*takes deep breath* Oh god

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"I don't get it!" Marisa looked around, confused. "It's just an attic!"

"How many times have we assumed something and it ended up being more in this academy?" Fletcher asked. "Mr. Barla can't fool us that much. There is something else in here."

"Exactly," Jackson agreed, nodding his head. Jackson walked around the ground, and, seeing a loose floorboard, pounded extremely hard at the ground. Marisa gasped.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked. "You're going to break the ceiling."

"Genius," Fletcher said under his breath. They kept kicking and once his shoe slid under one of the wooden boards, she understood.

"Dang, Jackson when you're not acting like a bad boy you're actually pretty smart." He rolled his eyes, and hit a few more, excited when one of them popped out with ease. He examined the board, noticing that it opened. He took off the top, revealing a rather large note. He cleared his throat, and read it aloud.

"I have been followed, and I have no choice but to protect my findings with all of my ability. But don't worry, I have taught you all that you need. On the back of this seat of paper is the incantation you said on the first day that you came to my school, and I have hidden the reverse spell in this attic as well. Once you find it, you must perform it on one of yourselves and then quickly undo it, making them completely immune to possessions from now on. Don't worry, it might just be right under your nose. But a word of caution, one thing done wrong and the magic will get to their head and they will be killed. I know you can do this."

"No, no, no!" Marisa cried. "I can't take it anymore! I know you're going to pick me, admit it! I know I'm going to risk my life because I caused all of this, because I've made a huge mistake and there is no way to fix it!" She was choking now. "I'll do it. What do I have to lose now."

"Marisa, you don't have to," Fletcher said. "I'll do it if you want. I don't blame you anymore, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Me neither," Jackson agreed. "None of us are immune or even close, I don't think you should risk your life for us."

"It's alright," She lied. "I'm gonna end up dead anyways, and almost everybody is against me. I'd rather you live." She was obviously lying, but tried to look heroic. But instead, she felt like passing out. The boys looked at each other, and regrettingly nodded.

"Only if he find the clue, though," Fletcher stated. Marisa nodded, thanking him in a way, and they thought about where it could be. Jackson suggested the floor again, but Marisa insisted that it would be too obvious.

"The floor is under our nose," said Fletcher.

They didn't know where else to look, the only other place being the window, pictures and the old furniture. Jackson took the furniture, Fletcher and Marisa looking behind the pictures. And as Fletcher took off one of the pictures he shrieked, dropping it onto the ground. It wasn't the picture that frightened him, but more like what was behind it. Being the painting was a hole in the wall, and in that hole sat a skeleton, looking straight at him.

"Fletcher!" Marisa exclaimed, and they both ran toward the picture, gasping from what was in the wall. Jackson scrunched his nose up in disgust as he walked closer, despite the other's efforts to keep him away. He looked around at it with his hands, once touching it not as grossed out. He inspected it for a clue but didn't find anything.

"Nothing?" Fletcher asked. Jackson shook his head as Marisa came closer and started to look too, agreeing with Jackson.

They checked everywhere. They had hit a dead end.

They stood in the attic, thinking about what they could have missed. Fletcher took the note from Jackson, seeing if they missed anything. He read over each line in great detail, but finally he gave up. He dropped the note and it fluttered slowly to the ground. It caught the light from the window, revealing something to Marisa's eyes. As she looked closer, she noticed an inscription right under the enchantment.

"Holy crap, you guys, it's a message," She said. She held it up to the light, reading it over in her head. "It's the countercurse, the skeleton was just a red herring." Jackson and Fletcher looked at how she was reading it, and she handed the note to Jackson. "Just do it. Fletcher can say the counter curse."

"Marisa-" Fletcher started, but Marisa stopped him.

"It's okay," She reassured with a fake smile, but neither Fletcher nor Jackson believed her. "I promise." Inside, they worried, but they nodded their head in agreement. She smiled again, and stood away from them, firm. "Now, no matter how much I beg, just keep going. It's for the greater good."

Jackson looked at Fletcher, wondering if he wanted to do it instead but he insisted on him doing it. Marisa stood firm, trying not to show fear as Jackson started to read. The words echoed in Marisa's ears and she tried to keep them away from her but she couldn't help it. She started to scream, falling onto the ground. Fletcher had to bit his tongue from doing anything. He hated seeing her getting tortured, and suddenly wished that he did it instead. 

Jackson finished and they watched Marisa squirming down on the ground, backing up. "What now?" Fletcher whispered as they looked at a shrieking blond girl in front of them.

"I don't know, is something supposed to appear?" Jackson asked. Fletcher shrugged as he continued to watch in horror at Marisa, begging for help. 

"I need to help her," Fletcher insisted, trying to grab the paper but Jackson held him back.

"Remember what she said, don't help her no matter how much she begs." And at that second, the screaming stopped. At first they wondered what happened, but when they looked they gasped. Marisa had stopped begging because her eyes were closed, and she was barely breathing. 

"That's it," Fletcher said and pushed Jackson out of the way, grabbing the paper. He needed to save his friend. Jackson shouted out in disapproval but he tuned him out and held the note to the light, reading the countercurse.

"Tumultus spirituum insidias in pernecessario ansam eas ante corpus unum est et nullus deinceps bonorum obsessus est!" He announced, and at the exact moment that he finished the sentence they all heard a booming sound, and the paper dissolved in the air, into nothing, and a small golden key and note appeared in his hand.

Then there was a cough.

"Marisa!" Jackson exclaimed and ran over to her. Fletcher turned his head to join them and the two boys helped lift her up. 

"You alright?" Fletcher asked. She nodded.

"You got it?" She asked, and he raised his hand, showing her the key. Marisa and Jackson smiled. They had found it, the clue that Mr. Barla had wanted them to find the whole time.

And they were all still alive.

For one more short moment.

Right as Fletcher started to open the note, the three were surrounded by a black cloud. They fell onto the ground, instantly knowing what it was. It was the screeching cries of dark magic, ready to kill. "Guys!" Fletcher called out, loud enough so that all of them could hear. They huddled together, wrapping their arms on each others' shoulders and closed their eyes. They had to make sure none of them died then, and that the magic couldn't get to any of them.

It took almost a minute, but the cloud of smoke went away, clearing their vision. Marisa looked to her left and right, seeing both Jackson and Fletcher by her side, eyes open and breathing.

"What just happened?" Marisa asked, confused and panting, still sitting between the two boys. "We didn't say anything."

"I honestly don't know," Jackson replied. "Maybe the other group said something. But why didn't any of us die?"

They all pondered for a second. Then, Fletcher spoke up. "We better go find them. If anything did happen..."

They both agreed and got up, going back to the vents, Fletcher going first this time, despite his arguments, with Jackson following in case he fell. Cautiously, Fletcher crawled through the small tubes. He was being careful of any loose boards but by the time they got to the staircase, they had not fallen once.

Fletcher jumped down onto the chair, holding it so that Jackson and Marisa could easily step off onto it. They kept on running down the stairs, determined to get down to find the other group. They stopped once or twice but resumed right after, and suddenly they were at the first floor. They ran to the sitting room to where the others said they would be, but were surprised at their absence.

"Oh please no," Fletcher prayed, putting his hands to his mouth. Jackson didn't pray, and instead called out for them. Marisa joined shortly after, getting a response rather quickly. They all started following the voice, and kept calling out their names and where they were. Fletcher was at the back, for he knew something had happened. Why weren't they where they said they were going to be?

After a few minutes of trying to locate one another, they finally met up and Fletcher started panting, not of exhaustion but at the feeling that something was wrong.

"You're all alive!" Ella exclaimed, excited. The others didn't look as excited though, for Teony was on the verge of crying, Raven holding her in comfort, hands on both her shoulder and hip. She squeezed, trying to soothe her. "Did you get anything?"

"Yeah, Fletcher has the key. I don't know what it's for though," Marisa responded, not seeming worried. But Fletcher looked around at the faces, knowing something happened that made Teony upset.

"Guys," He started, worried. "is everything alright?"

Rafe shook her head, and they were surprised to see her so upset. She wasn't about to cry like Teony but her voice shook, breaths small and quick and the trio realized that they didn't want to hear her answer. She took a deep breath as she got ready to speak, the rest of the group looking down or away from their faces.  "Fox is dead."

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