by Tiffany Tay
David rushes to her side, and takes her gently to the very back of the cave and rests her on the rocking chair. “Ahhh… my David. Thank you. How nice to see you!” The woman beams, revealing stunning white teeth. Her eyes sparkle with kindness, making her look youthful and bright, even though she has wrinkles on her forehead and the corners of her eyes crinkle when she smiles.
“Stella, this is my granny. Gran, this is Stella--- newest member of Group Nine.” David introduces us. David has a grandmother living here? Somehow, this fascinates me. I study her harder. Her hair, though greying, cascades softly around her padded cheeks. When she smiles, the glint of playfulness in her eyes is almost similar to David’s.
David’s gran beams at me and takes my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stella. Always a pleasure to me when David brings another young face to see me. So little friends he has, the poor young thing. He’s had a tough past… had to deal with so much… hardly mingles! He needs new friends in his life…” The old lady rocks herself to and fro, muttering to no one in particular.
David shifts awkwardly. “Uh… yeah. So, Gran, mind if I take Stella on a tour of the shop?” David asks. When he speaks to his granny, he uses a soothing gentle voice I had heard before, when he was comforting me earlier on.
Granny Davis gazes tenderly into her grandson’s face. “Of course, dear.” She murmurs softly, and resumes her sewing, all the while humming a strange unknown tune.
I smile. From what I know, David did have very few friends. He’d lost his parents, which makes him even more lonely, and in need of full loving support. His gran is the only family he has, and I’m glad for him. They treat each other with so much love, so much gentleness and tenderness, like they only have each other in this world, which they probably do. I feel thrilled for the both of them.
If only I had a loving family to go home to each day…
“Come on, Starre!” David touches my shoulder. “Let’s go check things out!” He said enthusiastically.
Suddenly, it dawned upon me that I may not have a blood-relationship family back home, whever that is. I have a new life. A new beginning, right here under the cover of the library. The librarians, and all the people here are my friends, my new family.
I shouldn’t grieve for the family I never had. Instead, I had to embrace this new family, so willing to take me in and make me as part of them. I should count my blessings, about how much kindness other people show me here.
I’ve given up my old life. Now, I’m starting afresh. A new page, a new chapter in life. I need not mourn for my old life back, because as sure as hell, I won’t get it back all tied up like a parcel in pink ribbon. Instead, I have to let myself be welcomed into this fresh home.
I smile up at David, laughing as he excitedly pours over the many new stock of the cave shops like a child on Christmas Eve. Yup, definitely enjoying it.
For the first time since I set foot in this place, I relax. I fully let myself into this new world, with its new lives and charming ettiquetts, the peace, the order.
Yuup, I think, a smile playing on my lips, I definitely could get used to this---
As if defying my thoughts, something in the air shifted. A wave of nauseated fear washed through the crowd gathered to do their daily shopping. For, a moment ago, there was a peaceful buzzing as people went about their shopping. All traces of peace vanished the moment the first scream pierced through the air like a sharp blade slicing into the depths of murky waters…
*****
I run, run with the stampede of people, towards where a large crowd gathered. David orders me to stay behind the commotion, running towards the front of the crowd.
Being stuck at the back of the crowd only served to agitate me. What ever had happened? Why wasn’t I allowed to see for myself? Further unease brew up inside me like a miniature tornado, until finally, I’m overcome by sheer curiousity and dread. Definitely dread. I simply had to see what was going on.
Pushing past the crowd was slow business. Here and there, I caught a few strangled gasps, tormented whispers as the people shifted to take a closer look. The air around me seemed to scream out, pulling us closer towards the centre, where everyone was focused on.
Deep inside, I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever I would see. That didn’t stop me though. Like a madwoman, I continue shoving my way to the front of the crowd…
Ending up at the very edge of a roped-off huge chasm opening up into a large, dark pit. I found the source of the scream. Standing to one side of the chasm opening was Skye, looking more hysterical than I’d ever known her to be. Her eyes looks petrified, wide with absolute terror. Her mouth wobbles as if she couldn’t decide whether to scream again or break down into a sob. Her honey coloured hair is sticking up all over her face, as if she’d just spent the last hour sticking her fingers into electric sockets. Her red shirt is all bunched up and messy, and her face glistens suspiciously with tears.
“What’s wrong?” I shout, making towards Skye. I had only known her for a few minutes, much less talked to her, but I felt a special kind of protectiveness towards this frail girl whom they call the naughty librarian. Somehow, like with Kale, I sense a certain connection with her, but less stronger compared to Kale.
I took one step closer towards Skye, whom I’d started to consider as family. All of a sudden, a pair of arms grabbed my from behind and pulled me away from the chasm. I was too shocked to speak.
“I told you not to come here.” David hisses in my ear, looking wild with irritation. “Stand back.” After making sure I was alright, David went straight towards Skye, who had finally broken down in sobs.
“It’s… it’s Nikolay!” She managed to stammer out between sobs. I feel my heart twist into a pang for her. I’d only known her for so long, I’d saw with my own eyes what had happened between those two earlier on. Whatever was going on… I sense that Skye cared for Nikolay more than she’d let on.
“What happened?” David demands.
Skye chokes down a sob, and a shudder runs throughout her entire body. “Its… he… he fell down there!” She wails.
My heart stops cold, and I feel my blood freeze up. By down there…
“Niko fell over the chasm!” Skye proclaims hysterically.
In that moment, at the back of my mind, I grogily made a mental note to never, ever, get close to this gigantic pit straight to death. Rule number 101, Stella. Rule 001.
Chapter Fourteen// Skye
Skye’s POV
What had I done? I wanted to scream, but somehow, after the initial shock of seeing Niko going over the edge… I’d just lost it. All my terror, my shock, my fury, I let it all out in one scream. What did I cause? I swipe furiously at the mixture of salty tears and piteous snot all over my face.
Somehow, I didn’t care about my reputation. I didn’t care if people thought of me as a stinking snivelling coward. I didn’t care about whatever Niko did to me in the past.
I just want Nikolay Adams back safe and sound.
“How did that happen?” David looks ahgast, horrified at the situation at hand. Even I must be slow to process it. The events seemed sluggish, almost as if a tank of water was emptied into my brain, slowing down my thoughts and pulling me down…down…
I feel someone take my hand. Through my veil of tears brimming up in my eyes, I make out Stella. “Hey, calm down, clear your thoughts, Skye.” Stella reassures me. I wanted to scream, to push Stella away. How could I calm down after seeing what had happened, to… to Niko? God, to think that our very last conversation hadn’t ended in peace. But somehow, I know Stella’s right. I couldn’t keep this up. All my efforts would be wasted.
Just save the tears till bedtime, Skye.
I take a deep breath, touched by the younger girl’s concern. She barely knew me, and yet here she is, being a good friend. Gosh, I feel so insignificant, the way I had handled myself.
Pulling myself together, I scan the crowd. This is terrible. Had so many people gathered to watch the Skye
Humiliation Project? I sure as hell will win the nomination prize award for the worst crier.
“Niko… and I, we had an argument.” I began in a low whisper, not wanting anyone else to hear me, except for these two helpful people, whom, surprisingly, I found that I could trust. Never before, had I felt anyone really caring for me. Except maybe Nikolay… but he’s g-gone…
I sniffle, and Stella pats my shoulder, her warm brown eyes comforting me. I suck in a big breath, clearing my mouth from all those tears that had trailed down my face. “Whenever you are ready.” Stella says softly.
“He stormed off, after… after,” somehow, those words were stuck at the back of my throat. This was all my fault. I wanted to jump off the chasm, plunge to my own miserable demise… but than I would be deemed cowardly. And that is one trait I simply could not bear in other people. I decide to give up and fest up everything.
“After I told him to go away.” I sigh. I didn’t use the exact words, but it felt like it. If only I hadn’t questioned his concern for me… he might still be around.
“He… I didn’t see him all through lunch.” A sob was threatening to overwhelm me, but I firmly choke it back down my throat. No more silly crying.
“Then I got a feeling… I came up here to search, but… but…” So much for not crying. The naughty tears were spilling out like a saltwater spring.
Stella stares at me encouragingly through her soft eyes.
“But I was too late. He was walking too close to the side of… of the chasm. I saw that he’ll miss his footing and plunge downwards, so I rushed towards him.” I close my eyes, wanting so much to get the events out of my head, and yet, I wanted it all to come sobbing out, leaving my conscience. Even though this is no bedtime story, I picked up the tale. No one interrupted, knowing it’s my tale to tell, however garish the ending.
“He caught sight of me, and somehow, that caused him to lose his balance, and---“ I couldn’t finish the sentence. The tears just kept overflowing, and a hard lump blocks the back of my throat, temporarily cutting off my voice.
David stood up, looking graver than I’d ever saw him before. With his crazy tangled hair and wild eyes, he looked positively beat, drained.
“Well… I’m going to take a look.” He announces, and takes a step closer. By my side, I feel Stella stiffen. “Careful, David!” She warns in a strangled voice.
All of a sudden, a couple of tiny pebbles shifted under David’s foot, and rolled off the side of the chasm, causing David to stumble dangerously. Stella was up in an instant. “David! Get away from there!” She yelled, her voice sparked fulled with fear, panic overwhelmed me as well.
“She’s right. Don’t take a step further!” I warn. I didn’t want another death on my conscience.
Death. I feel a shudder running down my spine, chilling me to the bone. I’d caused a death. The death of… of Niko. I could’ve prevented it, if only… only… I sink back to the ground, consumed with grief. This would never have happened if I hadn’t picked a fight with him in the first place.
The air turned cold and still as damp realization kicks in. There is nothing to do to stop this now. The game’s over. He died, Skye. Freaking died, falling over the chasm. How ever could you will him to live?
“It’s all my fault, isn’t it?” I sniff. Stella looks at me, pity showing through her eyes. I hated that. I hated other people to feel sorry for me. I didn’t want others to think I wasn’t capable of handling myself.
Shakily, I got to my feet, and just sort of wobbled on my legs, unsteady, glancing around with an ounce of uncertainity.
The wind shifted, and I hear a faintest strains of a whimper.
I froze. Then it came again, slightly distinctive. I acted like a total maniac. Lunging forward like a psycho, I tried to peer over the edge. “Niko!” I scream into the abyss.
For a horrifying minute, there was complete silence. I cling tightly to myself… to the ridiculous hope that, maybe, just maybe, Niko would still be alive, and things would be alright.
Then there came a noise. Clearly humane, coming from directly below. I scream his name once more, taking the daring step closer towards the edge…
“Niko! Where are you?” I practically yell myself hoarse. Come on, come on… I wait nervously for the answer. When it came, I acted on impulse, diving towards the direction of the answer:
“Here.”
And I remember pitching head first into the darkness
Chapter Fifteen// Skye
Skye’s POV
I scream into the void, flailing helplessly. For a sickening moment, I thought I was going to die. I could mentally picture my obituary:
Skye Hill, aged 19, croaked by plunging into nothingness like an idiot, in attempt to save Nikolay, who ended up dead anyway because stupid Skye couldn’t control her movements and they died. Happy deathly ending.
I close my eyes, preparing myself for the final impact, then it would be all over. No more life. No more Skye. No more, no more…
Why is this stinking hole so deep? I’m partly annoyed that I hadn’t died yet. Yes, I know how stupid that sounds. I shouldn’t be going around wishing myself to death, but really, why can’t I be dead? After all that happened… I deserve death over life--- a pitiful one at that.
Fearfully, I creak one eye open. Huh? I’m not flailing through the abyss? I open the other eye, and let out a long groan.
I’m lying flat on my side, the ground surprisingly soft underneath me. I feel groggy, unfocused. What happened to me? Hadn’t I died? Or had I reached Heaven’s gates? Then why do I feel unable to move? Slowly, and excruciatingly, I lift a hand, and turn it from side to side, and then bend my elbow. Yes, I could move, but it hurts like a pile of mortar on my head. I tried moving my other hand, then my legs, and my head.
Relieved flooded me, making me feel giddy. “I’m alive!” I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I did neither. For awhile, I just lay there on the ground, enjoying the feeling of being alive. Then sharp thoughts intrude my mind, and I sit up, fast.
“Ouch!” I howl, clutching my side, tears streaming like crazy down my face. I whimper, then crawl to a sitting position, leaning against the rough stone wall. “Holy---“ I glance down, clutching the pain in my side, gazing in horror at my surroundings.
How did I end up here? And what is this place? I tried to get to my feet, but I stagger, my wound throbbing so fast I feel blood rushing from my head, leaving me feeling light headed. Oh no, don’t faint now, Skye. I desperately plead with myself.
All around me, the rocky walls rose up to a swirling, hovering mass of air. Well, wind, technically. At first, I had thought there was nothing up there but a large void, leading up to the opening of the pit. Well… we had thought it to be the pit. Apparently, no one had actually dared to fall straight into its depths to find out what, exactly is on the other side.
I study the shifting winds. Had they acted as some sort of cushion? They could’ve slowed my fall, softening it. I don’t know. I don’t want to touch that. With a shiver, I look all around me, desperately searching for an escape route. I dig my fingers into the ground, and I’m kind of surprised to find that it’s sand--- the softest kind.
I push myself up to a standing position. Urghh. Moving hurts. I must’ve bruised myself up pretty badly. That or I’d gone and broken a couple of bones. I immediately sink to my knees, tears seeping from my eyes. This hurt. It hurt a bunch.
Where is this place? I’d never given much thought as of where the abyss leads to, where the other end it, what could be found there. So far, I wasn’t entertained, much to my disappointment. I mean, I plunge like a pscho down a dark pit, the least that could happen was a welcome song, or some smoothies, maybe. But nothing?
I groan. I simply couldn’t sit around doing nothing. I so much want to get up and search this place. But the problem is: I couldn’t move. Well, I couldn’t stand.
I crawl, slowly and excruciatingly, feeling the walls, hoping to trigger somekind of pop out e
xit like the caves in the shops. I’d heard about the secret underground passages, but so far, no one had ever found the entrance to one. Would I be the first? I leach out, letting out a noise somewhere between a cross of a moan and a strangled gasp. Tears kept stinging my eyes, each movement only bringing sharp pains to my body, making me double over.
I can’t do this, I think weakly. I can’t escape. I’ll be stuck here, forever.
With each insane though, panic bubbled up in my blood. Slowly, I begin to develop a fear of confined spaces. Especially trapped, dark, confined spaces.
“This is useless!” I cry, scooping up a handful of pebbles and flinging them wildly to the wall opposite me. I expected a lame scattering of pebbles.
To my intense surprise, a searing light glowed to life when the pebbles hit the wall. I scramble back, almost hitting my head against a jutting out rock. What the---?
I take a deep breath, summoning up my courage. If that was a possible entrance to the legendary underground tunnels…
I crawl over. I wasn’t terribly brave, nor did I like to consider myself weak. If there was a possible way of escape, I would take it. Well… if my wound would let me.
Finally, I reach the other end of the circular pit and kneel over, gathering myself. Once the pain subsides, I muster up enough strength to sit up. For once, I didn’t wince half as bad as I did before. Maybe my wound’s getting tired of hurting me.
I trace my fingers against the scratchy surface of the walls. No luck this time. The wall absolutely refused to cooperate. No bling. No lights. No nothing! “Ughh!!! Please reveal yourself!” I scream, pounding the wall with my fists.
Exhausted, I lean against the wall and close my eyes. How much longer must I spend down here in this miserable prison? I hate feeling trapped. My pain is returning, and now even the slightest move will send black spots dancing in my eyes, overwhelming my vision, making me feel faint.