The door closed behind me as I was taken away from my old group. I thought about my life, my future, and all the missing times that I could have had. Soon, I was going to die because of the man who tried to kidnap us in San Francisco, but why did he want to kidnap us? I mean last time was obvious, but going out of his way to take us in Italy was just pushing it. This is me, not Hope. What was so important about me to go all the way out here to take me?

This was plain wrong. I wanted to be home, with my family, Violet, Hope, and the rest of my friends.

I shut my eyes, and remembered the hard wooden chair I ought to be sitting on now. I could almost feel it. The kitchen would be ahead with its slippery floors and a tilled pantry with magazines and post-its notes. I went there after church all the time for food. Hot cocoa would be gorgeous right about now.

"How was class?" Violet would ask me as she got out of her formal attire at what seemed to be the speed of sound. We normally talked, ate lunch, and then retired to our separate spaces. I imagined her voice chatting away with mine.

Sadly, she wasn't there. I was stuck with Ruth, Truman, and Kristy. That wasn't so bad right? Being stuck in a crazy adventure with a good friend and a newcomer who clearly knew what she was doing, I knew them and we were more prepared than usual. I would have given anything to be back home.

Kristy’s scream shot my eyes open.

"Holy!" I yelped.

I lay on a kitchen counter. There was a wooden floor, table, and fridge in what seemed to be an entire house all around me. Everyone was gone and everything looked incomplete. Cupboards were missing and in the other rooms were just blank spaces with space furniture.

"Kristy!" I cried out. "Truman? Ruth!?"

They were gone, all of them. What had the kidnappers done? Who makes them disappear? My hands shook and I turned to run to a door to get out, but there was no door. It was blank like a canvas. I ran up to it and banged my fist into its monochrome. "Kristy!" I cried, "Truman!"

A-ha! I saw there was an outside deck to my left, but upon closer inspection I discovered there was nothing surrounding it. Literally, there was nothing. It was all wood with endlessly extending walls that never stopped. Hope would be horrified and my heart throbbed rapidly.

This unknown solitude was overbearing. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know how I got here. Then why did I like it so much? It was kind of like sitting outside the building, all alone. There was at last peace and serenity. A pure essence of safety thrived in this wherehouse.

"Hello," said a musical voice. "Felix?"

I swung around to where it was. To my surprise, the snow colored dog from before was here. She still had her wool coat and grassy-like fluff. The dog smiled big when she saw me before her face became swollen. Like when you see a celebrity before realizing it's just a random stranger who only looks like them. Pretty cool to kind of see a famous person, huh?

She looked at me and I back at her. No words were said or had to be. She was different from any other dog I had ever seen with beautiful gray eyes like she had been baking in the oven. She had no scars, no bruises, no marks on her skin. Her hair was an incredibly goofy mess of brown; some of it falling out.

Everything got quiet after I said that. The snow colored dog looked at me with her big gray eyes and stood there without saying a word. It wasn't like she was trying to do something suspicious. It was rather that she was looking into my soul for who knows what.

"It is time for you to become yourself. All you need is to believe. Believe in yourself. You shall not misguide you." Her voice was sweet like blended strawberries. She gave me the cutest smile. "Hello, Felix Hapimone from San Francisco. I am Rylie Lily Aaron, your girlfriend's Mom."

I could feel the weight of her words. I was only a person after all, nobody special. There was certainly somebody else who could do the job. I lowered my gaze away from Rylie and to the floor. I looked at the dog again. Regardless, I didn't want to fail this. I started to back off, but before I had a chance she grabbed my hands with her smooth paws. She reminded me of my friends who always believed in me as she gazed deeper into my eyes. "Felix, you did so only a mere moment ago."

"I betrayed Hope."

"My child, you made yourself by your command. Notice such a feat. It always matters to the love of yourself! We have to find an escape for you! This matters to the very essence of your heart."

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The dog walked past me and turned around. "You have done greatness. No normal human has ever done what you can."

“What if we get lost again?” I asked. “I just don’t know.”

"Nevertheless I must ask if you intend on completing this palace," She continued looking over at the long stretch of emptiness. "I would be greatly discomforted if you chose not to."

“Truman and Ruth are with me in danger.” I persisted. “They weren't with me then."

"Use the colors inside you." Her fur pressed against my skin. "Your legion of responsibility is complex, but you have enough ignorance in wisdom to do it."

If I didn’t make it back, no, I would. I could feel it and if not I’d use everything I had to save her. “Thank you.”

Then, everything glowed a brighter and brighter light. She sang, "Look the ways!"

Suddenly, I was dropped by Ruth, falling on top of my executioner who yelled, “I won’t let my friends be hurt!

I didn't know what was happening. My thoughts were only in concern for my safety and nobody knew what to care about so we could be free either way. Truman was at my side. Kristy stood face to face with my San Francisco fiend with her head tilted to the side in confusion.

“Who are you?" She asked. "What do you want with us?”

He stood there, saying nothing in reply.

“You didn’t kill me before." She said. "Why did you do that?”

No response.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You remind me of my brother, Qadir in a strange way. Why are you familiar? I don't know why and you feel too familiar for me to be comfortable about not knowing why."

He suddenly inched towards us, and we stepped backwards. As if it was natural instinct, he lunged at her faster than anything I had seen before.

"Kristy!" I shrieked.

She gasped and dodged with her footprints staining the ground where she had just been. His skin was condensed and dried like he had been alive for thousands of years. Who was this guy? “Why did you let me avoid that or are you just reading me? You could go after my friends, but I can't allow it.”

We wouldn't run. If so, he would just go after us. We needed to think things through. Be smart.

Truman drove a punch to his chest. For a moment, the man just stood there. Truman persisted and forced him away from us before jumping backwards.

“What do you want? You’re lonely and there's no one here to help you. I'm sorry for stealing your plans. We won't do it again. What's your name?”

The Black Figure looked at her with strange noises coming from his crinkled, disgusting mouth. An eerie breathing echoed from his head. “Khabira…”

She gasped. “So you do know me."

We nervously backed into a wall.

Instinctively instead of running away, Truman lunged right back at him. He drew out Ruth's mirror that had been strapped to his pant leg and stabbed him. We held our breath as they clashed into each other. Our eyes widened yet he did nothing. It was as if all the breath in the world had been taken away.

Truman forced his hand through the other side of his flesh. As the boy turned around, the man threw a punch from yards.

“And we won’t let anyone hurt us ever again," I screamed. "For each other!"

“Felix,” he attacked me faster than he had the others.

“I need to protect my friends!” I yelled, "I promised! Run guys, run!"

They ran as I took on the menace.

The Black Figure backed him up towards the wall. It wasn't stable. I had to push him through it. How this would work, I wasn’t too sure, but it seemed like the right thing to do. He was too close for my friends to be safe. Closing my eyes, I pushed harder with everything I had. The wall broke through and we plummeted down who knows how far.

“I’m sorry… Hope," I prayed.

Ruth, the fashionista, was hurling after me with a rope in her hand.

“Felix!" She shouted, and locked her fingers in mine. Yanking with all her might, she lifted me to a stop in midair as Truman and Kristy lifted us up.

"No," she grunted. "Who do you think you are?"

"Ruth," I exclaimed. "How did you-?"

"Together, you're my family. Dying is not allowed. Understand me, Hapimone?"

We rose over the cliff and collapsed on the surface.

"You made it," Truman sobbed. "We're safe!"

"I love you, Felix." Ruth said. "I take care of my friends, never forget that."

"I… Fe…" Kristy broke down in a flooding of tears.

A snow colored dog walked up to us. "Remember the angel from last year? This is her, Hope's mom, Rylie Aaron. C'mon, guys. She knows the way home."

"Felix, Ruth, Kristy, and Truman," said her musical voice. "My daughter is waiting for you outside."

"More than ready," I said. "I'm done with this…"

"What do you need?"

"You said that Hope is here. Are you guys down for us finishing this trip to Italy together?"

"Oh heck yeah," Ruth said. "Italian hunkaroos, here we come. Ms. Umper gonna get some digits."

"That's the spirit!" Truman cheered.

"I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again,” Kristy said. “I’d rather die than see you be hurt like this."

"Let's believe in each other's love so it can color our way forward into an even brighter future," I said. "We don't need to answer every question that puzzles our mind. Your friendship is more valuable than any answer I could ever know. Let's promise to have each other's backs. To always believe in ourselves."

"Whatever," Ruth said. "I just want to believe in going on hot dates with sexy guys who can boost me to hotness. Time to call Arturo."

"You got his number?" She exclaimed. "How?"

"Why wouldn't I have his number? I'm hot! Did you see what I just did? I jumped off a freaking cliff. No man can resist a girl who can fly headfirst into danger."

"I…" Truman chuckled, clearly embarrassed. "I didn't know you were like that… wow."

His face turned a bloated red. It looked like he was rethinking his entire life choices up to that point, like his future was royally screwed.

I nudged Kristy, “See, that’s an example of emotions. I know that one far too well. Truman likes Ruth, big time."

"Feliiiiix! Trumaaaaaaaan! Ruuuuuuuuuuuth! Kristy!" We heard Hope yell. "You get your butts over here, right now!"

The four of us looked at each other. This time, seeing a face wasn't necessary to know we were in big big trouble.