'This is it,' said Alex. This was really it. They had finally arrived at the Underground Palace. It was dark, cold and a thick layer of fog hide almost everything from sight, everything looked exactly the same as Alex and Oliver last remembered it – spooky.

'It can't be this easy,' insisted Thomas. He stood staring ahead at little Benjamin's door just a few meters away. 'Marco made a mistake last time.  He underestimated us.  Surely he would have increased security?'

'Only one way to find out,' replied Neo.  He stepped forward and admired Benjamin's doorway.  So young the boy had been when his power was torn from him.  

'If one of us dies, what happens to the power of the Seven Children?  Do we become just six children or the Six Children?' asked Oliver timidly.  Neo laughed and smiled sadly at Oliver.

'Lets hope we never find out.'

'What's your gut telling you about this, Alex?  Since you're the one with sixth sense and all?' asked Kirsty.  Alex shivered in the coldness and shrugged her shoulders.

'I don't know.  I kind of have a bad feeling, but I did too last time I guess?'

'Well that's just great...' mumbled Thomas to himself.

'Okay, well there's no point standing here freezing our asses off,' said Neo.  He moved forward and focused his attention on the small white lily that purred and reached out to scan him.  It was a beautiful sight to watch.  Alex took a moment to think and analyse what her gut feeling was telling her.  She did have a bad feeling about this, she had a bad feeling last time, but something about last time felt different.  Last time she also felt hope.  This time she felt despair.  Marco had sworn to kill her if she returned.    

'Lets do this,' confidently spoke Alex.  She stepped forward and took a deep breath.  

***

In a room, not far from where Glen was kept locked in his cell, Marco stood watching the Seven Children nervously enter his palace on a large television screen as big as a small home.

How foolish the children were to believe Marco would make the same mistake twice!  Marco may have made a mistake underestimating the children once but he would not make the same mistake again.  They had humiliated him.  For years, Marco had spent a fortune tracking these children and abducting them from their homes, only for them to escape from one of the grandest and deadly palaces in the world!

It was ironic though, even the Ruler of Good couldn't keep the kids under control too, including his own daughter.  It was very convenient that the children were making their way back to Marco, the alternative would have been very expensive, time consuming and deadly.  The Seven Children were full of surprises.

Marco stood on a high platform that overlooked his control room.  Hundreds of men filled the room, standing, watching and waiting for Marco's orders.

'Wait for my orders,' he commanded.  The men didn't respond, they continued to stand at attention waiting.  No, Marco laughed to himself, to ruin the children's adventures now would be too cruel.  Raise their hopes, then shatter their dreams.

***

Ten minutes had passed and the children couldn't shrug off the idea they were being followed or watched.  Not a single guard had come their way and the children felt like they were piece in one of Marco's deadly games.  

'He's playing us,' spat Thomas.  Alex winced and glanced at petrified Oliver.

'We're closer to Glen and Holly than the exit.  No turning back now,'  said Alex.  So the children kept running with one eye in front of them and the other behind.

***

Marco sighed with boredom.  They children looked scared, but scared wasn't exciting to watch.  Fear was entertaining.  Marco scanned the men standing at attention in front of him.  He scanned their faces and smirked as his eyes fell on a young man.  Oh this could get interesting!

'James!' he barked.  

A young man with light brown hair spun round and barked out in response, 'yes, sir!'

'I want you and Daniel to give chase, give them something to fear about. They're starting to bore me,' he told the young man. James and Daniel, the man beside him, immediately stood to attention and called out in unison.

'Yes, sir!' Satisfied, Marco turned back to the televisions and used the controls by his hand to zoom into Alexandra's face.  Marco smirked, time to witness the family reunion.

***

James and Daniel quietly left the operations room and started to jog towards the Seven Children.  

'James, what are you going to do?' asked Daniel.  James was jogging a few steps ahead, his eyes glued to floor.  One foot after another.  

'James!' said Daniel with a raised voice.  James halted in his tracks and Daniel grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around.  He looked distraught.

'You can't do this.  You can't let her die.  You have to do something-'

'I know Daniel!  But what can I do?  Marco will kill me if I try and save her.'

'You can't not to nothing!  She's your sis-'

'I know what she is Daniel!'  Daniel was James's closest and only best friend.  They were raised together.  They knew everything about each other.

'So what are you going to do about it?'  James's face broke and for a second it looked like he was going to cry.

'She doesn't believe me!  Mum never told her...'

'You have to make her believe!'

'How?'

'There's loads of ways, come on, we don't have much time!'

***

The children were running. They were desperate. Their plan was screwed up. They should have listened to Richard. Two minutes ago a man had walked out of a corridor and was still following them at their heels. Alex's mind was reeling. She had only seconds to think which turn to take at each intersection.

'Left!' she called out to the others as she rounded the corner.  She could feel her cousin grow closer and closer with every step she took.

'Watch out!' cried Oliver at the sight of a man standing in front of them, only metres away. Alex halted in her tracks and looked up.

'Not you again!' she cried out and watched as Thomas raised his silentium.

'No!' cried the man, 'you've got to listen to me!'

'No!' shouted Alex. She didn't have time for this. He had wasted her time once and he wasn't going to do it again.

'Alex, he's telling the truth!' yelled the man who had been chasing the children. Thomas spun round and flicked his silentium at Daniel, forcing him to instantly fall to the ground unconscious. 

'Alex,' begged James, 'please, you've got to understand!  This is a trap! Marco knows you're here, it's all just a game to him!' Thomas lunged forward furious and aimed his silentium.

'You're the trap!'  Kirsty's hand wrapped around Thomas's wrist.

'No,' she said forcibly.  She forced his arm down.  'Don't you remember the rumours about him?'  Thomas paused and looked at James with curiosity.  

'Please Alex,' James tried one last time, 'you've got to believe me!'

'Why? Everybody else I've come across has lied!'

'Home is where the heart is.  Follow your dreams.  Do something today your future self will thank you for.  Ring any bells?'  These were sayings that Susan was obsessed with.  She had them painted on blocks of wood that hung on the living room walls.  'You need to trust me Alex!' 

***

Marco slammed his fist against the platform railings and swore out loud.  James knew!  James knew Alex was his sister!  How does he remember?  He was six when he was taken from his family. Marco spun round and stared down at his men, who all stared back at him, waiting for the order.

'Get them!' he screamed, pointing at the five children on the television screen.  He would deal with James later.

***

'I believe you,' whispered Alex. A tear strolled down her cheek, then another and another.  'I can feel it.  Marco is pissed that you can remember.  He is so angry.  Why?  Why did mum lie?'  James swooped forward and wrapped his arms around Alex in a tight hug.

'It's okay, I'll get you out of here.  And when you get home mum will have a good explanation.'  James leaned back and studied Alex's face.  She looked so scared.  He wiped her tears away using the back of his hand.  He glanced towards the other children.  They were so young.

'Come on, this way, I know a way out of here,' he shouted.

'What about Holly and Glen?' asked Neo.  Alex's heart missed a beat.  Glen.  She had forgotten about him.

'There's no time.  It's either save five of you or none of you!  Follow me,' ordered James and he took Alex's hand then set off at a sprint.  The children followed him without a second thought.  Coming here was a stupid idea.  They ran to the end of the corridor and turned right at the fork, only to stop in their tracks and stare at the army of men marching their way.

'Other way!  Other way!' screamed James.  The kids backtracked and sprinted down the other corridor.  Within seconds though the children's luck had run out.  Another army of men were heading their way.  James swore under his breath.  It was too late.  Too late.

'Oh no you don't!' screamed Oliver and he stepped forward with his arms wide open.  A sphere of black, spitting and angry fire appeared and charged its way down the corridor.  The men at the other end screamed and ran for cover.  Oliver charged forward screaming and the children followed.  Most of the men had scampered but those who remained sneered at the children and laughed.  Neo raised his arm and flicked his hand this way and that.  The men were sent flying, their backs cracked against the stone wall and fell to the floor either unconscious or dead.  Neo didn't feel any guilt.  This was war.  With their hopes soaring, the children ran forward with renewed energy.  Perhaps they could still make it alive.

They jumped over the unmoving bodies and through the black smoke only to skid to a stop.  Marco stood ahead, his hands calmly placed together at the front of his body and sneering.  He hadn't had this much fun in ages.  Fear smothered the children's hearts and Alex sniffed back her tears.  He had warned her, told her that if she returned he would kill her.  

Together, Neo and Oliver let out a cry of fury and set their powers free.  Oliver's fire erupted in chaos, the fire ball was almost two metres in diameter.  Neo focused his power on the fire ball and hurtled it through the air.  Travelling almost at the speed of light, Marco just laughed and held his arms out towards the fireball, almost as if he was going to welcome it with a hug.  Then Marco clapped and the fireball extinguished with a hiss.  Marco's sneer turned into a grimace and he clapped again.

A wave of pain washed over the children.  Marco had many powers which over the years he had collected and stolen but creating pain?  That was the power he was born with.  All the children screamed and collapsed to the floor in agony.  It felt as though someone was tickling their stomachs.  Tickling their stomachs with hot white sharp knives.  The pain was out of this world.  It was incredible, it was unbearable.  Slowly each child lost conscious and found sanctuary in a deep sleep.  

James fell to the ground and cradled Alex's head in his arms.  He wept and stroked her hair and begged Marco for mercy as an army of men appeared.  James kicked, spat and punched anyone who dared to try and touch Alex until a strong force lifted James off his feet and his body slammed into the wall behind him.  Marco appeared, his face inches away.  His eyes were burning black with flecks of orange and red.  He was thoroughly pissed off.

'I will deal with you later.'

************

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