Also on ff.net and now AO3

---

They hurried to the source of the sounds, knowing with little doubt where they came from. Orrie trembled slightly at the sick curiosity that lured him through the halls; it wasn’t as if he didn’t know what those noises had been.

What they had indicated.

All three stopped at the entrance way to the foyer just as a shriek resounded through the room, eyes widened in disbelief and horror despite them expecting the worst. Upstairs, Zahia—hands clinging tightly to the banister as the rest of her sagged on her knees—was staring horrified at the two crumpled bodies at the base of the steps. Belle stepped forward, slowly at first, followed by her brother as they examined the corpses.

Orrie went numb when Dipper repositioned them: it was the Tosettis. The old couple had done literally nothing wrong during their whole stay; they weren’t participating in the mystery nor did they have an inkling of the murders taking place. So to see them…dead…despite being unaware and uninvolved…

Belle let out a tiny gasp and pointed to something near Dipper. He spotted the small piece of paper beneath Mr. Tosetti’s hand and, after carefully slipping it out, read it. He seemed to take in the whole message at once, crushing the paper shortly after. Without a word he just shook his head at his sister, his expression somber.

“No one’s safe…” Orrie could just pick up the whimpers from upstairs. He looked fearfully toward Zahia. “No one…why are they doing this…why us…why us…”

“Did you…?” Orrie had to try again after swallowing the lump in his throat. “Did you see who did this?”

---

The woman looked up, her mouth open to answer before she paused. “Are you still going along with that madman?” she sobbed, slowly rising. Orrie didn’t have a chance to speak when Zahia suddenly started screaming at him. “Do you even care what’s happening to us!? Cliff is dead! Because of you—you and everyone else who keep encouraging that demon! Oh, Alcor would find pleasure in seeing us suffer; what demon wouldn’t!?”

A twinge of anger sparked in him. “That isn’t Alcor!” Orrie shouted back, ignoring the look of contempt from her. “That’s just an actor; you know that! The real Alcor—” He hesitated. ‘The real Alcor wouldn’t do this’ was an easy enough response, but would it be true? Yes, he had the stories from his grandfather and the books and texts about Alcor that he would always cherish, the proof the demon did have a kinder side that shouldn’t be ignored…but that was it. Even his grandpa had warned him once or twice to stay on the Dreambender’s good side. Even the articles made mention of the demon’s sporadic bursts of bloodlust and destruction. Who was he—a preteen boy—to convince this woman who just lost her spouse to ignore the hundreds of firsthand accounts of Alcor slaughtering people who’ve provoked him?

What did it matter?

“That isn’t him,” he muttered.

“No duh that’s not him!” Belle spoke up, earning surprised looks from them both. “My—he would never find enjoyment in this, not to those who don’t deserve it. So don’t you dare believe that fraud’s Alcor because he doesn’t know anything about him.”

“And you do?” retorted Zahia.

“I̢ndee̷d̛,̷ you͡ dơ?̷” Zahia let out a shriek and ran toward her room as the Alcor impersonator materialized in the air between the two floors. Dipper actually snarled at the man while Belle looked just as ready to attack him.

“I know more than you ever will.” Her cold gaze seemed to make ‘Alcor’ smirk wider, and he hovered down closer. Dipper stood instantly, his eyes never straying from the imposter. He mumbled something to his twin, too low for Orrie to catch; but whatever it was sparked a gleam of confidence in Belle’s eyes. She took a daring step forward. “And I know the real Alcor would have the guts to face us in person.” The smirk immediately vanished from the actor’s face. “He wouldn’t hide behind some illusion like you are, you fake. Too scared to come out and—aah!” ‘Alcor’ had snapped his fingers, and Belle had been shot up high into the air, level with the illusion.

“Belle!”  Dipper cried out to his sister before his eyes darted fearfully at ‘Alcor’. No– not quite, Orrie realized, following the boy’s line of sight. Dipper was looking past the illusion, at the panel that had flipped up on the wall behind it, completely blocked from Belle’s point of view. The exposed hole was center with her chest. “BELLE!”

“I’͏m̀ sure͞ the ͝re͠al Al̛cor ̕wo̧ul̶d͠n’t h̶a͡ve aǹy ìs͝sues ̀ge͡tt̶ing̵ rid of ͡uppìty b̷r̀at̢s like̷ y͞o̢ųrs̨e̕lf͡,” the actor snarled. Belle was paralyzed in the air; panic was racing through her as she struggled to get out of the magic holding her. “A̢n͞d I̕ do͡n’̷t̴ need to fac̡è y̡ou̵ in ͝pers̵ǫn ̶to d̢o t͠hat.͝”

It all happened in an instant.

Alcor’ snapped his fingers.

A metallic spike shot forth from the hole in the wall.

Darkness flew.

Belle screamed.

Orrie hadn’t the ability to breathe as he watched the spike pierce into the opposite wall. Then his gaze slowly, ever so slowly drifted to the velvety cocoon of wings that had scooped up Belle and had carried her to safety. They unwrapped to reveal Belle clutching tightly to her twin, eyes still widened by how close she had been to losing her life.

Dipper’s golden irises snapped to the imposter. Even through the illusion the fake showed true terror at the sight of the real Alcor. It was something inhuman to see him hide it shortly after behind a mask of arrogance.

“Illus̶i͞on͏ ̷spe͠ll̶s̡ t̸oo? I h̷ave͠ t͞o a̛dm̷i̷t͏, Dipp͟ȩr Ste͟rl̨ing, be̴t̴ween this͠ a̛nd y̡our̢ sk̷ills in ̕f͞ire̢ co͠n̷juri̷n̵g, your m̢aste͏r̶y of m̸àgic a̧s̶t̶o͡unds eveń me. But̕ ̀no̶ne ͠can͞ bést ̵m̕e in̴ my for̷te͟.” But illusions could not have freed Belle. Orrie took a tentative step back, away from the twins on the ground and the imposter before them. “Nice trỳ to càtch̕ me off̨ gu͝ard̨. B͟u̴t̢ ̧i̕f yóu were th̴ȩ re͠al ͟Alco͞r ͏you ̀w̴o̧uld’ve͡ be͞en ab̨l̡e̕ t̀o fìnd us̴ b̷y n͡ow, no͞t͞ wan͡der thes̢e̷ ͞hal̸ls an͟d ̸search̴i̸nģ ̡fo̧r̨ ͡clu͟e̴s lìk̶e̛ ̶a̵ h̨ea͝dles͝s ch̷ìc͢ken̨.”

Us? Orrie felt his blood run cold.

“Ýȩs̢, ‘u̴s͠’,” the fake turned to Orrie; the boy hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. “You̶ ̕t̕h͞ink I͞ d̢idn͏’t́ h̢av͏e inside͏ hel͏p ͞ pulli̢ng of͞f̕ t͞he̕s̸e mur̢de̶rs? Yo̸ư reall͝y̢ ͡b̢elieve ev͞er̷yone he̶re͞ is wor̢th tr̶ưs͡tinǵ?” He grinned as he gestured toward the Sterlings. “A̡re̢ t͠hey wo͟rth̷ ́tr͝u̷s̷ti̷n̢g̵? T̀hey nev̵er o͠n͡ce ͝to͝l͢d y̛ou the̢y c̀oųld use thi̢s̀ ͟l̨evel of mag̵ic̛, m͡agi̸c t͠hąt c͝ou̴l̴d ̡ha͝v͡e save̛d́ the o̸t̢h͢er̸s.” The illusion started to fade away. “Hòw ̕m͢a̸n̡y͏ dòes ̷th́at mak̷e de̵a͝d n̛ow̸? Fiv̶e to̵ó ḿa̛ny̢? M̧ay͞b̶e͡ ̨y͟ou’̧ll͡ be ͝n͡ext.” And he was gone.

Dipper stood; his eyes were changing back to normal and his wings folded and appeared to melt away inside him. “We need to leave this area. I can’t pinpoint where he’s projecting from.” He helped Belle to stand.

“You were right, bro,” she muttered, eyes staring at the floor. “We should’ve done your plan first. I just didn’t think it’d get this far…” She looked over, only then remembering about Orrie. “Are you alright?” Orrie only stared back. Panic. Confusion. Worry. Terror. There wasn’t a single emotion that could describe him at that moment. He opened his mouth, his jaw trembling slightly.

“What…?” Dipper tensed. Then he approached. Orrie tried to take another step back only to find himself paralyzed in place. His mind was too overwhelmed to do much of anything. It was only when Dipper was in front of him he spoke again. “Who are you?”

“…Alcor the Dreambender. Now come on; we can’t stay here.”

---

The trip to the supply closet felt like an eternal march. Orrie was dimly impressed he could remember the way back to it, leading the twins through the halls quickly. When they reached the closet, he pulled open the hidden door.

“How’d you even find this place?” Belle asked, climbing down the ladder after him. “And we’re sure they can’t spy on us in here?” Orrie didn’t respond.

“It’s safe,” Dipper assured her. “Even without my doing there’s enough magical interference to screw up any placed machinery down here.” He landed beside them, turning to Orrie. “And now that we know no one will eavesdrop on us…” Having been given time to sort through his thoughts and emotions, the formulation of resentment was quite evident on Orrie’s face, even in the near darkness.

The boy didn’t say anything for a while. So Dipper continued. “I know you’re wondering why we—”

Orrie spoke lowly, bitterly. “That fake you was right.” Dipper was taken aback by those words.

“Okay…wasn’t expecting this.”

“Why should I trust you? You…you could have saved us! You could have stopped all this…but you didn’t. I thought you…” Orrie tried to swallow the agonizing lump growing in his throat. “Is this all a game to you?” Dipper didn’t respond right away.

“At first,” he eventually said, but he quickly clarified himself when Orrie shot him a glare filled with more hurt and anger. “That is, it was a game to me as much as it was to you. We seriously came here to have fun.”

“Then why didn’t you do anything!?” Orrie cried, “You knew, didn’t you, from the start? When Ms. Wheatly died– you knew that wasn’t an act. But you kept playing along like the staff did.”

“We needed to,” Belle interrupted, earning Orrie’s tearful glare.

“Oh yeah? Why?”

“Because the legend about this mansion has some truth behind it,” answered Dipper. “Like we’ve said before: I’m meant to be a prisoner here. I can sense the wards lining the foundation and supports of this manor. They’re admittedly powerful, and my powers…well, they’re not exactly sealed, more like restricted. It’s actually quite infuriating, really, what little I can do.”

“Can’t you just get rid of them?” Orrie questioned him, only a hint of his anger subsiding. “I thought you couldn’t be bound. Why not burn the place down if you’re so desperate?”

“Because I told you we came here to have fun. I was willing to put up with the hindrance for a couple of days. Wouldn’t be the first time doing so, either. And, with my powers sealed, I’d considered it a bonus that my omniscience wouldn’t be ruining the mystery for me for once.”

Orrie frowned. “You have omniscience but you didn’t know any of this was going to happen?”

“Because omniscience doesn’t work that way,” Dipper growled, “If it did, I’d have burned down this mansion the second we got here. You think I’d purposely put Belle and myself into this mess? Last night when I saw Ms. Wheatly dead I knew instantly, and I told Belle what I suspected: that a staff member had killed her, likely my fake.”

“And you didn’t decide to do anything then!?”

“Because I asked him not to!” Belle interjected, her shout causing Orrie to shut up. “It…the energy it would take to overpower the wards would bring this whole place down, and Dipper admitted there was no guarantee that he’d be able to save all of you if that happened. It was me who asked him to hold off, to see if complying for just a while longer might save everyone. I figured if he slowly gathered energy in secret while the rest of us acted oblivious he’d have the strength eventually to take down the cultists. But…” Belle looked down, avoiding eye contact with her brother, “Dug died. Then Cliff. And now the Tosettis. And that’s all my fault. I was wrong. I wish I could go back in time and slap myself for being so idiotic, but I can’t. Maybe once we get home I’ll have my meltdown, but right now I’m just focusing on saving you and the others alongside Dipper.”

Orrie continued to frown at the two, anger and broken trust almost overriding all sense of rationalizing. They should have come out with the truth from the beginning, then maybe all the guests would be working together to get out alive. Maybe Dug and Cliff and the Tosettis would still be with them. Maybe they’d have the confidence of getting out knowing Alcor was on their side.

Or maybe Belle was right and the cultists would double down on the wards and stop him from fighting back. But Alcor had always been described as a creature unable to be contained; being trapped shouldn’t be an issue for him. Plus…he was a demon; ultimately, what did human lives matter to him? Was he telling the truth that he no longer saw this as a game, or was he just saying that to make Orrie think he cared about them? But then again, he would have already left if that were the case—

“I don’t know what to think anymore!” Orrie pressed his back to the wall, head leaning back. “I just. Want. To go home.” The anger melted into weariness, and he slid down to the ground. “I want to go home. I want to trust you.”

“You can,” Belle stepped closer and squatted down. “I can’t promise everything will be alright, but I can promise that we’ll look out for you. For each other. Because that’s what friends do.” Orrie studied her, observed how her tired smile still shone with hope. She held out her hand, and after a second or two of debate, Orrie took it, rising. He glanced at Dipper and saw how the boy also shared that mirroring smile. He tried to smile back. He must have succeeded because Belle’s grin grew just a bit brighter.

“Alright. No more secrets—or at least pertaining to our predicament. We need to come up with a new plan.”

“I thought you were going with his plan now since yours didn’t work,” said Orrie.

“My plan still needs time to pull off. We may have disabled the rune in the attic, but the various other wards embedded in the manor’s foundation are still hindering me from destroying them without potentially killing the rest of you. I still need more power to get the remaining guests out safely.”

“And we still don’t know why the cultists want us to solve the mystery in the first place,” added Belle. “It’d be one thing if they were searching for hidden treasure, but they wouldn’t need us to look for it. They have the rest of the year to do that without any interruptions.”

“And this attraction has been going on for years,” said Orrie, “So why now with us?” He inhaled sharply. “Is it because that fake now knows you’re the real deal?”

Dipper frowned. “Unlikely. He started killing long before we found the attic, so we were going to end up being his targets. And I don’t think he’s fully convinced I’m Alcor.”

Belle blinked. “Wait, why not?”

“He hasn’t sent out anyone to get us yet. He knows we’ve disabled the rune in the attic but haven’t gone to search for him. He’s aware I could find him if I wanted to. I don’t want him to know it’s me; that’s why I lied and said I couldn’t pinpoint his location. Better to have him underestimate our abilities than suspect the worst. He’s underground somewhere, but I can sense that this tunnel won’t lead us to him.”

“It won’t; it leads to the greenhouse.” The twins stared at Orrie. “I…might have explored a bit while waiting for you guys to finish eating breakfast.” He was surprised when he heard Dipper chuckle.

“I would have done the same.” Orrie allowed a small grin.

“So for now we just let that creep keep thinking it was all an act?” Dipper nodded at his twin. “Fine. But you have to hurry up, bro-bro. We can’t keep waiting much longer.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to.” He nodded toward the ladder, and the other two understood. They climbed back out of the tunnel, listening carefully for any nearing footsteps before exiting the closet. Dipper led the way back to the foyer. Orrie felt a surge of remorse when he saw the two bodies missing. Where had they gone, and who took them? “It’s late,” Dipper spoke up suddenly.

“Huh?” Orrie fumbled through his pockets for his phone and stared at the time. It was only 6:17PM. “It’s not that late,” he muttered.

“You’re exhausted,” Dipper said, leading the way up the stairs. “You—” He paused about five steps from the top, staring at the step in front of him. Without another word he jumped over it and motioned for them to do the same. Belle did so after spotting what her brother had. Orrie saw it too when he reached it: a thin gap could barely be seen just beneath the tread nosing. “You didn’t see it, Orrie—” Orrie looked up when Dipper started talking to him, “—But Jackson’s foot was sliced right above his heel. Most certainly a blade cut his tendon, and he pulled his wife down with him when he tumbled.”

Orrie could only let out a tiny “Oh.” A small part of him now wished Dipper never told him.

They made it to the Sterlings’ room shortly after. “You guys rest,” Dipper instructed, standing close to the door after they’d entered. “I’ll keep watch from outside since I don’t need to sleep.”

“But tomorrow’s the last day,” Orrie argued, “What if they decide to kill us if we don’t solve the mystery in time? We should continue looking for clues.”

“Trust me, you’re both a lot more tired than you realize. And the stress won’t make you think properly; we all need to be at peak mental condition to solve the remaining hints. You can have my bed tonight.”

“Not like I’ll be able to sleep after the day we’ve had,” the boy muttered. Inside, however, he was grateful Dipper was letting him have his bed; he was downright terrified of splitting up from them now despite his lingering misgivings.

Dipper stepped out of the room, locking the door behind him. “And make sure you rest up too,” Belle called after him. There was a muffled reply of coming inside if nothing was happening before Belle sighed and climbed onto her bed, placing the grappling hook she still had with her on the nightstand. “No point changing; probably going to get straight to business once we wake up.” She turned to Orrie, an odd expression on her face that held neither a smile nor a frown. “So…what do you really think of him?”

“Of your brother?”

“Yeah. That look you’re making; you’ve had it ever since we’ve left the tunnel. I can’t describe it– do you still not believe us? Because my broseph was being open with everything he told you.”

“I—” He hesitated. “I don’t…distrust him.” He paused, biting his lower lip.

“But you don’t trust him completely either.” Orrie nodded. Belle smiled. “Well, that’s more than what I was hoping for.”

Orrie climbed onto Dipper’s bed. “It’s just that I don’t know how to see him anymore. He’s similar to how my grandpa described him—all things considered—but he’s not as…” He chuckled nervously. “Don’t be offended, but your brother doesn’t seem as caring about the others’ deaths as you or me. And he’s not exactly trying his best to keep tabs on the other guests to make sure they’re safe either. I’d thought he’d be a bit more sympathetic.”

Belle seemed to mull over his words, bobbing her head slightly to the side. When she spoke it was with complete understanding of what he meant. “Dipper’s old.” Orrie stared dumbly at her simple response.

“I…figured?”

She smiled so pityingly. “He’s really old. Like, really, really old. He’s witnessed a lot of death. He tells me about it sometimes—what he’s seen and done and watched others do. He has to seem uncaring, ya’ know, given what he is. But I’ve seen Dipper cry those nights after a long summons. He’s not unsympathetic; he just views mortal lives differently than we do. But I swear we’re both trying our absolute hardest to save everyone.”

Orrie glanced away, the edges of his eyes itching. He blinked the feeling away. “I guess you would have a ton of confidence in him since you’re pretty much his Mizar.” He quickly looked back up. “W-wait, I didn’t mean that offensively. I just meant you’d have a better understanding of him than others.”

“Of course!” Belle nodded, “But not because I’m Mizar. Dipdop’s my twin brother. And, yeah, he saved me because I’m a Mizar, but he stayed with me because of who I am: my own person who makes my own choices and decisions. I’m no more or less special than any other twin sister.”

Orrie could feel the last of his distrust bubble away as he chuckled lowly. “And that’s what I heard about the most: how human he is. He cares for the people he likes. He’s fun and weird and…nice.” He reached for his backpack and pulled out his sketchbook, turning to a particular page. He passed it to Belle. “Remember back on the bus when I said I wouldn’t summon him except in danger. Well, that wasn’t entirely truthful. For the longest I wanted to summon him for something else.” He watched as Belle stared at the drawing, his own artwork he made at the age of four when he first heard his grandfather’s cult-adventurous days.

Belle grinned, and Orrie could tell it was not in teasing of the childish drawing. “Let me guess: you, your grandpa, and my brother having ice cream at an amusement park?” Orrie laughed, nodding, and Belle beamed brighter. “Bro’s ego is big enough without the fan art, but he’d love it nonetheless. You did a pretty good job. But I was under the impression you’ve never met.”

“We haven’t. That was what I wanted to do if I ever got the chance to meet him. I never wanted to summon him for fame or fortune; I just wanted to be his friend.” He lay back, staring at the ceiling. “I used to think Alcor didn’t have a lot of friends long after the Transcendence. You hear a lot about his allies shortly after the event took place, like the first Mizar and the Woodsman, but almost nothing of them after that. I used to believe his first friends were human, which was why he didn’t have many left because they all had died. And it also explained his dislike for human sacrifices. So my reasoning, as a kid, was he liked hanging with the Seekers of Starlight because they had become his new friends and he wasn’t lonely anymore. And…I could relate to that.”

Belle gently closed the sketchbook and handed it back to Orrie. “And do you still want to be his friend?”

“I…yeah. I still want to.” Belle smiled.

“Thanks. Dipper could use some more friends in his life. Someone to drag his butt out of the house every once in a while.” She moved and positioned herself under the covers. “I don’t know about you, but I’m really sleepy all of a sudden. I think I’ll hit the hay a bit early.”

“I think I’ll join you,” Orrie yawned. Dipper was right; the exhaustion hit faster and harder than he was expecting. He clambered beneath the sheets, already his eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. Sleep came easy enough, but it was staying within the realm of slumber that became a challenge when the nightmares started. Of shadows and spiders and chilling laughter chasing him through endless hallways. But one by one they melted away until he could finally catch his breath, could stop and curl up and drift away into peaceful obliviousness.

---

Orrie awoke the next morning feeling completely rejuvenated. He sat up and stretched, seeing Belle do the same, her hair a slightly ruffled mess. He climbed out of bed, grabbing his backpack, already ready for the day. They needed to be.

After waiting for Belle to fix her hair and toss her makeshift weapon into his bag so she could free up both hands, the two only then noticed Dipper inside the room, sitting and leaned back against the wall by the door. It looked like he was dozing.

“I thought you didn’t need to sleep,” Orrie said.

Dipper didn’t even stir. “I don’t. But I still need to recuperate.” He peeked an eye open. “Sleep well?”

“I—yeah, I think I did. I feel refreshed, anyway. I want to say I had a nightmare, but I can’t remember it at all.” Dipper smiled lightly before finally standing.

“Alright, we have to move fast. We’ve got—” Belle quickly checked her phone, “—a little less than six hours to find the last four clues.”

“That’s not a lot of time,” Orrie said, frowning. Yet they had no other choice. Wait, four? That’s right; he forgot to tell them about the clue he found earlier. “Oh, yeah. Guys, I—” There was the sudden sound of a door slamming and rushing footsteps racing down the stairs. By the time the three reacted and Dipper yanked open the door, the person running was long gone. As they hurried down the east wing, Orrie could see all the other bedroom doors were shut.

Belle was the first to reach and look over the banister. “Was that Zahia? Is she is danger?”

Dipper narrowed his eyes. “It has to be; her room’s closest to the stairs. Let’s hurry—she could be running right into a trap.”

They sprinted down the stairs two at a time, watchful to leap over the step with the hidden blade.

“Zahia, wait!”

“You need to stop, Zahia!”

“Please listen to us!” But their shouts yielded no response, only the distant echoes of shoes pounding against polished floor in haste to get away. “Do you suppose it was one of the staff members that scared her?” wondered Orrie as he and the twins turned right at the end of the north hall. They’ve been down this path before, so it was no surprise when they stumbled upon the various doors leading to different rooms. Zahia could be hiding in any one of them.

“No idea, but she’s definitely near here.” answered Dipper. He took the lead. “Zahia?” They walked slowly down the hallway and listened carefully through each door they passed for any noise.

“It’s only us,” Orrie called out.

“We want to help you,” Belle added. She paused in front of one door, waiting for some sort of response. “We’re trying to get everyone out of here, but you need to stop hiding.”

“Quit indulging him!” Definitely Zahia, and she was close. “All of you! Just leave me alone!” Her voice was coming from the end of the hall. Picking up the pace, they made for the door at the very end.

The second door before that one opened up suddenly. “WHA!” A hand had reached out and snatched Belle in right as she was about to pass it. Orrie’s reaction was far slower than Dipper’s; in less than a second the boy found himself pushed out of the way as Dipper had already spun around and practically flew through the door. Torn for only a split second, Orrie forsake finding Zahia to go rescue Belle. He ran through the door moments after Dipper had. The teen—demon—was standing in the middle of the room, just at the edge of a trapdoor leading down into darkness.

Orrie had no idea how far down it led.

“Wait here,” Dipper instructed before jumping in. He was swallowed up by the shadows in a matter of seconds, but it fortunately wasn’t long before Orrie heard his voice again. “It’s not that far. I’ll catch you.”

“Okay.” Orrie was about to jump in when a strong hand grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth. “Mmfhm!?” He was pulled back from the edge.

“Orrie!”

“Don’t worry, he’s safe with me,” an arrogant voice called out to him. “Go rescue your sister. I’ll make sure nothing happens to the lad.” Orrie struggled in Siegfried’s grip, wondering where he’d come from, but he knew the man was right. Of the two of them, Belle was the one in graver danger. Still, it was a bit disheartening when he heard Dipper’s riled growl and his footsteps leading away from them. “And as for you.” There was a soft click of metal, and Orrie instantly froze when a cool thin barrel was pressed firmly against his temple. “I’ll stand by my word nothing will happen to you as long as you do what I say.”

Tears of fear were springing to his eyes. His breaths grew quick and shallow, and he could hear the high-pitched ring of blood pumping in his ears. Despite this, Orrie nodded slowly. “You are going to hand over that key you found.” Orrie didn’t move, so Siegfried released his hold. “I’m waiting.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He didn’t care if his voice was tight; he honestly had no idea what key Siegfried was referring to. They already used all the ones they’d found to open the clues. The gun pressed harder against his skull, and Orrie let out a terrified whimper. “I swear! You can check my bag! You can check our rooms, too! I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about.” Siegfried didn’t say anything. Then he grabbed Orrie’s arm—finally lowering the gun—and dragged him out of the room. A pang of fear shot through the boy as he was pulled even further away from his friends.

“Don’t think I haven’t already,” Siegfried said as he led Orrie back down the hall. “How else would I’ve known the key was missing? Zahia’s was the only room I hadn’t checked yesterday, but I got fed up waiting for that stupid woman to leave and barged in myself.” They reached the foyer, and Siegfried roughly shoved Orrie ahead of him. “This is your last chance, boy: did you take the key or not? And don’t bother lying saying you haven’t been looking for clues.”

“No.” Orrie didn’t know how more blunt he could sound. “We took nothing. Our efforts really have been toward trying to find a way to escape, and we think we’re close. We don’t care about the mystery.”

“But I do.” And Orrie couldn’t help staring at the man with incredulity. Siegfried was clearly insane if he thought the murderers were still planning to hand over the cash prize for solving their clues. But insanity aside, greed could lead to unpredictability and desperation, and Orrie hazarded the quickest of glances at the pistol held at the man’s side. Siegfried held his chin thoughtfully, pondering on something. Then he smiled almost cheerfully; a cold chill shot down Orrie’s spine. “It seems we are both in a bit of a bind. Your friend needs rescuing, and I need that final clue. Surely the best method for us to achieve our goals is to work together, wouldn’t you say?”

This was hardly fair, and if Siegfried wasn’t armed right now Orrie would’ve made a run for it just to get away from him. The murderers were bad enough, but to find there were people out there who truly valued money over human lives was near sickening. An emotion stirred within him as he clenched his teeth, one he wasn’t wholly familiar with. It wasn’t anger exactly…was this rage? It was a frightening compulsion to resist lashing out against the person who’d dare threaten him after leaving his friends to fend for themselves.

It was a wonder he managed to keep the ire so well-hidden.

“Alright. I’ll help you.”