by Sophia Sharp
“Detecting faults in the rock,” Madison explained. “To see how we’re going to get through.”
Eve pointed to a section of the pile. “Over there,” she said.
“Wait, you can do that?” I asked. “Then why didn’t you do it before to check the stability of the cave? Any of us could have been killed when the roof came down!”
“Not everyone is as strong as you,” came Eve’s reply, dripping with sarcasm.
“It takes a lot out of you,” Ashley explained patiently, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Even the smallest thing places enormous strain on an individual.”
Suddenly Eve staggered and fell to one knee.
“Are you alright?” I cried out. I started to move to her but Ashley held me back.
“It’s nothing,” Eve said tightly. “Just a bit of after-sickness.”
“I thought you were past that?”
“Again, Tracy, not everyone is gifted with the natural abilities you have.” She sounded irritated.
Madison hobbled over and tried to help Eve up, but she was pushed away. After a few seconds, Eve stood on her own. “Well?” she demanded. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me move the rock?”
Ashley jumped and started working, lifting rocks up from where Eve was pointing and setting them aside. I hurried to do the same. It took us a while, even with the benefit of Eve’s directions. But, in the end, we moved enough rocks to make a narrow hole that any of us could squeeze through.
“You’re sure this is the right way?” I asked Ashley when we finished. The flashlights we had gave just enough light to see to the other side of the hole, but in there was just darkness.
“Yes,” she answered. “I hope. I’ll go first.”
“No.” I caught her sleeve. “None of this would have happened without me. I’ll be the first to go.”
She looked at me for a second, then nodded. “Be careful.”
I bent down to my knees and crawled head-first into the narrow opening. Feelings of claustrophobia came back unbidden. The space was tight. My back scraped against the top. The rock was cold to the touch, and in that small space seemed to seep away all my body heat. I inched forward, propelling myself carefully. I couldn’t see anything, so I had to go entirely by feel, placing one hand warily in front of the other. I continued on that way for a few feet, making my way through the space slowly.
I put my hand in front of me once again. Instead of hard rock, I found only empty air. I had already started shifting my body weight to that hand. Grasping at nothing, I fell forward, and tumbled out, landing upside down on the other side of the wall.
“Tracy?” a worried voice called from the other side. “Are you all right?”
“Just fine,” I groaned. I retrieved the flashlight from my pocket and shone it around. The light allowed me to see my surroundings. I was relieved when I recognized the walls. Ashley had been right: The hole I had just climbed though emerged straight into the cave Chris had shown me before. If I strained, I could even hear the sounds of the ocean, and the continuing downpour, coming from the large entrance to my right. “Ashley, you were right! You found the way to the crystal cave!”
“Told you I knew where I was going,” Ashley said from just behind me. I squawked in surprise. The girl had followed right behind me as soon as I crawled into the hole! She lowered herself more gracefully than I had, then turned around to help Madison down. Eve came last of all, grumbling that we should have taken the time to make the hole wider.
“Now what?” Madison asked.
“This way,” I said. “We’re close.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven – A Deadly Game
I led the way quickly. Every step filled me with more and more apprehension. I didn’t know what we would find at the end of the cave. Chris would be there, presumably with Liz. But the circumstances that led to them being there were entirely unclear. I knew that it wasn’t like we were just going to meet Chris there without a care in the world. Something had driven him to kidnap Liz and bring her here against her will. I prayed desperately that it was just a misunderstanding, that everything would turn out fine in the end . Something told me that what awaited us was not going to be so rosy. Still, I held out hope.
The note he left had been pretty ominous. He had demanded for me to come. Why, I couldn’t imagine. All I knew was that if I didn’t show up, Liz could get hurt. Regardless of the rift between us, I couldn’t let that happen. There were still so many questions in my head, so many uncertainties and unknowns that played into all this that I couldn’t even begin to sort them out.
I noticed a faint glow from ahead and skidded to an abrupt stop. The apprehension that had been building inside me shifted into full-out fear. I knew the light came from the end of the tunnel, where it would be time to face Chris and god-knows-what-else.
Eve, who hadn’t been paying much attention, nearly walked into me. Ashley pulled her back just in time. She made a vexed sound in response. I took a deep breath. I couldn’t get mad at the others now. We were all in this together. I noticed my pulse was racing, and realized with a start that my entire body was shaking. Something bad was waiting at the end of the cave, and I would have to face it head on.
“We’re here,” I whispered, motioning to Ashley to turn off her light. I didn’t want to alert Chris to our presence. “See the glow up ahead? That’s where Liz should be.”
“Now what?” Madison asked.
“Well, he said he wants Tracy. Right?” Eve said in a voice just a tad too loud for the situation. “Let’s just bring her there and be done with it.”
“And then what?” Ashley demanded. “We just leave her there? I’m not about to swap Tracy with Liz and call it a day.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Eve grumbled, but Ashley continued. “What we need to do, actually, is figure out what’s going on. I want to make sure Liz isn’t in any danger. Hopefully she’s not. But, just in case… we have to know exactly what it is and how to stop it.”
“And why she was brought here,” I added. I had no idea what would cause Chris, or anybody, to take Liz away like this. Suddenly, I was filled with new doubt about the expedition. If Liz were in real danger, rushing headfirst after her probably wasn’t the smartest plan. Yet, that’s exactly what we were doing. Looking back, I realized abashedly that we should have brought an adult: a teacher, a faculty member, or anybody else who would know what to do. But, we hadn’t. Now, we had to live with the consequences.
Suddenly a loud shout drifted down the tunnel. “GODDAMMIT, WHERE ARE THEY?” I recognized the voice immediately. It was Chris.
“You’re wasting your time!” came the thin reply. It sounded like Liz, but her voice was muffled. “They’ll never come.”
“Oh? Well, you’d better hope they do, for your own sake. If they don’t…” he trailed off menacingly.
“Nobody would be crazy enough to follow you here!”
“Then I’ll have to make do with you,” he said viciously. There was no reply.
I looked at the others. “It’s them,” I mouthed. “Hurry!”
We hurried to the end of the cave, careful not to make a sound. Hearing Liz gave me hope. It meant she was here, and she was alive. That was not the worst possible outcome but, who knew how things would develop from here?
We made it to the end of the tunnel, just before the turn that opened up to the cavern of crystals. I motioned to the others to stay back, and pressed myself up against the wall. Slowly, I edged up to the corner and peeked around.
The light was coming from the crystals as before, which I thought was strange since it was dark out. Then, I noticed the enormous, industrial-sized flashlight aimed right at them. Though the beam from it was strong, I wouldn’t have imagined it would have enough power to light up the entire crystal bouquet, like the sun had done before. But that was exactly what had occurred. It was almost like the crystals amplified the beam, so that the cavern was nearly as bright as when I had come here during
the day. But there was no shine from the crystals this time, no glitter and shimmer like before. Still, it gave more than enough light to see everything.
Liz sat slumped against one wall, her head down and her hands behind her back. It took me a second to realize her limbs were bound. She was facing the crystals, her profile to me. From my vantage I could tell she was in rough shape. Her hair was a mess, and her upper lip was swollen, as if she had been hit there. I moved my head a bit to see better, and suppressed a gasp. Her face was bruised. She had a swelling black eye that would disfigure her for weeks.
Chris was on the other side. He was pacing up and down beside the crystals, too preoccupied to notice me. He looked like he had seen better days, too. There were four parallel gashes on his cheek, stretching from just under his eye to his chin. I took a little solace in that. It looked like Liz had fought back, and scratched him with her nails.
Suddenly he jerked his head toward me. I instinctively pulled away. My heart jumped to my throat. Had he seen me? Had I given myself away? I waited a few seconds and dared another look around the corner. Chris had resumed his anxious pacing. I sighed with relief. He hadn’t noticed me.
Somebody pulled on my arm. I looked back, and found Ashley standing beside me. She motioned for me to step away so she could take a look. I shook my head. “Too risky,” I mouthed, and pulled her back. When we were a good ten feet away from the corner, reunited with Eve and Madison, I relaxed.
“What is it?” Ashley asked. “What did you see?”
“It’s not good,” I told them. “Liz is tied up. She’s alive, but in pretty bad shape. And Chris was just across from her.”
“What was he doing?” Eve asked. “Was there anyone else?”
“No, just him. And he was pacing back and forth. He looked… nervous. He has a cut across his face.” I drew a line along my cheek. “Like that. I think Liz managed to scratch him.”
“Atta girl,” Eve said.
“So, now what do we do?” Madison asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I have to think.”
“Who died and made you ringleader?” Eve asked. “I say we all take a look. We need to know what’s going on.”
“Fine,” I replied. “Just be careful.”
“Of course,” Eve said dismissively. She walked to the corner. Ashley, helping Madison along, followed after her. I went with them. Eve was the first to look around the corner, and then Ashley, and finally Madison.
“The crystals,” Ashley breathed once she turned back. “They’re… beautiful.” She turned toward me, and I heard the longing clear in her voice. After a few seconds, Eve and Madison turned back as well. They both had the same look of dumb desire plastered on their faces.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Madison breathed.
“Focus!” I snapped at them. “We’re here to save Liz, not admire the crystals!”
“Right.” Ashley shook her head and blinked a few times to regain focus. “You’re right. Well, we’re here. Now what do we do?”
“We have to let Chris know we came,” Madison answered. “And we have to make sure Liz is safe. Then we need to get her away from here quickly.”
“And what if it’s a trap?” Ashley asked. “What if he’s expecting us to come, and just wants to do the same thing to us as he did to her?”
“There’s four of us,” Eve said. “Even he wouldn’t be dumb enough to try something like that.”
“No, there’s more to it than that,” I said. “We need to be careful. Chris knows something about the crystals, otherwise he wouldn’t be here.”
“What could he possibly know?” Ashley wondered aloud. “Only females can use the crystals, and no one else knows about them.”
“But he brought Liz here for a reason,” I answered. “And we have to figure out what that reason is.”
“Simple,” Eve said. “He wanted to exchange her for you.”
“And then what?” I snapped. “What does he want from me?”
“Beats me,” Eve said breezily “He’s your friend.”
“Was my friend,” I corrected. “Besides, if it were that easy, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of kidnapping Liz. He’s up to something, and it has to do with all of us. And the crystals.”
Suddenly a small gasp escaped from Madison’s lips. She had snuck back to the corner, and was peeking around again. She turned to us. “There’s something in his hand!”
“What?” I came up to her, and poked my head around the side. I couldn’t see it at first, but then I noticed that something he held reflected the light. It was long and slender, and had a silvery gleam. A blade?
I pulled Madison away. “He’s got a knife,” I told the others.
“Great,” Eve said sarcastically. “Now what?”
“Well, he wants me. Maybe you were right. Maybe I should just go down there.”
“No way.” Ashley shook her head vigorously. For some reason, after her failed attack against me, she had become very protective of me. “If we do that, we give away our biggest bargaining chip. Here’s what I say we do. Madison, why don’t you and I go there? Tracy, you stay back with Eve. That way, you two can keep watch. Maybe if he thinks you didn’t come, he’ll let up on this madness.”
“I will not just sit back and wait!” Eve exclaimed.
“You’ll have to,” Ashley spoke right over her. “You’re the only one of us with a crystal. If anything happens – well, maybe you’ll be able to use it. You’ll do better keeping watch. Besides, I’m more… diplomatic… than you are.”
Eve sniffed loudly, but didn’t protest.
“Tracy, you’ll need to stay back as well. I don’t know what Chris has planned for you, but I don’t think any of us wants to find out. If Madison and I can get Liz out of there without involving you, it’ll be better.”
“All right,” I agreed reluctantly. I didn’t want them risking themselves for me. I was the one who had caused this, somehow. If I shied away now… well, to say I shared Eve’s sentiment about being left behind was an understatement.
“We don’t want to spook him either by all showing up at once. Madison’s got a limp, so she won’t seem a threat.” Madison smiled weakly. “Hopefully, I can get Chris to release Liz just by talking to him.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” Eve pondered.
“We’ll deal with that when we get there,” Ashley said.
“It’s not much of a plan,” Eve said sarcastically.
“I know. But it’s the best we’ve got. None of us has ever faced something like this before. We have to be as cautious as we possibly can.”
“All right. Fine,” Eve said. “Let’s just get on with it, shall we? The anticipation is killing me.”
“Right.” Ashley stood up, and looked at Madison. “Come on.”
The two girls walked toward the cavern. After they turned the corner, Eve quickly dragged me after them. “Come on!” she said, “We need to be able to see what’s going on.”
I huddled at the corner and peeked out. Ashley and Madison were walking toward the middle of the cavern, but hadn’t been seen yet.
“Hello, Chris,” Ashley said in a cool, clear voice. Madison limped beside her.
Instantly, Chris turned to them. “There you are!” His voice was vicious. “Did you bring her?”
“Tracy? No, I didn’t see the need for it.” Ashley examined her fingernails casually. “The way I see it, you took away one of my friends. I’m here to get her back.” Off to the side, Liz was staring wide-eyed at Ashley and Madison. She looked shocked to see them there. “Well? Don’t tell me I came here to waste my time, Chris.”
“You’re lying!” he hissed. “She is here, and I know it! How else would you have known where to go?”
“Are you really so arrogant as to think you are the only one to have explored the unground caves?” Ashley asked. Her composure was truly astonishing. She was standing there, staring down somebody who was clearly not well, and she was a
s calm as if she was discussing the weather. “Besides, I don’t like when demands are made of me.”
“You stupid bitch!” Chris screamed. “Do you know what you have done?” Abruptly, he started laughing. So far Liz hadn’t said anything. Then I realized, somewhat belatedly, that Liz’s mouth was gagged. She couldn’t speak. “You didn’t bring her. That means she gets it!” He pointed the knife toward Liz.
Ashley took a step toward him.
“Stay back!” he warned, waving his knife at her. He was positioned between the two girls and Liz. “Don’t take another step!”
Ashley froze. “Chris,” she said softly, “put the knife down. Nobody needs to get hurt.”
“Nobody needs to get hurt,” he repeated. “Nobody needs to get hurt? That’s what you think!” Again came that maniacal laugh. Who had he become? “Well, I’ll tell you what. If she—” he pointed at Liz, “—does what I say, nobody will get hurt.” Liz started to squirm under the bonds. “But if she doesn’t listen…” his blade flashed. Madison let out a scream. The knife stopped mere inches from Liz’s face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“We need to do something!” I hissed at Eve.
“Just wait. Ashley knows what she’s doing.”
“Chris,” Ashley spoke again, though her voice quivered this time, “put the knife down. We’ll do what you want.” Madison snuck an anxious peek back at us.
“Will you? Swear it!”
“I promise!” I could hear the tension in her voice. “Please, just leave Liz alone.”
“And what about her?” Chris pointed at Madison.
“I will,” Madison said in a tiny voice.
“Hmm. You might do as well. Maybe better than Liz, even.” He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a ruby the size of his palm. It was wide and flat. Its red face was carved into three perfect planes. With the ruby, he pointed to the crystals in the middle of the cave. “There. Do you see them?”
“The crystals?” Ashley said slowly. “Of course I do.”
“I want you to use them! And don’t play dumb!” He motioned to Liz’s bruised face. “That’s what it got your friend.”
