Diana hesitantly followed, wishing they could just leave. Adam seemed to be enjoying himself, though, so she tried to tell herself that what she was feeling was simply paranoia…and possibly some guilt, she internally added as she looked at Adam.

The dining room was equally dusty and dim. The wood table had splintered, and there were no chairs. Debris littered the floor and cracked under the heel of Diana's black boots. The windows in here were tall and slim, and broken glass had allowed leaves to pile up underneath, decomposing in a pile.

The only decorations in the dining room were a few bowls of fake guts and eyeballs, which Faye became quickly bored with. Before Diana could take in any of the details of the room, Faye sent them into the kitchen.

A thick, dark film seemed to cover everything in the kitchen—the counters, the gaps where appliances used to stand, and the empty drawers that had been ransacked. As Faye and Jake fawned over a cauldron with green goo bubbling inside, Diana realized, for the first time, that they seemed to be the only people inside, despite the sizable line that had been outside.

"Adam," she whispered. "Where is everybody?"

Adam turned around to the dining room, then shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "I guess we're kind of slow."

"I don't think so," Diana said to herself as she slowly walked to the corner where a fridge used to be. There were broomsticks to match the witch theme, and a stuffed animal black cat was perched on the tall counters against that wall. Diana failed to find it amusing.

Again, Faye moved them from the kitchen into the library. The bookshelves were long bare and dusty, scratched and broken in half at places. Gauze ghosts hung from the ceiling in this room, and candelabras were "levitating" thanks to some clear wire attached to white hooks on the ceiling. A staircase in the corner of the room led to more darkness upstairs.

"Oh my gosh, this place just keeps going!" Faye exclaimed, trotting up the stairs excitedly. As Diana peered into the darkness at the top, her heart thudded as her friends each disappeared inside. Cassie, the last to go up before Diana, seemed to pause at the top stairs. Diana wanted to ask her why, what she felt—if it was that same uneasy chill that had been shrouded around her since they walked in. But Cassie slipped into darkness, and Diana had to follow.

Rounding the corner at the top, Diana was highly aware of the sound of her heels and her heartbeat. The hallway on the second floor was long and narrow. There were three doors on each side of the hallway. Faye quickly ducked into the first one on the right with Jake. Melissa hesitantly followed, and Adam moved to the second door, standing in the doorframe.

"What is it?" Diana asked as she and Cassie stood behind Adam.

"Bathroom," Adam chuckled, pointing to the sink. The porcelain had been chipped and stained, but inside was a concoction that was supposed to be innards. Diana's mouth turned and she left the room as Adam peeked behind the shower curtain.

"Look at this," Cassie said, gesturing Diana over to the last door on the right. It was a bedroom. It seemed out of place in the house, and Diana hovered by the door with Cassie. There was a four-poster bed with elegant spirals carved into the mahogany. A red velvet canopy was draped over the bed, which still had bedding lusciously bundled upon it. A matching mahogany dresser stood opposite the bed, its knobs shining in the silvery light. An upholstered chair sat by the window, and a small table next to the bed.

"There aren't any decorations in here," Diana said, taking a step inside as she realized part of the reason the room felt so different—it wasn't just the opulent outfitting.

Cassie followed her in, walking past her and to the window. She let her finger trace a line down the center. Her fingertip cut a line through the dust, as if it had been frost her warmth had melted off. Diana gasped as she noticed the crystalline texture of the window—it was icy.

"Cassie?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Cassie asked, seemingly unaware of the frost. She was still dragging her finger along the ice on the window.

Diana decided that was enough—she was leaving, with or without the Circle. She stomped back toward the door, but as soon as she reached for it, it slammed shut, as if someone had pushed it. Both girls screamed, startled and frightened. Diana began yanking on the knob.

"Cassie, it's stuck!"

Cassie stared dumbfounded at Diana. She was frantically tugging at the doorknob, rapidly talking to herself under her breath. Something had pushed that door closed…

"What?" Cassie asked, hurrying from the window to the door.

"It's stuck!" Diana turned to look at Cassie, her large brown eyes wider than usual. Her mouth was pulled into a panicked frown, and the color had drained from her face. Something more than a locked door was frightening her.

Trying to stay calm, Cassie reached for the doorknob. It turned for a second before it became jammed in the door, refusing to budge.

"Lock unlock," Cassie muttered. The doorknob shuddered for a moment, but refused to move. "Lock unlock!" Cassie urged. This time it refused to move altogether.

"We're trapped!" Diana exclaimed, beginning to pound on the door. "Help!" she called out. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Diana, what's wrong?" Cassie asked. There was something more going on here, and not knowing made Cassie nervous they were in a lot more trouble than being stuck in a room.

"Something is wrong about this place," Diana said in a low voice. "Something…dark…is here."

Cassie swallowed, afraid of Diana's response. Ever since she walked through the door she had been aware of another energy that had washed over her. She felt more in tune with her dark magic here, more in control of it. She couldn't make her eyes meet Diana's as she wondered whether that dark energy had to do with her or the house.

Cassie looked back down at the doorknob, this time resting her fingertips gently along its circumference. Closing her eyes, she tried to tune her energy in with the door's, the house's…as the metal warmed beneath her touch, she could feel something moving slowly up her arm, something that was searching for her dark magic…her Blackwell blood, not her Blake blood. Something that was inviting her to become a part of this, to give her energy to the house. Perhaps Diana could sense it because of her dark magic as well, but didn't realize what was going on because she wasn't brave enough to confront it. Perhaps submitting to the dark energy would allow them to free themselves.

"Cassie?" Diana asked, breaking the trance Cassie had entered. She opened her eyes and faced the frantic girl. "What's going on?" Diana asked.

"Help me get the window open," Cassie said, trying to shake off the idea she'd just had—there was no way Diana would help her with that. "We can try calling to the usher to come let us out. He must have a key for all the rooms."

Melissa stood in the doorway to one of the bedrooms where Faye, Jake, and Adam were currently exploring. It was dim and bare. There was a bed with a metal headboard pushed against the far wall along the window, and a dresser and desk against the right wall. A rug that had been nearly completely destroyed sat on the floor. The Halloween decorations were scattered around the room, with a few bats hanging from the ceiling and a book displayed on the desk with the process of werewolf transformation drawn into it. Shredded clothes similar to Adam's costume were strewn about the floor, and a fake full moon was resting in the corner of the ceiling.

"Is it really a full moon out?" Faye asked as she looked up from the werewolf book. Jake smirked at this, and Faye glared at him. Melissa crinkled her brow slightly as she tried to understand the interaction.

"This place is gross," Melissa said as she looked at a tuft of black hair that had been shoved into a splinter in the doorframe. "Some of the details are just…"

"Awesome?" Adam asked as he opened the closet and a fake werewolf snarled back at them.

"Suuure," Melissa said, crossing her arms. She softly reprimanded herself in her mind. She knew she should be trying to have a good time with her friends despite the fact that Troy had stood her up…but how could he? It was nothing like him. What did she do that made him change his mind? What was wrong with her?

"Do you hear that?" Melissa asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Hear what?" Faye asked absentmindedly.

"Like a pounding or yelling or something…" Melissa said as she turned around to face the empty hallway. "Where are Cassie and Diana?"

"Aren't they just behind us?" Jake said, looking up at her.

"I don't see them anywhere," Melissa said. "Cassie?" she called down the hallway. "Diana?" There was no answer.

"Where are they?" Adam asked, closing the closet door and suddenly rushing past Melissa. "Did you hear them?"

"No," Melissa replied. "I mean, I don't know. I don't think so…"

Adam swung open the door to the bedroom across from them. It was empty, with only the four-poster bed with red velvet draped across it looking back at them.

"I thought they were in here," Adam muttered as he moved to the next door.

"It won't move," Diana whimpered as she helped Cassie try to lift the window.

"I know," Cassie sighed, letting go and giving up. "It's like it's nailed to the frame or something."

Taking a deep, slow breath, Cassie looked around the room, wondering how else they might escape. Apparently the rest of the Circle had moved on to other areas of the house, because no one had responded to Diana's desperate pleas.

"Cassie," Diana whispered, her voice slightly raspy. "There is something dark here, isn't there? You can feel it too."

Cassie stared at Diana intensely, wondering how much and exactly what the girl had felt. Had Diana been willing to listen to it the way she was? Or had she run away at the first sign?

"Yes," Cassie finally said in a low voice.

"Look, we have to get out of here," Diana said, her voice tight in her throat. She paced back toward the door.

"Let me try again," Cassie said, following Diana. Part of her was eager to return to the dark energy, to let it flow up her arm, join with her own power. Diana's fear almost gave her permission to—it was their only option at this point, wasn't it? And maybe…maybe Diana would help her.

As she thought of this, a pang of guilt rolled over in Cassie's stomach. Since Parker had attacked her in the cafeteria, since Diana had blown up the Chemistry experiment and then helped her fight the demons when they had been locked in…there was a part of Cassie that wanted Diana to lose, to give into her dark magic. The two of them, together, could be so powerful. Maybe she could use Diana's fear to talk her into helping…or, at the very least, respond to her dark magic's invitation to join in and amplify their power.

"Is it working?" Diana asked, interrupting Cassie's thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Cassie ignored the question, closing her eyes and trying to shake off the thoughts that had just been brewing inside her. Cassie focused on feeling the warmth of her fingertips meeting the doorknob, the iciness that crept up her forearm as she concentrated on what the darkness wanted…it wanted her. It wanted her to come with it, to go somewhere. There was also a sense of…what was it? Recognition. She knew this energy, and it knew her. It was the Blackwell blood in Cassie—she knew, then, that she had some control over this darkness. She was more powerful than it was. It would do what she wanted, as long as she gave those feelings, that energy, over.

There was a click, and then the sound of Diana's relieved exhale. Cassie's blue eyes popped open, and she saw the sliver of black that had emerged as the door cracked open an inch.

"Let's get out of here," Diana said, grabbing the door and ripping it open. Her jaw fell open as the girls looked down the hallway of a completely different house.

"They aren't in any of the rooms upstairs," Jake said as he walked out of the last bedroom.

"I don't understand," Melissa said. "Weren't they just behind us?"

"Where was the last place anyone saw them?" Adam asked, his jaw twitching.

"You guys, chill out," Faye hissed, rolling her eyes. "They probably just went back downstairs. C'mon, let's go get them." Faye stomped down the stairs, irritation tightening her face. Of course Cassie managed to get lost in this house, because she just couldn't have a night that wasn't all about her.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Jake asked, snapping Faye out of her thoughts.

"Cassie!" Faye called. "Diana! It's time to go, darlings!" Her voice was snippy and made no effort to mask her irritation.

"C'mon, Faye, don't be like that—" Jake started in a low voice.

"They've pretty much ended the night," Faye scoffed, rolling her eyes once more.

"Hey," Melissa interrupted as Adam frantically rushed into the dining room. "Where is anybody?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Faye replied.

"I mean, there's not anyone else walking around. We haven't seen anybody since we got in here."

Jake snapped his head up and looked out the library window. Dark trees stared back.

"Maybe they're already gone," he muttered. "We should get you out of here…" he said, talking more to himself as he put his hand on Faye's lower back and started leading her toward the front door. "Adam!" he yelled. "Get out here!"

Adam emerged and Faye stared up at Jake, confused, as he continued moving her toward the front door.

"Jake, what are you doing?" Faye growled. "Why are you freaking out?"

"Something isn't right," Jake replied, his eyes fixed forward as they emerged in the entryway. "I don't like how this is—"

As Jake pulled open the front door, Faye's jaw hung open as they looked out on an empty porch. The usher and line of patrons had vanished.

"What is this?" Diana whispered as she remained paralyzed in the doorway. Instead of the dusty, dingy hallway that had once been there, in front of her now was a warmly lit, lushly carpeted hallway, with mirrors hanging between each polished wooden door.

Cassie continued staring down into the hallway. She took a step forward, and Diana didn't know whether to stop her or push her further. She was too scared to step out herself, too afraid of the darkness that must have made this happen. But at the same time, she knew she couldn't stay in this room forever…

"Cassie," she gasped as she turned around. Cassie turned to look and gasped.

The room had transformed. The four-poster bed and red velvet remained, but now a thick carpet lined the dark hardwood floor, and an elegant wardrobe stood in the corner. Cautiously, Cassie stepped forward, pulling it open and revealing a set of women's clothing. A vanity sat next to the wardrobe, with makeup, perfumes, and a hairbrush sitting on the table.

"What is happening?" Diana whispered, her voice hoarse. She knew something bad was happening before they even walked in…why had she let them? Why couldn't Cassie feel it though? She had accepted her dark magic, surely she would have known exactly what was going to happen…had she? Was she involved in this? Was this some effort to force the Circle to give in to her?

"We need to get out of here," Cassie said suddenly after placing her hand on the hairbrush.

"What? Why?" Diana said, still standing in front of the door. "We don't even know where we are anymore, why should we—"

"We need to get out of here," Cassie repeated, breezing past Diana and out into the hallway. Part of her expected Cassie to be swallowed into a cavern or attacked by an intruder. "There's something dark in here," Cassie continued, her eyes urging Diana to join her in the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, Diana took a step into the hallway, the heel of her boot sinking into the plush carpet.

"Where do we go?" she asked as Cassie yanked open the bedroom door across from the room they had just left. Inside was another clean, well-furnished room, nothing like the house they had entered originally.

"Let's see if we can get out the front door," Cassie said, closing the bedroom door. Diana felt frightened looking at her. Her skin was dewy with sweat, and her eyes seemed brighter somehow. Diana's pulse quickened as she realized how powerful the dark magic was here, and how open Cassie was to receiving it. Looking at the frantic expression on the girl's face, Diana realized Cassie could be either her ally or a potential threat in this new house…and she might not know which one until it was too late.

"Where is everyone?" Melissa asked, not trying to hide her fear at all. Adam watched, dumbfounded, as Melissa fled down the porch steps, looking around the corner. "What's going on?" she shouted, turning around to face the others.

"Are there any footprints on the ground?" Jake asked, standing on the bottom step and looking at the soil around them.

"I don't know," Melissa whimpered. "It's too dark to tell!"

Suddenly, Adam's confusion converted to rage, and with a deep growl, he punched the wall behind them.

"What the hell!" Faye yelled, staring at Adam with a lowered brow.

"Back off!" Adam roared, taking an aggressive step toward Faye.

"Hey!" Jake yelled, jumping back up the stairs and stepping between Adam and Faye. "You need to back off!"

Adam puffed out his chest and shoved Jake, sending him back a step, his light eyes confused and furious with Adam.

"You guys, stop it!" Melissa screeched. "We need to figure out what's going on!"

Adam was still panting and glaring, enraged by the confusion he was feeling—every emotion he had seemed to be translated into anger, leaving him feeling like he was on fire. He could see Faye, Jake, and Melissa staring at him with bewildered glances, and some small part of him knew exactly why, but he couldn't seem to get back in control of himself.

Turning away from Faye and Jake and walking down the porch, Adam let out another roar. This time, a darkness seemed to burst from him, causing the window behind him to shatter, shards of glass exploding onto the porch. Melissa screamed, and Jake stared at him, the anger in his eyes becoming confusion and fear now.

Trembling with the intensity of the magic that had just come from him, Adam turned again, this time letting out another wail, filled equally with rage and confusion. Another window exploded, and a black orb seemed to engulf Adam again.

"Stop!" Faye commanded, stepping forward. "Adam, stop!"

Taking deep, throaty breaths, Adam doubled over, resting his hands on his knees. His bones felt like they were on fire and he was lightheaded. He felt like he was going to fall over. Two Fayes ran toward him, and he wasn't sure if it was the magic here or if he was seeing double. He realized his face was against the porch and he was shaking slightly. He had fallen over…He turned his head as he saw something dark move out of the corner of his eye, and saw the girl in the witch costume disappear around the back of the house.

Diana took a deep breath as she descended the stairs, Cassie hurrying ahead of her. Even the stairs were decorated in more opulent carpeting, the paneling on the walls now new and polished, rather than the pale and curled wallpaper that had originally been there.

Downstairs was as transformed as upstairs had been. The Halloween decorations had disappeared, and luxurious furniture decorated the house. Cassie wandered through the library, kitchen, dining room, and living room, frantically looking around. Diana tried to force herself to not look too closely. All they needed was the front door—

Cassie finally reached it, grabbing onto the doorknob and yanking on it.

"It's locked," she said in a low, raspy voice. She closed her eyes, and Diana wondered if she were trying to control the house the same way she had upstairs in the bedroom.

"Cassie!" Diana gasped. She turned around as she saw a figure move past them. She tore off after it, amazed that she was moving, no longer in control of her body. For a split second, she thought she recognized it as the girl in the witch costume ahead of them. Now, though, she couldn't see anything.

Cassie was racing behind her, the sound of her heels stomping against the hardwood floors. Diana wasn't sure where she was even going, and they ended up in the kitchen.

"What was it?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know," Diana sighed. "I think…I guess I was just seeing things. I'm scared…"

Cassie tried to give her a sympathetic smile, but her face was still too bright and intense to make Diana feel any comfort. Instead, her lips, redder than usual, just twisted toward her cheeks as her eyes continued to glow in a too-intense blue.

"We need to get out of here," Diana said, forcing herself to look away from Cassie. "Do you think you can get the door open?"

"I don't know," Cassie replied. "Let me go try."

The girls walked back to the front door, Diana impatiently looking to the side as Cassie closed her eyes and held onto the doorknob. Diana hugged her tunic around her tighter, feeling a chill come over her. She looked out the window, out to the porch and the cleared area where a crowd had been earlier that night. Everything was dark and ominous outside, a blue pallor coming in like fog from between the trees. Diana shivered again, then noticed small ice crystals forming on the window. Her brow furrowed as she gazed at the crystalline shapes forming.

"Cassie?" she whispered, before freezing in spot as she heard a low, familiar rumbling. The same one she had heard that night at the school when the dog attacked them. "Cassie!" she whispered.

"I know," Cassie said, the color draining from her face. "I heard it too."

Diana felt frozen as Cassie looked behind them, then out of the window. The dewy trance that had been over Cassie's face had disappeared, and now she just looked afraid. Her lips had paled and Diana saw there were slight dark circles under her eyes. She was as afraid as Diana was.

Diana reached forward, dragging her finger along the window, tracing HELP US along the ice, the lines wobbly as she trembled, listening to the dog's growls continue, all while knowing there was no one on the other side of the window.

Melissa stared, gaping, at Adam as he continued to writhe in a contorted mess on the porch.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, her voice low, as she knelt next to him. His green eyes were almost rolled in the back of his head, and they didn't seem to connect to anything around him.

"Is it this house?" Faye asked. She was standing next to Jake, staring down at Adam, unsure what to do.

"We need to get him out of here," Jake said, taking a deep breath and composing himself. "Faye, you need to drive him back to town. Take him home, your mom might be able to take care of him. Do the two of you think you can carry him with me to his Jeep?"

"Jake, wait!" Faye hissed. "We can't just leave, Cassie and Diana are—"

"I know," Jake huffed. "I'm going to stay and find them—"

"Cassie and Diana!—"

"Faye, I KNOW!" Jake yelled.

"No, they're at the window!" Faye shouted.

Melissa snapped her head up, and saw the two girls standing on the other side of the window. Both looked terrified, and the words HELP US had been traced into the dust on the window.

"Cassie! Diana!" Jake roared, knocking on the glass. The girls looked straight through him. Cassie was so pale she was nearly translucent, and Diana's eyes were huge and her lips were quivering.

"Why can't they see us?" Melissa called, putting her hand on the window. "What is going on?"

Cassie stared out the window, feeling dizzy and short of breath. She had felt powerful before, capable in this house, like she could command and control it. Hearing the animus had sent ice down her spine, and she knew that if she didn't get her and Diana out of here, the house wouldn't be strong enough to help them escape it—there was nowhere to run.

Gasping, Cassie took a step back and covered her mouth as she saw a handprint emerge from the ice on the window.

"What is that?" Diana whispered.

"I don't know," Cassie responded under her breath. "Is someone outside?"

"I think someone is in here with us," Diana said quickly. "I think it was the girl in front of us in line. I thought I saw her."

Cassie looked up at Diana, horrified by this. If someone was in here…someone who could turn into a demonic dog…was this another trap set up by the Balcoins?

"Cassie, please," Diana whimpered. "You have to get us out of here."

Cassie took a trembling breath, placing her hand over the handprint on the window. She rested both of her hands against it, the ice feeling thicker than it should have, unwilling to melt beneath her warmth. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on commanding the house to release them. She had to find dark magic to connect to, she had to find the closest source of dark energy that she could control.

Adam continued shaking on the ground, delirious with the energy that had overcome him. He could tell Jake, Faye, and Melissa were talking, and he thought he could hear Diana whispering to him. Her voice was scared. He had to help her. But then he thought he could feel Cassie as well. She needed his help. How was he supposed to choose one? Their energy wasn't connected. He couldn't reach out to both of them at the same time. He had to choose…

Adam stiffly got to his feet. He thought he could hear Faye pleading with him, but somehow Diana and Cassie felt closer. He took a few heavy steps to the window, hitting something. Had he knocked Melissa over? She was too far away to tell. He put his hands against the glass. They felt icy. He wanted to pull his hands away, but something wouldn't let him. He didn't want to do this anymore. This wasn't right. His hands didn't fit. He couldn't move though. The window was hurting him somehow. Gnashing his teeth together, Adam let out another roar, the same dark orb popping around him, and the glass shattering. He felt something warm against his palms for a moment, and then felt something heavy knock him to the ground once more, feeling shards of glass slice against his arms.

Jake watched in awe as the glass exploded in a huge burst around them. For a moment, Adam and Cassie had been suspended in the middle of it, their palms pushing against each other, before everything seemed to fall down at once, and Cassie collapsed on top of Adam's body. Diana had fallen to the side, rolling past Melissa and down the front steps, her head colliding loudly with the top step. Faye rushed over to her as Melissa knelt next to Cassie and Adam.

"Cassie," she breathed. "Are you okay?"

The blond girl groggily looked up, then seemed to realize she was laying on top of Adam's body. Stumbling to her feet, she wearily looked forward, her arms and legs remarkably free of any cuts.

"Diana?" Jake asked, walking down to the girl. Faye had knelt down next to her limp body. There were bloody marks on her leggings and arms, but the spot she had hit her head didn't have any blood, making Jake hopeful she wasn't hurt too badly.

"I think she's unconscious," Faye whispered. She turned Diana's head to look up at them. Her eyes slit open slightly and she groaned. Her eyes didn't close, but she seemed too confused to say anything back to Faye's hushed pleas.

"Oh my god," Cassie exclaimed, snapping her head up as everyone but Diana turned to look at her. "You guys, we have to get out of here. The animus is inside."

A look of horror shot across Faye's face. "Jake, can you carry Diana?" she asked, her voice low and serious, her green eyes burning intensely. Jake had never seen her like this before. Strangely, he was overcome by the sudden resemblance between Faye and her mother.

"Yeah," he said, hurrying over and lifting Diana. Her body was limp and she seemed barely on the edge of consciousness, but she did manage to roll her head toward Jake's face.

"Cassie, can you walk?" Jake asked. Cassie nodded wearily, taking a deep breath. Jake suspected she was probably hurt as well, but not nearly as bad as Diana.

"Faye and Melissa, I need you to help Adam," Jake commanded. Faye nodded, pulling Adam to his feet and putting his arm around her shoulder. Melissa followed suit, and the girls started limping along the pathway.

As they moved forward, Jake thought he could hear the snarling of the animus. He wasn't sure if it was real, but an iciness had gripped his body, and he knew they couldn't stay, that they had to move as fast as they could. The trail seemed even longer than it had the first time, and Faye and Melissa struggled to get Adam through since the pathway barely accommodated for one body at a time. Jake could swear he heard something stalking them…

"Faye, I need you to drive the Jeep," Jake said, laying Diana in the back seat and pulling a seatbelt over her waist. "Melissa, ride with her. Watch out for Diana. I'm going to drive Cassie's car."

Adam collapsed in the back seat of Cassie's car, his eyes closing and the shaking starting up again. Jake thought he must have been on the edge of passing out as well. Cassie was staring straight ahead and taking deep breaths, and Jake realized that if Adam did pass out she might not be of much help.

Jake grabbed Faye's face and kissed her quickly, then closed the front door of the Jeep. As he moved toward the driver's door of Cassie's car, he saw two red eyes staring at him from the bushes.

"Faye, drive!" Jake yelled as the dog lunged forward toward them.

Faye hit the gas and backed out of the parking spot. Melissa was flung to the side and hit her head against the window. Faye stomped on the gas and zoomed toward the dirt road, Jake right behind her. The dog leapt toward them, and Jake thought for a moment it was going to hit their windshield like a deer. Cassie screamed as he veered to the side, barely avoiding it, and then barely avoiding a tree. He tailgated Faye as they went rambling out of the woods.

Faye was staring ahead, the trees seeming just as thick as they had back at the house. She was looking for the thin gray trunks that would signal the highway and freedom from these woods. Her heart was pounding and there was an iron taste in her mouth.

She could see Jake right behind them in the rearview mirror, and wondered how close the animus might be. The road was bumpy and gravelly, causing her and Melissa to bounce and bob…where was the highway?!

"Is she all right?" Faye asked in a low voice as Melissa turned around to check on Diana. "Is your head okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Melissa said, her voice small and tight. "I think Diana is too, but we really need to get her home…"

"Working on it, Melissa!" Faye hissed, taking a hard left and causing a whimpering Diana to roll toward the floor.

Faye took a deep breath as she saw the highway ahead of them. She hit the gas harder to get through the straightaway, and then burst onto the road, sighing as she realized the animus was probably left behind in the woods.

Cassie paused a moment, looking at the cup of tea on the counter in front of her. They had made it back to her house, laying Adam and Diana down on the couches and watching over them. Cassie had found a Healing Spell that she, Jake, Faye, and Melissa performed, which seemed to help. Adam's twitching stopped and was replaced by a deep slumber, and Diana's cuts shrunk on her limbs and she was able to make eye contact with the four of them before falling into sleep as well.

Now, it was late—2:30 in the morning. Faye and Jake had finally nodded off to sleep on a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, and Melissa had curled up in an armchair and dozed off shortly after. Cassie was the only one up, and even though she was hurt, exhausted, and desperately wanting rest, she couldn't seem to relax enough to fall asleep.

So much had happened that night, and she wished she could wake up the rest of her Circle to talk about it. She walked out to the living room, sitting on the armchair next to Melissa's and cupping the tea in her hands. She looked out the window at the moon in the sky, then down at her friends, all sound asleep in her house. And then she looked down into her tea, thinking about the fact that she had been in control that night…she hadn't been hurt by the dark magic, she had been delirious with it. She had gotten her and Diana out by letting her dark magic overcome her, by letting it make her part of something bigger than herself. And now, tonight, trying to perform the Healing Spell with her friends, her Blake magic felt weak and unfamiliar somehow, difficult to grasp onto.

Exhaling, Cassie looked back out the window, trying to let go of the euphoria of her power that night.