Tace slides as a blade of grass under the door.

We sit and wait around until it slides back out and bobs up and down. The coast is clear.

We all hop up off the ground. Om creeps the door open while me and Cam stand behind them.

Instead of craning my neck and trying to get a peek into the room again like last time this time I stand behind Om. Part of me wants to shield myself and hide behind them even though Tace told us we were safe and no one should see us in this room. But my stomach still dances.

Once the door is all the way open Om peeks in. "The coast is clear," they say before straightening and walking into the room. I follow behind them. My gaze jumps around the room waiting for someone to come out of hiding and yell at us.

The door slams behind us.

I jump and whirl around on Cam who has the decency to wear a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he whispers.

"Are you trying to give us away?" Om hisses.

He shakes his head so fast I fear it's going to fly off.

"Just try not to make too much noise again, okay?" I say, trying to keep the peace between us. The stakes are so high that it's creating a thick layer of stress and dis-ease between us.

Cam nods.

I sigh in relief and turn back around to face Om. "Where do we go from here?"

They close their eyes as a look of concentration rolls onto their face. Their eyebrows scrunch lower and their mouth sits in a firm line.

My foot taps as we wait. I wish Tace would hurry up and tell Om where we need to go. We don't have any time to waste. We could get caught at any moment.

After what feels like forever, Oms eyes fly open.

"So?" I ask, already jumping on Om. We can't waste anymore time.

"It's a long way down, but I have an idea of where we're going," they answer.

"So lead us there!" I exclaim. I'm vibrating. I can't seem to stay still, not when we're this close to saving Peggy.

Om grimaces. "It might not be that easy."

The energy I had just moments ago seeps out of me.

"What do you mean?" Cam asks. He comes up beside me. I feel the urge to reach out and grab his hand so that it might soften whatever blow we're about to take.

"The way down to where Peggy is is all in light with nowhere to hide."

My eyes widen as my mouth forms an o. "That means we'd be exposed."

Om nods even though I meant it as a statement and not a question.

"But... we'd still be able to make it down there, right?" Cam asks.

I shrug. "It would depend on a lot of factors. Like how fast we are, if anyone would be wandering the halls." I list the reasons down on my fingers as I continue to go through them.

Cam shakes his head. "I think I get it. So what are we going to do?" He looks helplessly between me and Om.

Om turns to face me. "It's your call. She is your friend."

I smile meekly. A friend that I didn't realize how much I went through for her. I sigh. I still want to save her. I need to. I can't just leave her here to rot away. She doesn't deserve that, no one does. "We still need to try."

"And if we get caught along the way?" Cam asks. His eyes are wide with fear and worry. I want to reassure him. To tell him everything will be okay. But right now, I'm not sure if everything will turn out okay.

I reach out and grab his hand. "I won't let anything bad happen." I squeeze his hand. Hoping against everything that I can keep this one promise to him. I turn to Om. "Let's go."

They nod, a determined look slipping onto their face. I release Cams hand before striding over to the only other door in the room.. This has to be the one that will let us out and lead us to Peggy.

Om sneaks in front of me and grabs the doorknob. "We need to be silent. We can't be making any noise."

I nod, not wanting to break that rule more than we already have.

"And we'll have to be fast. So stick behind me and do not wander off."

I nod again. Out of the corner of my eye I see Cam nodding.

Om twists the knob of the door. "Ready?"

"Yes," I whisper. Excitement dances through my body. We're so close to saving Peggy. This could be the end of this horrible journey.

Om creeps the door open and peeks out. Then they stick their head back in and grins. "The coast is clear." They open the door wider and sneak out of it. I step back and let Cam go first. I'd rather be in the back so that if anyone sneaks up on us I can at least try to protect them both.

I follow them out into the hall and close the door behind us. The hall is a simple area. It's brightly lit up by candles that flicker along the wall. The walls are made of the same shiny gold as the outside while the floor is like a hardwood you'd find in a cottage. A red carpet lines the floor, going both left and right. Both directions end in a blaze of light.

I look down both ways before turning to Om and trying to convey the question of which way now? Without using any words.

Om turns and points down to the left. Then they gesture for us to follow after them. I nod and wait for both Om and Cam to start walking before following them. Om sticks to the middle of the hall, while Cam hugs the end of the carpet. I try to stay against the wall incase... well I'm not actually sure. There's just something about staying closer to the wall that feels safer than walking down the middle of the long endless hallway.

We seem to walk forever before we hit the first turn. Om holds a hand up before peeking around the corner. Then they wave and continue around it.

I glance backwards as my skin crawls. It's almost like someones watching us, but when I look there's no one there. I scrunch my face up before turning and catching up with Om and Cam.

"How much farther do we have?" I whisper, glancing around because I can't shake the feeling we're being watched.

Om shrugs. "Shouldn't be much farther. We just have a stairwell to go down and then we should find Peggy at the bottom of it."

Butterflies swarm in my stomach. We're so close. If we can just make it a little longer without being caught then we've made it to her. We're so close to calling this adventure closed.

Cam peeks over his shoulder past me. "Have you guys felt like we're being watched?"

Om shrugs. "Not really. Why?"

I nod. "You feel it too?"

Cam nods. "It's making me feel unsure about how easy this has been so far."

I almost want to bark out a laugh. But then I realize he isn't talking about our whole trip here and is instead just referring to our sneaking around here in the palace. Then the excitement that had been dancing around in me does a flip and turns into a sort of dread that weighs me down. If someone is watching us that means we've already failed.

My breathing starts to come heavier and faster. I struggle to suck all the air in my lungs.

No. Not now.

Cam turns. His eyes seem to swim on his face as his whole body turns sideways. I slump against something cold.

"Mats!" he exclaims.

This can't be happening now. Not when we're in the middle of trying to save Peggy. What was that thing that I needed to try to calm down?

I look up. Breathing. That's what I need to do.

"Is... she-?"

"Mattie. Hey. In."

I close my eyes. Thoughts swim in my head. Daunting and telling me I can't do it. I try to ignore them. Try to overshadow them with everything I've done to get to this point. I know I'm stronger than these. I'm terrified that they have control over me. But I have control over myself, so why can't I control these panic attacks?

After what feels like a million years of sitting on the ground trying to regain control over my thoughts and my breathing everything around me starts to clear and stand still. Cam is kneeled in front of me. I hadn't even realized he'd gotten that close.

"I'm better now," I whisper. Part of me wants to jump right back into the mission. But I know if I do I'll crash again.

"Do you need a few more minutes?" he asks.

I nod. My legs right now are like lead, and I know if I stand up they'll be like jelly.

Om gives me a sympathetic look that I kind of want to scowl at, but I know that that's how they try to help. Even if it isn't much. "We shouldn't linger here for long."

I nod. "I know."

"Do you want help?" Cam asks as I try to push myself up off the ground.

I want to refuse but it's like my legs are about to give out at any moment by the way they're shaking. Cam holds his hand out to me and I take it.

Once I'm back up I wrap my arm around Cam's neck. "Let's get going," I say.

Om nods. "We're almost there."

I sigh in relief.

I don't know what I'm more excited for now, to save Peggy or to be done with this wild and terrifying adventure.

It doesn't take much longer to reach the stairs. By the time we have reached them my legs don't shake under me anymore and I'm able to walk on my own. I still stand close to Cam but that's more for moral support and to somehow feel safer.

I can't help but keep glancing over my shoulder as the crawls on my skin continue.

"It doesn't look very big," Cam comments as he peeks down the stairwell.

I nod in agreement.

"We'll have to go down single-file," Om tells us.

"And Peggy will be down at the bottom?"

"More or less."

I raise a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she is down there." Om turns to me. "She's not the first thing you'll see because she is behind a locked door."

"But she is down there?"

Om nods.

I shake my hands out. "Can I go first?" I struggle with the question. Of course I want to see her and I want her to see me. But I also want to stay in the back to protect Om and Cam in case someone is following us.

And, yes. That is definitely the whole reason.

Om steps aside and does a little bow to present the staircase. "Be my guest."

I laugh and soon they're both joining in. But slowly our laughter dies out and my hands start to shake as I hold them against my belly. I take a step towards the stairs. Peeking into them when I'm close enough to.

It's tiny and looks like I'd be able to touch both sides of the wall without needing to stretch. There's a single flickering shadow of light that creeps out at the bottom of the stairwell. With that little light the stairs seem to shine under it. I gulp. The stairs also don't sit straight and some of the steps are missing bricks in them. As much as the stairs make me want to turn around I know I can't do that. Peggy is down there waiting for help.

I take a deep breath before lifting my foot and stepping down onto the first step. Then take another and another. The deeper I go the more a retched, eggy smell appears. I cup my hands over my mouth and nose as I try not to barf.

"What's that smell?" Cam asks.

I hit the bottom of the stairs. The smell is stronger down here. My gut sinks as I realize what this place is.

A dungeon.

The room is dark. The walls are made of brick instead of the gold that the rest of the palace is made of. Breaking the flow of the dark bricks every once in a while are wooden doors with barred windows on them.

Tears blur my vision. "Peggy?" I cry.

A rattling noise. Then, "Maggie?!"

My head snaps to one of the dooors. Hands grip the barred windows and a flash of matted pink hair peeks out before brown eyes blurred with tears stares at me.

A pained gasp escapes me. "Peggy!" I race towards the door. My hands land on hers. The door and her dirty face swim before me as happy tears pool and slip down my face.

"Maggie! What are you doing here? How did you get here?" She lets out a sob as tears roll down her cheeks. They clean her face and leave streaks showing her pale face.

"It's a long story. I wish I had time to explain but first we need to-"

Brightness floods the space. I blink.

"You won't be going anywhere."

I spin towards the face, ready to fight them so that we can get out of here. I can't let Peggy spend any more time here than she already has.

Za stands at the bottom of the stairs.