“Why me?” Corazon asked.

     “Because I always thought you were shallow and that you never even noticed the bad stuff. Because you always seemed so happy, I thought that you never acknowledged the suffering that goes on in our world.” Dienna paused to take a deep breath. “But, after hearing all of that, I realized that you’re actually the deepest, most sensitive person that I know. And, I’ll tell you right now, Corazon.” Dienna was speaking in the most serious manner that Corazon had ever heard. “I now have respect for you that no one else has ever earned from me. I respect you, because I know, now, how much you really do suffer when you think about how much the world suffers, and yet, you always smile. You seem to somehow be able to keep going with life even though it scars you so badly.”

     “Thank you, Dienna.” Corazon said after a moment’s pause. “For understanding me.”

     “I only wish I had sooner.” Dienna honestly stated.

     “Hey, listen!” Lauren exclaimed after a few more moments of silence-complete silence. “Do you hear that?”

     “Hear what?” Dienna inquired.

     “I don’t hear anything.” Corazon said.

     “Exactly!” Lauren yelped. “The screams!”

     “They’ve stopped!” Corazon agreed enthusiastically.

     “What does that mean?” Dienna asked.

     “That in one hour from now, there’s going to be an escape!” Lauren excitedly answered.

     “Oh yeah!” Dienna remembered that part of the conversation. “You really think that someone is going to be able to get us all out of here?”

     “Yes, of course!” Lauren said.

     Sure enough, after about one hour, the wall behind Corazon’s cell shifted slightly and Twilight poked his head in.

     “Corazon.” He barked in a whisper. Corazon jerked her head around. “Shh! Don’t say anything! Come on, hurry! We don’t have much time.”

     Corazon quickly went through the wall and let Twilight close it behind her. The other four men, Ray, and the other girls were all standing there, in a long, dark passage.

     “Is everyone okay?” Corazon quickly inquired.

     “Yes, we’re all fine.” Twilight whispered. “But we mustn’t talk here. Someone might notice.”

     “Can we get someone else out?” Corazon asked. “She’s only a child and she’s in the cell next to mine.”

     Twilight shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Corazon.” He glumly told her. “What we’re doing will be too dangerous for anyone else, let alone a child.”

     “But,” Corazon began to protest, but Twilight put a finger to her lips.

     “Come.” He was very grave. “We’ve work to do.”

     She fell in line right behind Twilight. They walked through the dank darkness for what seemed like hours. Soon Corazon noticed the passage slope down, and she concluded that they must have been going under the dungeon. A while later, they finally saw light ahead.

     The light was dim in the large room and Corazon could barely make out a large machine in the center of it.

     “Quickly.” Twilight said as he rushed the group over to the large machine. He opened a door. “You girls, go inside.”

     “What does it do?” Felicia inquired.

     “It will rearrange your molecule structure, as it would be rearranged if you went through an interdimensional portal. A side effect of this rearrangement is the ability to use your mind as the Bandaa warriors do.”

     “Can’t everyone do that?” Giselle asked as she went inside of the machine.

     “No.” Twilight replied. “Only certain members of the Bandaa race. We only know that it rubs off on humans because we,” he indicated his four friends, “Discovered these powers within us after our first several trips through the portals. Hurry up.”

     When everyone was at last inside the machine, Twilight pushed a button. Nothing thrilling happened, except that the girls felt every last particle of their bodies taken apart and put back together again. When they walked out, they all felt strange.

     “Now,” Twilight said to them. “We are going to battle Racule and Heranna. We will not be of much help because we just came from the torture rooms. You must be the ones to defeat them.”

     “Why us?” Corazon demanded. “Why don’t we just free the rest of them and lead a revolution?”

     “Too much blood will be spilled.” Jerry said.

     “And they’d be no match for the Bandaa.” Tyler added.

     “It must be you.” Twilight repeated.

     “But we don’t even know how to use these powers.” Felicia protested.

     “Do you remember what I said, about having it in you?” Twilight asked them. When the girls nodded, he continued. “There’s nothing to learn. All that you need to do is to find the deepest part of your heart and rely on your emotions and conscience to do the right thing. Don’t think. Your mind will ruin the process. These powers work on emotions, not thought patterns. Come.” He walked to the other end of the room and pushed open a section of the wall. “I will show you the way to the throne room. Once there, the guards of the tyrants will confront you. You must first get past them, and then get to the tyrants, themselves.”

     The six of them walked down more dark, intertwining passages. Then Twilight paused and pushed gently on a wall. He was about to motion for the girls to go ahead of him, but an arm reached in and yanked Twilight out. Then guards appeared and took the girls as well.

     Soon, they were all standing in front of Racule and Heranna.

     “Well, well, well.” Heranna mused.

     “If it isn’t the nuisance.” Racule mumbled.

     “Trying to escape?” Heranna assumed.

     “We think not.” Racule said.

     They rose simultaneously and walked down to the group as the guards left the sides of the prisoners.

     “You could never escape.” Heranna told Twilight.

     “I didn’t plan to.” Twilight stiffly replied.

     “Then what were you doing sneaking in the walls?” Racule demanded.

     “He was bringing us to destroy you.” Corazon announced.

     Racule burst into laughter.

     “You really think that you can beat us?” Heranna inquired.

     “Yes.” Corazon seriously said. Whether she had thought it was possible or not, it was necessary, and that was enough to force her to put her hope in herself and her friends.