by Sophia Sharp
“Actually,” I said, stepping in her way, “now’s not a great time. I promised a friend I would meet with them very soon, and I haven’t even showered yet…” Talking to Liz was a priority, obviously, but if she were already doing better – which only added to the mystery of what happened – then the conversation could wait a few hours. I had blown Chris off once before, and didn’t want to do it again.
“Ugh.” Liz looked scandalized. “It’s not with Chris, is it?”
“No,” I lied. Liz did not look like she believed me.
“Anyway, this is more important than whatever promise you made. I’m sure your friend will understand. If not – I can tell them myself.” She forced herself past me, and came into the room.
“No, Liz, really, I can’t—”
“You need to,” she told me. “We have to talk. Or, more precisely, I have to talk to you.”
“Yes, and Liz, I promise we will,” I assured her. “But this is just not a good time.”
“It can’t wait.” She sat down on the edge of my bed, and looked at me expectantly. “So? Come in, and close the door behind you. It’s important!”
“Liz!” I cried out, exasperated. “Look at me! I haven’t even showered today! And this is after carrying you all the way from the party to the clinic, and then barely getting a wink of sleep in a hard plastic chair all night! You need to give me at least some time to get myself together before talking to you!”
She considered me for a long moment without a word, head tilted to one side. Then she nodded curtly. “Okay.” She pushed herself up. “That’s fair. You do what you need to do, and once you’re done, let me know. And not a moment later! We need to talk, ASAP.”
I didn’t disagree. “Not a moment later.”
“Good.” Liz walked past me to the door. Before leaving, she turned and added, “I’ll call you later tonight if I don’t hear from you before.”
“But you don’t have my number.”
“Madison gave it to me.”
“Ah. Okay.”
With that, Liz left my room. It was a relief to close the door after her. This visit raised a hundred more questions in my mind. How did Liz get better so quickly? I saw her last night. If that had really been alcohol poisoning, she shouldn’t have been able to so much as get out of bed today. And why did she deem it so important to talk to me? Was it about the same things I wanted to talk to her about? It was hard to get a read on her.
I looked at my phone, and saw that it was already ten minutes past four. That meant, if I hurried, I had just enough time to get ready.
Chapter Thirteen – An Unexpected Journey
The knock at my door came exactly at five. It was perfect timing, too, because I had just finished drying my hair. After the shower and nap, I felt refreshed and revitalized. Truth be told, I was looking forward to hanging out with Chris, and genuinely curious about what he wanted to show me.
“Hey,” I said as I opened the door, “right on time.”
“Yeah,” he laughed, combing a hand through his hair. “You ready to go?”
“Just let me put my shoes on…” I said, before raising my head to look at him for the first time. What I saw caught me off-guard. “Whoa. You look good.”
It was true. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow Chris seemed… transformed. Even compared to what he looked like this morning. His hair was styled a bit better than before, and his clothes were somewhat nicer, but that wasn’t what made the difference. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about him that seemed to be there, now, which had been missing before. It made all the difference in his appearance. I didn’t see the scared little boy anymore. Instead, I saw a confident young man. Maybe it was the way he held his shoulders back and up. Whatever it was, Chris definitely looked more impressive than before.
“Thanks,” he said, and I realized with a start I was staring. I cleared my throat quickly and looked away. “You alright?” he laughed.
“Yeah, sure,” I replied, spinning away from him. It was a good thing I had the excuse of looking for my shoes. Otherwise, he would have seen my cheeks color. “I’ll just grab my shoes from the closet.”
“You might want to get a jacket, too,” Chris called from the doorway.
“Why?” I looked outside, and saw that it was a perfectly sunny day. There were hours of daylight left, at least, and it was still warm.
“It might get a little windy where we’re going.”
“Um… okay? And where is that, exactly?”
“You’ll see,” he answered mysteriously, a gleam in his eye.
I laughed. “Always the man for secrets, huh?” I teased as I put my shoes on. Chris spread his hand innocently.
“I’m just saying.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll take a jacket,” I said, picking one out of the closet and throwing it at him. “But you have to carry it for me!”
“Fine by me. Just don’t get mad when you beg for it as I hold it out of reach,” he said playfully.
“Oh, I doubt that’s going to happen,” I answered with a laugh.
“We’ll see. You ready?”
“Yeah.” I came out and locked the door behind me. We walked down the stairs. Once we were outside the dorm, Chris set off on an unmarked path, in a direction I’d never been. There were some hills that way, sparsely lined with small trees. Much farther away the cliff edged the ocean. I looked after him for a moment, wondering where he was taking me, when he turned around and beckoned me with a hand. Shrugging, I started after him.
We walked for maybe ten minutes, with him leading the way. He was oddly quiet. Every time I caught his eye, he looked like he had a secret that would burst out of him if he said a word. I took his cue, and walked alongside wordlessly.
Eventually, we came upon the edge of the island. It was elevated maybe two hundred feet above the water. There was a sheer drop to the bottom. Jagged rocks stood like sentries as whitecaps whirled around them. From where we stood, it was possible to see all the way to the horizon. The sky was beautifully adorned with thin red and orange clouds. Scattered evergreens stood around us, and it looked like nobody had been here for hundreds of years. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me.
“So is this what you wanted to show me?” I asked stepping past Chris, looking over the horizon.
He smiled. “This is nice, isn’t it? But it’s nothing special.”
“So, there’s something more?”
“Of course.” He pointed to the side, where a few boulders came out of the ground. “See that rock over there?”
“The big one that looks like a head?”
He laughed. “Exactly. Behind it is a trail that leads down.”
“Down to what?”
“You’ll see,” he answered mysteriously. “When we go down, though, the winds pick up, and sometimes the surf splashes against the rocks. You’ll have to be careful not to slip.”
“So that’s why you made me bring a jacket?”
“And I won’t make you beg for it, either,” he laughed, tossing it to me. “Come. Take a look.”
He walked to the rocks, where I saw the trail he was talking about. It was little more than a very thin ledge carved against the stone. Small handholds jutted out every few feet. I traced its path down the side of the cliff, and saw that, about halfway down, it started to get wet. At the very bottom, it curved against the cliff face and faded out of view. It was impossible to tell where it ultimately led.
“What’s down there?” I asked.
“That’s what I want to show you.”
“Is it something I want to see?” I asked, eyeing the precipitous ledge.
“What! You’re not up for it?” he dared me.
“I am, but—”
“You’ll love it, I promise.”
I sighed. I had to admit, my curiosity was getting the better of my, and I did remember wanting to explore these cliffs when I first came here. I just didn’t think I’d be going down so steep a
trail. Chris seemed sure of himself. What was the worst that could happen? A two-hundred foot drop to your death, a small voice said in the back of my head. I pushed it aside.
“You’ve been down there before?” I asked.
“Definitely. A few times. Don’t worry. The path is better than it looks. As long as you use the handholds, you’re good to go.”
I shrugged my shoulders to make the voice go away. “What’s down there that’s so important to see, anyway?”
“Well, follow me and find out,” Chris said with a wink. He immediately started down the path. I sighed, shook my head to get rid of the voice once more, and followed after him.
The ledge was wide enough for me to walk straight on. But, there were a few points where I had to press myself against the rock face just to be safe. More than once, the handholds proved absolutely essential in navigating across a particularly tricky section. I avoided looking down at the start. When I finally did, I found that I had made it more than three-quarters of the way to the bottom.
That was where the wind started to pick up. This close to the sea, gusts of air swept across the rock, carrying thin mists of salty water with them every time. Most of it sprayed harmlessly against my back, but every now and then, a particularly strong gale howled across the rock, and I had to stop moving for fear of missing a step.
“Almost there,” Chris called from ahead just after one of the bigger gales subsided.
“Whatever you want to show me better be worth this,” I muttered under my breath. The last gust had blown salty water all over my face. Not only did my eyes sting, but it was also cold.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” I replied.
Finally we reached the bottom. I was close enough to those spiraling sentry rocks that I could reach out and touch them. Instead, I followed Chris around the bend.
I didn’t know what to expect originally, but what I saw then definitely wasn’t on my list of possibilities. The path we were on led into the opening of a large cave, hollowed out into the rock. It would have been impossible to see from up above. The wind did not reach this area, and the water was relatively calm. I followed Chris to the mouth of the cave. It was hard to see very deep inside, because the light of the sun didn’t penetrate that far.
“This is… kinda creepy,” I told him, stepping gingerly. The opening of the cave loomed ominously in front of us. It looked ready to swallow both of us up. “This is what you wanted to show me?” I asked.
“Farther in,” he replied.
“What’s down there?”
“You’ve come this far. You’ll see soon enough,” he answered mysteriously, setting off into the cave.
I watched from the edge until his shape faded into the darkness, and then stirred and went after him at a run. It was absolutely impossible to see anything farther down the tunnel, and I didn’t want to be by myself when I reached that part. Not even a dozen paces from the entrance, I began to feel the walls pressing down on me. The cave was dark and dank. The spray of the ocean water behind me made the air salty. There was a slight smell of decaying vegetation, washed up on the rocks by the currents.
“Chris?” I called out. I wasn’t sure how much farther he had gone. I didn’t want to venture deeper by myself.
“I’m right here,” he said from close by. I blinked a few times to help my eyes adjust to the dark, and found him standing not far from me.
“Listen, Chris,” I began, “I trust you and all, but this is a little bit sketchy, don’t you think…?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, “it’s not far now.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some small, indiscriminate shape. After he had played around with it a few times, I saw a flame go up. The light from the Zippo illuminated a surprisingly large portion of the cave. It made shadows dance gloomily on Chris’s face.
Abruptly he smiled at me, and reached over to take my hand. “Come on,” he said, “it’s not much farther. You’re safe with me, you know?” Again, I found myself taking solace in that easy smile. Chris’s hand holding mine gave a warm type of comfort, so I didn’t pull away.
He led me farther into the cave, walking with the surefootedness of someone who’d been here many times before. I guessed he kept the light on only for my own comfort. After walking for what seemed like a century (although it was probably closer to five minutes), the dark of the cave started to fade away. I started to make out pale white, glowing light far in the distance, coming from behind a sharp bend.
“What is that?” I asked. Chris chuckled knowingly in reply.
As we got closer, the light from the Zippo blended in with that strange light from around the corner, until the flame was no longer necessary. Chris flicked it off and put it back in his pocket.
“Come, look,” he told me as he stepped around the edge and into the light. He smiled. “We’re finally there.”
I walked toward him, now extremely curious. When I turned the corner, I gasped in awe.
The cave turned into a wide, circular space – a cavern maybe three or four times larger than my room. Light shone down from a small opening in the roof, in a ray that looked solid enough to touch. But that was not what was so impressive. On the floor of the cavern, located perfectly in the center of the space and right below the source of light, was an enormous bundle of naturally-formed crystals. They emerged extravagantly from a single cleaved rock, and were arranged much like a bouquet of roses. They were both astoundingly huge and intensely beautiful. Somehow, they scattered the light from the hole up above all around the circular cavern, splitting the ray like dozens of tiny mirrors. The crystals glistened in the light. Every time I took a breath, the tiny movement of my body seemed to make the crystals glitter in a new way. It was amazing.
“What is this?” I asked Chris softly. This seemed almost a holy place. The crystals demanded a type of reverence. I acknowledged it by keeping my voice low.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Chris said in a voice matching my own, “but I came across it a long time ago.”
“It’s absolutely surreal,” I said. “And so beautiful.”
He looked across at me, and his eyes seemed to shine. It took me a moment to realize that it was the crystals reflecting off his pupils that created the effect. It felt like there was this spectacular aura radiating from the center of the room, bathing everything in a supernatural light, and we had just stepped into it. “I thought you’d like it.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Not many people have. You want to come take a closer look?”
I nodded. Chris smiled, and extended his hand. “Down this way.”
There was a circling ledge that led down from the entrance. It looked more like rubble, really. I had to pick my way down carefully, relying on Chris’s steady hand to keep my balance. At the bottom, a completely foreign feeling washed over me.
It was ridiculous, of course, and probably just the better part of my imagination, but once I took that first step onto the rocky floor, I felt an inexplicable pull toward the crystals. It was like I had crossed some sort of threshold, upon which the effect came into full force. My insides grew warm. My hands and face started to tingle slightly. I felt like I was in a dream. I walked toward the crystals, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. The light they reflected danced in scattered rays. When I came close enough to touch the crystals, the very air seemed to shimmer. I reached out with my hand, about to put my fingers on the glowing quartz for the first time…
Chris stepped deftly in front of me and took my hand. “It might not be such a good idea to touch them,” he said gently. “They grow hot, sometimes.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “What?” I replied dreamily. I felt a longing for the crystals, which was even more ridiculous, and Chris was standing in the way. I felt irritated with him for that.
“Come on,” he suggested. “Let’s go back.” He gently took my shoulders to turn me around. I complied, though not really sure wh
y. My mind seemed hazy, and movement… well, movement felt a bit like moving underwater.
“Why?”
“It’s getting dark.”
I looked around. To my surprise, the light had started to fade. But it had been so intense only a moment ago!
“Is the sun going down already?” I asked, still irritated with him for blocking my way.
“It started going down fifteen minutes ago. We’ve been here for the better part of an hour.”
“What?” I said in surprise. We had only just gotten here!
“Yeah. You were pretty fascinated with the crystals back there.”
I blinked, and everything changed at once. The fuzziness I felt was gone, and I became acutely aware of new memories rushing into my head. Memories of how I had stared at the crystal since arriving here, trance-like. It was like my brain was playing catch-up with reality.
I realized now, also, that we were already back in the darker tunnel of the cave. Chris had the Zippo out, and was leading me toward the entrance. I frowned. What had happened back there? It was like… insomnia, or maybe sleepwalking. I racked my brain trying to think of a possible explanation. Could it be the effects of my concussion exhibiting themselves for the first time? I had to get it checked out.
Then I remembered something Chris had said to me. “You said they grow hot. Why?”
Chris looked over his shoulder at me, as if surprised to hear me speak. “There are geysers in some places on the island. Some of the caves sit atop the hot pools of water. The crystals are connected to the heat of the earth, and every once in a while an errant blast of heat might come up, and make their surface scalding to the touch.” He shrugged. “I don’t know much about the geology of it. You’ll have to ask my father about that.”
“Does he know about the crystals, too?”
“Actually, he’s the one who showed them to me,” Chris said. Then, frowning as if he had made a blunder, quickly changed the topic. “Anyway, who did you say your friend was that you had a sleepover with?”
