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he had been with it. Monty offered a sword to Charlotte, but she adamantly refused. I was glad. I didn’t like the idea of a weapon in her hands. I wasn’t being sexist; Samantha had made me realize that some girls could fight, but I didn’t want Charlotte doing it.
    We walked through the main entrance, and I made sure to keep Charlotte in my sight at all times. Norman likely entered through that gate, and I didn’t want that jerk touching her.
    “ I can’t believe there’s an entrance in here.” I shook my head, thinking how little I really knew about how our world connected with Energo.
    “ Yeah, I discovered it when I was at Carolina. It doesn’t open up to the best spot in Energo, but it will work.” Monty led us at a brisk pace, turning around occasionally to make sure we were all with him.
    In the light of the lantern she held, Charlotte appeared apprehensive. “What do you mean, ‘not the best spot’?”
    “ You’ll see when we get through.” Monty didn’t seem to be in the mood for answering questions.
    We walked down the steps, then veered left around a large fountain and came to the top of a multi-tiered terrace. Monty immediately headed over to a small building. He kicked at the door, reminding me of the night Charlotte had gone missing and we had broken into James’s house. We all followed Monty in as he moved some old furniture out of the way before taking a small crystal key from his pocket.
    “ Did you just happen to have that key with you?” I started to wonder if he had anticipated a need to use the gate on this trip.
    “ I brought it just in case. Besides, even if I didn’t, Charlotte has hers.”
    Charlotte pulled her necklace out from under her sweatshirt as Monty gestured to her.
    “ Like how you brought the swords with you?” Liam laughed.
    Monty ignored us and inserted the key into a lock that looked as though it was just part of the wall. He paused, turning to look at me. “You know, Kevin, you might not make it back for your next game.”
    I let his words sink in, realizing that he was talking about more than just one game, but there was no way I was turning back. “I know. Let’s do this.”
    Monty pushed against the door, and suddenly, we were no longer in the old building.

Chapter Five
    Charlotte
     
    The air was oppressively hot, but I still felt better than I had all year the moment we stepped into Energo. The heaviness in my chest lessened, and with every breath, I became more relaxed. As much as I might have wanted to deny it, at least in some way, Energo was home. My thoughts immediately turned to Calvin. I understood that I wasn’t going to Bellgard to see him, but I knew he was close, and that was enough to set my heart racing.
    “ Oh, my god. It’s hot.” Kevin unzipped his sweatshirt dramatically.
    “ Your observations are always so astute, Kevin.” James couldn’t give up an opportunity to razz my brother.
    I didn’t voice the feeling out loud, but it was kind of fun to watch someone giving Kevin a taste of his own medicine. Still, I didn’t want it to go too far. Kevin tensed, and I jumped in before it could become a full-fledged argument. “So aside from the heat, do we know anything about where we are?”
    “ We are in the Sutuni desert. It’s always hot. I told you the gate didn’t open to the best place.” Monty started to walk, and we all followed while pulling off our sweatshirts and jackets.
    “ You know, Charlotte, you could get rid of this heat for us.” Henry’s suggestion made me freeze.
    “ Umm, I haven’t tried my abilities since we left last year.” I had considered the idea, but being so out of practice, I was terrified to try. Even though returning to Energo had made me feel better, the fear of failure was still on my mind.
    James nudged me. “You’re the Essence. It should come naturally.” I had somewhat forgiven him for kissing me, maybe part of being the Essence meant not holding grudges, but my annoyance started to