The same laughter came around them, but the light never turned dark, and the screams never came. It just slipped quickly into them, and they became silent. The older man smiled victoriously at them, and ordered the other men to place them in the building. They did as told and wandered back to the crooked house. Once they entered the house, they walked straight into the portal. This time the portal lead them into to the same house where they left Carla. A smile came to the older man's face, and they walked up to the door. When they knocked, Carla's mother answered the door. She was shocked by the mere size of the two other men, but when she looked at the smaller one, she said, "Carla?" He nodded. Her face sank from her usual pleasant smile to a frown. “Hold on, I’ll get her.” She drug her feet through the house to Carla’s room. “Hun, some men are here to see you.” “Who?” Carla questioned, but there was no answer form her mother. “Mom, what’s wrong?” “Nothing dear, don’t keep your guests waiting.” She smiled at Carla, and gave her a hug. Carla smiled at her, and walked through the house to the front door. She gasped at the sight of the two larger men, and they could see the fear in her eyes. “Can I help you?” She whimpered to the men. “Yes Carla, we need you to come with us” “What, who are you?” Carla became to panic and reached to shut the door, but one of the larger men grabbed it and kept it open. “Don’t worry Carla, we aren’t here to hurt you, but to merely take you back home.” “What?” Carla’s eyes had started to water, and she could barely see their faces. “Mom?” Her mother had been standing near by, and when she heard Carla’s helpless cry to her she became furious. “Look, I have raised her to be my own. How about you guys just go back to where ever you came from and leave us alone.” “What do you mean to be your own?” “Carla we found you on our doorstep.” “What?” Carla became furious and tried to walk away, but the other bigger man grabbed her. “Let her go,” her mother screamed, but she was pushed back by the man holding the door, and the door rushed shut. She ran to open the door, but by the time she could swing the heavy wooden burden out of the way, Carla and the men were gone. She wept at the same doorstep where Carla was left eighteen years ago. Carla had passed out by the sheer strength and anger from the man holding her, and when she awoke, she saw a group of familiar faces, and smiled at them. They seemed different though. They didn’t have the same look in their eyes, but more like the look that the other men gave her when they saw her, but then her eyes locked onto the same loving eyes that she has gazed in lovingly. “Kyle, what’s going on?” She asked, but instead of answering her, he just gathered her into his arms and held her, lightly kissing her on the head. She looked up at the other faces, and noticed that some have changed in appearance. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” “Yes but I would need to talk to you in the other room.” She looked at the same man that took her away from her home, and then looked up at Kyle. He looked at the elderly man and nodded his head at her. As she walked away she looked back at him, and he smiled at her lovingly. The room she was taken into was a little more comfortable looking. He showed her to a chair and sat down next to her. “I know everything seems to be a little confusing, but please don’t mention your old life to any of your friends.” “What why?” “I had to replace their memories.” “For what?” “Look, you are a princess in this world, and they are here to protect you on your way back home. It’s going to be a long trip, and very dangerous. I talked to your parents and they wanted you to feel safe and comfortable, and this was the only way we could think of to make things easier on you.” “Easier? You tell me that I have been living a lie all of my life, and that I have to just go and see these ‘parents’ that I have never met before, and travel many dangerous miles just to see them. Don’t I get to choose what life I want to live?” “I’m sorry, but I am only in charge of getting you back to your parents.” He smiled at her, and grabbed her hand. “They miss you so much. It was hard for them to leave you, but they had no choice. The castle was too dangerous to keep a smile princess in.” Carla looked at him and then at the door. “How is it that they know me still?” “They are fake memories. I made them to fit what they would have to do on this journey.” “Will anyone die?” Carla looked seriously into his eyes, and knew that the answer was yes, but hoped to hear different. “Yes some might die, but for the best. All they know is that if they die, they are dieing protecting you.” Carla’s eyes grew at the thought. “I can’t do this.” She started to panic and ran towards the door. “What do you mean? You have to do this.” “I can’t risk my friend’s lives selfishly. I can’t do this. Tell my parents that if they want to see me, they can come here and see me.” “This place is the last place you want to be. The safest you and your friends can be is on the road, going to see your parents.” Carla looked down and took a deep breath. “I’ll do this, but if anyone of my friends die, I’ll have your head.” He smirked at her comment, “you sound like your mother.” Carla smiled at him and opened the door to see her friends patiently waiting for her to join them. Her eyes were still a little watery, but no one could really notice that she was nervous. All of her closest friends from school were here: Kyle, Justin, Ben, Rachel, Patric, Sharon, Nathan, Ashley, and Ryan.