Chasing a Divine Heartbeat (Aphmau fanfic)

Chapter Two

The Lycans' journey was far longer than Aphmau's, and lasted well into the night to the morning. The sky was beginning to change from black to orange. All that was visible out the window of the van was bathed in early morning light.
Aaron stared out that window, but he wasn't really seeing what was in front of him. His mind was elsewhere, but nowhere at the same time. It had been a long and sleepless night worrying about his fiance. Why had they been seperated? Was she at her destination already or was she still on the road, as he and his family were? Had she slept well that night?
Melissa, Derek and Rachel had somehow managed to fall asleep a few hours ago. Aaron couldn't understand... were they unbothered or something? Or maybe...
All night, every since them and Aphmau had parted ways, he had kept track of the sound of her heartbeat. Never had he been so thankful for his wolf-like hearing as he was now. He had been able to hear the day before when she had awakened, as it had quickened. It had been steady all night, so she had most likely been asleep again.
"Where are we...?" Came the voice of a half-asleep Melissa.
"You'll remember," Aaron replied shortly, not in the mood to talk.
"Wha - oh..." she fell silent as she remembered the past days' events. "Ah... did you get to sleep at all, Aaron?"
"I don't know how you all did," he grumbled in return.
Melissa sighed. "Yeah... I'm surprised I could sleep."
"Mhm."
Aaron's attention had been drawn away from the conversation; all of a sudden, Aphmau's heartbeat had quickened. Guess she woke up, he thought. Bad dream?

I think I had a dream about forever potions. They had been a drinkable kind. It stung going down, making my head spin and swim in a sea of emerald, and my whole body burn like it was on fire. It had felt so real.
So real that when I woke up, I found myself practically drowning in sweat and out of breath.
I jumped up out of bed and ran to a mirror nearby, half expecting my eyes to be green. But they were the same carmel color they had always been, staring back at me, wide and frightened.
I breathed a sigh of relief. The events of the previous day began to come back to me. I wondered, had the Lycans gotten to wherever they were going?
I also thought on why I had had a dream like that. As far as I knew, neither Zack nor Shadrach had any connection to them - not that I knew everything. Had it meant nothing, then?
My heart was slowing down, no longer racing, as I calmed myself. I changed into a purple crop top and skirt with tan patterns on the ends. I was able to find white knee-high socks, and brown boots. I wore golden bands on both wrists and ankles, and pulled my hair into a side ponytail with a purple bow. I still was curious as to how whoever had provided them knew my size, but I pushed that to the back of my mind and made my way upstairs.
It was quiet; Shadrach was nowhere to be seen. Not hungry after my dream, I sat on one of the couches, pulling myself into a balled-up position and looking around the room more than I had the night before. Just as I had thought, there were no windows to be found. I couldn't find any lights, either. The walls, which just as the rest of the building seemed to be white brick, seemed to be emitting the light themselves. There was a clock on the wall which read 6:45. The sun was just beginning to rise, I assumed. In the middle of the couch area was a round glass coffee table.
I rested my head on my knees, still tired. Sleeping that hadn't done anything for me; it felt more like I had been awake all night.
I began to doze off, my thoughts becoming blurry and muddled.
I guess I had fallen back asleep, as when I looked up again over an hour had passed and Shadrach was sitting across from me, calmly eating an apple.
I stared at him for a moment before he noticed that I was awake. "I hope you didn't stay out here all night," he said. He then grabbed an apple I hadn't noticed off the table and tossed it to me. I just barely caught it, then looked back at him in confusion.
"Why the apple?" I asked.
"Why not? I like apples."
I shrugged in return, uncurling myself from my balled position. "I suppose... You seem in a good mood today."
Shadrach nodded. "Well, I've got a bit of a plan for today."
I couldn't help but perk up a little. "Plan? What kind of plan?"
He grinned a little. "Well, plan quote-on-quote. Just a general idea, you know? Maybe we could escape."
"Escape? But you don't have a plan."
"Who needs plans?" He stood up. "It won't hurt to take a look around. There's gotta be a back door or something."
I sighed, biting into my apple. "Makes sense, I guess...? Let's just see what you have in mind."
There were no exits in the main room. The only doors were in the bedrooms, so we made our way down to Shadrach's area.
His room was basically the same as mine, but the color scheme was black and the bed didn't have a canopy.
We quickly reached the door, and I felt a small glimmer of hope when Shadrach reached for the door. Maybe we could actually leave...! I hadn't seen any guards the night before, only Zack. Maybe I could find the Lycans, go home and the past day would only be a dream, left to be forgotten. No consequences or follow-ups. Just me and my family and friends, talking and laughing like we normally did without a care in the world.
I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. When Shadrach went to turn the knob, he found it was locked. "Of course," he grumbled. "It's a given." He turned to me. "Got any bobby pins?"
"Um..." I retreated back to my room to search through, not really expecting to find anything. But alas, when I opened a small container there were a few there. I quickly grabbed them and rushed back to Shadrach's room, nearly tripping as I went. This felt like an adventure; then again, really, it was.
When Shadrach saw the bobby pins, he gave a boyish grin.
"You know how to pick locks?" I asked as he began to work.
"Yeah, it's pretty easy," he replied. "I was taught when I was little. Never thought it would come in this handy, though."
We heard a soft click - the door was unlocked. Shadrach slowly and carefully opened it and poked his head out, looking for people. "Coast is clear. Let's go," he said after a minute.
We quickly made our way out of the room and down the hall. Still trying to satisfy my curiosity about the lights, I glanced down every nook and crannie I could, but no luck.
"What are you doing?" Shadrach questioned.
"Looking for the lights," I answered.
"Seriously? Just focus on helping me look for the exit!" He hissed.
And so I did, pulling my attention from the lights and toward our search.
The halls were endless. After a while, I started to think the building might be bigger on the inside. How could somewhere be so huge?
Shadrach was growing frustrated. "What the hell?" He growled. "How is this place even possible? Why would someone even build this?"
"I've got no clue," I sighed. "I've got another question. How does Zack get around?"
Shadrach sniffed. "I suppose he's been here that long. Either that or he has a map."
"He didn't have one when he lead me to the rooms," I said. "So no map."
Shadrach stopped walking and surveyed the area, almost as if he was expecting landmarks.
"What's up?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Just trying to get my bearings. I hate being lost."
"Doesn't everyone?"
Suddenly, I noticed something down the hall - a bit of color. "Am I the only one who sees that?" I asked, pointing. Shadrach followed my gaze to where I was pointing, and his face lit up.
"You're not."
We hurried toward it, hopefully that it was something helpful; maybe even a way out.
But when we reached it, Shadrach gazed at it in confusion, while my heart sank. It was the mural I had seen last night.
"Darn it," I muttered.
"Have you been here before?"
"Yeah, when I got here last night. It's not too far from the rooms... I think we've gone in a circle."
His face fell. "Ugh... of course. That's what happens in mazes."
"Lost?" Came a voice from behind us.
We spun around. There stood Zack.
Beside me, Shadrach growled. "Not you..."
"Not very excited to see me, huh?" Zack said, sighing. "I suppose you two picked the lock or something, as here you are. I'll have to keep a closer eye on you from now on. Ah, well... follow me, please."
We reluctantly followed him down the hall. I attempted to make sense of the intricate layout of the building, but soon became lost again.
Reaching the rooms, Zack turned to face us again. "Please don't explore," he said. "This facility is hopelessly complex."
"Oh, really? We hadn't noticed," Shadrach answered moodily.
Zack gave him a look. "Watch it," he warned.
Meanwhile, despite being annoyed at having been caught, I still had a question in mind. "Why do the walls glow?" I finally asked, stepping forward. "The only Actual lights I've seen are the lamps in our rooms."
Zack chuckled a little. "You're strange, wanting to know that now," he said. "This building converts magic power into energy. We actually got a new source last night, so they may get a little brighter in the coming days."
"I see..."
Zack led us back into Shadrach's room, closing and locking the door behind us.
I quickly made my way to the stairs, a little nervous due to the frustration emitting the man. I felt it, too. Somehow, this felt like a missed opportunity. I just hoped there would be more to come.

Hey ya'll! Sorry for the long wait! Glad to finally get this chapter out. If anyone who likes piecing things together wants to look closely, I'm already putting in a few hints for important details! Also, this chapter may be a bit shorter and less detailed writing style-wise, I really wanted to get it out. Still good I hope haha!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!