I ran ahead, trying to catch up with Jamie before I lost sight of him. Seeing him standing there had stirred up so many emotions that I didn't even know how to process them right now.
"Jamie, wait!"
I called out for him, gasping as Miles grabbed me, stopping me from going any further.
"I was so right about you when we first met. You really do have a death wish."
I struggled against him, just like back in the alleyway. It certainly felt like history repeating itself.
"Let me go. I need to talk to Jamie."
He was only a few steps ahead of us, checking for a way in to the jail, but I felt like I could lose him altogether if he went any further.
"No sweetheart, what you need is to calm it and to keep your voice down. We are about to trespass in the most torturous jail any of the generations has ever seen to bust out two prisoners and you are running your mouth off. Quit it."
I still didn't know what to make of Miles. One minute, I felt sorry for him and saw that he was a good person and the next....he infuriated me.
"She told you to let her go. Get your hands off her."
Jamie was so angry that it sent shivers through me. I had never seen him look or sound so cold since I had known him.
"You think I'm going to listen to you? You're girlfriend here has a mission to get us all killed, so forgive me if I'm not crazy happy about letting her go so she can run off and scream your name again."
Jamie turned around to face us. Every time I looked into his eyes and saw how hurt he was, I wanted to cry.
"I said, take your hands off her. Or I'll take your head off."
I gasped as Jamie shoved into Miles, pushing me out of his grip. I could hardly believe that he was capable of violence. Jamie had his fists at the ready, prepared to strike Miles.
"Jamie, come on... it's fine."
He looked at me, his face softening for the first time since he showed up. I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Jamie away from Miles. Just as I was about to talk to Jamie, Miles shoved Jamie, hard, sending him flying into the dusty ground.
"Oh come on. This isn't the time or place to have stupid little boy fights."
I knew that voice. I could have cried as I saw Mel appear in front of us as if by magic.
I flung my arms around her, relieved to have some back up. The thought of entering The Coal Jailhouse was terrifying enough without the threat of Jamie and Miles beating each other to a pulp.
"Mel, what are you doing here?!"
She hugged me back, then rolled her eyes.
"The same thing as what you are doing here of course. Saving the annoying wizard from torture." I didn't comment on the annoying remark, I knew she adored Popkins really. "And I've bought along some help."
We watched, mesmerised, as a circle of white mist eveloped Jamie, making it look as though fairy dust were being sprinkled on him. There was even a light tinkling sound, like a far away bell. And then a ghost appeared next to him. A ghost that very much resembled a little girl ghost I had once met. Only this ghost was older now, she looked about our age.
I put my hands to my face in shock.
"Maisie? How...how is this even possible?"
She grinned at me, proving that she really was a Sapphire masquerading as a Diamond. No Diamonds were able to show happiness.
"It turns out that lending my Sapphire to Jamie didn't finish me off. My powers just seemed to get stronger rather than fade away. I can't morph into a Ruby or an Emerald...and I can't enter The Sapphire world at all...but I'm killing it as a Diamond. Literally." She giggled, then looked at Jamie, a soppy smile on her face. "Hey little brother. Nice to meet you. It seems that you having my stone has kept me strong somehow. Mel came to The Diamonds to try and save me, but it turns out she never needed to."
I held back a tear as Jamie put his hand out to her in salute. I knew that they couldn't touch each other in case Maisie walked through him. It was too high a risk after he was ghosted thirteen times not too long ago.
"Great. You're all here and reunited. What a truly lovely....nah, I'm kidding. I'm bored of all of you. Has anyone figured out a plan to get in this place yet or are you all just going to play happy families?"
Even though he was being rude and brash, I could detect the undertone in Miles voice. He was lonely.
"Who is this jerk and why is he here?"
It was good to know Mel hadn't changed and that she was still her usual charming self.
"This is Miles. He's here to rescue someone and hey... he's not a jerk. I couldn't have made it here without him."
"Yeah, he's a real hero."
Jamie sneered at Miles, his voice full of venom. To give Miles his credit, he didn't retaliate. I had to talk to Jamie.
"Jamie, what are you doing here? I... I put a spell on you. I didn't want you to follow me. I didn't want you in danger."
He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest once more. Hostile. Unmoving.
"I know you put a spell on me. What do you think Cassie? That I'm an idiot? I know you. I knew exactly what you would try to do. So I cast a protective spell bubble, shielding me from any spell you might cast to enable you to run away, just like you always do. And don't even pretend that all of this has to do with saving Popkins. Half of it is because you're scared. You're scared that we are going to be ripped apart from each other, but so what if we are? It's still a love story Cassie. Our love story. And you can't keep running on the pretence that you want to protect me. It's bull. It's selfish."
I wasn't sure what I was expecting him to say, but it wasn't that. I knew deep down that he was right, but it terrified me how he could aready know what I felt before I was even sure of it myself.
"I'm sorry but we really don't have time for this. We have to get in to this prison before we all become prisoners ourselves."
Miles clapped and pointed at Maisie.
"Yes. Finally. Someone talking sense. For a creepy ghost, you're alright."
Maisie raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Right. Thanks... I guess."
Mel took out her wand and started muttering a spell under her breath. She said the same one over and over again until there were four identical black jumpsuits with black baseball caps lying in front of us.
"Maisie was telling me that the jailers or should I say, sadistic torturers...wear these. Everyone put them on. I'm going to magic up coal and we have to rub it on our faces and hands, and any visible bit of skin."
We did exactly as Mel instructed, pulling the suits over the clothes we already wore and smudging our faces with the coal.
"The coal is because of the fire pits. The Hell Raisers are a particular force in The Coal Jailhouse, they specialize in torturing people with fire." Maisie had continued on from Mel. I hated how she knew exactly what she was talking about. She had experienced many years of torture, even more so than Jamie. "The Hell Raisers are immune to the fire pits and can stay in their for hours at a time, so it permanently looks like they've come from a burning building. Which in a way, they have. You guys are going to go in and pretend you are Hell Raisers and that you've been sent to take Popkins down to the pits. Once you have him, sneak out the way you came in which will be the staff entrance round past that gate....and we will magic ourselves the hell out of here if all goes to plan. I'm going to stay out here. If they see a Diamond floating around inside, they will know that something is up and hunt you down. Good luck guys."
I gulped and gave Maisie a little nod, before following Jamie and Mel who had already started to make their way to the staff entrance.
"So what about me? Any of you got an idea for me or are you just all going to run off and leave me to it?"
I stopped, horrified at how selfish I was being. I had been so keen to get to Popkins that I hadn't given Miles a second thought.
"Look, there are four of you. Pair up. Two of you go and save Popkins and two of you go for whoever Mr Happy here is trying to save."
Maisie gestured at Miles. She made everything sound so simple, so easy.
"I'm so sorry Miles. After everything you've done for me, I was just going to run off without a thought towards you. I feel awful." He shrugged, pushing his blonde hair away from his forehead. He was clearly used to doing everything alone. "I'll go with you. Mel, Jamie, you go find Popkins. We will pair up and meet out here if we are successful."
Jamie swivelled around, staring at me as if I had suddenly gone mad.
"Over my dead body. You are not going in there with him. He can do it on his own."
"Jamie, don't be so cruel. If it was Maisie in there would you want everyone to send you in alone to face it?"
I was mad at him. Angry that he couldn't see it was right to help Miles.
"Fine, Mel can go with him. You're coming with me."
I scoffed, puzzled that he was being so stubborn.
"No. I'm going with him. And you can quit telling me what to do."
"Cassie, I'm not going to argue with you abo....."
"Will you stop it? The longer we stand here, the more we risk being caught." From under the black baseball cap, Mel's icy blue eyes glared at us. "Cassie, go with Jerk boy. Jamie, you are coming with me. No arguments."
She grabbed Jamie by the wrist and marched towards the entrance. Miles and I followed behind, silently.
The closer we got, the worse the screams and smell became. The heat was unbearable even though there was no fire in sight. Mel muttered something under her breath and tapped her wand against the heavy locked door, before hiding it under her cap.
As soon as we walked through, we were hit by the horrors. On the left side of me, people in uniforms exactly the same as ours had prisoners tied to chairs, electrocuting them. Burning, electrified flesh was a smell different to anything I had ever known. I felt bile rise up in my throat, just being here was making me gag. On my right, the occasional loud cry of help from prisoners who were having their heads dunked under water for minutes at a time.
I looked away, concentrating on Jamie in front of me. His back was rigid, he was completely still as if frozen. I stepped up beside him and discreetly took his hand in mine. He didn't even notice when I touched him. He was trapped in his own living nightmare.
"You're OK Jamie. Nobody is going to hurt you. You are safe."
He still didn't move. His eyes were wide with fright and I wished with all my heart he hadn't cast the protective spell bubble around him. He could have been somewhere else, hypnotised but safe. I sighed in relief as slowly but surely, he squeezed my hand back to let me know he had heard.
Mel turned around to us and pointed at the electrocution room. I stifled a gasp as I saw a dishevelled Popkins sitting there. His glasses were gone and he had blood pouring from his mouth. His shirt was cut open, showing angry red welts deep into his skin. His eyes were glazed over and I could tell he was nearly unconscious. I couldn't look anymore.
Mel signalled to Jamie that it was time to go. I squeezed his hand again.
"Be safe. I love you."
He gave a slight nod, then started to follow Mel. Just before he let go of my hand, he looked at me, the fear still in his eyes.
"I love you too. Meet me out there. Promise me."
I nodded. I couldn't stand how scared he was. It broke my heart. I couldn't look at Mel in case she got hurt doing this. And I couldn't look at the usually vibrant and quirky Popkins, being tortured before my very eyes.
I pushed an unusually quiet Miles forward.
"Come on, let's go."
We walked through the prison, unable to block out the screams and awful scenes in front of us. There was a room with beds full of nails, a huge hall where at least twenty prisoners at a time were being whipped by a huge, monstorous stiff belt and a room where it looked like one particular inmate was being cut all over by a small but extremely sharp knife. It was sadistic. It was everyone's worst nightmare rolled into one.
"I can't see her. Why can't I see her anywhere?"
I wasn't entirely sure if Miles was talking to me or muttering to himself.
"What's her name?"
"Rosie. Her name's Rosie and I can't find her."
I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm.
"Look, it says the fire room is downstairs. She might already be with the Hell Raisers."
He sighed deeply.
"Great, so if she's not up here being tortured, she's being burnt downstairs."
"I'm sorry Miles, but we have to go down and see. The Hell Raisers will think we are going down to work, we can just say we need to take Rosie up to the 'Bed of Nails' room or something in exchange for another prisoner. They haven't clocked us yet, so they aren't exactly the brightest bunch."
He realised that what I said was our only option and opened the door to head downstairs. Each step down made things more unbearable. The heat was so intense that I didn't know how I was going to stand it. The flames assaulted every sense and I had to be careful not to pass out.
The fire was so orange and intense that I struggled to see exactly what was going on. There was a walk way through the middle where flames licked at our feet as we pressed on.
I started coughing, trying desperately to stifle it. I had to look like I was one of them, like I was here all the time.
People's screams were drowned out down here by the crackle of the fires.
"She's not here either Cassie. She's not here."
I tried to adjust my eyes so I could search. Although I didn't know what Rosie looked like, I could tell that Miles was right. It seemed to be only men down here.
"Are you looking for someone?"
A big built man blocked our path, looking us up and down. With his face smudged with dirt and burn, and the matching black jumpsuit and baseball cap, we looked exactly like him.
"Rosie. We are here to take her upstairs to one of the rooms."
The gruff man grunted.
"Well you won't find her down here. These prisoners are getting weaker all the time. Can't stand the torture like back in the good old days. Our second death today."
I saw Miles whole body go tense. His fists balled up at his sides. My heart stopped momentarily. I was sure I had misheard. I cleared my throat, trying to make my voice deep.
"We've been instructed to take her upstairs. She's wanted in the nails room."
The stocky man shrugged.
"Like I said, she's dead. Coal dust. Little weakling."
He walked off shaking his head.
I didn't know what to do. My mind was completely blank until I saw Miles step forward to the flames. My instinct kicked in as I realised he was about to jump.
"Don't you dare."
I only just managed to grab him before he fell, burning my hand in the process. It took all my will and energy to pull him back up the steep, jagged stairs. Just before I opened the door, I turned to Miles, putting my hand on his shoulder.
"I know you must be heart broken. I know it feels like you can't go on right now. But if you do something crazy, we will all be found out. It's not just you who will die in this jailhouse today. So I am being selfish and begging you.. just hold it together until we get outside."
Although his eyes were glassed over and misty, he gave a slight nod.
I reached up and put my arms around him, squeezing him in a hug.
"I'm so sorry Miles."
We walked out of the fire pit door and back past the toture rooms. As we got closer to the exit, a man in a black jumpsuit eyed us suspiciously.
"Break time."
I offered in a hoarse voice after being surrounded by fire. He nodded, gesturing that it was OK for me and Miles to walk out.
We opened the door and took lung fulls of fresh air as we walked as far away from the prison as our legs could take us.
Maisie had been hovering above the prison grounds. She glided over to us with ease, frowning when she saw that nobody was with us.
"Where's your girlfriend?"
I tried to warn her, but she didn't catch on.
I watched helplessly as Miles collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
I sat down next to him, rubbing his back wordlessly, letting him get lost in his grief. Words wouldn't help. Nothing would help.
All we could do now was wait for the others.