The Soulpadres felt that they were at a dead end and glued their backs to the wall, they could hear the man's footsteps were getting nearer while Perdita and Lexi could only watch and hoped that they got out of there alive.

Perfida somehow held her hand by the roughness of the wall until there was this one particular spot that she pressed it, she looked at it to see what it was but all of a sudden, they heard rumbling noises and out came stone steps, "what the heck?" March was surprised to see it. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm... I'm not sure," Perfida mumbled as she turned back to the wall, although she could that she was do one that made that happened, she just didn't see how she did it.

Out of the blue, the man fired a laser at them yet it missed them. "Let's worry about that later," Vance gulped. "Let's get out of here fast."

March gace Leyo a lift on his back, Perfida and Vance quickly climbed up the stairs and got out from that hole. The other two followed, there were almost at the top however the steps were starting to insert itself back to the wall.

"Oh no March, hurry!" Perfida whimpered.

March and Leyo finally got to the last step with the help of Perfida and Vance giving them a hand. Vance took his bag that he left earlier and they all bolted. When they got back to the bonfire, the kids turned around to see if the thug chased them. "I think we lost them," Vance panted since he and the others were exhausted.

"Yup," Leyo replied. "Seems like it."

"I think we have enough.... excitement for today, don't you think?" Perfida asked them.

"Yeah," the boys agreed by nodding their heads, they all felt so scared from that crazy and dangerous encounter.

"Let's walk back to town," Vance suggested.

On the way back, Perfida showed March and Leyo the pictures of the hidden city they discovered as she and Vance explained to them what else they saw. "That's so stellar," March commented he was amazed to see it even if it.

"Yeah, until we saw dead people statue and got ourselves in utter danger," Perfida scoffed.

"There's that but still... it's looks incredible."

"You know we would've gotten out of that hole in the first place if we knew that there was this hidden steps coming out of it," Vance said. "How did that happened anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Perfida stammered.

"The important part is that we made it out alive," March pointed out.

"Yeah, too bad we didn't find any Wagan spirit."

"True but that's okay, at least we kinda discovered that there's a hidden city underneath the forest," Vance reminded.

"Yup," Perfida nodded. "I wonder what those men were doing down there?"

"Let's not think about it, it's one of those things that we should not see. We escaped safe and sound, let's move on from that and keep it to ourselves."

"Our lips are sealed," Perfida, March and Leyo said in unison.

"Good, not a word about what we did..."

"What did you guys do?" someone spoke to them.

"AAAAHHH!!!" the Soulpadres screamed, they were startled that there was a person stood in front of them, actually two.

"Gussie? Koru?" Perfida choked.

"Oh! thank goodness that you're all okay," Gussie sighed in relief.

"Hi! guys..." Koru awkwardly greeted.

"Hey... Gussie... what are you guys doing here?" March asked.

"Koru told me that you guys are here," Gussie answered. "So what were you guys doing?"

"We... were not looking for the Wagans if that's what you're thinking," Perfida blurted that Vance had to pinch her back arm that she gave out light yelp.

"See, I told you," Koru proved to Gussie that he was right.

"And you," Gussie turned to March. "Why didn't you tell me that you were going here?"

"We just planned it this morning, okay?" March calmly replied though he felt bad that he had to lie to him since they were just starting to get along.

"We were just hiking," Vance replied instead. "We wanted to see what the... forest is like but we're done exploring and we didn't see anything interesting so we're heading back to town anyway, what about you guys? why are you here?"

"He wanted to check if you guys are okay, I just went along anyway to... accompany him, sorry to bother you."

"Aww... so the jerkface has a heart, good for him," Perdita mocked.

"Could you stop that?" Lexi grumbled to her.

"Really?" Perfida looked at Gussie in a weird way.

Gussie was starting to feel embarrassed since the plan was just to make sure that the Soulpadres were not in any danger, although they were, but he wasn't planning on confronting them. "Well... I have to," he suddenly snapped at them in a defensive tone. "I mean like you said, only an idiot would go here and lose someone."

"Dude... no..." Koru tried to stop his best friend's attitude problem.

"Oookay, sorry, I asked," Perfida mumbled but wasn't discreet.

"And why of all places, you chose this one?" Gussie added.

"Well... why not?" Vance shrugged his shoulder.

"This is the forest were people die!"

"Gussie, enough," Koru begged but Perfida was starting to feel irritated and was doing her best to bite her tongue until it was over.

"Is that what you guys want? to die?!"

"We're okay, aren't we?" Perfida argued. "So what's bursting your balls?!"

"Peachy, don't," March halted her.

"It was my idea, we wanted to explore the island, that's all," Vance jumped in before things could get worse.

"No, I'll take the blame, Man," Koru interjected. "They were the one that told me that they were going here, I was the one that kinda let it happened, I'm sorry, I should've stopped them if... I knew you were going to act like this." 

"No one is blaming anyone!!" Perfida shouted. "And we don't have to explain ourselves to you, Gussie."

"What if something happened to you? all of you? My dad would kill me if something happened to you guys," Gussie claimed.

"Who died and made you stalk us!?" Perfida bursted until she realized what she just said, the atmosphere just got even heavier that the boys and the two ghosts girld got silenced and their eyes were on her after what came out from her mouth. Gussie was more affected from that, he was lost for words. "Crap. I'm sorry, that... came out wrong."

Gussie was still tongue tied and tried not to cry in front of them. "Koru, let's just go. I think these guys can handle things on their own anyway."

"But..." Koru was thinking about the Soulpadres but then he saw Gussie's face. "Okay, Man, but what about them?"

"We're good... we can take the RodeVan back to the hotel," Vance assured him. "We'll just stay for a bit." Koru just smiled and nodded at them then went away with Gussie.

Later, the gang returned to Tedyke and gave back the tracker device to the registration office then decided to go to a small snack shop to eat their local delicacies. They were eating Pae tentacle that were wobbling like worms inside the paper cups with a seperate small cup of vinegar sauce and they were sitting by a small wooden bench except for Perfida who was standing and moping around.

"Running sure made me hungry," Leyo said as he started munching.

"What are you talking about? I carried you all the way," March reminded him. "But I gotta say, this is very delicious, if only it stops slapping my tongue with I eat it. I wish they have this in Ares city."

Vance went over to Perfida. "You okay?" he asked. "You haven't touched your Pae tentacle, eat it now or else it'll wiggle its way out from the cup."

"Yeah," she sighed then began eating. "I just can't help but feel bad about what I just say back there."

"It wasn't that bad."

"Are you kidding me? that was insensitive. I feel like I should be in hell for saying that to him."

"Okay, say it is but he was the first one who was yelling at us anyway so... it was his fault for unhinging, I mean it was his idea to check on us, right? and he's mad at us?"

"Yeah, I guess, it's just that I get why he did it considering that his girlfriend died in that forest."

"But he still has no business on spying on us," Leyo voiced.

"True but we almost did die back there, remember?" March reminded. "What if he knew that?"

"Then the yelling will be twice as louder," Vance replied bluntly.

"He was just looking out for us, in... his... own way."

"March, I know that you two get along now but he didn't have to yell at us or to Perfida. I mean it's one thing that he called us out because Perfida accidentally bumped him or the time that we kinda judged him behind his back but today, it was his decision to come here and he still yelled at us."

"Guys, guys, guys, I'm fine," Perfida said to them. "I admit I'm wrong here, my emotions got the best of me that I said what I said". Vance then patted her shoulder and gave her a side hug to comfort her.

"Are you mad at my sister for yelling at Gussie?" Perdita asked Lexi.

"A little but not so much," she answered. "I know Gussie, he can be hot-headed sometimes but March is right, he was just looking out, he was too embarrassed to admit it, that's how he is."

"Aww... he's a softy with a problem."

------------

"Can you believe her?" Gussie ranted to Koru, they stopped in the middle of a rural highway to talk about what went on. "Who is she to talk to me that way? they know that the forest is dangerous, why did they have to go to there? do they want to die."

Koru watch his buddy pacing and huffing as he leaned on to his car and picking some dirt off from his fingernails. "Are you done?" he quipped.

Gussie stopped and took a deep breath. "Yes, yes I am."

"Listen, you're my best friend so I should be honest with you."

"Okay, shoot."

"First of, we have no business going there anyway, I told you that it was a bad idea. Second, had you talked to them calmly, it wouldn't get heated and third, don't tell them that you're gonna get blamed if something happened to them, that's a load of BS."

"Well, it's true."

"Oh come on! Gussie!"

"Okay, okay, I'm wrong."

"Finally! There you go!"

"I just want to make sure."

"Gussie. I get where you're coming from, believe me I do, but that that was messed up because you had to twist it and made it sound that it's their fault."

Gussie contemplated it for a second. "You're right," he finally acknowledged his mistake then slammed his car with his hands. "Shit! my mom is right, I sound like my dad."

"No, of course not," Koru denied but Gussie was not buying it. "Okay, maybe a little, but it's good that you realized that and you can change that."

"Thanks, Koru. I'm sorry that you had to see me like this today."

"Don't think about that, now come on, let's go back to the resort."

-----------

At night, everyone was back in the hotel, the boys were in their room just chilling before going to bed but then Topher called and Vance was excited to answer it, Leyo didn't but not March, he did not feel like hearing another lovey-dovey conversation between them.

"I'm just gonna head out," March said to his friend.

"Okay," Vance replied. "Don't forget the keycard or else you'll get locked out."

"Got it."

March walked to the hallway not sure where he wanted to go but anywhere was better than being inside and hearing conversations between Vance and his beau.

Suddenly, Gussie came and him, "March, hey," he greeted in a nervous tone.

"Hey, Gussie," March greeted back but after their encounter in the forest, he was not sure if he should talk to him.

"Where are you heading?"

"Just getting some fresh air."

"Do you want to join me?"

"I'm good, thanks," March was about to walk passed him again but Gussie blocked him.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have explode at you... and your friends," Gussie apologized yet his tone was hesitant but at the same time genuine. "When Koru told me that you're going to the forest I got worried and I want to see if you're okay. I lost my girlfriend there..."

"That part we know, Koru told us," March interrupted then looked at him in the eyes. "I get it, I even defended you from them but still, I don't like you talking to my friends like that especially to Perfida."

"You're right, I'm sorry,"

"Okay, we're good."

"What?" Gussie was suprised to hear that last part.

"You said you're sorry, right? so we're good."

"That's it?"

"Yup."

"Wow! March. Thanks!" Gussie hugged him.

"No problem," March reciprocated his hug. "Now don't make it weird."

"Right, right," he pulled away from him and tried not get all teary-eyed then put his arm around him. "Come on, drink is on me."