I found myself curled up asleep, using Liam's chest as a pillow. I couldn't fall asleep but I felt Liam's deep breaths in and out. I knew Elijah and Mason were also asleep, their backs pressed against each other. I slowly lifted my head off Liam's chest. He stirred but stayed asleep. I got up quietly and went to where my pillar was. I slid my hand on the top of it and pulled out the bottle of poison.

"Why do I have you?" I muttered.

The other two bottles still lay on the pillar and I picked one up. I unscrewed the lid and sniffed it. The smell of lavender filled my nose and I smiled and then put the bottle down. I grabbed the other bottle. I began to unscrew it.

"Thomas?" Elijah was awake. 

The bottle slid from my hand and crashed on my ground. I pulled away from it and darted backwards, falling over. I looked at Elijah.

"H-hi Elijah." I smiled.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothin. Just curious on what the other things . . . smelled like." 

"Okay." Elijah looked at the sign and the bottles, "Wait . . . that's not water."

I froze.

"That's poison!" 

I darted up and covered his mouth. 

"Shh!" I whispered angrily, "Don't wake the others!"

Elijah pushed my hand away, "Why didn't you tell us?!" 

"Cause I didn't want you to think that I was trying to kill someone."

"Then why do you have it?!" Elijah questioned.

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out . . ." I paused and glanced at Mason, "Don't tell Mason."

"But-"

"Please?" I begged.

"Fine. But he's gonna find out sooner or later." 

A clicking sound filled the air and then the pillars began to sink into the ground.  

Liam dart up. 

"What's happening?!" He asked alarmed.

Mason opened his eyes and rubbed them, "What?"

"You'd be great if there was an actual emergency." I said and rolled my eyes at Mason.

"Emergency?!" He darted up, "Where?!"

"Calm down." I said, "The pillars are just going away."

"That must mean our next challenge is coming." Liam stood up and helped Mason.

"I wonder what it is . . . " Elijah muttered, "Probably another death trap."

"It's bound to be." I answered and watched as the pillars went down.

Suddenly I darted my hand out and grabbed the lavender smelling bottle just before the pillar went fully into the ground.

"Why'd you do that?" Mason asked, "It's just water." 

I sighed, "Just thought it might come in handy." I placed the bottles in my pocket.

"Alright." Mason glanced at Elijah.

"Let's go." Liam began walking towards a wall.

He placed his hand on it and it slid open. He jumped back.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Elijah asked.

"Who knows." Liam walked through and then the wall slammed shut.

"Liam!" I darted over towards the wall and placed my hand on it. 

Nothing happened. I pounded my fist on it. Liam screamed and a wizzing sound came. The wall slid open into an empty room. 

"Liam?" I walked in and the wall behind me shut. 

I spun around and pounded on the fist again on the wall, "Help!" I yelled.

Another wizzing sound came and the floor below me vanished and I fell down a dark pit. 

I covered my mouth, hopping I wouldn't scream but it still came as I fell down the dark pit at 100 miles per hour. My eyes snapped shut until I fell with a thud on a floor. I curled into the ball from the pure pain of it all. I allowed myself to open my eyes and saw that I was in a dark room with nothing in it other than a single candle in the middle of the room with a sign next to it. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around. I was alone in the room, Liam wasn't there. I sighed and walked over towards the small light that came from the candle. I sat with my legs crossed next to it. My eyes looked at the sign that read 'Extinguish the flame'. My hand found it's way from my side over towards the flame where the tip of my finger almost touched it. I thought for a moment and put my finger in my mouth and quietly tried to put down the flame. I touched the flame, squishing it, but nothing happened. I sighed again and got up, wiping my hand on my jeans. I headed towards a wall and laid down. I was tired. I hadn't slept when everyone else had, I had been too busy with the bottles. My eyes slowly closed. The bottles. Liquid. My consciousness disappeared as I passed out.

---

I woke up and saw I was still in the room. I stretched and headed towards the candle again. I stared at the sign. My hand reached into my pocket and found the lavender smelling battle. I pulled it out and stared at the liquid inside of the strange bottle. I unscrewed the bottle and took a deep breath of the liquid. I stared at the flame and the sign. 

"Extinguish the flame." I read and looked back at the bottle. 

I sighed and quietly held the bottle above the flame and allowed the liquid to slowly drip from the top onto the flame. The flame extinguished.  I grinned and a loud dinging sound came and the wall in front of me opened. I put on the cap of the bottle and ran to the opening. I ran through the the wall behind me closed. In front of me Elijah was looking at an arrangement of weapons.

"Elijah!" I cried out and went over and hugged him tightly.

"Thomas? Oh hey dude! Glad to see a familiar face." He sighed and looked at the weapons again, "What was your challenge?" 

"To extinguish a candle flame." I answered.

"That's not very hard." 

"Actually it was kind of. I had to use some of this." I pulled out the lavender bottle.

"The poison?"

"Nah, it's not the poison, it's one of the other bottles." 

"Is there still some in there?"

"Yeah, I think." I looked inside the bottle, "Yep, there is still a little bit." 

Elijah nodded and reached out for a sword and then bolted his hand back.

"What's yours?" I asked.

"I have to choose a weapon."

"That's more of a prize than a challenge." 

"That I have to kill something with."

"What are you killing?"

"No idea."

"That's annoying." I said, "Why don't we face it together?" I offered.

"Sure, but you'll have to take a weapon as well."

"Alright." I looked at the weapons.

Elijah reached out and took the sword that he was debating on earlier, "I'll take this one." He said then looked at me.

I reached out and grabbed a trident, "I'll take this I guess."

"Do you even know how to use that?" He asked.

"What do you think I used to become famous?" I asked.

"A dagger? Shovel? Bow and arrow? Sword?" 

"A trident doofus." 

Elijah rolled his eyes and a wall opened, "That must be where the thing we're fighting is."

"Let's look then." I began walking towards the opening.

"Wait! We don't even know what's in there." 

"Actually . . ." I went up to Elijah and pulled out the poison bottle and dropped a bit on his sword. 

I took the sword and moved it around so that the poison coated it.

"There." I handed the sword back to Elijah.

I did the same thing on my trident and was left with only a small bit of poison.

"You sure that was a good idea? You barely have any left."

"So? What am I going to use it for?" 

"I guess you're right." Elijah nodded and took my wrist, "Let's go." He began walked to the opening.

Elijah looked surprised than worried when he saw what we had to face.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked.

In front of us were a surprised Liam and Mason.