Ada convened with her Guides to leave instructions with them as they continued to rebuild the house.

"The portal will fix itself, in due time. But we still need to cover it up in haste," she said, addressing a large group of blue-bodied beings, floating in front of her, their attention only on her. Faz was among them, though he was closer to Ada, not quite included in the speech since he was going with her. "Keep working, prevent the spirits from escaping the forest, and we will hopefully," she winced, "be back soon."

It was Avery's turn to wince once Ada dismissed the Guides and turned to him with a shy smile. A smile. His wince grew deeper across his face, as he saw her smiling. Smiling? Was she excited to get into his head? Eager to unlock all the thoughts he refused to share with her? Why wasn't she dreading this as much as he was?

"You've already consented, but we must still reiterate," said Ada, approaching Avery, her head bowed. "You allow Faz and I to enter your bodies for a limited time, to grant you a slither of our powers and get us to the portal safely?"

Jamie groaned, and Avery gave a quick nod, wrinkling his nose.

"Right. Faz," Ada urged Faz forward with her energy, "you'll possess Jamie."

Though he muttered string after string of profanities, Jamie rolled his eyes and perked up. "How does this work?" He spread his arms and legs out comically apart, and squeezed his eyes shut. "You just jump in, or," he opened his mouth wide, "slip in through this?"

Ada grimaced at him, still sending Faz closer with her energy. "Stand there and be quiet," she said to Jamie, looking ready to roll her eyes, too. "He'll infiltrate your body, and it'll only take a few seconds."

Avery watched as Faz rubbed his hands together, then fused with Jamie's body, his mist seeping under Jamie's skin, as if melting through it. Jamie shuddered from head to toe, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Blue veins swirled up his arms, up his cheeks, nestling into his forehead and vanishing.

Avery sucked his lips in and took a deep breath as he turned away from his friend, to find Ada focused on him. "Our turn," she said, her voice low, almost soft. "Don't move."

All he wanted was to move, to turn tail and hike through the forest and scram, fast, away from all this. To save himself before he was infested by a being he couldn't stand the existence of.

But this was his mess; Jessamine was his mess. To stop her, he had to confront death in the face... so allowing a Guide to possess him for a few hours was the least of his concerns.

She whooshed forward and disappeared into him. A veil of cold brushed over him, chills skidding down his spine, goosebumps growing on his arms and legs. Immediately, he felt violated, invaded. Even once she was gone, having entered him, he couldn't quite feel her inside him, but she was there. A weightless presence swirling around his veins, morphing into his muscles. Like a shadow breathing down his neck, breathing into his neck.

"I'm settled," she said, her voice echoing inside his head. He pressed his fingertips to his temples, as the sound of her inside flared up pain in places he didn't know existed.

It was like undressing in front of a complete stranger, in stark light. Like someone sinking into your mind and accessing all your secrets, every single thing you concealed deep down to avoid explaining to anyone. Ada was there, cramped in his brain, holding the key to everything he'd ever thought about her, about Jamie, about Jessamine. About himself.

He gritted his teeth, refraining from thinking too many things at once. But did it matter? Ada was in, she was in him and could access his repressed urges with no effort whatsoever. She could hear his insults, his doubts, all the ways he'd thought of torturing her. All the times he'd thought to research her kind and find a means to weakened them, eliminate them—all because she pressed his buttons and kept too many secrets.

But worst of all—she could see the images of him lusting after demonic Jessamine. She'd be able to view the flashes he kept having of Jessamine clutching his throat, shoving her tongue into his mouth, arousing him more than anyone ever had. She'd experience all the sensations he'd experienced in the moment, and all the constant recollections hammering inside his skull.

And she'd judge. She'd chide him. She'd point fingers and accuse him, call him a hypocrite. Because she had secrets, sure; but so did he. Deeper and darker ones than anything she was likely holding on to.

And yet... she said nothing. She didn't react, didn't prod at his insides. If she'd accessed all the things he hoped to hide, she didn't divulge it, didn't speak to him. Not even in his mind, in privacy.

Her silence was either a blessing, or a sign of a worse outburst to come.

"Let's go," she said, sending a slight jolt of energy down his back. "No dilly-dallying."

He snorted at her word usage, and patted Jamie on the back. "We gotta get going," he said, gesturing towards the car. "I'll take the first driving shift."

Once in the driver's seat, Avery exchanged a glance with Jamie, who'd been wriggling about trying to get comfortable.

"Try to relax, man," said Avery, putting the keys in the ignition. "The more you fight it, the worse it'll feel."

"How are you so calm about it?" Jamie buckled up, then peered out through the windshield. The sky brightened with streaks of pink and yellow threading through the navy.

"The sun will rise soon," said Ada, following Avery's train of thought. "She'll be re-energizing with sunlight, so the sooner you get going, the better. Jamie will have to do without a pep talk, Avery."

Avery frowned, adjusting the mirror. "I'm not calm. I just know we don't have a choice, and we have a world to save. Suck it up, dude."

He started the car, taking a different passage as indicated by Ada. Not the one leading to Louise's cabin, but one well-concealed within the forest, narrower and covered in dirt and pebbles. The vehicle rattled side to side as Avery tried to the vehicle keep steady, and not veer off into a bush.

Silence reigned after that. Avery steered them down the path, soon coming across a small road along the woods, then a highway that'd lead them up towards the pass into Nevada. The road was mostly empty, due to the early hour of the day and the isolation of the area.

We totally could have had the Guides in the backseat, and they wouldn't have been seen.

He gasped, realizing Ada was inside him and must have heard that thought as it scrolled across his mind. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, bracing for her to speak, to scold him.

"You still need our energy to get through this drive, Avery," she said, her tone surprisingly soft, devoid of negativity. "I understand you don't like the invasion of privacy, but it's necessary."

He didn't respond to her, opting to bypass falling into the trap of having an internal argument with her. He needed energy, she was right; to waste that energy on fighting with her was wasteful.

And it turned out she was correct about so much more. Her presence within him, foreign as it was, helped. She kept him awake, focused on the road. The power she infused him with made it so that he wasn't sore from sitting, his arms didn't ache from holding on to the wheel, his legs weren't painful from being bent for so long.

He hated it. Why was she always right? Why was she always so knowledgeable despite being such a pain in the ass, such a boastful creature who hoarded information for her own benefit?

Avery side-glanced at Jamie, wondering if he was coming to terms with the possession yet. He hadn't fidgeted much once they'd left the forest, and remained awake, concentrated on the landscapes they were passing. His breaths were shallow and quiet, and there was almost a serenity to him, as if he'd let Faz do his thing and given up on fighting him.

Maybe Faz told him the same stuff Ada told me?

Jamie's neck snapped in Avery's direction, and he squinted. "You good?" He nodded at the steering wheel. "Need me to take over? I'm feeling pretty awake now. Sort of healed from the inside."

"Yeah?" Avery snorted. "So, this possession has some benefits, then?"

Jamie lifted an arm to smack him, but thought better of it, since Avery was driving. "Shut the fuck up," he hissed, teeth jammed together. "But yeah, fine, I guess having this weirdo inside me is helping somewhat." He studied Avery; Avery perceived his gaze burning the side of his cheek. "But you, you're okay? She treating you okay in there?"

Avery flinched. "She's fine. But me?" He huffed. "No, I'm not okay, not really." He swerved to dodge a random tire on the road, then realigned himself within his lane. "We're being possessed by otherworldly creatures we know nothing about. We're driving off to intercept a woman possessed by thousands of demons before she unleashes more demons. Demons she's holding in herself to feed them, nurture them, then release them out into the world so they'll fuck it up. This," he gulped, "is a lot."

"It is." Jamie swiped a hand over his forehead. "I mean, we've been through so much together, but this is definitely something else."

Avery's foot hit the pedal and the vehicle gained speed. They were alone on the highway, still, and the sun had completely risen, blaring over them both as if putting them in a spotlight for all to see. They were the saviors, the ones meant to prevent a catastrophe—but Avery had no idea if he could prevent it without dying first.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry for overreacting about," Jamie pointed at his chest, "all this possession shit. You've been possessed before, I'm sure it was easier for you. But this was my first, and hopefully only time."

"Easy?" Avery's eyebrows jumped up. "Definitely not. I didn't want this any more than you do; I just knew it was inevitable. After what happened in that demonic realm..." He shivered, trying not to jolt the car off the road. "After how they came at me, about to eat me... no, I didn't want anything inside me, ever again."

"We're going to get through this, dude," said Jamie, squeezing Avery's shoulder. "We have to. If we don't... well, everyone is fucked, yeah? So Ada meant it when she said you needed to survive, and I think she'll do everything she can to make sure you do. I wasn't cool with her having to be inside you, but... I get it now. You're right, it was inevitable."

Avery wanted to smile at him, to thank him for his sudden optimism, but he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that someone, if not all of them, involved in this ordeal, was going to die.

"I don't have a good vibe about any of this, Jamie." Avery's mouth was dry, and he wished he'd gotten water bottles out of his trunk before they left. Apparently, Ada didn't have the power to quench his thirst from the inside.

"Your vibes are always right," said Jamie, grimacing. "But I'm hoping that for once, you're wrong. I'll do that—hope for us to win. You..." he motioned at the road. "You focus."

Avery scrunched his nose. "On the road? Or on the fact that I'm gonna have to kill the woman I might have fallen in love with?"

Jamie sighed, setting his hand once more on Avery's shoulder. He was warm, and his touch sent comfort to Avery's tense limbs. "Look, I hate this for you, man. I do. You of all people don't deserve to have to do this. But let's get through it, let's... win. Then we'll get you some therapy and find you the right woman, okay? Not one who's destined to destroy the world via demons."

Avery acknowledged Jamie's words, but kept his gaze on the road, refraining from sharing his thoughts. Only Ada would know this part, and he cringed at the notion.

Not only did Avery not want therapy—not after his one and only failed session many years ago—but he also didn't want to find a right woman. He never had. Not until Jessamine came along and they had their strange encounter at the coffee shop. Not until their arguments led to attraction, and their attraction led to feelings, and their feelings led to a fate neither of them could avoid. Their souls seemed to fit, and he'd been unable to evade that. But were their souls matches only because they were tethered together by a prophecy? Or were they actually kindred spirits? Would they have developed feelings for each other if they'd met under other circumstances?

Six hours in, Avery saw signs for Austin, Nevada. Something agitated within his core; like an upset stomach, but minus the nausea.

"We're close," said Ada, her voice startling Avery, his back slamming into his seat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But you must be on high alert now. I might need to take over your sight for a spell, so I can scan the area."

"What? You—" Avery didn't get a chance to refuse before Ada effectively blinded him.

He panicked, thinking the car would glide off the road, that they'd die in a car accident before even getting an opportunity to confront Jessamine. But the blindness ceased, and when he came to, he hadn't moved. He held the wheel, the car was steady, no sign of any accident or risk thereof. The landscape was slightly different, though, as if he'd blacked out while he was driving.

So that's what it feels like when they take over, then?

"I only took over for a few seconds. Enough to know where to go."

"Okay, so, where to?" he said out loud, garnering a curious stare from Jamie. "Sorry, she told me we're close, so she's leading the way."

"See that dirt road up ahead, off to the right? Go down that."

He slammed on the brakes to slow his speed and not miss the turn. She'd barely allowed him enough time to veer in that direction before not making it.

"Sheesh, you might have given a sooner head's up!"

"When I'm stuffed inside, I only see what you see. That was why I took control—I was able to use my powers to see ahead, but it was temporary. I don't know how to drive, so... I can't keep control for long."

Avery snarled, realizing they definitely might have crashed had she kept using his vision.

In any case, he managed to get the car down the dirt road, his heart racing in his chest.

Jamie had gripped the car door, and was panting, his teeth gritted. "Fuck, man," he said, shaking his head. "Don't do that again."

"It was Ada," growled Avery, rolling his shoulders, readjusting his seating position.

"Tell her not to do that again, then," said Jamie, scrubbing his face. "If we're gonna die, I'd rather it not be in a car crash, seconds before showing up at that portal."

The road Ada had taken them to seemed never-ending. Small, faded green shrubs rested on either side, along with rocks dug into the desert-like sand that enclosed the pavement. The pavement itself was uneven, gravelly, and Avery disliked how it made the car shake—like in the forest.

Soon enough, they came upon a random cluster of trees. Not big enough to be a forest, but with thick tree-trunks seeming to block the way no matter where they entered from.

"We'll have to get out and continue on foot," said Ada, her energy sliding through Avery's legs, heading towards his foot. Was she trying to get him to press down on the brakes?

He did, but gentler this time, so as not to give Jamie and himself a heart attack. "She says we have to continue on foot," said Avery, turning the engine off once the car had come to a full stop.

The trees looked as if they'd popped up in the middle of a field of shrubs. They didn't match the desert scenery with their rich, verdant shades and their solid brown branches reaching heavenwards.

Definitely supernatural. Do Guides build forests, too?

He could have sworn Ada made a sound inside his head that was akin to a scoff. "We build anything to protect our portals."

They exited the car, and Avery caught Jamie stashing a gun—the gun he'd used to try to kill Jessamine—into the back of his pants. Avery said nothing, assuming that if the Guides were against this, they'd have said something.

"Smart idea, actually," said Ada. "In case you need back-up."

I don't want back-up, Ada. I don't want Jamie involved in any of this. He should have stayed in the car.

Ada didn't respond, but Avery sensed her flickering energy, her spirit entwining with his, guiding him to the line of trees. They breached through, and the air was muggy, yet cold all at once. A contrast of warmth laced with frost? It made no sense. No tree was alike; pines and birches and even, to Avery's surprise, a few that resembled giant palm trees?

A few steps in, and Avery saw it—a house. The house.

"Whoa," he said, grabbing Jamie by the arm to block him from proceeding towards it yet. "That's... different."

The building was smaller than the one Ada had lived in and was made of logs. It was a cabin, similar to Louise's, only larger and wider, with more windows and a bigger front door. No attic here, as there was only one level. A thick roof of charcoal-colored tiles covered the dark house, and a dirt pathway led to the entrance.

A bunch of blue beings were zooming towards them. Not zooming—swarming. Attacking. Defensive of their territory, their spirits, their portal.

They were racing straight up to Avery and Jamie, who held their hands over their heads.

"Ada!" Buzzes echoed in Avery's ears, as if he'd been invaded by bees. Blasts of cold air blew over him, into him, prompting him to lose his balance. "Ada, do something! Tell them you're here, stop them from attacking us! Ada!"

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