Sean and Nixie began arguing again. It seemed that Sean would find any tiny thing he could and blow it into something huge. He brought up her hair, the way she dressed, little patterns in her speech, but none of that bothered her. Then he brought up her absent mother, and how, "If even she didn't want you, what makes you so sure anyone else will?" This resulted in another fight that resulted in Nixie breaking several bones in her hand, and Sean getting a broken nose. Their friends were confident that, had Vince and Mr. Tian not been standing nearby, the two would have killed each other. They were also certain that, had Vince and Mx. Leichenbestatter not persuaded Mr. Connolly, the two would have been expelled. Instead, the two were let off with their final warning and their schedules were completely changed to keep the two as far apart as possible. Kyle was once again acting as the mediator, and someone to whom the two complained.

Kyle kept staring at Nixie's empty seat in Monster Studies as Sean went on about how she had "overreacted" and "things would be better if she would just chill out". Before Kyle could even open his mouth to argue that, quite frankly, Sean was the one acting out of line, Mr. Reaper had an announcement.

"Missions, we have decided, are ready to resume. You'll all be going in groups, with at least one upperclassman and one member of staff." He took a long list from his desk and looked down at it. "Now, of course, we're going to assign groups according to school." He peered over his paper. "It will be enforced this time." Though he did not specify, several students, including Akora, looked from the group of people with whom they came to the school, and the group with whom they had come to know and love. "Pay attention, I'll be assigning staff members and upperclassmen now."

As Mr. Reaper droned on, Kyle looked back to Nixie's seat. Then he turned his attention to Akora, who, every now and then, glanced his way. Though she was a handful, and often got him in trouble, he could not imagine going on a mission without her. And Nixie was like a rock, he did not know how he would get through this without her, either. He started paying attention again when he heard his name. "Kyle Akfernen and Sean Byrne, you two will accomplish this mission with Zach Hunter, and, for whatever reason, Vincent has made it clear he would like to accompany you."

Sean groaned a bit. He did not seem to like Vince, either. Kyle suspected he did not care much for Zach, either.

At the end of class, everyone received their assignments. For their assignment, Kyle and Sean would be clearing large, insect-like creatures from an overgrown temple. They would be going to a rainforest, but not one on Earth; they were going to yet another new planet.

Kyle was nervous about leaving again, but there was also a feeling of excitement. He had never seen a rainforest before, and here he was preparing to go visit an alien rainforest. The following day at breakfast, he decided to tell Aoife and Asim all about it.

"We're going to clear some bugs out of a temple," he told them. "I'm nervous, but I'm kind of excited at the same time."

Aoife and Asim shook at the memory of their last mission. "I'd be too nervous," Aoife said. "I'm still too nervous to do anything alone."

"I feel the same way," Asim shuddered. He picked nervously at the sleeve of his sweater. "I've half a mind to request alternate assignments. I don't want to go anywhere anymore."

Kyle remembered the old man's icy blue eyes. He shivered at the memory. He became much less excited. He put a lot of thought into the next few words he would be speaking, looking for a way to lighten up the conversation without changing it. "When Akora and I fell through the door," he began, "I expected the old man to be waiting. He wasn't there though."

"That's just one place though," Asim argued. "He could be anywhere!"

Kyle shook his head, and responded with, "But he can't be everywhere." He looked at them, and took a deep breath. "I'm still going to try it out. You two can take all the time you need, but I think I'm ready to try again."

Nixie, Elvia, and Akora were much more supportive. When he got to dinner, Akora was waiting, and sat him down at once.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Some kind of rainforest temple," he explained. It's nothing too serious, we just have to chase away some big bugs."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Elvia said. She sounded relieved.

"It won't be," Nixie declared. Her left hand was still bandaged and she still had bruises here and there. Kyle tried not to stare, and instead just really listen to what she said.

"I'm glad you think so." He rubbed his fingers together anxiously. "Asim and Aoife were making me nervous about it, since... well, yeah."

The others nodded. They all knew what happened, and it had been haunting them, too.

"You're going in a larger group," Nixie told him. "And, let's be honest, the people you're going with are probably better fighters than you and those two." She realized the implication of what she said only after she had said it. Desperate, she tried to correct herself, "Not trying to be mean or anything, I just-"

"I get it, I get it." He took a sip of water. He understood what she was trying to say. "Believe me, I don't think you're trying to be mean. That does help, though, knowing I'm in good hands."

"Better to be good hands than in them," Akora muttered. "Relying on another's hands can result in you getting dropped."

Elvia shook her head. "Don't listen to her, I think she's just upset she can't go with you."

"It certainly doesn't help," Akora confessed with a laugh.

"Well isn't that sweet," Nixie teased. "You're gonna miss him."

Akora sat back and crossed her arms. "He'll be back. I know he'll be."

Kyle picked at a biscuit on his plate. "Well I'd still like it if I could say bye to you guys before I leave."

Elvia started to twiddle her thumbs anxiously. "I'd prefer 'see you later', but it's up to you."

He smiled. "Then I'd like to say, 'see you later', before I leave."

As they prepared to embark on their journey, Sean questioned the location of the assignment. "Why are they sending us to a new planet? For all they know, the atmosphere will blow our heads up."

"We only send you to planets we know won't blow you up," Vince explained. "All of our students come from planets with very similar atmospheric conditions."

"And what if the atmosphere is too different?" Sean asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"They go to a different school," Vince replied. "Look, it'd take too long to explain everything all at once. It's a very long history full of trial and error but trust me, you won't blow up."

It was at this time that Zach joined them. He had Sheena by his side, rather than in his pocket, for the first time in a long while. "Assuring another scaredy-cat their head won't explode?"

Sean let out an annoyed grunt, and Vince simply replied with, "Yup, the usual."

Zach pushed his way to the front of the group. "Well, let's go. I've got other homework that needs to get done."

Kyle looked down the hallway. The others had yet to arrive. He wondered if they thought he had been joking.

Vince tried to regain control. "Before we leave, does everybody have everything? Nobody has to go to the bathroom? Nobody - ah, c'mon, Zach's left already. Well I'm going to make sure he doesn't wander in alone, you two catch up when you're ready."

Sean saw Nixie approaching, and walked down the stairwell with Drake at his side.

Kyle felt a smile creep across his face. Right behind Nixie was Elvia, and a pace behind her was Akora. The group, though small, filled the hallway (Nixie's half-horse and Akora's tiger occupied most of the space). Elvia rushed ahead and teedled, "We're not too late!" She threw her short arms around Kyle and gave him a mighty squeeze. "Come home safe!"

Nixie was the next one in the group hug. When she arrived, she hoisted the two into the air.

"Put us down!" Kyle laughed. "Your hand's hurt, remember!"

She acquiesced, but still hugged the two.

Akora was a bit confused by the display. "What's this you're doing?"

The group extended their arms. "Join and find out!" Elvia urged.

Akora approached, and allowed them to put their arms around her. She was tense. "You are some strange creatures."

"By the end of the year, I guarantee you'll love these!" Elvia promised.

Vince poke his head back through the doorway. "Sorry to break this up, but it's time to go. We'll be back, don't worry."

The group hug disbanded. Fledermaus nuzzled everyone as they said their see-you-laters.

"We'll be waiting for you to get back," Elvia said. "We might be in our classes but we'll be looking forward to seeing you again!"

Nixie shrugged as she backed away and said, "I might even just skip class and wait for you."

Akora took a different approach, and offered, "Remember, you are your own best hands."

Kyle started for the door, but turned around before he descended. "I'll see you later!"

The group waved. "See you later!"

He shut the door and started down the stairs. He could see the light of the rainforest on the other side. He had a spring in his step, and the sight of what lay just beyond took his breath away.

Towering trees blanketed the sky with their leaves. There was not an inch of organic landscape without greenery. Some of the plants had the most vibrant flowers, some so full of color that they looked more like gleaming jewels than petals. The sound of a crashing waterfall echoed from nearby. All around them were sounds of different animals, birds, and insects, calling out to one another, talking about the strange beings that just came from a tiny hut below. The air was hot, and humid, but the surroundings were so beautiful that Kyle did not care.

Vince shut the door behind Kyle. "Be sure you close the door when entering or exiting a new location. While we're only sending you to planets like your own, that doesn't mean we can have foreign species coming back with us. That happened once." He shuddered, and muttered under his breath, "Never again."

"You let us go to foreign worlds," Sean argued.

"I can tell you to stop what you're doing," Vince rebutted. "I can't tell some wild animal to stop what it's doing."

The group stood on a bridge made from a yellow stone - possibly a kind of sandstone or limestone - that led to the temple. The temple was constructed like a pyramid of boxes, the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top. It reminded Kyle of Aztec or Mayan ruins, but had its own differences. The temple was overgrown with an entire ecosystem of vegetation, ranging from creeping vines to hardy plants with enormous leaves, whose tough roots burrowed through the stone like it was the softest of soil.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is it," Zach said. He tried to sound unimpressed, but there was a hint of awe in his voice. No matter how many amazing things one sees, there will always be something else to take their breath away.

Vince nodded. "Yep. Here she is."

The group approached the temple. A fat, grub-like creature slinked around one of the outer walls.

"I'm guessing that's what we have to chase away?" Kyle asked aloud.

Vince nodded. "Yep. Those things."

The grub started to crawl down towards the base of the temple. It lost its grip and fell towards the water. Kyle expected it to land with a soft splash, but before it even reached the water, something cut the thing in half. He stood bolt upright, shocked by what he had seen. The two halves hit the surface, and a swarm of silver spade-shaped fish attacked. The water churned and splashed until the grub was reduced to nothingness. Then, the surface of the water regained a serene façade, as if nothing had happened. Kyle felt sick to his stomach.

"Were those piranhas?" Zach gasped. "I don't do piranhas!"

Vince let out a soft snicker. "Then I suggest staying out of the water." He entered the temple through its wide open doorway. His horn let out a glow that illuminated the dark halls. "These things shouldn't be too hard to spook. A little tedious, but not too difficult."

The three and their Familiars followed Vince. While it was darker inside the temple than outside, there were little windows that allowed some light to get in. Grubs lined the walls. They fled the moment anyone drew too close. The hallway was easy to clear.

The next room was a large square. Against the wall opposite to them was a statue of a deity with three pairs of arms and a stern yet welcoming face. Grubs and bugs crawled across the statue, while pupae lay idle in its hands and lap.

"Disgusting," Vince grunted. As he approached the statue, his light made the bugs clearer. They looked almost identical to their larvae, but they were larger, more solid, had long antennae on their heads, and their mandibles dripped with - hopefully - saliva. "Get outta here, you creeps!"

The grubs fled from the light. Some crawled from the statue to the wall, others instead crawled behind the statue. A few, already on the walls, escaped through a hole in the center of the ceiling. Sean watched them as their fat bodies rolled over one another and disappeared into the hole. He grimaced. "You sure we're not here on an extermination mission?"

Vince nodded. "Oh, we are, but we're not doing the exterminating?"

Kyle sighed with relief.

Vince pulled something from his bag. It was large and ovular, dark green and bumpy, and bulged here or there every moment or two. It was a giant egg. "This is."

"What is it?" Zach asked breathlessly.

The demicorn continued, "It's an egg sac of the tar spider, an endangered native to this jungle. There was one in here once, but it died. We're going to put this in the statue's lap, and when it hatches, the babies will take care of the rest." He approached the statue and did just as he said he would. Not a moment later, there was a small rip in the "shell", and the biggest juvenile spider any of them had ever seen crawled out. The baby took awkward steps across the sac, then stumbled onto a pupae. It stuck its fangs into the husk of the dormant being and began to suckle at the goo that oozed out.

Kyle had to turn away. "Oh, the birth of life is so beautiful," he sighed, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

More babies started to crawl from the egg sac. Vince stepped away. "Let's start heading out now. The babies will make a meal of us if we let them."

The group started back down the hall from whence they came. Less light was coming through the windows. Less light was coming through the door. They all walked faster, though none of them acknowledged the strange change, until they made it to the door and saw that the way out had been blocked. Coating the doorway was a thick, slimy webbing so tightly bound together it had formed a mesh. The drippings from the strands smelled repulsive. Vince knew he could have cut it with his horn, but there was no way he was putting his head anywhere near that mess. "There are other ways out," he announced. "No need to be alarmed."

"You saying that makes me more alarmed," Sean replied.

Vince said nothing, and started back down the hall. Without his light, the hall was much, much darker. The three boys and their Familiars were quick to follow along. All three beasts whined uncomfortably. Their bodies were low to the ground, and Fledermaus's tail curled between his hind legs, giving him the resemblance of a terrified dog. When they made it back into the statue room, the spiders had already taken over. Webs covered one wall, and the pupae were now shriveled husks.

"Wow, they work quickly," Kyle said with a nervous laugh.

"They sure do." Vince started towards the statue. He led the group behind a statue, where another doorway was hidden. Webs had bound the statue to the wall, so they all had to take very cautious steps. A few baby spiders watched them, rubbing their mandibles together in anticipation. Vince waited by the doorway for the others. Though the spiderlings were interested in the group, they were too skittish to approach the light.

Zach was the first one into the next hallway, with Sheena at his heels. He walked with his hands held out in front of him like a zombie. The others could hear his palms patting against the wall. Sean was next, and had to duck in order to fit through the threshold. Kyle, too anxious watching the spiders to pay attention, had gotten a few webs caught on his clothes. Fledermaus was the same, except he had accidentally bound his wings together.

"You're not looking where you're going!" Vince scolded. "That's how you become a meal!"

Kyle frantically brushed the webs off of himself. He let out a disturbed noise, which Vince also nixed.

"And keep your cool! Now, come along." He passed through the threshold into the next hallway. Kyle and Fledermaus hurried in after.

The hallway was short, but dark. It let out into a massive room with a high stacked ceiling. There were numerous pillars reaching up to the ceiling and holding it up. There was a small hole in the center of the ceiling, allowing light to shine down on an altar in the middle of the room. The altar was adorned with offerings, ranging from food to pottery to gold and jewels, but most of it was worn with age or eaten by the bugs. Speaking of bugs, this room was full of them. They crawled across the altar, over the floor, on the walls, and in and out of other doorways. Their feet scraped the stone and echoed throughout the room. A few of them gnawed at the pillars. There were egg pods in the corners of the room, and a few of them had started to hatch. It looked like a blob of toothpaste squeezing itself out of the tube. It was revolting.

"Let's get out of here," Vince gagged. He took the lead through the room yet again.

Kyle looked around the room as he and the others followed Vince. The bugs lifted their heads and stared at them. Their mandibles snapped together. A thick liquid dripped from their mouths to the floor. Bugs above, bugs on the right, bugs on the left all had their eyes on them. The group walked from the doorway at the south side of the room to the doorway at the west side. A few bugs followed them. He wished that he had asked Akora if he could borrow her dagger; it would have made him feel much safer. Anything in that moment, as a matter of fact, would have made him feel safer, like maybe a baseball bat, a golf club, a slingshot, or a big stick, even a rock. A nice, big rock would be like a soft, warm security blanket then.

One of the bugs crawled up to Sheena. It stared her down, less than an inch from her face. She hissed at it, which made the disgusting creature slink away. While they were becoming bolder with the group, they were far from brave enough to try anything.

Zach leaned forward and practically propped his head on Vince's shoulder. He asked in a whisper, "How do you know this will get us out?"

"I studied the map," Vince whispered back. "I know how to get out."

Then Zach added, "Well how do you know it's still available?"

That was when Vince admitted, "I don't."

Sean, much to the dismay of everyone in the room, overheard this. "So ponyboy's gonna get us lost!" he exclaimed. "Oh, whoopdy, friggin' doo!"

"Sean, shut it," Vince warned.

Kyle watched as the bugs became more agitated.