Perceptive Passageways (incomplete)

Perceptive Passageways

Chapter 1

​I glance over at my classmates, not willing to let my gaze linger. Mr Stevenson has a pack of frozen peas on his head - well they were frozen a couple days ago. His face is purple; even if he survives I'm sure he'll stay permanently grape colored. Black, red blood stays pasted on his head his balding hair lost in the bloody mess. I sit on a rock, an uncomfortable one too, in a dark corner as far from the group as possible. They sit too, some stand but they all stare hopelessly at the roof of the wall or the ground, all of it as black as night. But one stupid boy lies on his back hopeful that the one, tiny ray of light he stares so intently at will come meters down and engulf him, saving him and somehow miraculously pull him out of this trap, this dark, slimy bug infested cave.

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Someone's stomach rumbles, breaking the silence and everyone gets up. It's lunch time and breakfast is a distant memory before 'i' had lead everyone to their death's. People scramble about in their packs pulling out the apples that were supposed to be our morning tea. I stand and head for my pack, but before i can grab it; Sam, Mr Stevenson's son pulls it away.

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I protest and try to grab my pack, but he holds it just out of my reach. "You got Dad's pack destroyed, " Sam says, snarling. " So i think he can have yours." He pulls out MY apple and sits MY pack under his fat but while he feeds MY apple to his half dead father. What a waste of MY life. His dad's is as good as dead anyway.

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I realize i'm starting to sound like a careless murderer and i don't bother trying to retrieve my pack. It's horrible what's happened to Sam's dad but I shouldn't get the blame. This morning when we headed out on the tramp we were all full of energy and i wasn't the only one taking unnecessary risks but when I saw the shiny, glimmering pool that sat deep in the cave I just had to investigate. We were all so stinking hot and at first when i slid down the cliff-like bank to the entrance they were all eager to follow. But Mr Stevenson had insisted he come down to see if it was safe. It was when he declared it safe, that the others came running down and clumsy Mr Stevenson tripped, losing his pack and taking half the cliff down after him, trapping us here.

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But it's me who gets the blame. After all you can't blame someone who's half dead can you?

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I'm suddenly woken from my thoughts when something knocks my foot. I look down to see half of a slimy apple on my shoe. I pick it up ignoring the sliminess ( food is food after all ) and look to see who tossed it. Jack stares at me for a second smiling before he goes back to eating his apple and staring up at that little ray of light far above him. Maybe he's not so stupid after all. I Smile back but he looks away. Even him, stupid as he is, doesn't want to be seen as associated with me.

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​I've inhaled the apple in seconds and instantly wish i'd taken my time eating it. There seems to be a hole in my stomach because the happiness the food had brought me seeps away instantly. Even though our toilet is around a bend in the rocky cave the air smells disgusting and start to gag. The smell of dried blood fills the air. I won't be going any closer to the poo place soon though anyway because my apple has come back and is sitting on my lap even more slimy than before.

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Now the smell's even worse. I ignore the other's angry looks and decide to take a dip in the pool that sits in the center of the cave. I know it's not good for me and i could drown or die of hypothermia from it but when you get only a TINY amount of the TINY rations that will run out anyway they seem like not too bad ways to go.

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I dive right in, in ,my clothes, embracing the cold piercing water and smiling when i hear my companions' shrieks of annoyance when the water splashes them. I was NEVER one to be graceful. I open my mouth and gulp in some water ( I was thirsty, the others had planned to boil it but still couldn't manage to make a fire ) I find my self swallowing air. AIR! How? What? I must be DYING. Oh well. It's not nearly as bad as I imagined. A glimmering light surrounds me; it's colour that of all the colours of the rainbow in one shade. Beautiful. Just like one of those crystals mum has hanging up in the kitchen that look magical when they catch the light.

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I'm admiring the shine and then i find myself looking down at my hands. MY HANDS!?!?! Dead people can't see their hands! ( at least that is what I've imagined )

​This is freaky.

Not normal.

Physically impossible.

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So as you do when these things happen I panicked. I tried to swim back to the surface only to find it ceased to exist. I was surrounded by the shine I could see nothing else. So I thrashed about, hoping to find, or feel something, anything to bring sense to this. Sure enough I felt something. My head hit it had and the pain came instantly. As I began to slip out of consciousness I felt strong hands around me, pulling me the direction i supposed to be up.

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My companions have found sense and are pulling me to safety. Well perhaps Jack is.

I feel the shimmering feel the shine had cease and i dare to take a breath in. Mmmm... a deep breath of fresh, sweet air.

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Wait! The air in our cave wasn't sweet or fresh. It was musty and cold and moist.

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