Seth and Xander carried an unconscious but breathing Mimi down the steps of Empath Hall. "We have to get her to a hospital," said Isabella.

"You know they won't treat morphlings," Micah reminded her as he and Cleo followed them.

"Then we take her to her mother," Isabella insisted, looking at Cleo with a plea in her eyes. "You found her. You went to her house, didn't you?"

Cleo nodded. "But it isn't right that they don't treat them here. I didn't think this place was.... How do you know for sure they won't, Micah?"

"Neeta told me during training last week. It came up while we were building my spheres."

Isabella's blood boiled. She'd witnessed some of this hatred when she'd been here with Seth before. But not to treat them if they'd been hurt. She cursed under her breath as she looked at Mimi's ashen face as they continued down the steps. That kind of prejudice was going to have to change. If Isabella ever had any kind of power over this city, she was going to make sure of it.

Mimi coughed wretchedly but did not wake up. They reached the bottom of the stairs.

Isabella wouldn't be able to live with herself if Mimi died because she was helping her. Why did bad things happen to people who associated with her? Now was not the time for a pity party though. There was too much to do and a life now hung in the balance.

"Come on. Xander and I know where they live." Cleo led the way with fast feet. Isabella felt the group subduing its panic. Cleo took them down darkened road after darkened road until they arrived at a very damp part of town filled with about six dozen thatched roof houses within three or four blocks. "This is Morphling Village," she explained to Isabella and Seth. There were electrical wires that were used for functionality and for perching as Isabella recalled that most morphlings like to shift into birds. A few sat flocked several blocks down, but for the most part the small roads were empty.

"It smells awful," Seth remarked, hoisting Mimi in his arms completely as Xander's arms seemed to grow tired, his voice sounding as if he was holding back a gag.

"It's only at the crossroads that it's like this. Mimi's mother has enchantments all-round the house. It smells like a rose garden. Trust me, you know I wouldn't lie about anything like that," said Cleo. She may have been talking about aesthetics and all that, but the look in Cleo's eyes along with the vibrations she was giving off told Isabella she was very determined to save Mimi's life.

"It's going to be okay, Cleo," Isabella said as they trudged down the muddy path toward Mimi's family cottage.

"I found her and got her in this crazy mess."

"Because I asked you to."

"Blame game needs to stop. We just need to make sure she doesn't die," said Seth.

Relief flooded Isabella's body when a small cottage with a red thatched roof came into view. She instinctively knew this was Mimi's home. Her hunch was confirmed when she saw an orange-haired woman who was just about two inches taller than Mimi in a long blue dress running toward them. The lady's cheeks were blazing pink and her eyes round and owlish. "Mimi! Mimi!" the woman cried. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry but Mimi got shot helping us protect people from an attack by the Jack Boots gang!" The woman who was clearly Mimi's mother, rushed to Seth and tried to remove Mimi from his arms.

"My poor baby," Mimi's mother's voice shook, "she knows better than to leave our block after hours. That girl never listens and now I might lose her. Don't just stand there! Hurry up and get her inside so she can have even a slight chance of surviving that wound. She better not die!"

"I'll take her inside," Seth promised, rushing into the small cottage beside the frantic woman, whose anger was very close to unleashing.

As they stepped over the threshold into the small home with its low ceilings and pleasant scent of rose petals, Isabella was certain if Mimi didn't survive there would be hell to pay. She had no desire to fight the poor morphling's family who would just want justice if the worst happened. But her brother and friends were in danger. This was not the time to turn themselves in. It was highly doubtful this distraught mother would only accept Isabella and her friends as the responsible parties. She had to know what the Jack Boots were like.

An old man hobbled in from a room in the back as Seth laid Mimi on a fluffy but worn looking sofa torn in a few spots, cotton spilling from its frayed edges. "What are these humans doing in my house?" The gray-faced man groused, his eyes barely opened and his coat covered a large hump on his back. "We could get arrested having you in here."

"I thought you were here before, Cleo," Isabella whispered to her friend as the older morphling continued flashing his purple eyes at them.

"We were. Mimi was alone, and she told us the same thing. But it didn't matter because we had to leave, and now..." Cleo tried not to choke up. "This is my fault. I should have found Lana and Evie on my own and let you and Seth take care of the Ghost Realm, then...this wouldn't be happening."

"You did this to my grandchild?"

"We didn't mean for anything to happen," said Xander, reaching for Mimi's hand.

"Don't touch her!" Mimi's grandfather nearly shouted. Xander jumped to his feet and scurried to over to stand by his sister, who'd been hanging back by the front door.

"Father, please. They are only children. I've called the healer. He'll be here momentarily."

"What? When did you call?" Xander asked.

"They speak telepathically," Isabella supplied.

"Oh, right." Xander stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet. Seth stood from where he was crouched on the floor, about a foot from Mimi. His head nearly touched the ceiling. Morphlings were not as small as dwarves, but they average height was definitely a lot shorter than Seth Logan's.

Relief flooded the room when the healer knocked on the front door and was let inside. "Let's get her onto her own bed," the healer suggested. "A morphling's personal nest provides regenerating powers," he explained to the confused humans in the room. Isabella wondered if this was common knowledge and why Mimi's mother hadn't thought of it right away. Perhaps she was too frantic to think clearly. The healer did not question their presence, but Isabella could sense that it did make him uneasy. He told them that the injured girl was already developing a fever and lost quite a bit of blood. The healer stated it was all touch and go and made anyone aside from Mimi's family who would assist him in treating the injured girl wait outside. It felt like forever waiting to hear further news.

***

Hours later, the healer popped his head out to let everyone know that Mimi's fever had finally broken. That was good news at least. Yet that didn't mean Mimi was out of the woods yet. Mimi's grandfather had also calmed down considerably once he realized Isabella was who she was. "The last Diadem." He'd even kissed her hand. Still, he was afraid of being punished for their presence, but he seemed to really want to protect Isabella as well. It made Isabella wonder if the morphlings knew something about her the empaths didn't. Or maybe the empaths down here knew it all too, and she was just completely naïve about it all. She'd felt she'd learned pretty much all she need to know about her family after visiting the Ghost Realm. But there was one thing. Renee's reaction to her. She'd known it was her. What did that mean? Isabella shook herself out of her haze, to focus on what the healer had said.

There was still the blood loss and injuries suffered from both the gunshot and the fall. Her cohort wore their worries on their faces plainly, except Seth, whose expression remained stony at best. The tears he blinked back on occasion did not go unnoticed by her. Even he was feeling the pressure and that made her feel even guiltier. She was the one who had to play the hero, get all of these people she loved involved.

A tear slipped down Isabella's cheek. It was impossible to hide this much guilt anymore. She felt like a failure. All this tragedy because she had to play the hero. "I caused this. If I never sent Cleo to get Mimi she wouldn't be inside dying right now. What if there's too much blood loss or...."

Seth walked up and grabbed her shoulders. "Stop it. You are not helping anyone trying to take all the blame for everything bad that happens. That gang shot Mimi because they are cowards and monsters. We helped good people get away from them. You ran out first and I followed. That's the act of a leader and a selfless person. Not some cursed crybaby," he said.

His words surprised her, especially the crybaby part. But she could agree with him that there was no point blaming herself and bawling. They had a mission and no time be overwhelmed by guilt. Yet there was still a heavy dose of it winding it's way into her soul. Mimi still might not survive.

"What was the point of even going to the ghost realm? I know everything is not my fault Seth, but if we had stayed out of Serena's business maybe we wouldn't be here right now."

Cleo sighed. "Don't be a drama queen, Izzy. We all came here okay? Colin would have been arrested, and you'd still want to get him free."

"Fine. But would Mimi be hurt? No. Would Lana be missing. No!"

Everyone turned to look at them. Seth took her gently by the arm and dipped his head to her ear. "Let's talk about this outside."

"Seth... I don't..." He was so close to her. She could feel everything he was feeling because he was letting her. He was letting her in like he'd never had before.

Right then Mimi's grandfather stepped out and everyone went silent. "Mimi is stable but still unconscious. At least, she's out of the woods and should recover."

Isabella let out a sigh of relief. Mimi was going to live.

"Thank God!" Cleo was the first to cry out what everyone else had been thinking. Isabella went over to hug her briefly before stepping back to where she stood next to Seth. His presence was soothing her. She was still so damn shaky.

"We're so glad," Isabella told the older morphling man. "We love Mimi so much."

Everyone nodded in consent.

"We also wanted to know if you could help us. Our friends from Skyside are missing down here. They aren't empaths or anything. Just regular people, and we heard from Mimi that they are with the Landry brothers. We met them before back home, but we have no idea where to find them."

"The Landry brothers, you say," the morphling man said, pinching his lips together. "I know of them. They're banned from moving Skyside and you say that's where you met them."

Isabella's eyes grew wide. She'd said something she shouldn't have. Colin was in enough trouble as it was. Why did she have to have such a big mouth? "Well, that's none of my never mind." The gray-faced man sank into a green cushioned chair.

"We have to find them," Xander spoke up when he did not speak right away. "They're defenseless. I mean, last year we were lost here, and it was really scary. But they aren't even empaths. What if something happens to them? You need to help us right now."

"Don't talk to your elders like that," Cleo admonished her twin. "Sorry about my brother, sir, he's just worried."

The grandfather looked at Xander hard but nodded. Mimi's mother had not spoken a word since she'd gone in the back with the doctor. "Well, it might just be your lucky day after all. I know where they are. My daughter wants me to just give you directions and leave you young ones to it."

Xander looked confused again for a moment then as if realization dawned on him, he nodded. The morphlings were speaking to each other in their minds.

"But I can't do that and call myself a good morphling," said Mimi's grandfather. "Those lot live in a dangerous part of The Underground. Not a place for children to go wandering about all by themselves," he explained.

"We can look after ourselves," Xander spoke up, "we're not weaklings. We can fight."

"Like my granddaughter?" the grandfather countered, "fighting isn't going to help you when your enemy pulls out a weapon from your blind spot. A cunning enemy can get anyone." He was right.

"We accept your help," Isabella said, stepping away from Seth, the cool air that rushed between them jarring her a bit. "Now let's hurry up and get moving. Mimi didn't get shot so we can sit around and chat."

Seth walked out of the little cottage first, followed by Micah and Xander. "She's okay. And they're going to be okay, too, Izzy," Cleo said as they followed the boys out.

"I know."

"I hope you do," said Cleo before walking ahead to join the others. Mimi's grandfather closed the door behind them, and they were off. Hopefully, they'd find Lana and Evie soon, so at least that part of ridiculous nightmare would be over.