“Didn’t you say they predicted that this was the last time the portal was open?”

Helena’s jaw dropped slightly as she remembered that this was exactly what Alice said. The meaning of the letter now made a total sense. “You can try to come back in three months,” she whispered.

“What?” Candace was still on a lookout for mysterious Clarice. She smiled, thinking of ‘Silence of the Lambs’, her favorite movie. The grove was empty. The air was crisp and tranquil, with some cheerful sounds of morning birds.

“The letter said that…so it is true. We are stuck here forever,” Helena looked at her companion and added with venom in her voice. “I stuck here with you…forever.”

The smile disappeared from Candace’s face as she saw Helena’s features distorted in anguish and fury. Everything suddenly went quiet but there was no one around to hear a loud wailing from two desperate souls, “Fuuuuuuuuuuck…” as Candace and Helena realized that they had arrived to their final destination with no way out.

Two Months Later

Place: Tina’s house, Los Angeles, CA

Time: Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Tina was packing for a long week stay at the mansion. Bette was in the kitchen making breakfast before they would hit the road. Today was Bette’s birthday and she was planning a special surprise for her lover. They were going to have a quiet dinner with friends and Kit who would join them later in the evening. Tina was folding the clothes they were bringing, thinking back to the last two months of their lives since the fateful drama events of October. She smiled. She never felt closer to Bette as she did know. Their love survived so many ups and downs and only made them stronger and more in love than ever.

They had met with the FBI agents on Monday following the Operation GROVE. The results of the MRI’s were unremarkable, according to their brain specialist. Professor Kroll surprisingly wasn’t there and Agent McKinnon just shrugged when Alice asked about his whereabouts. He was unavoidably detained and the girls didn’t want to press further. They were told to stay put and not to leave town but so far there were no additional communications from the FBI or Kroll.