HOLDEN HOME

Akilah Moore rang the doorbell outside the Holden family's house and waited for someone to answer. Though she had just gotten into an argument with Alec Bale about his feelings for her and then decided to start a new romance with Tim Black, who seemed to be interested in her, Akilah figured she owed it to herself to see if things could still work with Matt.

"We've been dating for a while now…"

"Yeah, I know," Akilah said. "We've been pretending to date so I could make Alec jealous. Which isn't working, by the way. I think I need something else to finally get him over Jessica."

"But you don't need Alec," Matt continued. "I'm in love with you."

Akilah stared at Matt as if he were speaking in a foreign language. "Huh?"

"I love you," Matt said, taking Akilah by her arms and pulling her closer to him. "I'm in love with you."

Before Akilah could react, Matt leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

"He said he was in love with me," Akilah said. "And there were real feelings there, not fake ones, like with Alec."

A few moments later, Matt opened the door. Akilah immediately noticed that his eyes looked glazed over and that his shirt was drenched in sweat. Concerned, Akilah stepped inside and took Matt's hand.

"Are you okay?" Akilah asked.

"I'm fine," Matt replied, snatching his hand away.

"You don't look fine," Akilah insisted.

"I have a cold," Matt lied. "What do you want, Akilah?"

"I'm here to apologize," Akilah said. "For what happened between us before."

"You don't have to apologize," Matt said.

"Yes, I do," Akilah said.

"No, really…you don't," Matt said.

"Matt, you can't be serious!" Akilah cried. "She'll —"

Before Akilah could finish, Matt released Ariel's hand and balled his own hand into a fist. Then he swung at Akilah, connecting with her face. Akilah cried out, sliding back and collapsing onto the ground.

"But I want to," Akilah said. "I made a mistake before, because I was obsessed with Alec, but I'm not anymore."

"What are you getting at?" Matt demanded.

"God, are you dense?" Akilah said. "I want to be your girlfriend! What, do I have to spell it out for you?"



BRANCH HOME

Ricard Branch sat in the kitchen of his home, eating from a cereal bowl. Usually, he'd be out partying, but he wasn't feeling great at the moment. He couldn't stop thinking about how he was responsible for Erin Maddock's murder. Though he hadn't killed her himself, it was haunting him that his request to Quentin Blood to hook him up with Sara Reynolds resulted in Erin's death.

"I've got blood on my hands," Ric muttered. "It's even in my goddamn Lucky Charms."

As Ric continued to wallow in his guilt, he heard a knock on the back door. He rose to his feet and dejectedly crossed over to the door. When he opened it, he found Sara standing on the back patio. Ric's face fell in shock over Sara's appearance.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Ric demanded.

"I needed to see you," Sara said. "You told me to use the back entrance before."

"Yeah, I did," Ric said. "But…"

"My parents are out of town again," Sara replied. "My brother isn't answering his cell phone…I just needed to be with someone. And my other family members aren't exactly the ideal company right now."

Ric nodded, understanding that Sara didn't want to spend time with her aunt and uncle at the moment. He invited her inside and closed the door. Sara nervously glanced around the kitchen until Ric pulled out a chair for her to sit down.

"I wanted to ask you something," Sara asked.

"Go ahead," Ric said.

"I know the police must have asked you this already, but…is there anything at all that you remember from that night? The night Erin died?"

Ric took a deep breath and glanced away from Sara.

"What are you asking me?"

"Is there anything you remember that could help figure out who murdered Erin? Is there anything?"

"No," Ric said. "There's…there's nothing. Nothing else."

Sara weakly buried her face in her hands and leaned against the kitchen table. Ric tried to comfort her by rubbing her back and forcing a smile. He was disgusted by the fact that he had to lie to Sara, but he didn't see any other option.

"It's okay," Ric said. "Things are going to be okay."

"No, they aren't," Sara said, raising her head. "But I need to get over this. Thank you for being here for me."

"I'm just glad I could help," Ric said.

"I don't want to spend the night alone," Sara said. "Can I stay here with you?"

Ric frowned. "Of course you can. We can watch TV or something."

"I don't want to watch TV," Sara replied. "I just…I just want you to be here for me."

"I can do that," Ric said.



RONARR'S CAVE

Vincent Moore approached the entrance to a cave he had never seen before, despite the fact that it was located at the edge of Emerald Lake near Quentin Blood's mansion. Behind him were Blake Thomas and Julia Mitchell, who had been following Vince since they left Julia's house.

"Where are we going?" Julia demanded, finally catching up to Vince.

"Inside that cave," Vince said. "My gut's telling me that the answer to everything is inside there."

"Then let's get in there and show this prehistoric bitch how we do things in Marquette Cove," Blake said.

Vince and Julia turned to look at Blake, both of them rolling their eyes at him. Blake shrugged and frowned at the two. "You know, you two were made for each other, with the constant eye-rolling."

"Let's go," Vince said. "Stay close behind me, none of you can exactly move stuff by waving your hands."

"The dead are walking now, sir," Antonio said, speaking in Zaliphyr's voice. "Our plans are now complete."

"Then I too should be able to walk amongst the living," Ronarr said. "I too should be able to move freely."

Ronarr extended his hand to Antonio, and Antonio held out his own hand to take Ronarr's. Ronarr's hand became solid and he took Antonio's. Ronarr grinned, turning to look at the cave's entrance.

"I can feel power surging through me," Ronarr continued. "I can feel the energy…I can feel…an intruder."

"You can feel an intruder?" Antonio asked.

"No," Ronarr snapped. "There's an intruder."

Antonio turned to find Vince entering the cave with Julia and Blake. Scowling, Antonio glared at Vince and let go of Ronarr's hand.

"Looks like you're not the teen angel you profess to be," Vince said, smirking at Antonio.

"You're a fool," Antonio replied. "You've come here to find death."

Vince nodded. "That's right. Yours."

He clasped his hands together, then quickly pulled them apart, causing Antonio to feel as if he were being tugged at from both sides. He cried out in pain as Vince waved his right hand, sending Antonio sliding across the ground.

"Blake! Julia!" Vince cried. "Get out of here!"

"Not so fast," Ronarr said, moving over to where Blake and Julia were standing as if he were almost traveling at the speed of light. He grabbed both Blake and Julia by their necks and turned to smile at Vince, flashing two rows of rotting teeth. "It's time for my fun now."

"Let them go," Vince said, staring down Ronarr. "Let them go and you can challenge me to the death."

"Vince…" Blake coughed, attempting to speak while Ronarr remained gripping his neck. "I don't think…that's such a good…"

"I won't allow you to use your parlor tricks on me," Ronarr said, tossing Blake to the ground. "If you try, I'll tear the flesh from your friend's body."

Vince shrugged. "You sound all talk to me. If you can run so fast, why can't you kill me?"

As Vince talked, he allowed the dagger he found at Julia's house to form in his hands once more. He kept the dagger concealed as Antonio rose to his feet and watched as Ronarr approached Vince.

Ronarr dropped Julia to the ground and stepped over her to stand in front of Vince. As Vince prepared to fight with Ronarr, Antonio rushed at him from behind. Vince, still connected to Zaliphyr's thoughts, could sense him approaching. He quickly spun around and extended the dagger into Antonio's heart, piercing it.

"You bastard!" Antonio shouted, attempting to claw at Vince.

Vince stood and smiled as Antonio's flesh burst into flames. As he screamed in agony, Antonio briefly transformed into Zaliphyr's features, before he returned to his original appearance. In a matter of seconds, Antonio exploded into ashes.

Reacting to Antonio's demise, Ronarr reached out and grabbed Vince's arm. He spun Vince around and slashed at his throat, nearly slicing it open. Vince managed to move Ronarr's hand quickly enough to cause it to cut his chest.

Vince cried out and slid to the ground, as Ronarr towered over him. He used the moment to send the fallen dagger flying into Ronarr's own neck. Ronarr cried out as his insides began to burn, and he soon burst into flames much like Antonio did.

The dagger fell to the ground, while Vince tried to rise to his feet. His eyes began to glow, and he slipped and fell to the ground. The dagger vanished just as Blake and Julia rose and approached Vince to see if he was okay.

By the time they reached him, his eyes had ceased glowing.



HOLDEN HOME

"You don't want me," Matt insisted. "You're confused."

"I am not confused!" Akilah cried. "I like you, Matt. And I think we could make it work. I know you're in love with me, you told me so."

"Things change," Matt snapped, rubbing his left arm. "I need to get back to sleep. I have to work in the morning."

"You don't have a job," Akilah said.

"Housework," Matt said. "I have to clean something for my dad. Look…I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Akilah said, taking Matt by his hands and leaning in to kiss him. She kissed him on his lips, hoping it would change his mind. He pulled away from her a few seconds later and glared at her.

"Get out, Akilah," Matt said. "I don't need anyone in my life right now. You don't deserve that."

"Matt, I'm not —"

"Get the hell out!" Matt shouted.

Taken aback, Akilah stepped away from Matt and wiped tears out of her eyes. "Matt, I'm trying to make things work. I'm trying to —"

"Just leave," Matt said, turning away from Akilah.

Akilah took a moment to collect herself, then sadly looked at Matt once more before she left his house. Matt waited until she was gone to turn back around and slam the door shut. He sank to the floor in tears, but managed to force a laugh.

"Of course I'd love to date you," Matt laughed. "Of course I'd love to date my cousin."



EMERALD HEART

Melissa Maddock approached Hugh Rogers' motel room, carrying a bag with the money she owed him. She was hoping that Hugh would finally leave her alone, because she couldn't handle this anymore. She was already a wreck after imagining that Erin had been in the house earlier that night, and once Robert calmed her down, she was able to compose herself.

But Melissa soon had to get rid of Robert to be able to deliver the money she owed to Hugh. It was money she had borrowed from her cousin, Aaron Maddock's, account once more. Melissa hated herself for resorting to stealing from her own family, but she had no other choice.

She had to pay off Hugh to keep her past a secret and she also had to pay for Erin's funeral. One way or another, this business with Hugh was going to be ending tonight. Melissa gripped the gun she had concealed inside the bag and grimaced.

If Hugh wouldn't leave her alone, then she was going to make him.

Valerie Hanley-Holden had been keeping an eye on Melissa lately, now that she was focused on helping Felicia any way she could. Valerie hadn't wanted to trick her sister into handing over her share of the Hanley fortune, but now that she had, Valerie was going to at least make Melissa Maddock pay for ruining Felicia and Robert's marriage.

Luckily, she had someone keeping surveillance on Melissa and found that she had been taking large amounts of money out of a bank account that belonged to her cousin recently. Though that was enough to raise Valerie's suspicions, she had no idea whether or not she could use that information against Melissa.

So when she received word that Melissa was dipping into Dr. Maddock's funds again, Valerie decided to keep close watch on Melissa to find out what she was up to. She had parked her car on the other side of the Emerald Heart and walked around the side to find Melissa standing at a door.

She noticed as Melissa removed a gun from the bag she had in her hand and placed it in her jacket. Shocked, Valerie turned away from the door and covered her mouth to keep quiet. Melissa had quite a few more secrets than Valerie imagined.



RONARR'S CAVE

"Are you okay?" Julia asked Blake, using his shoulder to regain her balance.

"I'm fine," Blake said. "That was kind of weird…I'm still not sure what happened here."

"Let's just get Vince and get the hell out of here," Julia suggested.

"Just what I had in mind," Blake replied.

Both hurried to help Vince, who was lying unconscious on the cave floor. Julia checked to see if Vince was still breathing, and when she saw that he was, she and Blake lifted him to his feet. They struggled to carry Vince out of the cave as quickly as possible.

Once the three reached the cave's entrance, they were met with a loud humming sound. It was as if people were surrounding them and humming.

"What's going on?" Blake demanded.

Almost in response to his question, four people stepped from around the cave and stood before them. The four strangers were dressed in black cloaks with hoods concealing their faces. Startled, Blake tried to backtrack, but one of the strangers approached Blake and punched him in the face.

Blake cried out and crumpled to ground. Julia tried to keep Vince standing and turned to stare at Blake's attacker.

"Who are you?!" Julia cried. "Why are you —"

The stranger punched Julia in the face as well, cutting her off. Once Julia, Blake, and Vince were lying on the ground unconscious, the stranger turned back to his three companions.

"Take them now."

The remaining three cloaked figures moved to where Julia, Blake, and Vince were. They lifted the three teenagers onto their shoulders and began to walk away from the cave.



KEYES AIRPORT
FORDHAM BAY

"I almost thought we were going to miss the plane," Vanessa Phillips said, approaching the gate her plane was taking off from. She was taking a plane to New York, where she would then be transferring to a plane heading to France.

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken one last stroll in Marquette Cove," Nikki Vicman said, handing a ticket to her husband, Marcus, and Vanessa. "Letting Ryan see Eamon was enough tonight, it's a good thing he doesn't know we're leaving tonight."

"I guess so," Vanessa said softly.

"Don't worry, Vanessa," Marcus said. "You and Eamon will love France. It's a great country."

"I just…there's so many memories here," Vanessa said. "I don't know how to say goodbye to all of them, but I guess it's not really goodbye. Not forever."

"You're only saying that now," Nikki said. "You're going to love living in Paris and never want to come back to this boring deathtrap."

Vanessa held Eamon close to her and kissed him on the forehead. She didn't tell Nikki that she planned on coming back eventually to let Ryan have a role in his son's life. Mostly because she didn't want to upset her sister, and because Vanessa herself wasn't evens ure when that would be.

"Let's go," Vanessa said. "They've already started boarding the plane."

"Good riddance to bad memories," Nikki said, starting toward the gate.

"Goodbye to the memories I'll miss," Vanessa whispered. She turned and followed her sister and brother-in-law to the gate.