Elena's school was still on lockdown. The halls were almost pitch black. The only source of light that was provided was from the sunlight seeping through windows and glass doors. Every classroom and hall was dead silent as everyone waited for the principal to tell them it was all clear or that the police had arrived and it was safe to come out.

But with VILE still lurking around the school, there was no telling if it would be safe anytime soon. Or ever again, since the Cleaners were already planning to come back with a more complicated but effective plan if they didn't find Elena now.

Back at the orphanage, Carmen was watching Tangled with Ivy, Jules, and the children. As the film played, the kids laughed and sang along to every song. They did get obnoxious sometimes, like singing too loud and toppling on top of each other whenever they danced, and that's when Carmen had to step up and calm everyone down. But overall, it was a great way to spend time with the kids and reconnect with Ivy and Julia.

Right after the song "I See The Light" was wrapped up, the door to the room swung open. And Carmen and a few children winced when the door crashed into the wall with unspeakable force.

Slam the door any harder, and it might as well be in pieces. Carmen internally retorted to her mother as her familiar footsteps marched to the coach.

Carmen didn't dare look up until Carlotta completely blocked her view of the TV. And when she finally tilted her head up, she was stunned to see tears in the corners of her eyes, and her face ashen.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"You allowed Elena to attend school today?" Carlotta said, her voice fragile and shaky. But it was still bitter enough to make Carmen feel ashamed of her actions.

"Yes, I did. And I'm sorry, mama. I just wanted her to-"

"Have you even read the email from Elena's school that was sent just now?"

"I didn't know there was an email until now. Why? What happened?"

Carlotta took out her phone and practically shoved the damn thing in Carmen's face. There, on the painfully bright screen, was an email from the principal. He alerted all parents and relatives that the school was on lockdown because of some potential threats inside.

Dread twisted Carmen's gut as her heart leaped to her throat.

As if reading her mind, Jules blurted out, "The school Elena goes to has never undergone an intrusion like this in years. And VILE showed their spiteful faces again just last night. This has to be their doing!"

Carmen chewed her lip. If VILE really was there, there was no doubt they were after Elena. And if they got their gruesome hands on her... they could do anything to her... like brainwash her into becoming one of their own. Just like they once did to Carmen. Or, more likely, they'd kill her.

No... VILE isn't going to lay a finger on Elena. Not today. Not ever.

"Then we're going to the school," She seethed, finally getting up, "We have to save her!"

"Isabel, are you sure? We aren't even 100% sure if it is VILE," Carlotta queried.

"VILE, or no VILE. She's my baby sister, and it's my job to protect her. Jules, let Chief know where we're headed."

"Already on it!"

Carmen rushed to change into her motorcycle attire and met up with Ivy and Jules outside. She jammed her keys in the ignition, hopped on her red motorcycle, and took off towards the school.

She passed streets overflowing with merry families, which Carmen tried not to notice. She then passed the very park she and Elena strolled through just a day ago. The ludicrous amount of dandelions were still there; Carmen remembered the stupid experiment Elena tried out on her with them.

Her vision flashed. Soon, the roads in front of her turned into sidewalks. People morphed into tall, thick trees with golden leaves. The air that slapped against Carmen while she drove faded into a crisp autumn air. And magically, Elena was standing right there, with her lips smiling innocently at Carmen as she held a dandelion in her hand.

"You know there's a saying... if you rub a dandelion under your chin and the pollen sticks, it means you're in love."

"Elena?"

"Red?"

Carmen teleported from the past back to the present at the speed of light, almost falling off her motorcycle in the process.

Ugh, damn it, Carmen! Elena's life is on the line, and you can't keep your head in the game!

"Player! It's a relief to hear you again."

"Wouldn't miss this for the world."

Carmen smirked, "You mean saving a little girl you barely know?"

"That. And getting to be your secret weapon again after forever."

"We captured Paper Star together a few weeks ago!"

"Please, that was too easy."

That earned a much-needed laugh from Carmen, "She has a lot of littering fines to pay in prison."

"Sucks that she can't use VILE's money anymore. Now, care to give me the details on our new mission?"

"I'll fill you in later. But I need you to contact Elena for me. And when you get through to her, sync me in so I can talk to her."

Player obeyed. He tried calling once, twice... three times... four times.

"She's not picking up," Player confessed after the fifth missed call.

Carmen's grip squeezed her motorcycle until her entire hand was pale, "Just... keep trying. She has to answer eventually."

Player assured her he would and went back to dialing her cell phone. And in the meantime, Carmen tried keeping her focus pasted on the road. In the back of her mind, she counted down the distance remaining between her and the school. It was better than listening to the voice in her head telling her that this was all her fault.

"Red, someone's calling you!"

Elena?

"Thank goodness," Carmen breathed as her grip loosened on her motorcycle, "now sync me in so I can talk to Elena."

"Umm... that's the thing. Elena's not the one calling you. Gray is."

"What?" Carmen asked with a hint of frustration.

"You still wanna answer?"

Carmen sighed as she stopped her vehicle at a red light, "He's not the person I want to talk to right now, but I can't keep him in the dark. Go ahead, Player."

For a second, there was silence on the other end, then static, and finally a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Hey, Carmen! Thought I'd check-in and see if everything's okay."

Carmen closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she waited for the light to turn green.

Everything's not okay. Elena's in danger... and it's all my fault.

"Hey," she spoke softly, "I can't talk right now... it's not a good time."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Long story short, VILE's targetting Elena. They're at her school right now."

"What? Crickey, is she alright?"

"I don't know. She's not answering her phone. I'm on the way to the school with ACME. I'll call you back later."

"Wait, but, Carmen--"

Too late. Carmen already hung up on him.

He sighed, gripping his phone tightly in his hands.

Great!

Just when he thought Carmen was safe at the orphanage, she was back outside, risking her life to defeat VILE once again. Obviously, he had nothing against saving Elena. The girl was a good soul and clearly meant a lot to Carmen. And he was just as worried as she was. But VILE was upping their game and getting more relentless. That much was clear when Tigress threatened to kill Carmen during their last encounter.

If something went wrong during her little rescue mission now... Gray wouldn't be there to save Carmen... and if anything happened to her, it'd be all his fault.

Come on... just a few hours left until we land, and I see Luna again. Then, I can return to Argentina. To Carmen.

"Did you do what Ivy and I told you to do?"

"Not yet..."

"Come on, Chase! How long are you gonna wait to make a move?"

Gray curiously to Chase and Zack, who were setting up a game of Monopoly on the floor. It was the Cheaters Edition. Gray didn't even know they made one. Then again, there were tons of versions of the game, and he never kept track of these kinds of things.

Zack noticed Gray looking at him and gestured him to sit down next to him.

"Hey, do you think they have some grindahs on this plane?" Zack asked once he sat down.

"Some what?"

"Grindahs! It means sandwich in Boston slang! Of course, you wouldn't know."

Narrowed and confused eyes stared back at Zack, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, it's because you're Australian. You don't know anything about Boston slang; you probably have a completely different word for sandwich!"

"Well, yeah! We call sandwiches 'sangers.'"

"Sangers?"

"Mhm. Don't believe me? Search it up on your lappy!"

"My lappy?"

His lips pulled up into a smirk, "Exactly! Now don't be a bludger and give it a burl! And while you're at it, throw me a chocky bicky!"

Zack pouted, "If you're hungry, why don't you just get suppah at the Town Spa? Or buy some badadoes, or visit Dunkies? I'll personally get ya a lahge regulah!"

"You're carrying on like a pork chop!"

"How 'bout some beeah or lickah! We could grab one from the packie when we land!"

"Way out to billy-o! Why don't you try throwing a prawn on the barbie?"

Confusion and disappointment swept across Chase's face as he looked back and forth from Zack to Gray.

And Monsieur Calloway thought I was the immature one.

He painfully watched Zack and Gray bicker in their senseless accents until the bickering morphed into a screaming match between the two.

It wasn't until Gray yelled, "spit the dummy," that Chase finally put his foot down for the sake of his sanity.

"What the hell are you guys saying? Do you two have any idea how naïve and annoying you are right now?"

Gray crossed his arms, "Put a sock in it, mate."

"I know what that means!"

"Pull ya head in! Ya pong!"

"Excuse moi?"

"Oi! Ol' Graham 'ere is a bit of a drongo, isn't he, mate!" Zack babbled, leaning his arm on Chase's shoulder

"Hey! I thought you were doing Bostonian slang!"

"Neither of you are doing any slang," Chase snapped, shoving Zack's arm off him, "you two are acting like fools right now with these nonsensical behaviors!"

"You're one to talk, Devineax! You're the one who fell on top of your car a gazillion times. And dressed as a banana for Halloween that one time!"

Gray laughed, "You dressed up as a banana? Of all the costumes!"

"It was on sale, and I needed a disguise!"

"Weren't there other costumes on sale?" Zack asked

"Only an apple and a gorilla suit."

"If you ask me, you should've gone with the gorilla suit," Gray said, reaching out for his glass of water and taking a sip.

Chase turned a cold eye to him, and Gray almost choked on his drink while trying not to laugh.

"You know what? We should change the subject. Now's an inappropriate time to discuss these matters anyway."

"I can't think of a more appropriate time than this," Gray chuckled.

Chase ignored him, "Why can't we just sit and play the game Zack laid out for us?"

"We can play. I don't mind. But you're gonna have to confess soon, mate," Gray teased as he picked the horse figurine as his character.

"We'll see," Chase replied as he claimed the car figurine.

Zack smirked as he watched Chase fiddle with the car. It reminded him of one of his earliest capers with Carmen and Ivy, where he pretended to be the duke of Vermeer, and he had to recite that ridiculous line:

"Pak the cah in Aardvark yahd!"

Gray snorted, despite having no knowledge of its background, "Pop the boot, turn ya blinkahs on and chuck a u-ey, ya copper!"

"I said cut it out!"

Gray slammed his fist on the floor and shouted, "There atta be a bloody bingle up 'head!"

"Then head down the cape!"

"Bloody hoon forgot to renew his rego!"

"Ya new cahs wicked pissa!"

Gray and Zack paused to see the look on Chase's face, and seconds after, they were laying on the floor, erupting with laughter until their cheeks were wet with tears and a cramp kicked their stomachs.

"I hate you two so much."

"Okay, okay, we're sorry, let's play now," Zack promised once he got himself under control again.

"It's about time!"

"Okay, I already set up the money and everything. So you guys can start playing," Zack said as he chose the cat figure as his character.

Chase grabbed his money, "Good," He paused, peering at Calloway through the corner of his eye before adding, "I know you're gonna cheat, Mr. Calloway. Just know I got my eye on you."

Gray smirked, "Me? Cheating? I would never!" He said in the most innocent way possible, but not before stealing 100 Monopoly dollars from both Chase and Zack.

***

Elena and Aurora were still hunched in the tight corner of the stall, waiting and waiting for something to happen. Like the sound of footsteps, an announcement from the principal... anything!

Seconds ticked by, and soon they converted into long, exhausting minutes.

Carmen should be here by now... if she even knows what's going on.

Elena yawned quietly. The room was so still. There was no action or events taking place that sent adrenaline pumping through Elena's veins. It was just... calm.

Her mind started drifting off into some haze, dissolving her of her ability to sit up straight. Her body slumped, prompting her head to fall on top of something hard.

Aurora's shoulder.

Elena clenched her bottom lip between her teeth.

Oh God, she's gonna think I'm a weirdo now!

Elena proceeded to lift her head off of her shoulder when Aurora leaned her head on top. She then felt her smooth hands slide down her arm. It was a slow process, but Elena could feel her heart hammer harder against her chest as their fingers intertwined.

Elena sat there, dumbfoundedly staring at the black shadows of the room as a fire engulfed inside her body.

She and Aurora have only ever been this close in her wildest dreams. But she had to admit... the reality of it felt much better than the visions in her dreams. She felt content and safe here. And she didn't feel so threatened from the lockdown anymore. Maybe because Aurora was always there since Elena's first day of school, and she was there now.

Aurora was the only student who made an effort to introduce herself to Elena. She seemed like the most considerate person in the world when she walked up to Elena and offered to help unpack her things. Right then and there, Elena felt something special light up inside of her.

She thought it was just the excitement of having a new best friend. But there was something distinct about the said "excitement." Every time she was around Aurora or even thinking about her, she could feel herself blush from having all types of emotions rampant against her skin. She smiled a smile that never seemed to expire. She felt more... adventurous, safe, and affectionate than she ever did before. The feelings were just welcomed in soft, rolling waves that moved in fast. And by the time they were packing up to go home, Elena could say it loud and clear on a rooftop.

She loved Aurora, and she always would.

It was cliché, but it was true.

Elena smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling her head deeper into the crook of Aurora's neck.

***

A loud crash from down the hallway made Elena's eyes fly open. It sounded like a bunch of metal objects had been knocked over.

Elena elevated her head off of Aurora's chest to listen carefully, and her heart drowned with fear when she heard them.

Footsteps. Two sets of them. And they were drawing closer to the bathroom door.

Elena didn't need to think about it too much; she knew that these... mysterious beings weren't teachers or the police or Carmen. It was the intruders. The whole reason they were on lockdown in the first place.

At this point, thousands of thoughts and questions flashed through Elena's mind.

Would the intruders even come into the bathroom? And if they did, was it over for her and Aurora? Or could she and Aurora escape through the large opening onto the next stall and continue crawling until they reached the door? Or should Elena try to be the hero and fight them?

Carmen did teach her the art of stealth and self-defense. And Carmen herself said she was trained well enough to do so, so she could get away with it.

But what if neither of those ideas worked? Should she try to talk them down and try to persuade them into sparing her and Aurora? Then again, Elena wasn't always the best in the convincing department.

Ugh, this is ridiculous! Think, Elena! What would Carmen do?

Elena's thoughts were disrupted when she heard the moans spilling out of the bathroom door as it was opened deliberately.

She then heard two deep voices conversing with each other. She tried eavesdropping to figure out what they were saying. But the only words she could make out were "police" and "escape."

Soon, the same footsteps approached the first stall and a bright light flickered on. They had a flashlight.

After no one was detected in the stall, the intruders moved onto the next one. And then the next... and the next... all until they stood in front of their stall door.

Elena was now paralyzed with fear. The idea that she might just die today seized her brain and sent shots of panic through her veins. She couldn't think straight, yet part of her wondered if now would be a good time to confess to Aurora. Just in case she didn't make it.

The handle then jiggled, and the door creaked open, revealing two silhouettes.

Elena's mouth dropped open while Aurora let out a piercing shriek. Right in her ear. It hurt like hell, but at the same time, Elena wasn't sure how she wasn't screaming too.

One of the men pointed the flashlight at them, making them hiss at the blinding light.

"There you are, Elena," one of them seethed.

The sound of her name sent cold dread gnawing at her insides. Elena was forced to squint through the bright beam and at the men again, "H-How do you know my name?"

"Elena, you know these people?" Aurora whispered in her ear.

"No, I've never seen them before in my life," she said with certainty. She'd probably remember two men who looked to be 50 something years old with pale skin, greasy-looking hair, and lifeless eyes a zombie would possess.

At least they don't have to dress up for Halloween...

"You're coming with us," the same man resumed.

"Why? What do you want from me?"

The man disregarded her statement again, "No more questions. We need to get you out and back to VILE."

Elena's fear spiked and twisted in her gut, "V-VILE?"