A Journey To The Clouds, Escape From Cloud Castle - Book Two - ✓

Chapter Fifteen

Where. . . are we?" I hear a high-pitched voice groan. The chipmunks rustle around in the hay as they struggle to get up after their slumber. Peanut opens one eye and looks around. Her eyes then sparkled with recognition. It appeared as though the tiredness from both of them disintegrated. Ally strokes their fur for a few brief seconds before she herself gets up, and plops Chip and Peanut into the palm of her hands.

"Let's get going, we're losing daylight." I say. Ally smiles at me. Losing daylight was definitely not a thing in this part of the castle. It was always dark and gloomy in the shadows of these deserted halls.

We walk for a long time - hours, I could predict. Every stop we made, me and Ally checked each crevice for some kind of sign that we were headed in the right direction. The thing we needed to find most was the entrance to the lair. It could be the place where Lily went.

My reasoning is that maybe when she ran away from us, she found the trap door. She rushed towards it and shut the latch, determined to keep herself hidden. She could be looming in the lair, more trapped than ever. Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.

I must have had a petrified look on my face because Ally pokes me in the back and asks if I'm alright. I stare into her worried green gaze.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Lily. I mean, I'm sure she's fine, it's just, what if. . ." I trail off. I then tell her what I've been thinking about. She gets a grim look on her face when I get to Lily possibly being trapped.

"We're trying to find the lair entrance for a reason," She says, gently rubbing my arm in comfort."But how would that be able to happen?" She asks.

"I don't know exactly. But what if she did find it? What if she's down there now, looking for us?" I wonder. Ally then jumps in front of me and I bump into her. I stop and take a step back. Chip and Peanut now lay in Ally's back pocket, their tail's bushy and dirty. Ally puts her hands on my shoulders and cocks her head slightly to the side.

"Don't worry about it. The best we could do is not worry. We just have to believe Lily is ok." Ally says.

"I know, it's just. . . how can you not worry?" I ask her. Ally brushes my hair with her fingers.

"You can't not worry, but that doesn't mean you should spend your energy worrying about it." She replies. I smile at her.

"I bet you if you weren't here, I would have exploded by now." I tell her.

"Yeah?" She asks.

"Yeah." I reply.

I place my hand on top of one of her's, and our fingers embrace.

"I remember when you first said that, and I denied it. Still think I would deny it now." Ally says.

"Really?" I ask her.

"Yeah. You need me, don't you?" She asks. She looks deep in my eyes. I smile at her.

"I suppose I do." I reply.

We start to keep walking, but this time, Ally's hand is in mine and her head is resting on my shoulder. I smile because, if we ever make it out of here, I have something I've been dying to tell her. Something that might leave you might be shocked (or not!). With the events of the past few days, I'm sure you won't be surprised.

You're going to have to wait, however.

Yup, you heard me right.

My thoughts are interrupted at the small rustling in Ally's pant pocket. Me and Ally stay quiet for a few seconds, before silence comes again.

"So. . ." Ally trails off. She looks at me expectantly.

"So. . . what?" I ask her.

"I'm not sure. . just feels like it's the right time to talk." She stutters.

"I guess it is. I mean, we're in a dark hallway, with the chipmunks asleep, and it's practically just the two of us. . ." I say quietly. She nods in agreement, her eyes bright as she smiles back. Suddenly, her head jerks up, like a dog when he catches something in his senses. Ally starts to sprint towards the right fork. I urgently follow her.

"Hey! Wait up! You said to stick together!" I call after her but it's no use. I start pounding after her until I see her panting, standing above a trap door. I get the feeling that I'm supposed to recognize it. I bounce the image around in my head until something finally clunks into place.

It's the lair entrance!