by Kelly Blount
Brooklyn sniffled. “Okay, it’s just that this wasn’t how I expected my summer break to start, you know, being chased by a scary monster and ending up in some other world.”
Ryder wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know, just please try to trust me. I promise I’ll get you home as soon as I can, but first we need to fix your foot.”
“Okay,” replied Brooklyn. She gingerly lifted her leg so Ryder could examine her foot.
“Hmmm…” Ryder mumbled. “You’re going to need to wash this out really well before I put any kind of medicine on it. We can’t let it get infected.”
“Do you have a bathtub or something I can use?” asked Brooklyn.
Ryder laughed, much louder this time. “Something like that. Here, lean against me and Ill take you to a Necohian bathtub.”
It wasn’t until Ryder led her out of the room that Brooklyn realized she was in a cave. “Um, Ryder, are we underground?”
“Yeah, it’s actually the safest place in Necoh,” he replied.
With each hop, pain shot through Brooklyn’s foot and into her lower leg. After turning what seemed like their tenth corner, they reached their destination.
Brooklyn gasped. “Wow… it’s beautiful.” In front of her was a small body of water illuminated by a strange green mass floating in the middle.
“Welcome to our version of a bathtub,” said Ryder with a smile.
“Is it safe to go in?” asked Brooklyn. “What’s that green stuff glowing in the middle?”
“It’s kind of the Necohian version of algae,” replied Ryder. “It’s completely harmless and it serves as a great source of light. Speaking of which…” Ryder led Brooklyn over to the nearby wall and lit a torch that was secured there. Ryder did the best bow he could holding up both Brooklyn and a lantern. “Ta da!”
Brooklyn smiled. Ryder was really trying to cheer her up.
“If you give me a second, I’ll go grab some clothes for you and something to dry off with,” said Ryder.
“That’s fine,” replied Brooklyn. “But first, could you please help me sit down near the water?”
“Of course.” Ryder helped her hop over near the edge of the crystal clear water.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” said Ryder. He quickly turned and exited the room.
Wow, this is pretty amazing. Too bad no one would ever believe me if I told them about this place.
A few minutes later, Ryder came back with a neatly folded stack of clothes and a towel. “You’ll have to wear these until you get home,” he said, holding up the clothes. “Otherwise you’ll draw too much attention to us. Got it?”
“All right,” agreed Brooklyn.
“Oh, one other thing, the water is really shallow near the edge, but it gets pretty deep rather quickly. You do know how to swim, right?” he asked.
“Yeah, since I was like two,” Brooklyn replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry, Ryder, I won’t drown.”
“Okay, just checking,” said Ryder, smiling at her.
Brooklyn felt her heart flutter. Ryder’s smile was amazing.
“Just shout once you’re clean and dressed,” stated Ryder, “and I’ll come back and get you.”
“Thanks,” replied Brooklyn. “I’m pretty sure I would get super lost if I tried to find my way back to that room.”
“Not a problem,” said Ryder. “Do you need anything else?”
“Um… Do you have soap or something?” asked Brooklyn.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, it’s right there,” said Ryder as he pointed to a nearby ledge hanging slightly above the water.
“Okay, thanks, I think I’m good then,” said Brooklyn.
“See you in a bit,” said Ryder as he walked out of the room.
Once he was gone, Brooklyn looked around the room again in amazement. The glowing mass in the water was beautiful. She undressed and slowly slipped into the water. Although her foot stung slightly, a feeling of utter bliss and relief washed over her. The water was the perfect temperature and it smelled clean and refreshing. She waded over to the ledge holding the soap.
Mmmm, this smells like lavender, thought Brooklyn as she washed herself from head to toe. Once she felt sufficiently clean, she hobbled out of the water and reached for the towel and clothing Ryder had left.
Eek, she thought to herself as she held up the clothing for a closer inspection. The pants were a shade of brown that resembled mud. The shirt, which appeared slightly too large, was the same color as the straw bed Brooklyn awoke upon only a few hours ago.
Brooklyn looked over at the outfit crumpled on the ground that she had so carefully chosen the night before. I guess this will just have to wait until I get home.
After getting dressed, Brooklyn attempted to give herself the once over. This would be a heck of a lot easier if I had a mirror. All things considered, the outfit actually didn’t look too bad. She tightened a belt around her, which helped keep her pants in place and the shirt from looking like a pillowcase.
“Ryder, um, I’m done, can you please come get me?” Brooklyn called out. She wasn’t sure how loud she was supposed to yell, so she took a deep breath, “RYDER! I’M D—”
“Whoa! I’m right here, there’s no need to wake up the dwarves!” joked Ryder.
“The dwarves?” asked Brooklyn.
“Yeah, they live a bit further down, but in the same cave system,” replied Ryder. “Anyways, let’s get you some medicine for your foot and something to eat—that is, if you’re hungry?” asked Ryder.
“Yes, please! I’m starving,” Brooklyn answered with enthusiasm.
As Ryder helped her hobble to the kitchen, Brooklyn tried to absorb all of the details in this odd underground habitat.
“So you, like, really live here?” Brooklyn asked Ryder.
“Yes, I like, really do,” replied Ryder.
She smiled. He could be a real a smartass. “Um, okay, you can make fun of the way I talk, but how about we talk about the way you people dress?” she said, holding her arms out to emphasize her clothing.
Ryder inhaled sharply. “You know, I’m just trying to help, you don’t have to be so rude.”
Brooklyn was shocked. How had Ryder’s mood changed so drastically? “Did I say something wrong?”
Ryder sighed and dropped his head. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that those are my mother’s clothes, and well, it’s difficult looking at you wearing them. It makes me think of her.”
“Oh Ryder, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Brooklyn replied.
“It’s okay, it isn’t your fault. Plus, I really like what you did with the belt,” he said with a slight laugh.
Brooklyn smiled. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that. You see, I’m going to start a new fashion trend here in Necoh, but since I’ll be going home in a few days, I thought I better get started right now.”
Ryder grinned as he helped her up on to a stool in the kitchen. Something smelled delicious. Brooklyn looked around the brightly lit kitchen, which had multiple torches on opposite sides of the room as she tried to find the source of the mouthwatering smell.
“Medicine before we eat,” said Ryder as he sat across from her and gently lifted her foot. “Well, I can honestly say I’ve seen worse. However, it still looks like a pretty nasty cut.” He reached for a glass jar containing something that looked like a sugar scrub Brooklyn used in the shower at home.
“Is it going to hurt?” Brooklyn asked Ryder as he dabbed a large amount of the gooey concoction on something that looked like a tongue depressor.
“Not too much, I’m pretty good at mixing this stuff. I’ve added something to numb the wound as well as something that will take care of any type of infection,” he explained.
Brooklyn took a deep breath in and waited for the medicine to touch her skin. She was pleasantly surprised when all she felt was a slight sting.
“Wow, you’re pretty good at that,” said Brooklyn with a smile.
“Thanks,
” replied Ryder. He wrapped her foot with a clean cloth. “If we cover this now and apply fresh medicine every couple of hours, you should be able to walk by tomorrow night.”
“It really works that quick? Where did you learn to make this stuff?” asked Brooklyn.
“My mom taught me some and the rest I learned on my own.” There was a sadness creeping into his voice.
Brooklyn decided to drop the subject and switch to a safer topic. “So, what do you have to eat down here?”
“Well, while you were cleaning up, I started dinner. It should be ready in a few minutes.”
Brooklyn looked around. “Can I help with anything?”
“I think it would be best if you just sat there and let your foot rest,” said Ryder. “Can I get you some water?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” said Brooklyn, realizing she was feeling rather parched.
After he set down a stone mug in front of Brooklyn, Ryder went over to a wood-burning stove and carefully inspected the contents of two simmering pots. Appearing pleased, he spooned two large helpings of something that looked like mashed potatoes on each plate, followed by some type of gravy.
“Dinner is served,” said Ryder as he set down a plate for each of them. “I hope you like it.”
Brooklyn’s stomach grumbled with hunger. Picking up a hand carved utensil, she dug in to the hot food sitting in front of her.
“Wow, Ryder, this is amazing!” exclaimed Brooklyn.
“Oh, well, it’s no big deal. I’m glad you like it,” he stammered as his cheeks flushed slightly.
After finishing dinner, Ryder helped Brooklyn back to the room she had woken up in only a few hours ago.
“It’s surprisingly comfortable,” said Ryder as he motioned to the makeshift bed on the floor.
Brooklyn raised her eyebrows. “I’ll take your word for it.”
After Ryder left and Brooklyn got comfortable, the seriousness of the events that had transpired hit her like a ton of bricks. Tears began to well up in her eyes as thoughts of home flooded her mind.
Brooklyn finally drifted into a restless sleep flooded with vivid nightmares. She and Ryder were running through the forest and Grishma was so close behind she could actually feel the horrifying monster’s hot, fowl, rank breath on her neck as she raced through the trees. Then, she tripped and fell onto the damp ground littered with leaves. Before she could get back up, Grishma was on top of her, gnashing its razor sharp teeth inches from her face. Just as the murderous beast opened its mouth to expel its deafening cry, Brooklyn awoke screaming.
Within seconds Ryder appeared in the doorway, looking disheveled. “Brooklyn! I heard you screaming. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you up. I’ve just been having the worst nightmares about that Grishma thing.”
He rubbed his face and shook his head. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” She yawned. “Well, maybe it is a little bit. Is it time to get up?” she asked sleepily.
“No, it’s still night,” said Ryder with a chuckle. “You can go back to sleep for a few hours if you want.”
Brooklyn bit her upper lip. She knew there was no way she would be able to fall asleep again, the nightmares were too intense.
Ryder, noticing Brooklyn’s apprehension, said, “You know, I could stay in here if you want. I mean—Not like with you, but like next to you, or not. I mean, whatever, it’s up to you.”
“Oh, um, yeah. I mean, yeah, that would be really nice,” Brooklyn stammered. Her heart slammed in her chest and her palms felt sweaty. She had never slept with a boy in her bed.
Brooklyn moved over and made room for Ryder. He crawled next to her and got comfortable. She tried to control her breathing. Damn it! Why am I so nervous? He’s just doing this because he thinks I’m too scared to sleep, it’s not like he likes me!
After a few minutes, Brooklyn could hear Ryder’s steady breathing, in, out, in, and out.
Chapter Four
SHE WASN’T SURE HOW LONG she had been asleep, but when she woke up, Ryder’s arm was draped around her.
Holy crap! Brooklyn didn’t move an inch. She just lay there with his arm around her. She closed her eyes and smiled. This isn’t so bad, she thought. She had actually slept well once Ryder was next to her.
Brooklyn stayed there, secure in his embrace until she felt him stir. She pretended to sleep as he whipped his arm off of her.
“Shit!” he proclaimed as he quickly rolled over to the other half of the bed.
She couldn’t take it any longer, so she rolled over. “Oh hey, you’re awake,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I ah, I just woke up,” he stammered.
“Hey, Ryder, this is kind of embarrassing, but do you have a bathroom or something down here?” asked Brooklyn.
Ryder smiled.
Ah! That smile made her knees feel like jelly!
“Yeah, let me show you where it is.”
After helping her up, Brooklyn realized her foot already felt ten times better. She was even able to bear weight on it.
As if he was reading her mind, Ryder asked, “How’s your foot feeling?”
“A lot better. That medicine is amazing,” she said.
The bathroom reminded her of an ancient Greek aqueduct. There was more or less a seat with a hole and running water flowing beneath. There was even a sink with clean running water you could pump from a different underground stream. At least Brooklyn hoped it was a different stream.
Brooklyn left the bathroom and managed to find her way to the kitchen, where Ryder was preparing breakfast.
After taking a look at her foot and applying new medicine to the wound, Ryder wrapped it in a clean bandage and served breakfast.
“Yum, this is delicious!” proclaimed Brooklyn. “What is it?”
“Lera berries with fresh cream and homemade bread,” replied Ryder. “If you’d like, we can go pick some today. That is, if your foot is feeling up to it.”
“Do they grow underground?” asked Brooklyn with a confused look on her face.
“No, silly, we would have to go up to the surface,” said Ryder with a smile.
His teeth are perfect, she thought as she tried not to stare.
“Does that sound good?” he asked.
“Yup, I would love to see what Necoh looks like on the surface,” replied Brooklyn.
After they finished eating she helped Ryder clean up the kitchen. Their hands touched while they were washing the dishes. Brooklyn inhaled sharply. Her hand tingled where his had brushed against hers.
Ryder went to find Brooklyn a pair of shoes while she put the dishes away on open shelves.
When he returned, he handed her a pair of leather shoes that had been well worn. Remembering that they probably belonged to his mother, Brooklyn simply thanked him and slipped them on. She had to loosen one to fit over her bandaged foot.
After enough twists and turns to qualify as a maze, Brooklyn and Ryder reached the surface. Although they were under the cover of dense brush and foliage, the natural light still felt blinding. It took her several minutes before her eyes adjusted and she was able to take in her surroundings.
“Wow,” Brooklyn gasped. “It’s beautiful.” As she looked around she saw exotic looking plants and flowers that were vibrant blue, green, purple, and pretty much any color you could imagine. Large ferns easily stretched twenty feet above their heads. “Ryder, this is amazing.”
He grinned. “Come on, let’s get some lera berries and I can show you a little bit more of Necoh.”
They didn’t have to walk far to get to the lera berries. Ryder set down two wooden buckets he had been carrying. “Let’s see if we can fill these.”
Ryder and Brooklyn got to work picking the sweet, tangy lera berries by the handful. Within minutes, Brooklyn had already filled a quarter of her bucket.
“You must really like living here, it’s so peaceful and beautiful,” murmured Brooklyn.
“Well, it’s different, and I don’t have to put up with Jocelyn and her pretentious family,” replied Ryder. After a moment he added, “It must be nice to have a break from your brother and that asshole Kai,” he added.
His words shook Brooklyn. In all of the craziness she had completely forgotten about Kai and Parker. Her heart ached just thinking about the two of them together. Brooklyn turned her back and fumed as she continued to pick berries. Why would he bring that up? Is he trying to be an asshole?
Realizing he had done something wrong, Ryder called out, “Seriously, why do you even care about a loser like him?”
“Can we just please drop it?” she snapped.
“Um, yeah, sure, sorry. I just didn’t think you would be into someone like that,” he retorted.
Ugh! I wish he would just shut up! Brooklyn focused on the task at hand.
Several more minutes passed before either of them spoke. Finally Ryder turned to apologize. “Look, Brooklyn, I’m really sorry. It’s just that—” but before he could finish, he realized she wasn’t where he had left her. She was gone. His heart began to race and sweat dampened his brow.
“Brooklyn? Brooklyn! Where are you?” he yelled frantically. He searched for her high and low but he couldn’t find her anywhere. He began to fan out and search a larger area. That’s when he found her, sitting next to a pond, with her head in her hands, sobbing.
He felt terrible. Her tear-streaked face reminded him of when his little sister Brianna would cry. “Brooklyn, hey, Brooklyn—look, I’m really sorry! I was just being an ass, please, stop crying.”
She looked up at him, but before she could utter a single word, a horrifying shriek filled the air. Her hands slammed to cover her ears to protect herself from the deafening sound. She felt blood trickling through her fingers as she attempted to run to Ryder.
Before she had made it two steps she felt something grab at her legs. She tripped and crashed to the ground. Pain shot through her injured foot and up through her arm. As she attempted to get up, it was as if her nightmares were coming true. That’s when she felt Grishma’s hot, repulsive breath on the back of her neck.