*takes deep breath in* you guys ready?

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Damien grabbed the handle of the trapdoor, swinging it open and revealing a long ladder and passage under the academy. Marisa swallowed. Just looking at it gave her the chills, and she definitely didn't want to go down there again.

"Let's just get it over with," Rafe said. She walked toward the trapdoor and started climbing down the ladder. Trevor followed her, then Damien, Teony, Jackson, Raven, Fletcher, Ella, and finally Marisa. She fell onto the hard ground, making a few pieces of dirt and dust fall onto her head. She looked around, seeing a few old couches and pieces of wood. Nothing's changed since she last went into there. Ella bit her fingernails, frightened by the darkness in the cellar.

"What are we supposed to find?" Raven asked. "Are there any more clues?"

Fletcher shook his head. "That was it." He walked over to the back of the cellar, looking around and feeling the wall. He slide his hand over the dirty barrier when he felt a small lump. He brushed dirt off of the area, revealing a small red button. "Guys, look!"

Everybody gathered around him, conflicted on what to do. "I say push it," Damien said without thinking. Rafe stared at him, confused on who would say that.

"Don't push it, are you stupid? Have you ever watched movies where the hero hits the red button? I have, and it doesn't end well!"

"Mr. Barla sent us down here for a reason, Rafe, what if this is that reason?"

"Sorry, Rafe, but I agree with Damien," Fletcher said. And he pushed it.

The wall beside him separated, making Jackson almost fall when he was leaning on it, revealing a passageway. It didn't look very finished, for dirt was still dripping off of the top and piling itself on the ground. Just like a hollowed out space.

"Wicked," Damien whispered. And he started walking without question. Fletcher and Teony followed him, then the rest of the group except for Ella.

"Guys," She started. They looked back on her, and she was biting her nails again. "I-I'm not sure this is the best idea. Plus, I h-hate the dark!"

Marisa sighed, coming closer to her. "It's fine. Just grab my hand." She held it out, and Ella took it reluctantly, and they all started walking again.

The path was longer than they expected it to be. It twisted a lot, and every so often somebody would trip, making Ella screech in terror. Marisa always had her hand, though, comforting her after it. Finally, they found a stopping place. There was a rough, wooden door blocking the rest of the path, and Damien grabbed the handle, swinging it open. 

The room inside looked quite a bit more finished than the outer basement, with a desk that was fully intact, a bookshelf filled with books of all different sizes and colors, and even a small desk with a few glasses of colored liquid.

"Look around," Rafe ordered. "Try to find anything that you can."

Damien walked over to the desk, opening each drawer to check for any clue, when he heard something different than the papers in the other drawers. He opened it to find a small golden key, and he put it in his pocket, thinking that it might be useful. Rafe looked through the books, examining each spine carefully.

Then there was a boom.

"What was that?" Ella asked, frightened. She turned around, and saw that the door had been slammed closed.

"Not again!" Rafe exclaimed. She ran to the door, trying to open it but it didn't budge. "This whole academy is full of escape rooms!" Trevor and Fletcher joined her, trying to find some way out.

"Does Mr. Barla really hate us this much?" Damien asked. Raven, Fletcher, Teony, Marisa and Jackson were confused by what they meant, but kept to themselves.

Rafe swore a few more times but giving up, leaving the door alone. "There must be some explanation around here," Trevor suggested. 

The group looked around in the corners, bookshelves, and anywhere else they could. Ella went over to the door and saw a small paper sticking out of the door crack. She told everybody else that she found something and they gathered around together as she started to read the note.

"I have never been one for intruders, and obviously my warnings against you going down here didn't stop you, so I have no choice. You will be locked into this room until both vials on the back table are drunken. One of them is poison. The other one is completely safe. This is the price when you cross me, don't ever do it again.
-Theodore."

They didn't know what to make of the note. Obviously they had no idea who Theodore was, but based on the note, one of them was going to have to die for them to get out.

"Are those the vials?" Raven asked, pointing to the corner away from them that had the glasses of liquid on it. They walked toward it, seeing indeed that there were two vials, one filled with a bright purple liquid and the other with a dark green.

"So," Rafe started. "two of us have to risk our lives for the rest to live." Teony and Raven backed up, not ready to risk their lives just yet.

"I feel so sick right now," Damien said, holding his stomach.

"Me too," Fletcher agreed. His heart almost stopped knowing that someone else is going to have to die.

A tear flowed down Marisa's cheek. "I take this anymore," She whispered, even if nobody heard her. She didn't want to kill anybody, she just couldn't at that point. She had already been through three deaths at that school, and she wasn't going to let anybody else go through it.

Ella set down the note, and right as he did Marisa pushed through the group from the back. Some of the group was confused, not knowing what she was doing but when they figured out it was too late. She grabbed both vials, uncorking them and shoving all of the liquid into her mouth at the same time.

Everybody was in shock, and it grew into chaos after that.

Jackson and Ella were supporting Marisa, almost sobbing as she spewed the liquid across the room. Fletcher tried to give as much help as he could to Jackson and Ella. Rafe was flipping through the books, anxiously trying to find some curse to save her and getting frustrated when she didn't find anything, and Raven and Teony were on the side of everything, unawaringly holding hands as they hoped and prayed for a miracle.

"Please hold on," Fletcher whispered. "Please stay." He held her hand from the side, hoping that somehow it would help her.

"Why did you do this, Marisa," Jackson asked her, even if she was in his and Ella's arms now. "You would've made it. I know you would've."

Then everything stopped.

And Marisa's eyelids closed, her heart stopping.

Ella's heart sunk. She put her head to Marisa's paralysed body, a few tears falling onto it. "I'm so sorry, Marisa. For everything. And now..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

Raven and Teony went to their knees, Fletcher on his as well. They just experienced their friend die, and they could've prevented it. But they didn't.

The door opened, but nobody payed attention, still upset about the passing. But Jackson wasn't just sad. He was furious. 

"This is shit," He whispered. Then his voice grew louder, a scream. "This is all just shit!" He stood up and charged at the bookcase, throwing one of the books at the wall, almost unintentionally hitting Rafe. She ducked, suddenly concerned. "Shit!"

"Jackson-" Damien started, coming closer to him. He wanted to be there for his friend, to help him. Everybody needed support at that point, and he going to provide it.

"No!" He snapped without thinking. He put his hand up and Damien stopped, alarmed. Jackson rubbed his face with his hands before he looked back up at Damien. "I'm sorry, I just..." He trailed off. Damien got the hint, reluctantly keeping his mouth shut.

Ella started to stand up, resting Marisa on the ground. She wiped her eyes, releasing the last few tears from her eyes. "We should probably go now," She choked. The others nodded. Rafe set her books down, going through the passage second after Raven and Teony. They wanted to get out of that wretched place as fast as possible.

Jackson was last. He stayed at the back, looking back at Marisa's body before he left. He couldn't stand seeing her pass, and he didn't want to be next. But he knew somebody would. He glanced at Marisa one last time before leaving into the tunnel.

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