Lucky In Love- A Sam and Luna Fanfic

Lucky In Love- Story 3, Chapter 22

LUNA'S POV

It's now that our journey has truly begun. The five of us, equipped with flashlights and determined expressions (aside from Alex, who seems to regret having entered), begin working our way through the high school's ventilation shaft.

From in front of me, Sam cranes her head back to ensure that everyone is behind her. We lock eyes, and within the dull light of my flashlight, I manage to pick up on the supportive smile that she flashes me. I return the smile.

"Is everybody in?" Mazzy calls from the head of the group. I voice a rather enthusiastic "yeah, bro", and my other bandmates provide an altered version of my response. Alex, however, voices incoherent mumbling.

The journey to the file room is an endless stretch of darkness and--close to--complete silence. Every inch that we trek within the vent's cramped interior sends the vent's foundation rattling. Dull echoes and thuds resonate within the space, and our ragged strained breathing is amplified. I hear Alex whimper faintly from behind me. Mazzy idly hums the Mission Impossible theme from the head of the line.

In hopes of alleviating the sudden sensation of boredom and the excruciating pain that my knees are experiencing, I watch Sam's fluid movements from in front of me. I try to sync with her movement, lifting my leg when she does and so forth. Even in a space as cramped as this, Sam still manages to uphold the gratefulness that she always projects. I mean, aside from dancing, that is. I smile at the memory, trying my best to suppress laughter.

With my shoulders hunched and my neck bowed, I feel myself beginning to cramp up. I will my body to snap out of it, craning my neck into a new position.

When it seems that my appendages might fail at any moment, there's a dramatic shift from the front of the line. Mazzy has stopped for reasons that I'm not aware of at the moment. However, as if trained to maintain progression, I'm only aware that we've stopped when my face is butting Sam's rear. I try to compose myself, pulling a straight face as I gaze in Mazzy's direction curiously.

"Guys." Mazzy murmurs feebly. There's an obvious note of fear in her voice, and it sets me on edge.

"Somebody's here."

I swallow hard, the sound unnaturally loud and discomforting.

"What?" Sully hisses through his teeth from the back of the line, trying his best to remain quiet, but beginning to grow panicked himself. It's obvious that Sully heard Mazzy's statement, but Mazzy repeats it nonetheless.

We've reached another vent opening to our left, and Mazzy kneels inches before it, out of view of anyone who might be there.

"Who's there?" I question insistently with the hope of alleviating my panic. My arms shake with the strain of holding myself up, and I bite my tongue to silence myself.

"Shh, wait..." Mazzy's voice trails off, and it isn't long until the sound of a door opening is heard from outside the ventilation shaft. The five of us are quick to turn off our flashlights, cloaking the vents in darkness.

I give a sharp intake of breath as the sound of footfalls rises to a crescendo. Suddenly, the lights to the classroom are turned on, and yellow light seeps through the vent's grate. Thankfully, the five of us manage to constrict ourselves out of view of the strangers, our warm exhales mingling.

As I listen, I begin to register that there are, in fact, two pairs of feet. Occasionally, they'll grow out of sync, resulting in an alternating "pitter-patter" of disruptive footfalls. It's evident that stealth is not something of their priority, only fueling the Moon Goat's confusion.

"Find them?" A voice, female, hisses within the deafening silence. There's an irritated grunt in response, and then the insistent shuffling of papers.