<h4>Chapter 558: 558-Familiar Faces</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    "Alright, we need to head out," I said, pointing toward the exit.


    "So what were you saying about not wanting to go into the antique shop?"


    After we broke the hug, Leysa turned around and pped Troy on the chest with the back of her hand.


    He yfully rubbed his chest and groaned as he knelt down.


    "Ouch! Why would you do that?" heined like a child.


    She rolled her eyes, hands on her hips.


    "You seriously want me to go and get you a wedding dress from the antique shop?" he asked in a serious tone.


    "Leysa, then you will have to go there to get me a suit as well," hemented, mirroring her action yfully by cing his hand on his waist.


    "Why can’t you do both? Look at Ian. He would do both for her," Leysained.


    Ian wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, making me copse against his chest while we watched the two argue.


    They looked adorable.


    "My dear Leysa, maybe you are forgetting we do not have a lot of time. The minute we bury the stone, we need to be out of here, or we will be stuck here for the rest of our lives, or for however long. Do you want that?" Troy teased her, though there was a slight serious edge to it, probably because he did not want to deny her idea of getting married here, but at the same time the circumstances were really scary.


    "Fine, we will just leave," she responded, sticking her tongue out.


    The way he watched her was full of love.


    "I promise you the best wedding on the maind."


    Then Troy lovingly pulled her closer and hugged her.


    "I promise you," he repeated.


    She hugged him back, resting her head against his chest before it was time for us to face the reality that we were still not done.


    "What monster is outside?" Leysa asked, concern written all over her face.


    "There aren’t any major ones. Just the small ones."


    The moment I said that, Troy pped his forehead.


    "Your ’small’ monsters are still creepy, Clementine," he muttered with a groan.


    The rest of usughed.


    "Still, they’re better than the others," Leysa reminded him. "At least we can avoid them."


    She was right. We had seen those smaller monsters around before, and they hadn’t harmed us.


    As soon as we opened the door, I pointed ahead.


    "Across this road, that castle appeared," I exined. "That’s where the watch was."


    Leysa already remembered.


    I had told her how the watch ended up in Charles’s hands and how he hade after it.


    She immediately began retelling the story to Troy, excitedly filling in the details.


    While we were crossing the road, we saw the Hollow man again.


    "This thing is seriously following us," Iined, agreeing with Troy and Leysa.


    It was literally everywhere. It hadn’t been like this before.


    Now the moment we stepped onto the road, it appeared.


    "Just keep moving," Leysa said firmly as she walked ahead.


    We had barely stepped into the woods when Ian caught my hand.


    "After this, we’re going back, okay?" he said, reminding me that once this was over, we were heading home. "By then, they’ll have buried their stone too."


    "Yeah, and after that, Yorick said he has a card. He’ll scan it and we’ll go home," Troy added. Then he paused. "But guys, there’s another problem."


    He had given us half good news before remembering the bad part.


    "How do we know the train wille back?"


    The moment he said that, we all looked at each other.


    He had a point. What if the train didn’t return?


    "What if it neveres back?" Leysa asked quietly.


    But Ian still looked confident.


    "Guys, my father is on the maind. Don’t worry. The train wille," he said.


    We all nodded.


    Then another thought struck me.


    "But what if the North disappears before the train even arrives?" I asked.


    Ian’s confident expression began to fade.


    He started scratching the back of his neck.


    None of us had thought about that.


    Now we were all staring at each other in confusion.


    We had the stone in our hands and hade here to bury it.


    But before doing that, we needed to know how we were getting out of here.


    "I think we should finish this first," Troy said. "It’ll take some time for the North to disappear. I think we’ll be fine."


    He pointed toward the fence.


    "If nothing else works, we’ll break that fence and leave. Once the North starts disappearing, that fence won’t matter anyway."


    I remembered clearly that breaking that fence wasn’t easy.


    But for now, burying the stone was our only option.


    If we werete, the others on the opposite side, Yorick and Haiden, might bring their tower down.


    And if their tower fell before our stone was buried, it would create a serious problem.


    "Fine. Let’s do this first," Troy agreed.


    Ian crouched down and began digging quickly.


    Meanwhile, I kept scanning the area anxiously.


    Even though everything looked in and clear, something felt wrong.


    I had been here before, but this time something was different.


    I could hear whispering somewhere nearby, and monsters didn’t whisper.


    I tried to convince myself it was just tension. Maybe I was hearing my own thoughts too loudly.


    Until I heard footsteps in the distance.


    "Who’s there? Show yourself!" I shouted, turning around sharply.


    The sudden movement startled Leysa. Troy immediately pulled her close.


    "What is it, Clementine?" Ian asked, lifting his head from the ground.


    "There’s someone behind that tree," I said, pointing at a specific one.


    "Probably a monster hiding. Let it hide. We should focus on our work," Troy replied, trying to stay on task.


    But my agitation didn’t fade.


    "No. What if it’s something else? What if ites and digs the stone back up?" I argued.


    As soon as I said that, everyone’s expressions fell again.


    "Then we should go check," Ian said, standing up and brushing off his knees. "Here, Clementine. Bury this."


    He tried to hand me the stone, but I pulled my hands back.


    "What’s that supposed to mean?" I snapped. "I can go check too. Why do you always have to put yourself in danger?"


    I didn’t know what came over me. I was suddenly angry.


    It wasn’t necessary for him to save me every time. Or to think about me before himself.


    He needed to think about his own life too.


    "Alright, fine. You two don’t need to fight. I’ll go check," Troy said suddenly, raising his voice to remind us he was still standing there.


    "Don’t worry. I’ll be fine," he added confidently as he started walking toward the tree.


    But the moment the tree shifted slightly, Troy stopped and turned back.


    "Guys, are you sure we should check?" he asked cautiously.


    We all gave him a look.


    "I’ming with you," Leysa said, raising her hand.


    She had just started running toward him when she froze.


    We all followed her gaze and looked past Troy.


    It felt like the sky had copsed over us.


    A familiar face stepped out from behind the tree.


    "What are you doing here?" I demanded.


    My hands clenched, and everything came rushing back.


    The betrayal.


    The way she had fooled us for so long.


    She looked weak.


    Dark circles shadowed her eyes. Her lips were dry.


    She moved toward us slowly.


    "I’ve redeemed myself. Haven’t I been punished enough?" she said softly, tears in her eyes.


    She looked like she might faint.


    Troy and Leysa turned to look at Ian and me. We exchanged a brief nce.


    "Please help me. I’ll die from this pain. My stomach hurts so much," she pleaded, pressing a hand to her abdomen.


    "Miss Rue," I said sharply. "Do you really think we’re still going to fall for your fake drama?"


    Troy and Leysa looked confused, probably because of how confidently I said it.


    But their confusion vanished when they turned back toward Miss Rue.


    "You have changed," shemented, still trying to sound very meek.


    "You used to be on board to help anyone," she added, reminding me of my own stupidity when I blindly trusted her.


    "Well, you’re right, I’m a changed person," I hissed, my fists clenched as I remembered the way she had looked me in the eye and shot me.


    A wicked smile had spread across her face.


    "Oh, so it seems you’ve learned from your old mistake," she said calmly.


    Ian and I immediately squared up.


    Even Troy clenched his fists, making it clear that we would not tolerate any tricks.


    We no longer respected her, and we wouldn’t hesitate if she crossed the line.


    But there was something else behind herughter. Something darker.


    That truth revealed itself secondster.


    I heard Ian cry out behind me.


    When I turned, he was only two steps away.


    But by the time I faced him, he had already fallen to the ground.


    The stone slipped from his hand, and someone snatched it instantly.


    My heart stopped.I saw Ian dragged being dragged away.


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