Depthless: Under The Library

Chapter Thirty-Three// Skye

Skye's POV  

I woke up shielded by a dark shadow over my head. A moment's panic threatened to overthrow me, until a glance of my surroundings calmed my inner turmoil.

Sitting up, I groan. How long was I out? What had happened? Suddenly, I seemed very interested. Tilting my head skywards, I note with a frown the uneven texture of the white stalactites reaching down to the ground. That mustn’t be good. Not about the stalactite formations--- those were lovely to stare at, but of the close proximity of the ceiling to where I lay.

Gosh, do I dislike cramped areas.

A five-second glance around was enough to turn my insides into pretzel twist.

Lurking around in huddles were the dishevelled forms of the pack of *ah, sorry* cave-dwellers, mooching about and holding hushed conversations. I caught a couple of enraged glares thrown my way, followed by an angry raising of voices. I sigh, perplexed. When will I improve on my first impressions? Barely an hour, and I had to become the object of burning hatred for the entire population?

This reminds me--- where is Loky? Or Isaac, for that matter? I press my fist into my chest, trying to numb the dull ache where my heart is. I'd never given much thought to Isaac, or Loky, but suddenly, after spending a few lonely and disorienting days down here, even a death stare from Loky could brighten me up. Possibly.

I really want to return to my old life. I'm just not hardwired for adventure after all, it seems.

A cool hand brushed the back of my shoulder, the contact startling me. I turn my head, and there stands a young boy, probably of twelve years of age, with golden blonde hair lying flat against his head in a curtain. He has the expression of a startled deer, with clear, see-through green irises and lifted eyebrows.

"Excuse me, but mama asks if you need any dinner?" He mumbles timidly, shifting his weight from one foot to another, all the while hardly daring to stare at me for more than two seconds. I tried to hide my discomfort as well, but I guess sooner or later it I would become encased in a broken shell.

"Who's your mother?" I ask, feeling my guard rise up to the level of my chin.

The young boy turns his blonde head from side to side, his apparent unease growing. "Over there." He points towards where a small, hunched woman in a rugged black garment sits, a pot of something at her feet.

"She says you must be starving after going without food for so long, and my brother asked me to watch over you while you slept, so..." He trailed off as I hold up my hands.

"Hang on, why this sudden kindness? Doesn't everyone and his brother hate me? Who is your brother anyway?" I shoot, confusion sweeping me off my feet.

The boy smiled, a sudden flash of emotion flicked over his face as he took my elbow. I rose, uncertainly, but my instincts told me that this boy is of no threat, nor I figured that small woman would harm me, or decide that food poisoning was the best way to be rid of this sudden nuisance.

The boy led me across the cave. It spanned to about the length of two soccer fields, with the usual sand and glowing stalactites. Unlike the blue crystalline cave, I could not pinpoint any obvious feature that distinguishes this cave from all the rest that I'd so hastily explored earlier on.

We dodged around angry groups of grown men and women, stooped under overhanging stalactites and scooted around sleeping bodies to reach the corner of the cave where the woman I saw now stood, a smile on her face as we approached.

"Mama!" The boy left my side and ran eagerly up to the woman, a beamed on his dirt-strewn face, chattering illegible words. The woman chatted back, in a language I don't know. They continued for a few more minutes, before the woman finally turned towards me.