The Twins took a couple steps farther into the root cellar and away from the tunnel. No, there's nothing in there. I hesitated. At least I don't think so. Anyway, that's not what scared me. You expect us to believe you fainted because you were scared of the dark? Aphrodite said. They all stared at me. I cleared my throat. Hey, y'all. Maybe there's stuff Zoey just doesn't wanna talk about, said Stevie Rae. I looked at my best friend and realized if I didn't say something about what had just happened to me I wouldn't be able to face what I needed to do about her. You're right, I told Stevie Rae. I don't want to talk about it, but you guys deserve to hear the truth.

I let my gaze take in the rest of the group. That tunnel freaked me out so much because my soul recognized it. I cleared my throat and went on, I remembered being trapped in the earth with Kalona. You mean because there really is some of A-ya inside of you? Damien asked softly. I nodded. I'm me, but I'm also, somehow, still a part of her. Interesting . . . Damien breathed a long sigh. Well, what the hell does that mean for you and Kalona today? Aphrodite asked.

I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I burst out, the stress and honest-to-goddess confusion about what had just happened boiled over inside me. I don't have the damn answers. All I have is the memory and zero time to process it. How about you guys back off just a little and let me get the mess inside my head straight? Everyone shuffled around and mumbled okays, sending me she's lost her mind looks. Ignoring my gawking friends, and the unanswered Kalona questions that were almost visible in the air around me, I turned to Stevie Rae. Explain to me exactly how you made the tunnel. I could tell by the question mark in her blue eyes that she was worried about my tone.

I hadn't sounded all Crap! I just fainted and need to change the subject 'cause I'm embarrassed by being a reincarnated chick. I'd sounded like a High Priestess. Well, it wasn't really that big of a thing. Stevie Rae looked nervous and uncomfortable, like she was trying too hard to be nonchalant because she was feeling the exact opposite. Hey, are you sure you're okay? Shouldn't we go up out of here and maybe get you a brown pop or somethin'? I mean, if this place gives you flashbacks, talkin' someplace else sounds like a good idea. I'm okay. Right now I just want to hear about the tunnel. I met her gaze steadily. So tell me how you did this.

I could sense the other kids, as well as Sister Mary Angela, watching us with curiosity mixed in with their confusion, but I kept focused on Stevie Rae. 'Kay, well, you know the Prohibition tunnels are practically everywhere under the downtown buildings, right? I nodded. Right. Also, remember that I told you I'd been doin' some reconnoitering to see where they all went? Yeah, I remember. Okay, so, I found that kinda half-covered tunnel entrance that Ant told y'all about the other day--the one that branches off away from the others that go under the Philtower Building and stuff. I nodded again impatiently. Well, it was filled in with dirt, but when I felt around the little hole left in the middle of it, I knocked a bunch of dirt away, stuck my arm through, and felt a bunch of cool air.

That made me think there was probably more tunnel on the other side of it. So I pushed, with my mind and my hands and my element. And earth responded. Responded? Like it shook or something? I asked. More like it moved. Like I wanted it to. In my head. She paused. It's kinda hard to explain. But what happened was the dirt that had sealed the tunnel ended up crumbling and I stepped through the new bigger opening into a really, really old tunnel. And this old tunnel was made of dirt, not lined with concrete, like the tunnels under the depot and downtown, right? Damien said. Stevie Rae smiled and nodded, her blond hair bouncing around her shoulders.

Yeah! And instead of heading downtown it pointed to midtown. It came all the way here? I tried to guesstimate in my head how many miles that was and could no way do the math. Of course, I am math impaired, but still, it was a ways. Nope. What happened was that once I found the dirt tunnel and kinda opened it up, I went explorin' in it. Okay, it starts as one of the off shoots of the Philtower Building. I thought it was weird and kinda cool that it headed away from downtown. How could you tell that? Damien interrupted her. How could you even guess where you were heading? Easy-peasy for me! I can always find north, you know, the direction of my earth element. Once I find it--I can find anything. Hmm, he said. Go on, I said. Then what? Then it ran out. Just, well, stopped. Before you slipped me the note about meeting you here at the sisters' place, that's where I stopped, too. I mean, sure, I was plannin' to go back and check it out some more later, but it really wasn't a high priority to me. When you told me I might have to move the kids here, I couldn't quit thinkin' about the dirt tunnel. I remembered that it had been headed in this direction before it ran out. So I went back there. I thought about where I wanted to go and how I wished the tunnel would go there.