Act 2, Chap 1: Waiting

It took over a month for the agents to get the families together.

Some families were no longer in the country, some members of the families had ended up incarcerated, some needed constant medical attention. There were a number of circumstances that made a gathering difficult.

The man who ordered the families to gather stood on a stage in front of a podium, facing each of these families. “Ladies and gentleman, I thank you for joining us on such short notice. My name is Michael Hamilton, a few of you have met me in our investigations and some of you met with Frank Valentini for his investigations. I’ve brought you all here today to discuss the findings in our investigations.”

Michael saw a man sitting up front shake his head and cross his arms as he sunk back into his seat. The man muttered to the woman next to him. “It only took a few more disappearances that could have been prevented to get a goddamn update.”

“Mr. Sadler, I understand you’re upset and you’re completely correct, these latest disappearances could have been avoided and I assure you that I take full, personal responsibility for them. My negligence in regards to this investigation led to the disappearance of three more people under the same circumstances in the past year.” Michael held the remote to a projector that was hanging on the ceiling. “Frank and the mothers of two missing children were our latest victims, another family informed us of the search that the two mothers had sparked because two agents we had sent with confidential evidence to further our investigation spilled that evidence.”

Penelope Brutus was the sister of Julio Brutus, she was a socialite and had a strong connection with the other families after her brother disappeared, despite living in another country. When meetings occurred, it was Penelope, the Barker family, Melanie’s mother, and the Lim family who led the discussions. “If you have brought us all here then your intention had better be to show us the evidence instead of just giving us the same empty promise of ‘oh, I’m sorry but we have no updates’ that you give us on our online meetings. Life is very short and some of us took a lot of that indispensable time to be here today.”

“That is the intention.” Michael hit a button on the remote, the projector flickering on and four pictures flashing onto the wall. The photo on the far left was a photo of Keith Patrick. The photo to the right of it was the final photo they’d gotten from Keith before he was considered missing. The two photos to the right of that were one of adult Ronnie Harris and a photo that the family had provided of his third grade year. “I want each of you to really soak in these pictures because this is what we’re dealing with, something we don’t understand at all. We have sent three people to investigate these disappearances, Keith Patrick and Ronnie Harris were the first to go, we lost contact with them fairly quickly and while this photo was taken in early 2007, we didn’t receive it until January of 2022. We took it as a sign of life and sent Frank Valentini to investigate it, we have had no communication from him since then.”

“With a space of fifteen years between their disappearance and the picture showing up, wouldn’t it be possible that the photos were edited?” Cynthia Barker was always the one who disputed most claims. Michael understood that it was because she didn’t want to instill that hope in herself that her children were still alive if she was never going to see them again.

Michael hit the button, sending the picture to three more photos. “This photo was taken in January 2022 and received from Keith and Ronnie’s communications less than a day after it was taken.” He turned to look at the wall. “Nolan Macon and Emily Fenton, they went missing in 2006 and the evidence that sent their mothers on a search for them is this picture. As of 2022, they look to haven't aged a day and with Ronnie looking like a ten-year-old, we’re obviously concerned.”

Michael looked at Penelope, seeing a look of disbelief on her face as she focused on the background of the picture. He looked at the picture himself, seeing Julio in the background of the photo, looking the same age as when he had disappeared. “In the pictures that you have, is this happening to everyone?”

He nodded, hitting the button to switch to the next slide. “From the pictures we’ve received, most of these people just aren’t aging anymore and a few have suffered from reverse aging. We’ve used the background of these photos to try and locate your family members but we reach a wall every single time. There is not one thing that every member of your families had in common, no common destination, no common departure point, no common method of transportation, so it’s very difficult to track them down.”

When Melanie had learned of Leo’s disappearance, she had hired a private investigator before she disappeared herself. Getting contact from the private investigator was impossible once she vanished, but Michael refused to let this meeting happen without him being present today. He knew that the investigator Melanie had hired had information that they didn’t. “That’s not true. There’s one thing that they all had in common.”

“Please go on.”

“It’s been a minute since I’ve looked into this, I need a name refresher.” The investigator got up from his seat, going up to the podium with Michael and looking at the roster that he had sitting up there. “Each of these individuals experienced some sort of life-altering event before they disappeared, that would make it seem like they just ran away. Shortly after this event, the families and friends maintained the story that the individual drastically changed in temperament less than a week before they disappeared. Leo had his divorce, he was then filled with this desire to escape his reality; Melanie said he started talking more about boating, when the escape from reality before the divorce was flying. He went missing and Melanie became obsessive with the people around her, calling her family members every single day and visiting them two times in the week that she disappeared.”

The investigator looked out towards the families, waiting for someone to jump in and confirm his theory. “Julio was informed that he was at risk of losing his position because people saw him as aggressive. In return, he became more aggressive, like physically aggressive with people.”

“Nolan Macon had gotten into trouble because he and someone else at a senior party got into a physical fight. Not a single person from that boy’s life has said a single thing about him fighting before his disappearance.” Michael looked to his right, nodding at the female agent who had gotten in touch with the families. “Because this knowledge is new to us, we’re taking it as a new lead. Agent Layton is going to hand out sheets of paper while I continue going over the pictures and we need you guys to tell us what these significant events and changes were.”

“What if we weren’t in that close of contact with them before their disappearance?” Despite Robyn’s cousin asking the question, it was a question that applied to many members of the audience.

“You may not have been, but there’s always someone who was. Reach out to their friends, your distant family, their coworkers. Someone out there had a good connection with your missing people and what we need to know so we can continue our investigation is who and what signs they saw that you guys may have missed.” Michael cleared his throat, looking back at the wall to see what slide he had stopped on. “The communications from Ronnie and Keith were fostered from a laptop that was sent with them when they were sent out to investigate, while pictures we received were from body cameras that were disconnected pretty soon after they got where they ended up.”

Michael knew what the next slide was. It was a photo that was taken that they hadn’t shared with any of the families yet. The photo was difficult for Michael to look at because there were so many unanswered questions revolving around it.

He switched the slide and instantly saw Penelope’s face change as she looked at the wall. “This photo has been in our possession for twenty years, it was taken of Julio by another passenger on the airplane before he vanished from the plane less than ten minutes after the picture was taken.” He looked at the picture himself. “If you look in the background, you’ll actually see Gita Cambell and on that same roster in first class was George Lim. With those three in common, we were treating it as if it were a political takeover.” He sent it to the next slide where there six names highlighted on a flight manifest. “That theory can be discredited by the appearance of Denver Cambell, Rocky Crouse, and the pilot of that plane, Leo Elliot.”

“Leo didn’t go missing on a plane, though.” Melanie’s mother spoke up, her eyes glued to the manifest. “He went missing on a boat that left from a state he didn’t even live in.”

Michael nodded. “Agent Layton, can you switch to slide thirteen?” The female agent did what was asked of her, bringing up a map. “Leo went missing from the docks in Massachusetts, that’s where Olivia and Oliver Barker, as well as Purna Perez lived and there’s eye witness accounts placing Leo and Oliver together on the evening Leo went. Leo and Purna had met Frank Valentini before his disappearance. Erin and Ashley just recently made contact with the Barkers before they vanished. On the other coast, Steven Garver was the one who it was at all tied back to. When you get into the political world, back in 1995, George Lim met with the Cambell family as part of their royal tour and because it was taking place at the same time of an event that Julio was speaking for, George Lim introduced Julio to the family.”

The female agent stood with her back to the families before she gasped, looking at Michael. “I need to ask a few questions to some people, I think I figured it out.” Michael took a step back, allowing agent Layton to stand at the podium. “Mrs. Lim, after George’s term, he went on Steven’s show for a little game segment. Steven chose to not air the segment after George disappeared, right?”

All eyes turned to a woman with gray hair who sat next to her daughter, whose hair was graying to match her mother. Both women dressed in their finest clothes, as they always did when they met with any agents. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Mr. Perez, you came to the states with Purna when she was younger as part of something George was doing to encourage movement to the states. I remember you telling a story about her choosing to become a lawyer after she met George Lim, who was a lawyer before he was the president. You showed us the picture of the two of you with George while you were on this tour.” The elder man only nodded, leaving the agent to figure out how Purna and Steven were connected to each other.

She looked back at Michael, knowing he was keeping up with her. He spoke in a hushed voice towards her. “Olivia’s disappearance was national news, it sparked a political and ethical debate that lasted for years.”

Agent Layton nodded to herself, looking into the crowd. She met eyes with the producer of Steven’s show. “Steven didn’t run a segment on Purna, but he ran a segment on Olivia Barker. To get a full picture, he had to talk to Olivia’s lawyer and that was Purna. The three main connections are Steven Garner, George Lim, and Purna Perez.”

Michael looked back at the map. “We need to think a little harder than that. While most of the people who have gone are high profile, we have people like the Macons and the Pells. They’re completely average people, they probably didn’t have a connection to those three since they didn’t even live in the same state.”

Agent Layton looked to Nolan and Emily’s fathers, knowing the two men had heard Michael and had an answer for them. Nolan’s father spoke first. “Erin dealt with a lot of high profile customers all over the country and I’m pretty sure Steven was one of them.”

Answering was going to be harder for Emily’s father since he had no idea of what Ashley and Emily had gotten up to since he’d left Ashley. “Ashley and Erin worked together, so it’s likely she was in the loop the same way that Erin was.”

Michael shook his head. “With Erin being an insurance agent to people like Steven Garver, she was more their personal agent. Nolan and Emily were born around the same time, which would have had Erin and Ashley taking maternity leave at the same time so Ashley couldn’t have been a replacement agent for Erin. That’s not it and we’d appreciate contact information for her family so we can get with people who know what we’re looking for.”

Agent Layton shot a glance towards Michael, who didn’t seem phased by her. Michael had always had some difficulties with certain people in the investigation and Emily’s father was, in his eyes, his biggest obstacle to breaking the case. While she was paying attention to Michael, Jermaine Perez spoke to Raymond Barker in Spanish to avoid others from prying into their conversation. When they finished, he spoke towards Emily and Nolan’s father. “What company did they work for?”

“Healthy You.”

“One of Purna’s classes did a study on fraud that was specific to Healthy You. Part of that study was talking to an agent to identify the red flags in their selling tactics and make average people more aware. She probably talked to Ashley, who was friends with Erin, Steven’s agent.” Raymond explained it, knowing that Jermaine wouldn’t be able to use the right words while he spoke. “All that’s left is George.”

George’s wife rolled her eyes and crossed her legs as if she was becoming bored with the meeting. “That’s easy, we’ve always been insured through Healthy You.”

Finally feeling like they’d hit a wall, Michael turned the projector off and shut the folders in front of him. “Then we’ve reached a stopping point for today. We’ll reach out to you guys if we have any more questions and the expectation for your families is that you will reach out to us if you have any more information. Thank you all for your time.”

The families began to clear out of the conference room, Michael turned his attention to the photo of Julio once again. Seeing the terror on Julio’s face was something that has scarred Michael since he’d first seen the photo. The fear that radiated from Julio in the photo was the reason he had chosen to not share the photo with the family or the media.

Penelope eventually approached him, seeing the photo in his hand. “Thank you for not sharing that photo while our mother was alive. Seeing her son like that would have only killed her sooner.”

Michael nodded, setting the photo face down on the podium. “I only wish we could have brought him back while she was still alive; at the very least brought closure to the case, given her answers.”

“Isn’t that why you do what you do, Agent Hamilton? To provide answers?” Michael had always known that Penelope believed her brother to be dead. While their mother was alive, she would pretend as if she believed he was alive. From his perspective, Penelope’s hope that Julio was alive died when their mother did. “It’s not your fault that people go away sometimes, especially people who piss powerful people off.”

Michael’s hand rested on the back of the photo as he tried to think of what to say to her, knowing what she believed. “Your brother isn’t dead, none of these people are. We have more evidence pointing to them being alive in a frozen state than we have evidence pointing to their death. The issue isn’t knowing their condition or that they’re missing, it’s getting to them and preventing more disappearances.”

“Since Julio vanished, I’ve lost my mother, my father, two of my own children, and so many friends. I almost overdosed while trying to deal with the pain that these losses caused me. It’s more comforting for me to believe he’s just another number when there’s a possibility he won’t return in my own lifetime.” She turned her back to him, waving a hand in the air. “I do hope you’ll forgive me for my pessimism, but do understand that a lot of these families are losing hope of seeing their loved ones again.”

I'm back; now for the choice.


[Denver and Frank take care of Mindy]

I just don't trust Brianne to take care of Mindy. Especially, since she agreed to do this due to duress Purna put her through. She may use the opportunity to fully take control of Mindy, kill her, or somehow use her to take revenge on Purna. Purna definitely took extreme measures to get what she needed from Brianne. It was definitely dark, but it may have been the only option. 

Very intriguing, it's almost as if every physical trace of their existence disappeared with them. Somehow both Leo and Oliver can project their conscious back to their homes and possibly to certain investigators. I wonder if it is because they are both gifted. I wonder if they even realize they are doing this, or if it happening without their knowledge or control.

[Invite along someone without a gift]

I guess they should bring Flora. Purna said that she could be useful in helping Frank by buying time if need be for him to use what ever is in the bag. However, I wish that it would just summon the ones who would help him. I wasn't sure about this choice at first; I originally wanted to bring a gifted but both Leo and Frank can't control when they go into the trance state. It could happen at a critical moment. Purna is determined to stay with Oliver for now. I don't trust either Brianne or Amos. Amos seems like the type of person the spirit could easily control even if Nathaniel tries to instruct him. I was originally thinking of bringing Nolan, but Purna said he would not prioritize Frank's safety and he would need it more than Oliver. Emily seemed to be the most against the plan, and she may either intentionally or unintentionally sabotage the plan. Perhaps because she won't be as careful or serious because she doesn't believe in the plan. So, in the end I guess they can bring Flora and she can assist in Frank bringing the gifted if needed. Who knows perhaps the spirit won't pay as much attention to this group if less gifted are there and they can be stealthy. Perhaps, one of the other groups can cause a distraction of some sort to draw the spirit's attention away from Frank and his group? If that last option is even possible. 

Nathaniel went into the front office of the apartment building, looking at who had just boarded the elevator to see that it was Denver and Gita. Frank was in the kitchen with Rocky and Flora, it looked like he was having a snack before they left.

He left the front office and went to the kitchen himself. Rocky excused himself from the conversation after a small talk with Nathaniel, leaving Frank and Flora. The general aura of the room went suddenly sullen after Rocky’s departure, which told Nathaniel that Flora already knew where Frank and Denver were taking Gita. Nathaniel focused on Flora and put his hands in his pockets. “Purna wanted me to ask you to come along.”

The two looked confused, Frank looked a little concerned for a moment before he corrected himself. Flora leaned on the counter, watching the door behind Nathaniel. “Why me? Is there a reason Oliver isn’t going like he’s supposed to?”

“He’s not right right now.” Nathaniel gave half of a shrug when he saw that the answer didn’t really do much for Flora. “If I could tell you what’s going on with him then I would, but I really don’t know. He froze, completely disassociated.”

Frank had since finished his snack and gone to wash his hands, what Nathaniel had said catching him off guard. He stood with his hands under the running water. “Like he was hypnotized or something?” Nathaniel nodded as Frank grabbed a towel, drying his hands. “The same thing happened to Leo like an hour ago. Purna had an incident of her own, but it was different from what I saw happening to Leo.”

“What happened to Purna?” Nathaniel crossed his arms, realizing that the incident Frank was referring to was likely another reason Purna wouldn’t go.

Frank held the towel in his hands, occasionally fidgeting his fingers under the towel. “You remember what she did to Chaz?” Nathaniel nodded. “She almost did the same thing to Zoey but it was fueled by anger. When the children’s protectors tried to question her, she had no clue about it and didn’t believe that she did it.”

“If it was fueled by anger then that would mean Denver was actively using his gift, but that wouldn’t mean she would completely lose track of her consciousness.” While Nathaniel admittedly had very little idea of how the elementals worked, he knew that what Frank was describing was a bad sign for Frank and only Frank.

“That’s the thing, Denver was standing right next to me. He wasn’t using his power.” Frank put the towel down on the counter and started heading for the door. “Whoever is coming, we’ve got to get going.”

Frank left, leaving Flora with Nathaniel. She still seemed confused and even more concerned than she had been before, but she followed him out of the kitchen. Nathaniel was the last to leave the kitchen, meeting up with Denver, Gita, Frank, and Flora in the lobby.

Denver was leading the group, he was clearly unsettled at first that it was Nathaniel going along rather than Oliver.

There wasn’t much talk among the group because of Gita’s presence. The only sound that was around them was the sound of their own feet shuffling; even the birds had stopped their songs. It reminded Nathaniel an awful lot of a funeral procession. He knew how they handled the dead on the mainland and he knew it was different from the dead on the island.

When it came to his people’s tradition, when someone began showing signs of aging past their prime, they would be led to the burial grounds by their direct family, the village leader, and their apprentice. They would then lay on the ground, to lay themselves to rest and the village leader would lead a call to the spirits to spare the oncoming deceased and at the end of the call, their apprentice would sit by their head while the family would pile stones on their loved one. Looking back on it now, Nathaniel knew that the family killed the individuals by stoning them to death and he was grateful he never had to do it to his mother.

Nathaniel would look up from his feet every once in a while and find that either Denver or Frank would look back at him, the both of them likely not feeling confident in Nathaniel tagging along. He couldn’t really blame them since they only really knew that Nathaniel was a direct report to the spirit that had trapped them on the island and in Denver’s case, the spirit that had sentenced his wife to death.

Nathaniel got to thinking about what this trip meant for Frank and Flora. He didn’t have high expectations that everything would go according to plan and the idea that Frank’s life relied on Flora risking her own was something that didn’t sit too comfortably with Nathaniel. He understood why it had to be Flora who came along, he just didn’t like it.

“Nathaniel?” Gita’s voice yanked Nathaniel back to attention, prompting him to look around and see that all eyes were on him. “Are you doing alright?”

He gave a half-hearted smile and nodded. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m just a bit tired today.”

Gita gave a soft laugh that only seemed to pain Denver. “Just wait until you’ve got a wife and two kids on top of it, every day will be a day of exhaustion but you’ll love it and wouldn’t take it any other way.”

Nathaniel watched Denver take a few rushed steps forward and raise his right hand to his face, something that everyone but Gita managed to catch. Nathaniel carried on with the conversation to avoid Gita’s attention falling on Denver. “That’s something for the very far future for me, I live for my work.”

“I’ve never understood people who lived like that. No offense intended.” She paused and gave a slight shrug. “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I’ve always lived for the heart and I’d like to say that Denver and I have raised Lauren and Suzette to do the same. Frank, I’m sure you’re also someone who lives for your work.”

Frank stayed quiet, his eyes focused on Denver, who seemed to be breaking apart the more that Gita spoke. “Matters of the heart are why I was in the line of work that I was.” His eyes drifted to his right and found Flora’s eyes.

He mouthed something to her, prompting her to speak up next. “Hey, Gita. Let’s break off for a minute, I want to show you something that Purna showed me a few weeks ago, I think you’ll love it!”

The two women quickly branched away from the men, Denver collapsing onto the ground as soon as Gita turned her back to them. He was using his jacket sleeve in an attempt to subdue his cries as Nathaniel and Frank went to his side, neither of them sure of what to say at the moment. “She trusts me and I’m leading her to her death. She doesn’t know. I can’t do this to her.”

Nathaniel watched Denver, trying to think of what he could say to offer comfort. “I did the same thing, except I was trying to avoid it when it happened.” He knew they didn’t have long before Flora returned with Gita, so he would have to be quick about whatever he said. “My wife was going to die and I unintentionally guided her to a fate worse than death while I was trying to save her.”

“The difference is that you’re getting your wife back at the expense of mine.” Denver spoke, his words seeming angry but his voice being filled with devastation.

“I’ve spent months trying to think of how I can avoid it and I haven’t given up the thought. I have ideas on how I can try to help Gita, but it all starts with you pulling yourself together and getting us there.” Nathaniel let out a sigh. “The next step is a little harder because it relies on me maintaining my mental consciousness and I’m not sure how likely that is in the island’s heart.”

The two gave Denver another few minutes to collect himself before Gita and Flora returned to their view, leading to the two pulling Denver back to his feet and instructing him to clean himself up before they got too close and Gita realized something was happening.

The trio met the pair halfway, Denver leading the group closer to the island’s heart.

---

It was dark by the time the group reached the island’s heart but they still went into it, knowing that the spirit was likely going to be wandering the heart and that the night was when the spirit had the most power.

Flora seemed to have the silent understanding that her main purpose in being there was to support Frank. Knowing that she knew that was a relief to Nathaniel, who had made the decision while on the way that he was going to do whatever it took to support Denver, even if it meant going against the spirit.

Frank knew when he needed to use the summons and that it was going to bring each gifted person, which meant he would have to be on the lookout for Brianne and Amos, the former who would be angry with him for watching what happened to Zoey and the latter being completely unpredictable in behavior already.

Denver took Gita’s left hand in his right as they walked through the island’s heart. He had taken the key Frank had gotten from Leo earlier and kept it in his left hand, knowing now that while it was Purna who had kept the key for the longest time, it was Denver who it was intended for.

Gita had made a few comments about the rapidly growing heat as the group walked through the caverns. Everyone present understood what that meant and agreed with her, despite each of them actually getting colder as they got deeper into the heart.

Frank watched Denver stop in front of a shut door, fiddling with the key in his left hand before he turned to Gita with a sorrowful attempt at a smile on his face. “Gita, do you know that you and the girls are the best things that have ever happened to me? Do I tell you that enough?”

Gita looked confused, but she smiled and nodded. “You tell me that every single night before bed, I would say that that’s enough.”

“But it doesn’t feel like enough.” Denver took his left arm around Gita’s shoulders and pulled her a little closer, resting his forehead on hers. “Meeting you was a chance encounter, loving you has been an honor. You are and have been my world since I laid eyes on you and deep down, I know that it’s my fault that we’re even here but even with that knowledge, I wouldn’t change a single thing I’ve done with you. So long as I am in this world, you’re the holder of my heart and I just want you to know how much you truly mean to me.”

Frank looked to his left to see Flora had started tearing up a bit. He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave a slight squeeze to remind her that other people were there and she was ultimately going to be okay.

Denver planted a kiss on Gita’s forehead before he took his left arm back and unlocked the door in front of him, pushing it open and leading Gita into the room.

Nathaniel went in after Denver and Gita, Frank and Flora stuck to each other’s side as they entered the room. The heat in the room was almost unbearable to them. The change was dramatic from what they’d just gone through, which Frank could only compare to the temperatures in a morgue.

While he had had a theory on it, it became clear to Frank what had been happening since they got to the island’s heart. Denver had been using his gift to essentially dose Gita, expose her to extreme heat before they got to the room so she wouldn’t have to suffer long in the room.

If that was truly Denver’s plan, it worked. Gita fell to the ground and started convulsing in a matter of seconds within the room.

Frank watched Denver and Nathaniel both, neither of the two seemed to be present. Their state was comparable to how he’d seen Leo earlier in the day. Physically, they were there but mentally, they were long gone. Frank stayed planted in front of Flora, who was also watching the two men.

It was only when Gita’s body stopped moving that Nathaniel and Denver seemed to click back into reality. The two looked dazed, but looked at each other with a slight nod. They hurried past Flora and Frank, going for the door.

The two left the room, Flora and Frank heading after them. It was when Flora and Frank were about to leave the room that the door slammed in their faces. The two looked all over the door for a handle, finding nothing to grab on to before Flora hit the door a few times to try and grab Nathaniel or Denver’s attention on the outside. “I wouldn’t waste what little time and energy you have left doing that, Mrs. Wynne.”

Frank and Flora turned back towards Gita’s body to find who they both knew now to be the spirit of the island standing at attention. Frank knew he could withstand the room longer than Flora and that if she expended any more energy than she already had, she didn’t have long left. “Why did you only trap us?”

“Because you two are the only two without gifts with knowledge of the island. It’s not that I want to get rid of you two, I need to get rid of you two.” The spirit’s eyes drifted to Gita’s body. “I needed to wait until she was already gone because it ensures the elemental’s cooperation. I wouldn’t have chosen such a slow and painful death if it were up to me, but I’m sure you understand by now that timelines are important.”

“Again, why trap us?” Frank used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away some sweat on his forehead. “We all know that you have the power to erase our memories, why kill us instead of doing that?”

“I’ve tried, many times. The people you two associate with won’t let the effects be permanent.” The spirit sounded bored, which Frank knew was normal for the spirit. “It is truly disappointing. I was going to give you a child to keep, Mrs. Wynne, but you just had to show up here with the elemental and the traitor.”

Frank turned to Flora, seeing her face was pale and she overall seemed to be in rougher shape than he was. “Don’t listen to it, it’s trying to rile you up so you die quicker.”

Frank faced forward, finding himself staring at the barrel of his own gun. He had no clue when the spirit took it, however he had the feeling that the spirit wouldn’t use it on him. The spirit wanted them to die in that room, for it to look like Denver had killed them. “If I wanted you two dead quicker, I could make it happen. Everything happens for a reason and as human as I am, I’m a creature of purpose.”

“What you just said tells me that you’re not human at all, but we both already knew that.” Frank knew he wouldn’t be able to reach the summons in his back pocket without making it obvious what was happening, which meant Flora would have to use them. “We’ve both seen you do some pretty awful stuff, from right to left to the right again, you’re vengeful and have even wronged some of your allies.” He had chosen his words carefully, hoping that Flora would pick up on the fact that the summons were in his back right pocket.

“I have crossed people who have crossed me. Loyalty is never unconditional and it should not be expected if someone feels right turning their back on their allegiance.” The spirit tossed the gun to the ground, suddenly seeming entertained by the conversation. “Take Nathaniel as an example, his loyalty has always wavered, which is why this task was ultimately fruitless. Not only will he not be receiving what he came here for, he’s also going to be completely responsible for the two of you dying.”

Frank could feel his eyelids getting heavier as he struggled to breathe, the heat beginning to smother him. “You knew about this the whole time?”

“Of course I did.” The spirit chuckled. “The first step I needed to take to make sure things went the island’s way was the key. That key was important in causing Purna to lose reputation with the other gifted because of what she did to Zoey and it weakened her mental state enough to allow Brianne to get into her head. It was an elemental item that did not belong to her element and by holding on to it for weeks, she damaged her own mentality. Truthfully, I don’t know why Oliver and Leo started to project to the mainland now, but it worked out perfectly so I let it happen. The rest of the gifted were no problem to me, I could have handled any of them by myself on a normal day.”

Frank heard Flora shuffling a bit behind him, hearing her body hit the door and slowly sink to the floor. He turned to see that she had the bag in her hands and she was working on getting it open. He knew the spirit couldn’t see her past his body so as much as he wanted to hit the ground himself, he needed to stay standing. “You could have handled any of them by yourself, yeah? What about all of them at once?”

Before the spirit could respond, the sound of glass shattering filled the room, sourcing from the wall that Flora had found her right hand resting on and an overwhelming silence following the shattering glass. Knowing Flora had used the summons, Frank allowed himself to drop to the ground.

“Frank…” Flora watched Frank and called out to him as best as she could, a sudden overwhelming sense of fear filling her as she realized that the summons hadn’t worked as they had thought they would. “Frank!”

Flora looked up at the spirit, who looked simply delighted at what it was watching. “They didn’t tell you how to properly use the summons. What a shame.” The spirit kneeled to get on eye level with Flora, pointing at the door behind her. “Because you broke the orbs on the wall, everyone you tried to summon is on the other side of that wall. You’re physically blocking the only way in and Denver is the only one who can open the door, so truthfully it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side unless he’s with them.”

“He has to be, he’s gifted.” Flora laid on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the room. “It had to summon him too.”

The spirit stopped pointing and looked at Frank, its head tilting in the same way a wolf would. “A little known fact about the summons; it doesn’t summon any gifted that are in the direct area. So no, it wouldn’t summon Nathaniel or Denver. One of the ones that you summoned would have to track them down and get Denver to open the door.”

Maybe the spirit was right. Maybe this was it.

Flora laid on the ground, looking at the ceiling. It was then that she realized there were embers dancing all around the room. It was a beautiful sight that she had somehow missed the entire time that she’d been in the room. “Will they know that we’ve died?”

“Of course they will.” The spirit responded, the voice somehow comforting to Flora. “Oliver already knows it’s happening because he’s in the vicinity and failing his one duty by not helping you two. Denver already knows it’s happening because this room is his element, he’s constantly aware of this room and it’s happenings, even if he’s not recognizing it. The rest of them can likely assume what’s happening, but they wouldn’t know for sure of your death until they see your bodies.”

Flora’s head fell to the left, the sound of her neck popping filling her ears as she turned. She saw Frank lying on the ground, not moving and not responding to conversation anymore. “Is he already gone?”

“No, not fully.”

“Why are you still here?” Flora took a long breath before continuing. “Why haven’t you just disappeared like you normally do when you get your way?”

“To die alone is a difficult way to go. You two were good people who got mixed up with the wrong cause and even I recognize that you don’t deserve a lonesome death because of that.”

Flora let out a forced chuckle. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Thank you.”

It was then that the embers stopped dancing and the room filled with darkness.

The darkness wasn’t permanent and it wasn’t what Flora originally thought it was. The darkness was the door behind her being forced open and her being forced to stare at the ground.

“Denver, focus up, I need you right now.” Despite hearing the voice every single day, Flora couldn’t immediately place it. She felt someone wrap their arms under her underarms. They hesitated for a moment before they lifted her up. “Nolan!”

It was when they called out to Nolan that Flora realized it was Oliver who had hold of her. He pushed her into someone else, who she believed was probably Nolan. Nolan put her on the ground outside of the room, removed her jacket and pants to try and cool her down. “Em, I need Purna here!”

“Leo, can you find her? I can stay on Amos if you go.”

Flora opened her eyes to see what was happening, seeing the door to the room was still open and that while she had heard Oliver talking to Denver, she didn’t see either of them. “Frank.. Frank’s in there.”

“I know, but I can’t leave you.” Nolan spoke quietly, keeping his eyes focused on Amos.

“Nolan, go get Frank.” Flora attempted to push Nolan away, finding she had absolutely no strength. “I mean it. Get Frank and the others out of that room, the spirit is in there.”

Nolan got to his feet, looking over Emily and Amos one more time before he sprinted into the room himself. As if he had been waiting to get Emily alone, Amos took a swipe at her legs with his own leg, knocking her to the ground.

He leaped over her and started running towards Flora, who had no strength to force herself away.

Flora was once again grabbed by her underarms and pulled back, this time her defender pulling her on top of their own body and then rolling over to use their own body to cover hers. Just before her eyes met the ground again, she saw a spear that looked like it belonged to one of the children’s protectors. The spear had gone over Flora and her defender, likely being thrown to stop Amos.

She heard two loud thuds before she heard Leo’s voice. “Clear.”

“Not fully.” Flora heard Nolan speak up from her left. “Oliver and Denver are about to draw the spirit out here. Where’s Brianne?”

“She took off when Leo showed up.” Flora was again pulled off the ground, this time she was leaned against the ground. She was immediately bombarded by Purna putting her hands all over Flora’s face and head. “She’ll be back when the spirit gets out here. Emily, are you alright?”

Flora briefly turned to see the teenage girl limping towards the group that had gathered. “Better than Amos is, so it’s whatever. Emily kneeled next to Flora, looking at her wrists. “I think she’s doing okay for now, Frank needs to be rehydrated. I’ll stay with her to make sure nothing happens from here.”

She watched Purna and Leo lean Frank against the same wall she was on, Nolan had already removed what extra clothing from Frank that he could. Purna quickly began putting her hands all over Frank the same way she had done Flora, which told Flora that the physical connection was how she was rehydrating the two of them.

Flora knew Purna well enough to read her facial expressions with ease. She could tell through those expressions that something was seriously wrong with Frank and that Purna didn’t think she’d be able to fix it but she was still going to do what she’d been told.

Turning her head to the right, Flora finally saw Oliver and Denver. They’d eased their way out of the elemental room, the spirit only a few steps in front of them. It was when she saw the two of them that she realized she hadn’t seen Nathaniel since he originally left the room with Denver.

Oliver seemed distracted, he kept looking back at Frank before he called on Nolan to take his place, giving him just one order as they passed each other. “You see Brianne, you take her down immediately. No conversation, no hesitation, do not let Brianne link up with the spirit.” He kneeled down next to Purna’s side, studying Frank for just a few seconds before shaking his head. “He’s not going to make it.” He paused, still staring at Frank. “An elemental death, fire and water create something else. Denver unintentionally did his part by leaving Frank in that room, you need to finish it. Dehydrate him.”

The order caught everyone listening off guard, the only one willing to speak up for Frank being Flora herself. “You’re suggesting actually killing him? How do you know it’ll work?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m suggesting and I also wish it wasn’t.” Oliver did seem to be genuinely disturbed by what he had to suggest. “I know it’ll work because it’s literally my gift to know these things. He’s another elemental set up.” Oliver got back to standing and went back to Nolan and Denver.

Flora watched Purna and Frank, seeing that the two processes weren’t too different from each other. She looked at Leo, then at the group that had fully gathered in the tight hallway. “I don’t think I should be here and I don’t think Frank should be here.”

Leo nodded, watching the group. “I think you’re right, but I don’t think anyone can leave. Nathaniel is already gone with an injury, Emily’s hurt now and Purna’s preoccupied with Frank so she would have to go. So long as Brianne is still unaccounted for, losing Emily and Purna is the wrong move.” He looked specifically at Denver. “That’s another one that shouldn’t be here anymore.”

“Then use him to get Frank out of here. If Emily and Denver carry Frank together, Purna can keep dehydrating him. Regardless, I’m not leaving here without Frank and Denver.”

Leo held up a finger, going to Oliver’s side. The two talked for a minute before Oliver backed off from the group and went to Flora. “Alright, you guys need to make a decision quickly. Leave or stay.”

Purna wasn’t allowing herself to lose focus on Frank as she responded in a harsh tone. “I don’t care, I’ll do whatever, just let me do what I need to do.”

Flora and Oliver looked at Emily, who also shrugged. “I can help with Brianne and the spirit from here or I can help with getting them out of here, it’s your choice.”

“Then it’s on you, Flora.” Oliver turned his attention to her. “Denver doesn’t want to back out of this but I agree, he doesn’t need to be here. He’s useful here and Emily is also useful here, but neither of them need to be here. If you want to leave, I’ll send them with you, just tell me what you want to do before we run out of time to do it.”

[Flora, Emily, Denver, Purna and Frank leave]
[Flora, Emily, Denver, Purna and Frank stay]

Flora watched Amos, who was lying face down on the ground. He was still breathing, despite the spear that had dug into his back.

Originally she had thought that Leo threw a spear at Amos, but learning it had hit him from behind revealed to her that it was Emily who had thrown the spear from her place on the ground.

Her vision fell into Oliver, quickly realizing that he was intentionally hiding his right hand. “What happened to your hand?”

Purna turned to look at him, just one look from her getting him to show his hand to the small group. While it didn’t look good, it was fascinating to Flora. A perfect circle had gone through his palm. “When I had you, the spirit tried to hit you with something. That’s when I tossed you to Nolan and when I put out my hand to try and block it, it went straight through my hand.”

Emily put her palms on the wall and inched herself to her feet, limping towards Amos and grabbing the spear that stuck out of his back. “I’m not going anywhere.” She took the handle of the spear and tapped Denver’s shoulder. “Oliver and I are injured because you froze up earlier. You need to pay attention because if Purna can’t finish with Frank, it’s going to be fully your fault and I’ll make sure that you face repercussions for it.”

“Emily, that’s not necessary.” Leo called out, walking around Oliver to join Emily and Nolan. He whispered something to Nolan once he got there, prompting Nolan to go to Purna’s side.

“So what is your plan?” Purna asked Oliver, her tone falling in confidence, even sounding a bit scared.

Oliver looked at Nolan before getting back to his feet. “Nolan will stay here with you. If Brianne shows up, we take her out and the spirit falls out to start pushing energy to Brianne and Amos so they regenerate quicker. If Brianne doesn’t come back around then we just hold off the spirit until the morning. Regardless, we can’t do anything against the spirit in the heart. This is its home.”

“And when is morning? What time is it now?” Flora looked over at Frank again. “What if what Purna’s doing doesn’t work on Frank?”

Oliver turned to Leo, the only person in the room who had a watch on. He raised his wrist and looked at the time, seeming to do some counting in his head. “It’s a quarter after three, so there’s around an hour and forty-five minutes left until it’s considered morning.”

Oliver nodded slowly, as if Leo had just confirmed something for him. “What Purna is doing to Frank is going to work, so I need you to completely drop the idea that it won’t. It’s already enough that you’re both injured but the more that you work yourself up over it, the less I’m able to focus on the spirit and Brianne. Nolan and Purna are going to be right here and if the very worst happens, Denver can seal that room again and if he’s in there, he can control the conditions inside the room.”

“He can control the room?” Flora thought back to what the spirit had said, about the room being just for Denver. “Why did he leave us in there alone? Why didn’t he try and change the conditions? He could have prevented what happened with Frank.”

Flora could tell that the statement was an unpopular one and in some present company’s cases, such as Purna, it had struck a nerve. Her face said it all, Flora didn’t have to question her but Nolan pushed the topic. “Why do you think it was Denver’s fault? He was doing something that we all knew he agreed to do under very specific conditions so if anyone is at fault, it would be whoever suggested that you and Frank go with Denver.”

“You’re right, Nolan, it was my fault.” The fearful tone that Purna carried earlier was now razor-like and angry. Her attention was still on Frank, but she was listening to every word that was being said. “I don’t think that a smart thing to do when we’ve decided to camp out and wait for Brianne is to be playing the blame game but if you’re going to blame anyone for Flora being here, then blame me. If you’re going to blame someone for what happened to Frank then blame the spirit, but not Denver. Denver just killed his own wife to support a man that he doesn’t even like, he was trying to finish his task and leave. He had no idea what was going to happen to Frank, there’s no way he could have known.”

Flora had another question, which she knew was going to sound like an accusation when she said it. While thinking about whether or not to speak on it, the spirit said it for her. “Denver couldn’t have known, yes, but Oliver did. There’s no question on whether he knew or not, he sacrificed Frank’s life at the expense of reaching a goal.”

“Alright, I’m calling this off now.” Emily quickly jumped in, refusing Oliver the chance to defend himself or the spirit to push any further. “The spirit of the island is now joining into the blame game, you guys are playing into its hands and getting distracted. It doesn’t matter now why Frank is here and who sent him or Flora, they’re here and now we have to defend them. Get it together, all of you.”

Flora found it a bit ironic that Emily had called the others out for blaming each other when, from what Flora remembered, it was Emily who started it when she blamed Denver for what happened to her and Oliver.

The hallway fell into an icy silence as Oliver excused himself from the area, taking Leo and going to search for Brianne.

As Flora felt herself cooling down, she got enough strength to put her clothes back on. It made her realize that she hadn’t thanked Oliver and Nolan yet. In truth, she owed everyone present an expression of gratitude, even Denver.

It was Denver who unlocked the room so Oliver and Nolan could get her out.

Leo was the one who ran to get Purna, who immediately did everything in her power to keep Flora alive.

Despite getting injured herself, Emily threw the spear that stopped Amos from attacking.

But the one who she owed the biggest expression of gratitude was Frank. He kept the spirit distracted long enough for Flora to use the summons when that was originally supposed to be her job. Part of her had begun to wonder if he would have been better off if she had used the summons earlier, or if she had known how to use them in the first place.

“I’m sorry.” It was the only words that Flora could force out. “Everybody here contributed to saving my life and Frank’s life and instead of acknowledging that, I blamed you guys.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t be so sure that they’ve saved you.” A voice that changed the attitude of everyone around spoke out from behind Nolan. The voice was Brianne’s, she sat cross-legged on the ground as if she was just waiting for someone to notice her. “Let me tell you how I see it.”

She jumped to her feet, producing a spear and hurling it straight at Nolan before he could react. As the spear dug into his chest, he fell backwards and hit the ground. “Nolan knew about this mission, he knew that it was going to be someone ungifted going. He was an idle bystander in sending two people to their deaths.”

Flora looked at Nolan laying on the ground, almost in the same exact position that Amos was in.

Brianne saw Emily inching towards Amos to retrieve her own spear, Denver moving towards it with her, the both of them turning their backs to the spirit.

She broke into a sprint to grab her spear from Nolan, who only forced it deeper into his own chest to try and prevent her from taking it. It was when she had fully taken it from Nolan’s weakened grip that Purna let go of Frank, spinning around and grabbing the spear herself.

Purna knew that she wasn’t going to be able to take it from Brianne with the grip she had and where she was holding it from, but she could buy Emily and Denver some time to act.

Brianne took the spear in both hands and jerked it towards her, pulling Purna into range. She took a single swipe, just like Amos had done to Emily, and knocked Purna to the ground. She went to send the spear into Purna’s stomach, only being stopped when Purna grabbed the spear again and started pushing back to defend herself.

It was angering Brianne, Flora could tell that much. Brianne looked at the spirit, her face red. “Are you going to do something or is this all me?”

The spirit’s eyes gazed over towards Emily, who was frozen in place with her hand wrapped around her spear. “I can only do so much. I have two people frozen in place and I have no control over the elementals or the other one. There is a hierarchy and you know this.”

Flora saw Denver had put Frank on his back and snuck him into the room that nearly killed him. He sealed the door behind him and as soon as the door was sealed, Purna let go of the spear and allowed herself to get stabbed.

Brianne took some heavy breaths as she held her spear in place. “Purna sent specifically you here, knowing that you would probably die. She had the chance to talk Oliver out of sending a non-gifted person and she chose not to take it.”

“I unintentionally starved that room of oxygen, leading to Frank dying. I froze when it came time to get you guys out.” Denver finally spoke, Emily’s spear in his hands. He tossed the spear between his two hands, eventually pointing the blade straight at Brianne. “Elementals don’t do physical combat but I was something of a street rat back on the mainland, according to Gita’s parents. We can do this fair or we can do a sweep.”

Flora could see the spirit shaking its head behind Denver, warning Brianne against fighting him. “If you must fight an elemental, you should not do it while they are in their element. Not only is Denver in his element, I have no clue where Oliver is. You cannot take on both of them and I cannot defend myself while having a hold on Leo and Emily.”

Brianne looked back down at Purna, then at Nolan and gave a shrug to the spirit. “I like my odds and so long as I don’t mess with Flora, Oliver doesn’t know I’m here.” She turned her attention to Denver. “I’ll fight you, on the condition that the loser stays dead.”

“Don’t do it, Denver.” Emily’s harsh whisper was audible to everyone in the hallway, despite the message only being meant for the man next to her. “If she wins, she just gets stronger and we all get weaker because you don’t regenerate. I understand that you think that that’s the way things need to be since Gita isn’t around but think about your daughters.”

Flora took a second to dissect what Brianne had said, not even registering that Denver had agreed to fight her while Flora was distracted. Flora looked at Nolan and Purna, both of them laid in her vicinity and while they were both still breathing, neither was responsive.

Flora’s eyes flickered toward Emily, she could see the spirit staring her down from behind Emily as she crafted a plan. She saw panic on the spirit’s face as she pushed herself off of the wall and to her feet. “Brianne!”

The spirit’s call took Brianne’s attention off of Denver and onto Flora for just a split second. In that second, Flora saw Emily move just a few inches before she was suddenly restrained again.

Flora knew exactly what she had to do as she stumbled to Purna, collapsing to her knees as she reached her side. She grabbed Purna’s wrist and linked hands with her, knowing that she needed Purna’s cooperation to dehydrate herself and alert Oliver to the danger that was Brianne.

“Not like this.” It was the only thing Purna could say before taking her hand away from Flora. “Not me.”

Flora looked on, confused at Purna’s refusal to cooperate. She got to her feet and looked around, finally meeting Emily’s eyes. She followed Emily’s gaze to the door that was sealed shut by Denver.

Looking at the door, she noticed that the seal was getting weaker whenever Denver did anything with his gift. She needed to get the door open.

The elementals didn’t have weapons, which meant that the only objects she could use were the protector’s spears. Nolan’s spear was in Brianne’s hands and Emily’s was in Denver’s hands, leaving Flora with only one choice.

She turned towards the hallway that Brianne originally came from and broke into a sprint, not knowing how much time she had to interfere. Going down all the halls looked the same, she had no idea how she was supposed to find Leo when she by now had no clue how to get back to Denver.

“You’re going to run straight into Leo if you don’t slow down.” Oliver’s voice brought Flora to a quick halt.

She could tell that he was also around the corner that she was about to swing around, prompting her to look around and confirm that he and Leo were the only ones there. “I need Leo’s spear and I need your help.”

Oliver looked at the spear in Leo’s hand, quickly taking it in his own hands. Flora saw a small struggle from Oliver before the spear came out of Leo’s grip. He passed it to Flora and walked past her, seeming to lead her back towards Denver. “It’s not me that you need, but you’re on the right track with Leo’s spear.”

“That’s… that’s what Purna said, not me. Do you know what’s going to happen when we get back to Denver and Brianne? If you knew something was happening, why did you stay with Leo instead of trying to get back to the group?”

“Because some things have to happen in order for other things to happen.” He seemed frustrated with himself.It was something Flora had noticed since he’d taken on his new role; he didn’t like withholding information from anyone, but he had to be secretive now. He didn’t like lying to people and now it was something he had to do to protect others. “Frank needed to be killed by Purna or Denver, Brianne was going to target Purna the second she laid eyes on her so the chances of her fulfilling that task were lower. Nolan needed to be there to think he was protecting you and go for Brianne before Purna or Denver did, that would give Denver time to unseal the room and put Frank inside. Even though neither of them directly killed Frank, they both used their gifts on him in such a short time span that it’s considered an elemental death. It would have been different if Purna couldn’t have dehydrated him and he just went back into the room or stayed in the hallway, that would have been a normal death that he couldn’t have come back from.”

“And what happens to the people that Brianne took out? What’s going to happen to Nolan and Purna? What about Amos?”

“The reason they were all so willing to get in Brianne’s way was because they can’t stay dead. The island’s heart boosts the strength of a gifted individual and since it’s the middle of the night, that boost is at its peak. They can be incapacitated but they cannot be killed here right now unless they make a verbal agreement with one another to stay dead. None of ours would do that.”

Flora’s thoughts were racing, but her mind stopped on Gita. “Wait a second, so Frank can come back from an elemental death. Denver had his hands on Gita when she died, why can he but she can’t?”

“The situation is way different. Gita didn’t have the same connection with the island that Frank did, Frank knows a lot of the island’s secrets and he has communication with people on the mainland who are a direct threat to the island. He had to be subdued, she was just a casualty.” He stopped before they turned the last corner,holding out his hand to stop Flora. “Here’s how it’s going to go. When I get out there, the spirit is going to let Emily and Leo go. I’ll focus on the spirit long enough for Leo to get here and Emily may go to help you with the door or she may help Denver and I, either way you focus on yourself and getting the door open.”

Flora nodded, going around the corner first. The spirit locked eyes with her and in a matter of seconds, Emily was freely moving once again. The spirit knew Oliver was around the corner, despite him not making an appearance yet.

She tucked her head down and moved along the wall to the sealed door. As she turned her back to the spirit and Brianne, she could feel the room around her shifting as the spirit, Denver, Brianne, Emily, and now Oliver focused on each other.

As she slipped the edge of the spear into the cracks, she heard a noise coming from the other side of the door. It was difficult to place the noise over what was happening behind her, but she eventually came to the realization that it was the sound of someone banging on the other side of the door.

The notion that Frank was banging to get out of the room encouraged her to work harder to get it open, She had taken the spear about halfway around the door by the time Leo skidded to a halt at her side. He took the spear from her, using his free hand to guide her back, and began applying more pressure to the door, working quicker than she had been doing. “Our window is closing.”

Flora turned to see what Leo was talking about, seeing that Oliver and Emily were both growing tired. While she watched the two, she realized that Oliver was using the very same sphere that the spirit had originally thrown at him when he helped Flora and Frank. How he managed to take it from the spirit was beyond Flora.

Leo reached the top of the seal, looking back to the group and finding that Denver was missing. It was something the Flora also noticed but hadn’t yet processed. The realization seemed to stir up a panic in Leo, who let out a shrill whistle that filled the hallway.

Oliver’s attention turned to Leo just as he threw the spear in hands towards Oliver. The lack of preparation for the catch caused him to stumble as he grabbed the spear from the air, suddenly caught off guard by another attack from the spirit.

Flora looked around the ground for the spear that Denver would have to have left behind, spotting it just a few feet from Emily and Brianne. Before she could tell Leo where she was going, he had already gone to attempt to help Oliver.

She broke into a sprint to the spear on the ground, keeping her head low with the knowledge of the spirit’s orb being thrown around, as well as Emily and Leo’s own spears. She dove for the spear just as someone coming from the other end of the hall reached the spear and grabbed it.

Flora looked at the hands on the spear, knowing immediately that a man had grabbed it. Fear coursed through her as she refused to look at the man, knowing it could only be Denver or Nathaniel and that if it was Nathaniel, she was done for. Regardless, she let go of the spear and accepted that she was very likely about to be attacked.

While her focus remained on the ground, she was grabbed by the shoulder by the man and pulled in his direction. She looked up in time to see the spirit’s orb hurtling towards her, stopped and immediately sent back by the man using the spear in his hands as a bat.

Flora’s eyes left the spear and finally looked at the holder. “Frank! How did you get out of Denver’s room?”

He held up a finger, watching the spirit’s orb fly through the air. “Leo, I’m sending it to you. That leaves two elementals, one protector, and Oliver for the remainder of the night.”

The orb did rounds through the room, Frank’s head going around as the orb did. On its third lap around the room, Frank gripped the spear and wound up. He hit the orb and did as he said he was going to, sending it straight into Leo.

Once the orb lodged itself into Leo’s shoulder, the room stopped. The look on the spirit’s face was unreadable as it turned around to face Brianne. “Who could have guessed, you were wrong yet again. You have once again ruined my plans because you got your feelings hurt by someone who I had planned to get rid of.”

“That’s not true, there’s only one of them with a weapon. We both-“

“One has their own weapon, one has an understanding of how to use my weapon that is closer to him than it is to me and the remaining two are elementals, one with an element that we don’t know.” Flora saw the spirit’s pale face reach a shade of pink as it raised its voice. “So tell me, Brianne, how is this any of a better position to be in than where my original plan had us at the end of the night?”

Flora saw Oliver look down at his hand and his eyebrows furrow as he suddenly looked confused. He looked up again, then at Leo and then back down at his hand. “We gotta go now. I don’t know where Denver is, but we need to leave.” She saw a momentary panic in him before he crouched down, taking hold of Leo’s arm and slinging it around the back of his neck.

Emily recognized the same face that Flora did, rushing to Nolan’s side and struggling to get him off of the ground. Frank watched the two rush to leave, turning to Flora once Brianne and the spirit vanished. “What do you think that was about?”

“I think you may have a better idea than I do.” She looked at the floor of the hallway. “Where did Purna go? Oliver got Leo, Emily got Nolan but I didn’t see Denver leave or anyone grab Purna.”

“Sounds like you just answered your own question. Oliver didn’t seem too worried about her when he was heading out, so Denver probably grabbed her and took off.”

“That makes sense.” The overall casual nature of the conversation was a bit unsettling for Flora, but she eventually put it aside. “How are you feeling? Different?”

He nodded, starting down the hall. “When we get out there, Oliver’s going to mention a disembodied hand. Don’t worry too much about it, he only just now realized it was his own hand.”

Flora furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of what Frank had just said. “He’s still got two hands, what are you talking about?”

“In this timeline he does. He’s got a tendency to lose parts of him in the timelines, just metaphorically this time.” Frank led Flora to the door that she knew would never open for her and opened it with ease. “From what I learned, it’s rare for timelines to leave evidence once they’ve shifted but it’s for a reason if they do.”

The two walked through the jungle trees, the group that had just left before them now unable to be seen. “Have the timelines ever merged? What happens if they do?”

“The one we’re living in right now is a direct result of a merge, the merge has caused a number of people on the island to start acting in ways that they normally wouldn’t. Everything that’s happening to Mindy is because of the merge and unless we can get it under control, other people are only going to become increasingly aggressive.”

“So if that’s a known fact then why was whatever Nathaniel had going on a priority?”

“I don’t have the answer to that just yet.” Frank continued walking ahead, but Flora noticed his state was blank. His body was moving, but he wasn’t there. “They mentioned that we needed Nathaniel’s cooperation and that this was the only way to get it.”

“Isn’t Denver less likely to cooperate now that he was forced to kill his own wife?” Flora’s mind trailed back to what Frank was saying about the timelines earlier. If something was left behind, it was for a reason and with the item being left behind was a hand that only one person recognized, she began to believe that it was behind as a warning to Oliver. “We traded Denver, an elemental, for Nathaniel.”

“Nathaniel’s been doing this a lot longer than Denver has and he’s physically closer to the spirit. I just don’t think this is going to go well because Denver is fire, anger. Someone is bound to get hurt by playing with fire.” Frank sighed, seeming to try and convince himself that it was a good trade. “I would like to say Denver will come back around, but I don’t know if that’s possible.”

---

At five in the morning, a sharp chill filled Nolan’s chest as he shot up and looked around himself. He found his hands going to his chest, the hole that was there just moments ago had vanished and looked as if nothing had happened.

He looked at Leo, who was rubbing his shoulder and looking at it as if there had been a wound there. Next to him, Oliver was staring at his hand, the look on his face was unreadable, disturbed.

Nolan pushed himself to his feet, spinning in a circle as he realized that he was only seeing Leo and Oliver. “Where is everyone else? Where is Emily?”

“Emily went back to the apartments with Flora and Frank, we haven’t seen Denver and Purna since before we left the island’s heart.” Leo answered, his voice sounding tired. “We stayed here to see if they would show up and to hold off Brianne if it was necessary. Nobody left after Frank and Flora, though.”

---

Back at the apartments, Frank had taken a shower and was getting ready to go down to breakfast.

After getting dressed, he looked through his backpack to make sure all of his belongings were accounted for before he slipped it into a safe that sat in his closet.

He got back to his feet and brushed off the knees of his pants. He shut the closet door and went to the apartment's front door.

Turning the knob and exiting his room, he found himself standing on the pier. Purna stood at the end of the pier and in a matter of seconds, Denver stood in place of the empty spot next to him. “What do you want?”

Frank recalled Nathaniel mentioning that an emotional response would be evoked based on which elemental was feeling the most. That now made sense to him as Denver’s anger was undeniable and almost acted as a physical being.

“First off, don’t talk to me like that again or we’re going to have some issues.” Frank had assumed Purna was upset when he first saw her, but he could tell based on her tone and the look on her face that she was beyond upset. “Secondly, we made a mistake by helping with Nathaniel’s task. There was one major detail that I was never told and I doubt either of you knew and that detail is going to put a massive dent in any investigation that goes on.”

“What’s the fuckin’ detail, Purna? Stop tiptoeing around it and just say it.” Denver cut her off, his words catching Frank off guard.

Frank saw Purna’s eyebrows furrow as she opened her mouth to respond. Frank held up his hand and put himself between the two. “Stop, right now, don’t say another word. You two don’t need to talk to each other right now so I’m going to lead the conversation.” He lowered his hand, waiting to see if Purna was going to go on regardless. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned on the rail behind her.

He turned to Denver, who still held onto the anger he had just thrown at Purna. “What?”

“Denver, I get what you’re going through, I was there for the entire thing. If you want to blame anyone then you can blame Oliver and Nathaniel, but it’s not Purna’s fault so take it easy on her.” Denver waved his hand in dismissal as he crossed his arms and looked away from Frank. Frank then looked back at Purna, who now looked to be calming down. “Alright, what is that major detail?”

“His wife was pregnant when she got locked away, like days away from giving birth. An elemental sacrifice had to be made to allow his wife to come back, we already don’t know what it’s going to do to her and we have even less of an idea of what it’s going to do to her baby.” She paused. “There’s also a pretty high chance that the spirit is going to try and use the baby as a permanent vessel.”

Frank looked to see Denver’s face change in an instant. “To do that, it would have to kill the baby.”

Purna nodded. “Yes. Now you see why I’m bringing this to your attention. Denver, I understand you feel like we all wronged you and in a way, we did, but that child did nothing wrong.”

“So what’s the best course of action?” Denver questioned. “We can’t just lock onto her side until she gives birth, that’s not feasible.”

Frank moved next to Purna, staring at the ocean and taking some time to think while Denver and Purna spoke back and forth. “We give George a reason to remove the baby from her.” He turned back to face the other two. “That would be the safest option for his wife and for the baby. George isn’t really a doctor, but the one doctor here doesn’t even remember being a doctor.”

“You two had some important jobs, you don’t think one of you could do it?” Denver uncrossed his arms.

“Denver, I was a federal agent and she was a lawyer. She didn’t receive any medical training and I only learned the basics. A c-section isn’t in the basics.” Frank went on. “Emily and Nolan are children themselves, Oliver worked in a boat yard, and Leo was a pilot. Nobody who remembers anything has the skills to help.”

Purna shrugged. “As a commercial pilot, Leo should have a decent amount of first aid knowledge, do you think the two of you combined could do it?”

“No.” Frank knew the only thing that was possible, but he also knew that it just opened up another person to an unnecessary risk. “We could remind Boris about his life before the island. Or, we could try Keith. Keith was military, he probably knows more than I did but I would feel more comfortable if he, Leo, and I attempted it.”

“What about Nolan and Emily’s moms? They have children of their own, I’m sure they’d be able to give us a little bit of information.” Denver asked the two.

Frank nodded. “Regardless of who we go with, someone needs to touch base with them.”

“I think the problem with reminding Boris is that he’s going to remember Kelly. Is he really going to be useful in delivering a baby when all he can think about is his dead daughter?” Purna seemed to have calmed down, which meant that Denver’s attention had shifted to the current conversation, his anger subsided for the moment.

“I could use Keith for more than just the baby, but I have no idea how he’s going to react after being gone for so long, that could be dangerous.”

Frank looked at Denver, who waved a hand in the air. “I don’t think this is a difficult choice. I know which one is going to be better for the other residents in the long term and you guys should know that much too.”

Frank turned to look at Purna, who was nodding. “I guess it is a pretty clear decision.”

“Can either of you say it out loud so I can understand why?” Frank looked between the two, neither of them answering him.

Denver spoke up when he saw Frank’s face turn slightly sour. “We’re all here for eternity now, you included. You need to learn the people here well enough to make decisions for them because in truth, the ones who haven’t broken through are completely helpless. They need us just as much as they need the roof over their heads.”

“This is a pretty big decision, so what is your plan if I make the wrong decision and the spirit takes that baby?”

Denver’s face fell as he looked at Purna, her skin pale as she crossed her arms once again. “Then it would be time for her sacrifice.”

Frank saw Purna give a small nod as she looked to the ground. “Every elemental has to make a sacrifice at some point, it usually involves ending the life of the closest living person to them. By all logic, Oliver is dead so that would mean I have to sacrifice my daughter.”

“What if there’s nobody close to them on the island?” Frank knew that the topic had since drifted far from the original topic, but knowing what was on the line at the moment, he wanted to take some time to think on his decision.

“There will always be someone, even if the island has to force a new resident.” Denver put his hands in his pockets. “If the closest person is another elemental or a gifted person, it’s ignored because like she said, the gifted people are dead. We don’t bleed, we don’t even necessarily need the same things that the other residents do. I only keep going to the meals to try and keep feeling a bit normal.”

“That, and it’s really the only time all of the gifted people can be around each other without raising alarms.” Purna added on, her gaze seemingly fixed on Frank’s shoes. “So, what’s it going to be? We need to know before it happens so we can prepare.”

[Choose Keith]
[Choose Boris]

---

I’m so sorry for the months of silence! But, just as I said it would go down a few parts back, I had my son ten days after the last part was posted and the radio silence was there.

I’m finally in the groove with taking care of him and dedicating some time to myself, so I’m happy to say that that extended silence was one of a kind and shouldn’t happen again unless we’re between chapters.

“Denver, go talk with Nolan and Emily’s moms, Purna you do whatever you feel that you need to do. I’m going to go talk to Boris, but one of you needs to check in on Mindy before nightfall.”

Purna and Denver looked between each other. “I’ll take Mindy if you talk to Ashley and Erin.” Denver seemed to be calmer now that he had a task to focus on.

Purna agreed to the request and the two left the dock, leaving Frank standing alone, staring at the ocean. The only thought going through his head being how horribly this plan could backfire. He thought about the strain that was present in Denver and Purna’s relationship, how that could easily cause every part of the plan that wasn’t handled by Frank to fall apart.

He let out a sigh, the realization finally catching up to him that he had become another victim of the island’s grasp and that he’d been transitioned into a new role just as the island had wanted.

---

Talking to Erin and Ashley wasn’t something Denver felt up to at the moment, he didn’t want to be able to associate anything with Gita. He couldn’t avoid it forever, but he could for now.

He went to where he thought Mindy was, finding her tent empty. The food that had been brought to her sat untouched around a campfire.

He looked around the area for a while, finding no proof of her ever being there before he gave up and went back to the apartment building, running into Oliver in the lobby.

Oliver seemed out of it, he hadn’t even processed that Denver was there before Denver spoke to him. “Do you know where Mindy is?”

He got a blank stare in return, Denver felt like he could see Oliver trying to understand the question. “Mindy? No.” He paused, cupping his hands together. “I was going to look for her.”

Denver studied Oliver’s stance, recognizing that his voice was weak when he spoke. “Why do you need to find Mindy?”

“It was my hand, Denver.” His response was immediate but panicked and for once, scared. “I messed things up beyond repair and it was a warning that I didn’t get in time. I don’t know if I can fix it, but I think she’s the key to fixing it if there’s even a chance.”

“What if you can’t find her?”

Denver could see Oliver fidgeting with his fingers as his anxiety seemed to get worse. “I don’t know. I already don’t know what I’ll do if I do find her.”

He stayed silent for a moment just to think over his options, Oliver only growing more fidgety in the silence. “I need your help with something.”

Oliver wasn’t very easy to sway in his normal state, but Denver realized that he needed the voice of the residents, which was Oliver. In that anxious state, Denver barely needed to push.

“Nathaniel’s baby and wife are in danger, we need to get it out of her before the spirit takes it.”

He had to process once again, a look of confusion settling on his face. “Danger? What kind of danger?”

“Oliver, they don’t have time for you to ask questions. You need to trust me. You need to trust Frank, you need to trust Purna. We all came to an agreement, with that agreement the only things we need you to do are trust us and tell George that the right thing to do is remove the baby.”

He looked as if he wanted to argue before he looked at his hand, seeming to decide that he needed to handle the issue Mindy. “Okay, fine. I’ll talk to George when you guys have everything put together.”

Denver watched Oliver go to the door, letting out a sigh as he decided to offer assistance, which he didn’t want to do. “Do you want help finding Mindy?”

Oliver nodded, leaving the apartment building with Denver following behind him.

---

Frank had returned to the apartment building and quickly recruited Flora’s help in the discussion he was going to have with Boris.

The two found him in the library, he sat alone with a notebook in front of him. He scribbled away, oblivious to their arrival until Frank cleared his throat. Boris looked up and gave a kind smile, motioning to the seats around the table. “Hey there, grab a book and take a seat. I promise I won’t talk while you guys are reading.”

Flora sat, placing her hands on the table with a smile of her own. “We won’t be reading today, we actually wanted to talk with you. Do you have some time?”

“Oh… okay.” Boris slowly put his pencil down, his smile fading as he closed his notebook. “What seems to be the problem?”

Frank watched Boris’s face change. Boris already seemed to believe that there was bad news, his face had switched to something of sadness or dread. Frank sat next to Flora and did his best to watch his own facial expressions. “We have a situation that we believe you’re the only one with the capability to fix, but we need to tell you a few things before we can commit you to it.”

“Well, I’m happy to listen.” Boris gave a smile that Flora and Frank both could see right through.

“Nathaniel has a wife, her name is Irina. She’s heavily pregnant and we need to perform a cesarean on her but you’re the only one with the ability to do that.” Frank had never really interacted with Boris, so he figured his best bet was to be as direct as he could. “I know you’re going to tell me that you’re not medically accredited but you are, you were a brain surgeon and if you’re ever going to get back to your old life then you need to make that realization now.”

Both Boris and Flora look caught off guard by Frank’s blunt truth, Boris quickly looking to Flora. “Is this some kind of a joke?”

“No. If you need some kind of proof, Frank has all sorts of information on all of us and I’m sure that he’d be thrilled to show you it.”

“He can’t.” A fourth person joined, their voice filled with urgency. The three at the table looked from each to see that Purna had come into the library, her sudden movements matching the urgency in her voice. “It’s gone, it’s all gone.”

Frank jumped out of his seat and ran for the library doors, Purna going after him. “What do you mean it’s all gone?”

The two went to the stairwell and started up the stairs, the both of them skipping steps in their hurry. “I didn’t think you were going to grab the files before you talked to Boris so I went to go for them, your room got ransacked and everyone’s files are gone with the exception of just one person.”

Stopping at the fourth floor door, Frank suddenly took in what Purna had said. Just one person. “Who?”

She stopped next to him, their eyes meeting as the realization finally hit her. “Mindy.”

The two went back to the lobby, their rush fizzled out by the knowledge that Denver would be going to Mindy and had likely already made contact with her. He very likely would have gotten the files and would be on his way back soon.

Exiting the stairwell, the pair found Flora and Boris talking with Oliver and Denver, the conversation stopping when they left the stairwell.

Purna and Frank looked straight to Denver’s hands and instead of seeing the files, they only saw dirt. They looked at Oliver’s hands, seeing just more dirt.

Purna slowly stepped closer, her eyes fixed on their hands. “What happened?” Her voice was a whisper of what it once was.

It was when her eyes flickered up and met Oliver’s that he shook his head, a somber look on his face. “We went to look for Mindy, we were both going for our own reason apparently and when we got to where she was left, the tent was empty and everything that Nolan brought to her was still there. We looked around for a bit and decided to go talk to Nolan and make sure that he actually saw her and talked to her when he went, about halfway there we saw a manila folder under a tree. Less than ten feet away was where someone buried Mindy alive.”

“Whose file was it?” Frank asked, still not seeing the folder that Oliver mentioned.

“Robyn.”

Denver’s arms had crossed while Oliver had been talking about finding Mindy, seeming unsettled. “How many more of your files are missing, Frank?”

“If you brought Robyn’s back with you, everyone but hers and Mindy.”

Denver nodded, his foot anxiously tapping. “Then we’re fucked. Someone has everybody else’s files, the timelines have collided in such a way that we’re being left warnings from other versions of the island and the only person who could have even slightly enlightened us is dead. The worst of it all is that it wasn’t a gifted person who buried Mindy alive. Nolan made contact with her, he saw her and handed her what he had needed to give her and was summoned to the island’s heart before he even made it back to the children. We were all there the entire night, she was dead before morning. So was Brianne, so was Nathaniel, so was Amos, and so was the spirit. This was a resident.”

Purna looked at Boris, seeing that he only looked confused. He didn’t look frightened by anything that was being dropped in front of him.. “Boris, did someone confirm to you that you are what we’ve said you were?”

He nodded. “Oliver did. I’m not confident in my ability to do it but I’m going to try.”

“Then go now and start getting ready, we’ll be up to help finalize things when we can.” Purna’s vision then went to Denver, however she kept silent until Boris had gotten on the elevator and the doors shut behind him. “Why would you say all that with someone standing right there?”

“In his defense, there’s no great time to talk about the reality that we’re facing. He’s stressing out about it and we all should be. His timing sucked but I can’t say if I were in his exact position that I would have picked a different time.” It was Oliver who immediately jumped to Denver’s aid, providing Purna with a subtly harsh reminder of what Denver had done just the night before.

“Right.” She nodded, her eyes going to the floor. “Let’s go back to the timelines. Denver said that we’re getting warnings, what is he talking about?”

“The amputated hand that Mindy had was my hand.” The statement had Frank, Purna, and Flora looking at Oliver’s hands, both very obviously still attached to his body. “Purna, do you remember that palm reader? From the state fair?”

She stayed quiet for a minute, Frank being able to tell from her expression that she was genuinely trying to remember. “Yeah, the super pushy one who stopped us four times in two hours, I remember her. I remember what she said about your hands, about how you had one of the shortest life lines that she’d ever seen.”

“Like I should have already been dead.” Oliver’s tone was dry, his face cold. “After hearing something like that, it just becomes a habit to pay attention to things like the lines on people’s hands. It was easy to compare lines and I can say from what I saw and from comparison to what I see on a daily basis, it is my hand.”

Flora was leaning against the shut library doors, she looked to be lost in thought. “This is just a theory, hear me out.” She pushed herself to stand straight. “The only way a resident can leave the building at night is if they’re either already out by dark or coming down from the roof. I feel that for something to come from a different timeline, it would need to be attached to the original owner to retain a physical shape. Mindy completely snapped out of nowhere on the same day that Purna found the hand, so what are the chances that it wasn’t a warning but instead a threat?”

“I’m not understanding what you’re saying.” Denver spoke after realizing nobody else was going to. “Can you go a little deeper into detail?”

“Well, what would have set Mindy off? If she watched Oliver cut off his own hand and just leave it? We spent so much time thinking that she tried to hurt Purna for Oliver, but what if it was because of Oliver?”

Frank studied Flora’s face, seeing she was being completely serious about the theory. “You think that there’s a second Oliver running around who jumped timelines and cut off his own hand, then buried Mindy alive, even though he only has one hand?”

She gave a weak shrug. “I don’t see anyone else trying to explain anything that’s happened so far. My final thought on it is just a question for all of you to think about. Who is the one person that every resident here full heartedly trusts? The one person who can convince anyone in this building to blindly follow suit?” She pointed at Oliver and then crossed her arms again. “You guys do whatever you feel you need to, but I’m going to find Robyn. I can’t help but feel the files are being left as a warning.”

Flora moved past Frank and Purna to go upstairs, leaving the four to stand in the lobby. It was silent until Oliver chuckled and shook his head. “Crazy. That’s crazy.” The front doors to the lobby opened, Leo and Nolan coming in. “Anyways, I feel like that’s our cue to handle this thing with Nathaniel now. Denver and I still need to wash up so we’ll meet you guys there.”

Denver and Oliver left the lobby, Frank lowering his voice to a whisper that only Purna could hear as Nolan and Leo stood waiting for the elevator. “Flora’s theory is the best one we have at the moment and he didn’t really say anything to disprove it. Be on your guard.”

“I think Denver knows more than what Oliver told us because Oliver’s doing as much as he can to keep Denver from being alone with us. I’m going to find Flora and Robyn, I’ll watch over them.”

“You know Oliver best, what warning signs do I need to watch for with him?”

Purna briefly pointed towards Leo and Nolan as they stepped on the elevator. “Leo will call them out as he sees them, nobody’s better at challenging Oliver than Leo is. I can already tell you that his response to Flora’s accusation was just strange, but I can’t tell you if it’s because he’s deflecting or if it’s because he’s been so shot mentally that he’s disassociating.” She turned back towards the stairwell, stopping in place. “You need to find Robyn’s file, neither of them offered it up so that’s a solid lead.”

With everything that Flora had said, along with trying to prepare himself for Nathaniel’s baby, Frank had already forgotten about Robyn’s file. It sparked a sudden thought. “Purna.” He waited until she turned back around before going on. “I’m almost certain that I made the choice that requires your sacrifice. If Flora’s theory is true, does that mean you would be able to sacrifice Oliver from a separate timeline?”

She shrugged, a small smile of genuine amusement on her face. “There’s conditions. It depends on his relationship with me in the timeline he came from, if he’s technically alive in the timeline he’s from or if he’s gifted in that one as well, stuff like that. That’s kind of interesting to think about, so thanks for the distraction.”

While she disappeared into the stairwell, one thought stuck with Frank that suddenly riddled him with guilt. She didn’t dispute that he’d made the choice that would require her sacrifice.