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Once Vanessa left, the pure exhaustion of our journey became prominent. Within minutes, the loud, monstrous snores radiating off Heath filled the room, echoing in the barren cabin. My hand permanently glued itself to my mouth as yawned non-stop. Mina slouched over, her head resting on my shoulder as she – just audibly – mumbled about her distaste for the deal that had just been made.

Meanwhile, Theo left the cabin to see if there were any patches in the blocking spell Vanessa cast. When he opened the door to leave, a gust of cold air wrapped around us, but we were too tired to bring up any grievances.

Slowly, my head started to nod back and forth; I didn't know why, but I tried to fight off the sleep that so desperately wanted to overtake me. For the past couple of days, we slept, but it was always an alert kind of sleep, with one ear perked up in case of emergency. My body was not quite ready to adapt back to normalcy.

Or maybe it was my mind that was so resistant. The training and journey allowed my mind to stray from the thoughts that plagued and haunted me earlier: Pa was in danger. When my eyes fluttered shut, Pa was standing there, barely managing to not crumble to pieces from his wounds.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel, though. In a couple days, I would bring Vanessa – hopefully – to the Borderlands. I would be reunited with my family; Pa, Gran, Pop, Auntie, and Uncle. I could almost hear the shriek of excitement Gran would release when she saw me again.

But what about my life on the Outside? I had spent a short time without Theo's imposed house arrest in the Alpha Wing, leaving me with only glimpses of the wonders of the Outside world. I could already tell there was more opportunity in the Outside world. However, these past months could not erase or compare to my twenty years in the Borderlands.

However, I could not ignore the mark on my neck. It would tie me to Theo for the rest of our lives. Going back to the Borderlands would not be so easy with it tattooed on me. He would be on my mind constantly – as if he wasn't on my mind enough already.

My mind then circled to Ma.

Ma.

I spent twelve years suppressing my feelings about Ma. I had pushed her memory out of my thoughts, because, while I did miss her, I was more than lucky to have an overwhelming amount of love surrounding me. Gran always made it her mission to make sure I was never lacking for love, but the void Ma left could never truly be filled.

Part of me hoped she was dead as cruel as it sounded, because, when I went back over to the Borderlands, she would be dead to me once again. Knowing she could be out there somewhere, left a pit in my stomach. I couldn't swallow the thought maybe she left of her own free will.

How could she have left me behind?

How could she have left Pa behind?

I would have my answers soon enough, but, even though I knew those answers were close, I could not quench the static bubbling underneath my skin, twisting and turning. My body was tired, but it wanted to get up and move around. Clenching my jaw, I fought back these urges, tooth, and nail, trying my best to reach a calm state.

Minutes seemed to drag out into hours before the door opened back up again, waking up both Mina and Heath, finally giving pause to the ear-shattering snores.

"Hope you missed me," Vanessa walked into the cabin empty-handed.

Knitting my eyebrows together, I was about to question her lack of supplies when Theo came trotting in behind her with a light brown tote back that was bursting at the seams.

"Where's the food?" Heath perked up, clearing his throat.

Vanessa looked unamused. "I'm still thinking about it."

Heath grumbled and slammed his face into the couch cushion. Vanessa raised an eyebrow up in Heath's direction before taking the tote bag out of Theo's hand. She patted his shoulder.

"I forgot to mention, it's cute you thought my spell would have any weak spots," then she turned to me. "He looked like a lost puppy out there, trying to see if he could mind link with his Beta."

Theo growled at Vanessa.

"I see your animal instincts are still intact," she smiled, deviously. She started rummaging through the bag before dumping it all on the floor.

With a thundering clap, a giant bag of salts and exotic but dried-looking herbs fell to the group, scattering dust into the air. Vanessa cracked her knuckles before walking over to the bathtub.

Trying to turn the tap on, she huffed when no water came out. "I guess I have not been here in quite a while. I must have not been paying any of the bills. Oops."

She shrugged, closed her eyes, and then lightly tapped on the faucet and soon water started gushing out. My eyes bulged; had she just been able to make water flow through the pipes without even uttering a word? Or had the water been running this whole time, and she was just playing a trick on us?

Whatever the truth was, I was mesmerized by her powers, and I allowed myself to start to get excited. She was a witch. She was really a witch. Somehow, even though I knew she was one, I hadn't fully believed it up until this point. She would be able to help me find Ma and save the Borderlands (even if she did not know of the latter yet).

Vanessa's fingers danced around the water, waiting for the water to fill the bathtub, leaving enough room for someone to get in. She then hopped up and poured the whole bag of salts in, stirring in dizzying patterns. She closed her eyes as she stirred, humming to herself.

I watched as the water in the tub turned a milky white color, steam floating off the top. Quickly, her eyes popped open and she plucked the herbs in as she wafted the scent of the bathwater up to her nose.

"It will be a couple hours before the tub is ready," Vanessa perched herself on the edge of the deteriorating tub.

"What exactly do you have planned here?" Theo asked.

"You're not going to like it," her face glowed.

"Vanessa," Theo's voice was stern.

"Sage will have to submerge herself in the tub to break the block between her mom," Vanessa stated, twirling her hair. "It could take hours or it could take seconds. It is up to Sage."

"No," Theo gritted, his sharp teeth peeking through his lips.

"Very well," Vanessa moved to drain the tub.

"Wait!" I interjected. "I'll do it."

Theo whipped his head towards me. "You could die."

"You don't know that – she didn't say that," I countered back. We risked our lives to get to this point. I was not going to give up now.

Vanessa scrunched her face. "You could very well die."

"See," Theo spoke, shortly.

"But," Vanessa's voice lightened. "The choice should remain with Sage. There is always a risk with magic. This spell is no different. Sage will be submerged into the Midlands – a world in between ours and the afterlife. It is the realm where the ties of magic can be found. She will have to locate her mom. Once she finds her, Sage must immediately exit the Midlands, or else she could get trapped there forever."

"No," Theo repeated.

"How do I find my Ma, exactly?" I asked, growing nervous.

"Only you will know the answer to that once you get there. What the Midlands conjures for you will not be the same for anyone else," Vanessa explained.

"How will I know how to leave?" I questioned further.

"There is no guarantee you will be able to," Vanessa said softly.

I nodded my head. "I'm willing to take that risk."

I said that without really thinking. Was I really willing to risk my life to find Ma?

"Sage, you don't have to do this," Theo's eyes softened.

"I say she does," Heath jumped into the conversation. "We did not travel all this way for us to stop here."

"Is there another way?" I doubtfully asked Vanessa.

"I'm afraid not."

"Then it is settled," I breathed, "I'll do it."

"Sage," Theo's voice was soft as he made his way over to me, kneeling down in front of me.

"Theo," I mimicked his tone.

"You don't have to do this," he rested a hand on my knee, rubbing it comfortingly. "We can find another way."

"How?"

"We can try and make your mom come to us," Theo proposed, tilting his head.

"Theo," my eyes softened, knowing it would be nearly impossible to make Ma come to us. She went to such lengths to keep any sign of her existence away.

"I can't lose you, Sage," Theo whispered. "Not again."

I reached out for his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "You won't."

Theo did not look convinced, but there was not much more he could do. He could try and drag me back down the mountain, but we did not have enough supplies to survive the journey down. Vanessa would be our key out of here, but she did not seem the type to allow us to go so easily.

Time seemed to pass slowly as we waited for Vanessa's concoction to be ready. Heath would pester Vanessa every couple of minutes, wondering if it was ready yet. Vanessa had gotten so fed up with Heath's nagging, that she conjured a muzzle over Heath's mouth; of course, it did not prevent Heath from whining through the muzzle, loud enough to drown out all our rumbling stomachs.

After what seemed like a time longer than our trek here, Vanessa stated. "It's time."

Hesitantly, I walked over to the tub, where Vanessa was motioning for me. I looked into the murky water; the water had not appeared to be anything out of the ordinary, skepticism clouding my thoughts.

"This is going to help me find my Ma?" I asked, my voice growing nervous.

"Yes," Vanessa lightly reassured me. "Slowly, get into the tub. Keep your face above water. I will slowly guide you down. It will not take long for you to enter the Midlands. From there, it is up to you."

Dry gulping, I kicked off my shoes and soaked my feet in the water, pleasantly surprised by the warm temperature. Soon, my whole body was submerged, except for my head as I leaned up against the tub.

"Ready?" Vanessa asked and then plunged my head under the water before I could answer.