"Think what heroes we'll be for cracking this case! They're all relying on us!" Okay, so the other students aren't literally dying... And they probably don't even know Freya and Holland are out here trying to save them... But why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

Holland's intuition proves to be right, and the cottonwood is quickly up to their thighs, then their waists. Struggling through it gets harder with each step, until even Freya begins to wonder if they should turn back. Then, mercifully, it thins out. Freya adjusts her goggles and peers around at where the Muscheron has led them. Wait a minute... "We're back at central campus?!" she exclaims. This is a plot twist she did NOT see coming.