August 5th
1759 EST

Tristan shoved the encroaching branches away from his face as he ran through the dense and misty woods. Ice coated each individual leaf he touched. With his erratic emotions, he had little control over his power.

Faster or you'll miss it, he told himself. Tristan hurried in long strides as quickly as he could, arms pumping at his sides. The ten pm train would pass by any minute and if he didn't hurry, he would miss it.

The train carried passengers from Massachusetts to Maine, and it was Tristan's only chance to get to Bristol within a reasonable amount of time.

Faster, he told himself. If you miss this, you miss her. Run. Faster.

His legs shook he had been running so long, but he kept going. One foot in front of the other, you're almost there. Tristan took a brief glance at the forest behind him. Every tree he touched was coated in a light frost, in the middle of August.

He shoved his hands together to keep them from freezing anything else, but continued to run. The railroad tracks appeared near in the distance. The sight overwhelmed Tristan. As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop a small grin from arching over his face.

He was in shape, but running fifteen miles straight was not something he could easily do. He collapsed at the side of the tracks. Did I miss it?  He wondered.

Tristan checked his watch. 10:13. Since it left Brightbay City at ten, it shouldn't have passed yet, but he still felt uneasy.

His mind began working. How would he get to Maine if he couldn't catch the train? He could walk, but it would take days. He could hitchhike, but would anyone actually pick him up? He could hotwire a car, but he didn't know how to do that.

His smile deepened as he heard a train horn blast in the distance. Yellow lights appeared as the train came into view.

You have to do this just right, he told himself. One wrong move and the train won't move again. Tristan planted his feet and threw his arms forward, shaking his limbs to loosen up.

As the train was directly in front of him, he opened his hands and ice exploded from his palms. Tristan stepped back and watched as slush covered the wheels. It expanded slowly, from the axis, hindering the rotation.

The train screeched to a stop and the doors flew open immediately. A flashlight was the first thing Tristan saw shine out of the doors. The train conductor marched out, searching for the problem.

Tristan jumped into the closest car, throwing his arm out the door to retract the ice. He hurried to the back of the train car and ducked behind a seat.

The man walked into the car, scanning the seats with his blinding white flashlight. Tristan's ice must have frozen the power too because every light was off.

"Anyone in here?" He grumbled. Tristan guessed that nobody would be on the ten pm train, and luckily he was right.

He held his breath as the man walked down the aisle. Ice began to cover his hands as his anxiety rose, but he let it happen, afraid that if he moved, the conductor would catch him.

The conductor turned around and shuffled out of the car. Tristan breathed a sigh of relief and came out of his hiding spot. He sat on the nearest seat and spread his body out, finally relaxing after his extensive run.

The ride to Portland would take two hours, he might as well try to sleep. He laid his head down on the seat next to him, but couldn't bring himself to close his eyes.

Tristan couldn't shake the nightmare he had the previous night. Every time he shut his eyes he saw Bristol trapped in the crumbling palace.

​The dreams would change. Most of the time, he would watch Bristol in her cell, rusty chains tied to her hands and feet. She would hug her knees to her chest and sob or just stare at the door in front of her with a sad look in her eyes. It pained Tristan more than anything, to see her in so much pain and isolation.

However, this time was different.
​
A dark room, a chill in the air, and Bristol in the center of the room. She was still chained to the ground, but that didn't seem to matter. The fire in her eyes was enough to make Tristan smile in his sleep, but it quickly faded away.

"Let me go!" She roared. Her voice was scratchy from all the screaming and crying.

Footsteps echoed into existence and a figure emerged from the shadows. Tristan heard Bristol gasp and immediately knew that she recognized the figure before her.

"Phobos," She muttered in disbelief. A realization filled her dark eyes, as if she knew what was about to happen. "You won't get me to choose. Forget it!"

​Phobos chuckled. His greasy hair and wild eyes weren't in any way different from the last time they had seen him in Shadowedge. This was his persona, a psychopath with a craving for terror.

"Here are your options, my dear," he said, circling over to Bristol. "You can either choose what I am about to present you with, or you can die. After all, you are the weakest link out of the four of you. They won't need you." He tried reaching for her to lift her up, but Bristol flinched away, sending a venomous look his way.

"Don't call me weak," Bristol said gravely.

Phobos's lips stretched into a grim smile. "But that is what you are and that is what you always will be unless you choose."

​Bristol opened her mouth to speak but suddenly the fire in her eyes faded. Before her, two pillars rose out of the tile with misty orbs atop each one. Phobos paced over to stand behind them, but Bristol just watched in horror.

​"This isn't happening," She squeaked. She blinked away tears and Tristan felt a pain in his chest. He wanted to be there, to protect her and rescue her, but he couldn't. This was only a dream.

​"Choose," Phobos boomed. "Or die."

​Bristol's chains disappeared, and she stood slowly. She walked towards them cautiously, eyeing each one with a knowing glance. Tristan could almost feel the fear resonating off of her as she looked into each orb, flashes of light emerging from each.

​"What'll it be, my dear? The destruction of all that you love? Or the strength and control you so desire." Phobos taunted in a sad attempt at a soothing voice.

​Bristol pressed her lips into a thin line. Tristan knew she didn't have a choice, but he couldn't watch her do it. Something was off about this choice she had to make and he wanted to scream for Bristol to stop, but whoever was making him see this just kept playing into his fears.

​He saw a flash of hope in Bristol's eyes as she gazed into the second orb. He couldn't determine what she was seeing, but it must've been the better option. She averted her eyes and slowly stretched her hand towards it.

​As soon as her fingertips made contact with the second orb's mist, Bristol recoiled and cried out in pain. An arc of energy ran up her body, making her collapse to the ground. She was being electrocuted, tortured, and Tristan had to watch. He tried to scream for her but no noise came out. He was condemned to watch.

​She continued to shriek in pain, but slowly, with labored breaths, she stood. The energy arced around her, running up her body and back down like the sparks he had seen on CJ, only darker. Her eyes were dark, darker than usual, as if the fire and light that Tristan had grown to love about them had been sucked away in a vortex of shadows.

​"How do you feel?" Phobos smirked.

​Bristol took another ragged breath as the dark lightning shot around her. She held out her palms before her and the energy instantly shot into them, changing from lightning into burst of black fire.
She looked up, directly into Tristan's line of sight through his dream, and smirked, staring him down with pitch black irises.

A scuffle in the middle of the train pulled Tristan out of his remembrances. His back immediately straightened and his eyes flew open.

"Who's there?" He yelled uneasily. His voice echoed off the confined walls of the train car.  A million thoughts raced through his head. Maybe it was a mouse, or he just imagined the sound, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

The noise sounded again, farther away this time. Something was definitely moving and it was definitely bigger than a mouse. He ran though the possibilities in his head.

They hadn't faced a villain that was invisible, but Rune was recruiting new henchmen every day. What offensive powers came with invisibility?

Something snapped in Tristan's mind. He could feel the frost begin to pump through his veins. He had come all this way.

Tristan narrowed his eyes. Nothing was getting in his way of finding Bristol. "Show yourself now or I will freeze this entire car," he growled. He forced the temperature to drop ten degrees to prove he wasn't bluffing.

At the front of the train car, a short figure materialized out of thin air. A small redheaded girl appeared before him. Her bronze skin appeared darker in the dim moonlight. "H-hi," she squeaked.

Tristan didn't drop his hands, just glared at her skeptically. "Who are you?" He asked the girl. She looked harmless, but Tristan didn't want to let his guard down. A girl with powers generally wouldn't be unaccompanied.

She shifted back and forth anxiously. "Millie Thyme," she whispered. She looked down at her feet and crossed her ankles uneasily. "Who are you?" She asked him quietly.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at her. "Tristan Dahl," he responded.

The florescent train lights flickered on as the engine sparked back to life. Tristan grabbed the seat to avoid being thrown forward, but Millie wasn't so lucky.

As the train lurched forward, Millie was thrown into a seat, slamming her head against the glass window.

Despite Tristan's apprehensions, he rushed forward to help the girl. He pulled her hand away from her throbbing head to check for injury.

"I'm okay," she mumbled. "Thank you though." Millie looked up and met his eyes.

In the brighter lights, Tristan could actually see the girl next to him. She was very pretty with a pure look in her light hazel eyes, a button nose, and a splash of freckles across her rosy cheeks.

Tristan thought back to Avi. "On and scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" He asked, slightly grinning.

Millie stared blankly back at him. "A three? It isn't that bad."

Tristan frowned, slightly irritated that his joke wasn't received. After he realized the girl wasn't harmed, his coldness returned. He groaned. "So what's your story? How do you have powers and why are you alone?" He asked harshly.

Glancing over his shoulder, he took a deep breath and evaluated the situation. Was she the only one? He couldn't seem to let his guard down.

Millie visibly flinched at Tristan's tone. She looked at him, fear in her glance. "How do I know I can trust you?" She asked frightfully.

Tristan's threatening facade crumbled. Seeing the terror in her eyes made Tristan feel terrible for interrogating her. "It's okay," he said quietly. He had been in a similar position when Priscilla found him and he knew the dreadful sentiment. "You don't have to tell me."

She lowered her eyes to the multicolored, plaid train seats. In a voice barely louder than a whisper she asked, "what's your story?"

Tristan furrowed his brow. "Well, my parents were heroes. My dad and I have the same power; cyrokinesis so like ice control. My mom controlled light, heat, that sort of thing."

Millie nodded, but didn't respond. She motioned for him to continue.

"They died a few years ago. My older brother died too. Now it's just me and my twin sister, Olive." He said as bluntly as possible. "She can control fire," he added.

"What powers did your brother have?" She asked. "If you don't mind me asking." Her voice was quiet, but high pitched, making her sound years younger.

Tristan shook his head. "Aaron was the only one in my family who was powerless. I don't know the genetic stuff with that," he said, smiling softly.

Normally Tristan was bitterly cold to everyone with the exception of his family and close friends, but his guard was lowered around Millie. She instantly gave off the ambiance of understanding and acceptance.

"I had a twin too," she whispered. She hung her head lower than Tristan thought was possible. "She died though."

His mouth dropped open slightly. "I'm really sorry." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know that doesn't mean a lot, but I am."

She lifted her gaze to him and smiled softly. "Thank you," she squeaked. Millie tugged nervously on the lobes of her ears.

While he had been talking to Millie, Tristan's hands gradually unfroze. Over the course of their conversation, he had warmed up to her.

The pair talked for the duration of the train ride. By the time they reached Maine, they were very familiar with each other's backstories and secrets.

"What happens when we reach Portland?" Millie asked. Tristan could see the anxiety in her look. He knew she didn't want to be alone, but he also knew she couldn't come with him.

Tristan took a deep breath; to lie or not to lie. "I um," he paused, searching for words, "I'm going to find my ... friend."

Fidgeting nervously in her seat, Millie asked, "where is he? Or she I guess."

Tristan bit his lip. "She is um ... uh," he trailed off. Telling her this was harder than he anticipated. Just saying the words was like reliving his dream again. Saying it to a stranger would make it real.

His brow furrowed. This was real, and it was real that he was getting her back. "She was taken by our enemy, Rune," he stated.

Millie's mouth opened into a perfect o and her eyes widened, but no words came out. When she didn't respond, Tristan continued.

"I'm on a team with three other heroes and we've basically spent all of our time trying to beat him, but he's so much stronger than us." He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Millie tugged on her ears again, which Tristan realized was a nervous habit. "What does he look like?" She asked, barely audible.

"None of us really know. He wears a mask that covers almost all of his face," Tristan scowled.

Millie's eyes widened in recognition. Her mouth opened and closed, unable to form the words. "A, a black mask? Like misty?" She finally asked.

Raising an eyebrow, Tristan responded, "yeah. Kind of smoky, why?"

Millie dropped her head into her hands and began to flicker in opacity. She took a deep breath and became fully apparent. "I think I know him. I'm coming with you."

Tristan did a double take. "No. You're not." He looked at her as if she were senseless for suggesting it. To Tristan, she was.

"My friend might have been taken by him months ago. You can rescue your friend and I'll try and find mine." She said simply.

Was this girl actually insane? "It's too dangerous, I won't let you," he stated, his voice firm and unwavering. Going into Rune's hideout alone is the most dangerous thing Tristan will have ever done and he wasn't about to drag his new acquaintance along for the ride. "Anyways, why would Rune take your friend?"

Millie clapped her hand to her mouth as if she said something she shouldn't have. "She didn't want anyone to know, but she has a sonic scream."

A sonic scream? That was new to Tristan. He shook his head. "I still can't let you go, I'm sorry. I'll look for another girl while I'm there."

She pinched her face together. "If it's so dangerous, why are you going? Where is the rest of your team?" Millie asked, not with the sarcasm he was used to, but genuine curiosity.

Her sincerity caught Tristan off guard. He tried to form the words to respond, but stopped when he saw Millie's face.

Her mouth was turned into a lopsided, dejected smile and her eyes glinted with realization. "Oh I get it. Your friend isn't just a friend. You love her right?"

"No there's nothing going on," he growled, defensively. The temperature began to drop slowly with his anxiety.

Millie just continued to smile sadly. "Tell me about her."

"Really?" Tristan asked. He didn't feel right talking about Bristol with Avi, but his thoughts were almost always her.

Millie nodded.

Tristan ran a hand through his hair and a grin stretched across his face as he thought about her. "Well to begin with, she can control the elements. She can only really handle water, but boy can she handle that," Tristan said in awe. "She irritates me beyond belief, but I don't know, there's just something about her. She has feelings for someone else though," he finished.

Nodding, Millie replied, "I know the feeling. Thanks for sharing that with me."

"I've been having dreams about her," he blurted out, thankful to get it off his chest. "Nightmares," he corrected. "She's in Rune's castle and she's bruised and beaten, but it doesn't feel like an ordinary dream," he stopped, searching for a memory that wasn't clear. "It seems too real and I recognize the place. I think I visited the castle once when I was younger."

"You know where it is then?" She asked.

"I have an idea," he replied.  

~~~

The train lurched to a sudden stop, throwing Millie and Tristan into the seats in front of them. For a second, Tristan worried that he had unknowingly frozen the wheels again, but soon realized they had pulled into the train station.

The station lights flickered haphazardly, disguising the pair of heroes as they hurried off the train. Tristan threw his arm around Millie, trying to look like a normal pair of teenagers to the small crowd of people staring at them.

They were in Portland, Maine. Rune was outside of Portland, Maine. Most importantly, Bristol was less than thirty minutes away.

"So where are we heading?" Millie asked quietly.

Tristan looked around, trying to gain a sense of where they were. The train station was a platform with woods behind them and a tunnel underneath the tracks which filtered into the parking lot across the way. All they had to do was make it through the woods, find the fortress, and find Bristol. Cake.

"This way," Tristan decided and jogged off the platform. Millie followed and soon enough, the duo was concealed by the brush of the forest.

For a while, there was silence. Tristan couldn't speak if he wanted to, he was running over all the possibilities of what could happen in his head.

By the time Tristan began to feel his exhaustion, he couldn't tell how far they've ran. The miles blurred into each other, running at the quickest speed he could muster.

"So...tell me about this team you have." Millie breathed heavily, falling into step beside Tristan.

The dark haired boy jumped a bit, startled by her voice. For the half hour they've been running, they didn't say a word to each other. He took a shaky breath. "It's only been together for about a year," he explained. "But over time...we've all got kind of close."

"Why's that?" Millie asked, a kind glint in her eyes.

Tristan shrugged, ducking under a branch. "Tough times bring people together." He said simply.

He was about to elaborate, but looked up felt his heart stop. "We're here."

They stood at the edge of a field. It spanned out in every direction, ringed by the forest in the horizon. The field itself resembled a mountain reduced to rubble, with pillars and rocks scattered haphazardly around and on top of one another. And surely enough, a fortress stood atop the mess, radiating darkness.

"Oh," Millie squeaked. "This is it?"

"Yeah," Tristan responded. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or just extremely nervous. He took a deep breath. "It's now or never," he said, starting forward.

The pair approached side by side until they were feet away from the castle. Tristan craned his neck to get a better view of the massive structure. "We're going to have to somehow get over these walls. I could maybe freeze a latter, but I don't know how well I can do it right now," he said. He was fairly certain the ice could support his touch, but without his usual control, it might not support Millie's.

"Or we could just use the door," she replied, pointing to the set of large wooden doors. Tristan reached out to stop her, but she was already close to the entrance. Once she reached it, Millie groaned. "It's technology. A keypad and we don't know the code," she whimpered.

"Watch out," Tristan replied, gently shoving her aside. Could he still do this? Normally, yes, but now he wasn't sure. From the moment he left, it seemed like his powers would do anything but what he intended. He placed his long fingers on the keypad and shot a steady stream of frozen air into the pad, trying to freeze the machinery.

The green light coming off of the keypad slowly faded before blackening. Tristan's heart leaped. He put his hand on the door and lightly pushed. To his surprise, it swung open with ease.

As they stepped inside, Millie's attention was focused on something Tristan couldn't see. "Do you see that?" Millie asked, pointing to where she was looking. "It's a camera. There is probably a surveillance room."

She dug around in the bag she had over her shoulder. "Here," she said, shoving a cell phone into Tristan's hand. "It's a burner. I've had it for a while," she shrugged.

Millie quickly pressed buttons into the old flip phone. "There, now my number is the only one programmed in. I'm going to find the control room," Millie said. Without another word, she faded until Tristan couldn't see her anymore. "Stay here," she whispered from beside him.

If it was one thing Tristan wasn't exactly best at, it was following orders. Especially from a girl he had practically just met, no matter how nice she was. 

After a few minutes, he began to get antsy. Bristol was here, he had to find her.

"Sorry Millie," he whispered. Upon realizing that he was most likely talking to air, Tristan blushed and forged down the hallways.

A thin layer of ice coated his hands, radiating his power. If anyone dared to get in the way of his finding Bristol, he would freeze them alive. He continued down the halls, until voices drew him to a stop.

"Are you positive you are going through with this?" A voice hissed from behind a nearby door.

"Absolutely," A smoother voice snapped. "I need the energy. My sources tell me that we will be able to carry out our plan as settled. The dark energy will help support our vanguard."

Tristan knit his eyebrows and crept up behind the door, careful to keep himself on edge. Rune was behind that door, he was positive. How easy it would be to storm in there and freeze both him and his lackies, but he felt like he had frozen himself. All he could do was listen.

"What would your source even know? Bah, they're good at heart. Your meddling with his abilities hasn't proven to be useful. The girl could give us more answers." The other man retorted.

Tristan peered behind the door, his heart pounding. Surely enough, two men were inside a sort of chamber. One that he recognized as Phobos, and the other had his back turned. His blonde hair was distorted in the shadows, but Tristan knew it was Rune. He could practically feel the black magic bouncing off of him.

"and Grayson?" Rune asked in a grave tone.

Phobos shot a look at Rune. "Still under Psyche's control, as he has been." He said.

Rune was silent for a moment. "And the Elemental Empress?"

Tristan wanted to barge in there right at that second. However, he kept his place. Maybe they would lead him to her.

Phobos grinned wicked. "She has made her choice."

Before Tristan could process his words, the phone Millie had given Tristan vibrated in his pocket. It made a sound louder than he thought possible. The buzz echoed off the walls of the fortress, cutting through the silence.

The conversation behind the door ceased immediately. Tristan internally cursed himself. He ducked into the nearest hallway as Rune's voice pierced the air.

"What. Was. That?" He spat. Moments of silence followed as Phobos didn't answer. "Get rid of it or I'll get rid of you," Rune snarled.  

The door swung open and Phobos marched out, his heavy boots resounding off the cement floor. With every step he took, Tristan's heart clenched little by little.

Tristan tried to prepare to fight the villain, but he was frozen in place. Just Phobos' presence evoked fear from the bravest of heroes. As much as Tristan wanted desperately to battle, his body wouldn't respond.

Phobos turned the corner and stopped, looking right at Tristan. Phobos' smirk transformed into a scowl. He squinted his eyes and continued to stare at Tristan, not saying a word. As the seconds ticked by, they glared at each other in a silent stalemate. It was almost as if Phobos was looking through him, rather than at him.

Why isn't he doing anything? Tristan thought. He tore his eyes away from the villain for the first time to check if his legs were still frozen to the ground.

Where he expected to see the familiar black pants of his super suit, he saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. As a hero, he was trained to expect the unexpected, but not existing was knew to him.

He waved his hands in front of him. He could feel the air touch his face, but he saw nothing. Tristan was invisible.

Millie.

Once Tristan realized what was happening, his confidence rose. He raised his unseen arms to freeze his enemy, but stopped at the last second.

No, you are finding Bristol. You can't die on her. Safety before stupidity. For Bristol.

After resigning to the fact that the hallway was empty, Phobos turned around and sulked down the way he came, breathing angrily.

"Millie? Where are you?" Tristan whispered when he was sure Phobos was gone. Millie appeared next to him, along with his body. "You didn't tell me you could turn others invisible too."

She breathed heavily. "You," she paused to breathe, "didn't tell me you don't listen to directions." Millie leaned against Tristan, the use of her power obviously draining her.

"Let's agree to tell each other vital information from now on okay?" He grinned slightly before he remembered where they were. "Did you find the surveillance room?"

"Yes. My friend isn't here, but Bristol is in the cellar. I have to leave now. I'll be more of a hinderance than a help right now," she responded.

Before he knew what was happening, Millie pulled Tristan into a hug, her head coming up to his chest. "Good luck. Go get her," she smiled. "And then when you get back, get her the other way." She blushed and waved goodbye.

"Bye Millie, good luck to you too." As he watched her disappear, he felt a sorrow he hadn't expected to feel. In the short time he knew this girl, he had really grown to like her. 

He tore down hallway after hallway, turning corners and bolting up and down staircases. Just when Tristan thought he had lost hope, he found himself in a darkened wing of the fortress.

It seemed desolate and abandoned, as if no one had been down there. Wooden doors dotted the walls and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. It seemed like the darkest place in the fortress of shadows, but Tristan couldn't bring himself to move.

Bristol. He reminded himself. Her name alone was enough to evoke the heroics inside of him, and he slowly trekked down the isolated hallway.

His heart pounded erratically in his chest. She was somewhere behind these doors, he could feel it. But which one?

"Bristol? Are you here?" Tristan whispered. His voice echoed around the hallway and he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear.

Silence.

Tristan's heartbeat only sped up. What if Rune had killed her? What if she was gone? He couldn't bear to think about it. The temperature around him turned chillier with each step until a track of frozen footsteps formulated behind him.

His breath crystallized as he exhaled shakily. He wished Avi were there to scan the cells, or even CJ to check which ones were empty in a split second. Who knew how much time he had?

A soft noise from behind one of the doors shook Tristan out of his thoughts. He paced over to it and pressed his hand against it. Frost spread from his fingertips.

"Here goes nothing," Tristan mumbled under his breath.

He took a few steps back before kicking the door down. It settled on the dusty cell floor behind it, and what little light there was in the hallway filtered through into the cell.

His heart shattered.

Surely enough, Bristol was inside. She was crouched in the corner of the cell, hugging her knees to her chest with her head down. Her skin was pale and her hair was stringy. Bruises lined her arms and legs, and her supersuit hung to her body with tears and small droplets of blood.

She looked up and Tristan saw the disbelief fill her eyes. Her lip quivered and she looked away.

"Enough!" She croaked, a faint hint of assertion in her voice. "Stop torturing me, enough!"

"Bris, i-it's me." Tristan managed. "It's Tristan."

Slowly, Bristol looked back at Tristan. Her eyes seemed broken, the chocolate irises appearing pitch black in the dim light. It reminded him too much of what he had seen in his dream.

"T-Tristan?" Her voice was numb, like she couldn't believe it.

He nodded, tears in his eyes. He saw hope and relief and a myriad of other emotions flood her visage, but it fell once she realized that she was still in chains.

"Allow me," Tristan said. He slowly stepped toward her as if approaching a wounded animal.

Bristol nodded and held out her hands, looking away.

Tristan took a deep breath and threw his hands forward. Beams of ice shot from his palms onto her chains, freezing them until they snapped off of the cuffs.

He rushed forward and tugged the cuffs off of her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? God, Bris, I was so--"

She cut him off by leaping into his arms, hugging him tightly. Tristan felt a warm pang in his heart as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. He vowed in that moment that if Rune or anyone of his minions dared to cross him, he would pulverize them.

"I want to go home," Bristol squeaked. She pulled away from his embrace, looking up at him.

Tristan nodded. "Come on, let's go," he said. He grabbed her hand and tried to ignore the arc of electricity he felt rush up his arm.

Bristol squeezed his hand, trying to cling to him. She must have really been out of it, because she stumbled along. When Tristan glanced back at her, her eyes seemed to have that dark accent to them and a smirk laced her lips. Another glance and it was gone, the darkness replaced by weakness.

"Hanging in there?" Tristan asked, concern in his voice.

Carefully, Bristol nodded. She took a ragged breath and blinked, as if to clear the haze from her eyes. "Yeah, sorry, I don't know what just happened."

Tristan locked eyes with her and pulled her into another hug. He could have stayed there forever, but they had to keep moving.

"Come on," He said. "Let's go home."

And with that, they took off down the darkened hallways, shadows as their guide.