"Okay, Phoenix. You're the expert on these lands. Do you have any idea of which one Clarissa might be on?" Cece asked, handing the map over to Phoenix. Their fingers brushed and Cece immediately blushed. Wait.. NO! She was not going to fall for her sister's boyfriend. Besides, she's got her own.
Phoenix, unaware of Cece's ongoing inward battle, scanned the map. "Hm. Well. Uxeatha has always been a little sketchy. Let's start there." He bit his lip.
"Alright. Here's to hoping I don't completely butcher this. Athisi, Uxeatha." Cece said.
In a bright flash of light, all three were gone.
They rematerialized in Uxeatha, each falling on top of each other.
"Phoenix. Do me a favor and get the hell off of me." Braden grumbled. "Cece has to get off ME first." Phoenix said uncomfortably.
Cece groaned. "Sorry." She hopped up and got a little dizzy. She nearly toppled over again. "Whoa. Steady." Phoenix steadied her. "Thanks. Magic spells can be stomach turning." She put a hand to her head.
"I'll say. Having two other people on top of me is the weirdest thing yet." Braden brushed his clothes free of dirt.
Cece smoothed her dirty blonde hair into a pony tail and took a deep breath. "Alright. Time to find my sister." She said determinedly. "And my true love!" Phoenix said before taking the lead. "I didn't need that add on Phoenix!" Cece called before she and Braden ran after him. "If you want the truth, I find determination hot in a girl." Braden smiled at Cece. "Of course you do." Cece rolled her eyes but grinned.

"Do you know anyone here Phoenix?" Braden asked. "Well, I do. But I'm not sure we should bother her." Phoenix said, contorting his face.
"Why not?" Cece said slowly.
"She's kinda a character... Depending on her mood, she may not want to help." Phoenix explained.
"Well. You only live once. Let's go." Cece declared. "If you say so." Phoenix grimaced.
He led them to an old house, that according to Cece's calculations, was built in the 1950's. "Charming." Braden commented.
Phoenix rang the doorbell. It played Beethoven's Symphony #9.
They heard thumping down what Cece guessed to be stairs, and after many elaborate sounds of unlocking, the door swung open.
There stood a woman who looked about 22. She was relatively short, but she had a great sense of style, wearing a polkadotted purple dress and matching purple heels. Her hair was in a fishtail braid, and there was a Siamese cat draped around her neck.
"Hey Zoe." Phoenix greeted.
Zoe gave him a cool stare, and then said, "Hello Phoenix. Who are your friends?"
"I'm Cece, and this is Braden. Nice to meet you." Cece said politely.
Zoe nodded, and gave them the once over. Apparently deciding they were not a threat, she refocused on Phoenix. "So, what brings you and your companions to my, humble abode." She smirked.
"Remember when I phoned you about my new girlfriend, Clarissa?" Phoenix swallowed.
"Ah yes. You seemed very happy." Zoe nodded.
"Well, she's gone now. She's been kidnapped! And we need someone who knows this place inside and out. And since you've lived here since you were a babe, I figured you'd be our best bet." Phoenix explained, trying to keep his composure, but Cece could tell he really missed his girlfriend.
She put a hand on his shoulder.
"So. Will you help us?" She looked up at Zoe.
Zoe sighed. "Because Phoenix is a friend of mine, and I can tell how much you love her, I will help. But I'm pretty sure she's not here."
"We've gotta look. My sister's in trouble." Cece said firmly.
"Well. You do have determination." Zoe said.
"I know right? So hot." Braden grinned.

"Let's go look in Uxeatha County Jail." Zoe decided. "She might be held prisoner there. Luckily I know the guy at the front desk." She added.
"Landon?" Phoenix nudged her with a grin.
Zoe blushed furiously. "Yes Landon. What of it?" She snapped. "Oh nothing." Phoenix winked at Cece and Braden. Cece snickered. "Yeah okay."
They reached the jail. Zoe smoothed down her hair and took a deep breath. Then she went inside, the others following.
A man, who Cece assumed to be Landon, looked up. "Hey Zoe. Hey Phoenix. Who are your friends?" He smiled.
"Um. This is Cece and Braden. Ah, can we look through the jail?" Zoe blushed.
Landon nodded. "Go ahead. Anyone in particular you're looking for?"
"Yes, actually. Are you aware of a Clarissa Carol being held here?" Cece asked.
"I don't recognize the name but feel free to look anyway." Landon said before returning to his work.
Zoe led them down a hall. Cece stuck close to Braden as the jailees stared at her. "I don't like this place." She whispered. "It's for Clarissa. Just remember that." Braden squeezed her hand.
Cece took a deep breath and repeated this in her head. "It's for Rissa. It's for Rissa."
They searched all through the corridor.
"Well she's not here." Zoe sighed, pushing her side bangs back.
Phoenix was nosing around the back wall. "Phoenix! What are you doing?" Cece called. Phoenix pushed on the wall and a secret door opened. Braden raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
"Well, I'll say. I never knew that was there." Zoe said.
"Um. You don't wanna go back there." A voice said from behind them.
Landon.
"And why not?" Phoenix crossed his arms.
"A very dangerous criminal is down there. You could get hurt." Landon said.
"What's the name? Maybe I've heard of them." Zoe asked.
"Ace Pitch. Worst criminal in this millennium." Landon winced.
Zoe let out a little yelp.
"Phoenix Woods close that door right now." She said.
Phoenix jumped and closed it. "What did Ace do?" He asked.
"You do not want to know. Seriously." Zoe took a deep breath. "Thanks for letting us look Landon. But we should be going." She brushed past him, the others following.
"You satisfied?" Zoe asked.
Phoenix's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Thanks Zoe." He said dejectedly.
Zoe looked slightly guilty. "Don't worry Phoenix. You'll find her." She patted his shoulder.
"How can we be sure? She could be hurt even worse or.." He stopped, shaking.
"We can't afford to think like that. Clarissa's not stupid. She'll find a way to survive." Cece said firmly.
Phoenix clutched the amythest and nodded. "You're right." He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Where to next?" Cece took out the map.
"If I were to guess, I'd choose Acritall." Zoe suggested.
"But that's one of the nicest and most innocent towns!" Phoenix protested. "Exactly." Zoe winked.
The three exchanged disbelieving glances.
"Well. Alright. Athisi, Acritall." Cece said, and they were gone.

The three arrived much smoother this time, each landing on their feet more or less.
"We're getting the hang of this!" Braden said.
"That's good news. The bad news? I don't know this place. I've never been here." Phoenix said.
"Well now is the perfect time to get to know it." Cece said cheerily.
She scanned the area, and saw a girl walking past.
She quickly skipped over. "Hello! We're new to Acritall. Would you do us a huge favor by showing us around?"
The girl looked at her and smiled politely.
"Oh! Sure. I'm Kelly." She said. Kelly had wavy black hair and beautiful tan skin. Cece was almost jealous of it.
"I'm Cece, and those two dorks are Phoenix and Braden." Cece jerked her thumb at the two boys who were currently staring at the many of extravagant stores.
Kelly giggled. "Come on! Let me give you the grand tour." She said.
"Phoenix! Braden! Get your behinds over here and stop staring." Cece called.
The boys came over. "This is Kelly. She has kindly agreed to show us around." She introduced.
Kelly smiled and waved. She began to walk.
"Acritall is a gorgeous place. We have low crime rates, and some of the most successful people have been born and raised here." She said.
Braden looked and Cece and mouthed "Nobody cares." Cece covered her mouth to hide her grin.
"Is there any particular place you were interested in seeing?" Kelly asked.
"Do you have a county jail?" Phoenix asked.
"Oh no. Next to no crimes are committed here. There's no need for one." Kelly smiled pleasantly.
"Well. For the crimes that are committed, is there a place for the criminals to go?" Braden asked.
"We usually just send them to the guillotine." Kelly shrugged.
"The guillotine?? I didn't think anyone even used those anymore." Cece looked horrified.
"We still had one from the olden days when France controlled this land, and we figured when crimes were committed, since we didn't have a jail for them to go to, we would just execute them." Kelly explained.
"Um. Alright. Have you heard of a Clarissa Carol being held here?" Phoenix asked.
Kelly looked thoughtful, then shook her head.
"I don't recognize the name. Is she a friend of yours?"
"She's my sister and his girlfriend." Cece gestured to Phoenix.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Maybe she's being held in Ioxatha? I heard they love kidnapping young maidens." Kelly suggested.
"Ew, really?" Cece made a face.
"Yes, it's mostly men there, and for the women that do live there, they're constantly getting catcalled and being proposed to. Yes, Woman are a rare gem in Ioxatha. And if Clarissa's quite good looking, I can imagine she's there." Kelly nodded.
"She's gorgeous." Phoenix's eyes grew dreamy and he signed with content. "Phoenix. Oi. Phoenix." Cece snapped her fingers in front of his face.
He jumped to attention. "Ahem. Anyway. Thanks for your help Kelly." He smiled guiltly.
Kelly waved and walked off.
"Phoenix I swear, you're so in love with my sister." Cece smirked.
Phoenix blushed. "What? I-In love? To that's ridiculous!" He giggled nervously.
Cece chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm sure she loves you too." As she admitted this, a small pain struck her. She had been feeling weird around Phoenix this whole time. What was going on with her?
"Well we're never going to find out unless we find her, so let's go!" Braden said enthusiastically.
"Alright. Athisi, Ioxatha." Cece said, and our three misfits were off.

When the three arrived in Ioxatha, they were very surprised. Kelly had not been kidding when she said the land was mostly men. Everywhere you looked there were boys and men.
"I feel outnumbered here." Cece mumbled. "Stick close to us Cece. We'll protect you." Braden said.
Cece immediately went inbetween the boys. They acted as her 'bodyguards'
"We better pick a person who looks trustworthy." Braden said, looking around.
"That should be easy." Cece said sarcastically.
She was right though. Most of the boys looked shady. Not to insult men of course. They just looked a bit like they were up to no good.
"Ah. There's a boy who looks decent." Phoenix gestured to a boy who looked about 16, and fresh faced.
"Let's see." Braden raised an eyebrow.
They ventured to the boy.
"Hello. I'm Phoenix and this is Cece and Braden." Phoenix said kindly.
The boy looked them up and down before nodding and saying "I'm Gardener. Nice to meet you. I have to say, it's nice to see a girl."
"I bet. I've heard this land is like 95% men." Cece tilted her head.
"Anyway, have you heard of anyone being held hostage here?" Braden asked.
"Oh yes. Tons of people are held hostage here." Gardener said casually.
"Tons?!" Cece looked disgusted.
"Have you heard the name Clarissa Carol maybe?" Phoenix asked hopefully.
"No... But come with me. Maybe you'll recognize her among the hostages." Gardener signaled for them to follow.
Phoenix and Braden looked at Cece.
Cece groaned. "Clarissa better be pretty damn thankful." She muttered before following Gardener.
Gardener led them to a what appeared to be an old construction site.
"Go ahead, take a look. Recognize anyone?" Gardner asked.
Cece walked along the fence, peering st the faces. They were all woman.
Suddenly someone grabbed her wrist. "Help us!" She gasped.
Cece gasped and tried to pull her wrist away but the woman had a titanium grip.
"Braden! Phoenix!" She whimpered. Thankfully Phoenix was near by. He managed to pull the woman's hand off of Cece's wrist. "Thanks." Cece rubbed the marks the woman's fingers left.
"No problem. These poor women." Phoenix shook his head.
"I know. This place is awful." Cece looked around.
"Guys, I searched all of this site. Clarissa isn't here." Braden came up.
"Damn." Cece cursed.
"That leaves Paefariel." Phoenix noted.
"I really hope Clarissa's there." Cece looked ready to cry.
"She will be. We just have to be optimistic." Braden patted her shoulder.
"Thanks for your help Gardener." Cece thanked him.
"No problem." Gardener smiled, before walking away.
"Alright. Cross your fingers and toes boys." Cece took a deep breath.
"Athisi, Paefariel." She said, and they were gone.

When they arrived in Paefariel, Cece was shocked in how similar it was to Nolava. Just a nice sized, decent looking land. "Doesn't this remind you of Nolava?" She asked the boys.
"I don't remember, I've been living in your world too long." Braden laughed. But Phoenix nodded. "It kinda does. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." He said uneasily.
"You're too superstitious dude. This is great! The first land that hasn't totally creeped me out." Braden grinned.
"Question: Can we get food? I haven't eaten since breakfast and I am about to get HANGRY." Cece said.
"Me too. Let's go find a restaurant around here." Phoenix looked around.
They walked around until they found a place. It was named The Lunar Shack.
They went inside. It seemed like a quaint little restaurant.
"Hi! Table for 3?" A smiley waitress named Piper asked.
"Yes, thank you." Phoenix nodded.
Piper led them to a booth.
"What are we wanting for drinks? We have Diet coke, lemonade, iced tea.." Piper listed.
"Water." Phoenix sighed. "Sprite please." Braden requested. "Lemonade, thank you." Cece said.
Piper scribbled on her notepad. "Be right back with those." She nodded before walking off.
"I'm going to the bathroom guys." Braden said, before walking off.
Phoenix sighed heavily.
"What's the matter Phoenix." Cece frowned.
"I'm just so worried. What if we never find her? What if she's being abused or if she's dead.." Phoenix gulped.
"Phoenix, it'll be okay. I bet she's here. We just have to fill up and then we'll go find her." Cece promised.
Phoenix sighed. "You're right." He said.
Cece gave him a small smile.
"What's wrong with you?" Phoenix asked.
"I was just thinking... If I was the one missing, would you guys go through all this trouble for me?" Cece asked.
Phoenix stared at her. "What? Of course we would!" He exclaimed. "Would you?" Cece looked at him tiredly.
"Yes! Cece, this is YOU we're talking about. You helped me meet Clarissa, good intentions or not. Even if you did break us up, you were awesome enough to help Clarissa win me back. Only an amazing person would do that. I can guarantee you, without your help, I don't think we'd be this close to finding Clarissa." Phoenix took Cece's hand.
Cece smiled. "Thanks Phoenix." She said.
Soon after, Braden came back and there drinks arrived.
"Have we decided on a meal yet?" Piper asked. "Can we just get sandwiches?" Cece asked.
"Certainly." Piper smiled before walking away.
Cece closed her eyes and rested her head on Braden's shoulder. "What a day this has been." She sighed.
"No kidding." Braden agreed.
"Well, hopefully we can rescue Clarissa and get back home." Phoenix said determinedly.
A little while later, Piper brought them their sandwiches. "Anything else I can help you with?" She asked.
The three exchanged a glance. "Actually yes. Tell me, do you know this land pretty well?" Cece asked.
Piper looked startled. "Um, yeah! I've lived here ever since I was born. Why?"
"Can you show us around after you get off your shift? It would be a great help." Cece smiled hopefully.
"Sure! I get off at 1 which isn't too long from now." Piper agreed.
"Great! Thanks!" Cece said happily.

After Piper's shift finished, she took the three on a grand tour.
"Piper, have you any knowledge of a Clarissa Carol being held here?" Braden asked.
Piper shook her head. "No... But I can take you to the prison. Maybe she's there?"
"That would be great, thanks." Phoenix nodded.
Piper led them to the prison.
"This is the second time today I've been in a prison. That should be a record." Cece shook her head.
They went through the jail, even asking some of the jailers if they had heard from Clarissa. Sadly, they came up empty.
"Thanks again Piper." Cece said.
"No problem guys! See you around!" Piper waved before leaving.
"What is going ON?! We've searched every single land!" Phoenix whined.
"Except for.." Cece gasped. "Nolava!" They all said at once.
"Athisi, Nolava." Cece said quickly.
The minute they touched down in Nolava, the trio took off running.
They searched every inch of the town, till Phoenix found something.
"Cece! Braden! Come here!" He called.
There were two double doors at the back of a brick building.
Phoenix opened the door and they saw a concrete floor below.
"What is-" Cece started, before feeling a shove. Screaming, she and Phoenix fell to the floor before blacking out.

"Ugh.." Cece awoke with a raging headache.
"What happened?" Phoenix mumbled, sitting up.
"Cece! Phoenix!" They heard a hushed voice say.
They whipped around, and saw Clarissa across from them, in a cage.
"Clarissa!" Phoenix yelped, rushing to the edge of the cage they were in.
"Oh my god!" Cece followed him.
"Clarissa! What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked.
"He took me here." Clarissa said.
"Who?" Cece asked.
"I did."
Clarissa whimpered and backed against the wall.
There, stood Braden.
"B-Braden?" Cece said in disbelief.
"Yup. It's me." A sinister smile settled on his face.
"You dirty little-" Phoenix lunged, his fingers mere inches from Braden.
"Ah ah ah. One wrong move Woods, and your girlfriend gets it." He held out a gun that he was hiding behind his back.
"Braden... I... We... We trusted you.." Cece said hoarsely.
"And what a poor choice you made." Braden tutted.
"W-why would you do this?" She asked.
"Well, let me tell you. You see, I've always been interested in dark magic. I was practically born into it. When I met Clarissa, I knew she was the perfect target. She's so vulnerable. And naïve. Trusts anyone she lays her eyes on. It was perfect. I convinced her to come with me, and I trapped her here, using dark magic. Knowing Phoenix, he would immediately freak out and get you, thus starting a search. I also knew you'd never think to check here, thus prolonging Clarissa's suffering. Remember when I went to the bathroom? I was here, with Clarissa. Wasn't I?" He smirked at Clarissa, who tried to make herself as small as possible.
"You guys were such perfect victims. I hadn't planned for Phoenix to find my hiding place of course, that was just an added bonus." Braden paced.
"But Braden... You told me you liked me! Loved me even!" Cece gulped.
"Oh Cece. I did. I really did. I admit, that wasn't part of the plan either. But I know who you truly love. And it isn't me." Braden scowled at Phoenix, who looked at Cece.
"I..." Cece looked helpless.
"Cece?" Clarissa sounded hoarse. "You... Love Phoenix?"
Cece sighed. "I'm so sorry Rissa." She said lowly.
When she lifted her head to look at Clarissa, what she saw scared her. It would be seared forever in her brain. In Clarissa's once vibrant green eyes, were now dull. And they had a look of utter defeat in them. She looked ready to give up.
"I want you both to know, I love you." She finally said.
"C-Clarissa?" Phoenix's voice shook.
Clarissa turned to Braden.
"Shoot me."
Braden looked surprised. "Wow. Well. How can I pass that up?" Then with one push of the trigger, she was gone.
"NO!" Phoenix and Cece screamed.
"I hope you enjoyed having my true colors revealed Cece. Have fun explaining this one to the cops." Braden said scornfully, before turning the gun on himself.

Cece and Phoenix sat in utter shock.
"T-they're dead.." Cece finally said.
Phoenix was silent for the longest time, before saying, "We better find a way out of here."
Cece nodded. She took a bobby pin and picked the lock. They stumbled out of their cell.
They stood and just stared at each other.
"Cece... Was Braden telling the truth? Do you really love me?" Phoenix finally asked.
Before she could stop herself, Cece grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him. His lips were warm yet dry, and were enough to send explosions running across her skin, down her spine, all the way to the tips of her toes. And best of all, he was kissing her back.
Finally, they pulled away.
"I... Uh. Somewhere along the way I accidently sort of on purpose fell in love with you. I tried to ignore it because I had Braden, but now that he's gone.. Maybe we can.."
Cece didn't get a chance to finish before Phoenix kissed her again.
Cece relaxed and kissed him back.
"I think I was dating the wrong Carol sister this whole time." Phoenix admitted after they parted.
Cece let a small smile grow across her face.
"So what are we going to do about.." She looked around.
"Well, the only way to do it without looking like we did it, is to claim we found the bodies." Phoenix scratched the back of his head.
"Alright." Cece sighed. Walking over to her sister, she whispered, "I'm so sorry Rissa. I never meant for this to happen."
Suddenly, she heard a whisper float through her ears: "I forgive you, my sister."
Cece immediately felt at peace. "Let's get out of here Phoenix." She said.
"Please." He agreed.
After getting out and calling the police, Cece decided to stay with Phoenix as Clarissa once did.
Explaining to her mum was a tough one, but eventually she understood.
Cece's life certainly wasn't perfect. She still had nightmares about Clarissa and Braden, and sometimes had tremendous guilt. But everytime this happened, she took a deep breath and remember Clarissa's words.
"I forgive you, my sister."