It was only when they reached the classroom that Dallon used as refuge before his deal that they stopped again. Brendon turned to the demon, who wore a look of confusion.

"What?" Brendon crossed his arms.

The demon cocked his head. "It seems I cannot move ahead." He replied.

"What do you mean you can't move ahead?"

"It's exactly as I said, Brendon." The demon spoke as if he was talking to a child, "I am being blocked. Even with a vessel, I cannot move forward."

Brendon stared at the demon, unsure what to do. He was at least three steps ahead of the spot Dallon's feet had stopped. Nothing held him back. It was as if it wanted him to move forward alone.

"Do be careful." The demon seemed to hear Brendon's looming thoughts, "If you need me... You need only say yes. It would be the only way I'd be permitted to pass."

"That's it?" Brendon questioned. "All that for you to promote jumping into my body one more time?"

"Just a simple reminder." A small sneer played on Dallon's lips. "I am an option if things get messy."

"Are things going to get messy?" Brendon's mind immediately went back to Josh and Tyler. He felt queezy all over again as their discovery replayed in his head.

"Perhaps." The demon shrugged. He sighed when he caught Brendon's glare. "I can't really predict the future, can I? That's more of a profit thing, and they tend to work for the other side."

Brendon bit his tongue to hold back questions that wanted to lash out at the demon. He was just supposed to leave Dallon here in the hall with that thing inside him? He had seemed fine during the minute of awareness, but what if that was some kind of trick?

As Brendon considered it all, a memory hit him like a wave. He nearly fell over as the scene around him changed. Darkness became light. Peeled paint repaired itself. It was back to the way it all looked when he was a kid.

A younger version of himself sat in the hall. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his eyes were closed.

"Why are you sad?" Ryan appeared beside him, prompting Brendon to open his eyes. The strange boy was always silent with his approach.

"I dunno." Brendon shrugged. "I just don't want to play."

Ryan cocked his head to the side. "Not even with me?"

Brendon shook his head. "I think you hurt me last time we played." His hand twitched as if to move towards the fresh scar that cut through his brow.

Ryan frowned. "I'll stop if you'll play." He said. The red in his eyes bled through the brown like lava bubbling from the earth. "No one else can see me. You're different. I don't want to lose you."

Brendon eyed him warily. "I'm not different."

The brown haired boy scooted closer. He took Brendon's hand in his. "You're special to me." He said, staring straight into Brendon's eyes. "You're gunna let me be right by your side, right? We can take on the world together if you say yes."

The smaller Brendon blinked at the smaller Ryan. He opened his mouth but, before any words could come out, the lunch bell rang. Students flooded into the hall and Ryan vanished.

Brendon gasped for breath as he was pulled from the memory. His legs shook as he felt around him for support. He didn't know what to make of the new memory other than it made him feel dizzy.

Hands held him steady as he regained his composure. His vision fuzzed for a moment before refocusing. When it did, he tilted his head up to look at Dallon's face. Dallon's face, but the demon's emotions. There was actually a hint of worry within the look the demon gave Brendon. As if the demon could sense Brendon catching it, however, it was gone in an instant.

"What was that?" The demon asked, not showing any of the emotion his eyes had conveyed for the smallest fraction of a second.

"Nothing." Brendon slowly pulled back from Dallon's hands. "It was nothing. I-I just got dizzy."

The demon's eyes flicked down the hall. "It might be whatever is here." He said, tilting his head as if to listen for something.

"Guess I should go figure out." Brendon looked down the hall. He didn't want to go, but he also didn't want to stay with the demon. His head lightly throbbed after the memory that had replayed. Had it been real?

Had any of this really been real?

"Be careful."

The demon's warning sent a chill down Brendon's spine. The words were a mixture of Ryan and Dallon's voices. It sounded so wrong in Brendon's ear, yet oddly perfect. A harmony of two worlds colliding.

Brendon said nothing as he stepped forward, past the point that the demon could venture.

The air grew colder almost immediately. It sunk into his bones as he continued towards the gym, as if he was just venturing deeper and deeper into a meat freezer. With the light of his lantern, he could see his breath coming out in puffs of swirling air.

The cold slowed his pace, but didn't stop him. He continued for what felt like ages before he made it to the gym. Inside, he could see the circle of lanterns.

"Pete?" Brendon called out, "Patrick?"

He couldn't see anyone. He shivered as he passed the threshold into the large, echoing, room. "Guys?"

The air moved quickly around him. He sucked in a breath as it seemed to wrap around his waist and pulled him forward. It dragged him for a few feet before he was slapped to the ground.

He cried out as a pain throbbed through him from the sudden impact. He shut his eyes, trying to calm his breaths and the pain.

"Brendon?"

Brendon opened his eyes. He was inside the circle of lanterns. He pushed himself up, arms shaking as he looked for Pete's voice.

"Pete?" Brendon called out again. His arms gave out and his chest slammed against the ground. He groaned, pulling his arms close.

"Not quite, Brendon." A shadow cast across the light the lanterns made. The outline of a figure stepped into view. Brendon tried to call out again, but his voice caught in his throat. Instead, he watched as the outline stepped closer. With each step, more of the figure was illuminated.

"Patrick?" Brendon looked up at his friend, who was now bathed in light.

Patrick looked scared. His eyes were wide and his arms were held close to his chest. He shivered as he looked down at Brendon.

"Where's Pete?" Brendon tried to push himself up again, but something seemed to be holding him down. "Are you okay?" He tried instead.

Patrick looked as if he was about to sign something, but he abruptly stopped. A twisted grin spread over his lips instead.

"As fine as one can be in a situation like this." Pete's voice came through the shadows in a way that almost smacked Brendon across the face. It sounded like Dallon under the influence of...

Now it was Brendon who had wide eyes as he looked at Patrick. His friend's face had completely changed from fear to near mocking.

"I feel like I'm managing." Pete's voice echoed as all of the lanterns but one went out.