The Luminary

TWO

POV: AUTUMN

I have no choice but to be pushed onto the stage right over the number 200 written in duct tape and stand there with mustered up excitement. But when my eyes catch my mothers I know she can see what I am really feeling. She nods as I mouth another I love you as my ears tune out what Cara is saying. That is until she starts counting down.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Your future!" A timer starts to tick behind me with ten seconds left. What was going to happen? Would we be escorted away? Would we be put to sleep? What would happen when that clock hit zero? I met moms eyes one more time and she nodded firmly. Mouthing one more thing. Survive.

Then before I can process anything my feet cave beneath me and the floor is gone. I am sent plunging right into a deep wetness. Underwater. I kick my legs instantly leaving no room for hesitation as I break the surface gasping in a breath as I scan what's around me. I look above me and the trap door is now closed. All that greets me is a cold wet darkness. I'm cold and numb.

What on earth would this be considered? Is this a puzzle? Or is there something inside the water that is going to hunt me?

"Welcome to your placement test friends." a voice comes over the coms from somewhere echoing down the tunnel. Then its complete silence. Terrifying silence.

I need to get out of the water. I can't see.

I kick my feet as hard as I can to not get my dress to drag me under and start swimming quickly to a random direction trying to find some source of light that can help me. Adrenaline kicks in after a second as I push myself through the wet grossness... until there isn't anymore wetness. I can feel something solid. And it seems that it only continues. The more I walk on it the higher out of the water I get. But nothing but darkness greets me in return.

"Hello?" I whisper out, trying to give myself some sort of gravity that I really am alone. Luckily no one responds. I continue straight ahead praying that I don't run into anything unexpected.

My foot catches on something uneven and I pause. A rock?

Perfect. I could use this to my advantage. I bend down and wrap my hand around it rising back up to my feet and feeling it.

Then I lean back onto my heel and lift my arm up before chucking it.

Clink!

It hits something way closer than I had anticipated. There was a wall here. I had thought it would be a drop off or a lot farther out. But it was close.

I stuck my hands out continuing forward until my fingers brushed cold rock. It was definitely some sort of wall. I move my feet brushing my fingers until I am able to find something uneven on the wall. It doesn't happen for a long while. But then-

A hook?

I brush my fingers over what's hanging on it and find what feels like a key. Now all I need is a hole it fits into...

I continue feeling around the wall until I might find a door or a key hole or some kind of clue. But light starts to flood in from above me and I can now see a few feet ahead of me. Was that the clue? Pull the key and get some light?

Yet I feel a pinch of surprise come into me when I look up and find that the light is on fire. Its lava, I back up quickly as it begins to shoot down the wall in huge amounts. So this must be the death threat.

I quickly scan my eyes over the wall looking for something that could get me out of here. Instead the lava kept melting over the wall taking it over until it got to the sand in front of it. But it wouldn't stop and it's flow only got thicker and thicker covering everything in its tracks.