"Let's make a trade." Mrs. Clark smirks.

My eyes stay locked with my fathers, dread filling every inch of my body. This is exactly what I was afraid of.

I may not have predicted Peter betraying us and Mrs. Clark turning the whole team against my father to use as leverage, but I had a feeling something terrible may have happened, and I'm beginning to see my feeling was right.

"What do you want?" I growl in a low voice, and even Mrs. Clark seems taken aback by it. She soon recovers though, and slides that disgusting smirk back into place.

"We need protection, among a few other things." She drawls, seeming to tick things off on her fingers. "We want a guide, I'm sure one of your friends over there will do, and we also want a guard to protect us from the evil beasts that nearly killed us all. The girl looks intimidating, she might be able to hold her own."

Becky scowls, hands open and retracting like she imagines them to be claws.

"They are called Lynchers." I grit my teeth, forcing the words out as my fists clench. " And there's no way I'm letting you use any of my friends."

"You don't have a choice." She retorts, starting to get irritated. "Not unless you don't want your father to be the first one to enter the Core. We'll see if he's one of the chosen then, or if he'll be burnt to a crisp. " She claps her hands, an insane smile resting on her face. "Ooh, this is going to be just like an experiment. Reminds me of the good o'l days back on Braun Island."

Bile rises into my throat at the thought of my father being thrown into the Core first. I connect eyes with him and he shakes his head vigorously, trying to convey a message, but I don't understand what he's trying to say.

"I won't Iet you do that to my dad, and I won't let you take my friends." I finally say once I'm not in danger of throwing up.

"Empty threats." Mrs. Clark sings.

I look behind her at the other scientists and guards, all of them not meeting my eyes. An idea comes to my mind suddenly, and I focus my attention on them.

"You all worked so hard." I say to them, ignoring Mrs. Clark completely. "You finally made it to Braun Island, but you came unprepared, and didn't expect things to go wrong. If you join me, I can promise a safe return back to Braun island and off of Dalton. Just don't let her do this to my father.......please." I beg, trying to put as much emotion into my voice as I can.

I don't exactly know if I can guarantee safe travel off this island, but it's worth a shot and with the help of a Darkling High Commander, we should be able to do it. They all shift on their feet, some seeming to consider it for a few seconds.

"Don't listen to her!' Mrs. Clark shrieks, turning on her heel and facing the group behind her. "She's a liar! We won't be safe until we reach the Core!"

"That's not true." I argue, stepping forward. Some of the soldiers tense, fingers going to their triggers and I try to take a deep breath, shoving down the fear I feel rising up. "For all you know, The Core could easily kill you, just as it could with any other Lightling or Darkling. Didn't think of that, did you Mrs. Clark?"

She pauses, turning to me, and I nearly start trembling at the manic smile spreading across her features. Whatever happened on this Island must have broke Mrs. Clark. I always remembered her to be a little crazy with her violent experiments and ways to test but this is a whole different level.

"I thought you might be resistant." She sighs, shaking her head with that same evil grin still on her face. "Which is why we specifically chose this cave to hide in. If you keep walking that way," She says, pointing behind her shoulder into the darkness, "it leads you right to the Core's border."

"No." I whisper, but it's too late.

"Take him away." Mrs. Clark says, gesturing to my father.

"No!" I yell, and make a move to run to him, but am blocked by another solider. "End!" I yell instead.

End suddenly appears from the shadows where he was hiding, lunging at the soldiers handling my father, but then I see a glint of metal in the dark and there's a blade being held to my father throat.

"Not a step closer." One of the guards utters gruffly.

"Stop, End!" I order, fearing for my dads life as his eyes bulge, his body going completely still in order to avoid the knife.

"Oh this is interesting!" Mrs. Clark exclaims, walking over to End, who looks to be trembling in rage. His form is flickering in the darkness, his hands clenched at his side as Mrs. Clark circles him. "A living shadow! Who would have thought? What's your name?"

"He doesn't speak." I manage to rasp, eyes darting between my father and End.

"How unfortunate." Mrs. Clark seems to pout for a moment, before shaking her head. She gestures to the soldiers holding onto my dad. "Let's continue, and if your friends try anything Ashley....". She stares pointedly at the knife that is still hovering over my dad's throat.

I nod stiffly, my throat closing up and suddenly guards surround us.

End growls, going into a defensive position and Max and Becky tense, balls of light growing in their hands.

"Get them under control." Mrs. Clark orders, and I stare her down, fury in my eyes, but even as I do this, my hand rises up, telling the others to back down.

The light fades slowly from Max and Becky's hands, but they still snap at any guard who comes near them, and I watch as End dissapears into the darkness.

"Get him back!" Mrs. Clark says, looking around wildly like End might jump out at any moment, which he might.

"I'm sorry. I have no control over him. He is a living shadow afterall." I smirk, glad to have the upperhand in something.

She fumes, but huffs, starting to walk towards the darkness she pointed at earlier.

"Let's just go. We are on a time sensitive schedule people!" She calls and I don't ask what schedule she's talking about. For all I know, it's just crazy talk. It wouldn't surprise me at this point if it was.

A guard steps forward to prod me with his gun, but End makes another dramatic appearance, standing between the guard and I.

I take the hint and start to walk, Becky and Max trailing behind me as we follow Mrs. Clark, the soldiers still surrounding us along with the other Scientists.

End dissapears and reappears nearly ever second, materializing between me and a guard who gets too close, or even if one of them gives me a funny look. Then, he dissapears into darkness just as quick, his form seeming to flicker the closer we get to the Core.

The only light we have in the cave are the few lanterns they carry, Mrs. Clark now having her hands on one as she leads, and I try at all times to keep my eyes on my father as hes dragged forward.

I look behind me at Becky and Max, hoping they have some kind of plan, but they are looking at me expectantly, probably the same way I'm looking at them now. I face forward again, my anxiety building as my mind tries to formulate some way to escape with everyone intact. I come up blank.

We walk for minutes in silence, just the sound of hushed murmurs and feet echoing against stone.

At one point, one by one all the lanterns go out.

"We are close." Mrs. Clark says, pausing for a moment. "have the Lightlings be our light."

Becky and Max are about to protest, but Mrs. Clark motions to the guard holding my dad, and they comply, reluctantly growing two balls of light in their hands.

Mrs. Clark motions to another solider, and he grabs Max, dragging him to the front where Mrs. Clark is.

"You will be my personal lantern." She smirks,and Max shudders, looking pleadingly back at us. Becky starts to tremble with rage, her eyes focused solely on Max, and I feel so helpless and terrible for getting them into this situation.

We start walking again, and the cave starts to heat up, going from icy cold to lukewarm, to warm, and then to hot. In minutes I'm nearly soaked to the bone with sweat, wondering what could be the cause of the heat.

"We're nearly there!" Mrs. Clark suddenly exclaims, and she points excitedly up ahead, where a the cave seems to grow lighter.

The whole mood of the group shifts, everyone seeming excited to leave this horrible cave. I don't share in their excitement, thinking in dread of what lays up ahead.

The light gets brighter and brighter, and soon Max and Becky extinguish their own light, looking exhausted from fueling their own spheres for so long.

It's sunlight, I realize when we reach the end of the cave, the darkness opening up into the bright outside.

Mrs. Clark pauses at the threshold of the cave, and all the scientists crowd around her, but I find it odd how they don't take a step out of the cave.

Mrs. Clark motions backwards at the guards and suddenly they are pushing my forward through the crowd up to the front, and this time there is no End to stand in their way. I struggle, elbowing them back when they push me, but soon I'm standing next to Mrs. Clark.

"Be careful, Ashley!" Becky yells in warning from where she was kept at the back of the crowd, and I watched as Max is soon pushed back to join her.

I turn my head forward and gasp at the sight in front of me.

It's stunning.

It's the same jungle we've been traveling through, but it looks different....almost ethereal. The leaves are greener and the sunlight is brighter. Colorful flowers and fruits are scattered, and there's the lovely song of wildlife being sung by the animals, different from the buzz of insects I had been experiencing while on this island.

"The Core." I whisper in awe.

It's alluring and hypnotizing, drawing me to take a step forward, but that's when I notice it. The scene in front of me looks majestic, but almost too majestic.

It looks more like a trap, I realize.

Right when I think this, my eyes detect a very subtle wall surrounding the scene. It's completely see through, and I can only detect it because of the faint ripples flowing constantly over it, very hard to notice. It's like a barrier, surrounding the core.

It calls me forward, and I take a few steps into the sunlight, the barrier still a few yards ahead.

"Careful." Mrs. Clark's voice breaks me out of my reverie, and I glance behind me to see her studying me. "You are standing on Ben's ashes right now."

I look down, seeing a grey dust beneath me, and jump, biting down on my tongue hard to keep from screaming as I dash back to the entrance of the cave.

"Who's Ben?" I nearly whimper through the tears I blink back in my eyes.

"Our first test subject." Mrs. Clark says almost solemnly, which is the opposite of her. "He was a faceless solider who decided it would be a good idea on a bet to go past the barrier. He was burnt to a crisp, his ashes thrown out of the Core."

I find it very hard in that moment to keep myself from vomiting.

"You don't want that to happen to your dear father, do you?" She asks, turning to me, and suddenly my dad yells through his gag, the sound muffled.

I shake my head vigorously, and Mrs. Clark smiles.

"Good. Now that we are in the proper setting, let's discuss terms. I want one of your friends who the Core has chosen to help us get inside it, and then I want you provide us safe passage off this island."

"That's impossible." Becky bursts from the back of the crowd, and swiftly moves her way through the crowd before the guards can grab her and to the front where she gets in Mrs. Clark's face, snarling as her chest puffs out. "We have no idea if any of us are chosen or not! No Lightling or Darkling ever tries to find out whether they are chosen! They aren't stupid enough to!"

Soliders are there, subduing Becky and pulling her away from Mrs. Clark while she struggles against them, cursing furiously.

"Let her go!" I exclaim, but they don't listen to me.

"Either you put one of your friends into the Core, or your father goes in." Mrs. Clark says, her expression turning dark. "That is final."

"You can't do this." I say desperately. "You've gone crazy!"

"You're not helping your case." She says flatly. "Decide. The clock is ticking and I'm not a very patient woman."

I look at my father, who seems to have calmed, his shoulders slumped in defeat and acceptance. Then I look at Becky, who stands between the guards with her back straight, her eyes defiant and jaw clenched. Finally my eyes meet Max's, who I can tell is begging me to not throw Becky into it, whatever I do.

"I can't choose." I finally say in defeat, looking down at the floor.

There's silence, and then I hear Mrs. Clark sigh.

"Well I guess this is for the best anyway, I never particularly liked Dr. Cartwright anyway. Once he's ashes well just have to throw each of your friends in and see if they survive."

"No." I say in horror, watching as she flicks her hand.

The guards holding my dad start to move forward, advancing with him towards the barrier.

"No!" I scream and start to lunge forward, only for someone to grab me.

I whip my head around to see Peter holding me back as I thrash, and I'm hit with an overwhelming amount of betrayal. He really has switched to the dark side, and it's no comfort that he looks pained and guilty to be doing this.

I start to cry, the tears falling down my cheeks and the soldiers move another step closer to the barrier. They are only a few yards away now from the nearly invisible wall.

Suddenly, there's a pulse that goes through my head.

Zero

Help, I desperately call out to him through the fake bond, not caring if it causes me pain.

If you ever liked me at all, please help, I beg.

There's a moment of silence inside my head...and then his voice.

I'm coming. I'll watch through your eyes until I get there, stay safe.

I feel his presence still in the back of my mind, causing black dots to invade my vision as a wave of pain rushes over me, but I blink them away and focus on my dad. Zero won't get here in time.

I take a step forward, and Peter tightens his hold on me.

Don't move closer, Zero roars into my mind, causing me to nearly double over and freeze in pain.

When I finally regain my vision again which had gone dark for a second as I squeezed my eyes hut, the guards are right in front of the barrier, holding my dad between then.

My dad manages to turn his head and look at me, his eyes seeming to say a million things at once that I can't decipher.

"Throw him in." Mrs. Clark says coldly.

"NO!" Someone screams, and only later do I realize that someone was me.

I watch, and time seems to slow as they shove him forward and through the barrier, where he dissapears.

I don't think about why he dissapeared, or if maybe the barrier was casting the illusion of the jungle around the core, instead my thoughts are completely blank.

Silence quieting the buzz in my head.

I have to go after him.

Don't you dare!

I ignore Zero's words, my mind on one goal and one goal only, getting to my father.

Ashley, NO! He yells, but I'm already in motion.

I bring my wrist that Peter is clutching up to my mouth and bite down hard.

He cries out and releases it, and I'm moving, dashing for the barrier.

Time yet again seems to slow, several cries echoing as I sprint for the barrier.

Zero's roaring in my head, causing waves of pain, but I push past them.

I'm a foot away when I whip my head around one last time to gaze behind me, my eyes flicking from Max, who stands there shocked, and Becky, who seems so sad for a girl who I've only seen sorrowful when talking about her parents.

Mrs. Clark has her mouth opened in shock, and Peter's slightly bloody hand is outstretched, as if reaching for me.

Right before I turn my head around to face the barrier, I swear I see Lager materialize from the shadows of the cave, features wrecked with horror, but that can't be possible, because he should have no idea what's going on here and should be safely back in Highclere.

I cast the image I spun of Lager out of my mind, turning to face the invisible wall.

Time seems to return to normal as I bend my knees, and leap into the Core.

I'm sorry, everyone, Is my last thought.



Dear readers, this chapter was one of the most intense ones I've had to write. I hope I managed to evoke some emotion from you. This book is coming to an end in just a few chapters, so I hope you stick around. I also apologize for the cliffhanger. Hopefully I'll have another chapter out this week. Hope you enjoyed! Vote, comment, and tell me your reaction to this chapter. I"M REALLY CURIOUS! Lots of Love,

Dangeroustoken