Again

1

People say to never climb that mountain; they say no one comes back down. I thought it was just a myth to keep kids out of trouble. In the end, I didn't really care that much even if I disappeared.

I climbed and climbed. My legs ached and begged for rest. I sat cross legged on a wide ledge. The heat was making me sweat. A sudden gust of wind blew through. It filled me with determination. I looked at the village below, looking so unimportant. I got up and climbed higher and higher, further and further away. I love heights just for that very reason.
I continued to snake up the mountain.

My legs shook with exhaustion, and my lungs ached, but I was at the top. There was an entry to a cave. It wasn't grand it anything, just a divot in the mountain. I didn't know what to expect, but I was up here, after all. I took a deep breath, and walked in, my footsteps echoing being me.

It was... actually very beautiful--and cool. Blue-gray stalactites hung from the ceiling. Delicate green vines dotted with small, yellow flowers coiled the walls. Why were people so afraid of a beautiful cave? I murdered, "It's gorgeo-" but I stumbled on a vine and fell. Faster. Faster. I didn't want to die, but there I was, falling. I shut my eyes when I say the ground. So far down.
********
My head pounded. Was I dead? Where was I? I heard a voice. "It sounds like it came from over here!...Oh!"

I tilted my head a little. My head pounded even more. I was...alive? I looked at the ground. More little yellow flowers.

"You've fallen down, haven't you?" I sat up--not so gracefully--but I did. There was a boy, around 12 or so, about my age. Some thing was off though. He had fangs and small horns. His skin was almost white, contrasting his short, black hair.

"Uhh...Umm," was all I could get out. I thought, are monsters real? Where am I?

He had a genuine look of worry on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling next to me. "Here, get up... I'm Adrin."

"R-Rennae."

I heard footsteps. Who else is down here? She looked similar to Adrin, but she looked a lot older. Her purple dress barely brushed the ground as she moved closer. "Adrin! There you are."

He looked overjoyed. "I found a human!"

The girl asked, "Are you hurt? Let me heal you." I was so confused. Adrin helped me up. With surprising grace, she placed one of her clawed hands on my mop of short, brown hair. Little flames curled around me. It helped so much. All I had left were a few scrapes. She adjusted her crown and explained a little.

"This is the Underground, a system of caves and caverns under your mountain. I'm Marcela, the queen of these monsters who live down here."
My head, still pounding was trying to process this. Then some one else showed up. He must have been the king. A crown sat between his two large horns. They guided me to a wood house. Marcela said, "I'm sorry. It's not a lot, but there is an extra bedroom if you want it."

I nervously asked, "H-how can I-I...get home?"

The king simply answered, "We can't. No one can."
********
I gratefully accepted them as...almost a family. There was a place for me. I had a brother, mom, and dad who all cared. That was my family. I loved exploring with Adrin. Eating odd, but still good meals made by mom. And dad was always nice and always knew what to do.

The cavern was huge. Snow all year, blistering heat all year, and water all year all in little sections. I didn't know how. Possibly magic? Also, many kind faces. They still had hope, even trapped down here. I sympathized for them, I wanted them to see the sun.
********
It had been a week or so. Dad kneeled down and told me something I would never forget. "Rennae, you are the hopes and dreams of all who live here. If all humans can accept us how you have, we might be able to be truly happy on the surface...but...the Barrier keeps us all trapped down here. We can't go back. Maybe your determination will help us find a way...someday."
********
I was so curious about the Underground. I feel like I've heard of it before. Maybe it was one of those stories I never listened to. I just got bored so easy. But now all I wanted was to know more about the Underground. Adrin suggested the library. We hung out for a while there. Adrin watched the snow fall as I unearthed a few things.

There was a war between humans and monsters. But human souls are more powerful, so the humans triumphed. They trapped all the monsters in the Underground with a barrier. It was all the humans fault. Adrin probably has never seen the sun, given the war was about 20 years ago. Only the power of 7 human souls and a monster soul can break this barrier. I want to help everyone trapped down here. I know I can.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize Adrin fell asleep on my shoulder. Maybe there's a hotel around here of something. I went up to the librarian's desk. "Is there a place we can stay? Our home is...a little far." The librarian looked up at me. She was green and scaly, but really nice.

"There is a nice inn across the street."

"Thanks." Grateful, I helped Adrin up and we walked to the inn. It was so cozy compared to outside. I approached the desk.

"Hi! Can I get you two a place to stay tonight? It's free cause...you know, Adrin's kinda a prince," said a smiling bunny-like person.

"That's great! Thank you."

"Anytime." She handed me a key.
Inside the room was just two twin beds and a bathroom on the side. It reminded me of a cabin I once stayed in. Adrin fell right back asleep. I lied there, just wondering what I could do. I can fix this, all of it. After all, it's our fault, all of it. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
********
I

awoke to Adrin talking on the phone. "Yeah, yeah, we're fine...okay, we'll be home soon...love you too." He turned to me. "I guess we have to go."

I had an idea. "Do we?" I questioned. I continued, "Let's go have some fun."

"We have to go back."

"We'll... just take a longer way."

Adrin smiled. "Okay, fine."

We headed out, thanking the innkeeper along the way. I wanted to go to Waterfall. I think it's beautiful. We went into a room with sparkling rocks on the ceiling, resembling stars. Monsters made wishes there. I learned that the wish room is Adrin's favorite. I wish I knew a way to help. I'm too determined to give up. There has to be a way. We continued on. I heard little whispers as we walked through Waterfall. "What is that?" I asked Adrin.

"Echo flowers. They repeat the last thing they heard."

"Oh." I thought it could be useful. Somehow. "We're almost back, right?"

"Well, besides Snowdin, yeah."

I smiled. "Race you! 3, 2, 1, go!"
I sprinted as fast as I could. Then, all of a sudden, I heard something behind me.

"Rennae! No!"
The dark gravel crumbled underneath me. All I saw was a shocked Adrin and then, it was dark. Nothing.

I just started Wattpad. That's about all I have to say, and I'm a slooooooow writer. Srry!