Nighttime comes.

Kate was getting restless. She can't possibly wait for the morning to come. She's in deep trouble. Should she escape the cave on her own or trust the old man and wait for the morning to come?

But what if he was lying?

What if...he has no plan to set her free? And he was planning to do something nasty to her?

She won't be able to forgive herself if she is not doing anything to take this chance to escape. Since the chamber has no door she will be able to exit this place without alerting the old man. She has no idea where he is right now. But if he is planning something, she needs to get out of the cave fast!

Kate rose from the bed and slowly advances towards the exit.

She looked left and right when she reached the entrance of the chamber. She can't see anyone, there's no one watching. Nice! Perfect time to escape!

She looked ahead of her. The passage was illuminated by torches, a few meters interval from each other.

All she needs to do is follow the passage where it ends. She would surely find her way back into the forest and into the clearing where she and Esmeralda had landed yesterday.

She walked with silent quick steps, making sure that she won't be able to alert the old man.

She was grateful that the torch continues lighting her way, giving her assurance that she won't lose her way.

As she continues walking, she noticed one thing, the passage was going straight. She saw other passages in the intersection, yet she ignored them because they were submerged in darkness, and she was afraid of what lies ahead.

She remembered so well that the man informed her of the vampire bats hiding inside the cave.

So far so good, she didn't encounter even a single bat on her way.

She continues walking.

Minutes went by.

After a while, she felt tired all of a sudden. She feels like she was walking for more than half an hour already. But why is it that she can't see the entrance of the cave yet?

Why is that?

Her brows furrowed in confusion and worry. Did she lose her way?

What if this passage won't lead her to the entrance? But it will lead her to other dangerous places?

She stopped walking immediately.

She lowered herself on the first rock that she'd seen nearby. She needs to rest!

While resting, she was debating within herself. Should she continue walking or not? If she will stop now and return to where she comes from, she might not be able to get out of this cave alive if the man has bad intention towards her.

If his fear is right, she should continue walking until she will reach the entrance of the cave. Besides, her efforts will go to waste if she will give up and return to the chamber where that man left her.

She rose to her feet and continue her journey.

After some time...she reached a dead end. She was expecting the passage to continue straight leading her to the entrance. Instead, she reached the wall that is a dead-end and has to choose which path she will take next. Should it be the left or right path? Or go back to the chamber where she started?

She was disappointed with this sudden turn of events.

Which is which?

She's getting confused.

Not only that, but she was also tired and thirsty! She needs to drink water because her throat is getting dry!

What she's going to do?

Dang! She can't go back. She's refusing to go back. So she has to keep moving!

She can't waste her precious time debating where to go...she looked on the right side and took a tentative step. Then she keeps walking. This is the passage that she had chosen. No matter where this passage will lead her, she will accept her fate.

This time she needs to hurry up!

She feared that he will soon discover that she was no longer in that chamber where he left her. He might be already on his way to find her and God knows what he's going to do to her if he caught up with her.

She shuddered at the possibility after recalling the terrifying look of the monster she had seen inside the cage. Maybe the monster and that old man are of the same being?

My goodness, if that is the case, then her life is truly in danger!

She needs to get out of this cave, ASAP!

After a few minutes of continuous walking, she finally saw something in the distance!

She quickened her steps towards it.

~~~o0o~~~

At Esmeralda's place.

She was inside her room in deep thoughts. Her mind is occupied, thinking hard on where to find Ivy as well as Kate. Since she can't come up with a valid answer, she needs another opinion. And the only one she can talk to regarding the problem she was facing right now is no other than her friend, the tree.

She exited her bedroom and went out of the house. She walked towards the tree and sat on the wooden bench.

"Tree..."

The tree's branches began shaking in acknowledgment. "Yes, Esme...What's wrong? Why you look so sad and worried?"

Esmeralda released a deep sigh. "Ivy is missing, and so is Kate. Do you think this is all connected? Planned by the same person? Could it be Maxwell and his brothers?"

The tree shakes its branches. "Hmm..since you ask my opinion...I think not. This time, I doubted if vampires have anything to do with the sister's disappearance."

"Really-? How can you say that?" Esmeralda asked.

"Because the big bird keeps bringing meals for Ivy three times daily without fail," the tree answered.

"Maybe it's one of their tricks. They sent the bird here daily to deceive me so that I don't think that they are responsible for the siblings' disappearance. Because they know that I will investigate them," she explained.

"Could be...you're making sense, Esme. But if you want, we can send some of my leaves to spy on the vampires' territory so that your mind will be at ease," the tree suggested.

"Okay..." Esmeralda agreed.

The tree began shaking. Instantly, about fifty leaves disconnected from the branches and hovered in the air.

"Go now and spy on the vampire's territory. Just return after you investigated the whole place. Locate Ivy and Kate's whereabouts as soon as possible!" ordered the tree.

The leaves immediately flew together in one direction.

"Now, all we need to do is wait for the news," the tree said.

A few minutes later.

The leaves that Esmeralda assigned with the task of finding Ivy and Kate in the forest were finally back.

"Report!" she commanded.

"I'm sorry, Esmeralda, we tried our best to find the girls all over the place. But we can't find them in the forest, and their scent was also nonexistent in that area. Do you want us to continue searching for them tomorrow?" the leader of the leaves asked.

"Yes, please..." Esmeralda replied. "For now, return to your branches and rest," she ordered.

"Okay, we will return there tomorrow first thing in the morning," the leader of the leaves responded.

Finished reporting, the leaves reattached themselves to the branches.

"Why don't you rest now in your room, Esme? Don't worry so much. The leaves will return with good news later. I will wake you up after they come back," the tree said.

Esmeralda shook her head. "It's okay. I'll stay here and talk to you since I'm not sleepy yet."

"Okay, as you say so. What is the topic that you want to discuss with me?" the tree inquired.

"It's the missing girls. Do you think they were taken by a separate entity or being abducted by one group only? I can't believe that they disappeared under my nose!" she hissed in a frustrated manner.

"Calm down, Esme. Let's hope for the best. We will find them soon!" the tree reassured her.

Esmeralda is not convinced. "No! I can't sit here and do nothing. Ivy will die soon after the poison starts activating in her body. We can no longer save her if we fail to find her. As for Kate, I believe that she was taken in the forest by whoever inhabits that place. Too bad, I can't detect that creature's presence, or else I already recovered Kate back."

"So... what you're going to do next?" asked the tree.

"I will go back to the place where Kate disappeared, now!" she replied.

"And...what you're going to do?"

"I will burn the whole forest if they won't return Kate to me!" Fury was leaping from Esmeralda's eyes.

"Oh, come on! Don't resort to this desperate trick, please! Don't rush! Don't let anger control your emotion and logic. In case you have forgotten, the trees living in that forest are innocent. They are also my family. If you burn the entire forest, I will be the first to feel sad and affected by your cruel actions and intentions. Don't punish the whole forest because of just one girl," the tree voiced out its opinion.

Esmeralda was silent for a few minutes contemplating her next action.

Sighing heavily, she acknowledges that the tree has a point. The whole forest doesn't have to suffer because of someone's mistake. She needs to find the one responsible for Kate's disappearance!

"Don't worry, tree. I will go back to the forest and see if I can discover something there," Esmeralda said.

"But it's already late at night. Why don't you go back there during the daytime? That way, you can see everything. Instead of wasting your time, you should sleep and rest in your room so that you'll have more energy to find the missing girls tomorrow," the tree suggested.

Esmeralda nodded her head. "Alright, I will retire to my room now," she said and rose to her feet. "Night night tree, sleep well..." she bid her friend goodnight.

"Sleep well, Esme," the tree responded pleasantly, feeling relieved that her friend was no longer planning to burn the entire forest.