Where Secrets Lie

"Out of all the underworlds from different cultures, the Japanese got it right. Yomi is a hell dimension and some of the nastiest demons reside there."

"And why would he want to open up the underworld?" asked Alyssa.

"Because we took what's important to him..." said Alex.

"Catherine." Kara finished.

"Regardless, we can't let that happen. There will be dire consequences of offsetting the balance," Michele said.

Kara looked to Michele, "Is that even possible? Won't he need another body for her soul?"

"Not necessarily," Michele waved her hand and a book appeared out of thin air. The pages made a crinkling sound as she flipped the pages, "There are some spells that will let Catherine materialize her old body but a sacrifice is needed."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Logan asked.

"I don't know" Michele slammed the book shut. "That is magic beyond my own."

Amy's face flashed a look of concern, "What do you mean beyond your own?"

"Dark Magic." She replied.

Kara let out a sigh as a somber silence fell over the room. She sat on the coffee table, sitting directly in front of the servant, "Did you happen to hear when or where this is happening?" she asked. The girl simply shook her head. "Of course not." She looked at Michael, "Because things are never easy." He gave a faint knowing smile and she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Well, there are only certain spots where you can open the underworld," said Alex. "So that narrows it down."

Michael shot his father a suspicious look. "And how do you know about this?"

"Because I was in Yomi," said Alex, turning the room quiet. "While my mother was performing the spell to make me one of the first immortals, I was in Yomi. Although I was gone from the world for a few hours, I felt like I was there for days."

Amy sat on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs, "How was it?"

Alex shook his head as if to jolt himself out of deep thought, "Hell."

"I still can't believe Elijah is willing to go to these lengths just to get Catherine." Kara turned to look at Hannah, "No offense, but your sister was insane!"

Hannah scoffed, "None taken. Like seriously, none at all. She was and still is cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

Michael interjected, "Even more so. You forget, Catherine has been trapped there for over 200 years."

"Surely, Elijah is doing this to release Catherine, but he's going to release a lot of evil with her," said Amy.

"So where are the locations to open Yomi?" Alyssa asked. "Is there one near Ayers?"

"I don't know the exact locations. I only know that to open the underworld, you need to find a hotbed of deaths. One location where at least hundreds died."

"According to the internet, there are only three places close to Ayers where they can do this," said Henry, while searching on his tablet. "This site has the most deaths. It hosts 350 deaths from a building fire in 1860. It's currently being renovated as a new office building."

"I remember that fire," said Michael.

"I'd say we found a winner," said Logan, smiling.

Kara rubbed her temples, "Now, all we have to do is find out when."

Henry nodded. "I'll do more research and keep my ear to the ground,"

While everyone was busy talking, Hannah pulled Kara aside into the hallway. "I've been wanting to ask for a while now but didn't want to bother you. Alyssa was dead, then alive, then a vampire...."

"Hannah!" Kara interrupted her babbling. "You can ask me anything."

"Whose blood did you give to me, Kara?"

"Hmmm, ummmmm," Kara had hoped she somehow forgot about the vial of blood. She still didn't want to answer that question. She felt it wasn't her place to tell this secret.

As she struggled to come up with a reply, Michael walked around the corner. "Did I just hear that right?" Michael asked. "Kara, you gave Hannah the blood I gave you?"

Kara stood behind Hannah, making hand gestures across her neck to tell Michael to stop talking, but he failed to notice.

"That was supposed to be strictly for you but that was kind of you to let her use it. I'll get you some more of my blood," he said.

"That was your blood?" she asked.

"That's right," Michael said. "She didn't tell you?"

Kara threw her arms up in defeat. "Michael!"

"I don't understand," Hannah said. "Why did it heal me?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Michael asked. "Vampire blood always heals." Michael looked back and forth between the two of them, confused.

Hannah turned to Kara. "What are you not telling us? You know something, don't you? You knew that blood would work, and you knew that only the blood of one of my relatives would save me."

Alex approached from the shadows, "I believe I can shed some light on this."