The walk back to the shore is mostly quiet. While I still feel guilty for so many reasons, I also feel relieved now that Maddox and I have leveled with each other. His knowledge and my Star magic are both necessary keys. I know that he's hiding things from me, but none of that matters when you stop and think about it. I'm keeping things from him too, and I'm more than sure that he's caught onto it. Simply put, we both need something from each other if we want to escape this island.

My oldest and youngest siblings are sitting together by the shore when Maddox and I return with nourishment. Atlas is able to stab into the coconuts with a knife and a bit of magic so that we can drink from them. After our thirst is quenched, he then uses the blade to carve out the white flesh from husks for our meal. I've never been a huge fan of coconuts, but between my empty stomach and parched mouth, they are the best things I've ever tasted on the planet. I try to ignore the awkwardness between my brother and myself, keeping my eyes downcast as I nibble on my share of the fruit. I can't bring myself to look at him quite yet. I'm still not happy with him, and it feels like he hates me.

A sudden realization hits me, and I turn to Maddox. "Atlas just used his magic to open coconuts... and you used magic yesterday against those bird-like creatures."

The man beside me cocks an eyebrow. "Yes. What is your point?" he drawls.

I give him an isn't-it-obvious look. "Moonborns can't practice magic during the day. You and Atlas aren't Starborns, so how is that possible?"

"Oh, right," he murmurs, tapping a finger to his chin.  "I'm not quite sure why, but the Moon and the Sun do not affect our magic over here. I discovered that when Astrid brought me back here."

For a moment, I'm taken aback by his words, until I finally recall who he's talking about. Astrid is the Moonborn girl who tried to fight back against the Starborns. She was the Juniper that dragged him into this dimension in their scenario. I wonder where she is now? Was she at Maddox and Cyrus's camp, hiding among the mortals?

Atlas mutters something unintelligible under his breath, making me lose my next thought. I ignore his sourness and keep my eyes trained on Maddox. "That's strange. Maybe it's because some of the stolen magic lingers here?" I propose thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Perhaps," he agrees, sounding impressed. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but now I wonder... If you're right, then we're practically breathing in magic right now. But that makes me wonder how the blue tree ties into all of this."

Atlas clears his throat loudly and tosses his coconut husks to the side. I focus on the brown shells, still avoiding eye contact. "So you said that Juniper and I will have to give up our magic? To get us back home, right?" he asks curtly.

You shouldn't have even been born, Calypso. His harsh words keep repeating in my head, making my heart ache. 

I vaguely wonder if Maddox caught on to Atlas addressing me by my full name earlier. I suppose it doesn't matter. If he doesn't know about Atlas's reputation, then he certainly won't know about me. Still, I'll have to talk with Maddox later; ask him to keep things quiet about my brother when we're back in our own dimension again. 

Reluctantly, I steal a glance at Atlas. He's irritated with me. I can see it. But looking at him makes me both angry and sad at the same time. Begrudgingly, I look away and opt to observe the blue waves splashing along the shoreline instead. "That's right. When Juniper used her magic, Maddox and I got pulled over here with her, but I can't give up my magic and Maddox already lost his," I finally say, answering his question.

He's silent for a moment. "I see. Well, I used my magic to try and defend myself from the Starborns who grabbed me. And then I woke up on some rocks in the middle of the ocean. I'd been trying to find land for days before you guys showed up. I had no idea that I wasn't in the real world anymore," he explains, earning a curious look from Juniper. When I don't respond to him, he then asks, "So where are we exactly? I haven't been able to make sense of anything."

"My head hurts," Juniper whines suddenly.

Atlas reaches out to brush the hair out of her face and study her for a moment, then says, "You're probably just dehydrated and it's giving you a headache. Be sure to drink, don't just eat, June." She nods lazily in response, saying nothing.

Atlas clears his throat after a long silence, and I can feel his eyes on me. The discomfort makes me fidget with a button on my pants leg. "Maddox can explain it better. You'll have to actually listen to him though," I grumble icily.

Atlas clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Alright, then. Any answers for me, Blondie?"

I turn to Maddox expectantly. He finishes chewing, then says, "Geographically, we're on the same island that the Starborns left us on. But magically speaking, I'm not entirely sure."

"Insightful," my brother snorts.

Maddox ignores his attitude, opening his mouth to continue his explanation but is cut off by my baby sister. "Wait, I have a question. It's been bugging me," she mumbles. She glances between Maddox and me with uncertainty. 

"What's that, June?" I ask, offering her a reassuring smile.

She points a finger at Maddox but keeps her eyes fixed on me. "Why does he talk like that?" she asks pointedly. The accented man in question snickers quietly.

I blink at her. I don't know what I was expecting her to ask, but it wasn't that. "Oh, um... well, some people have different ways of speaking, so—"

"He's English, June. It's an accent," Atlas explains. 

I've never been outside of Selene City, so I didn't know Maddox's accent was an English one. I think some mortals refer to it as British, but I'm not sure. Atlas would know. He has seen so much of the world already, but I only know what I'm told. I feel dejected when I think about all of the things I will never get to experience. My life feels so short and pointless in comparison to my brother's. When and if we find our way back home, I will lose my life in the Moon Gathering and have done nothing worthwhile beforehand.

Her brows knit together. "Huh? We speak English too, but we don't sound like that."

"Yes, we all speak English, but most people from England don't sound the way we do."

"England!" she chirps incredulously. "Huh?"

Atlas smiles in amusement at her confusion. "Celestials weren't as prevalent as they are nowadays, so Lunaria wasn't a country back then— er, at least it wasn't called Lunaria at the time. It was a long, long time ago,  but humans ruled over everything when England was still a country. But we have different names for our territories now, like Lunaria."

She turns her head to one side, processing his words. "Oh. What do we call England now, then?" she asks.

Atlas suddenly looks unsure of himself. "I think it's—"

"Helianthus," Maddox announces, cutting him off. "That's where I'm from, but there's a fair assortment of accents there. It's not quite the same as it was back then."

Juniper grins at him. "That's so cool!" she beams. "I've never heard an accent until I met you!" You and me both, June, I think wryly.

Atlas frowns. "Forget the lesson. Can we get back to explaining where we are right now?" he asks, looking between Maddox and me.

I nudge Maddox with my elbow. He knows more about this place than I do and is better at explaining things like this. He looks at me for a second, then turns to Atlas. "We're basically in a second layer within our world. Do you know what an Autolycus Cage is, Atlas?" he asks.

"I've heard of it, but I don't fully understand it. My father talked about Autolycus Cages before. He said that Celestials use them to steal magic from others. This place isn't what I pictured though," he says, gesturing to our surroundings. 

His response catches me off guard. My eyes lock onto his and I frown. "I've never heard Dad talk about anything like this," I blurt out.

He shrugs. "That's probably because you didn't fight a war with him. I had to know things like that before going into battle."

Was Dad imprisoned in an Autolycus Cage before? Or did he create one himself to use against our enemies at some point? Can he even do that? Or is that only possible with Star magic? I want to press for more information but not in front of Maddox. We shouldn't even be talking about our father around him. If Maddox hears one too many details, then he might just put two and two together. He may not recognize Atlas or myself, but everyone knows of our father, and from what I've heard, he is well despised.

"Well, none of that matters right now. We're confined in something that steals Moon magic. So, let's talk about escaping," I urge, eager to change the subject.

Maddox hooks his thumb at me. "Her magic is the key to escaping the Autolycus Cage as a whole, but you and Juniper have to get us back to the island first."

I sigh, running my hands through my hair. I'd like to believe that I could find a way to break everyone free, but I don't want to be held to certain expectations by anyone. Especially Maddox. "There's no guarantee that I'm the key to anything. Besides, I don't know the first thing about Star magic," I argue, throwing Maddox a stern look.

"I'll help you," he suggests. "I may not be a Starborn myself, but I've studied many forms of magic. And I've seen Stars fight. I'm sure your brother has too."

"Why study magic that you can't practice?" Atlas accuses, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

Maddox purses his lips at him. "You just said that you fought in a war and had to be aware of your enemy's tactics, correct?" he asks, looking expectant. Atlas hesitates before finally nodding. Maddox throws his hands out in a way that suggests the answer to Atlas's question is obvious. "Learning everything that you can about your enemy is wise, but using what you discover to strengthen your own capabilities is invaluable."

My frazzled gaze falls onto Maddox again. Did he just confess that he knows how to use Starborn tactics to enhance his Moon magic? Is that what he meant? If so, I'm both impressed and concerned. 

That first day I met him replays in my head on a loop. I remember how he smirked at me when he knew that I was lying to him and Cyrus about being a mortal. I knew that he was not to be underestimated after that, but I now think that he may be downright dangerous. Studying your enemy so that you cannot only know their weak spots but also use their own tricks against them later when you finally do attack is deviously clever. Atlas's paranoia is starting to make more sense to me. And now that I think about it, Maddox does seem to always know more than he lets on. Being a Van Blake around someone who thinks like this is not comforting in the slightest.

Maybe trusting Maddox isn't the right play like I was starting to think...

"Fair enough. Let's just stick to getting out of here for now, then," Atlas says. "I've been here for days, and I still have my powers. Callie said that you already gave up your magic to escape this dimension, so how did you do it?" he inquires.

Maddox suppresses a grin. "Don't take this the wrong way, Mate, but I was only here for a few hours. If you've been here for days, then I fear you're too hardheaded for your own good."

My brother gives him a flat look, then his expression grows smug. "Or maybe you're just spineless. You can't expect everyone to be as weak as you are," he remarks.

"Stop it. Both of you," I interject firmly. "Atlas, you're going to have to stop being so damn stubborn if you want out of here. And Maddox, it would help a lot if you could actually give him a straight answer."

The two men avert their eyes away from each other, saying nothing. Maddox is the first to speak again after a long moment of silence. "There's nothing I can do to help you. You'll just have to find a way to break your own will, or the island will do it for you."

A small sound of discomfort escapes Juniper and all of our heads snap up in response. She is holding her head in her hands with closed eyes. Atlas, who is seated right beside her, places a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she abruptly shoves away from him. She lays down on her side, covering her eyes with her hands as she winces in pain once more.

"Juniper, what's wrong?" Atlas asks with a hint of fear in his voice.

A choked sob escapes her. "My head hurts," she cries.

I'm at her side now, but I'm unsure of what to do. She jerks her hand away from me when I attempt to grab it. Atlas leans over her to inspect her for any injuries. She frantically bats at his touch, but he forces her hands away from her face so that he can assess her.

"Ow!" she screams suddenly, making me jump.

"Careful!" I scold Atlas coldly.

He glowers. "That wasn't me! I didn't hurt her."

Maddox plops down beside us with a thud, frowning at me. "I can try to heal her, but I don't see any kind of injury."

I nod impatiently. "Yes. Just try it. We have to do something," I plead.

Atlas holds onto Juniper's hand, squeezing gently. "June, what is causing the pain? What does it feel like?" he presses urgently. She doesn't answer him. She can't. Her crying has become too constant to form words. She is practically hysterical now. 

"I can help," Maddox offers, reaching his hand out.

Atlas smacks his hand away and glares. "No. Leave her alone," he demands.

I put a firm grip on Atlas's shoulder to gain his attention. "You have to let him try, Atlas. Something could be seriously wrong. You know Juniper doesn't ever cry like this."

Reluctantly, he obliges after a short staring match with me. He releases Juniper's hand and makes room for Maddox to assist. Juniper's crying subsides almost immediately when his hand meets her face. Whatever is wrong with her, Maddox must be healing it. For a moment, the only thing to be heard is the wind and the sea. But the peaceful sounds of nature are soon interrupted when Juniper sits up abruptly and screams at the top of her lungs in agony. This time her magic reacts to her suffering, causing a ridiculously strong force of power to send me flying backwards.

My body travels a few good feet away from her before I finally reconnect with the sand. I can already feel the bruise forming on my hip. The cool water splashing up onto the shore runs over me, making me shiver at the sudden temperature change. I sit up quickly, whirling around to notice that Maddox and Atlas were also blown back by the blast of magic.

"Orion!" Juniper shrieks. She's on her feet now and before anyone can react, she takes off running into a cluster of palm trees. "Please don't leave me!" she wails.

We all take off after her almost instantly. Atlas gets a head start, but Maddox is an unbelievably fast runner, so he passes him within seconds. I keep myself calm. I know that we'll catch up to her eventually. Her legs are too little to successfully outrun any of us, but all I can do is hope that she doesn't get herself hurt in the meantime. 

"Juniper, wait!" Atlas calls out. "Stop running!"

My heart feels like it's pounding against my skull, but I still manage to keep pace with Atlas. "Juniper!" I shout hopelessly. 

"Orion! Please, they're going to hurt me!" she whimpers from afar. 

She is completely unaware of her actual surroundings. Is she dreaming somehow? No, she can't be. She was wide awake. It must be the Autolycus Cage. Instead of sending another monster our way, Juniper is being tormented with some kind of hallucination. And she thinks we're the enemy. 

"June, it's Callie! It's me!" Once she realizes who we are, she'll know that we mean her no harm. We just have to get her to listen. "Juniper, please!"

"Orion!" she sobs fearfully.

Suddenly, I hear a branch snap, followed by the sound of Juniper yelping. When Atlas and I catch up to her and Maddox, she is on the ground. She tripped over something, but this doesn't stop her from getting back up. She tries to run away again, but Maddox catches her by her sleeve.

"You hurt him! You hurt my brother! I have to make sure he's okay!" she objects, trying to yank herself out of his grasp. "Let me go!"

Maddox releases her when Atlas scoops her up into his arms. "June, it's me! It's Atlas. We'll find Orion together, okay?" he says softly. "Just look at me, Juniper. It's me!"

She looks directly into Atlas's eyes, but there is nothing but terror on her face. She doesn't see her brother. She doesn't see any of us. This must've been what happened to her the night Orion and her were taken. In her eyes, we're the Starborns who abducted them. Her words become incoherent as she continues to cry.

I approach my siblings, but I don't try to touch Juniper. It would only make matters worse. But I do try to talk to her. "Juniper, it's okay," I say reassuringly. 

She turns her tear-stained face in my direction and scowls. "Let me go!" she requests bitterly. 

She holds a hand out to me, but it's not to beckon me closer. She's about to use magic against me, but Atlas catches her hand fast and sets her on the ground. I blink rapidly, stunned at her sudden behavior change. She's the sweetest person I know and would never resort to violence. Anxiety creeps in and I shudder. What is happening to her?

"Juniper, stop it," he commands. He shakes her shoulders incessantly, trying to jostle her back to reality. "Look at me!" he exclaims. 

"No!" she screams for the umpteenth time. 

I'm not sure if her outburst causes it or if it's something else, but upon her objection, the world immediately turns dark. But it's not a nighttime kind of dark. I'm suddenly in the endless, black void we first woke up in after we escaped Dolion. It's soundless. No wind. No sea. And Juniper isn't crying anymore. Am I alone now?

"Atlas?" I whisper. Silence. "Maddox?"

Still nothing. I hold my hands out protectively as I take a couple of baby steps forward. I expect to run into Atlas, who was less than a few feet away from me just moments ago, but no one is here. I stop walking after a moment to look around. I'm hoping that some kind of light will be visible, but all there is is darkness. Before I can even begin to try and wrap my head around anything, I hear a familiar voice echo throughout the void.

"I'll save our baby sister since nobody else cares! Just go back home, Eros!"

That's Orion's voice! I'm wary of running around in the dark, but I don't care enough to not chase after my younger brother. I take off running in the direction of his voice, throwing caution to the wind. Does this mean he's alive? He's okay!

"Orion!" I call out. "Where are you?"

Eros's voice meets my ears this time. "Orion, we have to go back! It's dangerous outside of the city! Stop and listen to me!" he bursts out in frustration. 

"Home is more dangerous!" Orion counters.

I can hear feet stomping against soil and brush. Loud breathing swells around me. They're running through the woods.

"Orion, please! Put Juniper down! We can talk to Dad about—"

"Dad made up his mind, and now I've made up mine!"

I stop running when I realize Orion isn't here. Neither is Eros. What I'm hearing is probably very real, but it isn't currently happening. This must be what Juniper heard the night Orion tried to run away from the Moon Gathering with her. That means that she must be here somewhere.

"Juniper!" I call out through hindered breaths. No response. Silence. "Juniper, can you hear me?" I question despairingly. 

Without warning, I hear loud clamoring and arguing, followed by Juniper screaming. I start to panic and I'm about to call out for her again, but Orion's voice beats me to it. "Juniper! No!"

The loud footsteps surrounding me come to a stop. Eros is struggling to catch his breath. "Who was that?" he asks.

"I-I don't know. They just came out of nowhere and took her. I don't... I..."

Eros's voice begins to shake. "Orion, we have to go back now."

"We can't just leave Juniper!" Orion contends. His voice cracks, suggesting that he is on the verge of tears.

"We can get help from the guards and come back," Eros suggests, sounding desperate. I hear one of them run off, but another set of footsteps chase after them. "Orion, stop! You don't even know who they are or where they went! Stop running!"

My younger brothers banter back and forth, but Orion can be just as stubborn as Atlas when he's set his mind on something. Eros probably already knew that his attempts at talking him into going back were useless.  I cover my ears when a loud, piercing sound rips into the atmosphere. I drop my hands when I hear Orion crying out in pain. Something sharp slices into what sounds like skin, and he bellows again.

"Orion!" Eros hollers, sounding distraught. "Stop hurting him!"

A white light appears to my left, startling me. I turn to look at it, but the brightness is so blinding that I have to shut my eyes. When I reopen them, I see Juniper and Orion being dragged away from each other. The Starborns are wearing the black hoods that Eros described to me. They're wielding shiny swords that resemble the one I lost at sea.

"You hurt my brother!" Juniper sobs. "Orion! No, please! I have to make sure he's okay!"

I look over at Orion, who is being dragged along the grass by the collar of his shirt. His torso is stained crimson, and he's nearly unconscious now. Instinctively, I run after him, but he and his attacker vanish before I can get too close. 

I turn to Juniper now. The anonymous Starborn throws her over his shoulder with a grunt. My sister reaches out to me, tears welling in her eyes. "P-please," she hiccups.

I sprint after her and her kidnapper, but I can't catch up. I try to use magic to stop her assailant, but it has no effect. "Juniper!" I yell fruitlessly. She can't hear me and no matter how fast I run, I can't save her. Time suddenly feels too slow. The ground might as well be made of molasses. 

"Callie!" That's Maddox's voice. It's coming from behind me.

I don't stop running after Juniper, but I do look over my shoulder. Blackness is the only thing behind me. Should I run towards Maddox's voice instead? I face forward again, shaking my head. No, I have to help Juniper. Even if this is just a memory, this might be the only way to find my way back to my sister. Besides, how do I know that Maddox's voice is even real? 

"Callie!" he calls out again. "Stop running!"

Stop running.

Orion wouldn't stop and Juniper wouldn't either when we were chasing after her. And both of them have suffered the consequences for not listening. Every nerve in my body is imploring me to continue after Juniper, but my mind is telling me to stop. Contemptuously, I force myself to disregard my heart's judgment and bring myself to a halt. And when I do, something hard slams into my back. The force springs me forward, and I hear someone collapse beside me with a groan. I am met with a face full of dirt when I hit the ground. When I raise my head back up, the sky and the sun are back. I spit out what I realize is sand from my mouth. Coconut shells are scattered about nearby. My shoulders sag in relief. I'm free of the mysterious dark rift. I'm back to reality— well, the second layer of our actual reality.

"Bloody hell! You're a handful, you know that?"

I roll onto my side to address Maddox, but I don't expect him to be as close to me as he is. My nose brushes past his. I jump back from his unexpected proximity. Shuffling away from him, I sit up quickly.

"Where's Juniper and Atlas?" I ask, whipping my head around to look for them. My heart sinks when they're nowhere to be seen.

He rubs his shoulder gingerly as he leans into a sitting position. "They're gone," he answers.

It suddenly feels like ice water is running through my veins. Gone? "What?" I say numbly. 

His eyes widen. "Oh, not like that, Love. I'm sorry. They're okay," he reassures me. "They both lost their magic, so they're not here anymore. They're back on the island."

I inhale sharply at his words and nearly choke. "Wait, what? Why are we still here, then? I thought you said that Juniper and Atlas are our way out of here."

He scratches the back of his head. "They were. But neither of us made direct contact with them when they lost their magic, so we're still here."

My breath catches in my chest. Does this mean what I think it means? "But I physically can't lose my magic, and you already lost yours. How are we supposed to get back to the island if the only way out was through Juniper and Atlas?" I inquire worriedly. 

"I... don't know," he admits, frowning at me.

Before I can even react, our surroundings start to flicker like a faulty light bulb. Not this again. Maddox's expression tells me that he is very aware that things are about to get a whole lot worse. I rub my temples in frustration. We both know that the world is about to be engulfed in a black abyss once again. But will we still be together when it happens? Will there be nothing but darkness until another Moonborn is thrown into the chaos of this dimension?

My eyes stay glued to his brown ones as the sunlight continues to flutter. Wordlessly, we both reach for the other's hand. As soon as our fingers connect, the environment ceases to exist. It's cold and unnaturally quiet and dark again. I squeeze his hand to make sure he's still there. He returns the gesture. The warmth of his skin is relieving, but I reluctantly let go of his hand after a moment.

I hear something graze the ground beside me. Is that Maddox? I hear it again after a brief pause. It sounds like something is slithering. I'm about to ask Maddox if he hears anything, but something wet wraps itself around my leg, distracting me. A gasp escapes me. I wriggle away from the unknown, trying to shake it off of me. Maddox grabs my arm when I start to stumble backward.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he whispers.

I'm about to reply, but the mysterious creature suddenly rips me away from him. My skin is cut open and scraped as I'm dragged across the cold ground forcefully. "Maddox!" I scream as terror envelopes my body.

I hear him call out to me, but I can already tell that I'm a great distance away from him. My fingernails dig into the ground painfully as I try to maintain traction. Something wraps around my other leg, and my brain can no longer register how fast I'm being pulled away. A horrified shriek escapes me, and I'm whisked away into an ominous oblivion.