Kinsey raced through the night as fast as she could. She had rushed out of the party, trying to avoid people intercepting her and asking her about the tears she couldn't hold back. Since she had hopped on her bike and started racing towards the Key House, she was completely numb. She had fallen silent, except for her heavy breathing in the cold air, but judging from her impaired vision, she was still crying. She could also feel her tears freezing on her cheeks.

Everything had been a lie. She had fallen even worse than Tyler. The thought of every second they had spent together made her feel sick. Scott had told her something was wrong, but she ignored it, dismissing his suspicions as jealousy. She couldn't stop thinking about Tyler and Ducan. They were home with Erin and had no idea of the approaching danger in the form of Gabe. Fear for their life urged her onwards. She drove even faster, dangerously close to slipping on the icy road. But without regard for her own safety, she doggedly pushed on. The final stretch was now in sight. She could see the light of the Key House in the distance. Reluctantly, she was forced to slow down after almost slipping and crashing twice. Her worst suspicions were alleviated when she saw no other vessel in front of the house. She abandoned her bike at the Front door, carelessly dropping it near the stairs. Pushing through the door, she could hear faint voices from the first floor. She dashed up the stairs and saw light emerging from Duncan's room.

She burst through the door into the room. The first thing she saw was Erin. She was crying but turned towards her and gave her a big smile through her tears. Next, she saw Tyler and Duncan, embracing each other. Her mood lifted slightly.

"Duncan. Did it work?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"Yeah. I just got so much rushing through my head right now," he answered her with an overwhelmed smile.

For a brief second, she returned his smile before her despair caught up with her again.

"Where is Gabe?" she could not stop more tears from falling down as she spoke out his name.

"Uh, I… I left him at school. Why?" In his Moment of triumph and joy, Tyler needed a second to adjust to the mood shift in the room. On a second look, he quickly noticed his sister's reddened eyes and the tears on her cheeks.

As the smile slowly vanished from his eyes he asked, "Kinsey, what's wrong?"

He made a few unsure steps in her direction.

"I went into Eden's head," she started her explanation.

"What? Why?"

She ignored his question.

"I thought something was wrong, but it's worse. So much worse."

He was now only a step away from her, but she could see in his face that he still did not understand.

"What do you mean?" he asked, doubt radiating from his voice.

Only through great effort, she could stop a sob from escaping her, "Gabe is Dodge, and Eden's a demon."

She could see the disbelief on his face, "That's not possible."

"-I saw it in Eden's memories," she got more and more upset as their discussion went on. She needed him to understand, but he still seemed unconvinced.

"We threw Dodge into the black door", he countered.

"It wasn't Dodge!" she averted her eyes, shame from having fallen for their nemesis overwhelming her.

The next thing she knew, Tyler had crossed the last meter between the two and closed her in his arms.

She relaxed in his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder. Their hug however was short-lived. As soon as she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him, they were interrupted by the doorbell.

She jolted at the sound.

"I have to get rid of him without him suspecting anything."

In the face of danger, she quickly tried to gain back her composure.

"You got this!" Tyler reassured her, brushing a lone remaining tear off her cheek. His warm touch gifted her new vigor. Head held high, she left the room and went down the stairs.

"Erin, Dunc, stay here," Tyler ordered before he followed his sister downstairs.

He could see Gabe and Kinsey at the door, but he stayed hidden in the shadows near the stairs. She was a good actress, she had already played in a Feature film, so he was convinced that she would be able to stave him off. Just in case, however, he wanted to be there to back her up. While the seconds passed and Gabe didn't leave, he could see his sister's pose getting stiffer with every passing second.

Moments later, he sprung into action, unable to lay low any longer. He walked over to the front door and positioned himself half behind it and half behind Kinsey. Unseen by Gabe, he put his hand on Kinsey's lower back to physically reassure her of his support, before faking a half-decent smile for Gabe. He wasn't as gifted an actor as his sister, but he was surprised at how easy it was to hide his hatred towards him.

Kinsey was grateful for his support since she seemed unable to get rid of Gabe. She leaned back ever so slightly against him to show her appreciation. She wasn't sure if Gabe suspected anything since she found herself pretty convincing with her story about Duncan, but so far she had been unable to stave him off.

"Hey, man. This isn't a good time," Tyler took over from her.

She used the short span in which Gabe's attention was not focused on her to steel her facial expression, not wanting to accidentally flash her disgust at him. As he had been unable to get to her family first, her fear was momentarily replaced by raging anger and hatred. But she managed to keep up her sad expression on Duncan's alleged state.

"Kinsey?", Gabe turned to her again, Tyler's tone making it very clear that he would't give in.

"Yeah, you should go. Thanks for checking in," she reassured him, faking another smile and giving him a thankful nod.

"Yeah, no problem. Um, I'll... I'll see you guys tomorrow at the Winter Fest, right?"

Since Tyler just answered with a non-committing growl, she felt obliged to add, "Of course."

With that, he turned around and Tyler quickly closed the door.

As soon as they were out of sight from the door, she stopped him by grabbing his arm. As soon as he stopped and turned to her, she fell around his neck.

He gently took her in, closing his arms around her. He even began to lightly stroke the back of her head. They stood there entwined for what seemed like ages, neither wanting to give up the comfort the other provided. She breathed in his familiar scent that meant protection to her, while he rested his head against hers, finding familiar love in the soft feeling of her hair against his cheek.

When they finally separated, they instantly went to work, drafting a battle plan with Duncan, Broody, and Erin for the next day.


Later that night Kinsey lay in her bed. She knew she needed sleep to be prepared for the coming day, but she was unable to fall asleep. Gabe's image haunted her wherever she looked. She finally got up, planning to get some cold water, but she found herself drawn to Tyler's room instead. The rest of her family was already in bed, but she could still see light emitting from his only half-closed door. Tyler winced when he heard the knock on his door. He had been lost in thoughts. As he looked to the door, he saw Kinsey standing there, dressed in her pyjama. She looked a bit lost, like she was unsure if she should even be here.

"Can't sleep as well, huh?" he asked her with a dry laugh.

"No chance, I'm wide awake and cannot stop to overthink tomorrow," she admitted.

Wordlessly, he lifted his blanket for her, inviting her with a gesture to join him.

She lay down next to him, facing upwards. He threw his blanket over them as he joined her in staring holes in the ceiling.

He made no attempt at conversation, knowing full well that nothing he could say would provide any consolation.

He had only a weak idea of the self-accusations she had to battle. He had also fallen for Dodge, but she had been played much worse. He settled for slightly shifting so he could rest his head against her shoulder.

Kinsey meanwhile thought about their relationship. They had been inseparable as kids, only becoming negligibly less close when they became teenagers. They had always been there for each other, always the first address for secrets or advice.

When their dad had been murdered, everything had changed. Cracks had emerged between them. She had become reserved and snappy, while he had become annoyingly overprotective of her. They had still stuck together, but nothing had been as it was before.

Moving into the Key House had changed that. She was worn out by the dangers that had engulfed them when they became the keepers of the keys. But on the bright side, the danger had forced them to rely on each other more than ever, bringing them back together.

When Tyler spoke up, it seemed like he had read her thoughts, "I know we can do this tomorrow."

He lifted his head to face her, "When we stick together, it will work."

She nodded, reassured by his confidence, even if she wasn't sure if he really felt that way.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" she asked him sheepishly. He seemed surprised by her question.

"In my room, everywhere I look, I cannot unsee that Gabe stood there," she admitted, averting her eyes in shame.

He said nothing in return, just flicking off the light. It had been at least ten years since they had last shared a bed, but it was still as comforting as it had been when they hid from monsters under the bed all those years ago.

But in the here and now, their monsters were real. They huddled close together when they fell asleep. The presence of each other kept the nightmares away and when they awoke early the next day, they were determined and ready to strike back at Dodge.