Alex was shocked.  Did he just say brother?  Absurd!  She didn't have any siblings.

'Well,' continued James, 'technically your half brother.'  He then opened his arms, as though he was expecting a hug.  Alex raised her silentium, she didn't have time for jokes.

'Night, night,' she grinned.

'It's me! James Ramsay!' he shouted, but now with desperation. Alex shook her head with disbelief.

'Are you telling me that mum didn't tell you?' he quietly asked. The man, James, looked truly devastated. A little heartbroken. Something tugged at Alex's stomach. James.  The name sounded familiar.  It tugged at her stomach hard, forcing her to take a curious step forward.

'What are you talking about?'

'Please Alex! You have to believe me. Mum has a locket, a locket with both of us inside, haven't you seen it?' he begged. It was true, her mum did have a locket, but it only had a picture of Alex.

'Only I'm inside that locket.' James shook his head and stomped his foot.

'No! She wouldn't do that! What about the carvings? The A and the J on the back, one for Alexandra and one for James?'

'It's my initials. My middle name is Jane.'

'Alex, please! I beg you to believe me! I wouldn't lie to you. You have to get out of here now! It's not safe! Marco will-' The man crumpled to the floor in a deep sleep. Oliver admired his silver rod and pocketed.

'He was wasting our time Alex.' Oliver and  Neo raced forward and ducked through into the cell. Glen had always said she had a gift for reading through lies. And despite the impossibility of it, Alex knew the man was not lying.

'Thomas!' said Neo. Alex's heart sunk a little and she wiped away the forming tears.  No Glen.  Two saved and three to go. Seconds later, Thomas was free from his bounds and stepped out of the cell. He looked at Alex.

'Thank you,' he said. Alex replied with a nod and marched forward.

'Let's go,' she said.

Together they once again set off at a sprint.  She took the corridor on the left, then the one of her right.  Her power was guiding her, tugging at her heart and telling her which way to go.  Years ago Glen had told her her intuitive was better than the average human being.  She had laughed at him.  But he had been right.

Glen, she whispered to herself, where are you?  Minutes after exploring different corridors a scream, one that could shatter a champagne glass, pierced the children's ears. Alex, Oliver, Neo and Thomas halted and turned to each other. Where had the scream come from?

'Please! Stop it!' begged a voice. Alex charged forward, her power telling her that the owner of the voice was only a few corridors away.

Rounding the final corner, the children skidded to halt. More wooden doors were built into the walls, but one of them was wide open. Kirsty was flipping out and screaming for help. Four men had hold of her, one for each limb. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the men looked up and saw three of the Seven Children facing them.

Within a split second of the men twisted Kirsty's arm and pinned it against her back and shoved her body against on of the walls. The three other men charged at Alex, Oliver, Thomas and Neo.

As quick as lightning, Alex had her silver rod out and flicked it at the nearest man. She watched amazed as the man's legs collapsed under him and fell asleep immediately. Neo stepped forward and forcefully shoved his hand out at the two other men and grinned with satisfaction as the men flew into the air and cracked their backs against the stone ceiling. They collapsed to the floor silently, unconscious or dead, it didn't matter.

One man who had hold of Kirsty spun round and held Kirsty in front of him in a headlock.

'If you use your powers against me, I'll break her neck!' he warned. Alex didn't know what to do. The man looked as though he was in his early twenties new to the job. He had dark brown dirty hair and some signs of fading acne.

'I don't want to do this,' stated the man, and softly added, 'If I let her go then he will kill me as punishment.' Alex understood. It was obvious some of these men worked for Marco because they loved the thought of working for the dark side, and sometimes some men worked for him because the job paid well.

Neo stepped forward and stared hard at the arm which held Kirsty back. All he had to do was concentrate, it was as simple as that. Back at home, his mother detested his power. Turned away every time he dared use it. It wasn't that she found his power disgusting, it was more of the fact she found the power her little boy had was terrifying. Neo couldn't blame her.

Devastated, the man stared at the arm around Kirsty's neck slowly moving away and release its hold around her.

'No!' he screamed out, 'please don't!'

'I'm sorry,' Neo whispered.

With his other arm, the man lunged forward and his nails scraped Kirsty's back as she jumped out of his grasp.

'No!' cried out the man. Oliver stepped forward and looked down at the man with pity. Perhaps the man was right, Marco would kill him for letting the Seven Children escape, but it was either him or them. Oliver withdrew his silver rod from his side pocket and flicked it at the man. He instantly crumbled to the floor fast asleep, tears still streaming down his face.

'Thomas!' exclaimed Kirsty.

'Kirsty!'

The twins ran to each other and embraced in a hug.

'Should we hide the bodies?' suggested Neo.  Oliver nodded and started to drag the nearest man towards the open cell door.

'Wait,' said Alex.  She paused and concentrated.  She could feel something nag at her mind.  Telling her, warning her, that danger was nearby.  She looked up just in time to see...

'Get them!' shouted a voice that echoed throughout the Underground Palace. The Seven Children spun round and saw Marco and his army running full speed around the bend in the corridor at least twenty metres ahead.

Marco, his face full with hatred and vengeance, curled his lips into a smirk.

'Run! Run! Run!' screamed Alex at the top of her voice. The children forced their legs forward with as much energy as they could muster. Neo, the fastest, led the pack and they backtracked their way through the tunnels. Alex swore under her breath. What had she done? She had walked into her own death bed.

Up ahead, a door opened on the side and several men marched out armed with weapons. The children felt a wave of fear wash over them. They were screwed.

'Oh no you won't!' screamed Neo. He roared and thrust his hands forced. The air in the tunnel swooped forward and the dozen men flew backwards. They screamed as their backs cracked against the walls and ceiling and their bodies crumbled to the floor unconscious, or dead. Behind the children, Marco cried out with fury.

'Which way?' Neo yelled to Alex, leaping over the unconscious bodies. Looking ahead, Alex saw the corridor was about to split into four sections.

'The next left, second right, third right and straight on!' she called out, closely following the boys at their heels whilst leaping over unconscious bodies.

All of a sudden a white hot pain seared Alex's side and she cried out with agony. Stars appeared in Alex's vision and she tripped and crumbled to the floor feeling sick and dizzy.

'Alex!' screamed a voice. It was Oliver, he was calling for her. Telling her to get up. But she couldn't, the corridor was spinning beneath her and without warning she vomited over the body she tripped over and cried out again as the incredible pain attacked her side again. It felt as though her kidney was being ripped from her insides. She looked up and saw Neo dragging and forcing Oliver to run with him. They were now tiny specks in the distance.

Alex knew she was done for. She knew Marco was going to be by her feet within seconds but she didn't care. She didn't have the energy to fight. The pain was unbearable and now she was going to be with Glen again. He had the power to teleport. He would be able to free her. And with that thought, Alex felt her body slip out of conscious and she embraced it.  

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

Oh no!  What's going to happen??????  Read on to find out :)

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