I looked around the room frantically. "What do you mean they're gone, Fleur?" I demanded, my heart racing. My head spun from the implications. "They can't just be gone!"

The kids were nowhere in sight. The only people in the room were Fleur, Brannick, David, Zoe, and myself. I couldn't even fathom where the kids could have possibly gone. None of it made any sense.

"They must have found the secret passageways!" exclaimed Brannick happily, as he started searching too. "It must be here somewhere!"

I shook my head at him. "How does that explain all of the kids vanishing at once?" I asked him, already regretting it.

“Because there must be more than one!” he proclaimed, grinning widely at me. “A whole network of them!”

Exhaling sharply, I started looking around. Fleur raised an eyebrow at me. "You're actually accepting his theory?" she said, puzzled.

"At this point, I've got nothing else, Fleur," I told her, collapsing down onto the bed, dust puffing out as I did. A tear fell from the corner of my eye. "I feel responsible for those kids! And since I have no other theories of my own at the moment, what else do I have?"

She smiled as she sat down next to me. "You're once again sounding like a leader," she responded. "But if I may, I think you do have a lot more than you think you do."

I looked toward Zoe and David, as they were pulling books off the bookcase and tossing them aside. Closing my eyes, I ran through everything. First, a girl sees a dark figure in the basement. Next, the house begins reconfiguring itself, as though trying to prevent us from leaving.

My father's words echoed in my mind once again. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, is the truth. 

"Fleur, what did you see precisely?" I asked her, glancing up.

She narrowed her eyes as she tried to recall everything that had happened. "It was a dark figure, looked like it was wearing a black cloak," she explained. Then she added, "Come to think of it, that doesn't exactly fit the description of any Necro Spirit I've seen."

"That's true. But we've only seen shadows," I replied, as I stared at Brannick. "Who's to say there aren't other kinds?"

I pondered over everything as I sat there in silence. What could possibly explain all of these things? Suddenly, Zoe scoffed as she kicked at the bookcase.

"Argh! We'd already be out of here if the house hadn't absorbed my fireball!" she exclaimed.

Narrowing my eyes, I shot a look at her. "What did you just say?" I asked, wondering if I had heard her correctly. Why hadn't I thought of it before?

"We'd already be out of here if the house hadn't absorbed my fireball," she repeated herself.

"Zoe, you're a genius!"

She raised an eyebrow. "I am?"

"She is?" said David and Fleur in unison.

Ignoring them, I bolted to my feet. "I think we've been looking at all of it all wrong!" Then, gazing at Brannick, "And as absurd as this sounds. . ." I paused. "I think you may have been right about the house all along. Just not in the way you thought."

"Of course! I am a business genius!" He grinned widely.

I glanced up at the others. "The entire time we've been looking at this as a Necro Spirit somewhere in the house, when I think the true answer is something much bigger than that," I told them.

They all raised their eyebrows and looked at one another.

"What is it then?" asked Fleur.

"It is the house!" I declared. "I think we're dealing with something that has possessed the entire house. And if I'm right, the kids aren't really gone at all!"

Fleur glanced between my sister and David, then back at me. "Then where are they?" she asked. "And how do we fight an entire house?"

"That is an excellent question, Fleur," I responded, as I turned for the door. "We don't."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Kairine, are you well?" she questioned.

"Perfectly," I replied as I stepped out into the hallway. "Come on!"

They soon followed after me as I glanced around the hallways. Not looking at them, I said, "To beat this thing, we don't necessarily fight the house. Such would be foolish, as Zoe demonstrated. Instead, we have to look for a different way."

"And what would that be?" asked Zoe, glancing at me.

I exhaled. "There has to be something that it's anchored to, something that is keeping it here, that's my best guess," I said.

She stepped directly in front of me, staring into my eyes. "Guess? That's not the sister I know! The Kairine I know doesn't guess!" she exclaimed.

Sighing, I shook my head. "Zoe, I've never heard of something like this before, even in all of the books I've read. If this is a Necro Spirit, it's an incredibly powerful one. Guessing is about all that I have.". Then, I narrowed my eyes as I noticed her gaze leave mine. "What is it?"

"I hear something," she said as she turned and started almost running down the hall. I ran to catch up with her. Damn it Zoe, I told you we needed to all stick together.

As we caught up with her, we found her staring at a piano -- the same piano from earlier, the one that had played that strange melody by itself. The one that felt familiar to me, though I couldn't place it. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Zoe, what is it?" I asked, looking around the rest of the room.

It appeared to be a kitchen or dining room, with a single large table sitting in the middle of the floor, chairs strewn about. "Brannick, remind me to tell you something about interior decorating," I said with a shake of my head. I glanced back at my sister and the piano.

The piano itself was old, constructed of dark brown oak, taking up the entire corner of the room by itself. The top lid was hanging open, revealing cobwebs inside amongst all of the strings.

Suddenly, it started playing again, giving me a start. Once again, it was that same melody, the one I couldn't place.

Zoe's mouth dropped as it happened, and she turned her face to look at me. "Kairine, I think I know that tune. . ." she whispered, her voice thin with shock. She shook her head and she wrapped her arms around her chest, turning away. "Mom. She used to hum that. During her sober times. Between, well, everything else."

Her whole body trembled as she told the story. Then in a fit of rage, she turned around, sparking a blaze of fire in her hand and aiming it at the piano.

"Zoe, stop!" I exclaimed as I stepped in her way. "You don't know what that will do!"

She shook her head. "I don't care! It needs to go!" she responded, clenching her jaw. "You weren't there, you don't know what she did to me!"

"I know. But I'm here now."

She glared at me for a long time, her lips twitching. Finally, she put out the fireball and slumped down onto the floor. Immediately I went to her, wrapping my arm around her. "I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

My eyes went up to the piano as the melody once again played. Then, as a thought struck me, I glanced at Zoe. "Do you happen to know the rest of the melody?" I asked her.

She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Do you really think that is the heart of whatever this is?" she asked. Shaking her head, she looked away as her eyes fell to the floor. "After what she did, I don't want to remember anything to do with her."

I gazed up at the piano. Where do I remember that melody from? Something tells me this is important. Images of Dad flashed before my eyes as tears welled up. I remembered seeing him in his study as he whiled away at some archaeological work, as I snuck in, listening in on him. He was humming something to himself.

My bottom lip quivered as I rose to my feet and slowly walked over to the piano. The tune replayed over and over in my head, exactly as Dad had hummed it. My fingers reached for the keys, and before I knew it, I tapped several of them in sequence. As I did, the spirit from before appeared in the doorway, just behind David and Fleur.

She nodded at me as she turned and walked away. Quickly, I followed her, with Zoe shooting to her feet and running after me.

Around a turn, then another, before finally, the spirit led me to the doorway leading down into the basement. I froze, my mouth dropped. "Where are you taking me?" I asked her.

She looked up at me with tearful eyes before turning away. "What happened to your sister is not the first time," she murmured. "I am ashamed to say that I may have started it."

I shook my head, furrowing my brows. "I don't understand, do you mean that you. . . You abused Mom?" I must not be hearing her right, right?

To my relief, she shook her head. But then what she said next made my heart fall in my chest. "Your grandfather did," she said, as she hugged herself.

"I still don't understand. Why are you ashamed? Why do you think you started it?" I asked her. I had so many questions right now, but little time.

"Because I did nothing to save her or Imari from him," she replied, her eyes lifting to meet mine. "He was a most horrible man. And he conjured the very thing you're fighting right now."

My eyes went wide. "What do you mean, he conjured it?"

She approached me slowly. "I think he knew about your mother's powers. He knows about your powers," she muttered. "You must be wary of him."

I shook my head, my mind spinning from everything she had just told me. But before I could respond, suddenly she was gone. My eyes shot around, looking for any sign of her. But no matter where I looked, she wasn't there.

"Do you want to tell me what the Undergrave is going on?" said Zoe from behind me, almost giving me a start as my heart raced in my chest.

"I really don't know, Zoe," I responded with a sharp exhale. Looking back at her, then around the hallway behind us, my eyes narrowed. "Where are the others?"

She looked behind her too, scrunching her brows as she looked back at me. "Kairine, I swear they were right behind me," she said with a shake of her head. "I have no idea where they could have gone. . ." She froze, biting her lip. "Are we alone?"

I couldn't answer her as I gritted my teeth. I was really unsure how to answer her. I don't think anyone is really gone, my mind hasn't changed on that. Shaking my head, I slumped back against the wall. But none of that changes the fact we really are alone now.

She approached me, grabbing me by both shoulders as she stared into my eyes. "We will find them. Think. How do we beat this thing?" she said to me, her tone surprisingly calm. "You are the brightest mind I have ever known. If anyone can beat this thing, it's you."

Staring back at her for a long time, I couldn't believe what I was hearing from her. She really believes in me? Smiling slighty, I nodded. I can't let her down. Or the others.

I shut my eyes and thought through everything that had just happened. We played the melody in the parlor. That's when the spirit appeared. She then led us here, to the door down to the basement. That is when the others disappeared, leaving Zoe and I alone.

Narrowing my eyes, I glanced at the doorway into the basement. Perhaps that was the point all along?  "Zoe. . ." I murmured, as I looked back at her.

"What?"

"I think it wanted us alone," I told her, as I looked back at the doorway. "And the spirit must have led us here for a reason."

Zoe grew quiet as she clenched her jaw. "Do you. . . Think that's where it happened?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Looking back at her, I could tell she was starting to back away as she tightened her fists into balls. "I'm here this time, Zoe. And I'm not going anywhere," I said, approaching her. "I know, none of this excuses what she did. But we can make sure that it never happens to anyone else again. It stops here."

She looked up at me. "Do you promise?"

"Yes. I promise," I responded, as I turned to the doorway. "Now let’s end this."

Slowly, taking a deep breath, I began to make my way down into the dark depths below. Zoe followed closely behind me, grabbing on to my shoulder tightly. Noralyn poked her head out, looking around. Her eyes squinted as she looked at me. "I think she senses something."

"Does she often sense things that even you don't?" Zoe whispered, clenching my shoulder tighter.

"Sometimes."

Descending further down, Zoe flicked a ball of fire to life in the palm of her hand, illuminating the way for us through the pitch black. As we continued down, the stairs appeared to stretch long and longer, going on forever.

"What's happening?" asked Zoe, her voice shaking.

"It's trying to stop us. That must mean we're on the right track," I replied. Stopping, I looked around. "We're not playing your games anymore."

Zoe dropped her voice down to a low whisper. "What are you doing?"

Ignoring her, I continued. "You have been doing this ever since we stepped foot into this house. The dark figures everyone's seen wasn't you. They were just manifestations you created. Then you started reconfiguring the house. For a while I puzzled over why."

"But then it struck me. The entire time you've been herding us exactly where you want us. You wanted us to find that room. You wanted me to know the truth. That Zoe's pain started somewhere. It started with you."

The stairs began to shake as we both rushed forward, plunging further into the darkness. "Great job! You've pissed it off now!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Him. And it's going precisely as I planned," I stated as we finally made it down to the basement. Looking back at her, a smile spread across my face. "This isn't just a Necro Spirit."

Her eyes widened. "Then what is it?"

"This is our grandfather," I declared, glancing around. "Isn't it, grandpa? Or are you too cowardly to show your face to the girl whose life you indirectly ruined?"

Suddenly a wall jutted out, trying to cut me off from Zoe. Reacting quickly, I jumped toward her just in time. "Now he's trying to separate me from you. But that isn't going to work. She's been alone for long enough. I am never leaving her side. Ever."

Just then, the elderly woman's spirit appeared before me. "You can end this, grandma!" I told her, as a loud rumbling groan shook the walls around us.

She stared back at me with teary eyes for a long time. "I'm sorry. . ." she whimpered. "I was just so scared."

"Your daughters needed you. You were their mother. And sometimes being a mother means acting even when you're scared," I replied, a smile spreading across my face.

Her eyes widened as I said those words.

"What's happening?" asked Zoe, grabbing and tightening her grip on my arm.

"Grandma's here," I told her, keeping my eyes on the spirit.

Finally, the spirit broke her silence as she smiled slightly. "You're right. I've been a fool," she responded, turning her gaze to her right. "Kogane! This ends now! Your hold on this place ends."

A rumbling roar erupted from the darkness as we both spun around as I erected a barrier of violet energy before me. "Zoe, stay behind me!"

"What's she doing?"

I turned to her with a smile. "She's doing something."

Winds picked up all around us, clashing against my barrier as sparks of electricity flew in all directions. Zoe held on tightly as Noralyn scurried behind my neck. For a moment, I felt as though it would never end. . .

Until suddenly, all was quiet. I looked up, glancing around. The room around us was much lighter than before. The heaviness was gone, replaced now with a sense of peace.

"Is it over?" asked my sister in a quivering voice.

I nodded. "I think so. His hold must have been broken when she finally stood up to him."

Slowly, I started for the stairs, holding tightly onto her hand. As we reached the door, my other hand reached for the knob.

Suddenly, it flew open and standing there, staring back at me was Fleur. "Oh dear, Kairine, thank the Gods you're alright!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around me.

"I knew there was a perfectly reasonable explanation!" proclaimed Brannick from behind her.

Sighing, I released her and stared at him. "The house was possessed by my dead grandfather," I told him.

". . . An unusually dynamic layout!" he replied.

My fists tightened as I glared at him. Zoe smirked. "Brannick, you might want to run now."

Before I could respond, there came the chorus of children laughing as voices descended down the hall from our right. I smiled widely at the sight of them. At least everyone is okay. That's good.

As we were leaving, I stopped and looked back at the house. It now stood quiet, Brannick waving at us from the front yard. Nervously, I waved back. My smile turned to a frown as I glanced up to the window on the top floor. There, looking back at me, was a stern looking old man. His eyes glared down at me like swords. How did he know about my powers?

Somehow, I didn't think I'd seen the last of him.