The Next Generation Returns (TMI) BOOK 2

World of Shadows

So long.... I feel terrible for ppl who have been waiting. 
I was almost convinced this chapter would never make it....
This is a long one i will warn you in advanced. Hope you enjoy :)

May your feet ever walk in the light

Of two suns... and may the moonshadow never fall on you...

*Robert Fanney*

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Lydia’s POV:  Falling from the portal, I land on the corner of the music room, where the door used to be.  The institute was shaking, and dust filled the air, clogging my lungs. 

Yet, that didn’t stop me from getting up on shaking legs, and marching past falling chunks of wood.  I move faster, watching my mom cough the smoke from her lungs, leaning over with her stele, moving it wildly across her arms. 

"Mom… I have a bad feeling. Stop…

Mom, Stop drawing!" I reach her arm, pulling it back

Roughly. She gave me what I can only assume was accusation.

"What is it? I'm just replacing my runes. I'm not drawing a rune that will end the world,  Lydia." 

"I know. It doesn't make sense but I feel that it's a bad idea to use runes right now. I don't know what it is that's telling me. I'm not hearing it. Its… its just a feeling. It sounds weird, I know…  but do you trust me?" 

Her eyes soften more at my last words. She manages a small youthful smile that reminded me so much of Jade, it made me wish she were here. I needed to get Jason now. 

"Yes. I trust you." She reaches for my hand, dropping the stele in her leather pocket. 

I smile back, letting the odd stretch in my face relieve some of the worry inside. It always felt nice to smile for real. Fake smiles were so common for me, I forget there are other reasons for doing so. 

She squeezes my hand, and we walk through the door, keeping one another steady. The fog was bright in the music room, glowing an orange pink hue. The sudden change made me squint. I wish I had sunglasses. Without any,  I could still spot the dark shapes. I let go of mom, moving to the right side of the room where one of the many deformed shapes stood. 95 percent sure they were instruments. Only the last 5% could be Jason. The ground shook before I touched it, knocking me into it instead. I pushed away, and held my now sore elbow where it smacked into another instrument. A violin, i think. 

I crawl to the wall, and use it to pull me up. Another loud thud and crash shakes me. But this time, I use the momentum to move towards mom, then turn around and another crash shakes me to the floor. I land on my sore knees. I ignore the pain, watching the violin from before tip over. It falls into the floor. Another rupture breaks, and  Ironically, I slide downwards. I scream in surprise, reaching out for anything to bring me back up. The fog made it extremely difficult to see how far down the drop off was. So all I could do was go to the wall and lean against it. If Jason was ok, he'd be close to it as well. I would just have to walk around the room. 

My legs wrapped around a chunk of the ground, while I scraped the carpet with a knife, using my upper body strength to pull me up. I am blessed to have had such an awesome tutor; me.  No self sarcasm intended. In three more pulls, and a little squirming leg work, I'm out of the hole, sweating ever so slightly. 

I stand on cement legs, and scoot towards my mom, back flat against the wall, calling out for her.

 She doesn't answer. I move faster, rising to my feet now, and I try again.