You're Never Alone

Chapter 12

Word Count: 1891

Later everyone arrives at the palace with weapons under their clothes and small earpieces that are practically invisible. Dan and Phil walk in side by side with Joe and most of their group behind them. Everyone spreads out into the room and mingles with a couple people but Dan and Phil stick together. Dan instantly notices the rebels around the room by their masks because all of them have blue, silver, and/or white on them.

    Phil reaches down and grabs Dan's hand with his ice cold fingers colliding with Dan's warm hands. "Dance with me," Phil whispers smiling slightly and Dan nods so Phil leads him onto the floor and holds Dan close before the two dance gracefully together.

    "God I hate this place," Dan whispers and Phil's eyes crinkle in confusion under his glittery white mask. "I was cooped up here in the palace for years and I've long grown to loath it's walls. It's my home but it feels more like my prison."

    Phil nods with empathy. "I used to be cooped up in my home too because my parents feared to be discovered so we hid. I understand the feeling." Phil's eyes constantly flicker around the room to see PJ.

    "The only place in here that felt like mine is my room," Dan chuckles under his breath. "But even that felt like a prison at times."

    The two dance and mutter useless words to each other until Dan feels PJ pass them and gently touch his side, sending a cool shock through his clothes which instantly makes his skin crawl as goosebumps appear on his hands. PJ carefully goes around the room and does that to everyone in their groups and everyone slowly makes their way out of the room.

    Dan and Phil inconspicuously leave the room and Dan leads the way to the back hallway where no guards go. About all twenty of them meet there and the girls take off their big poofy skirts to reveal smaller and easier ones to move in. They all move carefully and quietly through the palace until they reach the secret entrance into the top of the dungeon. PJ stays in the back while Dan and Phil stay in the front. They've been moving for the past thirty minutes through hallways until they're finally here. With such a large group it's been practically impossible to be fast and quiet when moving.

    Each of them carefully goes through the entrance, cautious to not make a single noise. The dungeon is a square room with cells lining the walls and two floors high. They make it down the stairs and half the group splits onto the lower floor while the other half stay on the top floor. Everyone activates their microphones at once and Cat clicks on.

    "Okay everyone listen up," Cat says to them. "The shifts just changed and the door just closed. You have ten minutes to get them out of there and then your time is up and the guards will come for you. Got it? On my count. 3...2...1...GO!"

    With that, all the guards are knocked out and it's chaos down here. Dan immediately runs to cell after cell to find rebels. Those who are rebels in the dungeon are being let out before Dan can get to them until Dan stops at a cell with a familiar face in it.

    "Adrian?" Dan says in surprise and the boy looks up making Dan smile in relief but Adrian doesn't recognize Dan. He realizes this so he places his mask on his head before melting the lock off his cell. "Let's get you out of here." Dan reaches down and picks up his brother. Adrian was always more sensitive to power dampening so he's weaker than Dan would be. Dan quickly carries him down the side of the room before PJ sees him from across the room and meets him halfway.

    "Let me take him," PJ says and Dan nods so PJ grabs Adrian and puts him on his back so he can still use his hands. Dan and PJ run together downstairs to the back door.

    "Shit you guys have less time than I originally had thought. The guards are coming now. Get out of there!" Cat says to them and Dan sighs as he rapidly scans the room. There were too many people left and not enough time to get all of them out safely.