Five anti-climatic minutes passed before the tension deflated. Kay released the pent up breath knocking around her ribs and poked her hand out of the elevator to wave it around. Nothing grabbed her or sliced off her digits so that was a plus. The hall remained silent and dim but for the faint crackling torches.

She didn't know what she expected after her dramatic descent, but the fifth floor of the grid looked the same as the last time she'd ventured down here with a tea-cart. Feeling more than a little foolish, she hit the button for the lobby. The doors remained open, the operation panel unresponsive as she smashed the buttons with mounting irritation.

"Fine," she snapped and stepped from the car into the hall. The elevator couldn't be the only way in and out of the Grid. That violated all sorts of safety codes. There had to be a set of stairs hidden away in case of fire or power loss. Right? It wasn't like she was in the bowels of the secret dungeon to a mysterious corporation with deadly contract clauses or anything.

Kay gnawed on the inside of her cheek, mentally berating herself that she wasn't even supposed to be here today and if one of the inmates of the fifth floor happened to take advantage of the gnomish chaos and stumble on her hapless self wandering the halls, they wouldn't even know to look for her body.

She huffed out loud. Her own inner babbling left her exhausted. Kay took a few tentative steps, thankful she wore her soft soled sneakers and not her clomping work boots as she tip-toed across the concrete floor. She jumped with a short squeal as the elevator dinged behind her.

Kay looked back to see the doors sliding shut.

"No, no, no, wait!" She rushed for the car but was just far enough away that the sliding doors nipped her fingers as she tried to catch them. As she listened to the empty car ascend, she couldn't help but feel this little encounter was by design. A note of fear tapped against the rhythm of her pulse as she slowly glanced back over her shoulder but there was no monster waiting for her in the hall, just a couple dozen of the most dangerous magical creatures barred behind their individual cell doors. The thought didn't make her feel any safer. The back of her neck tingled, as if someone, somewhere, was watching her. A creepy crawly feeling of dozens of unseen legs rushing over her skin.

"Gah," Kay gave an all over body shudder, brushing off the sensation of invisible spiders before she turned and leaned back against the closed elevator. What the hell was she going to do now?

Well, there was one person she knew on this level.

"No, don't even think about it, we are not doing that." Had she actually said that out loud? Who was the proverbial we? Was she referring to herself in the 'royal we' like the very golden princess she was trying desperately not to think about?

"I am not doing that," she verbally confirmed to the empty hallway. Heat flushed up the back of her neck and across her cheeks. Would it really be so bad to seek out the Princess? Maybe Serena knew the layout of the floor, which Kay knew was a lame ass excuse as soon as she thought it. There were fleeting echoes of Stanley's warnings not to talk to the prisoners running through her mind when a familiar 'face' landed on the nearest torch.

The sparrow peered down at Kay as it did the familiar hop dance down the torch shaft.

"Hello there," she whispered. Kay tried not to give too much credence to the sharp relief she felt at the arrival of a bird. She lifted a shaky hand, not sure was she expected but pleasantly surprised when the bird flitted down to perch on her fingers, its delicate talons less than pinpricks. It tilted its body to peer up at her and emitted a soft cheep.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a water bottle today," she said. Her brows furrowed. "A detail I may regret if I'm stuck down here very long."

The sparrow ruffled its feathers and launched back down the hall. The fairy tale princess moment was spoiled by the smear of brown left behind on her hand. She sighed.

"Figures," she muttered and wiped the bird shit on the elevator frame. With that Hallmark moment over, Kay headed for cell 1134; she hoped its golden occupant was feeling helpful.

It wasn't under she stared at the solid metal door she realized her error. Kay had no keys. She groaned under her breath and gently banged her forehead against the door. It was metal and she was not, but the sudden inward swing caught her off guard. Kay barely got her arms up to catch herself from an epic faceplant, unable to stop her yelp of dismay as the cement ground came rushing up at her.

"Kay?"

As Kay hissed at the fresh pain in her forearms a few alarming thoughts slowly registered. The cell door was not only unlocked but open, a factor made more alarming because she wondered if she'd left it that way. No, surely Stanley had been here since then? Serena was also crouched on her settee in a position Kay would call expectant, but the blatant surprise on the princess's face told her that Kay wasn't the one expected.

She'd hoped her brain would piece together some witty quip about her presence but all her mouth managed was "Owie."

Serena rose gracefully to her feet and crouched closer to where Kay lay prostrate on the floor, her wide golden eyes full of concern Kay would have sworn was genuine.

"What are you doing here? Rookies are supposed dismissed during lockdowns."

Kay blinked; that was another alarming statement. She should really start keeping a mental tally of how absolutely boned she was in this situation.

"You're not in uniform," said Serena, her tone bordering reproachful.

"I--I'm not on shift," said Kay, aware she was about to word vomit and unable to stop the spew. "I told everyone I was sick but that excuse won't work forever and my family is coming and I don't know how to spend ten minutes with my parents without spilling all the details of my work never mind two hours, and I can't keep lying to my roommate, and did I mention there was no one at the front gate. I thought this place had better safety protocol than this. Does this floor even have a stairwell. The elevator left without me."

Kay sucked in a breath like a drowning woman, keenly aware Serena's jaw hung open as she stared at her. The princess shook herself.

"Wow, okay, keep breathing love. Big deep breaths, in and out." Serena demonstrated, conducting with her hands as Kay followed along. She waited until Kay had steadied a little before she pressed her palms to the clear barrier between them. "Why did enter the building when the guard post was empty, love?"

Kay licked her lips, more than a little flustered at Serena calling her love with that old timey lilt in her voice like a Jane Austen flick. Even from her upside angle, the golden princess looked too beautiful to be real and trying to focus on her perfectly symmetrical face from this angle made Kay's head spin.

She eased up onto her elbows with a wince. "Something seemed wrong--"

"So you walked right in?" Serena interrupted, a snap in her voice that put Kay on the defensive.

"Hey, I figured they had to be busy with the gnomish problem. I could sneak in and talk to Stanley without bothering anyone--"

Serena made a frustrated noise and slapped the barrier hard enough to make the plastic wobble. "Do you have no sense of self preservation?"

"Why are you yelling at me?"

Serena threw up her hands. "I'm not yelling!"

Kay squinted at her. "Your voice is very loud for someone not yelling."

That remarked earned her a very unprincess-like scowl. Serena ran a hand through her hair, a nervous gesture but not one hair fell out of place. Kay suddenly wished she could reach over and muss up the woman's hair. She quickly bit down on the desire as Serena's admonishment registered.

"What do you mean, no sense of self preservation? How was I to know the elevator was gonna glitch out?"

If Kay hadn't been watching her face, she would have missed it; that fleeting spare second of guilt that flitted across Serena's features because her features schooled themselves smooth. Kay could smell the bird shit in more ways than one.

"Oh. My. Gravy. This was a trap." Kay almost pressed her hands to her cheeks before she remembered the sparrow's parting gift. She settled for wringing the hem of her shirt.

Serena's composure broke. "Did you just say 'oh my gravy'?"

"Who was that trap set for?" Kay's voice emerged as a squeak.

Serena's jaw set as she glanced at the open cell door. "This is not your concern. You need to leave."

"How? The elevator left without me and as far as I know that is the only way out of the Grid."

Serena's head jerked as if she heard something beyond Kay's range. "You really have to go. The others know you're here."

Well, that was frankly terrifying. She didn't want to think of what else could be down here and how many other doors were unlocked. Or, for that matter, how Serena sensed their awareness. What else could she sense? How different was she than 'normal humans'? It was something to meditated on later, when Kay wasn't in possible mortal danger. A fresh wave of panic flooded her system as Kay struggled to her feet.

"But, how do I get out of here?"

Serena didn't answer her. She was looking at the opposite wall, a distracted expression on her face as she bit the tip of her thumb.

"Serena?"

Kay hadn't meant to be so informal, but the sound of her name sent a jolt through the princess. Her gaze focused back on Kay, her golden gaze studying Kay's attire as a crease grew between her brows.

"Did you bring anything with you?"

Kay stiffened, patting down her pockets, but there were no odd lumps in her pockets other than the hard angular shape of her cell phone. "No. Why?"

Serena pressed against the glass. "Anything at all? I'm serious--" She jerked back with a curse. "You idiot in shining overalls is coming."

"Who? What?"

"I suggest you close the cell before Stanley finds you here," said Serena, a haughty tone subsuming the concern she'd had moments ago. "Your presence down here will be hard enough to explain unless you want him to stumble upon you cavorting with one of the inmates."

That made Kay move. She was already terrified of losing her job; Stanley might buy a wonky elevator story, but if he found her here, she wondered if she would be allowed to leave the building. A cold sweat slicked down her lower back as she pushed and pulled the cell door back into place, trying to ignore Serena's stare.

Kay almost had the door put to rights when Serena's voice stopped her.

"Kay." She looked up at the woman, startled by Serena's intensity.

"I'm sorry," said the princess.

Kay didn't have a chance to clarify as the thump of workboots approached. She hastily shut the cell door as quietly as she could manage and schooled her features in her best 'lost as hell' impression as her tired, sweaty supervisor rounded the corner.

Stanley stopped short at the sight of her. Kay seized on his astonishment and went full on damsel in distress, not quite faking tears as she threw herself at him.

"Oh my god Stanley. I've been wandering for ages looking for an exit. I've never been so scared out of my mind," wailed Kay. She prayed she hadn't laid it on too thick but she was truly freaked out between the elevator plunge and Serena's odd behavior. What the hell was with that apology at the end? Sorry for what?

"K-kay?" Stanley sputtered, seizing her by the shoulders as he looked her up and down. "You're supposed to be home!"

Kay sucked in a shaky breath. Like her stepmother always said, if you had to lie, stick as close to the truth as possible. Sound advice since Kay was a terrible liar. "I needed to talk to you. My parents are visiting and I don't know what to tell them. Then the elevator dropped me down here--"

Stanley's grip tightened. "The elevator dropped you?" She hadn't mentioned the empty guard shack, the elevator was all the distraction she needed.

"I didn't know another way out, so I've been wandering the halls, and it's so quiet I am freaking out."

"Hey, hey it's okay. Let's get you out of here and you can have a nice cup of cocoa in my office." Stanley gingerly put an arm around her shoulders like she was a live grenade about to go off in his face.

"Please tell me there is another way out of here beside the elevator?" She grumbled the words more to herself than him but Stanley paused and held a finger up to his mouth. His gaze darted to the cell doors around them.

"I'm afraid the elevator is the only out. I promise it's working now and I'll make sure maintenance runs another safety check in the morning," said Stanley in a loud voice. He couldn't be more obvious if he winked conspiratorially at her. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, looking forward to the terrible office hot cocoa and the chance to wash her hands.

Still, as Stanley led her back the way she came, she couldn't help but gaze back at Serena's closed cell door and wonder about that abrupt apology.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. Kay slapped at her leg, praying Stanley wouldn't hear it and read her the riot act for bringing it in. She wondered who the hell was texting her now and pushed it to the back of her mind. She'd check it when she was far from the scrutiny of Fantasy Land Inc. Thankfully, Stanley had started talking, saying how lucky it was he found her before something else did as he led her to a nondescript section of the wall.

Kay raised a brow but didn't ask as Stanley pressed an absolutely normal looking brick that made a section of the wall swing open on silent hinges. The lighting didn't change but Kay could make out a stairwell in the torch lit space. She heaved an inner sigh of relief, not sure what she would have done if the elevator was her only option. Stanley guided her inside and slid the wall back in place with care. Not once did he pause for breath during his monotonous talking, which Kay realized was on purpose, another misdirect for listening ears. She might have thought it excessive if not for the way Serena seemed to hear things from much further away. He kept up the talking until they were up two levels before he stopped and breathed out.

"Okay, we'll talk in my office." There was more than a hint of anger in his voice, but Kay only hoped she could keep her job out of this fiasco.

Her cell phone gave another insistent buzz against her leg, the sound lost in their footsteps as they marched up the stairwell.