Margaret and Simon stand in front of the emergency room entrance, their eyes fixed on the road. They are waiting for the ambulance that carries their son and brother, Sebastian, who has been missing for months.
The ambulance finally arrives, sirens blaring. Margaret runs to the stretcher where Sebastian lies, pale and unconscious. She kisses his cheek and holds his hand, while Simon follows behind, smiling weakly at his brother.
"Mom's here, sweetheart. I love you so much. You're going to be okay." Margaret whispers to Sebastian, who nods slightly.
"His blood pressure is low; his pulse is weak." The nurse says to the doctor as they wheel Sebastian into the ER.
"Please, please stay with me. Don't leave me again." Margaret cries, her tears falling on Sebastian's face.
"Ma'am, you have to let go. You can't come in." The nurse says, gently prying Margaret's hand from Sebastian's.
Margaret watches helplessly as the ER door closes behind them. She is joined by Captain Jack and Agent Malcolm, who have been working on Sebastian's case.
They look through the glass window and see the doctors and nurses working frantically on Sebastian.
"Come on, kid. Hang in there. You can do this." Captain Jack mutters, clenching his fists.
Agent Malcolm puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes it reassuringly.
Margaret hears a voice in her head, echoing her own words.
[Breathe, son, breathe. Come on.]
The EKG monitor flatlines.
[No! No! No!]
"Flatline!" The nurse shouts.
[Come back to me. Breathe. I need you to wake up. I need you to breathe.]
The doctor grabs the defibrillator and shocks Sebastian's chest.
[Please, please, please.]
Sebastian gasps and coughs.
[Yes! Yes! Yes!]
"That's it, baby. Breathe. Breathe. You're alive. You're alive." Margaret says, sobbing with relief.
"He's stable now." The nurse says, giving a thumbs up to the people outside the room.
"Thank God." Captain Jack says, wiping his forehead.
"Thank God." Agent Malcolm echoes.
The EKG monitor beeps steadily.
The doctor opens the door and invites Margaret, Simon, Captain Jack and Agent Malcolm to come in and see Sebastian.
Margaret rushes to his side and hugs him gently.
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're awake." She says.
"Hey, little brother. You scared us there for a minute." Simon says.
"Where...where am I?" Sebastian asks, groggily.
"You're at the hospital. You're home now. You're safe." Margaret tells him.
"We missed you, kid." Captain Jack says.
"We really missed you." Agent Malcolm adds.
HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM
A group of kids cheer when they hear that their friend is alive. They are Sebastian's classmates and fellow adventurers. They have been through a lot together, especially in the last few months.
One of them, however, is not cheering. She is Vee, Sebastian's best friend since kindergarten. She is sitting in a corner, holding a flashlight that belonged to Alice, another friend who died saving them from a terrible danger.
Ellis taps Miles on the shoulder and points at Vee, who is about to cry. Miles goes and sits next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulders.
"It's okay, Vee. He's alive. He made it." Miles says softly.
"I know. But Alice didn't." Vee says, her voice breaking.
"I know. I miss her too." Miles says.
They hug each other and cry quietly.
Captain Jack comes out of the room and tells the kids that they can go and see Sebastian now.
"Come on, Vee. Let's go see him." Miles says, wiping his tears.
Vee nods and stands up. She holds Miles' hand tightly as they walk into the room with the others.
MOMENTS LATER IN THE HOSPITAL ROOM
Sebastian is surrounded by his friends, who are telling him everything that happened while he was gone.
"It was crazy, man. You had a funeral and everything. Everyone was there, even Monika from fifth grade. She cried for you." Ellis says.
"Yeah, but we'll have another funeral tomorrow." Miles says sadly.
"Another funeral? For who?" Sebastian asks, confused.
"Alice. She sacrificed herself to save us." Vee says softly, holding Alice's flashlight in her hand.
"From what?" Sebastian asks, alarmed.
"It's a long story. We'll tell you at her funeral." Vee says.
"I just...I just came back." Sebastian says, tears welling in his eyes.
He looks at Vee and sees the pain in her face. He remembers how close they were, how they shared everything. He reaches out and hugs her.
"I'm sorry, Vee. I'm so sorry." He says.
"It's not your fault, Seb. It's not your fault." Vee says, hugging him back.
They comfort each other, while their friends watch with sympathy and sorrow.
Captain Jack leaves the room and heads to the police station to finish his report. He has a lot of questions to answer, and a lot of loose ends to tie up.
As he walks out of the hospital, he is stopped by a black SUV that pulls up next to him. The window rolls down and a man in a suit signals him to get in.
"Captain Jack, I presume. I'm Agent Smith from the CIA. We need to talk." The man says.
Captain Jack hesitates, then gets in the car.
9 MONTHS LATER
Saturday, December 24, 1956,
It's Christmas Eve, and the kids are back in Miles' garage, playing Kla Klock, a popular Cambodian game. They are happy and carefree, enjoying their holiday.
Vee still has Alice's flashlight, which she keeps in perfect condition as a memory of her friend. She misses her every day, but she also cherishes the friends she still has.
She looks at Sebastian, who is laughing at something Ellis said. He has recovered from his ordeal, physically and emotionally. He is still the same Seb she knows and loves.
She smiles and joins the game, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
Simon arrives and picks up Sebastian from Miles' house. While Sabastian and Simon got ready to leave, Adeline quickly rushed from upstairs to give Simon a Christmas present and a kiss on the cheek. It surprised Simon and Sebastian too.
Sabastian, not wanting to waste any more time, quickly opens his brother's gift in the car, revealing it to be a helmet.
Adeline is then seen with Michael, and he asks if she gave Simon a present, but the answer he gets from his girlfriend is that it is just her mom's gift for Simon's mom, Margaret, and that's all.
The next morning, Sabastian makes his way down the hall of Lakewood Middle School after his two months of recovery at the hospital and after mourning the tragic death of his girl-best friend. He tags along behind his friends, who are, as usual, talking about their arcade game and their bike problems. It was almost summer break! More time to hang out with the girls.. perfect for Sabastian.
As the group heads to biology, a girl that Sebastian saw before, emerges from a sea of popular people. They are all trying to talk to her, and she seems rather preoccupied. She has white hair and black-framed glasses and is wearing a red jacket and a white top with classic mom jeans. The part that stands out most is the variety of bracelets on her wrist.
"Who wears that many bracelets?" Ellis asks no one in particular. "I think it's cool," says V, eyeing Ellis with a dirty look. Then, the girl sees them.
For a moment, she looks shocked. Happy? Not sure. But she quickly pushes the popular kids aside and makes her way over to them. As she does, she and Sabastian lock eyes. It was almost in slow motion. They locked eyes and smiled, but their smiles quickly faded.
First, there was a slight tingle on the back of Sabastian's neck, but when he locked eyes with her it grew into something else. That cold, terrible feeling that made Sabastian's hair stand up on edge every time.
The feeling that made him feel scared, terrified. That sensation made him feel dead. He only felt this way when he was stuck in the Nether. And he felt it again when he stared at the new girl.
It can't be the girl. What if the witch isn't dead?
The girl took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Hi! I'm Liny! I'm new here, and those kids don't seem to be much help."
The group turned around and introduced themselves. When it was Sebastian's turn, he awkwardly spat out, "h-hi... I'm Sebastian."
The girl then said she was from Thailand, and she recently moved here because of her dad's new job. After comparing classes, she found out she had the same class order as V.
Strange. "Hey, well, see you around. Good to meet you!" and she was gone.
All day long, Sabastian couldn't stop thinking about that feeling. The feeling he had when he looked into Alice's eyes the last time they met before she sacrificed herself.
So, it was true. Sebastian had in fact had a connection with Alice through the ancient warrior clan called "The Angkorian," and it was also true that Alice was really gone.