“Welcome to wonderland!” Kevin said as the car pulled into the parking lot of an old hotel. It looked like the kind of place children would call a haunted house. The glassless frames where windows had once been, were now dark and empty, although many of the windows on the top floor were still intact. The bricks looked dirty and old, like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while, and the sign in front of the building, which looked like it would’ve once lit up, now seemed like it hadn’t in quite some time.

  “It looks… wonderful,” Ryan said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “I’ll admit, it ain’t five stars. But it does the job.”

  “Doesn’t even look like there’s any power,” Ash told him.

  “There ain’t.” Kevin led them into the building, which was completely dark. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a flashlight and flipping the switch on. “Place was abandoned years ago,” he added as they neared a doorway, which by the looks of it, led to stairs.

  “How come?”

  “Not too sure,” Kevin responded as he stepped through the doorway, and as Nicolas guessed, there were stairs. “The kako used to use this place for who knows what, but that was years ago.”

  Nicolas followed Kevin as he continued up the stairs, which went in a square direction. Ash asked Kevin something, but Nicolas didn’t hear it, because his mind distracted him again. He was overthinking, musing on that brief moment in the car where Ryan seemed almost concerned about him.

  “If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here.”

  Had Ryan actually meant that? Part of Nicolas believed that maybe he did, but another part of him wondered if Ryan was only saying that. People were like that: They want you to be happy, and they want to be there for you, but once you actually talk to them, it’s like they don’t want to listen. They don’t want to watch you cry, so they’d rather you cry in secret.

  But the way Ryan seemed to almost know that Nicolas wasn’t feeling okay even though Nicolas hadn’t said anything to suggest it; like he could read Nicolas’ mind: It was just like something Sam would’ve done.

  Once they’d made it up the stairs, Kevin turned left, and Nicolas, Ash, and Ryan all followed him until they made it to room 308. Kevin fidgeted with the knob for a moment, pulling it up as he twisted gently, and at last, the door clicked open, and they followed him inside.

  The room was completely dark. Kevin set the flashlight down on a table so it shone onto the ceiling, illuminating the room with a faint, but visible light.

  “Make yourselves at home,” Kevin said loudly as Ryan and Ash followed behind Nicolas. “Just don’t open the windows.”

  “Are there even windows in this dark place?” Ash asked.

  “They’re painted black, but yes."

  "Why are they painted black?" Ryan wondered out loud.

  "So they don't spy on me."

  It sounded like listening to a crazy person; only, Nicolas didn’t think he was crazy: After everything that had happened the past two days, he didn't think he'd be able to call anyone crazy ever again.

  The inside of the room was pretty dull. It smelled like dust, combined with the smell of dead, but not quite rotten wood. It was also hot, the suffocating air felt void of oxygen inside his lungs, like climbing into a hot car in the summer.

  "I know it's not the coziest place, but it's not too bad once you get used to it."

  Nicolas thought about asking why Kevin was here, but didn't want to sound ungrateful since, if it wasn't for Kevin, they'd likely all be stuck at Bonney Lake still.

  Nicolas followed Ryan across the room to sit down on the couch beside one of the painted windows, which was surprisingly comfortable. The cushions were soft, despite the color being faded with dirt, and the synthetic leather that was starting to peel and crack.

  "Couldn't you at least light some candles or something?" Ash asked, squinting in the pale white glow.

  "I have a lamp," Kevin replied, turning toward the drawer where the old minifridge sat. "Lemme find where I put those darn matches."

  He rummaged through the darkness, searching through little trays and drawers, until finally he let out an "aha!" which told Nicolas he'd found the matches. Moments later, there was a quiet scraping sound, and a small flame sparked alive, burning away the darkness around the tiny flame as Kevin struck a match against the tiny cardboard box.

  Kevin lowered the flame, the little fire wrapping around the wick of an old oil lamp. Then, the light got bigger, killing even more of the suffocating darkness. Kevin lifted his fingers back up to his face and blew out the match, quenching the flame into a momentary red ember, which clung to the end of the match for just a few seconds, before dying, fading into a faint cloud of smoke.

  The light illuminating from the lamp danced around in the darkness as Kevin placed the glass chimney around the wick, the imperfections in the glass sending phantom shadow puppets dancing along the pale, mold covered walls; the circular top projecting a yellow, sun-like circle onto the ceiling.

  It wasn't the brightest, but it was decent enough to see: And it was a lot prettier than the phone light. Nicolas always thought natural light was prettier than man-made light.

  "There ya go," Kevin said, placing the match box down on the counter beside the lamp. "I guess I should figure out what to get for supper."

  Nicolas checked the time on his phone, surprised to find that it was already almost 6:00 p.m.

  Dinner sounded great to Nicolas. He hadn't had lunch, and with them not finding any food in the train, the emptiness in his stomach was becoming harder and harder to ignore, as well as the dry feeling that filled the inside of his mouth.

  He placed the phone back in his pocket, turning his attention back to the hotel room.

  “None of y'all vegetarian, right?” Kevin asked, glancing around the lamp-lit room.

  “I’m vegan,” Ryan replied, raising his hand. “Since a few months ago anyways.”

  “Well, rats.” Kevin sighed. “I suppose chicken strips aren’t vegan?”

  “No,” Ryan replied, attempting (and failing) to hold back a laugh.

  “Well, I might have something without meat.” Kevin turned back around, digging through the drawers again.

  “It’s okay, I’m not really that hungry anyways,” Ryan told him; although, Nicolas didn't believe him. In fact, he had said similar things over the last few years. Nicolas never liked letting people help him, because it made him feel like he couldn't deal with it on his own; like he was a burden. So, he often resorted to lying, pretending he wasn't tired, or wasn’t sad, or wasn't hungry, because he didn't want to feel pathetic and weak.

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  It was that part of Nicolas’ mind, where a deep, permanent scar hid his trauma from critical thinking like a sick game of hide-and-seek.

  Was Ryan like that too?

  Stop overthinking, Nicolas, he told himself. You're connecting imaginary dots.

  “Thank you for letting us stay here by the way.” Ash sat down on one of the old, full-sized beds, the sheets appearing surprisingly clean for a place that had been abandoned for some time.

  “Don’t mention it,” Kevin replied. “I do wonder though: Why are the kako chasing y'all so hard?” He was looking at Nicolas, as if he had expected him to provide the answer. “Usually, they simply chase those they hate away, to rot and hide in the shadows like scared mice. They rarely ever hunt people down like Ash has described.”

  “I'm not sure what's going on,” Nicolas replied, before mumbling; “I'm probably not the best person to ask about any of this.”

  Kevin adjusted the circular glasses that rested lightly on his nose. “Why is that?” he asked curiously.

  “Up until a few days ago, I didn’t even know what a kako was. But then—” Nicolas wasn't sure how to explain it without sounding completely crazy. “It was like my reflection had simply… disappeared. I climbed right through this old mirror, and the next thing I knew, these monster things were trying to kill me.”

  Kevin listened without interrupting, as if trying to let everything play out in his head. He re-adjusted himself on the chair that looked like a shortened couch.

  “Eirini is the only logical conclusion I can think of,” Ryan spoke up.

  “I wouldn't call that a logical conclusion,” Kevin pointed out. “But I suppose, it ain't impossible.” Then, after a few moments, he added; “is it possible for ya to go back?”

  “Through the mirror?”

  “Yea.”

  “It worked last time I tried,” Nicolas replied, remembering how he had convinced Ash that he wasn't lying by showing them the mirror— how his own hand faded through the glass like water.

  “Mind if we test something?” Kevin asked, reaching into his pocket. Nicolas nodded, and Kevin pulled out a metallic object. It was a circle shape, covered in pieces of glass that made it look diamond encrusted. In the middle, there was a blue butterfly made of glass.

  Kevin opened it up, revealing two circular mirrors. “If ya don't mind.”

  “I- sure,” Nicolas replied. He moved his fingers toward the bottom mirror, the light from the lamp reflecting off the fake diamonds in an almost rainbow color. Nicolas’ reflection wasn’t there of course, so when his finger touched the mirror, the slightly orange roof that’d been glowing through the reflection had waved away as ripples cut across the mirror, and Nicolas’ finger pressed into the other side; back to the place where things were normal. Around his finger rose those glowing green cracks, growing away from the point of contact like plants coming out of the ground.

  “I don’t believe it,” Kevin breathed.

  “What do you make of it?” Ash's voice sounded just as astonished as Kevin’s, even though this wasn’t the first time they’d seen this.

  “If Eirini does exist, then it explains why the kako are hunting you so badly,” Kevin said at last, as Nicolas pulled his finger out of the mirror.

  “How so?”

  “Well, judging from what you've said so far, it seems true that the kako can't go there. And from my understanding, the kako hate not being able to go places. If a place like Eirini existed, then the kako would want to do everything they could to break into it.”

  Nicolas thought about those creatures trying to break through the mirror, the way Nicolas had. He imagined their dark, shadowy tentacles beating on the glass, like an insane person trying to bust through an invincible window.

  “So, if he really is from some place where the kako can't get to, then maybe they think capturing him could be the key to breaking through.”

  “Are you saying the kako think I could help them get to my world?” Nicolas asked, that mental image of those tentacles forcing their way through the mirrors suddenly becoming a lot scarier.

  “Maybe. It'd help if we had somethin to keep 'em away, like some kind of giant bug spray,” Kevin said, putting an annoying amount of energy into the “U” sound.

  “They can be killed,” Ash told him without hesitating.

  Kevin shot them a look, that was either shock, horror, or disbelief. “Are you telling me Nicolas killed one?”

  “Not really,” Ash replied, their eyes turning to Nicolas to let him explain what happened.

  “Well—” he stuttered, trying to remember the story he'd told Ash; imagining the events in a different way, like an alternate version of what actually happened. In this story, the kako simply had fallen, and Nicolas had nothing to do with it. He didn't know why he was even lying until he remembered Kevin's face. It was that look of shock and fear; fear over what it could mean for their fates, the kind of reaction someone might get if they learned they were harboring a serial killer: That was what kept him from telling the truth.

  “Huh,” Kevin mumbled once Nicolas finished telling the inaccurate version of his story. He touched his glasses again, as if deeply in thought. “But the kako never slip.”

  “I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Ash replied. “I saw the kako’s blood for myself.”

  “I'm not saying it didn't die. I'm sayin I don't think it made a mistake.”

  “You think Nicolas did kill it?” Ash asked, surprised. “That's absurd.”

  Yeah, I agree.

  “What I meant was, maybe the kako killed itself.”

  You’re getting colder, Nicolas thought to himself, fighting back a laugh.

  “For what reason?”

  “I haven't the darndest,” Kevin replied. “The day the kako have a reason to do somethin, is the day it snows in summer.”

  Nicolas wondered if maybe there was some truth to what Kevin was suggesting. Had Zander let Nicolas kill him? If so, for what reason?

  Was there a reason?

  “So, Nicolas came from Eirini, the kako are huntin him, and they can die.” Kevin stood up from the chair as he listed off the abnormal phenomena that had happened over the past two days. “Somethin unusual is happening.”

  “What do you mean?” Ryan asked.

  “I’m saying, there’s too many strange things goin on all at once. If everything y’all said is true, then the amount of strange events likely isn’t for nothing. I think there’s something deeper going on here.”

  Nicolas was about to ask him what he meant by that, but before he could get a chance, Kevin continued: “Anywho, you’re all fine to stay here however long ya like. With the kako hunting you, it’d be best to hide out for a few days.”

  “Thank you,” Ash replied, but now Nicolas’ mind was locked onto what Kevin had said.

  I think there's something deeper going on here.

  "It's the least I could do," Kevin replied, smiling. Then, he stood up. "I wanna ask Nicolas some questions, just me and him if that's okay."

  Nicolas gave a worried glance to Ash, who seemed to have not noticed.

  “When?” he asked. He knew Kevin wouldn't hurt him. After all, Ash trusted him, and he didn't look like the type of guy who'd be very good at lying.

  But looks can be deceiving.

  Very deceiving.

  “Whenever I guess.”

  “I mean, I don’t really have anything else to do,” Nicolas told him, standing up also. He wanted to get this secret meeting out of the way before he started to stress over it.

  “Well, then let’s go,” Kevin replied, turning around. Nicolas followed him through the dully lit hotel room, heading towards a small door; maybe a closet. But when Kevin opened the door, he was surprised to see candle light in the old, abandoned room. At first Nicolas thought it was two rooms, before noticing that there was a mirror hanging on the wall.

  It had been a restroom, at least at one point. Now, it’d been transformed into something else. The light from the candle cast a warm glow onto the walls, where all kinds of objects hung—Nicolas saw a sword, some long, dagger-looking weapons; spears and knives, maces and clubs.

  “Welcome to not-so-wonderland,” Kevin whispered as he closed the door behind them, his unusual accent completely gone now. “This is my workshop.”

  “W-What are those for?” Nicolas asked in a whisper.

  “That’s not what we’re here to talk about,” Kevin replied, his voice sounding strange now. “I want to ask you about that kako you killed.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “The kako never slip,” Kevin interrupted, repeating the same thing he’d said a few minutes before. Now, his eyes were locked onto Nicolas. “I have a feeling you're leaving out some important details. How did you kill it?”

  “I… stabbed him,” Nicolas answered, folding like a piece of paper. “With a metal bar.”

  “The kako can regenerate,” Kevin replied. “So why didn’t this one?”

  “I-I think he melted.”

  “It melted?”

  “Yeah,” Nicolas answered. He decided that since Kevin had already found out Nicolas’ secret, there was no reason to hide anything. “The bar was really hot, and it made a hissing sound when it touched him, like stabbing a marshmallow with a hot skewer.”

  Kevin's eyes turned from Nicolas, to one of the strange weapons hanging on the wall. It looked like an armory of hand-crafted weapons.

  What are those for?

  “No one’s ever killed a kako, Nicolas,” Kevin said, the candle flickering an orange warmth. Then, after a long pause, he added: “You might very well have just cracked the secret to destroying them.”

  Thank you so much for reading this chapter!!

  actually be Monday then ^^")

  I love you all!

  ~Ellie Wallace