A/N - Welcome to a new chapter of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"! Sorry it took a bit to post, things got hectic. We've got lots of neat treats for y'all so stay tuned!

(Normal P.O.V)

Once inside, all three women and two young men had decided to cosplay for Comic Con. It wasn't easy on Katie's part since her previous visit at a Comic Con, she just went in her normal clothes. However, it hadn't taken her too long for her to eventually cosplay as Kairi in her outfit from Kingdom Hearts 3. Despite being a brunette, Katie's bob-cut hairstyle does bear some mild similarities to that of Kairi's from the third game of the franchise.

Despite having dressed as Princess Peach in the past, Lexie decided to reprise the role, wearing her dress from Super Smash Brothers, a very elegant pink dress with gold trim and hot pink accents. Her hair, being a few inches above her waist, was all the way and curled to look like Peach's.

Liam, being a major Legend of Zelda fan, decided to dress up as Link, the main character. Particularly the version from Twilight Princess, complete with his sword and shield. He was a man of average height with cream skin, hazel eyes, and reddish auburn hair that he covered with Link's hat.

His younger brother Matt, at 9 years of age, was more into Pokemon, so he decided to go as Ash Ketchum from the franchise. He looked similar to Liam, but his hair was brown and green eyes.

Natty, surprisingly, went as Mario from Super Mario, even putting on a fake mustache to complete the ensemble. Although her short black hair differs from Mario's brown hair, Natty pulled off her cosplay very well.

"Man, this crowd is HUGE!" Lexie exclaimed. "It's even bigger than the one I went to in Dallas!"

"Oh man, this is so cool!" Nat squealed. "I've always heard about how awesome this is but in real life, it's amazing! My brother is gonna flip when he sees the photos I'll send him."

"I know what you mean," Katie added in. "And this is actually my very first Comic Con in America. And the one I went to in Portsmouth was nothing in comparison to here and Bournemouth."

"Really? There's a Comic Con convention in the U.K.?" Natty asked, adjusting her sleeve.

"We had something similar to this back in Australia." Liam answered. "It was the Oz Comic Con. Man, I had such great experiences there when I was Matt's age. My parents and I used to go there every year…"

"Oh, that's right…I'm sorry about your parents, Lee." Natty sighed. "I'm sure it was hard on you."

Liam sighed while Lexie rubbed his back, "It's alright, it was a long time ago. I'll see 'em again someday…"

An awkward silence set in before Natty decided to break the ice.

"Oh, before we do anything, let's take a photo. My mom wants to see all of us in costume."

"Cheese!" Matt smiled, blissfully oblivious to the previous conversation.

Natty pulled out her phone and the five took a selfie, making cute and funny faces in the photo.

"You oughta send us that pic, Nat!" Lexie smiled. "My family wants pics too."

"You got it." Natty then used the Airdrop mode on her phone and sent the two a copy of the picture. "Ahh, I love technology like that." Natty sighed.

"Ah, I got it!" Lexie acknowledged. "Thanks, Nat!"

"No problem. I'll have to send this to a friend who's a huge fan of gaming." Natty commented.

"You're thinking of Audrey, ain'tcha?" Lexie asked.

"Maybe…but also another friend who's big on gaming." Natty stated. She paused before responding. "And yeah, one to Audrey too."

"Ah, gotcha."

At some point, Matt's eyes fell on a fella dressed as Pikachu and he nearly had a stroke for a 9 year old boy.

"Lee, Lee!" The boy cried excitedly. "I wanna get a picture with Pikachu!"

"Alright, alright, c'mon bud." Liam chuckled, ushering his little brother to the Pikachu character.

While the boys went to see Pikachu, Natty and Katie decided to use the ladies' room while Lexie opted to stay behind on a bench to watch their things, since she had gone earlier. She was playing on her phone waiting when…

"Hey princess? Can I kidnap you?"

Lexie looked up from her phone to find a huge, bulky man dressed like Bowser, the main villain from the Super Mario franchise…and she was Princess Peach…great.

"Uh…no?" Lexie replied with hesitation. "But I'm happy to get a picture?"

"Huh? Oh sorry." The guy replied. "You're dressed like Princess Peach and I'm Bowser, so…"

"So…what exactly?" Lexie arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I was just saying, since I'm Bowser, it's my job to kidnap you." He replied. "I meant it as a joke."

"Ah…gotcha." Lexie responded, chuckling half-heartedly. "I'm good though, thanks."

She thought it was a cute joke, and didn't think much about it. That is until he placed an arm around her, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Soooooo, you alone at Comic Con?" He asked.

"No." Lexie replied with a deadpan expression. "I have friends in the restroom, and my boyfriend is with his brother by the Pokemon merch. I'm just watching their stuff for them."

"That's fine," he shrugged. "I'll keep you company until they come."

The man started rubbing Lexie's arm, about to trail down to her waist until she finally got up and started to grab everyone's stuff.

"Actually, I'd rather that you didn't. Thank you."

Lexie then started to walk away, looking behind her to realize the man was following her. Now getting nervous, Lexie pulled out her phone and sent a distress text to Katie, Natty, and Liam:

Guys, help! Bowser's trying to kidnap me! (distressed emoji)

"You know, the so-called 'Mario' isn't here so how about you and I get something to eat?" The guy called after Lexie.

Lexie continued to ignore him, walking faster, but the Bowser fella was walking faster too. It was a full blown chase!

While Matt was gushing over the Pikachu character and later with another Ash, Liam looked down from his phone and saw the text.

"Lex?!"

He grabbed a confused Matt away from Pikachu and Ash, who asked, "Lee, what's going on?"

"Lexie's in trouble, I need you to stay close while I help her."

The boys went looking for Lexie throughout the crowd.

Back with Natty and Katie, they heard beeps from their phones.

Katie was the first to grab her phone and looked through the message sent to her. Her blue eyes squinted in confusion before they widened in shock and eventually narrowed into anger and concern.

"Are you reading this?"

"Yeah, I think this is code for 'help creepy dude who looks like Bowser is bothering me. Need hero assistance.'" Nat replied, looking over the message on her phone. "Come on, let's help Lex."

"Right behind you!" Katie agreed.

The two rushed out of the bathroom and scurried off to find Lexie. They hurried across the hall, searching for any signs of Lexie until they spotted her frantically power walking through the crowd, a bulky, huge guy in a Bowser cosplay custom practically bowling behind her.

Eventually, the Bowser guy caught up to Lexie and grabbed her by the arms, giving her a hungry look.

"What are you doing?!"

"Come on, babe, I wanna grab a sweet treat…" He crooned. "And share it with a sweet gal like you…"

Lexie struggled against the Bowser rip-off's grip, which at this point trailed to her arm and waist.

"Dude, are you drunk?!" Lexie exclaimed. "Let GO OF ME!"

He didn't budge nor did he care. Lexie was worried he might do something horrible if she didn't get away, but his grip was far too tight for her to escape. Just when he was about to make another move on her…

"OI MATE! GET YOUR MITTS OFF MY GIRLFRIEND!"

They turned to see Liam glared hatefully at the Bowser wannabe, Natty, Katie, and Matt following suit. Matt looked scared, Liam and Natty were seeing red, and Katie looked like she was tempted to backhand the guy so hard, it would make his head spin.

"What the heck do you THINK you're playing at?!" Katie demanded furiously. "Get your filthy hands off of her! Can't you see that you're making her uncomfortable?!"

The guy was a bit baffled when he saw the two girls, specifically towards Natty since she was wearing a Mario costume, while he was Bowser.

"Uh, guys? A little help?" Lexie squeaked, now terrified.

Liam was about to go up and punch the guy when Natty stopped him.

"Lee stop, I got this." Natty replied, rolling up her sleeves.

The guy looked at her and laughed.

"Oh, look at that; it's 'little Mario." He taunted. "What are you gonna do, shoot fireballs at me?"

"Ya know, that would be cool to have." Natty shrugged. "But no. Instead, I'll do this." Without warning, she slammed her foot on his, causing him to yell in pain, allowing Lex to slip away from the guy to her friends.

With Lexie safe, Natty asked "You ok, Lex?"

Dusting off her dress, Lexie gave Natty a thumbs up as she replied, "Yep. All good now."

Natty nodded and saw the guy finally alleviate the pain from his foot and shot an angry glare at Natty.

"Listen here, little girl." He growled. "You don't wanna mess with me."

Natty rolled her eyes. "Why? 'Cause you're big and strong like Bowser? Please, he gets his shell kicked by Mario all the time and I'd be more than happy to beat you hard at Smash Bros."

"Do you WANT me to punch you, mate?!" Liam snarled at the man, his Australian accent starting to peak (it does that when he's mad).

"Lee, don't." Lexie tried to calm him down. "You'll get arrested for assault."

Katie, being the oldest of her friends, got in front of them, narrowing her eyes hatefully at the guy.

"It'd be unwise to underestimate others, women most especially," Katie stated coldly as she glared at the man with the most intimidating glare. "And you should be aware that I have ZERO tolerance for men who disrespect a lady's personal boundaries. Especially for people bullying others, regardless of their age, height and gender."

Her glare hardened, her blue eyes practically throwing daggers curved from ice at the stunned big guy in front of her.

"If I'd ever catch you bothering my friends or any other girl NOT interested in your sick advances… I'll hunt you down and make your miserable existence a literal living nightmare! And I can assure you, I don't need Sora to come charging in with his Keyblade to my aid all the time! Even he's confident that I can easily take down close-minded creepers like YOU!"

The guy was completely speechless by what Katie just said, along with Lexie and Natty, who were holding back giggles, while Liam smirked at the man. Seeing him shocked was something funny to look at. After what seemed to be ten minutes or so, he took a huff.

"Fine, whatever."

As he started to walk away, Natty called out "Yeah! Yeah that's right, you keep waking! I may be from the Windy City, but that doesn't mean I'm sweet all the time!"

Just as the Bowser rip-off was storming off, a security guard approached him with a stern look after being reported by some bystanders who had witnessed the incident of the creep bothering Lexie and threatening Natty when she and the others tried to defend Lexie. The guy looked nervous and stuttered an excuse before the guard sternly escorted him out of the hall.

"Whew, good riddance," Lexie sighed in relief.

"That was COOL!" Matt beamed, smiling at Katie.

Katie blushed as she giggled sheepishly, "I just did what I thought was right. But it's best to stand up to a bully when you have good friends backing you up. Safety in numbers after all."

"And how!" Lexie agreed. "I assume y'all got my text?"

"Yeah. The words "Help, Bowser is trying to kidnap me" with a distressed emoji got me a bit suspicious." Natty stated. "I mean granted, I was confused at first but then I remembered that you were dressed as Peach, so we put two and two together."

Liam looked at Lexie with concern as he asked, "Are you okay, Lex? Did he hurt you?"

"Nah, he didn't. He was just being a creep." Lexie replied.

"It was a good thing we came just in time," Katie added. "Men like him have no right to treat girls and young women like that. Disgusting!"

She then sighed as she eventually composed herself, "But I'm so glad you're safe now."

Lexie then smiled at her friends while smirking to Natty, "Thank you… 'Mario'."

Natty smiled and took a bow, replying "Anything for you, your highness." Then, she burst into giggles.

Everyone had a good laugh for a bit at the incident, then sighed.

"Welp. I'm in the mood for eats." Lexie commented. "Whaddya feel like?"

"Either it's my own tastebuds or because I'm dressed like Mario, I'm thinking Pizza." Natty replied. "I've wanted to give New York City Pizza a try. May not be deep dish, but eh, I'll live."

"Oh! I want pepperoni and cheese!" Matt exclaimed, jumping in excitement.

Lexie chuckled as she replied, "New York Pizza sounds really good right now. And, Kate, it's a must try whenever you visit NYC."

"Josh and I used to go to a parlor downtown, they've got literally everything there." Liam mused. "I'm in the mood for their baked potato pizza at the moment."

"Oh, that sounds amazing!" Lexie beamed, practically drooling.

"Oh, yes, please!" Katie answered with excitement. "I could really go for some with extra cheese, chicken and a barbecue sauce base."

"Yo, that sounds really good. You're making my mouth water, Kate." Natty joked.

Katie giggled sheepishly as she played with her necklace. "Sorry…"

"About what? Making my mouth water?" Natty asked. "It does that when I'm really craving something and Pizza is one of them."

"It's just one of my autism habits. I often tend to take things literally at times. Such as jokes."

"Girl, it's fine. I often forget people's names, even after knowing them for so long. No need to be sorry." Natty assured her, rubbing her back gently.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Kate." Liam added.

"Don't worry, Kate. I take things literally too." Lexie added. "I'll get some jokes and phrases, but some things just go WAY over my head."

"Yeah, same with me. Sometimes when my mother says something like 'I like it when things I don't like happen' I usually have to think and realize she's being sarcastic." Natty added. "One out of two times I'm right."

Katie smiled as she brought the two younger women into a hug.

"I'm so glad to have such understanding friends like you. You're the best," she said. "So, how about we go grab some pizza?"

"Sounds good." Natty replied. "But uh, can we change first? If people see us wearing this, they'll wonder what game we hopped out from."

Katie nodded in agreement. "Good idea. I gotta admit, Kairi's outfits throughout the KH games are cute, but I'm more content with jeans over skirts any day, really."

Everyone headed to the separate restrooms in order to change into their regular clothes, getting ready to get some pizza.

"Mmm! You guys were right!" Katie beamed after taking a few bites of her southern fried chicken pizza with extra cheese and barbecue sauce. "The pizzas in NYC are great!"

"Josh and I order from there ALL the time." Liam smiled, happily taking a bite out of his baked potato pizza. "They're the best!"

"Oh man, I've died and gone to Pizza heaven!" Natty sighed after taking a bite from hers. "Why can't I marry this pizza?"

"I might be able to do it right now!" Lexie joked while taking her Bible out of her backpack. "Dearly beloved…"

Natty had to laugh, but quickly closed her mouth, due to pizza still in her mouth. Meanwhile, Katie couldn't help but smile in amusement at Lexie's joke while taking a couple of sips from her cup of cherry flavored Pepsi Max.

After changing back into their regular clothing, the group finally found a pizza place that wasn't very crowded. It was a fairly small pizza parlor, looked like it just opened. On the flip side, there was outdoor seating, so the girls could see the view of the Big Apple.

"Lex?! Liam?! Nat?!" A familiar voice called out. The two turned to see who called their name and both pairs of eyes went wide.

Walking towards them with a big smile was none other than Audrey. While Liam was a friend of Josh, Audrey's husband, Audrey was a close friend of Natty's as well as Lexie's boss at the New York times. She had cream skin, strawberry blonde hair that went to her shoulders, and brown eyes. She wore a light blue blouse, a white skirt, matching flats, a blue purse and a gold wedding ring with a diamond in the middle.

"Oh my gosh! Audie!" Natty squealed, as she hopped out of her seat and gave Audrey a huge hug. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"Literally same! I haven't seen you in forever!" Audrey sighed.

"G'day, Audie!" Liam waved to Audie with a smile.

"Lee!" Audie beamed as she hugged Liam. "Nice to see you!"

"Audie!"

Matt ran up to Audrey with a big smile on his face.

"And little Matty!" Audrey bubbled. "You're getting big! I haven't seen you since you were little!"

Then she gave Lexie a big hug too. Despite Lexie working for Audrey, she treated her employees as good friends.

"Oh, Lex! So good to see you!"

"It's awesome to see you too!" Lexie beamed. "How've you been? You and Josh goin' okay?"

"It's going well. He's been pretty busy with work, but it's going very smoothly." She smiled. "So, what brings you guys to the Big Apple?"

"Ya know those discounted vouchers I got from our raffle at work?" Lexie explained. "Well, my buddy Kate here has never been to America before so I thought I should use 'em for tickets to the Comic Con here."

She then gestured to Katie, "This is Katie Gemwing by the way. She's the pal from the UK I've told you about."

"Oh my gosh, hi! So nice to meet you." Audrey smiled as she shook Katie's hand. "Lex has been telling me a lot about ya. I'm glad you, her and Natty are in the Big Apple. How was Comic Con?"

"It was grand, thank you," Katie replied shyly. "And it's nice to meet you, too. So, have the three of you known each other long?"

"I currently work under her at the New York Times, but she was cool enough to lemme work from home in Dallas."

"And I went to school with her. She was one of my roommates' friends so they would stay up late watching movies and drowning their sorrows in ice cream." Natty added.

"I went to school with Josh when I first moved to the states." Liam added. "He and Steve were my roommates. Ah those were good times."

Audrey sighed. "Ahh, those were the days. Anyhow, I'm glad to see you two again and meet you, Miss Gemwing. I, also have some exciting news."

"Oh really?" Lexie gasped in anticipation.

"What is it?" Natty asked, feeling the tremor of excitement fill her body.

Audrey took a deep breath and squealed.

"I'm expecting a baby."

The three girls gasped and squealed in pure unadulterated happiness.

"You are?! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" Katie cried in excitement.

"That's AMAZING!" Lexie beamed. "Congratulations!"

"Yes! Oh my gosh, congrats!" Natty cheered.

"That's awesome, Auds!" Liam chirped. "So, do you know the gender or…?"

"Well, it's a bit early to find out but when Josh and I get the results, I will tell you guys first." She smiled.

"Please do!" Lexie chimed in. "I'd already be shopping for gifts!"

Audrey laughed, "Aww you're sweet."

"So, how'd you tell Josh?" Natty asked.

"Oh that's easy; I got one of those word boards you can have in your room with the fun letters and everything, and I placed in there four dates; when we first started dating, when we got engaged, our wedding date, and I placed at the bottom "New addition coming in July of next year." Audrey explained. "He totally flipped when I showed him the sonogram."

"Can't blame him!" Lexie smiled. "Having a baby is the most beautiful thing God ever gave us."

Natty and Liam nodded while Audrey replied, "Amen to that."

Audrey then looked behind her as though she realized something.

"Anyway, I didn't want to interrupt your meal. I'm actually gonna meet with Sasha and Steve." Audrey explained. "I haven't told them about it so they'll get word."

"How are Sash and Steve doin'?" Lexie asked. "It's been a while since I've heard from them at work."

"Eh, it's been good with them. Busy with their two adoptive children but they finally managed to get some time out in the city." Audrey replied.

Lexie gave a gentle smile as she replied, "Well, it's good that they know they have a loving family that will take care of them."

She and Liam held hands while smiling at each other.

"Whenever we get married, we've considered doing the same. There's a lot of kids out there that need good homes…"

"As my dad would say 'whatever floats your boat.' Anyway, I'm gonna meet up with them. It was so nice to see you guys again and very nice to meet you Miss Gemwing." She started heading over but then remembered something "Oh, and if you hear a woman screaming for pure joy, that'll probably be Sasha."

"I'll keep that mind," Katie replied. "Again, it's a pleasure to meet you, Audrey. A friend of Lexie and Natty's a friend of mine. And I wish you and Josh luck with the new chapter of your story and your baby grows healthy and happy."

"Awww, you're so sweet! Thank you!" She waved the trio good bye and slipped back inside.

"She's very nice." Katie commented with a smile.

"She's the best. Man, I can't believe she's expecting." Natty sighed. "Time really does fly when you're having fun."

Katie nodded. "It's lovely for a couple to experience the joys of parenthood. I'm certain that Audrey and Josh will make wonderful parents."

"Agreed." Lexie chimed in. "She's my boss from work, and she's been awesome!"

Katie smiled fondly, so happy that Lexie has such an amazing employer. Lexie picks up her phone and she has a look of surprise on her face as she looks at the clock on it.

"We should probably wrap this up, guys." Lexie gasped. "It's almost time to check in at the hotel."

"Oh yeah I totally forgot. I could use a shower after all that walking." Natty sighed.

"Same here," Katie agreed. "Time certainly flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

The group nodded and quickly finished eating their dinner, before heading to the hotel.

After a quick check-in procedure, the girls were finally settled in their hotel room, separate from Liam and Matt. Natty plopped onto one of the beds, exhausted.

"Ahhh, nice to lay down for a sec. Oh, my feet are killing me." she groaned.

Katie was sitting on one of the other beds, opening her Pokemon backpack that was dotted with prints of Pikachu heads and Poke Balls, laying out her sketchbook as she reached in for something else.

"Oh, there's something I've been meaning to show you guys once we finish our visit to Comic Con." Katie said, pawing through her backpack. "I was saving it as a surprise. I think you're gonna love what I had just found back in the UK."

Finally finding the object of her desire, Katie takes her hand out of her back to reveal…

"No way!" Natty beamed, sitting up

"Oh my God…" Lexie gasped. "Is that the book from-?!"

"Surprise!" Katie cried with a winning smile as she held up a Cuphead: Don't Deal with the Devil Novel book.

"How did…? Where did…?" Natty gasped. "You found that book?!"

Katie shrugged innocently as she answered, "I just found it in a local bookshop down in town when I… went for a walk days before I left for New York"

"That's INSANE dude!" Lexie exclaimed with excitement. "It literally looks exactly like the one from the game! Same look and feel…"

Lexie then noticed the three gemstones embedded onto the book.

"Ooh, nice jewels. Now that's new…"

"I don't mind the gemstones. They add a nice touch." Natty mentioned. "I do like the pink one."

"The yellow one seems to be screaming for me." Lexie added.

Katie examines the gemstones embedded into the book as she murmurs, "For some strange reason, I feel oddly drawn towards the blue one… Like it's calling out to me…"

"You're feeling that too, Kate?" Lexie asked.

"I really can't explain it, but… it's almost like these gems are reaching out to us or something…" Katie said slowly.

"Like they're connected to us in some way…?" Lexie finished.

All three girls looked at one another in unified confusion, not understanding this shared feeling.

"Uh…think we should open it?" Lexie asked with hesitation. "I'm getting strange vibes out of it."

"I don't see why not," Katie shrugged. "It seemed like a dream finally coming true and, to be honest, I think we should be the lucky few to have the first read of it. Besides, it's just a book, right? I mean, where's the harm in reading a couple of pages?"

"Okay, but my 'Spidey Sense' is going off." Lexie replied. "Lemme give Lee a call right quick."

Lexie pulled out her phone and called Liam, who answered in a few seconds.

"Hey, Lee? You wanna check out this book Kate got?" Lexie asked. "It looks like the same book from Cuphead. Uh huh. Yeah, the first one, not the DLC. Okay, I'll see you in a bit. Bye."

She hung up looking at the others.

"Lee's coming. I wanna get his opinion first before we do anything." Lexie explained.

"He has a key, right?" Katie asked.

"Mm hm. I gave him mine and he gave me Matt's, just in case we need something."

The girls waited until they heard a knock.

"Lex? It's me, Lee. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's fine!" Lexie replied.

They then heard a beep followed by a click; it was Liam, whose jaw dropped at seeing the book Katie had.

"Wow…it really IS the book from the game…" Liam gasped. "But I never got word of a Cuphead novel…"

"Me neither." Lexie replied. "The only difference is there's these jewels embedded onto it. We're getting strange…feelings from those gems."

"Feelings like…?"

"Like they're calling to us." Katie chimed in. "It's kinda hard to explain, really."

"Hmm…" Liam pondered in thought. "It does seem strange."

Just then, the door opened again. It was a curious Matt, who peeked his head in the door.

"Someone said something about a Cuphead book?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't get too close to it, Matt." Natty warned. "We're getting weird vibes from it."

"I wanna see…" Matt whined, getting close.

Everyone gathered together on the bed as Katie held the book in front of them. Exhaling with caution yet excitement, Katie opens the book. Just as she did, neither she nor the others noticed the gems were faintly glowing until they flashed brighter.

"Yo, are they glowing?!" Natty gasped.

"Wait, what?!" Katie yelped in surprise as she unconsciously leapt onto her feet, dropping the book to the floor.

"Uh, okay?!" Liam exclaimed. "I'm not an expert on gems, but I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that!"

The book laid on its spine, pages wide open as they fluttered in an unknown breeze.

"What the heck's goin' on?!" Lexie cried.

"I… I don't know!" Katie responded frantically.

Liam ushered Matt toward him, backing away from the book.

"Stay close buddy." Liam instructed.

"We gotta shut that book!" Lexie exclaimed. "NOW!"

Both Lexie and Natty ran up to the book in an attempt to close it, but it didn't do any good. It was clamped open. Suddenly, a portal opened up in its pages and the wind tore at Katie's sketchbook, tearing out the drawing of Kaichi the Sprigon. The sketch was sucked into the portal, much to Katie's horror and dismay.

"My sketch!" Katie cried out in shock.

Of course, she knew that losing a sketch was the least of everyone's problems right now.

"Okay, since when do books start spawning freakin' PORTALS?!" Liam exclaimed, hugging Matt even tighter.

"That's it! I'm gettin' my Bible!" Lexie declared as she rushed to her backpack and took out her Bible, gripping it tightly.

The portal in the book grew bigger and wider as the humans backed away in shock, the wind whipping at their hair. Intuition kicked in as Lexie held her Bible high, like it were a sword.

"Uh Lex?" Natty whimpered with horror. "Does the Bible say anything about portals…?"

"No, but I need a weapon!" Lexie squeaked in reply. "I smell demon crap goin' on!"

Katie was just as scared as she gaped at the book in disbelief, the portal getting bigger. Her eyes widened in pure horror as something suddenly shot out from the portal.

A giant, furry demonic arm as it loomed over the shell-shocked humans.

"Jesus Christ on toast, I KNEW IT!" Lexie screamed. "I KNEW WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TOUCHED THAT THING!"

Like a cobra striking for a mouse, the giant demonic hand shot down, zoning in towards Katie, who screams in fright. Terrified, she threw her arms over her head, even though she knew it wouldn't do her any good.

"KATIE!" Everyone screamed in tandem.

Out of pure adrenaline, Lexie dashed up to Katie's side and whacked at the hand with the Bible with all her might.

"GET YOUR HANDS. OFF. MY. FRIEND!"

A pained demonic roar reverberated out from the book as the hand recoiled as the Bible actually burnt it a bit.

"Yeah, that's RIGHT PAL!" Lexie shouted, ushering Katie behind her. "You BETTER keep your HANDS TO YOURSELF!"

"Okay, new plan!" Liam declared. "Evacuate!"

"Right behind you!" Natty chimed in.

All five humans turned to make a run for the door when… the demon hand bursts back out of the portal and encloses itself around Katie and Lexie, trapping their arms to their sides.

The shock of the grab caused Lexie to drop her Bible as she screamed, "NO!!"

"LET US GO!" Katie demanded as she and Lexie struggled in the claw grasping them.

"LEX! KATE!" Natty cried.

Liam quickly dashed and grabbed Lexie's free hand as he shouted, "HANG ON!"

Liam, Natty, and even Matt pulled at Lexie's arm, trying to free the girls. Unfortunately, another hand spawned and grabbed all three of them, trapping their arms as well.

"Oh CRUD!" Liam screamed.

"HELP!" Matt cried.

The giant hands dragged all five humans towards the portal as they were pulled downwards through a swirling vortex of red and yellow.

"Liam! Lexie! I'm scared!" Matt wailed in fright, nearly on the verge of tears.

"SAME!" Natty screamed out.

Katie struggled in a panic as she cried out, "That goes for me too!"

Lexie was squirming, reaching into her jean pocket until she got out her handy dandy pocket knife, holding it up high.

"HEY!" Lexie shouted. "LET US GO!"

She then scraped the hand with the knife as hard as she could, causing it to release her and Katie.

"Okay! That's terrifying!" Katie shouted, clutching her chest while she felt her heart beat faster and faster.

"We can lament about that later!" Lexie yelled. "Right now we gotta get outta here!"

By the time Lexie finished her sentence, she'd already sliced the hand that had Natty and Liam, who held Matt tightly in his arms.

"UM! How're we gonna do that exactly?!" Natty exclaimed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm NOT hero material!"

"No clue, but we gotta try!" Lexie retorted.

"But, what does that freak want with us!?" Liam cried. "We only just opened the book!"

Before Lexie could answer, one of the hands swatted at the humans, scattering them all over the portal.

"NO! GUYS! LIAM! MATT!" Lexie screamed.

"LEXIE!" Both Liam and Matt yelled in reply, clinging tightly to each other.

"GUYS! NOOOO!!!" Natty cried.

"NATTY! LEXIE! BOYS!" Katie shouted in panic and horror.

As all five of them were scattered while falling down the portal, everything turned black. And as the portal closed, so did the book, leaving the room still and quiet as before.

A/N - Well that was quite a ride! Our impromptu trip to Inkwell! What will happen now? Stayed tuned for Chapter 3: "Enter The Cups"!