by Mary Ting
“No,” Nick answered.
“Who went in first?” Zara asked.
“I did.”
“All we can do is wait.” Tara looked worried as well. She turned her back to me, observing cautiously.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but it seemed too long. Trying to calculate how long it took me to get there was impossible. It seemed as though we had no sense of time. Some of our friends sat on the floor, while a few of them conversed in small groups.
“She should have been here by now,” I hissed through my teeth. I didn’t realize I was pacing until Nick stopped me.
“I bet she’s manipulating whatever that thing is to her advantage. It knows how powerful she is. She’ll come. We just have to be patient.” Nick was always positive. It was one of the reasons I went to him for advice. He was good at making the worse situation seem like it was no big deal.
I guessed I used to be like him until I met Sky. Not that it was a bad thing. Meeting Sky changed my world for the better. But now I had one more person to worry about, and she wasn’t just any person. She was becoming my everything, and if I lost her, it would be as if I’d lost myself.
I knew Nick was right; at least I tried to tell myself that. Sky would be there soon, but I couldn’t shake off the anxiety…the apprehension. “I’m going to look around. Maybe she’s trapped somewhere. I won’t go far.” I had to do something, even if it was running in circles. Sitting there waiting would drive me insane. It already was.
“I think I can guess what your fear was,” Nick said, out of the blue.
He guessed it, but I didn’t deny it. Losing Sky was my fear. “What was yours?” I asked. Knowing him, I knew his answer before he told me.
“You, Amanda, and Everett are all I have left. Don’t do anything stupid.” His answer was clear.
“You know that you’re like a brother to me, don’t you? And I would do anything for you.” I needed him to know how much he meant to me. I’d never told him before. I guessed now was a good time as any.
“You better. Now go. As long as you’re in my range of vision, I’ll be able to breathe.”
“Will do.”
“Don’t tell me he’s going to look for Sky.” I heard Amanda before I took off like lightning.
A part of me knew Amanda was jealous of Sky. I knew she’d had a crush on me, but that was in the past. But I also knew a part of her was worried for me, just like I would worry about her safety. We were family, after all.
Standing there patiently, I waited for the question that I was supposed to hear in my mind, and thought of ways I could trick him… be clever with my answer. I knew that if I gave him a piece of me, there would be a chance my powers could lessen, and I didn’t want to risk it…but nothing happened. As desperation got the best of me, I started to panic.
I tried to break the door open with my light, but it was no use. I was only hurting myself as it ricocheted off the rocks. Banging on the door didn’t help either, as I yelled for Mason. I was alone with nowhere to go, and with no portal to escape through.
Since I wasn’t going anywhere, I decided to sit down and think things through. Maybe it was toying with me. Taking deep breaths, I slid down and pulled my knees into my chest, trying to think of a way in. Maybe if I kept quiet, it would finally give in. And sure enough, it did.
“Do you feel helpless?” The voice alerted my attention, snapping me up to stand. His tone was low and intimidating, but I didn’t fear it. I didn’t know what Hades’ voice sounded like, so I wondered if it was him.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Do you like being stuck here all alone?”
“No.”
“Would you like to be with your friends?”
“Yes.”
“Give me your worst fear,” he demanded. This time, his tone was assertive.
“I have too many. I can’t give you just one.”
“You must give me one or I will not open.”
The hell you won’t. “You already know it.”
“You do not fear me?”
“No,” I said with conviction.
“How brave you are.”
“I am no braver than my friends.”
“Tell me what you fear.”
“If I tell you, you will take a piece of me. I wish not to tell it.”
“You are a smart one.”
“You showed me my fear; therefore, I’ve already told you. You know it. Now open up.”
I had no idea if the voice would do as I had said, but I had to be stern. I had to show that I was in charge, even though I knew that wasn’t the case. Whether it was Hades or a dark force that worked for Hades trying to play with me, it already knew my fear. He made me feel the separation anxiety by keeping me from my friends. He had purposely kept the door closed as long as he could, just to prove that he was in charge.
“Let’s play, Skylar.” This time around, the tone was mischievous, evil, sending chills of coldness through my body.
“How do you know my name?”
Instead of replying, he opened the door. Stepping inside as fast as I could, I didn’t see the same blackness as when I saw the others stepping in. As horrifying thoughts flashed through me, I could see openings to ten caves.
“Crap,” I murmured under my breath. Where did they go?
“Sky!” I heard Mason’s voice.
As relief washed over me, I ran to where I thought I’d heard Mason’s voice. Just as I was about to enter the cave, I heard Mason call me again, but it was not from where I was standing.
“Mason, where are you?” I shouted.
“Sky, over here.”
I ran two caves over. “Mason, I’m here.” There was nothing but darkness, and no Mason.
“Sky, I’m here.”
Flustered, I ran to the next one.
“Mason!” I called out desperately.
“Sky, are you here?” I heard from another space.
I ran to every single one of the entrances, hoping to find Mason. Then I realized… Mason had never called me. This evil being had tricked me, giving me hope, a sense of security, only to take it back from me. When I stopped moving, Mason’s voice calling my name crashed through my mind like a hurricane. It was loud, strong, and I felt blown away. It was too much, and I had to cover my ears and scrunch down to the floor. Tucking in my knees, I curled up like a ball.
“Stop it!” I yelled continuously, as the walls spun around me. Feeling dizzy, I kept my eyes closed. I jumped up to defend myself when I felt someone touch my arm. Feelings of warmth jolted through my body, and my fingers lit up, ready to attack.
“Sky. Thank God, I found you. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Stay back,” I warned, taking a few steps back.
“Sky. It’s me, Mason. I was so worried about you. What happened?”
“Mason?” My heart found a steadier beat as I made out the shape of his body. When my eyes confirmed it was Mason, I threw my arms around him. “Mason. You won’t believe what happened to me.”
Mason cupped my face and looked into my eyes. “I believe you. Same thing happened to me, too. It asked me what I feared the most. Did it ask you?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t say it.”
“What is your worst fear, Sky? You can trust me.”
“Can I tell you later?” I snuggled into the space between his neck and shoulder, then backed away. “Where is everyone?” Beyond Mason was nothing but darkness. The air was still thick, but there was something different about where I stood. I couldn’t see anything but Mason.
“I don’t know. But I think if you tell it, then everyone else will appear. They might be stuck somewhere.”
“Mason, how did you find me?”
“I don’t know. You found me.”
“What kind of shock do you send me on my text? What do you say?”
“Why are you asking me this, Sky? We need to hurry and find the others. What is your worst fear? Hurry. Say it.” His tone was urgent and de
manding.
I knew Mason better than anyone, and this was not my Mason. At that point, I should have been scared out of my mind, but I wasn’t. As anger blistered inside me, I jumped on the evil being and gave him all the dosage of my volt.
“You fool!” Its body convulsed as lightning struck through it.
“No, you’re the fool, asshole. Now, send me back to my friends before I kill you.”
His body flashed in and out, like a light bulb using up its last source of energy. Next thing I knew, my arms crossed and I almost fell over. When I found my footing, in front of me were my friends, staring at me with their eyes wide. Dragging my hands through my hair, I felt flustered and relieved.
“Where the hell have you been?” Amanda scolded. “Mason was going crazy looking for you.”
“Don’t get mad at her.” Nick poked her shoulder. “It’s not like she was having fun.”
“Where’s Mason?”
“Sky, are you okay?” Ian asked, but I ignored him. I couldn’t even look at him. He took a few steps toward me, and then backed away. Though he’d had his reasons for what he did, I was still mad at him. It would take time for us to be friends again, if I ever decided that we could even get there.
“You didn’t tell it, did you?” Zara asked, examining me without an answer to my question. “Are you all right?”
“No, I didn’t tell it. I’m fine,” I answered quickly. “Where’s Mason?”
Just as I asked that question, a wind whooshed past me. There was only one person that could make that kind of air seep through me like a warm blanket.
“Right here.” Mason embraced me like he hadn’t seen me in days, then let go, checking me out as he always did. He had appeared out of nowhere. I figured he was searching for me. “Are you hurt? What happened?”
“What kind of shock do you send me on my text? What do you say?”
“Why are you asking me this right now?” Mason looked flustered, then cleared his throat. “Can I whisper it to you? Everyone is staring.”
“Yes.” I smiled. I needed to know. This was the only way.
Mason held me tighter and licked the tip of my ear. “Sending you a love shock, baby,” he whispered. “Maybe more next time. Satisfied?” His tone was smooth and hot, sending waves of tingles through me. I could already feel them. I had to take a moment to settle myself and remember where I was.
“Yes,” I murmured, feeling dazed. This was my Mason, for sure.
“Now that you two had time to make up, I think we should get going,” Zara said. “Sky, you can fill us in as we move forward.”
As we followed behind Zara and Tara, Mason held my hand. It was good to be back with my friends.
Looking around, I noted the ceiling was high. I tried to tilt my head back to try to find the end of it, but I couldn’t. It was like looking at a black hole, or looking at the night sky without stars. How was it bright in there? Where was the light coming from? I didn’t know how far we’d been walking…until I saw a puddle.
At first, that was all it was…just a puddle. But strangely, with each passing step, the puddle grew, expanding its length, its dimension, and possibly its depth. It seemed to be following us.
“What the hell?” Tim gawked in apprehension.
“We’re almost there. Keep away from it,” Tara warned. “We don’t know what it is.”
Amanda arched her brows in confusion, walking beside Noah. “Really? I thought it was water…you know, the stuff that looks like a clear liquid. I sure wish I could have some right now.”
“Isn’t it a bit too early or late to be sarcastic? You’re very good at observing the obvious,” Nick joked.
“Yeah, well….” Amanda stopped talking when Noah distracted her by creating animal shapes made of water in front of her. First, it was an elephant. It dissolved, then changed into a giraffe, then a dog, and then a lion. Amanda stuck her finger through it, but it never lost its shape.
“Here. Open your mouth.” Tara took out a dry, white cloth that was the size of her hand, breaking up the water animals with it.
“Open my mouth? What are you going to do, gag me with it?” Amanda backed away.
Tara opened her mouth and squeezed the cloth. Water dripped from it. “I’m giving you water through my cloth.”
“That’s…magical.” Amanda blinked in surprise.
One by one, we got our share. It moistened my mouth just enough.
“It is. One sip is equivalent to a cup full. That should help for a while.” Tara placed the cloth back into the pocket of her cape.
I didn’t know how long we were walking, but I knew we’d walked a long way, and what was once a puddle was now a full-blown lake of dull, murky water, leaving us a path to walk on.
“Now what?” Sarah asked. She had been mostly quiet during the journey so far. Holding her shield and sword in place, she was always ready for battle.
“We wait,” Tara answered.
Aaron picked up a stone and threw it into the water. From his position and angle, the stone should have skipped across, but instead, it dropped. Clouds of vapor wafted out where it had sunk.
“It’s acidic water. We can’t cross it.” Ian looked hopeless.
“We’re not going to cross it. Don’t you know your Greek mythology?” Colin stepped forward. “We’re waiting for the reaper.”
“Colin is right,” Zara intervened. “He’s coming as we speak.”
“You can see him?” I looked as far as I could, but I couldn’t see anyone.
Mason pointed. I knew he was going to do something amazing. He had developed the ability to operate his light to a different level. Light emanated from his fingertip, traveling in a straight line. It stretched and elongated. When it stopped, it spread like a spider web, and then…bam! It lit up like a huge flashlight, giving us just enough light to see a boat coming our way from far beyond. But there was no one on the boat.
When the boat was closer, I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed to be getting dimmer and the water looked like black ink—thick and heavy. The closer the boat came toward us, the darker it got. When it docked, a man appeared, wearing a black robe with a hood over his head, standing in the middle of the plank. I couldn’t make out his face. In fact, I couldn’t see it at all. It was just an empty space. But I could have sworn I saw a pair of yellow lights where his eyes should have been, if he even had any.
“One by one,” it said in a deep creepy tone.
The black boat wasn’t big, but it was big enough for all of us. There were no seats. I assumed we had to stand, but that thought made me feel uneasy, especially knowing if one of us fell in, the acid in the water would eat us alive. Luckily, there were poles that we could hang on to, just in case the ride was bumpy. I hoped it wasn’t.
“I’ll go first.” Zara stepped in front.
When she wasn’t moving, I knew it was asking her a question in her mind. Not again! One by one, everyone entered. Mason and I were last.
“You go first,” Mason said, giving me a tender kiss on my forehead. “I’m right behind you.”
“Okay.” It was strange to look into a black hole where a face should be. Though I couldn’t see the shape of his body, he towered over me, possibly eight feet tall.
Give me your happy memory, it ordered.
You already know it.
That is not an answer.
That is my answer.
“Sky, what are you doing?” Mason asked, resting his hand on my arm. So happy to see him, I had forgotten to tell him about how I tricked the last being.
“Trust me,” I said, and took a step onto the boat.
Something white and long whipped out, preventing me from going in further. I freaked out and cringed when I noted it was a skeleton arm, and seeing his boney fingers wiggle was a ghastly sight. When I looked down the length of the cape in curiosity, his shoes were covered. Images of his skeletal, bony feet popped in my mind. I figured he wouldn’t have worn shoes if the rest of his body lo
oked like his arm.
“Let her go. You can have two of mine.”
“No, Mason. I’ll tell you,” I said quickly. “It’s when—”
“Too late. Once it’s spoken, you can’t take it back,” the reaper chided.
“It’s okay, Sky. You need your strength more than I do. I’ll be fine.”
Having no choice, I got on the boat and scooted over next to Nick, to make room for Mason. Seeing not one, but two white mists escape from Mason’s mouth was horrifying to watch. It seemed as though his face became pale, almost ghost like, and looking at everyone else, they looked the same way. I wasn’t sure if it was caused by the darkness of the surroundings, being that there were only a couple of lamps that hung on the boat, or my imagination. I hoped it was just my imagination.
“I gave you two. Let me enter.” Mason was waiting patiently for it to move its bony skeletal arm.
“I asked for one, but you gave me two,” it harped. “It’s like collecting tokens, not more and not less.”
“You’re kidding me. You said I could give you two.” Mason’s eyes were lighting up and his tone was on fire.
“I didn’t ask for two.”
“That’s it.” Mason’s light wrapped around its arm, the arm that prevented Mason from entering, and tore it off, then tossed it into the water. The arm sizzled from the contact with the acid water as the bubbles engulfed it, disintegrating it.
The being never made a sound, nor did it even flinch.
Mason hopped on aboard and turned to the being. “Next time you piss me off, it won’t be just your arm. We all cooperated and did what you asked. Now get us across.” Mason’s tone was demanding and he showed him who was in charge.
Next thing I knew, the reaper was gone. He was like Houdini. A second ago he was standing in front, then as soon as Mason said his piece, the reaper vanished to appear at the other side of the boat. What the heck? Not only that, he was steering the wheel with two hands. Strange! Mason had just ripped one off.