Three kids walk home from school, clinging to the straps of their packs with arching backs. The eldest is a girl, sweating under the beating summer sun. She wipes her forehead and is grateful she keeps her dark hair above her shoulders. The next one is her brother, trying to keep his shaggy hair out of his eyes. He sighs in relief when he walks under a tree branch and is shaded from the sun for a few moments. The last one, the youngest, skips along the grass while allowing his siblings to take ownership of the sidewalk. His more fluid locks bounce around whenever he jumps, and he hums as they travel home.

"I can't wait to change into shorts," the middle child says, groaning. He looks down at his khakis and dress shoes, knowing his entire lower half is soaked with sweat.

"I don't think they'll let you wear shorts to my concert," the eldest points out.

"Then I'm not going!" he responds.

"Hey, Julia! Hey, Julia!" the youngest sibling yells, ignoring the previous conversation.

"What is it, Andrew?" she asks.

"You'll never guess what I saw today at school!"

"Was it the inside of a toilet?" the middle sibling asks jokingly.

"Ethan! Don't be so mean to him," Julia scolds. "What did you see today?" She directs the question at her other brother.

"I saw... a doggie! She was wearing blue clothes and looked so fluffy! Everyone was already petting her though, so I didn't get a long time to play with her."

"You always say that. You see Sarah all the time at school," Ethan says, annoyed. "She's a therapist dog. She goes around the classrooms every day."

"But, this time she was outside with us! At recess, all of us were throwing tennis balls."

"Probably because it was the last day of school, they allowed her to play with you guys," Julia points out.

"I'm so glad it's finally summer vacation!" Andrew beams. "I never ever want to go back to school ever again!"

"Well, that is one wish that won't come true," Ethan mumbles, which earns an elbow to the side from his sister.

"We have three months to do whatever we want!" Julia reinforces the summer happiness. "I'm going to ask Mama and Da if I can learn the violin."

"But, you already know the piano and that harp thing!" Andrew yells.

"Speaking of which, you're playing the lyre in the concert tonight, right?" Ethan asks.

"Yep, they already had a pianist," Julia confirms with a shrug. She would have preferred to play the piano for this end of the school year concert, but some new girl joined the orchestra at the last moment and she only knows how to play that instrument.

"Guys, I'm so excited to go swimming this summer!" Andrew says, once again ignoring the current topic.

"Me, too!" both siblings respond, basking in the memories of riding their bikes to the pool.

"Ugh, I have driver's lessons this summer, though," Julia groans as they reach their house.

"Well, that's only for one week. We have three whole months, just like you said before!" Ethan points out. "We will have all the time in the universe to play games."

"What kind of games do you want to play?" she asks.

"Hmm... I'm not sure yet. But, whatever it is, I know we will have a blast."

"Welcome home, kiddos!" their mom and dad yell once they step inside. There is a cake that can be seen on the dining room table that reads: Another year down! Their golden doodle dog rounds the corner and jumps on Andrew, knocking him over.

"We just have one more school event to attend, and then it's over!" their mom says dramatically.

"I'll go and get my uniform on!" Julia says excitedly, rushing upstairs.

Ethan puts his backpack on the ground and flops on the couch. "Waterrrrr."

"That bad outside, is it?" their dad asks.

"It's a trillion degrees," Andrew says, flinging his pack on top of his brother's.

"Sounds like you all could use some ice cream," their dad says with a smirk, holding up twenty dollars. "Tell Julia to take you when you all get changed."

The eldest sibling sits on her bed with her uniform on. It's a sleeveless, white collared button up with a red skirt and black leggings. She bought a red and black tie to go with it, since she hates going to concerts with a loose collar. She grabs her lyre and lies back with it on her chest. Closing her eyes, she aimlessly plucks some strings to create a soothing array of notes. Almost like a lullaby. Everything is peaceful as she stares at the ceiling, zoning out the world. That is, until a loud scream is heard downstairs and she sits up with a jolt and a yelp.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"HANNAHHHHHH! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!"

Sighing, Julia slides off her bed and lazily walks downstairs. Her cousin, Hannah, who is the same age as her, can be seen hugging her mom and jumping around. She partially forgot she was spending the night because she is also attending the concert.

"I'm so happy it's finally summer!" Hannah yells, twirling. Although she isn't wearing a dress, her pink and white shirt puffs out at the bottom which makes it look like a skirt. She wears jean shorts under it and navy blue sleeves with silver sparkles like stars.

"You must be hot, girl! I'll braid your hair for you," Hannah's aunt offers.

"I would love that!"

"Hey, Julia, will you take us to get ice cream?" Andrew asks, holding up the money he was given.

"Sure, I don't see why not!" she says with a smile and puts the bill in her pocket. Although her skirt only has one pocket, she is very grateful for it. As her hand is about to pull out, her phone buzzes so she takes it and reads a text from her friend.

Are you guys home yet? she reads.

Julia quickly types back: Yeah, we are going to get ice cream. Wanna come?

I'll be there! Give me ten minutes.

"Hannah, want to come and get ice cream with us?" Julia asks, putting her phone away.

"Yes, please!" she shouts happily, jumping up from the floor. She ended up leaving most of her hair down and having a braid in the back, allowing half of it to be up.

"Don't forget about me!" Ethan says, jumping down the stairs. He is the first one out the door, and everyone shakes their head as they follow him back into the burning sunny day.

The ice cream was very much needed, that's for sure. They all sit at a table under an umbrella to get some form of shade. Julia's friend whom she texted walks up to them with a wave. "Hey, guys!"

"Hi, Maria! Want to get some ice cream? We saved you a spot," Hannah says, gesturing to an open seat next to her.

"Yes, I'll just be a minute. Is it okay if my brother, John, joins us?" she asks, putting a hand on top of her younger brother's head.

"Doesn't matter to me at all," Julia says. "Ethan, Andrew, make some room for him."

Maria orders some ice cream for her brother and herself, and it comes out in no time. The group of friends enjoy each other's company as they eat their chilled sweets, feeling a lot better than they had before. By the time they're done, it's almost five o'clock and the sun is on the other side of the sky, meaning they should get back home.

"My concert starts in two hours," Julia says. "I have to get my lyre and head to the auditorium."

"Do you need tickets for the concert?" Maria asks, walking next to her.

"I don't think so. Plus, there's a bunch of seating and not a lot of people usually show up."

"I'm going to try and go, then! I've never seen an orchestra concert before."

"They're so good!" Hannah says. "You can sit next to me."

The group walks a little further and almost gets back to the house when Andrew spots something in the corner of his eye. "Hmm?" he hums, squinting his eyes at a line of bushes. "Did you guys see that?"

"It might have just been a rabbit," Ethan suggests.

"I saw it, too!" John says, staring intently at the bushes. "It had a really fluffy tail."

"Doggie?!" Andrew gasps, seeing a black tail with a lighter colored tip. "Wolfie?" He rushes over to the hedge and wiggles his way through, pushing some twigs out of the way. John immediately follows right behind him. The older four kids get a little nervous when they can't see them anymore.

"Andrew, John!" Ethan yells, trying to peek through the shrub. "How the heck did they even get through this thing?"

"Come on, we have to find them!" Maria says confidently, pulling apart some branches to create a hole. "I'll lead the way."

Hannah, Ethan, and Julia look at each other before following her. "Ow! Stupid branch whacked me in the eye!" "Watch where you're stepping!" "I can't see a thing!" "How thick is this hedge?!" "AH I THINK I STEPPED ON A SNAKE!"

The four of them fall out on the other side, some of them on top of each other. They all look up from the ground and see a really old, creepy cabin surrounded by hedges. It's extremely beat up and worn, which makes them think it was abandoned long ago. The roof has a huge hole in it, and the door seems to have been boarded up at some point. "Andrewwww? Johnnnnn?' Hannah yells, standing up and brushing leaves off her.

"This is so weird," Julia says with a shiver, walking over to an old water well. "Why is there an old house hidden in the-"

"BOO!"

"AH!"

Andrew pops out from the other side of the stone well and scares the girl so badly that she falls backward. John steps out from behind a pile of firewood and cracks up laughing. "What a classic!"

"Very funny, you two. Did you find your dog?" Julia asks sarcastically, wobbling to her feet.

"No, but look at this play area!" Andrew beams, extending his arms. "I bet no one has ever been here. This can be such a cool hang-out spot!"

"And we have it all to ourselves!" John adds, running around the yard. Maria walks up to the front door of the cabin and feels the side where some boards seem to have been broken off. Julia walks up next to her and steps on a loose one, making it clank a bit. They look at each other, both feeling uneasy. Who tried to block this door off?

"Guys, I think this is trespassing. Maybe we should tell the police what we found!" Hannah says, feeling like just stepping on the grass is illegal.

"I agree. Let's get-" Ethan is cut off by a loud sound coming from the bush right behind him. The leaves start rustling, and it sounds as if someone is crawling through to the other side.

He runs over to Maria and Julia, and the others hear it, too. They all crowd on the front porch until the sound gets louder, so Andrew reaches for the door knob. "We can hide inside!"

"Dude, what?! That will get us into even more trouble!" Hannah whisper-yells.

A hand breaks through the shrubbery and Julia panics. "I'm with him, let's go!"

None of the kids noticed that once they opened the door, everything was pitch black. They were too focused on getting away from whoever was about to catch them.

It's really bright inside of the house, and Hannah has to take a few moments to realize they aren't inside at all. They're on some sort of beach, the water behind them is purple and steaming. She gasps as she takes in the sight of giant, flying creatures with one eyeball, and crabs with tentacles for feet scurrying across the sand. She turns around and is about to yell at everyone to head back, but Ethan steps through the door last and closes it behind him. "No, wait!" she shouts, but once the door closes, it disappears.

"WOAH!" Ethan says, stepping back. He expects to lean against the door, but stumbles and almost falls into the purple water.

"Careful!" Maria yells, grabbing his arm to steady him. "That stuff is steaming!"

"Where are we?!" Julia asks the question that is on everyone's mind. "This can't be possible!"

"Do you think that door was boarded off to keep people out?!" Maria asks, coming to the realization.

"We stepped through a magical portal!" Andrew says, jumping up and down. "This is so cool!"

"Andrew, wanna make sand castles?" John asks.

"YES!"

"Okay, let's think about this for a minute," Hannah says, taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts. She starts pacing. "If we stay around here, then maybe the door will open again. It could be on some time limit, or something, so we should stay put."

"But, if it doesn't open, then it would be best if we looked around and see if there is anyone who can help us," Julia points out. "We need somewhere to stay in case that happens, and the sun seems to be setting!"

"You're right, it was already late in the day when we left," Maria says nervously. "What should we do?! If we stay here, we miss out on trying to get help!"

"We should split up. I'll stay here with Andrew and John, while you three look for civilization. There has to be... something around here!" Hannah says, looking back at the water. There isn't anything but a purple sea, but she half hopes the door will magically open once again and allow them all back into that creepy cabin.

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea..." Ethan says, getting a little scared. He shouldn't have closed the door behind him. "Can't we try to call Muma?"

"Oh, yeah! Let's try it," Julia says. Everyone but the two younger boys peer over her shoulder as she opens her phone and selects her mom's contact. They are immediately greeted with a dead line. "I guess this place has no service."

"It was worth a shot," Maria admits and turns around. She takes a deep breath as she looks at the small line of forest trees that connects to the end of the beach. "I'm fine with trying to find help. You guys coming?"

"Yeah, I'll go!" Julia says.

"Okay, okay, I'm going, too," Ethan says with a nod. He turns to Hannah. "We'll try to be back soon."

"At least before dark," Julia confirms, and the three of them walk away from the water.

The forest is dark and creepy, and it doesn't help that the sun is going down. The three kids stay close together, Maria feeling like she needs to take the lead since she's the oldest. Many sounds from unknown animals rustle about behind the trees, making them more on edge. To lighten the mood, Julia tries to identify them. "That one was an owl," she says cheerily. "Oh, you hear those crickets?"

Something flies in flocks over their heads, and Ethan yelps. "W-what was that?"

"Probably just some bats. Don't worry, bro!"

"Ah! I heard a frog!" Maria says, enjoying the new game. She looks around and tries to find it, but can't see anything too far away from her. "I wish we had a flashlight."

"Here!" Julia opens her phone and clicks the flashlight button, making them feel a bit better. "How long do you guys think it will take us to get back home?"

"Hopefully not very long. This place is scary!" Maria says with a shiver.

"Yeah, hopefully we don't have to stay the night here," Ethan agrees.

Something slithers past their feet and Maria screams. "S-SNAKE!!" She grabs Julia's hand and dashes forward, trying to make as much distance between them and the snake as possible. Ethan hurries behind them, not wanting to get lost in this dark forest. They keep running until there is a breach in the trees.

"Geez, you really hate snakes," Julia says, yanking her arm back. She holds her wrist as she looks at their new surroundings.

"Sorry... they're the scariest thing ever," Maria apologizes.

"You guys run so fast!" Ethan says, catching up with them and panting. He puts his hands on his knees and hunches over, but looks up and becomes momentarily speechless. "Woah!"

It looks like some sort of friendly marketplace with stands set up on the main road. Buildings are lined up behind them, and in the oddest shapes. It's definitely a city, but nothing like they have ever seen before. Flying creatures soar overhead and different shaped beings crowd the streets. There is an eyeball with a hand for a leg. It talks to someone at a food stand, but Ethan wonders how since it appears to have no mouth. When it turns around, he sees that its mouth is attached to the back of the eye. There seems to be a centaur, but its face is on its chest. Many other beings of altered forms swarm around the area, but there are some more... normal looking people as well, which makes them relieved. The only thing that makes them look different from a human is how pointed their ears are. This actually fascinates Maria, while Julia is too focused on some people in white capes and hoods with a silver mask that bows out like a beak. "Let's look around," she suggests, and the other two nod.

Julia rushes over to a stand that has a guy running it with long, brown hair. He looks bored, so maybe he has time to talk to her about portal doors. Maria splits off when she sees a crowded stand selling some kind of stones. Ethan goes to stay with his sister, but gasps when he spots kids buying bags of candy and hurries over there to see what kinds they have.

"Hello!" Maria greets the shop owner happily. The lady running it looks at her questionably, but doesn't say anything. "I was wondering what these were, and how much they are."

"Have you never heard of concealment stones, young lady?" she asks, completely shocked. "Lots of kids your age wear them. Take a look."

Maria looks to where the owner points and sees a small, blonde girl with pointed ears and raggy hair put on the stone. A puff of light blue smoke engulfs her, and her appearance drastically changes. She's wearing eyeliner, her acne is gone, and her hair is styled in a very pretty bun.

"Wow! That's so much easier than using face wash!" she says.

"Face wash? You're crazy, kid!" the stand owner says.

"How much for one stone?" she asks eagerly.

"Thirty snails."

"That's really... wait, snails?" Maria asks, confused.

"Too expensive for ya? Then get out of line!"

"Uh! Rude!" she says to the lady's face, crossing her arms. Perhaps she will have to buy something else, but how is she going to do that if she doesn't have any snails?

Julia walks up shyly to the guy behind the stand and notices he has on a funny looking hat. He keeps his face perched on the palm of his hand as he watches all the passer-bys. "Excuse me," she says nervously.

The man's eyes widen when he hears her talk, not thinking it was directed at him. Nonetheless, he looks over at her and tilts his head. "Oh, hello. I don't think I've ever seen your face around here before."

"U-uh, yeah, I'm not from here. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about where I am," she admits in the clearest way possible.

"Not from the island, eh? Well, this here is the Boiling Isles!" he says, raising his hands to the sky. "We inhabit the remains of a dead titan from long ago. Right now, you're in Bones Burrow. It's where most witches gather their supplies for the school year."

"Uh, the school year?" she asks, shocked.

"Yeah, it's about to begin. Summer is the perfect time to start school."

"Riiiight, and did you also say witches?"

"You got it! You seem really confused," he says, starting to lower his eyebrows. "Say, you're not a witch, are you? You some sort of demon?"

"D-demon?! No, of course not!" she says.

"Settle down, there! Demons aren't an insult. In fact, they probably take up half of the population of the Boiling Isles."

"Demons are good here?" she asks, perplexed. Everything she learned about at home is starting to conflict with this world, making her even more confused than before.

"Well, good is a relative term. So, is there anything else I can help you with?" he asks, starting to become concerned for this stranger's wellbeing.

"Nooope, I'm just going to take a moment and let this all sink in," she says, walking away from the stand.

Ethan follows the kids from a distance, wondering how he's going to fit in. They look to be around his age, in the very early teens (he's, in fact, only twelve), and they are laughing with each other while eating jellybeans.

He hides behind a stand that has a symbol of a hand on it, trying to think of how to approach them. "Think, think," he mutters to himself.

"Hey, what are you doing back here?" someone with a rhinoceros head yells. He turns and looks up, seeing a rhino with eyes on the side of his head and a human-shaped body. "Come'ere!"

"Ah!" Ethan yells, dodging their extended arms. He dives under the stand and rolls back onto the main road, rushing at the group of kids. Accidentally, he runs right into one, which makes him spill all of his candy.

"Yo, what the heck was that?!" the kid asks angrily, glaring down at Ethan.

"S-sorry-"

"What's all of the commotion about?!" a deep voice asks sternly. Ethan slowly turns around to see a big guy with a mask on his face that looks like a cone. His eyes are blue behind it, and it's the only thing he can see as his entire body is covered in his uniform. The rhino guy from earlier points to him, and the guy with the cone mask glares at him. "There won't be any trouble in my market!"

Shoot. Ethan scrambles to his feet and sprints away, but the masked guy whistles between his fingers. People that are wearing the white capes and hoods with masks rush over to him, and he says, "Seize that kid!"

Ethan runs as fast as he can, dodging the white caped people who try to snag him. Some of them take out sticks from behind their backs and try to whack him, but he is too quick for them. Suddenly, the path in front of him rises as the dirt makes a wall, and he's completely trapped. He turns around to see one of the caped guys swirling his fingers around in a circle, a brown, glowing ring forming from his motions. "That's enough, kid!" he says. "We're taking you to the conformitorium where we will call your parents!"

"But, I- AH!" Ethan goes to try and explain his situation, but two caped guys reach down and pick him up, walking away with him. "No! Maria, Julia, help!"

The two girls look up as they hear him scream their names, and Julia runs up to Maria worriedly. "Are those the police arresting Ethan?!"

"We need to hurry and follow them!" Maria says to her friend, worried that something horrible is about to happen to him.

They try not to be too close to the caravan because they don't want to be caught following these police guys. Once they throw Ethan into the back of a barred carriage (and tie the door shut with rope), they start wheeling off to the prison. Julia and Maria try to spot Ethan through the little window in the back door, but he must be sitting down because they can't see a thing. Once they get out of the market area, they are able to use the bushes and trees as hiding places as they follow the carriage.

"We're here for what, an hour and we are already in trouble with the authorities?!" Julia whispers, starting to get a little mad.

They sprint across a few rocks while crouching down to remain undetected. Maria sighs, "It's just our luck, isn't it?"

They get to the edge of a cavern, and the caravan rolls over the only bridge. There is a huge prison-like building on the other side that kind of reminds the girls of Azkaban from the Harry Potter series. There are guards wearing those same dark clothing, gloves, and cone masks over their faces, which makes them wonder how they're going to get inside.

"This is crazy!" Julia says. "How in the world are we going to get past those guards and break Ethan out of prison? This is way out of our league here!" She peeks over the rock and continues, "I mean, we are just simple teenagers!"

"You're right, we aren't going to be able to do this alone..." Maria's voice trails off when she tries to think of something. She looks around, then sees two people in white capes with those beak masks. "Hmm... not a bad idea."

"What?" Julia asks, not picking up on the secret plan forming inside her friend's head.

"Come on!" Maria says, not bothering to elaborate.

"So, uh, got any plans for the weekend?" one of the masked guys asks the other. He leans on a tree and crosses his legs.

"Just need to get the kids ready for school. You know how that goes, with the season starting and all," the other one responds.

"You enrolled them into St. Epiderm, right?"

"Hey, it's where they both wanted to go. I'm not complaining at- OOF!"

Both of the guards are knocked out by the girls hitting a rock against the back of their head. "Oooh, I hope I didn't hit him too hard," Maria says worriedly as swirls take over the guard's eyes.

"They'll be fiiine. Quick, we need to get their uniforms before they wake up!" Julia reminds her, removing the mask of the guy she knocked out.

They quickly put on their new clothes over their old ones and make sure the capes are covering most of their bodies. Maria has a hard time getting the mask to stay on her face, so Julia helps her out. They put their hoods up to finish the look and walk across the bridge.

"Just don't look down, don't look down," Maria mutters to herself as she peeks over the side of the stone. She can't see the bottom of the cliff, only staring into a dark abyss. She gulps.

"Almost there, come on!" Julia encourages her, making sure to stay close. Finally, they reach the other side and get to more solid ground.

They stand before the two guards with the cone masks and all words leave their brain. How are they going to coax their way inside? Luckily, Julia comes up with something to say, "We were sent by the, um, other scouts to make a thorough inspection of the prison!"

"You kidding? We just had an inspection!" one of the guards yells.

Julia is at a loss for words so Maria takes over this time, "We don't make the orders, we just follow them! If you want to be the ones to write a report saying why you didn't let us inside, then be my guest-"

"No, no! There's no need for that," he sighs. "Go ahead, you two. Just make it quick!"

Julia nods and says confidently, "We'll be so fast that you won't even know we were here!"

They walk past the two guards a little skittishly, since they both tower over the girls. However, they manage to get inside without tripping over their capes and their mouths drop at the scene before them. It's a prison alright, and it's huge. It has to be at least forty stories high with long stretching hallways that turn in sharp corners like a maze. The main area of the prison is circular with cells lining the walls on all floors.

"How in the world are we going to find Ethan?" Julia asks, unable to take her eyes off the twisting hallways.

"Maybe we should split up?" Maria suggests.

"Yeah, split up in the never-ending prison and get lost with no way to communicate. That's a great idea," she responds sarcastically.

Maria looks around for a moment. "Oh, why don't we ask the prisoners? Maybe they saw Ethan being dragged off."

"That's really good! Okay, we can start in the main... whatever this area is."

The girls walk around the entire first floor, making sure they know the way back to the front in case they get lost. Julia has trouble with this, often asking Maria where the heck they are. Thankfully, the older girl has an amazing sense of direction and is able to find landmarks such as spots on the walls or crooked jail bars. After asking around, they travel to the second floor... and the third... and the fourth.

"This is a lost cause. We've been here forever and no one has seen Ethan," Julia says, looking up at all the other floors they have yet to try.

They start walking up the stairs to the fifth floor and Maria pats her back. "Don't worry. He has to be here somewhere, and it's only a matter of time before we find him."

"Yeah, you're right," she says while taking a deep breath, trying to stay optimistic. She walks up to the first cell she sees which has a woman inside. She is sitting on the floor, her arms crossed over her knees. Her hair is long and black, highlighting her pointed ears, and her canine teeth are sharp like a vampire's. Julia clears her throat and asks, "Excuse me, but have you seen a child being taken here? He's just a bit shorter than me with wild, brown hair and a pompous attitude."

"Pfft, I'm not saying anything to a bunch of coven scouts," she responds harshly.

Maria and Julia look at each other before the former one says, "We aren't, uh, coven scouts. We stole these uniforms." She takes off her mask, letting her blonde hair flow past her shoulders. "The kid we are looking for is my friend's brother." She points to Julia, who also takes off her mask. "Can you please tell us where he is?"

"Woah, you snuck in here?!" the prisoner asks. "That's the most epic thing I have ever heard of! I'm Katya. Why was your brother brought to the conformitorium?"

"I didn't see all of it, but I think he tripped and ran into someone at the market. It caused a bit of an uproar," Maria says, knowing Julia was away for the event.

"Classic," Katya says. "People get arrested and brought here for no reason. I was caught writing fanfiction about food falling in love."

"FANFICTION?!" Julia says a little too loudly. "I write fanfiction all the time! What do you think this story is?"

"You're kidding! Girl, you should be arrested and we can ship things together!"

"Oooooor, I can just get you out of here," she suggests.

"Okay, yeah, that idea is way better," Katya says with a nod while standing up. "Everyone at the conformitorium was arrested for some stupid crime of being too weird or something like that. It's not a real prison where they keep, ya know, criminals. That's saved for... something else. Anyway, if you can find the main control unit then you can release everyone all at once, even your brother."

"That sounds amazing! Thank you!" Maria says happily. She grabs her friend's hand and puts her mask back on, running back to the main hallway. "Alright, so where do you think the main control unit would be?"

"I don't know about this... What if Katya is wrong and they do keep real criminals here. We'd be releasing them into civilization," Julia says, concerned.

"Yeah, I get that. Should we just focus on Ethan, then?"

"But, I don't want to leave Katya!"

"Ahh, Julia, I can't make decisions!" Maria says with a groan.

"Okay, then let's just find the main control-"

"B-but I didn't even do anything!" someone says from above them. It's a few stories up, but they can tell it's not Ethan. It's someone else, who sounds like a man, being thrown into a cell. "All I did was sell jellybeans at the market!"

"Jellybeans that turned the eater into JELLY!" an angry voice says. "You're going to be here for a looong time. Now, get in there!"

"But, I told the parents what the beans did. They bought it for their kids!"

"Does it look like I care?" the deep voice asks.

Maria clings onto Julia as she hears the scary voice, while the younger of the two peeks up the stairs and tries to see who is talking. She just catches the silhouette of a very big person wearing something resembling a plague mask.

"Let's go," Julia says, this time being the one to drag Maria away from the scene.

They quietly make their way back to the first floor. Maria regains her bearings and thinks she remembers a set of stairs by a closet that led to the basement. If the control unit is anywhere, it's probably there. She walks close to Julia as they navigate through the maze and end up near the door to the stairs.

"Hopefully it's not locked," Maria whispers as Julia wraps her hands around the door. It's metal, so she has to use all of her strength to pull it open.

It makes the loudest sound ever, and it echoes throughout the entire prison. The man with the deep voice they heard turns around and growls. He sniffs the air and says, "Something's not right in here..."

"Hurry, hurry!" Maria says frantically and pulls Julia down the stairs. Julia trips over her cape and falls, making Maria fall as well. They both tumble downward and land on their faces. "Uuuuugh," Maria groans as her eyes become swirls. She shakes her head and looks around. "Hey, I think we made it!"

Julia puts a hand on her head as she shakily gets to her feet. "You're right! This must be the lever for all of the cells." She is still hesitant about releasing everyone. There must be some reason why they're all here, right? Other than those dumb excuses like fanfiction and selling weird beans.

"Hey, look at this," Maria says, waving her over. She opens a filing cabinet and pulls out a stack of papers. "I think this is a record of all the prisoners. This one says: Arrested for conspiracy theories."

"Oh, goodness," Julia starts with a giggle. "This one says they were arrested for having squeaky shoes in the public gym. They squeaked so loud, they screamed."

"Julia, I think Katya was telling the truth," Maria says.

She takes a breath. "Yeah... okay. Let's do the right thing."

"Do my eyes deceive me?" someone asks from behind them. Julia and Maria's eyes widen from behind their masks and they are too terrified to turn around. They know that voice. "What are two coven scouts like you doing down here?"

Julia is the first to spin around and answer. "W-we are conducting a very... thorough... inspection..." Her voice breaks up when she sees the man up close. He is double her height with yellow buttons for eyes, and a grey plague doctor's mask. He is wearing a uniform similar to the cone faces with a few differences. For one, he is wearing a hood and his top is mostly white.

"We had an inspection yesterday," he says with a growling tone.

"W-we, umm, forgot some stuff, so that's why we came back. The warden called us-" Maria is cut off by him.

"I am the warden."

Maria steps back, and at the movement her mask falls just a little bit. She squeaks and lifts it back onto her face, but the warden grabs her wrist with one hand and rips the mask off with the other. Her hood falls down as well. Julia tries to sneak past him, but he grabs her. "No, you don't!"

He wraps her up in one of his free arms and shakes her until her mask falls off, hair flying everywhere. "Put me down!" she yells.

"What the...?" the warden questions, dropping both girls. Before they can get up, he brushes their hair behind each of their ears, realizing how round they are. "What even are you?"

"None of your business!" Julia retorts, shoving a finger in his face.

"Strange, we found another one just like you," the warden says, picking Julia up again. He flings her over his shoulder. "Stolen uniforms, eh? You're going to be here for a while. Better get comfortable."

He goes to snag Maria again, but in a burst of new energy and a bit of panic, she launches herself across the floor and dives under his arm. He turns quickly and yells, "Hey!" but she is too quick. Maria jumps and grabs the lever for the prisoners' cells right as he draws a circle in the air with his hand. Vines sprout out of the ground and wrap around her legs, but he was too late. The lever gets yanked down and the bars of all the cells slide away. The prisoners are all surprised, but look down the hallways at each other and cheer.

"What have you done, you brat?!" the warden yells, stomping up to her. His arm grows and turns into some sort of stretchy putty that wraps around her and pulls her to him. He hurries up the stairs and sees chaos. All of the cone face guards are trying to contain the escapees, but most of them are flying away on sticks. The girls see circles being drawn in the air, and many different things happening all at once. Beams of energy fly across the room, glass is broken and the liquid inside releases yellow smoke, plants erupt from the ground and wrap around guards. It's a complete mess, but the warden contains his anger for the time being and climbs the stairs quickly. He dodges all different kinds of attacks sent by people drawing circles in the air, and he finally gets to a pair of cells. "Ugh, of course the kid I captured is gone. Whatever, you two aren't going anywhere!"

"Let us go, you meanie!" Julia yells in a childish voice. She starts kicking the warden, but it clearly has no effect on him as he throws her in the cell. He pulls a lever next to the bars and traps her inside. He puts Maria in a cell next to her and does the same thing.

"I need to fix this mess, thanks to you," the warden says and jumps down the stairs.

"Psst!" Julia and Maria hear someone trying to get their attention, so they press their hands against the bars and look to the right. Katya is there, smiling and says, "Thank you guys! I'll get you out of here, no worries. Oh, and look! I found your brother."

"Ethan!" Julia yells happily. "I'm so relieved!"

"Katya, you have to get out of here. The warden will definitely trap you if he sees you," Maria says.

"What?! No way! I'm not leaving you two here after you helped me escape."

"THE WORLD IS A HOLOGRAM! WE ARE BUT MERE PLAYTHINGS FOR A HIGHER BEING! YAAAAA!" A small, white creature with a large nose and orange hair runs across the hallway. Julia and Maria both think: She must have been the conspiracy theorist.

"Look, we need you to leave and regroup. Find our friend. Her name is Hannah," Maria instructs. "We traveled from the beach through the woods."

"By the Bones Burrow market!" Julia says, remembering the name of the area.

"I know how to get back!" Ethan exclaims.

"Fine! But, then I'm coming straight back for you!" Katya yells. "Come on, little dude. Let's find the rest of your friends." She holds Ethan's hand and a beetle flies by her head. When she reaches out to it, the insect turns into a stick. "Hold on tightly!" Ethan climbs onto the stick behind her and wraps his arms around her waist as they take off.

Maria and Julia are left inside their cells, hoping nothing bad happens during their stay here. They're going to be stuck in this world a little longer than they thought.