"Brannick, I ask you again. Did you research this house before you bought it?" I demanded, my jaws clenched as I glared down the Goblurin. You are getting on my nerves.

"Of course! I researched all the things that mattered," he responded, sweat beading up on his forehead, glancing around at everyone. 

"Which was?"

"The price."

I waited, folding my arms.

"And the square footage."

I kept waiting. Don't think you're getting out of this that easily.

"Location." He shifted his stance as he began to back away from me.

"What about the history?" I squinted at him, my face reddening.

Zoe stared between the both of us. "Wow, Kairine. I didn't know you had it in you!" she said. "Way to go, you've got him good and scared!"

Brannick ignored her, his gaze locked with mine. "Um, history?"

"Yes?"

"Irrelevant."

My rage was boiling as I began tapping my foot impatiently. "Previous owners?"

"Also irrelevant," he answered. You didn't research this at all, did you?

"What about people disappearing?!" I felt like growling at him, and I clenched my jaw so tightly, I thought I might crack a tooth.

Brannick frowned as he glanced between all of us. "Now that would have been useful information!"

Everyone groaned and some rolled their eyes. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here before the place kills us."

Probably the best idea anyone here has had all day. I whipped around and started toward the stairs. Fleur and Zoe followed after me.

David stood there, frozen, staring at the poor Goblurin.

"Wait! Where's everyone going?!" Brannick pleaded, scurrying up to the steps, trying to tug on Zoe's sleeve. She ripped it away from him, threatening him with a fireball in her other hand.

"Don't you touch me!" she snarled at him.

I stopped and stared down at David. He looked back up at me. "Why can't we just finish the tour? I mean, so what if the place is really haunted?"

Changing direction on the top step, I glared down at him with a raised eyebrow. "David, do you even hear yourself?" I questioned him, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be cool if the haunted house attraction turned out to be really haunted?" he said, shrugging.

I stared at him wide-eyed. "That's absurd!" I exclaimed. "That is the silliest thing I have ever heard. And from you, that's saying a lot."

"Why did you go out with him?" whispered Fleur to me, her eyes still on the boy at the bottom of the stairs.

"That is a very good question," I muttered with a shake of my head. Turning around with a heavy sigh I started for the door–only to find it shut. I glanced back at Fleur and everyone else crowding up the stairs behind me. "Did anyone close the door?"

Everyone shook their heads, with shrugs all around.

I raised an eyebrow as I reached for the doorknob–but no matter how hard I turned, it wouldn't budge! "Brannick. . ." I said softly, my head turning his direction. "Please, for the love of the Gods, tell me there is another way out of here." Or am I going to have to make one?

Brannick stared back at me, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so. . ." he answered.

Wrong answer. My pulse raced as I descended quickly down the stairs, gazing around the basement, searching for anything that might be used to open the door. "Do you happen to have the key at least?" I questioned him as my eyes fell upon a pickaxe.

Leaning over, I picked it up, wiping the handle off with my sleeve. My gaze turned back to the cowering Goblurin.

He looked back up at me. "So the door won't open?" he whimpered.

"No. Keys?"

He glanced back at the crowd, then back at me. Then, "Wow, that's incredible!"

Part of me wanted to hit him, the other part wanted to face palm, as I threw up my arms. "What part of that exactly is 'incredible'? We're trapped!"

"Isn't it obvious? Realism! Other haunted houses pretend you can't escape. Mine actually prevents you from leaving. Nobody else in Calrune can offer that!" he declared, beaming at me. 

Can I telekinetically throw him now? I gritted my teeth. "There's probably a reason for that, Brannick," I responded.

"Lack of vision!" He was clearly thrilled. 

Your lack of logic deeply disturbs me.

I turned toward everyone and started for the stairs. But before I could do anything, Zoe marched her way up the stairs and flung a ball of fire at the door. But it simply hit with a thud. Nothing happened. She looked back at me, raising an eyebrow.

"How about that spell you used to deprive us of a front door at our apartment?" I suggested, making my way up the steps.

She nodded, stepping away as she motioned for everyone to stand back. I directed everyone back to the corner. Quickly, she whipped her hands around in aggressive patterns, a blaze of fire beginning to form before her. An instant later she unleashed it and it collided with the door, causing it to fly off the hinges and explode in a million splinters.

"Hey! She'll have to pay for that!" shrieked Brannick as he chased after us.

"Take it out of my tab, loser!" Zoe responded with a roll of her eyes, stepping over the threshold first. For once, I actually agree with you.

But as we emerged back upstairs, Zoe glanced around, then back at me. "Um, Kairine. Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, hesitating. "But this isn't how the place looked before, right?"

I narrowed my eyes as I walked just past her, looking around. The hallway went straight ahead, and to the right. "You're right, Zoe. This hall straight ahead of us wasn't here before." 

Eventually, everyone filed up the stairs, crowding the cramped hallway. David raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. Maybe he gets it now. We can hope. Brannick's amber-gold eyes went wide, staring around the place. Oh no. 

"Dynamic layouts! Every visit could be completely different!" exclaimed Brannick. Noralyn slowly turned her head toward me.

"Don't look at me, Noralyn. I didn't invite him up here. If I had my way, I'd lock him down there," I told her, shaking my head as I looked at him. I folded my arms and shifted my stance. "Brannick, houses aren't supposed to rearrange themselves." Is he ever going to listen to reason?

"Exactly!" He responded. No, of course not. "If every house could do it, it wouldn't be special!"

Noralyn gave him a long hard stare. 

"See? She gets it!"

She hissed at him, and the corner of my mouth curved upward.

"She's excited!"

"She's not. She doesn't like you very much," I replied as Noralyn scurried behind my neck. Honestly, I would be right there with you. Sighing forcefully, I gazed around the halls, narrowing my eyes in concentration. We have to find a way to the front door, but the house is now rearranging itself. Something tells me that it doesn't want us to leave.

Slowly, I started walking the straight way. "Are you sure this is the way, Kairine?" asked Zoe as she trailed closely behind me.

"Not at all. But Brannick has fried my brain. Going to have to just hope this way leads us to the front door," I replied softly, glancing back at the Goblurin. He was gawking all around us, admiring his precious house.

"Say the word, I'll blast him with a fireball," Zoe said, glaring back at him too.

I exhaled sharply. "No. He's mine," I responded. "I'm going to telekinetically throw him through a wall if he keeps this up."

She stared at me. "I thought you'd been having trouble with that one."

"Been practicing, and he makes a great target."

She raised an eyebrow at me as a wide smile spread across her face. "He's really getting to you, isn't he?"

I stared back at her. "What gave it away?" I replied, rolling my eyes as I sighed. Turning my gaze back to the hallway before us, with doorways lined up on either side, I said, "I normally try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they're not intentionally trying to be an idiot. Maybe they can understand reason when you explain."

"But he's not getting it," she said, as if reading my mind. "And he seems awfully full of himself."

Suddenly, I froze.

She stopped and looked back at me. "What is it?" she asked. 

I raised a trembling finger toward the doorway just past her shoulder. She looked, then gazed back at me. "I don't get it."

"That doorway just now, I watched it move!" I muttered, chills running down my spine. Is it reacting to us?

Suddenly, there was a scream behind us. I whipped around to look. One of the girls was trembling, as though in shock. I approached her. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"M. . . My boyfriend. . ." she stammered as she gazed at me with wide eyes. "H. . . H. . . He's gone!"

I raised an eyebrow as I glanced around the crowd. "What does your boyfriend look like?"

"He's tall, about as tall as your boyfriend," she said. "Messy brown hair."

Shooting a look at her, red-faced as I glanced at David. "He wishes," I said. But that's neither here nor there. "What else?"

"He was wearing a black hoodie," she replied. "Oh Gods, where do you think he could have gone?!"

"I'm not sure. Are you sure he was with us? What exactly happened?"

My eyes scanned the hallway, looking amongst each person in the crowd. I remember the boy she's talking about. But I didn't see where he might have gone. Suddenly, a pit formed in the bottom of my stomach as I quickly shot a glance toward my sister. "Zoe, stay by me," I told her. "We all need to stick close to one another."

She rolled her eyes. "Kairine, I don't need you to babysit me!"

"Just do it for me, okay?" I said back to her. My gaze turned back to the girl. "Now, you're sure he was with us?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. He was right next to me just now complaining about you."

Why would he be complaining about me? I’m doing my best here. But is it enough?. "Everyone, keep a lookout for him as we continue on. If anyone sees him, call out, do not go after him on your own," I stared directly at her, as her fiery red hair glistened softly in the dim lights. "That goes double for you. No one goes anywhere alone."

The girl stared back at me for a long time, before she finally nodded.

Good, we've got that straight. I looked back at everyone else. My eyes narrowed as they fell on Fleur. She was staring toward something over my shoulder. A trembling finger rose. "Th. . . There was something there just now!" she stammered with a shaky voice. "A. . . A dark figure!"

"Where did it go?" I asked her.

"Oooo my actors must be putting on a great show!" exclaimed Brannick. I am really going to throw him somewhere if he keeps it up. He is trying my patience.

Fleur shook her head. "I don't know. It moved from one doorway to another just behind everyone just now," she said, glancing away. "I'm sorry, I can't explain what I just saw."

I pursed my lips as I looked around at everyone. I think we're all on edge. Except Brannick, of course; he seems to be enjoying this. Walking up to her, I placed a hand gently on her arm. "Let's just all stick together as much as possible," I told her, smiling slightly, my lips quivering despite my false confidence. "How about we pair up? You and David. Me and Zoe. Brannick and whoever wants to deal with his mouth. . ."

Glancing back, I saw the entire crowd step back away from the Goblurin as he looked around at everyone. I smirked. "Brannick, looks like you're on your own," I said, shaking my head as my smile vanished. "You come with Zoe and I." I am going to regret this.

Then, turning around to everyone. "Then we are each responsible for our other companions. Stick by your companion and do not wander off. We stay together."

Everyone looked around and at one another before nodding. Fleur stepped up behind me. "You really are taking charge," she said softly.

"I don't even know if I'm doing it right," I whispered back to her, gritting my teeth. "To tell you the truth, I'm scared."

She smiled down at me. "Kairine, I see a leader right now," she responded. "And even leaders get scared."

My eyes went wide as I looked around at everyone as they all paired up. I shook my head. "I never even wanted to be a leader," I told her.

"The great ones don't," she replied. "Instead, it is thrust upon them when the world needs them most."

I frowned as I turned and looked back at everyone. Some were scared. Others were looking around, oblivious. Bless their hearts. Taking a deep breath, I looked back at her. "You're a true friend, Fleur."

She smiled down at me. "Always here for you," she responded.

Turning my gaze down the hall, I could see the doorways had moved once again. The house is not going to make this easy. Time to think outside the box. Suddenly, before I could say anything, the lights all went out at once, casting us in complete darkness. The heaviness in the air, the same that I had felt this entire time, grew.

Zoe wasted no time as a spark of flame erupted in the palm of her hand. David did the same along with a few others casting light spells. Alright, we've got the light situation covered. I gritted my teeth as chills ran down my spine.

"Wow! Dynamic lighting!" proclaimed Brannick.

I groaned as I rolled my eyes at him. "Brannick, turning the lights off isn't dynamic."

"They turned themselves off!" he responded.

I turned slowly to look at him. "That makes it worse."

Before he could say anything, there came a low moaning echoing throughout the hall. The sound chilled me to my bones as though I had just stepped out in the polar wastelands of Arctica.

"I have the best actors in the world!"

I shook my head. "Brannick, do me a favour," I said, glancing around.

"What's that?"

"Shut up before I telekinetically throw you through the wall to create an exit," I replied, glaring down at him, tightening my fists.

He took a step back, his brows furrowed. Turning to Zoe, he whispered, "She doesn't like me very much, does she?"

She glared at him. "No, she loves you, she's just hard to get close to," she replied, rolling her eyes as she looked back at me. Note to self. Never come to any attraction with Brannick's name on the sign ever again. 

My gaze turned back to David as he looked around. Lots of bookstores, David. After this, lots of bookstores. Maybe the library with special guest appearance from Pax to boot.

Then, a shriek erupted behind us. I spun around to see the red-haired girl was suddenly gone! "David? Where'd she go?" I asked, stepping toward him, my eyes shooting around, scanning for any clues.

"I. . . I don't know. She was there one minute and the next she was gone!" he stammered. "Kairine, what's going on? Is this a Necro Spirit?"

I shook my head as I knelt, picking up a strand of red hair. "I'm not sure," I replied, before looking back up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I. . . I'm fine. Just. . ." his voice trembled as the flame in his hand flickered.

Smiling slightly, I stood to my feet, looking him in the eyes. "I know. I'm scared too. But we have to keep moving."

My gaze went to Brannick, who stared back at me with wide eyes. "Secret passages!"

I shook my head, wondering if I heard him right. "What?"

"They must have found secret passages! I knew this house had features I hadn't discovered yet!"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Brannick, you didn't even know they were there."

"That's what makes them secret!"

I gritted my teeth. "You know what? Great, add them to the brochure. In the meantime, let's get out of here."

Before he could respond, I was already walking past him, my sister in tow as everyone else followed closely behind in double file. First thing's first. Figure out a way to get out of here. Then, we can see if we can find the missing kids.

After that, I will have a very long discussion with Brannick about just what I think of his haunted house attraction. I gritted my teeth at the thought. Then, glancing behind me, I bit down hard on my lip. I hope I'm doing this right.

To be continued.