Emily spun the roulette wheel, “Call'em.”
“One,” Allen said, watching the small ball spin in the wheel.
“Red,” Mark said, and sat chips down on the felt table.
The other heku thought and put chips down, “Two through twenty.”
The heku on the end thought for a moment and then put some chips down, “Black.”
“Are you sure this is how this game is played?” Mark asked Emily.
“Nope, not at all. I don't gamble.” She grinned and watched the wheel slowly stop. The ball landed on a black zero.
Everyone pushed their chips across the table. Emily stole one and ate it, then went back to the wheel.
“You aren't supposed to eat the chips,” Mark chuckled.
“Fine, you can each have one too,” she said, taking another potato chip.
“Pass”
Emily frowned, “That reminds me… Kyle lost a bet and owes me a pedicure.”
“I thought you didn't gamble,” Mark said, placing more of his chips on the table.
“Oh, it wasn't a gamble, it was a sure thing.” Emily spun the wheel and let the ball go, “Call'em.”
“One,” Allen said, grinning.
Mark got a faraway look in his eyes and then stood up, “We have to go.”
“Why?” Emily asked, but the heku had already blurred away.
“Where'd they go?” Allen asked her.
She shrugged, “I have no idea. Want to watch a movie?”
“Popcorn, too?”
“Sure, popcorn too. Go get settled and I'll make it,” she said, turning to the microwave. It had taken a few weeks to talk them into putting a microwave in their game room. The heku complained about the awful smell of popcorn, but now it was installed into the wall and stacked with popcorn.
“What movie?” Emily asked, going over the DVDs.
“Lost Boys!”
Emily turned to him, “You're 4, you can't watch the Lost Boys.”
“I do,” he told her.
“Who lets you watch it?”
“Daddy”
“Of course… what else do you want to watch?”
“Pete's Dragon,” he said, pouting.
Emily put in the movie and got the popcorn out of the microwave. She curled up by Allen to watch.
Emily looked toward the wall when she heard soft whispers.
“Did you hear that?” she asked Allen.
He nodded, looking at the same wall.
Emily finished her handful of popcorn and walked over to the wall. She stood back and looked at it, listening to the soft whispers. The wall was the one used for darts. It had several targets attached to it and a wooden rack full of darts.
Emily leaned closer and pressed her ear against the wall. She screamed when fell forward, landing on her hands and knees on a dusty, dirt floor. She coughed a few times, her landing stirred up some of the dust. Standing up, she brushed herself off and looked around, but it was too dark to see anything.
“Hello?” she yelled, and jumped slightly when several torches lit around the room.
Now that she could see, she looked around at the four walls. The room wasn't large, smaller than her closet even. The stone walls were lined with runes, and covered in cobwebs.
“Heku and their damned runes,” she said, and went back to the wall through which she had come. She put her hands out and touched it. It was a solid rock wall. She felt along the four walls, but they were all solid.
“Great, Em, explain that one. 'Well you see… I walked through a wall in the game room, and couldn't get out',” she sighed.
“Allen?” she yelled, then listened at the wall, but didn't hear an answer.
“Gah,” Emily growled, and looked around. She noticed a small recession in the middle of the floor. She knelt down and brushed the dust off, it was covering a wooden plank. She tried to pry it open with her fingers, but it didn't budge.
Sighing, she stood up and looked around the room again, trying to see if there was any way out. She felt hands against her back push her onto the wooden plank, and it gave way under her feet. Emily fell 10 feet and landed with a loud crash. She felt around in the darkness and drew her hand back quickly when she felt a skull. She got to her feet, and fought to see with the little light that was coming from the splintered wooden plank above.
Emily looked up and saw the wooden plank repairing, and soon she was in total darkness.
“Hello?” she yelled, and again torches lit simultaneously around the room.
Emily gasped and spun quickly. The octagon room's dirt floor was covered with human bones and full skeletons hung from shackles on the walls. There was one passageway, but the entrance was entirely obscured with thick cobwebs. She could see the vapor from her breath as she carefully looked around the cold room.
Walking slowly toward one of the skeletons, Emily reached her hand out. Just before she touched it, the head rose slightly toward her. She screamed and ran for the passageway, covering her face defensively when she broke through the cobwebs.
***
“Did you hear that?” Chevalier asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.
“What?” Kyle asked, looking up from his roster.
“I just heard Emily scream, but it was… different.”
“I didn't hear her,” Kyle frowned.
“She's probably in some dire need of heku assistance,” Damon said, and pointed out a name on Kyle's roster.
“Would you be nice?” Chevalier said to Damon.
“Yes, Sir,” Damon said, holding back his irritation.
“She can't be in too much trouble. We just barely left she and Allen in the game room,” Mark said, concerned.
“I'm sure it's nothing,” Chevalier turned back to the roster.
“We could just leave it at four,” Damon looked up at them.
“The full seven gave us even numbers on shifts though,” Kyle told him.
“I'm not seeing anyone else,” Mark said, looking closer at the roster.
Kyle sighed, “Her little trip into the barracks narrowed it down. That ticked off a lot of guards.”
Chevalier nodded.
“We could… you know…” Mark said, and then stopped and shook his head.
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Bring them back.”
“They were drinking,” Kyle reminded him.
“I know, it was just an idea,” Mark said.
“I say we bring in three of them whether they like her or not. They don't have to like it, and training is only a few months,” Damon said coldly.
“We've not had good luck with trainees who don't like Emily,” Kyle said.
“Is it the recruits, or is it the mortal though?”
“Watch it,” Chevalier warned.
“I'm just saying… if the problem is the attitude of<