 
# Descent

### A Lost Tribe

## Kallie Ross

## Edited by Maria Pease

## Illustrated by Drew Rodgers

### Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Thank You

About the Author

Also by Kallie Ross
Published by KR Ink

Copyright © Kallie Ross 2014

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Thank you for your support of the author's rights.

This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events; to real people, living or dead; or to real locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.

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E-book edition 2014

Edited by Maria Pease, Jessie Sanders, and Amber Beuschel.

Cover Art and Typography by Drew Rodgers at Living Stone Design.

ISBN: 978-0-9833190-9-2
Dedicated to my best friend and husband, Scott.

# One

"Ollie! Alexis just drove up!" My mom's voice cuts through the haunting lyrics bleeding from my speakers.

"I heard the horn! Can you stick your head out and tell her I'm not ready yet?" I bet it takes Alexis less than thirty seconds to get past my mom. I'm letting her use her epic fashionista gift to manipulate my wardrobe, but I will not succumb to the miniskirt. I'd rather not draw attention to my Amazonian five-foot-ten-inch-height. It's been over nine months since my last style smackdown with her. I haven't had anything to do with trends or trusted friends since September when my mom encouraged me to leave everything for an academically elite student exchange program in South America, including Alexis—a petite, feisty blonde with an addiction to accessories.

"Did you trade clothes with the natives before you came home?" Regardless of my appearance, Alexis wraps me in her arms. Her strength is a surprise, and her grip threatens to squeeze a tear out of me, but only because my long , wavy hair is snared between her arms and my back.

"I don't think I can go to a party with you if you're going to insult me, at least your brother would bring me flowers." There's nothing like a good dose of my sarcasm to cure a case of the misty eyes. I missed her, not so much her two-timing big brother. He was my first, and last, boyfriend.

"Good grief, woman! This girls' night out is for celebrating your return home and teaching you the ways of an American teenager, young Jedi. Speak of the cheating scum, we will not."

"Now that you mention old, wise beings, I forgot to tell you that my mom is flying out on a business trip tonight. Are your parents going to be cool with you staying over if she's not around?"

"They won't care. What I care about is this whining music you're listening to. It's too depressing." Her eyes take in everything, starting with my iPod, moving to my disheveled suitcase on the floor, and ending with the window open to my neighbor's backyard. It's always hot in Texas, and my mom would kill me if she knew I had the window open with the air conditioner on. "Have you talked to Mateo since you got back?"

"I tried." The truth is my best friend, Mateo, won't talk to me, but I may have started the silent treatment. Since returning home last week, I've strained to listen to him playing his guitar over the rattling cicadas each night. I pictured Mateo forgiving me and my lame apology for not keeping in contact when I was away. We would live out each day that we were apart, talking about what we learned and where we went, all while sitting in his backyard.

Alexis waves at the MP3 player and orders, "Give me that. A little Youngblood Hawke will make everything better."

I hand it to her and force myself not to look over at Mateo's yard. I go through my limited options in the closet. As I shuffle through the tops, Alexis shuffles through my playlist. I pull out a purple tank top that has a peacock feather painted across the front and a plain, olive-green T-shirt. "I missed your bossy face. Which one?" I ask, bracing for a bold opinion. I've been wearing a school uniform, comprised of cargo shorts and polos, for months.

"My face, hmm?" An eclectic beat begins to blare from my speakers. "That's better." Alexis looks up and points at the purple tank top, and I'm not sure if she's talking about the shirt or the music.

Walking over to the connecting bathroom, I change then brush out the tangles in my hair. Alexis picks at her neon-manicured nails. Next, I sit on my bed and reach for the black sandals tucked underneath the dust ruffle.

"Ollie, please tell me you have shorts or a skirt." Alexis adjusts the length of her own skirt by pulling it up.

"I do, but I'd feel more comfortable in jeans," I reply.

"Comfortable? We live in Texas, and it's June. Plus, we're going to a party with boys, and boys like legs. One plus one equals two, so put on the shorts." Knowing that her stubborn streak is longer and stronger than mine, I grab the shorts from my suitcase and go back to the bathroom to change without arguing.

"You know, you might have more guys looking at your legs if I'm in jeans." Having taken them off, I wave them obnoxiously and toss them over to Alexis. Pulling on my shorts, they fall just a few prudish inches above my knee. Alexis has a black skirt on, with a turquoise top that complements her eyes, tan skin, and tousled bob.

"I'm not worried about _guys_ , Ollie. I just want Graham's attention tonight." Alexis gestures toward my bare legs. "Now you have no excuse to sit in a corner by yourself if I'm hanging out with him."

"Is that what you're planning? I won't be hooking up with some guy I've never met before. You know, just because your brother dumped me, it doesn't mean you're responsible for finding me a replacement. The idea of being a third wheel at a party where I don't know anyone sounds pitiful." Hearing myself whine reminds me of the music I was listening to.

"Hey! I'm not leaving you high and dry at this party. I'm definitely not expecting you to hook up with anyone. Give me some credit, here. I just want to make sure you get your own attention. I'm sure the guys will be lining up to meet you! Maybe you'll see someone you know." Alexis has a huge grin on her face when I walk out of the bathroom, and she starts fiddling with my hair, tucking it behind my ear.

"I can just stay here, and you can swing by after you see Graham." Who am I kidding? I'll just lay in my room and pout, or stare out the window and watch for Mateo. "I'm just not good at boy-people."

"Fix that, I will. Love you, boy-people will after tonight." Alexis walks out of my room, and I wonder how long it will be before she starts yodeling like Chewbacca. Grabbing my purse and shoes, I dart down the stairs to catch up with her.

After grabbing a quick bite, Alexis and I drive up to a neighborhood that looks like our own. Cars line the street, and she parallel parks her huge SUV with care. "I'm so full. No dancing for me for at least forty-five minutes. Isn't that the rule?" Alexis asks.

"Yep, that's the one." I'd never forget the rule regarding eating before swimming, because that's the one I broke at a swim party when I was seven. Alexis knows about my sensitive stomach, and my dinner does not belong on the dance floor. "Those cheese fries were delicious but dangerous. I haven't eaten anything that greasy in months." As I open the car door, I feel the bass bounce from two houses over. Alexis grabs my hand, pulling me with her to my first college party. In a few more weeks, I'll be a college student.

I hesitate when we get to the front porch. As Alexis opens the door, the music pushes every logical thought out of my mind. The beat is so strong and pressing that I'm afraid it will move me. I can even feel my bones vibrating. Alexis yanks me out of the thumping haze and through a throng of bodies dancing in the front room.

We squeeze through a suffocating hallway that leads to the back of the house, and I'm reminded of why I avoid shopping on Black Friday. Finally, we reach the kitchen, and Alexis turns to face me with a smile spread across her face. She gets close, and I notice beads of sweat have formed on her upper lip.

"He's here." She backs away, letting go of my hand. Then I look up and see Graham, hugging her. They start talking into each other's ears, and I know my wing-woman skills are not needed. I wish that super powers came with the title wing-woman, because I'd like to fly home or become invisible.

I'm quickly reminded of the fact that I don't know anyone here, because I feel invisible with no friends rushing to welcome me nor guys throwing their arms around me. I spent my senior year learning about South American cultures and environments, and now I feel foreign in the place I grew up.

Within seconds, my next goal becomes finding a place to think and breathe without inhaling some pungent apple-berry-vanilla-perfume. Once I make my way back to the narrow hallway, I feel like a playing card being shuffled to the back of the deck. Moving with the crowd, the pace stutters, and I get jostled in the hot and muggy mix. A passing body thrusts me into the wall.

"Ouch! Watch it!" To avoid being the center of an Ollie-sandwich, I push the person's large, male back. "Is there a fire somewhere?" I've always had issues with claustrophobia. Not to mention the stress of being at a party where personal space doesn't exist. Add the fit-in-or-die American culture, and you could say I'm on edge.

The guy freezes, and, from behind, I can see he's wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts, and a baseball cap. Dark brown curls escape the bottom of the cap, and I realize that the cap is turning toward me. Suddenly, I'm staring at a familiar tan face with a square jaw and eyes are so dark you could get lost in them, but they're squinting in frustration.

"Ollie? What the... What are you doing here?" As he waits for an answer, the bodies around us struggle to work their way past him.

"I'm peachy, thanks for asking." Mateo looks around us. "I'm here with Alexis." With no Alexis in sight, he starts to walk away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I reach to fasten my hand around his wide arm and tug.

"Let go of me," he demands, but I'm determined. I grasp the edge of his sleeve and drag him through the hallway. Colliding into every person we pass, I take a sharp left. He moves to stand in front of me, and we're face to face. I know I can't waste this opportunity to make things right.

"What are you really doing here? You've never been the partying type." Mateo's mouth twitches, and I can tell he's as tense as I am. I explore the small alcove we've ended up in and begin to back away from him to create some breathing room.

"So, how have you been?" My attempt at social decency hits a solid wall of angst.

"I'm not going there with you. I already told you, I'm done being your substitute friend." Mateo's arms fold across his chest into an impenetrable wall.

"At least tell me how Amber is? I didn't see..."

"I wouldn't know." That's one way to allude to a breakup.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Looking down at my shoes, I let my hair fall over my shoulder, masking the hurt that flares up inside and burns my cheeks.

"Why do you suddenly care?"

It's obvious he doesn't want consoling. I've tried to apologize for not keeping in touch while I was on a different continent. Despite that, he's made it clear he doesn't want to be my friend anymore. The silent treatment, blatant avoidance, and sorry excuse for a conversation when he told me, "We aren't friends," are proof.

I swallow the truth in silence. I've been a horrible friend to Mateo. The first month I was gone, we messaged and called each other, but then I found out my boyfriend, his best bro, was cheating on me. I know Mateo was as clueless as I was, but I couldn't deal with anyone from back home. I found out about the whole thing via a tweet-fest. After that, I committed social-media-suicide and vanished off the face of the computer screen.

"I'm here looking for Jesse," Mateo admits. "Have you seen him?"

"Nope, but I can help you look in some of these back rooms." I offer.

"Do you even know what people are doing back here?"

"Of course I do." But in all honesty, I don't have a clue. There's got to be a bunch of face-sucking happening, but I would hate to walk in on anyone doing more, especially being with Mateo. The only guy I've ever kissed is his best friend. "I'm on the lookout for a college guy that studies Political Science and hopes to become a lawyer someday," I go in a sing-song way. "Once I find him, I'll schmooze my way through my MRS degree, and we'll get married. I'm planning on taking his last name, but I insist on hyphenating."

Mateo just stares at me, unmoved.

"What?" I ask.

"You shouldn't be back here." Mateo might as well be pointing a brotherly finger at me. He speaks to me like I'm his little sister, Perla.

" _You_ need to stop being so condescending; you're not my mom. You don't even want to be my _friend_. Plus, I'm here for Alexis, who _is_ my friend, and I thought I would hide out back here until _she's_ ready to go." With a sigh, my shoulders sink in defeat. "I don't even know why I'm trying so hard to explain this. It's not like you'll start caring. Go. Enjoy the party."

"I'm not here to enjoy the party. Getting Jesse out of trouble is still the highlight of most of my weekends." Mateo seems to think the hallway we just came out of is more fascinating than me.

"Some things never change." I mutter with an eye role. The opportunity provides a way for me to make my exit, but Mateo moves in unison with me and grabs my shoulders. Maybe he does still care. His presence makes me feel small, and the sound of my own heart beating in my ears replaces the heavy beat around us.

"Everything changes, Ollie."

"I'm not that different. I'm still Ollie, the girl that's been your friend for the past seven years!"

"Maybe you aren't that different. You're definitely still stubborn... What I mean is that _I'm_ different. I've made other friends, and I'm growing up."

An awkward laugh escapes me. "Well, you _have_ grown. You've got at least four inches on me now."

Mateo breaks eye contact and releases his grip. My instinct to ease the tension with humor has had the same result as a rubber band being stretched too far.

"Okay, I promise to stop trying to joke my way back into your good graces. Why don't we agree to give each other a second chance instead of cutting each other out completely?" I plead.

"Ollie, you cut me out of your life months ago." His arms fold across his chest, shutting me out.

"I'm sorry." Head hanging, I watch his feet as they walk away. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to make things right.

Mateo has always kept me grounded, but since I came home, the weight of our friendship has been so heavy that I've felt buried by it. He's right, it won't ever be like it was before.

I maneuver my way back to the front room to escape my conflicting feelings. Hoping to find Alexis, I search the sea of people. I decide to get out, but see Jesse in the middle of the dance floor. I swim through the swaying bodies to reach Mateo's younger brother, and when he sees me, his face lights up. Jesse teases me by pretending to cast a fishing line in my direction and reels me in.

The music is so loud that there's no way we can hear each other. Instead, Jesse pulls me closer to him and starts to dance around me.

With a wink and a twirl, Jesse has me laughing harder than I have in months. After a few minutes of methodical movement, I'm lost in the chaos. His hand moves his around my waist from behind, and I enjoy the attention for a moment, but it quickly feels wrong. He's my ex-best friend's goofy not-so-little brother!

My whole body stiffens as I realize that I'm not being me. "Jesse!"

He laughs and cups a hand around his ear, obviously unable and unwilling to listen. It's no use trying to explain, so I move around him and begin heading to the front door. At the side of the room, Alexis, Graham, and Mateo stare in my direction.

"What?" I holler over the mob and realize they're following me out the front door.

Once we're on the front lawn, Alexis pulls at my shirt to stop me. "What? You have the nerve to ask us, _what_? You were just bumping and grinding with Jesse."

I look back at the two guys standing behind Alexis, and she turns to follow my gaze. "I found Jesse," I say to Mateo and return my gaze to Alexis. "And, I was just doing what you told me to do."

"I didn't tell you to get Jello-shot-jiggy with Mateo's little brother." Alexis exclaims with flailing arms, but her condescending scowl cracks and a grin betrays her. "But he can dance, can't he?" she whispers under her breath and waggles an eyebrow. When I was gone, Alexis and Jesse had a thing, and she sent me some descriptive emails, but it ended before it really began.

"There was no Jello, and I wasn't dancing with Jesse. I mean, I was dancing, but we were just having fun. I couldn't think about Jesse that way. Honest." I hold up my hand like I'm making an oath.

Mateo takes a few steps closer and looks lost. Maybe he's trying to find the right words, like I have been since I got home.

"I needed to release some of this physical tension." I gesture between us with my hands, and Alexis snickers while turning and walking toward Graham. "Gah! This isn't coming out right."

The only thing that could make this situation worse is me sticking around, so I walk away. I feel Mateo hot on my heels, and when I stop and turn to confront him, again, he collides into me. My hands meet his chest, and the earth begins to move.

The ground shakes beneath us, and car alarms go off all around us.

"What was that?" I hear Graham ask Alexis after the tremor stops. I look over Mateo's shoulder and see them holding on to each other and notice Jesse bracing himself in the doorway of the house. Strong arms tighten around my waist, and I can't believe Mateo is holding me.

"Are you okay?" Mateo's question interrupts the trembling I still feel in my core. His hands move to my hips and his grip is almost as tight as my chest feels. I can barely breathe. I've missed him, but being held by him brings a sensation I've never felt before. I _want_ him to hold me. I _want_ him. Since when did he stir those kind of feelings in me?

"I'm f-fine." My response is generic, but I'm so far from fine. Like, five thousand miles away from fine. Maybe I've changed more than I'd like to admit.

# Two

Breathe in through my nose, thump, thump.

Breathe out through my mouth, thump, thump.

I keep in shape by jogging, and the feel of my hair brushing across my back from one shoulder blade to the other with each stride is hypnotic. The exercise is normally therapeutic, but this morning, my mind races faster than the pace I'm running. My brain is in a full sprint trying to figure out what exactly happened last night.

An earthquake in North Texas? Most people would think it's impossible, but I know better since my mom has studied earthquakes all of my life. I've even experienced a few small quakes. Before my dad left us, my family lived in California, and my parents worked with UC Berkley's Environmental Sciences Department.

This morning's news report keeps playing over and over in my head.

"The National Weather Service in Dallas-Fort Worth said Friday's earthquake at 11:24 p.m. came in at 3.1, according to the National Earthquake Information Center. There are no reports of serious damage nor injuries. The earthquake was centered eighteen miles west of Dallas and four miles north of Mansfield."

I have about a mile left to jog on my trek, and, if I'm being completely honest, the earthquake is the perfect distraction from thinking about Mateo while I run. It also doesn't hurt that I have my MP3 blasting.

Who am I kidding? I can't help but think about him; it's torturing me.

Being in Mateo's arms last night felt like an ocean wave crashing into sand, and I was holding on until he inevitably pulled away. I've never been so confused in my life. It's better to focus on what I can understand, and that's science.

The largest earthquake to ever shake Texas occurred in 1931. It happened about 400 miles away, in Valentine, Texas. That's all the info I could get from my phone's browser last night on the drive home. I was scrambling to search "Earthquakes in Texas" while Alexis drove us home and drove me crazy asking me questions about Mateo.

"Come on! You can tell me if something's going on! It totally explains all that delicious tension between y'all!" she exclaimed. She pestered me for at least ten minutes.

"Nothing is going on. In fact, we're the opposite of something going on," I quipped.

"It didn't look like 'nothing' was going on after that earthquake! Are you sure it was an earthquake, or was it the earth moving because y'all were so close together?" Alexis giggled like the schoolgirl she is. "You look cute together. I've always thought so." Her eyebrows were waggling and she had a stupid grin plastered on her face.

"Well, that's good to know. Who cares if he treats me like his kid sister and we can't have a civilized conversation! That's all I want in life, to fight all the time like my parents did."

"Ollie, I don't think Mateo hugs Perla like that. If I remember right, you and Mateo never fought before my brother screwed everything up."

"I'm sorry, Alexis. I didn't mean to word-vomit all my thoughts. It's just that Mateo used to be the one I talked to, before I flew to the other side of the equator." My phone's screen lit up with search results, and I tapped on a link titled, "Texas Earthquake Information."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know anything was going on... I mean, I didn't think it was that bad between you and Mateo," Alexis removes a hand from the steering wheel and lays it over her heart with a sigh.

The awkward stretch of silence that followed finally broke when Alexis' phone buzzed with a text from Graham as we pulled up in my driveway. We made our way up to my room, and I assured my mom via text message that we were home safe. She texted back that she would call me in the morning. When I fell asleep, Alexis' face was lit by her cell phone's screen as she waited for the next message from Graham.

Now I make the last turn onto my street, slowing my jog to a walk. It feels good to stretch my legs as I lengthen my stride and turn onto the walkway leading up to my front door. I stop a few yards in front of the house and turn down the volume of my music. It's already hot out, and I wish I had thrown shorts on instead of these running pants. Reaching up and over my head to the left for a quick stretch, I start to switch sides and feel a poke at my left side.

Startled, I stand upright. "Whoa!" I turn and imitate a karate chop to the offending hand. I catch a glimpse of tan skin and a bright smile. "Jesse, what do you think you're doing? We need to work on your understanding of personal space." I set my hands on my hips and fake my best scolding look. Jesse just laughs and wraps his arms around me. He picks me up and starts waving me around, making me feel like a rag doll.

"Ollie, it's so good to see you! Again, that is." Jesse finally sets me down, and I'm tempted to shove his overly confident face back a few feet.

"When did you decide to grow up? You've caught up to me!" I measure his height against mine, and my hand brushes against Jesse's hair. It's short around the sides, but styled messy on top "I wish all the Vargas boys were this excited to see me!"

A small frown flickers across Jesse's face, but then he masks it with a dimpled grin. "Aw, Ollie, he'll come around."

"Thanks, but I get why he's mad at me, and I don't blame him. Just don't tell him I told you that." I punch him in the arm playfully, but my fist meets a bulky bicep. "So, where are you headed?" Taking in Jesse's attire, khakis and a red polo, I gather he's on his way to work.

"It looks like I should be asking you that." He gestures to my workout attire, and it dawns on me that my tank top is soaking with sweat. His playful grin makes him look more "boy-next-door" and less "bouncer."

"Oh, I just went for a quick jog. I'm headed back inside now. Alexis slept over." I add.

"Alexis Hicks? So, you really were at the party with her?" Jesse asks, as his eyebrows rise.

"Yes. She has a house full of family, for some reunion, and needed to get away. Want to come in and say hi?" I tease with my own pair of raised eyebrows.

"No, thanks. I need to head off to work, or else I'll be late. I'll talk to you later." He walks away in a hurry because he's running late or maybe it's to avoid Alexis.

"I'll make sure to tell her you stopped by," I joke, but I won't really do it. From what Alexis told me, their recent fling didn't end well. Keeping my mouth shut will save both of us an earful from her.

I watch Jesse go through the gate to his backyard, and looming above the fence is the framework of the natural gas drill. The neighborhood put it to a vote and the metal derrick invaded my childhood retreat while I was away, The steady engine of a lawn mower grows louder as I take a few steps toward the Vargas house in curiosity. Peeking through the gate, I see Jesse duck through the gap in the back fence. He walks across the field that holds a ton of childhood memories for me.

The front of the mower comes around the corner of the house, and I know Mateo will follow, so I dart over to my yard and slip through my front door.

Leaning against the back of the door as it closes, I stay a moment, trying to get my heart rate to slow down. My eyes close, and I picture Mateo's face as he let me go last night. Confusion etched wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and he smiled at me, but only for a moment.

"Ollie?" I snap out of my daydreaming with minimal whiplash at the sound of Alexis calling me from upstairs.

"I'm down here! Do you want some breakfast?" I answer.

On the way to the kitchen, I hear Alexis stomping down the stairs. She fumbles through the doorway, and it looks like she's been wrestling with my bed, not sleeping in it. Her lime green sleeping shorts should read PINK across her backside, but the P has wound its way to the front of her right hip. Alexis' purple T-shirt is the same color as the letters on her shorts. A matching purple scrunchy tangles with half of her blonde hair. I wonder if my sheets look as tortured as her pajamas.

"Don't you look purdy!" I smile and try not to laugh. "I'm loving the new hair style!"

"Oh, shut up! How are you up so early, and so... awake?"

"Well, Ms. Sleepy-Head, I was not up 'til who knows how late texting." As I turn to open the refrigerator, there's a small tremor that causes a few glasses to tap each other in the cabinet. I gesture for Alexis to join me, and have to pull her under the closest doorframe when she pauses. We wait a few seconds, and I think I hear someone scream outside, then the shaking settles.

"Was that what I think it was?" Alexis asks, and I'm not sure if she's referring to the tremors or the faint yell.

By the time I'm in the backyard, I notice the sound of the lawnmower has silenced. "Mateo?"

"I'm over here. Did you feel that?" I'm relieved to hear his voice from the other side of the fence, but that means the scream must have come from Jesse. Without another thought, I slide through a hole in my back fence that I made by removing two slats when I was twelve. Jesse is nowhere I can see, but the field behind my house is now divided by a bottomless rift.

The pounding of my feet on the dry, cracked Texas dirt meets the pounding of my heart.

"Jesse?"

I stumble too close to the opening, and a strong hand steadies me. It's Mateo's.

"Jesse!" His cry stretches across the huge chasm that is opening at the foot of a natural gas drill. With another tremor, I glance back at Mateo. Behind him, Alexis' blonde bob is bouncing and her shorter legs are just allowing her to catch up. Our slumber party is not going to end with french toast and selfies.

In front of me, the gap continues to grow closer as the violent shaking continues, and I can't stop fast enough. No one can save any of us now.

"Ollie!" The last thing I hear is Mateo's voice as I fall into a void of black.

# Three

Lying on a rigid, unyielding terrain, I keep my eyes closed, listening to the sound of water trickle across rock. "Ugh." Lifting myself, I bring one hand to the back of my head to help bring relief to the throbbing at the base of my neck. Strands of my wavy hair tangle around my fingers. I don't feel any blood, but my fingertips skim over a large bump. My eyes close even tighter in response to the pain. The cool rock under me eases a nauseating stir in my stomach.

"Wait a sec, woman!" I feel two solid, small hands push my shoulders down to the ground. "You're not supposed to move." I give up any struggle and lie back down. "I can't believe this is happening. You wouldn't hurt if I didn't land on you, but I might be lying there unconscious instead." Alexis isn't always selfish, but she's been known to slip into the-world-revolves-around-me-mode on occasion.

"What happened?" The question is loud in my mind, but it's a whisper when I try to voice it.

"This is fricktastic! I have a date with Graham tonight, Ollie. I've tried texting and calling, but there's no signal. You'd think I could at least use this crap-phone for Morse code as expensive as it was. Where on earth could we be?" I open my eyes and find Alexis pacing next to my body with a strained expression on her face. Somehow I know, we aren't on earth, we're under it.

Stretching my legs, I'm aware that the only thing aching is my head. "What happened, Alexis?" I ask with more effort.

"You hit your head on the ground when you fell, and I guess you passed out."

"You guess?" The sarcasm that slips out meets a blue-eyed glare, but it crumbles when the ground trembles beneath us. The jarring sound of rock breaking apart echoes through the room and jostles my memory. Panic rises from the pit of my stomach into my throat, and I notice the light above us waver, but not one pebble of debris falls on us.

"Oh, god, this can't be happening again. I'm not sure how long we've been down here, but my best guess is an hour, and there were two tremors while you were unconscious." Tears well up in Alexis' eyes. "We tried to wake you up, but didn't want to shake you in case you're broken. I thought you were dead at first and had an epic mental break. Jesse'll never let me hear the end of that one, but I'm just glad you finally woke up. There's no way I'd be able to handle the Vargas brothers and their arguing much longer." A hysteric giggle slips out, and then her tears fall without restraint.

As the vibrations lull, so does my heart rate. "Where are they?"

"I told them not to wander off, but they're boys. They said they'd be right back."

Taking in as much of the cavern as I can, I notice a hint of darkness in one corner of the room. The wide open space is lit enough that I can see it's not dormant. I can hear a continuous rush of water somewhere behind me, and warm air brushes along my skin. It could be an illusion, but the air above us seems to dance. "I might have a concussion. Do you see that light?"

"Yeah, I see it. It's been acting weird when the tremors start up, but without it, I think I'd go crazy down here in the dark."

"Will you help me up? I want to get a better look at the place."

"Why don't you wait for the guys to get back? If you fall, there'll be a good four inches I won't be able to catch." Alexis isn't even looking at me, she's focused on one side of the room.

"Maybe we should go looking for them." Turning my head in the direction she's looking, I can make out a wading pool that lies about a hundred yards away. Risers of waterfalls stretch along its backside.

"Jesse was bored after Mateo couldn't get any of our phones to work, and he insisted that we needed water. Mateo went into big-brother mode and didn't want him to walk off alone. You know how they can be." Her fear and insecurity collide in an expression that has me wondering if she's going to burst into laughter or tears. "Honestly, I think they're both worried about how we're going to get out of here. They started to attempt climbing past the waterfall just before you woke up, but I waved at them when I noticed you stirring. They'll be back any minute."

I look back toward the vaulted iridescent vapor above us. My eyes catch the light bouncing off of hundreds of precarious stalactites that hang from an unseen ceiling. It's as if they're reflecting shades of green and violet. The chamber is gigantic. My hands slides across the ground at my sides and I find that it's covered in a soft, moist moss. Below that, there's a slab of bedrock that fights against the soft curves of my body.

A headache can't be any worse than lying on this cavern floor. "Alexis, I need to sit up. What are you looking at?"

She's concentrating on something, then I hear clamoring footsteps. I lift my torso from the floor. "Alexis?"

"What? Hold on." Alexis lays a hand on my chest to keep me still, and cranes her neck to look behind us.

A hand suddenly cradles the back of my head and neck. "Ollie, let me help you." Mateo whispers as he gently lifts me. This is the Mateo I grew up with and grew to depend on more than anyone else. He leans over me with his hand open for me to take. My hand disappears in his, and with a steady pull, I'm on my feet and standing close to him. Too close. I take a step back and his hand releases mine.

"Relax. I'm just going to check the back of your neck." He reaches to push my hair back over my shoulder, and I tense up immediately. Squinting, preparing for the pain, I try to ignore my stomach's lurch.

"I'll be fine." He attempts to pull me into a hug, but I play it off giving him a weak and awkward fist bump. A laugh contained in Mateo's chest rumbles out over the embarrassing moment.

What's his deal? Just last night, he told me we couldn't go back to being friends. It's my own fault we drifted apart, and I'm still a mess of pile pieces that don't quite fit together. Suddenly, I'm hyper-aware of my disheveled state. I pull my tank top down to cover my exposed midriff and brush the gravel off the back of my leggings. I've perfected my mother's own survival instinct and practice acting like I have it all together.

"Guys, I don't know if you noticed, but we just fell from God knows where into some Journey-to-the-Center-of-the-Earth movie. I either want Josh Hutcherson to show up, or I want to go home. So, could we get a move on it?" Alexis throws her hands up in air-traffic-controller-mode, but loses her balance on the jagged floor, so I move in to steady her by placing my arms around her.

"Let's make sure everyone's okay before we start roaming these caves," Mateo reasons.

"I'm a hot mess right now!" Alexis yells, stomping her foot. She's definitely a mess, and her temper is flaring. She steps away from me and points a finger at Jesse. "You left me here alone with Ollie all unconscious. We don't know where we are, or if we'll ever find our way out of here."

"Calm down, Alexis. We're all freaked out, some of us are just better at keeping our cool. I know it's tough to grasp, but your pretty little face and Daddy's credit card can't get you out of this. So, suck it up," Jesse argues. He turns his attention to me, and his eyes soften. "We really worried about you, Ollie." Jesse moves in front of me, and he looks into each of my eyes like he's checking for something. I can't help but grin at his concern. A year ago, he was a little kid. Being an only child, he's like the little brother I never had, and I'm glad he's okay.

"If I knew I could get this much attention from the Vargas brothers, I would've considered falling hundreds of feet right when I got home." I fling both hands over my mouth to keep any more cringeworthy admissions inside.

"Back away, Jesse. Give the girl some room," Alexis interrupts. Jesse takes a step back, and looks down at her and flashes a dimpled grin as he gives her a wink. I'm not sure if he's being sarcastic or flirtatious.

"We've got to get moving if we plan to find a way out of here before our parents start freaking out." I begin pacing, thinking through each parent's reaction. My mom might send my phone call to voicemail if she's in the middle of a meeting. Alexis' parents are so busy with family she might get away with not checking in for a while, but her dad is some kind of city official so there may be an Amber Alert before long if we can't find our way. Then there's Jesse and Mateo's, she'll worry. and talk their dad into calling everyone in the neighborhood, and then go door to door if that doesn't work.

Taking in as much of my surrounding as possible, I try to observe the details my mom would decipher on a hiking trip. The cavern is big, but it's not size of the room that's most important. Maneuvering around stalagmites and over the waterfall may take a while, but maybe it's only because I'm in a state of science-geekery-overload. The rocks protruding from the floor look as if they're growing out of the ground and my eyes follow the direction their pointing. "There's no hole or space in the ceiling that I can see, so where do you think we fell from?" I can't help but consider that this is all some sort of crazy hallucination.

"I'm not sure, but there has to be an extension of the cave past that pool at the water's source. There might be something on the other side. We didn't climb high enough to get a good look." Mateo turns to face me. "We should try and work together to find a way. What do you think?"

"I'm willing to forgive and forget, and work together, if you are." I'm reaching for more to resolve, and I hope he'll agree. Our friendship may never be the same, but I can't imagine living the rest of my life the way I lived the last few months. I've been so lonely.

"Aw... You two can get a room, after we get to the surface. Lead the way." Alexis waves Mateo forward.

Ignoring her, he moves next to me, placing his hand on my lower back. I turn and take him in, looking down at his raggedy black pumas and worn out jeans. The muscles in his tan arm flex beneath his worn white T-shirt. He's tense, maybe worried about finding a way home. He nudges me, "After you."

At a loss for words, I walk. Mateo has never been vague with me before, but it seems like he's holding something back. Maybe there's another reason he's been so distant, but if I spend too much time trying to guess what it might be I'll drive myself mad, or be terribly mortified if I'm wrong.

Navigating around rocks that jut out from the ground proves to be tedious. There are several trails of trickling water that run around the formations and across the room. They connect and entwine, like the veins in a leaf. The consistent sound of the water moving through the room, and its echo, make it hard to hear footsteps behind me. But, I can hear Jesse and Alexis bantering, so know they're close enough.

"Speed up, Abuelo," Alexis teases Jesse.

"Excuse me? If my grandpa moves are too slow, you can come up here and walk in front of me."

"Why? So you can stare at my pajama shorts while I walk?" Alexis retorts. I wouldn't put it past him.

"Don't flatter yourself. If I wanted to stare at anyone's butt it would be Ollie's." Jesse knows just how to push Alexis' buttons.

"Shut up, Jess," Mateo mumbles, and my stomach does a cartwheel at the thought of him caring.

"You are such a guy," Alexis huffs. I don't blame her for the weak comeback, Jesse can be exhausting.

"Yes, I am. And if you were smarter, you'd have picked up on that a while ago. Dios me ayude con esta estúpida."

"Ugh," Mateo groans.

"Don't call me stupid, Stupid! I've known you long enough to pick up on your Spanglish."

In an attempt to avoid the bickering, I start taking quicker steps and using longer strides. I notice Mateo speeding up to stay near me, and he catches my elbow. His hand slides over my shoulder to my neck, and it's as if he knows exactly where I hurt. Mateo will never understand that when he told me we couldn't be friends, it hurt worse than any concussion ever would.

"I'm okay. I promise." I pull away from his touch. It does feel different, like we're not just friends anymore. It's not bad-different, and I hate that, because what if different means he's not going to be back in my life when we get back home. "My head's just hurting a little, and the old couple's not helping."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure." Mateo shoves his hands into his pockets. "How about a drink?" He nods in the direction of a gleaming pool before us.

I stop at the edge and kneel down, "Just so you know, I really am sorry. About everything." It seems like I've said the words a hundred times, and if I say them a hundred more everything will be alright.

Each handful of clear liquid that reaches my lips is crisp and cool. Next, I splash some on my face and wipe away my secret tears. The others are still drinking when I stand. I'm eager to get moving.

"Mateo, I'm going to get a little head start, but you may need to stay with them to make sure they don't kill each other." The suggestion is a tease that I hope reaches Alexis' ears, but it's also the truth—needed for my sanity.

Mateo nods, and a dark curl of hair falls across his forehead. He looks like I just shot his dog, but before he turns away, I look over my shoulder and smile at him to lighten the exchange. Mateo smiles back with a sincerity that reaches the corners of his brown eyes. That smile is just like the boyish one he gave me on the first day we met, over seven years ago. If he goes back to avoiding eye contact and relaying grimaces filled with disappointment when we get back I might have to resort to groveling.

Directing my attention to the trail ahead, some might consider the dim, rocky scenery to be creepy and dirty. I find its untainted beauty refreshing. Seeing a place so unique and full of natural wonders is a privilege, but this place is unlike any I've ever seen. I know more than the average kid about rock and natural formations because my mom is an Environmental Scientist and my dad was a park ranger. This is the kind of place they would discover together, then revel in it by discussing it over dinner for weeks. I miss him.

I take a deep breath and trudge forward, the mist from the looming falls ahead pushing itself against my face. The top of the precipice lifts ahead of us a good fifty feet, and solid rocks play the role of steps as we move closer to our unknown destination. Reaching the top of the waterfall alone, I realize the source of the water is seeping through a wall that the rocks rest against. There's no way to follow the water's source. Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis are a few feet below me, and I survey ahead.

There's a pool on the other side, and I'm immediately transfixed by movement. Someone is swimming. As he reaches the pool's edge, he pushes himself out with muscular, bronze arms. His broad shoulders break through the water's surface first. Shoulder-length hair and flexing shoulder blades follow. As his masculine back and backside ascend from the water, I turn away as heat spreads from my neck into my cheeks.

"Hey there!" I greet all three of my friends who are now just three feet behind me. They're all staring past me; Jesse's mouth falls open, and a grin spreads across Alexis' face. Heat flares in my chest. I'm embarrassed when I look at Mateo, and one eyebrow raises as he moves his gaze from the pool back to me.

"Holy-nekkid-buns, Batman!" Alexis' crude, yet hilarious, remark prompts a giggle from me.

# Four

"Since my Maps app isn't working, I think we should stop and ask for directions." Alexis moves past me and motions for us all to follow.

I quickly reach for her hand and pull her to a stop. "Wait a sec..."

"I'm thinking that's not such a good idea." Mateo looks from me down in the direction of the pool.

"Why don't you want to stop and ask? Is this a guy thing? I don't mind asking if it's a pride issue." Alexis plays up her sarcasm with an eyebrow waggle.

"Oh, please," Jesse grumbles, "You're crossing into perve-territory. What if he turns out to be some hermit, or cannibal?"

A second man catches our attention. He's older and dressed in dark robes, appearing from a small cave opening on the other side of the room. He stops and looks from the pool up to our small group. After a few moments, he looks back in the direction of the pool. The young man is now wearing a white robe and walking toward us.

It's only a minute before he's climbed half of the distance between us. His hair is loose, hanging behind his shoulders, and his robe, while tied at the waist, has left part of his chest bare.

"If hermits look like that, I don't think I'll have a problem handling this one," Alexis offers to Jesse.

"You'll have a problem when he tries to eat you for dinner," Jesse mutters, but then gives up the argument.

The guy isn't smiling, and he's pretty big, at least a few inches taller than Mateo's six feet and two inches. Jesse moves in front of me, pulling Alexis with him. In seconds, Mateo is at Jesse's side. I know they're trying to protect us, but I don't feel threatened. It's not like he's sounded an alarm and we'll be surrounded in seconds.

As I peek past Jesse's solid shoulder, I'm reminded of how similar these brothers are. They share the same dark and handsome qualities, but there are also differences. Jesse is a few inches shy of Mateo's height and has short hair. Mateo has shaggy curls. His hair has always fallen over the tops of his ears and curls at the nape of his neck. Jesse's built like a football player, and Mateo is lean like a basketball player.

"Hello." I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Mateo calls out to the young man that's fifty feet away from us now.

"¡Hola!" Jesse calls out after we're met with silence. The man is just thirty feet away now, and his gait is wide, making it obvious how he moved so quickly. He stops about ten feet away, and his breathing is heavy. His chest rises and falls at a rapid pace, and I force myself to look up at his face.

Studying Mateo and Jesse, he looks them up and down. Then he shifts to take in Alexis; his eyes widen when he sees her PJs and bare legs. Jesse moves to block his view, and the stranger's eyes move to me. He makes a bolder inspection when his eyes meet mine and he gazes at me. At _me_. His expression isn't one of surprise. It's inquisitive. It's unsettling. He stares into my eyes, and it's like he recognizes me.

"Hello." His voice is low, and he speaks the greeting directly to me.

"Hello?" I'm astonished that he's speaking English. His features are beautiful, and he looks like a combination of people I've met from all over the world. I just assumed he'd speak some foreign language.

"Hi there," Mateo chimes in and steps forward, breaking our eye contact. "Can you tell us how to get out of here? We need to get back home."

"You are lost," the stranger states without question, and I pick up on a hint of a unique accent. His brow relaxes, and he takes a few more steps toward us. I notice his eyes are light, almost hazel, which is odd in comparison to his hair and complexion. His white robe has a detailed white pattern that wasn't noticeable until now. The intricate stitching is iridescent and outlines the lapel of his robe, bringing more attention to his chest.

"Is there a way to climb back up?" Alexis steps around Jesse and points to the unseen ceiling.

"Up?" The newcomer's brow tightens again, and he looks toward the ceiling of the cavern. "I'm afraid I do not understand. You did not wander here while traveling?"

It sounds outrageous that we could descend from above when there's no space or hole in sight to fall from. It also seems impossible for someone to fall from the height of the cave ceiling and survive.

Stepping forward, I reach a hand out toward the man. "I'm Ollie. Is there any way you can help us out? And, you are..."

Sliding his gaze down from the ceiling to my hand, he hesitates. I pull my hand back, but before I have to ask who he is outright, something clicks.

"My name is Gabriel, son of Enoch. I will make it my mission to escort you to where you belong." Gabriel's playful smirk and accented speech are charming. It makes him seem years younger than I initially thought. He might just be a year or two older than me.

"I'm Alexis." Stepping forward, she's practically bouncing next to me with a huge smile plastered across her face. Then she gestures to her left like it's a chore. "And this is Jesse over here, and that's Mateo."

Gabriel takes in the line of us starting at the left. "Jesse, Alexis, Ollie, and Mateo." He nods at each of us while repeating our names. "Please follow me."

After he starts back down the path, Alexis and I look to Mateo for reassurance.

"Who's your friend? He's been keeping a close eye on us." Mateo walks to the edge of the plateau we're perched on, placing himself as a barrier between us.

Gabriel hesitates and looks beyond the pool at the ominous figure in the distance. "That is Zadok, a friend of my father's. Let us see what news he brings." He continues walking down the steep incline without looking back.

"I'm not sure about this guy." Mateo takes the first step. "Girls, you head straight for the opening across the cavern if anything weird happens, and Jesse and I'll hold them off."

"Hold them off? I may be a super ninja at pranks, but my skills do not include round-house-karate-chops." Jesse's sense of humor is the perfect distraction. What would we do if this guy attacked us? Maybe it would be different if one of us was carrying a gun, but I think we all know, deep down, that we can't risk turning away the help.

Mateo pauses and looks back to the rest of us, so I step down followed by Alexis, while Jesse brings up the caboose of our line. Our pace is much slower going downhill. Alexis keeps tapping my shoulder and whispering things like, "He's so hot," and, "Day-um, girl."

After several minutes of trying to avoid falling, the slope becomes less strenuous. Less afraid of tripping, I reluctantly look up to watch Gabriel lead us across the room. He's quiet, and I can't help but wonder if we should trust him. He glides across the rocks as if he knows by memory the most reliable route. Water rushing below us, just like the other side of the rock face, and races us as we walk. We reach the pool once we get to level ground, and Zadok is waiting there for us.

"I will gather my things before we travel." Gabriel moves to a pile of cloth, and he addresses the regal man standing before us. "Zadok, do you bring word?"

"Gabriel, it does not matter now what I have come here to discuss." Zadok takes a step back and away from Gabriel, while he reaches down for what looks like a long shirt. Then Zadok continues, meeting Gabriel eye to eye. "What possesses you to pollute our sacred ground and endanger our people by associating with these outsiders?" Disdain darkens his frown lines, and he completely avoids acknowledging my friends and me.

"I mean no disrespect, Zadok. My mother was gifted with hospitality, and she taught my sister and me to help others in need, as well as to be accepting of all people."

"Do not be foolish Gabriel, believing the same gift can be extended to them. If you take them to your home, there will be consequences," Zadok spits the words out and turns to walk away from us all.

"Your home?" Confused, I lift my hands to my head and rub my temples. These men live here, underground.

"Yes." Gabriel lets his robe slide off his shoulders.

"Whoa!" It's what I'm thinking, but Alexis says it so loud that it bounces from wall to wall in a never-ending echo. I turn my back to the scene and look at Alexis as heat rises up my neck. She stares at Gabriel, and a small part of me admires her brazen attitude. Jesse chuckles when he looks over at me, but when he sees Alexis' fixed gaze, he reaches over and covers her eyes.

"What?" she protests. "I'm just admiring God's creation. Don't act like you've never seen any of that before... Well, at least I hope you've seen those parts before."

I can't help but laugh, not only at Alexis' constant berating of Jesse, but also at the situation. It's not like I haven't had the opportunity to see any of that before, but I wasn't ready for any of that. I'm less ready now after all the self-deprecating that followed my breakup.

The truth is, I've never been in a room with a completely naked guy. Ever. It doesn't make the situation any easier being that I'm standing between my former best friend and his little brother.

Mateo nudges me and nods back toward Gabriel. It's hard to know what Mateo's thinking, because if I'm right, he's taking in everything. I'm just not used to him keeping everything to himself. I cautiously turn and keep my eyes on my running shoes. My eyes roam the rocky ground until I find Gabriel's sandaled feet. His robe is back on, and I can see a long tunic beneath it now. He looks like he's dressed for a stroll in the Sahara. His tunic is a dark shade of green that brings out the green in his hazel eyes.

"When I saw you at the peak between our bathing pools, I did not linger to dress completely. I apologize if I have offended you." He moves his gaze from me to Mateo then over to Jesse. He ignores Alexis.

"No offense taken, Gabe." Mateo's response breaks the awkward silence. "We just want to get back home."

"Gabriel." His warm tone turns cold.

Mateo looks him in the eye and gives him the slightest nod.

"Please come with me, and when we arrive, I will seek the counsel of my family. Zadok may sound grave, but I am sure that my father will advise us on the best way to get you to where you belong." Gabriel doesn't seem angry with Mateo about the attempted nickname. It's the only negative emotion from him, other than his disliking Alexis' appearance, that I've noticed.

"Ollie?" Gabriel asks. "Will you walk alongside me?"

I trade a questioning look with Mateo, and he nods at me. "Sure." I walk up next to Gabriel and he looks back to the others. "Let us be on our way."

I work to keep Gabriel's pace and notice he's leading us to the cave ahead, the same one that provided Zadok's entrance and exit. It's tall enough to walk through but it's no wider than a refrigerator and looks endlessly dark. I fumble more than once in the short distance we walk together, but Gabriel moves with grace. It's difficult to keep up with him and take in my surroundings at the same time. The rock marbles a glistening gold and green.

Looking back to the others, I notice that they've fallen a few feet behind. "Do you mind if we slow down?" His gait shortens without a word, and he moves closer to place his hand on my elbow. I flinch and pull my arm forward.

"I only wish to assist you over the gaps in the floor; they can be difficult to navigate." Gabriel reaches out again, and I accept his support.

"Do we have to go through there to get where you live?" I point to the narrow opening ahead of us, hoping there's another way I haven't seen. "I'd like to avoid that claustrophobic nightmare."

Gabriel looks concerned, so I elaborate. "You know, it looks like close quarters in there."

Gabriel chuckles watching me as we get closer to the cave's opening. "We will travel through the hallway to a cavern like this one. This cavern provides our source of water and is where most of our people bathe."

"So, to be clear, you live underground and you won't be taking us aboveground any time soon?" I ask.

Gabriel shakes his head no and faces the entrance of the hallway.

I pause.

"Are you all right, Ollie?" Mateo asks from behind. He walks up next to me and places a hand at the small of my back. "I'll walk with you if you want me to." Mateo might be talking to me, but he isn't looking at me. His gaze challenges Gabriel.

"We will need to walk in a single file line through the grotto," Gabriel informs, but anyone with eyes can see how narrow the path is.

"I can do this. I'm not fond of the idea of being in the pitch black, but it might be better. I'll count or something." I turn to Gabriel and nod toward the cave. "How long is it?"

"The cave is a short distance, but you need not worry. We will have the _noor_ with us, and it will light the way." Gabriel takes a few steps under the lip of the cave, and the glowing mist that blanketed us in the large cavern seeps into the cave. The light is soft and inviting, and it seems to be following Gabriel, so I take Mateo's hand and pull him to follow me. Alexis and Jesse won't be too far behind.

"How did you do that? With the light?" I ask Gabriel.

"Are you referring to the _noor_? I did nothing. It is a blessing that was given to my family hundreds of years ago." Gabriel turns to answer me and glances down at my hand in Mateo's. Once he begins to move forward again, he explains, "The _noor_ is a precious gift. We are able to use it many ways."

The small tunnel is no longer frightening. I can see veins of green, and even blue, threaded through the stone. I slide my hand from Mateo's and touch a seam. The stone is smooth and cool, but it also smells clean. My investigation ceases when Gabriel quickens his pace. I shuffle my feet a little faster to get closer, so I can hear him speak.

I concentrate on the light, the _noor_ , as Gabriel describes it to avoid thinking of the solid earth that rests overhead and the fact that it could cave in on us any minute. He explains that the light's been with his family since they escaped to the underground, thousands of years ago.

"The light goes wherever the people of my family go and stays with us, each of us." It's easy to follow Gabriel's resonating voice. He continues, "It provides illumination and warmth for our people and animals, as well as allows us to grow food underground. The _noor_ protects my people."

Before I can ask any questions about it or Gabriel's family, I notice a brighter light up ahead.

"We are here." Gabriel steps to the side so I can look past him. It's so bright that all I see is his silhouette in the cavern's opening. As I move next to him, the ground shakes underneath me. I immediately feel the vibration of debris falling around me, rocks colliding with the stone floor. An arm grabs my waist, steadying me.

# Five

Looking up, all I see is bronze skin and Gabriel's black hair. I'm surrounded by his neck, arms, shoulders, chest, and the smell of spice—cinnamon, maybe? He swallows, and I watch his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yes, thank you," I whisper, nodding my head in a haze of per flexion. Apparently, I can't think straight when I'm in the midst of male muscles.

I step back to check on everyone, and Gabriel's arm slides from my waist. Losing my balance, I reach out to the walls on either side of me and look down. A thin cloud of dust settles around my feet. The weird thing is, Mateo, Alexis, and Jesse stand covered in grime.

"Are y'all okay?" While conducting a mental headcount of the group, I catch Mateo's skeptically eyeing Gabriel.

"Let's get out of here, I can't breathe," Jesse coughs out from the back of our group.

"Yes, puh-lease," Alexis exhales with a puff of visible air.

Pushing my feet through the fallen stone and dirt, I scan everyone for injuries. Gabriel looks pristine, and, like me, there's no dust in his hair or on his clothes, but he's straightening his robe and wide belt.

I step over to Mateo and Jesse and begin brushing my hands over their hair, trying to remove the small pieces of debris. They don't stop me; both are concentrating on something behind me. I glance at Alexis, and she has a similar expression of awe on her face. Peering over my shoulder, I'm immediately enthralled.

This. Can't. Be. Real. The walls in this cavern are more metallic than the last, reflecting hues of every color in the rainbow. Carved opalescent gemstones form the cavern. The expanse of the room is at least three times the size of a football stadium, and I can see clearly across the entire room. The light, or _noor_ , that Gabriel referred to, is as bright as the sun and covers the ceiling—at least I think there's a ceiling above it. Its glow is warm and it reveals the tops of hundreds of gleaming shelters.

I've never imagined anything so alien yet archaic. The gigantic stalagmites that grow out of the ground across the cavern serve as center poles of primitive circus-like tents made of some kind of canvas. The tents range in size and jewel-tone colors; some of them even look like they're glowing. The way the tents lean against each other, they create a labyrinth. Tim Burton and Peter Jackson working together couldn't have created a more epic landscape.

Small clouds of shimmering light shift and move with the people as they travel in and out of their homes. Hundreds, maybe a thousand people live in this cavern. What strikes me as odd is that no one is screaming or running hysterically. Wasn't that a quake we just felt? Their movements are nonchalant, and there's no debris falling from the _noor_ above.

"My family's haven is near the center of the village. We will need to move quickly and quietly to avoid unwanted attention." Gabriel steps up next to me, pointing a finger that moves into my line of vision. He leans in close enough for me to feel his breath along my neck. "Please stay close," he says this loud enough that the others can hear it, but I feel like the words are directed at me. His demeanor isn't hindered by the earthquake, and as he steps forward, I reach for his arm and tug roughly.

"What is this place?" My feet fuse to the rock, and my mind is set on getting answers.

"Please, I will explain it all when we arrive at my home," Gabriel answers and takes another step forward.

"Push pause there, big guy." Alexis moves next to me. "Ollie's right, we need some proof you won't lead us to some sleeping volcano for sacrificing."

"Good point. Plus, I've got a bad feeling about going down there." My mind begins to reel through all the potential problems we might face. An avalanche of rock could fall on us during an aftershock, or more people like that Zadok guy could hate us for being outsiders. "We'll stick out like a sore thumb down there." I move my hands in a motion that directs Alexis' attention to our clothes and her lack of them.

Alexis ignores my concern and points a finger at Gabriel. "How do we know you won't go all Hannibal, and eat us for dinner or something?"

"Alexis, really?" I reach out and grab her hand, trying to pull her lofty ideas back down to reality.

"That's a good point, Ollie." Mateo might have inhaled some _noor_ if he thinks Gabriel's going to eat us, but he steps around me and addresses the group. "We need some assurance that this isn't some sort of trap. How do we know you'll help us?"

"I give my word that I will help you find your home." Gabriel reaches a hand out to Mateo, but when Mateo reaches out in response, Gabriel clamps his hand over Mateo's forearm. Forcing Mateo to wrap his hand over Gabriel's forearm, they shake.

"The Word of the Elder's Scion."

"That sounds impressive enough." Jesse's sarcasm relieves some of the tension in the group, but it doesn't hinder Gabriel from his agenda. Mateo's head tilts in question, but before he can say anything more, Gabriel turns and moves in the direction of the village.

"What do y'all think?" Mateo asks.

"Who are we to argue with the Elder's Scion?" Jesse places an arm on each of our shoulders, and then nudges me in Gabriel's direction.

Stepping down after him, we begin the trek down to the cavern floor. I rush and risk slipping or tripping to catch up. "Why is everyone so calm after that earthquake, Gabriel?" I step over a crevice filled with green moss, and wait for his answer.

"We are protected. It is an ancient blessing, and I will explain more when we reach the confines of my home. I give you my word."

Gabriel may be honest, but he's also elusive, although maybe he's just more concerned with getting us from Point A to Point B at the moment. I'm appreciative of his knowledge and no-nonsense attitude. Mateo, Jesse, Alexis, and I would have argued ourselves into a worse predicament. I'm sure he saved us hours of grief.

Making it down to the lowest point of the room takes some time, and I take pride in the fact that I don't lose my footing. Gabriel guides us past a mossy pasture of oversized, goat-like animals.

"The _izzim_ roam outside of the village. They tend to consume anything that they come across," Gabriel says over his shoulder to me.

"They look like mountain goats," I tell him as I take in their horns and shaggy white hair.

"Goats?" Gabriel smiles and continues, "I remember once waking up in the morning to one in my quarters. It had eaten one of my favorite tunics and a pair of my sandals." His light laugh is refreshing to hear and draws the attention of a man we walk past. The man is dressed like Gabriel, but his robes are nowhere near as beautiful. It's only when I hear Alexis whistle like a construction worker that I take notice of how handsome he is. The man is going to have one heck of a sore neck after that double take. He almost seems ashamed of the way he's gawked at Alexis, when he notices Gabriel. He nods in Gabriel's direction, and he only shuffles forward again after Gabriel nods back at him. It's as if Gabriel was giving him permission to move on.

I walk much faster through the corridors created around the tents. Behind Gabriel, I'm followed by Jesse and Alexis, while Mateo trails us all. An area ahead is clamoring with people. There's a campfire placed in the center of a cul-de-sac of what must be homes. Women bustle around with baskets of food and reams of fabric, and one maneuvers through the crowd with four children.

The men are all covered from neck to ankle in colorful tunics, some with elaborate stitching. The women wear similar garments but also have their hair covered with ornate scarves. Gabriel pauses before stepping out from between the tents. His shoulders rise with a large intake of air then slump forward. He looks back over at our group, and his eyes stop on me.

"We must pass through the crowds here; there are no concealed passages past this point. I will travel through as few commons as possible, but you must keep my pace." Gabriel doesn't give us time to consider or question his words. Before I know it, we're skirting around women, children, campfires, and wet laundry hanging from lines stretched taut between tents.

Keeping an eye out for all the obstacles around us prevents me from following directly behind Gabriel. When a few feet grow between us, I make the extra effort to walk faster and affix my eyes to him. Gabriel's head hangs low, and his hair covers the sides of his face. His body hunches over, and it contradicts the regal posture he met us with.

We all move from one narrow path to the next until Gabriel stops unexpectedly causing me to run into the back of him. "Oof."

Gabriel reaches out to stop me. He twists at his torso and has his pointer finger placed over his lips. "Shhh..." We are so close, too close.

I scoot an inch backward and bump into Jesse. Gabriel's hand slides down to my hip, then he quickly pulls it to his side. He looks around me to the others, and I'm thankful for the reprieve. I have to focus on the task at hand and not the embarrassment that's creeping up my neck.

The pathway ahead opens into another common area, and Gabriel turns to carefully peek past the edge of the tents on either side of us. A few seconds of silence pass, and he faces us again. Luckily, I'm distracted by the contrasting tents in this area of the village. They're constructed with more style than the ones we first saw and look like sweeping, jewel-toned gowns as they hang from giant stone figures that loom above us.

"My family's haven is across this common. I will be taking you without deviation to my quarters so there is no question that you are my guests," Gabriel explains.

We all nod at him, not sure if his hush is still in effect. Gabriel steps out into the open area with authority. His formal posture is striking, and I stand up straighter in an echo and step out from between the tents. Being closely followed, a hand lands on my shoulder, and I place my own hand over it and squeeze. I look back to reassure Jesse but find Mateo. He's looking ahead at Gabriel and then glances me, grinning in response to my hand covering his.

"I'm here." Mateo's simple, affirming words cause me to hesitate.I'm not sure _how_ he means them. He's trying, and I have to try too, but how are we going to find out if we can still be friends when we're lost in this underground village? What if these moments of attraction are mutual? One of us might be moving forward with idea of being friends while the other is thinking of being friends with benefits. Taking a deep breath, I step away from him and focus on the task at hand.

The commons area we move through appears to be as formal as Gabriel's posture. People are selling and trading goods at stands placed gingerly around the bonfire. There isn't any laundry hanging nor any children trailing behind mothers. As we pass near a stand, I notice that the goods available are exquisite and grand. There are robes inlaid with gold thread, intricately carved boxes, and even jewelry encrusted with gemstones. They all sparkle like the _noor_. A simple bowl filled with coins causes my gait to stutter. The small round pieces of metal have holes at their center and remind me of a pendant I remember my father wearing around his neck.

My pause at the stand doesn't go unnoticed, and Gabriel stops to extend his arm in my direction. The polite action catches my attention, and I counter by threading my arm around his. He seems surprised momentarily but regains his composure. He slides my hand over the top of his, and the gesture feels proper.

We walk to the entrance of a tent that in comparison looks cleaner and newer than any we've passed. He pulls back a leather flap and reveals a second doorway made of deep purple silk. I reach out to touch the fabric, and it feels as luscious as it looks. When Gabriel reaches to move the curtain aside, I flinch at the sound of a delicate wind chime. There's no breeze to account for the sound, so I deduce that it's somehow caused by the moving curtain. As I search for the chimes, Gabriel let's go of my hand, and he turns to face me, smiling widely.

"The chimes startled me."

"Please, enter." Gabriel looks from me to my friends as they step in next to me, and he waves us forward. "Welcome to my haven. I am honored to have you as my guests."

He walks farther into the room, and I'm able to move my focus from him to the eclectic furnishings and elaborate tapestries. A small amount of light filters into the room, and it creates shadows in deep shades of red and purple.

Ornate carpets cover the ground, and the walls are lined with the same fabric hanging in the doorway. Four large, circular tables are set throughout the room, each defining a separate section. Luxurious cushions line the tables. Benches with over-stuffed pillows surround a stalagmite that's holding up the tent around us. I move past Gabriel closer to the center of the room and look above us, recognizing the _noor_ as it dances across the ceiling of the tent. Seeing the element this close is like looking through a microscope in biology for the first time. The light is alive and beautiful.

It's captivating.

From the corner of the room, I see some of the silk wall shift to the side, and more _noor_ filters in, brightening the area.

Before I can look to see who's joined us, a deep voice calls, "Greetings, Son."

# Six

"Father," Gabriel acknowledges the man with graying hair. He looks familiar. Like his son, he's handsome, but there's something else. Before I'm allowed any more time to consider his appearance, Gabriel moves in my direction. "Let me introduce you to my guests. This is Ollie, Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis."

Gabriel's right hand directs me forward when he says my name, and he gestures toward everyone else with his left. I've never been formally introduced to someone like this. I don't like the attention on me, but I have a feeling I know why he's picked me out. I happen to be wearing the most clothing, and oddly enough, I look like them. My dark hair and tanned skin are also like Mateo and Jesse's, but my lighter eyes and lean, long build is more like Gabriel and his father. The scrutiny of Gabriel's father lands hard on us. He studies each of us from head to toe, and after he moves his eyes from me to Mateo, I'm able to get a longer look at him.

He's as tall as Gabriel but has dark eyes. His black, straight hair is swept back behind his shoulders, and there's no telling how long it hangs behind him. His skin, a russet color, is several shades darker than Gabriel's, and his rugged features remind me of my own father.

A robe the color of crimson makes Gabriel's dad look regal, with golden stitching around the collar. The embroidery embellishes the length of the front of his robe, and it's wrapped with a gold belt around his lean waist. I can't imagine him reading bedtime stories to Gabriel, or teaching him how to tie his shoes...or lace his sandals? It's too difficult a picture to wrap my brain around. Like a Picasso painting pasted in a family albumm.

"I was informed of your arrival by a trusted acquaintance. Zad..." Uh-oh. Gabriel's father's mouth turns upside-down and his nostrils flare with an audible inhale when his eyes fall on Alexis. Her pajama shorts scream PINK. They don't leave much to the imagination, especially compared to the loads of fabric everyone else wears down here.

"Sir, it's nice to meet you. Your son, Gabriel, has been kind in offering us help." My attempt to interrupt the silent gawking does the complete opposite. Gabriel's father's look is like a slap in my face. His jaw flexes, and he doesn't respond. In blatant disrespect, he doesn't even meet my eyes.

Gabriel jumps in, "Father, I am hoping to lead Ollie and her friends back to their home on the surface. I felt it was important to have them come here first and change into something more appropriate for the journey."

"I understand." Gabriel's father nods once in his direction and proceeds to speak over us. "I am Enoch, an elder of this tribe. Welcome to my haven. Please, let Gabriel know if you need anything, and he will take measures to provide it." He loses interest in the _noor_ above us and looks back to Gabriel. "It will be in the best interest for these travelers to avoid any confrontations with the villagers. I will have a word with you after your guests are accommodated." Enoch nods in Mateo and Jesse's direction and walks toward one of the walls draped in fabric.

"I will call on someone to help with the women." Enoch reaches into the folds and pulls something. A chime sounds, and it's higher in pitch than the one that I heard when we entered. Looking around the room, I hope to find the chime, and when I look back Enoch and some of the _noor_ have disappeared. Fabric swings back into place too fast and doesn't allow for enough tension to escape.

"What's up with your dad, Gabe?" Alexis asks.

"Gabriel."

"Sorry, Gabriel. Why'd your dad act so freakin' superior? It's not like he could pull these shorts off."

"It is our custom that elders do not address women in public." Gabriel answers.

"Public? But we're in your _house_. It looked to me like there was more to it," Alexis says with a wave of her hand down her bare leg.

Gabriel brings one hand to his temple and avoids eye contact. "It is not complicated. Alexis, you are not dressed the way women usually dress in our tribe. Neither you nor Ollie is appropriately covered."

I hear a snicker and turn to see Jesse laughing and poking Alexis' arm. I pull my hands up my arms and realize that, although my legs are covered in jogging pants, my arms are just as bare as hers. I look over at Mateo, and he's watching me connect the dots. He pulls one side of his mouth into a grin and flexes a dimple in my direction. I've missed that smile, mischievous or not.

"So you're not allowed to talk to girls?" I turn to Gabriel.

"You misunderstand." Gabriel motions for us to sit down. He's patient until we all get comfortable. "My father is one of five elders in our tribe, and he is examined closely by all our people. It is his duty to rule and protect our people with pure intentions."

Gabriel sits next to Jesse on a bench across from my own seat. ", and my father is able to communicate with his counsel in his everyday life, but it is important for him to remain focused on his duties. I assume that we are a welcome diversion from his daily responsibilities. I do not hold a position as one of the Elders yet, thus I am exempt from such demands."

"I'm not sure how I feel about your dad's monkish-vow-against-gabbing-with-girls. I'll admit that I'm glad you get to talk to us." Alexis grins at Gabriel and seems to be winning him over as he reflects her smile.

"Ahem..." I turn to see a girl my own age standing under a halo of _noor._

"Keren, thank you for coming." Gabriel's standing when I turn back to face him. His eyes light up as he proceeds to introduce us, and I can't help but notice how Mateo and Jesse are eyeing Keren as they stand to greet her.

"I heard the bells, and on my walk here one of the guards expressed that you called for me," Keren explains with a soft and solid voice. Her lips are full, and her deep brown eyes sparkle. Keren's hair falls in shiny waves down her back, and it's even darker than her eyes. As she walks in our direction, I notice her peach robe has light green stitching that matches her sash. The peach of her robe, a perfect balance of pink and orange, complements her smooth complexion.

"Yes. I am in need of ensembles for Ollie and Alexis. Would you do me the favor of providing something for them to wear while they are with us?" Gabriel requests after introducing us.

"Will they be joining us for our evening meal?" Keren inquires while keeping an eye on Alexis and me.

"I think it would be best if they did, and then after a full night's rest we will make the journey..."

"Wait a minute. What do you _mean_ 'full night's rest?'" Mateo fists his hands at his sides and clenches his jaw. "We need to get back as soon as possible. We appreciate all your help, but we can't just lounge around here and wait while our families worry about us."

Keren eyes widen at Mateo's response. She looks from one to the other with a grin. "You are a bold man and appear to be able to take care of yourself. If you plan to make it to your surface, with these others, you must heed Gabriel's advice." Keren turns from Mateo, leaving him stunned in silence, and moves to the draped wall, followed by _noor_.

"Ladies, please join me. We will begin preparing ourselves. Gabriel, we will see you and your eager guests soon." Keren walks through the curtain's opening and holds the fabric aside, waiting for Alexis and me. We stand, but I hesitate, wanting to see if Mateo will stop me. Jesse looks up at me, but without verbal concern from either of them, we proceed to the opening behind Keren. I'm not sure we should split up, but it would be nice to get into some clean clothes.

"Ollie, everything will be okay." Mateo's voice follows me, but his words fall flat. How can everything be okay, after all that we've been through?

While wandering through a maze of enclosed walkways, woven fabric, thick as the most luxurious carpets, cushions my steps. It's a nice change from the unpredictable, rocky terrain. I glance at the _noor_ as it follows Keren and lingers along the ceiling. Then Keren slips between folds of fabric in the wall. Like we're in some wacky haunted house, I worry that she'll pop out in a gruesome mask and scare me. I feel Alexis creep up behind me.

"Should we go in?" I ask sheepishly.

"How should I know? I'm not even sure we should have left the guys. Keren won't be half as fun to flirt with." Alexis laughs.

"Do you have color preferences?" Keren's head suddenly appears in front of us and looks like it's floating. The fluttering fabric that surrounds us feels unnatural, and I'd rather have the solid stone at my side.

"Oh. Um... No? Should we just come in there with you?" I nod to the hidden space behind her.

"I apologize. I am collecting the garments you will wear to dinner. Please give me a moment, and then we will bathe." Keren disappears, along with some of the _noor_. As the light dims, my eyes adjust.

"Well, actually, we just came from the bathing area," Alexis continues talking, not realizing Keren has left. "Will more tall-dark-and-nekkids be there?" Alexis speaks over my shoulder, and I can hear the grin in her question. "If all the guys look like Gabriel around here, I might choose to skip dinner and swim a few laps, if ya know what I mean," Alexis jokes in a hushed tone and starts giggling in my ear.

Embarrassed, I try to hush her.

"Please, Alexis, try to contain yourself. We'll be here a few hours, and then you can get back to texting Graham, if ya know what _I_ mean," I whisper. I don't get how she can feel so much for more than one guy. I have a hard time just admitting I like _one_ guy.

We stand in the hallway a minute longer, and Keren comes out with a stack of fabric rich in color and at least two feet high. She walks right past us and doesn't slow down. That's our cue to follow, and we do. Without turning around, Keren begins to inform us of our itinerary.

"You will not bathe in the common bathing area, Alexis. Our haven has a bathing room for the elders and their counsel to use at their discretion. As the guests of the Scion, you are also authorized to use it."

"But _Gabe_ was at the common bathing area..." Alexis begins. Keren's footsteps stutter in front of us, and I glare over my shoulder at Alexis with scrunched lips to keep her from saying any more.

Keren recovers her steps and abruptly slides into another sliver of an opening. A second later, she is holding the canvas partition open, exposing a room full of mysterious, ghostly steam.

"Please, come in so that the heat does not escape."

I step far enough inside that Alexis can step in behind me, and the air changes from light and crisp to heavy and humid. The steam is thick, and it's hard to see the entire room. The stones I stand on are flat and smooth under my feet compared to the yielding carpet in the hall. Taking a few more steps into the room, I see five small, rectangular pools rolling out like an artist's palette. The _noor_ above us reflects off the water in a million colors that paint the room. Each pool simmers with heat. Keren makes her way to five corresponding screens on the opposite side of the room are divides the pile of clothing behind three of them.

"I have placed a garment for you behind each screen. Ollie, please undress here." Keren gestures to a screen that stands in front of the middle pool. Waving at the screen standing in front of the first pool, Keren states, "Alexis, you may undress here."

She walks behind the screen set up between our respective areas, and I look at Alexis and shrug my shoulders. "At least the baths are semi-private."

Walking behind my screen, I find a rectangle of white fabric, a towel. Next to it are the clothes Keren left. Setting my crusty clothes on the floor, I cover all my parts with the towel and make my way to my designated pool. Keren and Alexis have already submerged.

Thanks to experiencing a high school locker room, I'm familiar with community bathroom etiquette. I've mastered the art of modesty. I sink into the pool, careful to conceal myself, and hear a snicker coming from two pools over.

"What now, Alexis?" I huff, annoyed. I can't help but miss an incredibly zen Keren, oblivious to our conversation.

"You're just so uptight. You should let go a little." All traces of mockery are gone, and I can tell that Alexis is actually trying to be nice.

Then, as if rising out of the steam, Keren interjects, "Both of you must relax."

Alexis and I shrug and focus on our respective pools. Then Alexis, in her typical way, breaks the silence. "Can I ask you a question?" She blurts.

"You just did," Keren answers in a language I speak fluently. Sarcasm. I look over at her, and a smile stretches across her face. "Do you mean to inquire about something in particular?"

Alexis grins. She appreciates wit.

"Before I do, I have to admit that I'm glad to hear a little snark coming out of you. But, I was wondering who you are in the counsel?"

"I am Enoch's daughter and Gabriel's younger, smarter, sister." Keren grins.

"Where's your mom? Gabe never mentioned her..."

"Alexis!" I shoot a dark look her way.

"What?" Alexis begins to argue.

"It's all right." Keren reassures me. This entire time, not even a ripple appears in her pool. "Our mother passed. She died a few years after I was born." An awkward pause mingles with the steam in the air. "Might I also inquire about your relationship with each other and the two men you arrived with?"

"Well, Ollie and I are BFFs," Alexis answers with a laugh and winks at me. "Mateo and Jesse are brothers who live next door to Ollie. Oh, and Ollie and Mateo used to be best friends, before my brother screwed everything up and I stole her away."

Keren reacts with a confused look on her face. I wasn't sure if our lingo or the message itself was confusing, but I knew I had a lot of explaining to do.

"Don't listen to her. She must've cracked her skull when she fell from the surface. I've known Alexis for a long time, and I'm rethinking our best friend status at the moment. By the way, that's what BFF means: best friends forever. As far as Mateo and Jesse are concerned, they're my next door neighbors."

"Right. Like _that's_ all there is to it!" Alexis chips in.

Keren grins to herself at our banter, and I give up the argument and lean back into the warm water. I can feel a constant flow pushing against my lower back, and it massages the tension out of my muscles. There's no chance it'll push away all my concerns, but it does help me forget some of this bizarro-underground-field-trip that I've fallen into.

A bell rings, startling me, and I look over at Keren. She slides her white fabric into the water and over her body. Alexis and I mimic her, placing the fabric over ourselves, and then in my peripheral vision I notice someone walk into the room.

No, three someones. I squint to see through the steam, and recognize Gabriel, Mateo, and Jesse.

"You may undress behind the screens," he points the guys to one of the two remaining pools. "I will leave clothing for you to put on when you have been cleansed. I will return soon to escort you back to my room." Gabriel instructs Mateo and Jesse stiffly, but he doesn't even glance in our direction before walking out. I'm left to wonder if he didn't see us through the steam or if he was practicing discretion.

Jesse goes directly to the closest screen, but Mateo walks to the pool closest to me and inspects it. He dips one hand slowly into the water then the other and rinses his forearms. Without any apprehension, he gets his T-shirt wet and scoops up some water to wash his face. I admire the sight of him. He runs his wet hands back through his hair and then rubs at his neck. His eyes wander farther into the room, and I try slouching further into my bath. Maybe he won't notice my nekkid-buns. My eyes widen when his eyes reach my pool and pass over the white fabric covering my toes. He blinks then meets my stunned expression with one of his own.

"Oh...um..." Mateo struggles to say anything coherent.

"Mateo, please undress behind your screen, and then you will be cleansed." Keren's voice startles me out of my silence. It also diverts Mateo's attention.

He looks past me, through the steam, and sees Keren in a similar position. Disconcerted, Mateo quickly closes his eyes and shakes his head as he stands. Then he turns and walks in the direction of the screens without a word. Like there wasn't enough crazy in our friendship.

"Come on, Mateo!" Jesse taunts as they cross paths. Jesse's tone arms flex as he walks out from behind his screen holding a white strip of fabric around the bottom half of his body. Good grief, it feels like I've left the real word and entered into a tan-and-toned Twilight Zone.

"Keep your towel on," I hear Mateo say, but it's an order, not a cliché. Mateo nods his head in our direction, and Jesse looks through the steam to each pool.

"Whoa! Coed bathrooms? I think I love this place!" Jesse jokes as he slips into his pool.

Alexis laughs on the other side of the room in response. As her laughter subsides, a delicate silence falls across the room, and Mateo steps out from behind his screen.

# Seven

Mateo pauses, with a bundle of fabric in his arms, and looks at me. There's indecision written all over his face, and I'm afraid this whole predicament will pull us farther apart. I've been gone so long that I'm unsure of where our friendship stands, but I've known Mateo long enough to understand that he's struggling with something. I just wish I knew what it was.

Mateo's still in his dirt-stained, white V-neck, worn out jeans, and old pair of Pumas, and without a word he leaves the room. Everything is not okay.

I feel like I can't do anything right around him anymore. Growing up, he's always had an opinion, even when it's crossed with his arms over his chest. I've never been more self-conscious around him, and he's never been so closed off. Maybe Mateo's _sharing is caring_ mentality no longer applies to me and I'm taking things too personally. Just as I start to relax again, a parade of two men and six women enter the room balancing bowls full of what looks like salt and more white fabric. They all wear white robes with crimson belts tied around their waists, and they each look down at the floor as they walk. I'm so clumsy, I'd be looking at the floor too, especially if I was carrying all of that stuff, but this feels ceremonial.

"I hope they're not expecting us to share tubs with strangers," Jesse exclaims in our direction. The two men begin to set the bowls and fabric down at the head of Jesse's bath, and two women follow suit at Keren's, Alexis', and my baths.

Keren sits up so that I can see her head over the edge of her bath. "They are here to bathe us."

I cringe on the inside. Bathe us? What are we, three-year-olds? I instinctively imitate Keren and sit up a bit, holding the white cloth close to my skin. Immediately, I feel something splashing in the water at either side of my shoulders. A floral scent hits my senses and it's soothing. I look over at my spa-savvy friend Alexis, and she is leaning forward with her hair pulled up while a woman scrubs her back. Keren allows one of the women behind her to scrub her arm while it's stretched across the stone floor at the edge of her pool. On the other side of me, with a pool between us, I observe Jesse enjoying a more rigorous massage to his broad, tense shoulders. I'm surprised at how easily he accepts the rubdown.

I look behind me, and a woman is holding a short wooden hair comb that's beautifully carved. I sweep my hair up and twist it, and she reaches to place the comb in a position that holds it all on top of my head. The second woman dips a small towel into the water and then into one of the bowls beside her. I lean forward nervously, not sure what to expect. The next thing I feel and smell must be the closest thing to heaven I've ever experienced.

All of my worrying over Mateo, the confusion over how we've ended up here, and the suspicion that something weird is going on is massaged out of every knot in every muscle of my body.

"You better keep your eyes closed...Alexis," Jesse warns us before he gets out of his bath.

We all, meaning the girls, agree he'll get out first. Jesse has the white fabric wrapped around his waist, and Alexis teases him about entering a new version of a wet T-shirt contest. Those two have always blurred the line between appropriate and improper, but I've never had to be around both of them at the same time.

"Alexis, just close your eyes already. I'm starting to prune." I hope to end their argument by getting in the middle of it. I raise an eyebrow at Alexis. "Plus, what is it you're expecting to see?" Alexis closes her eyes.

"Okay, Jesse." I keep my head turned away from him, but it isn't to reassure him. I'm trying to keep an eye on Alexis.

"Thank you, ladies...and, I use that term loosely in reference to you, Alexis." Jesse has a larger, dry piece of fabric wrapped around his waist now.

"Your modesty surprises me," Keren interrupts. "I have heard that men and women on the surface are more unprincipled these days."

"Unprincipled?" Jesse looked bewildered. "Whatever _that_ means."

Keren then shares Jesse's bewildered expression.

"I mean no offense." She bows her head. "Our people are prudent. Although there are public bathing pools, there is a separate pool for men and women. We do not interact outside of our families until the age of sixteen, and then it must be approved by our elders and chaperoned. As our guests, it is customary for us to minister to you as one of our own family members. Please forgive me for presuming that you are indiscreet."

Jesse walks to his screen, and within a few minutes, he's dressed in a long white tunic and robe. I've never known him to be so quiet for so long. Part of me wonders if something Keren said hit a nerve, but I can't bring myself to trust that Jesse knows that meaning of the word indiscreet.

Keren's quick to get out of her pool and get dressed. Alexis and I make efforts to move as hastily, but the clothing proves to be more difficult than we could have anticipated.

"Where are my underwear and bra?" I hear Alexis shout from behind the crimson fabric that's decorated just like Enoch's robes.

"Use the binding fabric. There should be two bands for each of you," Keren answers.

"You have got to be kidding me," I hear Alexis mutter.

"Well, I always thought it would be cool to travel to foreign places. I just never thought about the fact that Victoria's Secret might not travel with me," I joke.

"They took your clothes for washing, and they will be returned to you before you leave tomorrow," Keren informs us.

I fidget with the first band of fabric and decide it feels too much like a diaper. But what else can I do? The second band feels restricting as I wrap it around my chest repeatedly, but I don't mind it as much. Grabbing the green tunic laid out before me, my fingers slide across the delicate material, and it whispers across my skin as I pull it over my head. It reaches the top of my ankles, and gold stitching decorates the collar and bottom hem. I slip the robe over my shoulders. It exactly matches the green of my tunic. I wrap the provided gold sash around my waist to secure the robe. I let my hair down, and my feet remain bare as I walk out. I'm positive my orange toenail polish won't be as repulsive as Alexis' pajamas, but I'm curious what Keren will think of them.

Alexis is waiting with Keren when I walk out, and she's sporting powder-blue. The garment has elaborate coral stitching, and she's tying a matching coral sash around her waist when she notices me. The clothes don't look old, but the style and fit are simple. They remind me of the robes that Jedis wear, but maybe a girly-pink-lightsaber kind of Jedi.

Keren's wearing a dark-purple tunic with a matching robe that brings out a deeper shade of copper in her hair. Her sash and the stitching on her tunic are gold like mine, and I can't help but notice our physical similarities: long brown hair, straight nose, and brown eyes. Her skin is a little lighter than mine though, and she has wavy hair. Keren is smaller and shorter than I am too, but her perfect posture makes her appear taller.

Keren's role as tour guide continues, and she directs us down a curtained hallway lit by more _noor_. The fabric billows as we get closer to an opening before us. A courtyard lies ahead, and the fresh air is invigorating. I hope we are getting closer to the others.

Keren explains that the family's home is built around a beautiful garden, and the oasis is the true center of the village. Narrow paths stitch their way in and through strange, tropical plants and rock formations. It's so wide and long that I can't see where the tent walls encompass it on its far side, and there isn't a ceiling, unless you count the _noor_.

Two generations of Keren's family grew up here, including Gabriel and herself. Before they moved into the cavern, her people visited this place for its beauty and vegetation. The area is large enough to play in, and amidst the stalagmites and large palms, you can also find privacy.

"It's amazing!" Alexis steps up onto a bench, balancing across it, and jumps off the other side.

"Don't get me wrong, because this is what I imagine the Garden of Eden looks like, but what are we doing here?" I ask Keren. "Aren't we supposed to meet the guys for dinner?"

"We are," she answers.

"Ollie, can you believe a place like this exists? I've never seen a flower this purple, and huge." Alexis points to an alien-looking water lily.

"That is a muranymph blossom, and we use its petals to color our fabrics." Keren holds out her own purple robe, and its color is identical to the petals. "But, please, do not disturb the flower now. It is not ready to be harvested, and its toxins can be deadly."

Alexis looks back to me with a terrified expression, "Say what? It's poisonous?"

"Yes," Keren answers. "There are many beautiful creations here, but in this blossom's beauty God has engendered a means to survive."

"Oh," Alexis responds, but I think she's as clueless about plant biology as I am about boys.

A silence falls over us while Alexis and I venture into the courtyard to admire the glistening flowstones that were shaped by flowing water over hundreds of years. I hear footsteps growing louder from behind us and look to see who's approaching. Keren stands with two men, who both wear white tunics with brown robes and stand at attention.

"Please, come with me. We will be escorted to the banquet hall by Ben, who is the general of our forces, and Barak, the captain of our guard." Keren turns and begins to walk away, and the two men wait for us to follow.

"Keren, wait. What's going on? This seems a little formal." I don't understand the need for guards. Do they think they need protection from us, or is there someone here we need protection from?

"We do not want to keep the men waiting. You are our guests, and we will treat you as such. To treat you any different would be reproachful." Keren may be the vaguest person I've ever met, seconded by my mother, but she doesn't miss a beat. We continue to make our way out of the courtyard, and I realize how far Alexis and I have wandered. We come to a set of crimson curtains that are heavy, like velvet, and they don't budge with the breeze.

"Will each of you please stand at either side of me? We will share in this honor."

"What honor?" I inquire and step to Keren's right side. Alexis steps around to her left side and shrugs at me.

"We dine with the men." A horn sounds in the adjacent room, and the curtains open wide enough for the three of us to walk in side-by-side. Keren takes a step forward and then pauses—I realize she is waiting for us to step forward with her.

"Greetings to Keren, Daughter of Enoch, and her guests Olivia and Alexis, from the Surface." I break my eye contact with Keren and look for who just called out my name. I scan the banquet hall. The same red curtains outline the expanse of the room, and we move toward a long wooden table that seats at least twenty people. At the far end of the table, standing attentively, are Enoch, Gabriel, Mateo, and Jesse.

Mateo wears a copper tunic and robe. We make eye contact, and he pushes his shoulders back and smiles broadly at me. So, now we're okay? His emotions are more chaotic than Alexis' lately.

Keren continues to walk over to the far end of the table. Her movement reminds me to follow, and I sit in the seat she gestures to. Enoch is at the head of the table with his two children sitting at either side of him. I sit next to Keren, and Alexis sits to my right. Mateo sits next to Gabriel, across from me, while Jesse sits across from Alexis.

"Thank you for joining us this evening. Please, make our haven your own," Enoch welcomes us and waves one hand in front of himself toward the food. We all sit as still as statues, and I notice Keren beaming at Mateo and Jesse.

I hope the others are as famished as I am, then I won't feel bad about stuffing my face. I'm not sure what the etiquette is, and the others must not either because we all just stare at the array of dishes.

I feel a quick poke under the table at mid-thigh. "You must be having difficulty choosing what to start with, Olivia." Keren's trying to help, but I immediately feel warmth spread over my cheeks from embarrassment. I reach in front of me for a dish of rice and use a wooden spoon to place a scoop on my plate. My act is a green light for everyone else to dig in. After my awkward start, we all pass bowls and dishes around like one of Mateo and Jesse's family dinners.

I glance at Mateo, remembering the countless evenings I spent with his family, and his eyes are on Keren.

"Can you tell me what this vegetable is?" he asks her.

"Do you _eat_ vegetables?" Keren teases, and Mateo nods.

"Just think Gabriel, if you ate yours, you might grow to be as strong and handsome as Mateo," she teases. Keren describes the dish to Mateo with enthusiasm, and I feel a twinge in the pit of my stomach. Keren's point may be directed at her brother, but Mateo doesn't look like he minds the attention as he takes in all the rare beauty at the table. It stings that I can't tell which he admires more, the spicy, warm dishes or our hostess.

Looking over to Gabriel, he seems to be annoyed with his sister. His gaze slides over to me, but he doesn't say a thing. I feel the need to break the tension.

"Gabriel, what's this called? It's delicious." I hold a spoonful of the meaty medley up for him to inspect.

Gabriel smiles at me and chuckles. "That is my favorite dish. We call it koumori itriya. I think you will recognize the surface translation, 'noodles with bat meat.' It is a delicacy."

"Oh? How...fascinating." I force my grimace into a smile. "Bat? Are you... I mean, it's the best bat I've ever had." It's all the sincerity I can muster, and I hope Gabriel and Enoch appreciate it.

# Eight

Our educational and delicious meal lasts over an hour. We pass dish after dish of unrecognizable food, each varying in texture and flavor. I avoid everything that looks like bat meat. I enjoy the few ingredients I do recognize as root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots. The conversation flows with questions about their food, their languages, and their clothing. Alexis even makes fun of Jesse for wearing a dress at one point in the discussion.

Gabriel and his father begin to talk about an upcoming ceremony. I can't get my head around the use of another language interspersed in their English. It reminds me of the Vargas' Spanglish. I'm familiar with words like declaration, expedition, renounce, and surrender. They also use a word I've heard, _izzim_. The conversation shifts to our trip.

"You may expect to leave for your expedition tomorrow, but the final decision will be made by the Elder Council," Enoch states. Gabriel nods in response.

"If you choose to leave without consent, you may be renounced. You must surrender to our authority; we will declare God's will."

Gabriel glances in my direction. "Father, might we discuss this after our meal?" The question brings Enoch's attention to the rest of the table.

We all fall silent, and Enoch sits up in his chair. "Please forgive my discourtesy. It is rare that we have guests. Olivia, what is it your family does for trade on the surface?"

"I'm a student." I try to avoid telling him too much about my single mom and deadbeat dad because I'm sure it will lead to more questions. Playing Twenty Questions with Enoch seems more frightening than fun. I feel everyone's eyes on me, and I catch Gabriel smiling.

"How much longer will you be in school, and what will you do after you finish?" Gabriel inquires, looking from me to his father.

"Well, I'm planning to go to college, and it'll be at least four years before I graduate. I want to be an Environmental Specialist at a state or national park," I explain. "That's if everything goes according to plan."

"I'm sure it will," Mateo chimes in. "You've had your life mapped out since we started high school. Do you remember that one time you convinced me to dig up part of our front yard? You thought there was a fossil under our house, and my parents were furious." Mateo and I laugh.

"I remember that. I think that's about the time that Dad bestowed the lawn responsibilities to you," Jesse adds.

"You're right. I worked for weeks to get grass to grow in that area of the yard again." Mateo turns to face me. "So, I guess I should thank you for that whole catastrophe, Ollie. I tried so many ways to cover that hole, and that's what started my fascination with landscape architecture." Mateo nods like he is tipping an imaginary cowboy hat in my direction and winks at me. My breath catches in surprise, and the spoon I was holding a moment ago clatters against the table. His wide grin is all the evidence that I need to know how sincere he is, but the wink is playful, and I'm not sure how to take it. Picking up my utensil, I focus on pushing back the heat threatening to color my cheeks. He _is_ different. I've never heard him talk about a career or hint at further schooling.

I redirect the conversation to Jesse and a few of his adventurous. One story he tells occurred last fall and included rearranging a few letters on signs throughout our hometown. He did it to ask a senior girl out.

"She wasn't even that cute, Jesse," Alexis argues as she crosses her arms over her chest. "All that effort could have gotten you a date with someone way better looking."

"I can get a date with whoever I want, Alexis. I just made the effort because I knew she'd appreciate it," Jesse shuts Alexis' argument down, and he looks at Mateo.

"It didn't even last," Alexis mumbles under her breath.

"So, what's on the agenda next?" I look at Mateo and he turns to Gabriel, who's distracted by his father yet again. Their murmuring fades as the rest of us grow silent.

"Keren, take our guests for a turn in the gardens. Gabriel and I must discuss the specifics of his journey to the surface," Enoch commands.

"I might be of some help, if you're discussing the route for the journey. It would be an honor to be an additional guide and go with our guests to the surface." Keren asserts across the table loudly. Her unwavering eye contact with her father is a glaring hint that she hopes to stay for their conversation. Enoch's long silence causes Keren to fidget with the delicate chain on her wrist.

"I'd be happy to sit in on the conversation, too," I offer to Gabriel with a smile. "I mean, I wouldn't be any help, but I'd like to know the plan." He smiles back and then looks at his father.

"Olivia, that is kind, but I believe our discussion over what route to take will not make much sense to you. Why don't you join the others?" Enoch turns to face Keren, "Please, entertain our visitors. While you represent our family well, I will meditate on your offer to join them."

Chair legs begin to scrape the floor, and I pull mine out to follow.

I peer over my shoulder back at Enoch and Gabriel. Enoch is talking, but Gabriel's eyes are on me. He turns to his father and nods in response to something. I'm too far across the room now to know what he's agreeing with, so I face forward and continue toward the curtain that leads to the garden. Mateo watches me with a solemn expression, and I want to know what's going on in his head. Maybe he's curious about what Enoch and Gabriel are discussing too.

My head thinks he's back at the table playing out scenarios and analyzing the conversations over dinner, but my heart hopes he's here with me. Our friendship always been clear, and as long as we've had each other our lives have been a reflection of that simplicity. But, now Mateo is winking and grinning, and my neck is growing warm and my fingers are tingling. There is nothing simple about any of that.

Gabriel may need to discuss the ceremony that Enoch mentioned earlier. I wonder what kind of traditions and customs these people have. I thought the South American eclectic culture was fascinating, but these people are enchanting. When I make it to the exit, Mateo's disappeared.

Jesse's voice interrupts my musings. "I have two arms, just the right number to escort you two gorgeous ladies through the gardens."

My right hand moves a sheer curtain to the side, and Jesse has coaxed Alexis to his left side and Keren to his right. Keren looks back past me, and I follow her gaze to see Mateo. He's oblivious to her because he's fidgeting with his robe. Jesse's voice grows faint as his party moves further into the beautiful forum while _noor_ follows to light their path. The lighting dims as they walk away, and I begin to pick at my fingernails in the deafening silence.

"What are you worried about?" Leave it to Mateo to cut to the chase. My destroyed cuticles are always a sure sign that I'm stressed.

"I'm just thinking." A small amount of _noor_ dances above us, casting light like that of a candle. Mateo's way too good at reading me, but I'm even better at reading him, or at least I used to be. The last time we were in a garden, just three days ago, it didn't end well.

The gap was only two slats wide, and I used the moonlight to find it. I slid into the Vargas' yard for the first time in nine months.

"Psst!" As he stood, his guitar knocked the arm of his chair, and it made a loud, hollow sound.

"Olivia? What are you doing?" There was no conviction in his tone, but he wore a severe scowl. "It's late, go back home."

"What's with the Olivia?" I persisted.

"Be quiet, Ollie. You'll wake somebody up."

I ignored his stare and looked past him to all the changes made over the last nine months. It was the same deck, but now surrounded on three sides by beautiful hydrangea bushes. A new brick walkway led from the deck to a koi fish pond and bench, both nestled along the back fence for as long as I can remember. "I'd like five minutes of your time. Please. By the way, the yard looks great; you've been busy." I hoped the compliment would ease some of the tension.

"Thanks, it's not much." Mateo followed my lead, but instead of sitting next to me on the bench, he stood off to my right and held his guitar loosely at his side. "It's about to rain, so why don't you get on with it." His unfeeling, clipped words leave me flightless, but this is the only chance I may have to fix what's broken between us.

"I'd really like to clear up what happened."

Mateo moved toward me, but then continued to the other side of the small pond and sat in the grass. He placed his guitar across his lap, and with a forced smile said, "What can _I_ clear up for you? I mean, it's a little murky for me too, since it happened _over_ _five months_ ago."

"Are you kidding me?" I lost a smidge of my cool. He was being a punk, and I'd only witnessed him act this sarcastic with two other people...his little brother and my ex. I didn't feel like I could call him out on it, because it was more deserved than I'd have liked to admit.

"What?" He stared at a patch of grass next to his knee.

"What do you mean what? Since I've been home, you've avoided every attempt I've made to talk to you!"

"I've been busy," he replied. "Maybe I'll find some time in a few months to come by and say hi." The words stung so much that I began to blink back tears.

"I came back, Mateo. I know you're angry because I left, but I'm ready to talk now."

"What do you want to talk about? Gardening? My social life? How about we discuss what you've been up to for the last few months? Or, why you suddenly decided to grace us with your presence for summer?" Mateo spewed before I could attempt an apology.

"I know, I deserve this, but I didn't expect you to be so harsh with me. You know I've dealt with a lot." I threw my hands up like I was stopping traffic.

"That excuse is a load of bullsh..."

"Bull, what?" Being a good example to his siblings was always important to him, and he'd never spoken like this to me before. His typical reaction to being frustrated has always been to shut down.

"What would your sister think if she heard you talking like that?"

"I was going to say crap, but I think Perla's heard worse on television," Mateo answered, but I didn't believe him. "Why are you wasting your five minutes talking about my sister, anyway? And, why are you suddenly interested in what I've been up to? You may have been gone, but I don't remember you losing your cell or laptop. To be honest, it felt like you dropped off the planet." Mateo directed his entire spiel toward the poor koi fish in the pond between us.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

No response.

"What if I'm sorrier than you'll ever know?" I rushed the words to keep them from revealing the difficulty in saying them. "I was so hurt, and I thought that you kept Michael's secret from me. If Alexis hadn't told me the truth, I wouldn't know any different."

"Don't give me excuses!" Mateo interjected and finally made eye contact. "At least come up with excuses that are more exciting, like you were too busy saving the world or something. If you were really sorry, you would've called or messaged me back. All I got were your mom's status updates about how much fun you were having. I was here... I _am_ here. I may have backed off last spring, but it was because I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me." His jaw clenched, pronouncing its chiseled angles.

"Did you really not know about Michael cheating on me?" I press my hands to the top of my head like know anything is a easy as placing a coin in a piggy bank.

"Is this really about Michael?" When Mateo stood, he paused long enough for me grovel.

"I'm sorry..." I went about it all wrong.

My eyes followed him as he made his way into his house. The darkness around me made me feel even more lost and alone, and in that moment I'd lost one of the most important people in my life. A huge raindrop smacked me right between the eyes, and another hit my knee. Instead of getting up and running inside, I just sat on the bench and let my tears mix with the raindrops.

"I'm not mad at you, Ollie." Mateo's admission brings me a little peace. "Frustrated is a more accurate description." Well, at least he's being honest. "I thought it would be nice to walk together, and maybe you could tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"I'm more interested in what's going on in _your_ head," I say.

Mateo was a little more at ease with me during dinner and even seemed to be having some fun reminiscing, but now he's tense. I take a few steps in Mateo's direction, and he holds out his arm. I slide my arm under his and lean my head on his shoulder as we walk forward.

"I promise there isn't anything quite as complicated going on up here as what you have going on up there." Mateo taps his finger on his forehead then rests his finger on my temple. He traces his finger down my hairline to my cheek, and sweeps a bit of hair behind my ear. It's sweet, and as my ears grow hot I realize it's also daring.

We walk a little further in silence, and I notice that Mateo's avoiding walking into the garden. He's chosen to lead me along the path at its edge, along the tent walls. The dimming _noor_ causes lurking shadows to grow in our direction and obscure the path ahead. Silence surrounds us, but I'm afraid of what I can't see.

"Since you seem to be deep in thought, I'll admit that the most interesting thing I've been thinking of is an apology. I can't stay mad at you, Ollie. It's torture to think that by taking my frustration out on you I'm causing bigger problems."

"So, wait. You're ready to talk this out now? Is it the life and death situation we've experienced, or the weird bath incident? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you want to talk it out, but what's changed?" I am not sure if talking it out will lead to talking in circles, so I take a leap and voice the question I need an answer to. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Ollie, you've always been a big part of my life, and today has reminded me of how I felt about you. How I feel about you. How I've missed that feeling." Mateo's voice grows quiet, and his words bring a peace that wipes away my worries. Maybe we can fix this.

"It sounds like you missed me as much as I missed you. Maybe your little brother does know you better than I do."

"Let's leave Jesse out of this. How about I forgive you for ignoring me for months, but you have to spend the rest of our lives making it up to me?" Mateo squeezes my hand.

"How about we promise to never keep secrets from each other again? Then we can forgive each other, and we'll call it even."

"You drive a hard bargain." Mateo smiles so wide that when I look up at him I can see some molars peeking out at the corners of his mouth.

"So we're good? You promise?" I am not fully convinced.

"We're good."

I can tell by his posture that he's not secure enough to lean into me the same way that I'm leaning into him. He stands so straight, so tall, that my head hits the top of his shoulder instead of the crook where his collarbone meets his neck. His arm feels stiff under mine. Mateo may be willing to forgive me, but something is still bothering him.

"When we get back home we'll commemorate the truce with a Mateo and Ollie Day, accompanied by loads of junk food and movies. Promise!" I offer.

"Hmm..." Mateo pulls his hand up to his chin, like he's thinking over my offer just to make me wait. I step forward, pulling him along.

"It surprised me when you thanked me for the years of yard work that your dad sentenced you to. You really are doing an amazing job with the landscaping in your backyard."

"Oh, well, I've gotten a few of the neighbors requesting me to do some similar work in their yards," Mateo replies. "I'm taking a class in landscape architecture next semester."

"I propose we alter Mateo and Ollie Day to include some yard work, and then you can show me some of the mad skills that you have."

"I'd like that." Mateo stops walking again, but this time he steps in front of me. Mateo searches and studies my face. "I like you, Ollie."

I smile at him, "You know I have to like you if I'm willing to do yard work. I'm glad we hashed all this out." I reach up to straighten a stray curl in Mateo's hair, and look into his eyes. There's something there, a thought he's struggling with, making his brow tense. I open my mouth to ask him what he's thinking, and the sound catches in my throat.

Mateo moves closer, much closer than what the word like would imply. I freeze, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm stunned or waiting to see what will happen next.

"I really like you, Ollie," he whispers in a gentle voice.

A grin appears on his lips as he glances down at my mouth.

I never thought I would want to kiss Mateo, but I do, don't I? I don't know. I slide my hands to his chest and gently push, taking a small step away from him to clear up the muddled thoughts in my head. I look down so I can focus. Holy-kissing-besties, Batman! Is this really happening? Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.

I glance up and realize that each moment I've spent questioning myself may have been misunderstood.

His grin disintegrates before my eyes, and I can't stop glancing back and forth between his eyes and mouth. My mind begs Mateo to speak. If he won't say something, I will, but I mentally count to ten, in hopes that he has an explanation...

One Mississippi.

Two Mississippi.

Three Mississippi.

Four Mississippi.

Five Mississippi.

Six Mississippi.

Seven Mississippi...

As I count things become clearer, more vivid. _I like him. I really like him._

I can't wait. "Mateo..."

As I speak his name, I hear someone say it in unison.

Gabriel.

# Nine

Mateo raises an eyebrow at me, and I look over his shoulder. Gabriel is looking toward the open air above us, and my eyes follow his. The light is brighter with Gabriel's presence, and when I look back to him he looks amazed, almost joyful. Mateo turns to face Gabriel, and in the process obstructs my view with his shoulder.

" _Great_ timing, Gabe. What can we do for you?" Sarcasm spreads across Mateo's face disguised as a grin.

"Gabriel," he pointedly corrects Mateo. "I am sorry if I intruded, but it is my understanding that you both want to be aware of any plans made for your trip home." Is that a hint of sarcasm? Nah. Gabriel's face remains impassive, and he even continues to smile in my direction.

"Of course we want to know any plans you've made." I step around Mateo. "What's up?"

Gabriel looks to where the _noor_ is casting a deliberate light over us, confusion masking his face. The light bathes Gabriel wherever he is. While it accentuates his beauty, I also can't help but notice that it causes a darkness to fall from the plants around us.

Gabriel continues to search the open cavern above us. Once Mateo starts to chuckle, I realize my mistake.

"Gabriel, when I ask, 'What's up?' it just means, 'What's going on?'" His eyes are suddenly on me. Remembering how formal his culture is, I awkwardly take a step away from him. "I'm sorry for confusing you."

"I do not mind feeling confused if you're around to explain things to me." He smiles at me in a reassuring way.

"Now that I think about it, we have some weird ways of saying things on the surface... What's up...y'all...hold up..." I ramble.

"I know several languages, Ollie, and expect to learn more of your vernacular on our journey." Gabriel, still smiling, holds out his left arm for me to take. "Why don't we walk and talk?"

Without thinking of the implications, I take his arm and look back to Mateo, lifting my other arm to him. "Come on, Mateo." I add a smile hoping to break the growing tension and am relieved to see it works.

Mateo takes my arm and threads it under and around his forearm. My skin glides across his, and my arm hairs stand up, attentive to his touch. I wonder what it would be like to hold Mateo's hand. Gabriel tugs me out of my thoughts with a step, and the three of us make our way into the exotic oasis arm-in-arm.

Instead of a yellow brick road, the ground is dry, packed earth. The _noor_ shines brightly over us, even though it's probably growing late. "Is it ever night here?"

"Our people do sleep, but there is not a specific night time here. The _noor_ is a beautiful light, and it always shines. When I first took notice of our village's life source, my father explained the power it holds. He walked with me to the rocky ridge, where the _izzim_ feed, and described how the creatures survive. They eat vegetation that the _noor_ cultivates and keep their heads down eating along the ground and ignoring the blessing above. Then he walked me across the village to our fields before the harvest. My father pointed out the plants and how their leaves reach up to the _noor_. That day I learned we must cherish what we've been blessed with. I know your sun shines down in a similar way, and someday soon I plan to see its light."

"What have you been waiting for?"

"There is a ceremony that my father and I have been preparing for, but it is not scheduled to take place for a few more days. He is meeting with the Elders this evening in hopes of moving the ceremony to precede our journey."

"Are we going to have to wait longer to leave?" I inquire.

"The tradition is a formality. There is an offering made on my behalf by the elders and a gathering when the tribe celebrates my journey. I believe my father has been procrastinating the past few months. Some men leave as young as sixteen, but there are others who are content to live out their lives underground. Guiding you all the way to the surface will be what my tribe calls divine intervention," Gabriel explains.

The flowers and bushes around us grow denser, and I wonder how wild the plant life will be on our trek home. As we walk farther into the garden, enormous petals of every color hang overhead. Twisting vines tangle the stems, branches, and trunks so much that I can't tell which flowers they support.

"How long is this trip going to take?" Mateo asks.

"I will be honest. I was hoping to escort you on a four-day hike, but due to drilling on the surface, particular caverns are unsafe. That is why my father appeared to be hesitant to allow me to make the journey. We will have to take a longer route."

Gabriel stops in front of a bench in the middle of a path that's overgrown with varying shades of green. He gestures for Mateo and me to sit down. "The journey will be long and difficult to navigate. I have lived in these caverns all my life but have never traveled to the surface. There will be rough terrain to endure, and the trip will take eight to ten days."

"Our parents are going to kill us when we show up on the surface tomorrow, let alone over a week from tomorrow. I wish I could wake up in my bed in the morning. Are you sure there isn't a quicker way?"

"It just took us a few minutes to fall down here," Mateo waves at the rock above and the gesture ends in front of Gabriel and I. He sounds less like his typical mister-fix-it-self and more dismissive.

"It is impossible to deliver you all back up the way you came. I know it is hard to believe, but there are hundreds of thousands of miles of passages below the surface of the earth. Our people have lived and traveled through the caverns for many generations. We will be navigating through hundreds of caves just to get you to an area near your home on the surface."

Silence is not getting me the answers that I want, so I stand and look at a stunned Mateo. "Eight days of hiking..." I begin to pace.

"Eight to ten days," Gabriel corrects. "We have an old map of the passages that will lead us to the surface, but there is no way to tell what obstacles we might face along the way."

Mateo moves his right hand to the back of his neck and starts rubbing it in thought. Why isn't he asking any questions?

I turn and face Gabriel, determined to know more about our fate. "What kind of obstacles? Will you be the only one guiding us? What will we eat? Where will we sleep?" I get my questions out in one breath and immediately think of three more. Gabriel puts a hand up to stop me.

"There are any number of things that might arise." Gabriel looks from me to Mateo. "We will have to cross a subterranean river, and there will also be some climbing involved. Physical ability is not a concern I have, but there are a few other factors we must consider and prepare for." Gabriel lets his statement linger.

I can't help but think of the worst things that we might face. Things like gargantuan earthworms, man-eating plants, and falling into dark holes that have no bottom come to mind. I _really_ have to stop watching cult-classic movies, reading emo-fey books, and falling into caverns.

I _will_ be strong and I _will_ keep it together so that we all get out of here.

I _will not_ lose it, and I _will not_ lose Mateo again.

"Well, I'm kind of curious about why you people are down here to begin with, let alone why you have maps of these caves," Mateo speaks up.

"Our people have been underground for thousands of years. The earliest settlers left written accounts describing an escape from the wrath of God. Gifted men have led our tribe for centuries to please God and exude peace."

Looking from Gabriel to Mateo, I just can't wrap my brain around Gabriel's explanation. "Okay, someone hit me, so I'll wake up. This has got to be the weirdest dream I've ever had." The weight of this conversation has gotten to me. Mateo laughs beside me, and the sound triggers my own laughter. Gabriel's thick eyebrows climb up and his chin falls in response to our outburst, and his hands ball up into fists at his side..

"Oh, no. I don't mean to really 'hit me.' It's another one of those phrases we use up there." I point up.

Gabriel steps in my direction, away from Mateo, and he stays quiet, keeping his eyes on the ground. When he looks up and gazes into my eyes he whispers, "I do not think I will ever be comfortable using that phrase. I could never imagine raising a hand to a woman, especially one as fair and captivating as you."

Gabriel's compliment leaves me speechless, and I in turn look down at the floor. He takes a step toward me and places a hand on my shoulder. The gesture helps to ground me. It's not like I can snap my fingers and accept all that's happening, but the weight of his hand makes this place, and even Gabriel, more real. Meeting Gabriel's concerned eyes and soft, nearly-smile-grin, my cheeks get warmer each second he continues to make eye contact. Out of my peripheral vision, I watch Mateo step back toward the bench and sit again.

It feels like Mateo's content with sitting on the sidelines, but I don't want things to go back to the way they were before we fell down here. Sliding out from under Gabriel's reach, I decide processing this information is my priority. My heart's determination to distract me will make it more difficult, but after a few minutes in a silent daze, we convince ourselves that we need a night of rest. The guys walk me through a maze that feels endless. There is no way I could find my way anywhere in here.

Twenty-two steps, and we turn left.

I'm hundreds, maybe _thousands_ , of feet underground.

Thirty-seven steps, another left turn.

I think my best friend just tried to kiss me.

Sixteen steps, turn right...

When we turn to the left, Gabriel's gait slows, and the soft clapping of his sandals on the stone floor reaches seven. I see, in my peripheral vision, a part of the fabric wall pulled to the side like a curtain.

"Sleep well." I look up at Gabriel's face, and he nods his head in a mini-bow. Then he lifts his hand and gestures toward the room beyond.

"Oh. Um, good night." I look over my shoulder at Mateo so he knows I'm speaking to both of them.

"See ya in the morning, Ollie." Mateo nods toward the opening, but I notice his jaw flex. He's been doing that since I've known him. Whether being dared to jump off the highest point of the monkey bars or resolved to score the winning goal in a soccer game, Mateo only grits his teeth like that when he's made up his mind about something.

The air around us is heavy, and I have to swallow my next breath. Everything about this moment feels uncoordinated and uncomfortable. When did I turn into a thirteen-year-old again?

It would be even more awkward for me to try and say something else, so I release the thick air from my lungs and step into the room.

# Ten

"Hey, Ollie!" Alexis jumps up from a mound of cushions to greet me.

"You'll never believe this place," I mouth the words with an exaggerated _er,_ and _ee,_ then throw my arms out with my palms up. Alexis looks toward the opening in the wall where Gabriel, Mateo, and I were just standing, but the guys are already walking away. "Bye, guys." I wave an extended hand in their direction.

Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite!" Alexis turns back toward me with a curled lip. "I didn't want to talk to them anyway. Maybe a bug bite would help improve their manners." Her volume increases with the second sentence in an attempt to get a reaction.

"Calm down... We're all just tired. Please, let them go in peace." I wave Alexis off, and she turns away, walking farther into the elaborate room. I follow her, but my eyes linger over the three large pallets covering the ground.

Keren is already in the first one. She lies across a blanket the color of rubies. Over-stuffed gold pillows surround her, and she doesn't even bother to look up from the leather-bound book she's holding to acknowledge my presence. The next bed I walk past has an emerald blanket and gold pillows like those covering Keren's bed.

"I call this bed." I hear some rustling and look over to see Alexis getting comfortable in a bed that's the deepest shade of purple I've ever seen. The only reason I can differentiate that it's purple instead of black is because of the contrast from the gold pillows. Alexis stuffs them all behind her head.

I glance back to Keren, and she hasn't moved an inch. "Don't mind her." Alexis exaggerates by waving her hand in Keren's direction. "She's been reading that old book since we got back. She's not in hostess mode anymore because she's bitter about not making the journey with us."

"I hear you and can discern that you are only attempting to rouse me into another conversation about this frustrating position I am in. There is no need to wake up the entire House of Enoch," Keren is still intent on not looking in our direction.

"So, what have y'all been up to?" I try to bring a note of friendliness to my voice. I don't know Keren well, but her unwillingness to take on Alexis has designated me as a referee.

"Just a nice walk..." Alexis starts out.

"The better question is, what have you been up to, Olivia?" Keren interrupts.

Alexis furrows her eyebrows in Keren's direction then looks at me. "I'd love to know what Mateo was waiting around to talk to you about." I notice that Keren has stopped reading and is giving me her full attention.

When did they decide to gang up on me? "Well, he just wanted to apologize." Silence. Did they get together and discuss how to make me feel uncomfortable?

"Come on, Ollie. You gotta give us more than that!" Alexis' voice is a whiny stab, somewhat painful to my ears. I guess it is possible to feel more uncomfortable.

"You know Mateo. He's not an overly verbal person. He just said he was sorry, and he might have mentioned that he misses me." I let the words linger over us like the _noor_.

It doesn't feel right talking about this with Keren in the room. Especially the almost-kiss. So, I redirect the conversation while moving toward the emerald cloud in front of me.

"Gabriel caught up to us after he talked to his, um, your dad." I look over at Keren hoping to pull her into this part of the pillow talk. I sit down and lean back against two stacked pillows.

"It looks like we'll head home tomorrow, or the next day at the latest," I direct the comment to Alexis, knowing I'll get a reaction.

"What do you mean 'or the next day at the latest?'" Alexis rarely disappoints.

"Well, Gabriel has a ceremony or something that he has to be a part of before we can leave." I turn back to look at Keren, and she is definitely interested in this part of the conversation.

"Your dad is trying to move the ceremony to tomorrow morning, but if he can't, we'll wait one more day."

"What kind of ceremony?" Alexis asks me. I shrug my shoulders, not sure if I should even try to explain the little bit that Gabriel revealed to Mateo and I. So, I look over at Keren, thinking maybe she can fill in some details. She turns back to her book, but I know Alexis won't let this go until she gets answers. I almost feel bad about using her impatience to satisfy my own curiosity. "Keren, put that stupid book down and tell us about this ceremony. Do you think your dad can swing it tomorrow morning?" Alexis sits up.

" _Masa Shel Emoonah_ is a ceremony that our elders perform, but this ceremony is more sacred because by brother is a potential elder. It symbolizes a journey of faith." Keren's voice is quiet and strong as she tightens her jaw and continues, "Gabriel will be traveling with you, and when he returns, he will be a man, and eligible to serve our tribe as an elder."

"Wow...that sounds super serious," Alexis responds. "Do y'all have a bunch of other rituals and ceremonies?"

"We do have several ceremonies a year, and there are rituals we perform during those ceremonies."

"Well, what do y'all have to do for _this_ ceremony? Mass Shelly Moon, eh?" Alexis doesn't quite pronounce with the same ancient-sounding accent, but it's close enough.

"Gabriel might have mentioned something about an offering earlier." I add with a lilt of uncertainty to nudge Keren into more details.

"From what I understand, the men of the village encourage the young man before he sets out on his journey. The Elders also give him advice and share stories from their own faith journeys. And, of course, they will sacrifice the best of the _izzim_."

"They kill one of those big goats?" Alexis' eyes widen and the corners of her mouth turn downward. Keren turns back to her book and ignores Alexis.

I'm surprised she's already learned the secret to handling Alexis. If you don't pay any attention to her, or her antics, she moves on to something else more quickly.

I pick up on something else in Keren's play-by-play. "So you've never been to one of these ceremonies?"

Keren looks up at me and snaps, "Of course not. Only men go on faith journeys...young women get married and bear children." She's trying to keep it together, but bitterness coils around the last bit of her rant.

"Oh." I can't think of anything better to say.

"At least you have a while before all that," Alexis verbalizes in unison with my thought.

"I don't mean to be rude, but how old are you? You can't be older than seventeen," I guess instead of waiting for an answer.

"I am one year older than the expected marrying age. I've recently turned sixteen. My father has been kind to let me try and marry for love, but I cannot wait much longer to select a husband. If my father was not an elder, I would have been traded for a dozen _izzim_ some time ago."

Married? The idea is shocking, and the indifferent way Keren refers to her fate leaves Alexis and me at a loss for words. It's no wonder she is so eager to join us on our journey home.

In a desperate attempt to redirect our conversation again, I break the silence. "Your dad says we'll be taking a longer route to the surface because some areas around here have become unstable. Do you know much about that?"

"Yes, I have heard stories of tremors along the fringes of our territory. We do not travel alone or outside the distance of a _parasang_."

Alexis and I give Keren a confused look.

"About four miles," she informs us. Keren has become a fountain of factual information. I'm stunned when she rolls her eyes and mocks, "It is for our own protection." It's the first glimpse I've seen of her acting her age.

"Gabriel's determined to escort you to the surface." Keren points her assumption in my direction. "I believe father was avoiding Gabriel's faith journey because of the tremors. It is never a safe journey, but recently men have been whispering about the Hand of God pressing down on the surface. That His hand even shakes our people."

After studying South America, I can't help but think there must be something more scientific to these tremors. The quakes on the surface are what brought me to this archaic realm. I lay still in my bed waiting for the next one, silently daring the ground to move under me, but it remains solid and stagnant. I'm fearful of the ground beneath me and the idea that it could swallow me whole again.

"That sounds so epic..." Alexis looks scared, but just for a moment. She switches to a flippant protection-mode of quips and jokes. "No offense, but I'm ready to head home. This pallet is great and all, but my Tempur-Pedic is calling my name."

"None taken," Keren answers. "I am not aware of what a Tempur-Pedic is, but I do not believe I would enjoy my bed if it spoke to me. I would much rather have a quiet place to rest."

Alexis and I glance at each other and resist the urge to laugh. "I think it's time to get some sleep." I untie my belt and slide off my robe. Then I slip myself underneath the top layer of blankets and press my head back into one of the lush pillows. The only answer I get from Keren and Alexis is silence. The _noor_ in the room dims, and I let the darkness, found behind my eyelids, welcome me into unconsciousness.

Without stirring, I awake to whispers, and the luxurious blankets and pillows that surround me remind me that I am not in my own bed. I continue to act like I'm still asleep, in hopes of gathering more information, but the whispers are too soft. My eyelids lift and I see a frantic Keren, jaw clenched, giving Gabriel a death glare. Gabriel is shaking his head from side to side and almost looks sorry.

"Is everything okay?" I ask in a rough morning voice. Both brother and sister turn to look at me in surprise.

"Everything is as it should be," Gabriel answers me, but I can tell he is speaking to Keren. Her hands move to cover her face, then she pulls them up into her hair. Gabriel stands and walks out of the room without another word.

"Vague, much?" I hear Alexis say as she rustles in her blankets.

"Keren, are you all right?" She wears stress like a mask, and it ages her. My pallet shakes and a cool draft brushes my legs, and I feel Alexis next to me. She sits up and looks over to Keren.

"What's going on? I heard you two whispering for a few minutes..." Alexis lets the question hang in the silence. Keren doesn't answer. She looks over at us and seems to be weighing the thoughts that are heavy on her brow.

"Come on! Really? You're not going to tell us anything? This is a load of—"

"Alexis!" I stop her. The last thing we need to be doing right now is giving Keren a lesson on cuss words.

"No. I want to know what's going on around here, Ollie. You may be able to sit back and wait for things to play out, but I want to go home. This is all too...out of control for me." "Ya know what I mean?"

I completely understand what Alexis is struggling with. I felt the same way when my mom moved us to Texas. We'd been perfectly happy in California, where the forests felt like a living, breathing home. Then my dad disappeared one morning, and my mom said he wasn't coming back. She ripped me away from everything in my life that was familiar, and planted us in a suburb filled with houses taller than the trees.

"You do not understand being out of control." Keren's comment brings me out of my thoughts. "My father controls my life in _every_ way, and it seems that I will never be able to escape that. Someday that control will be handed to the man I am betrothed to."

Keren's reality brings on dark thoughts. Are we really under the control of these people? Will we ever get out of here?

"I'm sorry, Keren." The simple apology from Alexis brings me back to my senses, and I know I need to take back some control. I may feel more helpless than normal in this male-dominated culture, but information will help us. Knowledge is power, right?

I regard Keren with a new resolve. Going with the flow won't work anymore. We have to get answers, and I have a feeling that Keren is ready to give them to us.

# Eleven

After learning about Keren's attempts to convince her father that she should get to go on a faith journey, we discuss the history of her tribe. There are so many amazing and downright archaic things I learn over the next hour. Over and over, a single question that Alexis or I have leads to several answers that we don't even know we're looking for. Stories move with each generation, because the tribe believes they must travel to escape the wrath of God.

It all began when Dan, their founding elder, traveled into a cave to protect his family. Over centuries, the tribe has trekked farther underground, moving from place to place. Keren admits that they've only been in their current location for two generations. With each move, some choose to remain at the previous settlement.

The elders send selected members of the tribe, only men who have families, to travel to the surface every few months. They learn the languages of the land they live beneath and even about the culture. Chosen members barter on the surface for supplies that will help, but not disturb, their people's way of life.

Keren confides, "As many men have disappeared as have returned. Rumors hint that while many lose their life on the journey, some choose to stay on the surface."

Did I mention that some of these stories are creepy? Alexis and I sit captivated by a tale about a woman that went against the elders' orders and left the tribe in search of her betrothed.

"Neither of them have ever returned," Keren adds in a soft voice. "I believe it all happened just after Gabriel's birth. Since then, the elders have been even more selective with whom they send to the surface for supplies. It has also affected the number of young men that have taken their faith journey. I think that's why my father has put off Gabriel's journey for so long."

"Pause there a minute... Does that mean Gabriel is going to the surface, and he can choose if he wants to stay?" Alexis cuts in.

"It is a possibility. There have been many before him that have gone on their journey and never returned. That is, if they made it to the surface. I am sure that a few have also died on their journey." Keren almost comes across as unfeeling while she explains her heritage. It's not long before I understand why it comes across that way.

"It is infuriating that only men are allowed to explore the surface and decide where their faith lies." Keren is pacing back and forth between Alexis and my pallet. She stops and looks directly at me. "Is it true? You are permitted to study whatever you want?"

I nod in response.

Keren turns to Alexis. "I know you can choose the man you want to spend your life with, no matter their age or what their place is among your people." She starts pacing again.

"It's not as easy as all that..." I begin to explain. "Well, I guess it is, but we tend to make it all a lot more complicated. So, how do you know so much about the surface if you're stuck down here?" My heart feels the weight of Keren's words as much as my ears hear the strain in them, but my curiosity overpowers the feelings I'm having.

"Some knowledge is common. When the men return from their faith journey, they report to the elders. So do the men that venture for supplies. We have learned about different cultures, and the scribes have kept records of every discovery." Keren looks up to us with a smirk. "It is possible that I know more than most of our people because I am the daughter of one of our elders and have a keen sense of hearing."

Keren explains how men have brought back books full of literature and history. The elders have remained informed but believe it is God's will for them to remain set apart underground. "The people do not fight the elders because there are as many disasters and wars reported about as there are advancements."

A bell rings outside of the room, and Keren freezes. She takes a deep breath. "Enter."

The wall across from my pallet shifts to the side, and Gabriel walks in. If it's possible, he looks even taller than yesterday, but it's probably the angle that I'm sitting at.

"Keren, Alexis, Ollie." Gabriel looks to each of us as he calls out our names in greeting. "Would you like to break your fast with us this morning?"

"That depends, Gabe. Are you serving bat noodles and goat?" Alexis doesn't skip a beat.

"If that is what you prefer, Alex, I will have it arranged." Gabriel casts his gaze from Alexis to me. "The cook has laid out fresh bread and butter with a selection of fruit. I believe there are also eggs prepared."

"That sounds delicious," I admit, cutting off any retort Alexis is preparing. "Where does all that food come from?"

"We are not lacking the water or soil, and the _noor_ acts as your sun does. Over time, we accumulated seeds from the surface, but not all of them grow well underground. As we start on our trip to the surface, we will pass the fields our produce is grown in. After seeing your reaction to the dish containing bat meat, I will withhold where the eggs are procured from."

"We will be ready in a few minutes; you can wait outside." Keren walks across the room to her pallet and picks up her robe. She spins back around to face Gabriel and shoos him with a wave of her hand.

As he walks toward the exit, Alexis stands and warns, "Gabriel, you better not call me Alex again, ever."

We make quick work of getting dressed; it's easy with tunics and robes. Our hair is debacle. Keren's wooden comb helps with tangles, but I can't help thinking it looks a little wild. Setting the comb down, I am intrigued that it is wooden, because I haven't seen a tree since we were on the surface. "Keren, where did this comb come from? More specifically, the wood it's made of."

"There are elon that grow underground, and that is what your comb is made from. They are a rare flowering tree. I have not seen one in the vicinity of this settlement, but there are other trees and shrubs that grow in caverns close by. We use those for our tribe's daily needs, like keeping our fires lit."

Keren walks over to the curtain, and, when she pulls it back, Gabriel is waiting there. Just like the history of his people, he strikes me as fascinating. Gabriel holds his arm out to me with a smile, and I step forward and wrap my arm around his. On his right hand, I notice a new addition to his wardrobe. The silver ring has an emblem on it, but I can't make it out.

"Ahem," Alexis clears her throat, pointing out that Gabriel and I are falling behind. We begin walking through the maze of fabric walls, while Alexis and Keren remain a few steps ahead of us. The soft light from the _noor_ guides our steps, but it also feels like it's following us.

"I hope you slept well." Gabriel squeezes my hand. "It is my desire that you feel at home here, until we begin our journey to your home, that is."

"I did sleep well; thank you. I have enjoyed spending time with Keren this morning." I hope to get a little more information out of Gabriel, but have a feeling bombarding him with questions won't work as well as it did with Keren.

A burst of laughter erupts from Keren and Alexis. Gabriel gives me a questioning look, and I shrug my shoulders in response. Gabriel breaks out into a smile and states, "I am not sure I want to know what is so humorous, but I am glad to hear Keren laughing." Gabriel faces forward, and the smile fades from his lips.

"You know, I think Keren would have a smile permanently attached to her face if we brought her along with us on our journey," I admit. Gabriel may be less likely to share details about his life underground, but Keren is a wealth of knowledge. Maybe I can convince him that having Keren with us on the journey will be beneficial for everyone.

"I am sure it would give her great pleasure to leave with us, but my father has proclaimed his intentions for Keren. He will not renounce his decision." Gabriel speaks quietly. I think he is trying to keep Keren from hearing us.

I look up at Gabriel and see his furrowed brow and clenched jaw. He's really struggling with this conversation.

I choose to push a little further. "Are you sure you can't speak with him?" The whisper leaves my lips and travels to Gabriel's ear with no hope of being heard by anyone else.

Silence.

Step, step, step.

More silence.

Step, step, step.

"I believe that her knowledge of plant life and the layout of the caverns will help us on the way to the surface," I whisper. Gabriel stops walking.

"Hey guys?" I hear Alexis ask. "What's the hold up?"

"Would you both, please, continue to the dining room?" Gabriel doesn't look at Keren and Alexis but waits patiently. Keren squints, shooting laser beams at Gabriel, and Alexis glances over at me. Both are confused by Gabriel's change in plans.

I half-shrug at Alexis and wait. The two girls continue walking, and, as they move down the hallway, their conversation picks up right where it left off. They both laugh as they approach a turn that takes them out of our sight.

"Please forgive my abruptness," Gabriel apologizes.

When I look up at Gabriel, his head hangs, and his eyes are cast down at the floor.

"I do not wish to upset Keren any more over the matter of this journey. If I do seek an audience with my father over the issue again, I do not want her to be aware of it."

"So, you'll talk to him?"

"Yes." Gabriel gazes into my eyes and steps closer. "I would also like to make a request of you. If you will consider it."

"Of course." Gabriel takes my hand in his and moves to face me. His eyes search mine, and somehow, in this empty hallway, this conversation has become intimate. "You must be careful of what you ask of me and how, in the future." The right corner of Gabriel's mouth lifts in a grin.

The smile puts my mind at ease, but I'm confused. I smile back at him, but I'm not sure where he's going with this. "What do you mean?"

"I will be honest that I am inclined to give you anything you want, but there are those that would disapprove. Your beauty and intuition are enough to encourage me to ignore my father's wishes. When your whispered breath touches my skin I am unable to think." Gabriel turns to walk forward, placing my arm back around his, without another word.

"Um... Are you... Um... Do you... Does..."

"Shhh... I do not need you to say anything now, because my intentions are pure. It is important that you know my motives as we begin this journey together. I wish only to help you any way I can." Gabriel continues to guide me down the hallway while I process his proclamation.

Silence.

Step, step, step.

More silence.

Step, step, step.

# Twelve

The food laid out across the table looks rustic, but it smells delicious. One difference between last night's meal and this one is that I recognize each dish. No bat in sight. Platters of sausage, scrambled eggs, and thick slices of toast, as well as a large bowl of oatmeal pass from person to person.

Another difference between our dining experiences is the number of guests. There are three tables lined up across the room, filled with families.

After sitting down, I find and nod to Mateo and Jesse. They are sitting at least eight people down from Gabriel and me, while Keren and Alexis are sitting across from them. They are in an animated conversation full of hand gestures and giggling.

"I promise to explain who all these people are if you will promise to eat." Gabriel brings my attention to my full plate. My brain is so busy trying to process this horde of people at the table that I haven't taken a bite. There are more children at the tables than adults, and all look young, between three and thirteen. I stab my fork into a link of sausage and take a bite. Grinning and chewing in response, I hope Gabriel starts explaining.

"These are the elders and their families." Gabriel points to the end of the table, where his father and a group of men sit. Judging by appearances, a few of the men are around the same age as Enoch, and more of them are younger with growing families.

"They are here to celebrate with my family. The men will attend my _Masa Shel Emoonah_ ceremony while the women and children prepare a feast."

I scan the people seated around the table and realize there are a few men interspersed between women and children. "So, who are the other men at the table, if the elders are sitting with your dad?"

"Those are the other elder's sons and grandsons. It is normal, in our culture, for a man to marry at sixteen, and the more children they have the more they are revered." A grin appears Gabriel's last sentence.

"That's young, Gabriel," I respond, surprised. Gabriel's grin turns into a grimace.

"Yes, it is, but we do have a choice. If a man marries and produces children, he does not go on the journey that I am preparing for. Many choose to marry when they find a good match at sixteen," Gabriel explains.

"Are you saying you chose to go on this adventure to the surface, rather than settle down and get married?" I can't quite tell how Gabriel feels about his tribe's customs.

"I am saying that I have not found a good match among the women in my tribe." Silence lingers between us, but it's drowned by the activity around us.

I attempt to eat a few bites and hold up my end of our agreement then lean forward to catch his attention and change the subject to something more positive. "So when will we be ready to leave?"

"It will be possible to leave after the feast this evening, but it will be safest for us to leave tomorrow morning. I will explain it to you after the meal."

"So is this feast going to have any of the food we are eating this morning?" I take another bite of sausage.

"A few dishes will be similar, but the feast is not only about the meal. There will be music, dancing, and games." Gabriel pauses and glances in the direction of my friends and his sister. "It would be a great honor to escort you to the feast."

"What does that mean exactly? Escort?" Suddenly, I have nervous butterflies in my stomach, and my food becomes tasteless.

"You will accompany me at the feast, and dance the first dance with me. I understand if you're hesitant, but I will make every effort to see that you enjoy yourself." Gabriel begins to backpedal, and I can't help but feel flattered by his invitation.

"So would you consider this a date?" I'm not sure what Gabriel's motives are, and I'm unsure of my own for entertaining his invitation.

"A date? I'm not sure that my culture uses that terminology. If you call it a date, then I will have to take your word for it." Gabriel gives a smile.

"If my options are to be called your 'escort' or 'date,' then it's a date."

"Now, tell me, how are you enjoying the _izzim_?" Gabriel inquires.

" _Izzim_?" I look from Gabriel to the bite size piece of sausage at the end of my fork. "Really?" I shake my head, not sure if I'm disturbed or okay with the knowledge that I'm eating the goat-like creature. I wouldn't categorize myself as a food snob. Growing up with a mom that doesn't cook, I have come to the conclusion that I could live my entire life on cereal.

After our meal, everyone begins preparing for Gabriel's ceremony and feast. Everyone except Alexis and me. Keren is quick to escort us back to our room, where we have to wait for the feast to begin. Jesse and Mateo follow Gabriel out of the banquet hall, both are curious about what the ceremony will be like.

"This sucks, Keren. I totally get why you want to come with us to the surface" Alexis whines.

"It is the way of my people, but not my way. I plan to sneak over to the ceremony; please forgive me, and please stay here. Hiding all three of us will be impossible, and I have to find out what my father's plan for Gabriel is. Can I trust you?"

"I'm not su—"

"Of course we'll keep your secret. Just tell us what you need us to do," Alexis cuts me off.

"When the ceremony concludes, there will be a gong that sounds to begin the feast. Meet me in the courtyard, outside the banquet doors after you hear the gong," Keren instructs.

"Done," Alexis affirms, and within seconds Keren has slipped through the curtains.

"What do you think you're doing? She could get into some serious trouble if she's caught," I scold as Alexis peeks out of the room where Keren just left.

"Haven't you been listening to her? Keren knows how to take care of herself. Anyway, we needed her to leave so we could go on a little excursion of our own."

"Heaven, help me! Whatever you've thought up in that little head of yours is not happening."

"Fine, you can stay here, and I'll check out the tribe on my own." Alexis is not bluffing. She's daring me, and before I can talk any sense into her I am chasing her through the halls of Gabriel's home.

Bored with walking from one passage to the next, Alexis decides to create her own exit. She kneels on the floor and lifts the fabric a few inches off the ground.

"Ollie, you gotta see this," Alexis whispers.

I kneel down beside her and discover a small room lined with gold fabric. A group of men that I recognize as elders are sitting around a table at the room's center.

"Fellow elders, I am grateful for your support this day." I recognize Enoch's voice. "Let us convene with the others and begin Gabriel's ceremony."

"Yes, let us get on with this. I want those outsiders gone as soon as the festivities conclude." As the men stand to leave, I recognize the man's voice.

"I understand your desire to see them leave, Zadok, but Gabriel has assured me of their innocent arrival. The young people do not seek to disturb our way of life, but only request help back to their home," Enoch explains to the group.

"I believe Zadok has cause for concern, Enoch. The people of our tribe will begin to inquire about the surface if we allow them to stay much longer." I can only see the speaker from behind, and he wears a dark purple tunic.

"We are talking ourselves in circles, Asa. Gabriel's gift of hospitality is rare, and he assures me that he has been called to assist them. I know there will be tribesmen that disapprove of helping the outsiders. We have already agreed that Gabriel will escort the group to the surface on his journey. They will leave in the morning," Enoch reasons.

"It may be prudent to tell them to leave directly following the ceremony," an older man with green robes suggests.

"I will take that under advisement, Kish."

As the men move out of the room, Alexis stands, but I hesitate when I notice two men have stayed behind.

"After the ceremony, I must attend to a personal matter. I will return before anyone of importance notices my absence, but I need a trusted kinsman to be aware of my plans. Who better than you, Barack? Our own Captain of the Guard." Zadock pats Barack on the shoulder and they walk out, discussing what can only be Zadok's personal matter.

Alexis and I walk down a few more hallways, careful to stay unseen, and find ourselves in the open cavern.

"This is the perfect opportunity for us to see what's really going on around here," Alexis says.

"If you want to see that ceremony, I'm sure Keren can find a way for both of you to sneak in."

"Ollie, I'm not interested in the ceremony. I'm more curious about the hot sheep herders and common people in this tribe. We're only seeing one side of this story. What if there are more guys like Gabriel that want to learn more about the surface?"

"I'm willing to bet that you'll be happy to teach them all you know." I roll my eyes at Alexis but can't bring myself to make fun of her. She went from texting Graham all night to checking out shepherds, all in less than thirty-six hours, but the fact that Mateo likes me, and Gabriel asked me to escort him to his feast, has left me feeling a little flattered and a lot bewildered.

Making our way between tents, we cross paths with a few women that have their scarves wrapped over their hair.

"I'm not sure we thought this through, Alexis. We are going to stick out like sore thumbs, especially you, with that blonde, short hair. No offense."

"None taken. I'm a trend setter. And you're probably right, we should head back in case the ceremony doesn't last long."

Getting back to Gabriel's tent isn't as easy as Alexis thought it would be. After passing the same vendor's stand for the third time I stop her.

"Why don't you let me take the lead," I offer, and she steps to the side, letting me pass.

"You know I did that on purpose, right?"

"Did what? Pass that jewelry stand?"

"Yes. Please tell me you noticed the cutie sitting behind it, Ollie."

"I noticed a guy giving us a death glare. He probably thought we were casing the joint," I reply as I start walking in the direction of Gabriel's haven.

We move through common areas and pass emerald-, topaz-, and ruby-colored tents. What I thought was the right direction is feeling more like the wrong one. I look up at the _noor_ above us for something I might recognize.

"Ladies." The baritone voice startles me, and I'm relieved to see Ben, the general. "It seems that the daughter of Enoch has neglected her guests. May I be of any assistance?"

"Yes, please." I smile. "We just got turned around."

"Keren asked us to meet her in her family's garden," Alexis chimes in.

Ben leads us back to the garden, and it only takes about half the time we spent wandering around.

"I guess we were closer than we thought," Alexis says to Ben. His fixed expression cracks as he holds back a curtain that opens to the courtyard. "Please notify me if you would like to go on another expedition. It would be an honor to accompany you both again."

Walking into the courtyard, I hear laughing and squealing from children playing. A young girl wearing a dark green tunic runs past me. Her long, wavy, black hair flows behind her.

"You cannot catch me!" she yells.

A few moments later, a young boy in a brown tunic chases after her. I sigh. Life seemed so much easier when I was younger. There was no confusion over boys or school, and I definitely didn't fall into holes filled with poisonous flowers and floating light.

"I'm going to try and find our room and freshen up," Alexis says. "Do you want to join me?"

"I think I'm going to walk around here until the ceremony is over. See you later?"

"Yep. I'll be back after I hear the gong," Alexis slips through a slit in the fabric, leaving me alone.

Making my way down a path that leads to the center of the garden, I take notice of the rock formations. They are beautiful and covered in climbing vines dotted with golden blooms. Turning a corner, I see Mateo. He looks as aimless as I feel meandering through this maze of walkways. My mind wanders back to last night.

"What are you up to?" The boy, no, the man, I was just thinking about asks, now mere inches away from me.

"Oh, um. Nothing." My fingers go to my necklace. I have no idea how to interact with him now, so I rely on deflection. "What are you up to?"

"Not much. Just hoping to run into you, I guess." Well, that's different. Mateo is being somewhat direct.

My eyes meet his. "Well, you found me. Is everything okay?"

In response I can't help but notice Mateo's smile. It's so big it causes wrinkles to form at the corners of his eyes. A warm and fuzzy feeling starts to spread through my chest at the notion that I am a part of the reason Mateo is so happy.

"What are you smiling at?" I ask.

"To be honest, I am smiling at the thought of your brain thinking of a million things at the same time. You are playing with your necklace, which means either you're thinking hard about something, or you're worried." Mateo starts laughing.

I drop my necklace. "Well, I'm supposed to meet Keren in a little while. I'm sure my subconscious is working overtime to figure out how to get to the banquet hall in this labyrinth."

"I was hoping we could hang out while the ceremony is going on," Mateo admits. "Can we walk together?"

"Of course we can. Why didn't you decide to go to the ceremony? I thought Gabriel invited you."

Mateo starts to walk forward, and I meet his pace. "He invited Jesse and me, but when he explained that there would be a sacrifice, I declined. I'm not into watching an animal get slaughtered, but Jesse went. I should mention that it was against my advice, so I'm sure we'll hear all about it." The explanation is understandable, and the mood has lightened at the idea of Jesse coming back to tell us all about the ceremony.

"Didn't Jesse faint once at the sight of a needle?" I snicker.

"Yes, he did. I still remember Mom distracting him at the doctor's office each year we had vaccinations." Mateo grows quiet, and after a few moments, he changes topics. "I wonder where Keren ran off to after breakfast."

"I don't know where she is, but I'm pretty sure she's trying to get a glimpse of the ceremony. With Keren sneaking around, and Jesse in the vicinity, I hope it all goes smoothly."

"We will have to wait and see." A resonating gong sounds, and Mateo adds, "But hopefully not too much longer."

"If Jesse can make it through the ceremony without offending anyone, I think it will be a good omen for our trip back to the surface," I tease.

Mateo stops walking, and when I look up, his smile is sweet and earnest. "Do you believe in omens? Good or bad?"

"I don't know. I had rituals before big games in high school, like braiding my hair a certain way. It sounds silly now."

"I'm not sold on omens either," Mateo replies. "But I will admit that if we make it back to the surface safe and sound, I'll consider it to be a good omen for us." He takes a step closer to me and reaches to remove my hand from toying with my necklace. I didn't even realize I was messing with it again. Wait, did he just say, us?

"Hey, guys." I hear Alexis' voice before I see her. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but the ceremony seems to be over, and the party is about to start. Y'all coming?" Alexis passes us, as I release Mateo's hand and take a step back. The air seems cooler outside the two-foot radius surrounding Mateo.

Keren comes around the corner after Alexis, distracted by something behind her. When she reaches Mateo and me, she says, "Follow us. The elders and townsmen will be coming this way in a matter of minutes. We will all be expected at the feast."

I take a step in the direction Alexis and Keren are going, and look back to see what Mateo's reaction will be. He's watching me, waiting to follow my lead, and I smile at him.

"Come on, let's go to a party."

"It's a date," he declares with a grin, and he joins me.

# Thirteen

Mateo and I bypass the dining room, following Alexis and Keren. The ceremony might have been an invitation only event, but a parade of people proceed to the party. They are from every social class and walk of life. People laugh and help each other step over crevices in the rock floor. It is beautiful seeing people live in harmony like this.

How can people come from historically having this sense of community to the culture I live in today? People don't laugh together, they "LOL" while texting two feet away from each other. Everyone builds up fences and walls to keep each other out instead of inviting people to share life with them.

Before I realize it, we're outside the tent city. It resembles a rack of voluminous prom dresses. Approaching a large opening on the opposite side of the cavern, it's is a little larger than the small cave we came through to get here. The thought of walking through it makes me uneasy. I feel a tug at my sleeve and pause.

"Are you going to be all right walking through to the cavern?" Mateo's attempt at checking on my claustrophobic tendencies is sweet, but the bright _noor_ above us puts my mind at ease.

"It doesn't look like it will take us long to get through." I can see the opening that leads into the next cavern as we approach.

"You know, we are being trusting. I have _no_ idea what's going to be through there. It makes me think of sheep led to the slaughter."

"Stop thinking that way. I agree this place is bizarre-o, but we could be on our way to greener pastures. Remember, we'll be on our way home tomorrow morning, so try and enjoy yourself tonight. For some reason I trust Gabriel, and he said that there'll be dancing and games." Mateo grimaces, and I nudge him with my elbow.

"I don't dance," he states under his breath, as I begin walking with the growing crowd.

Above us, the _noor_ resembles stars set against a clear, pitch sky. The cavern we step into is almost the same size as the public bathing cavern we first met Gabriel in, but there are no pools in sight. Carved stone tables, spread with food, line the outskirts of the large room. Random rock formations decorate the floor and second as seating. Most people are gathering at the center of the room and talking loudly.

Mateo and I start to move toward the crowd, and a strong drumbeat begins to sound. The deep vibrations bounce through the cavern and resonate in my chest. searching for the source of the heavy beat, I see a blonde bob in the crowd before us. Alexis is standing with Keren, and I immediately make a beeline to them. Mateo must see them too, because he doesn't complain when I speed up and change course.

"Alexis!" I yell over the sound of two more drumbeats that have joined the first. She doesn't hear me, and it doesn't matter, I'm already a few steps away as I reach out to Alexis' shoulder.

"Ollie!"

"Would you all like to get something to eat?" I barely hear Keren over the steady beat.

"Yes, please. I'm starving," Mateo answers.

Keren moves past me and leads the way to one of the tables of food located farthest away from the entrance to the room. The food is stuff I recognize, but that's not saying much. I see a dish that looks like _izzim_ and another that reminds me of the bat dish I experienced at our first meal. I reach for something familiar, a piece of bread.

"Gabriel and the elders should be here soon," Keren explains.

"So, what's the plan tonight?" Alexis asks Mateo while waving a kabob of meat in his direction.

Mateo's eyebrows go up. "How should I know? I'm just here for the food and company." He grabs the kabob from Alexis and takes in my appearance at the conclusion of his answer. I feel my cheeks flush.

"Since we are planning to leave in the morning, I think we should turn in early. Before y'all showed up, Keren informed me that these parties can last days," Alexis reveals.

"It is true. For this specific ceremony, I predict that the feast will go on through the night. Since Gabriel has informed the elders that he plans to leave tomorrow, I imagine the festivities will wane shortly after you all depart on your journey."

"Heading to bed early sounds good to me. The longer we can travel during the day will help cut down on the time it takes to get home. There is no telling what type of complications we may run into." Mateo's hand has made it to the back of his neck, rubbing at his hairline. Worry weighs heavy between his eyebrows.

"I have discussed in detail with Gabriel all the possible scenarios you might find yourselves in. The most crucial element to your journey will be avoiding injury," Keren informs.

"How do you know so much about the journey?" I ask.

"I have listened to a few of the men when they return from their journeys to describe their findings to the elders. I have also explored the caverns and caves as far as a two-day journey in each direction." Keren stares off at the other side of the room with a distant look on her face. "My father and brother have always indulged my free spirit with the expectation that I will settle down and marry someday. When my mother passed on, I believe they did not know what to do with me. So they did not do anything except leave me to my own will."

Keren doesn't seem upset, and as I search her face for any sign of feeling, I imagine that she must have had a lonely childhood. A small grin spreads across her face, and I turn to look in the same direction. A group of men are making their way through the cave and into the cavern, and I immediately spot Gabriel and Jesse. Jesse has his arm over Gabriel's shoulder. It looks a little awkward, mainly because Gabriel is at least four inches taller than Jesse.

It takes a few minutes for the two men to make it across the room, and when they are twenty feet away, I notice Jesse's coloring is off. Mateo rushes toward him, and Alexis takes a few steps in the same direction. Keren and I follow her.

"What happened, Jesse?" Alexis asks, as Mateo pulls Jesse's weight onto one of his own shoulders.

"Can we not talk about it? Please," Jesse answers.

"He will be fine. I am uncertain of the details, but the ceremony did not agree with him," Gabriel explains.

"Ugh, please don't mention the ceremony," Jesse grumbles.

Alexis snickers and walks over to Jesse, raising a hand to his forehead. "Do you feel sick because of something that you saw at the ceremony? Did you not enjoy the ceremony? I bet you loved it, and want a ceremony of your own."

"Cállate, Alexis," Jesse moans half-heartedly, and Alexis grows silent.

Gabriel formally moves to stand next to me with his broad shoulders pushed back. "It is your turn to stand at my side." He lifts an arm for me to take.

"Already? Don't you need to rest after carrying Jesse all the way here?"

"I have been looking forward to this part of my _Masa Shel Emoonah_ since you agreed to go with me. Will you join me?"

I take Gabriel's arm. I'm impressed, not only with his endurance, but also with the lean muscle I feel as my arm wraps around his.

We exchange a smile, and I peek over to where Mateo and Jesse stand.

"I think we'll head back to our room. We need to get Jesse feeling better before we leave in the morning," Mateo states.

"I'll come too," Alexis states as she takes residence under Jesse's other arm. I can't imagine that Alexis will provide much support, physical or otherwise, but she may provide a laugh or two.

"Olivia Rachel Miller, I order you to have fun for the rest of us." She points her finger at me, and they all turn and head in the direction of the main cavern. When I look up at Gabriel, his eyes are wide in surprise.

"What is it, Gabriel?"

"I am admiring your full name. Each villager is given two names, and one of them is our father's. Your second name, Rachel, was my mother's name. It is beautiful."

A new beat begins to pound in my chest, and Gabriel walks with me toward the center of the room, where the crowd has dispersed. Only the musicians and their instruments remain.

"Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Gabriel has leaned down to whisper his request in my ear. His breath tickles my neck. Our faces are just inches away from each other, and I notice a flutter stirring in my chest that moves down into my core. I can't tell if it's nerves, or Gabriel, or both.

"Yes," I answer, and I realize we are at the center of everyone's attention. Gabriel twists his arm free of mine and turns to stand a few feet away, facing me. I look past him, toward the cave, and my friends have all turned to see why the room has gone silent. A sudden drumbeat startles me. My attention is back on Gabriel, and with the next beat he takes a step toward me. I follow his lead, taking a step toward him.

The next beat of the drum is so loud that it feels like the ground is shaking beneath me. Then I see a dusting of small rocks rain down around the perimeter of the room. I hear a shriek and realize the ground is still moving. The whole room is shifting.

Gabriel reaches out to me. There is a loud cracking sound, and I'm suddenly moving away from Gabriel. I haven't taken a step, but a huge gap is growing between us as the earth begins to break apart. I lose my balance and fall back on my hip.

I whip my head around to see where Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis were just standing, and I can't spot them. The people that were just at a standstill are now in a stampede, rushing to the cavern's exit.

I make an effort to stand back up and immediately feel hands helping me. Mateo is at my side, and I wrap my arms around his waist to maintain my balance. "We've got to move!" Mateo shouts over the sound of boulders ripping apart beneath us.

I nod in response, and there is so much dust and rubble falling in the cavern that I know I will inhale some if I speak. The _noor_ blocks most of the debris from above, but it can't protect us from the volatile ground. I search for the best route and realize that Gabriel hasn't moved. He's watching us, and, once he has my attention, he begins waving for us to move in his direction.

Tugging on Mateo's tunic, I point to Gabriel. Mateo takes note of him and continues to scan the room.

"Any way we go we'll have to make a few jumps." Mateo yells. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

I shake my head.

"You jump first, over to Gabe," he says with a smirk, attempting to make light of the situation. With a grin, I take a few steps back. I have at least six feet to get a running start, but the tremors underneath my feet make my confidence as unsteady as my balance. I grind my teeth together in determination and take off running. I feel more courageous leaping into midair, because the _noor_ above me has lowered and is so clear that I feel as if it's guiding me. I land with a few feet to spare on the rock Gabriel stands on.

I look back to make sure that Mateo is jumping behind me, and he's already landed; his eyes are wide, and a smile stretches across his face.

"I am glad that you are all right." Gabriel yells and looks past me to Mateo. "Follow me."

I take a quick look toward the cave to gauge how far we have to run and notice that most of the tribe has already exited. I peek back at Mateo, and it's like he can read my mind. "They're fine, Ollie. Jesse's weak stomach wasn't going to keep him from getting Alexis out of here safely. Now go!"

I turn to follow Gabriel, and he is already two leaps and twenty feet in front of me. The _noor_ is bright around him but also lingers behind, almost like it's waiting for Mateo and me. I take off running and jumping across the cavern. Stumbling once or twice, our pace doesn't allow me to stop and regain composure. The falling rocks are motivation enough to keep me moving. Our path clears once we make it into the cave.

I stop to catch my breath. "Does that happen often down here?"

"The tremors have occurred more often in the last season, but never this close to our settlement. I have never witnessed the earth opening up in such a way." Gabriel's face is covered with dust and shock.

"We need to keep moving," Mateo pleads from behind me. "I want to make sure Jesse and Alexis are okay."

I can't bring myself to reply, because I'm still trying to catch my breath, so I just nod. We traipse through the cave in silence. The academic side of my brain begins to fill with questions about why these tremors are growing stronger. The emotional side of my brain begins thinking about how badly I miss home.

Mateo's hand brushes along the side of my arm. "Everything will be all right." His words feel empty, but his voice pulls me out of my own thoughts.

As we approach the entrance to the main cavern, a raucous of grumbling reaches my ears. The earth is not making the noise, but the people from the tribe are. At first glance they seem riotous, while a few of the elders, including Enoch, are standing on a boulder trying to calm them.

"We should all leave!" I clearly hear someone yell out from the crowd.

"They should leave!" One man points to the side of the boulder that the elders stand on. Now I see where most of the elders are. They are standing side-by-side, creating a human barrier around Jesse and Alexis. The only leader I notice missing from the group is Zadok.

"God is moving the earth in anger. They should not be here with us, but on the surface where they belong."

"Absalom," Enoch calls out to the crowd. "I know you and many others have doubted our decision to allow this group from the surface to stay. They will begin their journey—"

"Now!" an anonymous voice bellows. The voice is soon accompanied by many, and they all chant, "Now! Now! Now!"

It's clear that we have run out of time here, and Enoch has lost control of the crowd.

# Fourteen

Everyone's in an uproar, and the elders have begun to flee toward the tented city, encouraging Jesse and Alexis to move with them. Enoch gives up his effort to calm the crowd and climbs down the side of the boulder out of my view. A man from the crowd starts to move around the boulder toward Enoch and yanks him to the front of the boulder.

"I must go to my father's aid," Gabriel's voice stresses. "You must take Olivia to my family's home. Can you find your way?"

"Yes," Mateo answers.

The speed at which Gabriel scales the rock is impressive, and by the time Mateo and I travel one hundred yards, Gabriel has made it to Enoch. Distracted, I stumble on the loose gravel beneath my feet, and, as a result, I slow down.

"Stay with me, Ollie. I have no doubt Gabriel can handle himself, but it will be tough to go unnoticed if I have to carry you through the city."

We move with caution over rock and across mossy patches. Approaching the tents, my mind runs through everything that's going on. Everything that's gone on since we have arrived. "Mateo, have you figured out what this is about? Why we're sneaking back to Gabriel's home?"

"At breakfast I heard bits and pieces of conversation, but it seems that rumors have been spreading about our arrival. The village people are not happy we're here, and, after what we just saw, I'd bet they think we're to blame for the earthquakes."

"Well, that's just crazy!" My voice rises.

"Shhhh." Mateo tucks us into an alcove. We're surrounded by fabric. Mateo pulls me close and places a finger over my lips. "These people are very religious. They believe we've brought on the wrath of God or something."

"Well, that's proof that they're crazy," I mumble behind his finger, and he moves it away. "I mean I believe in God, but your family's faith is big deal. It's sacred, but not animal-sacrifice-extreme."

Mateo pulls one corner of his mouth up in a grin. "Let's not get into a religious debate; we need to keep moving." Mateo removes his finger and peeks around the corner, looking both ways. "Stay close."

Mateo maneuvers us through the maze of fabric. I can't tell one home from the next, but as we scurry through common areas, the buzz of traffic behind us grows louder. I can't look back without risking speed, so I reach forward and grab Mateo's hand. I need to be grounded to something, to someone. I've got to focus.

The gesture spurs him on faster through the tents. I finally see something familiar, and as we walk up to the entrance of Gabriel's home, I hear someone yell out behind us. Before I can turn to see what the commotion is all about, Mateo pushes me through an opening in the thick cloth.

I look around, and nothing is different in the room we first met Enoch in yesterday. I bend at the waist and take a few deep breaths. I jump when two more people enter the room. Enoch and Gabriel are too calm.

"Go. All of you." Enoch lays his hand on Gabriel's shoulder and pushes him in our direction. "I will convey that you are leaving on your journey, but you must make haste. I will pray for you, son. May you be blessed with safe passage and an enlightening quest."

Enoch turns from Gabriel and exits. In the moment the decision to leave is made, a crowd forms in the common area in front of Enoch's home. The tent does little to muffle the villagers' shouts of confusion and frustration coming from just outside.

Gabriel turns and walks toward the back of the room. "Follow me. We need to be on our way now, or we may not have another chance."

We meet up with Alexis and Jesse, then are swept into a whirlwind of clothes, supplies, and dried food. The packs have been haphazardly put together, but Gabriel assures us that they contain everything we'll need for the trip. We all make our way to a part of Gabriel's tent I hadn't seen. It's lined with rooms that house the people that have served us during our stay and a large supply room. We stop at a sliver in the fabric, and Gabriel walks through.

"Wait there, I will return in a moment." When Gabriel returns to the hallway, he's holding four leather belts with sheaths. "These are _sakins_." The sight of a dagger, even encased, brings a new depth of danger to this whole ordeal. "We do not need to carry weapons in our village, but I will not be so naive to think we will not need to defend ourselves at some point on this trek."

Each of us takes a belt from Gabriel and secures it around our waist.

Jesse is the first to pull out his knife. It's at least six inches long, and the color is dull silver. There is no doubt in my mind that the blade is sharp.

"If you don't need weapons, then why do you have these?" Jesse asks while waving his new toy around.

"Please, sheath your _sakin_ , Jesse. These knives have been crafted for sacrificial uses, but may serve our purpose in the wild." Jesse blanches at Gabriel's words as we continue down the hall.

Reaching a dead end, Gabriel lifts the wall of fabric from the ground and takes a peek. "We will make our way along the outer wall of the cavern together. Once we have escaped this cavern, I hope to travel a few miles before we make camp. Mateo, you go first. When we are all out, follow me."

In a matter of seconds we are in the open, but on the outskirts of the village. Our tunics and robes aren't bright, but they are more colorful than the clothes I saw the villagers wearing. It only takes us a few minutes to jog over to the wall of the cavern with the faint light of the _noor_ around us. The stress of the situation keeps us all silent, and Alexis' closeness helps to settle my nerves. Alexis has been at my side through some of my most raw moments, and even when I found out about her brother cheating on me while on another continent Alexis made it a point to check on me every day. I may have shut out the world, but she never let me feel alone.

"What the heck happened back there, Ollie?" Not sure what part of "back there" Alexis is talking about, I shrug my shoulders and wait for her to narrow it down for me.

"Come on, you had to have seen the crazy group of villagers back there. It's like we're in some sort of M. Night Shyamalan movie."

"I did see that, actually. We're all going through an ordeal." I stumble and realize that talking and navigating over the rocky earth beneath me might be more than my body and brain can handle.

"Don't you mean, we all just made it out of a ground-breaking earthquake and angry mob alive? Those people's reaction had little to do with the earthquake and a _lot_ more to do with us being there." Alexis folds her arms across her midsection, and if I were more coordinated I'd place an arm over her shoulder for some consolation. She's coping the best way she knows how, and I know the discussion is not over.

I make it fifty feet without fumbling and notice that Gabriel has stopped about ten feet in front of Mateo. I wave my hand behind me to get Alexis' and Jesse's attention. Gabriel stares up at the wall, and as my gaze moves across the same area, I spy a gap in the rock a few feet above us.

"I would prefer to avoid pulling out all the rope for this climb," Gabriel starts. "I believe we can work together to get everyone up and into the next cavern without equipment. If one of the men will go first..."

"I'll go," Mateo speaks up. "If you give me a boost, I should be able to pull myself up, then I can help pull the girls up."

Gabriel nods at Mateo and begins to weave his fingers together, making a foothold with his hands. Mateo takes off his backpack and hands it to me.

"You guys can toss them all up to me before you start making your way up." Gabriel bends his knees slightly. Without hesitation, Mateo puts one foot into Gabriel's hands and pushes off the ground with the other foot. Mateo reaches the gap and pulls up with his arms to place a knee in the hole. He disappears for a moment, and before I can worry, he sticks his upper body out of the gap and reaches down for his pack.

My pack is too heavy for me to lift, so Gabriel does, and Mateo quickly pulls it up through the hole and sets it behind him.

"Go ahead and pass them all up, and I'll take them into the next cavern before you climb through," Mateo offers.

We all unload our packs, and Gabriel tosses them to Mateo one by one. Mateo moves out of sight for a few minutes, and when he returns, I breathe an unexpected sigh of relief.

"It's not far to the other cavern, but there is a short drop. Once you're up, you'll need to move through to make room for the next person. How about we have Jesse come up first, then Alexis and Ollie? I can pull you up last, Gabriel."

Jesse moves forward toward Gabriel and turns back to Alexis. "Your vertical challenge might prove an issue on the other side, but I'll be ready to help you down," Jesse teases with a grin.

"I may be vertically challenged, but at least I'm not intellectually challenged," Alexis bites back. "Just get up there."

"Let's go, Jess," Mateo pleads from his perch.

Jesse pushes off the same way Mateo did, but being a few inches shorter than his brother, he can't get the leverage he needs to pull himself up. Mateo makes up for the height difference when he grabs Jesse's hands and hauls him into the gap. We can tell just how small the space is above us when the two healthy-sized guys grunt as Jesse makes his way around Mateo.

Alexis moves closer to me. "Will you go next, Ollie? I think I need to watch one more person do it before I make the leap." Her feet shuffle beneath her and her eyes dart from me to the opening above us, but instead of worry lines pulling at her mouth she's tucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Are you kidding? You're head cheerleader, and a flyer, if I remember right."

"Please, this is different. Could I just have a minute or two without Jesse's figurative pigtail pulling?" We could all do with a little less banter, and her admission is more like a sigh. I reach out to Alexis's arm and squeeze gentle understanding, but my grin struggles to contain a giggle at her terminology.

I walk over to Gabriel, finally letting my laughter bubble out. "Let's do this."

"Of course," Gabriel chuckles. He may not understand all our vernacular, but I can tell he's gotten the gist of our conversation. I lay my hands on Gabriel's shoulders as he bends at the knee, preparing to take on my weight. Before he gives me the okay to push off, he secures my foot in his hands and looks up at me from beneath his thick lashes. "Are you ready?" he asks with a hint of gravity.

"Of course," I answer with a smile, placing myself and my trust in his hands.

Pushing off, I feel weightless for a moment. Mateo's hands encompass my wrists and he pulls me up into the gap. I am knee to knee with Mateo, and his hands are still holding mine. My claustrophobia has me hyper aware of every nerve ending in my body.

He knows that I'm close to freaking. Is every inch of my skin tingling due to our proximity or the looming rock around us?

"It will be okay, Ollie. You just have to shuffle around me, and it's about twenty feet to the next cavern."

I nod and close my eyes, trying to imagine more space around us.

"I'm going to stand and pull you up with me." Mateo begins to rise, but I'm frozen. He let's go of my hands, and I don't like the sensation of him not being there. It's worse than the idea of rock walls closing in on me. I pull my necklace out from beneath the collar of my tunic and start moving it back and forth on its chain. Nervous energy pulls me inside of myself, and I can't bring myself to look at my surroundings.

"Mateo?" My voice sounds higher, and my chest feels heavier than normal.

"I'm here." One of Mateo's hands has found my face, and I lift my lashes to find him bent over me with as much space between us as he can manage.

I take a deep breath, and the damp air is cool. "How the heck am I going to get around you?" I grin as I stand up to join him in a mist of light. I'm not sure if seeing my surroundings helps or hinders.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to treat it like a dance. We've got some practice with that." My mind immediately flashes back to the night of junior prom. My grin transforms into a solid smile at the memory.

"I'm not sure one dance can be considered practice," I reply and take a step closer to him.

"This is a lot like prom." Mateo admits as his hands slide around my waist, and my hands move up to rest over his shoulders. Our feet shuffle awkwardly at first, and bump into each other.

"Ha. Ha." I remember that dance being just as awkward as my forced laugh. From the moment the music started, I was filled with jitters and unsure of how close to stand to my best friend.

"I'm glad you feel so comfortable joking with my brother about prom night," Jesse interrupts. "It's not like I've had to listen to him go on and on about how horrible that night was," Jesse adds.

"Shut it, Jesse," Mateo shouts over my shoulder then rests his eyes on mine.

My brows bunch together in confusion, and I can't think of why it would have been a bad night for him.

"Just ignore him," Mateo suggests.

"Is it my turn to come up yet?" Alexis shouts from below.

"It's okay. Go ahead and help Alexis." I step away, wondering if he _really_ likes the person I was before I left or the person I am now.

# Fifteen

After everyone makes it into the next room, there's an awkward silence that lingers between Mateo and me that puzzles me. Alexis, Jesse, and Gabriel discuss the journey ahead of us in detail. I gather that we'll be traveling for days, but then get distracted by our surroundings. I'm so spaced out that everything else floats over my head like the familiar _noor_.

Why did I have to fall down here, with _him_? Why did he have to go and complicate things with an almost-kiss? What's _really_ like supposed to mean?

The ground in this cavern is less rocky and more like soil. Bright green, leafy rows fill the space, and it's a stark contrast to the dark and rigid walls. The toe of my shoe catches on a plant protruding from the ground, and before I can balance myself, my body flies forward. Arms wrap around my torso and pull me back to my feet.

"There is much beauty to see here, Ollie, but you must also try to be aware of the task at hand. Walking." Gabriel has no qualms about looking me in the eye, and I can tell the glint in his eyes is playful. His strong arms begin to unfold from around me, but he leaves one arm held out for me.

"You're my hero." I bat my eyelashes dramatically and grin as I take his arm.

"I am no hero," Gabriel replies. "Although, if being a hero involves embracing you frequently, I will accept the title without any arguments." I giggle at his attempt at flirting.

"I'm pretty clumsy. You have no idea what you're in for."

"I will take my chances with you, Olivia." It's so hard to comprehend how Gabriel's able to joke one minute and then come across so seriously the next. I can't tell if he has feelings for me, and I'm not sure I want him to. It's hard enough to try and make sense of my feelings for Mateo.

"So, what do you think your family and friends will do after that last quake?" Mateo's question diverts my thoughts from dwelling too much on Gabriel's flirting.

"Everyone will calm down after my father and the elders tell the tribe that we are on our way. If there is another tremor, they may _all_ move on to calm the fears of the tribe."

"How will you find them after you take us to the surface?" It's not like Gabriel can just send a text message and ask his dad for the tribe's coordinates.

"We have remained in contact with the surface over centuries, and I trust that he will relay a message to me when things have settled."

"How long do you think that'll take?" I wonder out loud as we turn to walk along a small crevice in the floor of the cavern. Halfway across, I notice a small trickle of water flowing in the same direction we're walking. The water's current grows stronger ahead of us, and it flows into an opening that will soon serve as our exit.

"Several decisions were made by the elders to prepare for this scenario. If the tremors continue to plague our tribe they will seek safety first, so I may receive a message in a matter of days, or it could be weeks. Our elders have explained to us that it is one of God's blessings on our people to live long, fruitful lives if we remain underground. My father expects me to return and assume his position as elder someday. I do not doubt that he will send for me."

"On the surface everything's so different. What if you decide you like it better?" I'm not sure I could survive without the hope of getting back to my indoor plumbing. "Don't get me wrong, sometimes I wish I didn't have technology pinging and beeping at me, telling me I have something else to do. I'd love to spend my time studying outdoors, instead of learning from lectures in a classroom." Gabriel probably doesn't have a clue what pinging is.

"There will be a lot for me to learn," Gabriel says with a thoughtful smile.

"Will you head back right away? To check on your dad and Keren?" Mateo asks.

"That is a decision I must make on my journey. Many years ago, when the passage from boyhood to manhood was taken more often, some chose to break away from the tribe. It is a decision few made, but I must take every option for my life into consideration."

I never considered that Gabriel would stay on the surface. Permanently.

"What will you do when you get to the surface? Where will you go?" I'm now even more curious about his plans.

"I believe that if it is in God's plan for me to stay there, He will make provisions, whether it be a place to call my home or practicing a trade. He has already bestowed a great friend to me in you."

I trip, falling forward again.

Gabriel's arms jut out to catch his own balance and mine, then a chuckle escapes his lips, and I can't help but join him in laughter.

"That was totally you tripping me that time," I tease.

"Please, forgive me. I will be honest and admit my folly. You, Olivia, have me lost in thought over possibilities I have never considered." The smile on his face is wide and genuine, leaving me faced with more than the one path I've spent the last year mapping out. Now, I can clearly see a series of forks in the road of my future.

"So, you're going to a place you've never been before. To the surface, where people have careers, computers, and cars. All without a plan?" I ask.

"There is no need for me to have a plan of my own, when it could never be as great as God's plan for me."

Gabriel's response leaves me speechless. I've been planning my life for as long as I can remember, and I know that there are people from Gabriel's tribe that make plans for themselves and others.

As we walk through the cavern two things grow louder, Alexis and Jesse's bickering and the sound of rushing water. They combat each other as we get closer to the cavern wall. The current is turbulent and roaring as it sweeps into the cave we are about to enter. Gabriel steps away from me, in the direction of the opening, and takes a closer look.

"We need to file in one at a time and walk along the right side of the _nahar_. As far as I can see, we will have more space to walk on this side." Gabriel points to the right side of the cave as he shouts the instructions.

"At some point we may need to step over the _nahar_... Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"We don't speak underground-guistics," Alexis speaks up. "Do you mean stream?"

"I apologize. _Nahar_ means river. As we travel through the cave, this body of water will grow more wide and wild. You must use caution."

"Got it. Lead the way." Alexis steps up next to Gabriel and nods in the direction of the opening.

As they move forward, Mateo moves up next to me. "How about I follow Alexis and give her a break from Jesse? You can follow me."

"Sounds good!" I shout over the noise of the rushing water. When I turn to look behind me, Jesse gives me a "what did I do?" look.

"Come on, Jesse, we're invoking the buddy system." I pull him behind me and follow Mateo into the mouth of the cave. Instead of darkness swallowing us whole, the _noor_ dances above us and seems brighter due to the reflection off the water.

Gabriel's right, a shelf of rock along the side of the cave is wide enough to walk on for a few hundred feet, but we have to slow down the further we go into the subterrain. Soon the stream grows twice as wide, while the path on our side shrinks to half its original width. Gabriel jumps over the rushing water to a slab of bedrock that leads to a wider walkway. Mateo stops to tell me something, but I can't quite hear him.

"I'm a cross dresser!" he yells from a few feet away.

"What?" I move a little closer and cup my hand over my ear pointed in his direction.

"I'm going to cross over." Mateo leans in, and I feel his breath on my hand. I look at him and nod, knowing my words would be lost in the noise around us. Mateo takes two steps away from me and leaps across the rift onto the ledge of rock on the other side. Alexis has already made the jump across, and they shift over to make room for me.

I turn and look at Jesse realizing that the three inches he has over me in height has given him a bird's eye view of the whole scene. I'm relieved that I won't have to explain being a cross dresser to him and move closer to the edge to prepare for my leap.

It isn't pretty, but I make it, and Mateo is there to brace my crude landing. Before I can get my balance, I feel Jesse grab onto one of my shoulders, and he pulls back sharply. I instinctively wrap my arms around Mateo's waist to keep from being yanked back. When Jesse defeats gravity and pulls himself more securely on the rim, I become the middle of a Vargas brother sandwich.

"What the hell, Jesse!" Mateo yells past my ear, into Jesse's face. " _¡Eres tan estúpido!_ You could've pulled Ollie into the water with you!"

"It's not like I planned to go for a swim or intended for Ollie to join me," Jesse shouts back.

Mateo pulls me away from Jesse, and I'm in shock at how he exploded verbally all over Jesse.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Mateo searches my face for distress.

"I'm just peachy, bro! Thanks for asking," Jesse says sarcastically, as he scoots past us to follow Alexis and Gabriel. They must not have heard the guys snap at each other or seen Jesse's failed attempt at a swan dive.

I move around Mateo to follow Jesse and feel Mateo's hand on my shoulder. "Ollie, are you..."

"I'm fine, Mateo. Are you okay? I don't think I've ever heard you get that mad before."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just lost it when I thought Jesse was going to pull you into that rushing water."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me. If it weren't for his quick thinking you may have lost him back there."

I turn to walk away.

# Sixteen

Our path ends abruptly, with a surging twenty-foot drop. I've never seen anything so terrifying and beautiful. Stepping close to the edge of the waterfall, I see a pool that the water is rushing into. Boulders and subterranean plants surround the lagoon. The lush vegetation looks identical to Gabriel's family courtyard.

"I will jump first to test the depth of the water below." Gabriel passes me and begins to take off his pack.

"Whoa! What do you mean jump? Because the only way I'll be on board is if your translation of jump is to pull the ropes out and repel," Alexis states.

"This should be fun, Alexis. Don't tell me you're scared of a little jump like this. You had no trouble jumping off the high dive last summer at Sandy Lake," Jesse comments.

"Oh, please. Like you even noticed me jumping off the high dive. You were just checking out my hot pink bikini."

"It was hot, but not pink," Jesse says with a smirk. "Definitely in the blue family, if memory serves."

"Enough about bikinis, kiddos." Mateo moves to stand between Alexis and Jesse. "Gabriel, are you planning for us to make camp soon?"

"Yes. I am thinking we can let our clothes dry out while we eat and sleep. This is a cave that will provide water and shelter, and we can continue our journey in a matter of hours."

"There are two problems with your plan," I offer. All eyes shift to me, along with pressure I didn't expect. "First off, Gabriel, what if you jump and break both of your legs? Second, what about our packs? We can't make it all the way to the surface without them, or without you."

"I appreciate your concern, Olivia," Gabriel responds. "You should know that I have jumped from this ledge before. In fact, I have jumped from here many times. The only reason the depth of water might have changed is due to the tremors. I do not see any changes, but I would feel more at ease if you let me jump first. This is a place that Keren and I come to often, to get away from the village and its monotony. It is not a bathing pool, like where I first met you. I am not even sure that any other tribe members know about this place."

"Oh," is all I can get out of my mouth. My brain is now filled with images of Gabriel from our first encounter, especially his strong arms and back. My cheeks begin to burn from blushing.

"When I reach the shore of the lagoon, you can toss your packs to me. I will begin to set up camp while the rest of you enjoy the benefits of the waterfall." As Gabriel finishes explaining, he takes off his tunic and tucks it into his pack. My eyes are not sure what to look at, and I catch Mateo crossing his arms to pull his tunic over his head in my periphery.

I fiddle with my belt, and feel someone grazing the back of my arm then a pinch.

"Ow!"

"Just checking. This is definitely not a dream," Alexis confirms from behind me. Her hand is a few inches from my arm, but her gaze is bouncing from the three shirtless guys in front of us. They each wear loose pants that hang to the middle of their calves.

"I think you're supposed to pinch yourself," I chide.

Abs, arms, pecs...eyes. I need to look at them in the eyes. Jesse has a knowing grin pasted across his face while Gabriel steps back toward the edge of the waterfall.

"See you down below." The smile that spreads over Gabriel's face is more childlike than those I've seen on him before, full of joy and excitement. In a few seconds, we all hear him meet the water with a splash.

"Well, gentlemen, I hope you aren't planning to just stand there and look pretty all day," Alexis jokes with waggling eyebrows. She takes her bag and sets it next to Mateo's pack.

"Do you mind tossing it over to Gabriel? I'm afraid I won't be able to throw it across the lagoon," I ask Mateo.

"Sure..." As he answers, Alexis jumps off the edge of the waterfall.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The scream ends when Alexis hits the water. A few seconds later, she pulls herself up to the surface and gasps for air.

"Woohoo! That was awesome!" she yells up at us. "Come on, Ollie!"

I look over at Mateo and Jesse, who are tossing packs out into the air. Unsure if I'll be able to make the jump without peeing on myself in terror, I feel pressure on the back of my arm again, but this time it's solid and calming.

Mateo moves close and gives me support, in more ways than one. It's a glimpse of what we've had, and hopefully what we might still have. "You can do this, Ollie." His confidence in me gives me courage. "I'll be right behind you."

Taking a step forward, I know there is no way I'll gather any more strength.

"I'll always be here for you." I hear the words as I step off the ledge and into gravity's hands.

My stomach reaches my chest as I hit the water, and the impact is breathtaking. As I'm pressed into the depths of the water, my feet reach for the floor of the lagoon but never find it. My arms push water down at my sides, and in seconds, my head breaks free into the open air. After catching my breath, I notice how warm the water is. I swim to the edge of the pool and feel the waves of another body crashing into the water behind me. The full weight of my drenched clothing tries to coax me back into the pool.

"Why are you getting out?" Alexis asks.

"I'm going to see if Gabriel needs any help setting up camp." I rush over to the packs and pick mine up. Noticing that Gabriel has moved back into the foliage surrounding the pool, I start to head in the same direction.

"Gabriel?" I pause and wait to hear him answer before walking toward him.

"Over here."

I take a few steps, pushing aside giant green leaves. Looking up, I see _noor_ peeking through a rainbow of petals above me.

"Why are you not enjoying the water with the rest of your friends, Olivia? Many believe this _nahar_ is blessed with healing properties."

"Well, I do like to swim, but I prefer the solid ground beneath my feet. I even lived near the ocean when I was younger, but my family preferred hiking. How deep is that pool, anyway?"

"I've never reached the bottom of the lagoon," Gabriel answers. His eyes gaze off toward the pool, and his mouth spreads into a beautiful smile.

"What are you thinking about?"

"This is the place my mother taught me to swim. She believed that I should learn in a place where I could not touch the floor or reach the edge easily. Once, she told me that my life may come to feel as isolated as I felt in the water. She had faith that once I mastered swimming, I would not experience that isolation for long in the water or in life."

"Short and green, your mother was?" I do my best Yoda impersonation, and Gabriel stares at me as if I suddenly look like Yoda.

"Never mind." I wave it off and start to set down my pack. "Your mom sounds wise," I add.

"She was. My mother taught me to accept others and trust my instincts. She was the daughter of a shepherd, and her name..." Gabriel is silenced by the earth's grumbles and groans beneath us. His eyes widen, and he takes two long steps over the shaky ground to reach me and tucks me under his arm. Dust and rock fall around us, and the last thing I feel is an agonizing blow to the top of my head.

Fuzzy darkness surrounds me, and as my head clears, I recognize that half my body is lying across rock, but my head rests against something soft. My skull threatens to explode as my brain pulses behind my eyes. I reach up to apply some pressure, and Gabriel stops my hand with one of his own.

"I am here, Ollie. Please lie still." His voice is muffled, and I realize that I am lying on his chest. I attempt to open my eyes, but shut them as soon as the room starts to spin.

"Ugh. I'm dizzy. What happened?" Gabriel doesn't let go of my hand, and I feel his other arm lying across my midsection, holding me against him.

"There was another quake, Olivia," he whispers.

It all comes back to me and I try to sit up, but Gabriel's grip grows stronger. "Where are the others?" I panic.

"You need to lie still. I've stopped the bleeding, but you were bludgeoned on the head. If you are dizzy, we must wait for it to pass before we attempt to find the others."

"God, no." I can feel the sting of tears begin to form in the corners of my eyes. The thought of any of my friends hurt leaves my mind reeling and my mouth speechless.

"Ollie, when you were hit on the head, I had to find us shelter. I was able to grab one pack, and I called out to the others, but I am not sure what happened to them." Gabriel's words come out slowly.

"What are you not telling me?"

"The strength of the tremors tore the rock apart again, and the lagoon will have drained into the crevices as a result. I am afraid that if Jesse, Alexis, and Mateo didn't make it out of the water, we may never find them."

One tear escapes and then another. The pain of possibly losing my friends possesses my chest and pulls so tight that I can't breathe. I cry, unaware of time or space, and my eyelids grow weary. Gabriel just holds me. He may be the only reason I haven't fallen completely apart.

They have to be okay, because if they weren't I would know. Wouldn't I?

God, please let them be alive.

My eyes flutter open, and the first things I see are fragments of light floating above me. I look down at my chest and find Gabriel's arms wrapped around me. My lungs tighten when I remember what happened. How long have I been asleep? I have to get up so we can start looking for Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis.

I slide Gabriel's arms off of me and sit up. The blood rushes from my head, and I must wait a moment before I stand so I don't lose my balance. I hope to get up without waking Gabriel.

Nature is calling, and being underground so long has given me a new appreciation for toilets. I walk about thirty feet before I find an exit to the cave. A small amount of _noor_ follows me and allows me to see the area in front of me. It looks similar to the cavern we were in before the quake, but the plants are uprooted, and there is a huge sinkhole in the middle of the room. It's hard to see across the cavern, but there are several small dark spots along the opposite wall. They could be openings. I find a bush to relieve myself behind, and then I straighten my clothes and head back into the cave.

"Where are you going? I was worried." Gabriel's standing just inside the cave with a pack hanging on his broad, bare shoulder.

"I needed a private moment." I hope the vague answer will suffice. "We need to figure out how we're going to find the others." As Gabriel steps into the cavern with me, the room brightens more than it had before.

"I think we need to eat something, gather our strength, and have a discussion before we go anywhere." Gabriel takes a step in my direction.

"We can eat and walk at the same time. I'm fine, really."

"Please, Olivia. Just give me a few minutes." He sounds tired, and he is so close I can see that exhaustion has reached his red-rimmed eyes.

"Okay, a few minutes," I agree. Gabriel sets the pack down, and we sit facing each other in the opening of the cave. "What do you need to tell me?"

"Well, the others will not have any light, because they are not from our tribe. Did you notice anything odd when you came out here to have your 'private moment?'" Gabriel asks with a raised eyebrow.

"The _noor_ came with me...but if you followed me, the _noor_ was probably just ahead of you?" I'm not sure if I meant to state a fact or ask a question.

"I followed the _noor_ to you, Olivia." Silence grows as Gabriel fidgets with some sort of jerky he pulls out of the pack. "Can you tell me about your family?"

"I guess, but what does my family have to... Do you think I'm a descendant of your tribe?" It sounds crazy to me, but I don't know anything about my dad or his side of the family. Come to think of it, I don't know anything about either side of my family. I've never had grandparents, or aunts and uncles like other kids.

"You and your friends are the only people I have ever met from the surface, and I have only noticed the _noor_ following you," Gabriel admits.

No matter what Gabriel thinks, I can't just sit here anymore. "Speaking of my friends, let's get a move on."

I stand up and start to walk. The only indication that Gabriel is following me is the sound of his footsteps. My thoughts revert back to when I first woke up underground and all the unbelievable things that have happened since then. We fell hundreds of feet without injury. We found a tribe of people living underground with magic light. My best friend almost kissed me. Now, my friends are lost in darkness, who knows where. I realize that in every situation since the fall, the _noor_ has been with me. "Did you just figure this out?"

"At first, I had hoped you were blessed by the light. I did not know in the bathing cavern if the _noor_ was with one of you, or if it simply led you to me. The only thing I have been certain of since we met is that you are very special," Gabriel admits. He reaches forward and hands me some dried meat, but eating in addition to walking and talking may be too much to ask of my coordination.

"This is crazy. I can't be related to your tribe. Is that even possible? My family's from California; we moved to Texas when I was a kid. I mean, my mom and I moved to Texas. There has to be another explanation." I take a breath and a bite of jerky. My life feels like a puzzle when the pieces don't quite fit together.

"I am familiar with the geography on the surface. Our people live so far underground that traveling to the farthest destinations can be achieved within a few weeks. The people have migrated for thousands of years, Olivia. I was born in our last settlement, and it only took our tribe a few days to travel here from San Francisco."

If Gabriel's words are water, then my brain is a sponge soaking up all the facts. Could my father have been a descendant of Gabriel's tribe? Was my dad on a journey to discover his manhood when he met mom? Or is it a distant relation?

"Do you remember if anyone ever left your tribe when you were there? Did anyone leave and never return?" Any clues will help, but I have a feeling there are only a few people that'll know the truth.

"I do not know for sure. The number of questions I have for the elders is growing, but I am certain they can provide clarity. It would be a long detour to search for them, before we head to the surface, and it may be necessary if we experience another tremor. I am worried there is a greater force at work here. We may not be prepared for it," Gabriel replies.

"My mom might know something. We should just find the others and head to the surface." I leap over a gap in the ground. The faster we find Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis, the better. "I'll ask her, and if we find out she doesn't know anything, we can come back to find your tribe."

"You mean _our_ tribe."

# Seventeen

It's not as difficult as I thought it would be to make it across the expanse of hard, gritty rock. The tremors left the once tropical-like paradise disheveled and broken, but not impassable. Gabriel and I exhaust the discussion of my relation to his people. Or, our people, I guess. The idea of having a family, other than Mom, distracts me and causes me to lose track of where Gabriel is ahead of me.

Traipsing through cracks and fissures, the _noor_ looks cloudy. My hope begins to dull along with the light until I focus on my friends who've been my family since fifth grade. We come to stand before three caves and must choose one.

"We were always forbidden to enter them," Gabriel explains. His voice grows softer as he continues, "Keren has most likely explored all three, but I never thought to inquire about what she discovered. Her inquisitive nature always caused more problems than they solved." I know he misses Keren.

"Well, if the others... I mean, the others chose one of these passages. Knowing Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis, they probably all picked a different cave to escape into," I reason.

"That would have only happened if they had had time to argue about it," Gabriel offers, and his laugh brings me out of my grim state of mind. He's right, they wouldn't have had time to argue.

"Okay, so, Jesse and Alexis would have followed Mateo in a rush, and he would have run into the center passage."

"What makes you think they went this way?" Gabriel steps up to the cave to take a closer look.

"It's a gut feeling." I press a fist against my stomach. "I don't want to overanalyze it, but Mateo tends to avoid conflict. Taking the center passage just seems like a great way to avoid having to choose between the other two caves. It sounds silly, I know."

"You know Mateo better than I do, so let's follow 'your gut.'" Gabriel smiles, glancing down at my fist. His vocabulary will probably double by the time we reach the surface.

Gabriel turns and steps into the cave, with a scattering of _noor_ ahead of him lighting the way. It's weird, but somehow reassuring, to think that the glittering light is hovering over me as well. It's including me. Gabriel's hands reach out to trace the walls around us as we move forward. The rock is not as jagged as some of the other caverns we've been in. The walls are patterned with grooves, like the cave was carved out of the earth. The path also seems to be leading us farther down, into the earth, away from the surface.

The small space doesn't threaten me like it did before. The worry eating at my insides must be diverting my attention from my claustrophobia. The fear of tight spaces doesn't compare to searching for my missing friends while terrified of the worst outcome.

The cave goes on and on, a curving tunnel made of dark stone. There aren't as many bands of iridescent color as there were in the tunnels we went through when we first arrived, but I catch a glimmer of blue every now and then. Instead of leading us to a larger cavern, there are small rooms that we pass on our right and left. They're spaced out evenly, and from what I can see they have no other outlet, and nothing but rock and dirt sit on the floor.

"These rooms were inhabited by past generations of my people. These are the havens I have heard stories about. Eventually, our tribe grew to be too large to dig chambers for every family. I never believed the tales to be so accurate, because if I did, I would also have to believe in behemoths and beasts." I'm thankful for Gabriel's impromptu history lesson. The tribe has lived in burrows like these for thousands of years. Zadok's father encouraged the tribe to begin using tents when quakes on the surface began to affect them more. The conversation helps to pass the time and diverts my attention from the obvious predicament.

"How many people lived in each room?" The area isn't much bigger than a high school classroom.

"An entire family would settle in a room, so there could be up to twenty people living together." Gabriel steps inside the next room we come to, letting the _noor_ brighten the vicinity.

"Twenty people could live in this room together? It sounds awful." Who knew I'd come to appreciate walls and doors so much? "There's no privacy, and I don't think twenty people could even stand in this room, let alone sleep."

Gabriel steps further inside to make room for me. As I step in the room, the combined _noor_ reveals just how small it is. The chiseled walls have more blue and green marbling, and the rugged texture makes it seem like the walls could come crashing down like waves on top of us.

"You must remember, our lives are not spent in a room like this; we have the whole underground to live in. Our people shepherd _izzim_ , and a family will rotate watching over their flock. In the past, families would eat together, so everyone took responsibility for preparing the meals. We also do not live by a schedule of night and day, like you do on the surface."

A culture that works so cohesively is an ancient and foreign concept to me. I start to grow impatient and step back into the passageway waiting for Gabriel to join me.

"So tell me about these behemoths and beasts. Are they supposed to be as scary as they sound?"

"I believe them to be tales told to keep children close to home. My mother spoke of ancient creatures that would attack our herds. If the tribe could not drive out or scare the creatures, they would move on to a new settlement. Once, when Keren had wondered off and given my parents a good scare, my mother explained that children had gone missing in the past. They believed the beasts had attacked and eaten them."

I stop and face Gabriel. "You keep interchanging beast and behemoth. Did your mom ever describe what they look like? Is there more than one kind?"

Gabriel reaches up and lays his hands on my shoulders. "They are said to be twenty feet long and covered in scales, but do not think too hard on this, Olivia. They are creatures created around campfires for amusement."

Gabriel smiles reassuringly at me, and I nod my understanding. I turn around and hear a noise ahead of us. Gabriel steps around me and places a finger across my mouth. "Sh..."

"No!" I hear a man yell, but I'm unable to make out anything else. The voice is deep, but I can't tell if it belongs to Mateo or Jesse because of the echo.

Gabriel steps back into the room we just left. He pulls me with him, and swings me around to his side. He must recognize the voice, and if it's not my friends it can't be good. Whoever it is may be after us, and Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis don't have anyone to help or protect them. Gabriel shields me, with his hands pressed against the rock on either side of my head. Gabriel's eyes close in concentration, and the light around us dims. I'll have to remember to find out how he does that.

It's hard to focus on the voices with Gabriel so close. His body tenses as the voices grow louder.

"Would you swear an oath that you did not destroy any more of the _noor_ , Ben?" a man asks desperately.

"I will swear an oath. I was only following the elder's orders, your orders, to guard this cave from any villagers. I've just arrived. In fact, you should be with the tribe as we speak. Why is it that _you_ are here, Zadok?" Ben replies defensively.

"I am plagued by the impurity brought on our people by the surface dwellers. I feel compelled by God to make sure that they do not linger," Zadok confesses.

"You must not act on your own, Zadok. It is God's will that you, and all the elders, act as one. I will escort you to them now." When Ben mentions an escort, I realize that he's the general I met at Gabriel's home.

"How dare you. It is an insult that you would accuse me of acting outside God's authority. He has given us the power to shake the earth above and beneath us. You were not ordered here to question my, or any other elder's, motive. You are here to make certain that no common man or woman passes this point." Zadok's voice started out as a shout but ebbs to a deadly calm.

Gabriel lowers his forehead to rest against my own. The gesture, in another circumstance, would be too personal, but when I look into his eyes, they are serious. The two tribe leaders are close. Too close.

"My orders are clear, Zadok. No one will pass." Ben is brief and direct. The sound of steps walking away from us is clear, and, eventually, a second set of footsteps follows. Then there's silence. Gabriel moves a fraction of an inch away from me. We hear the voices again, but they're fainter.

"Zadok, I am warning you for the final time. I will use physical force to remove you from this place before I will allow you to follow me."

"It will be the _only_ way you will rid yourself of me," Zadok replies coldly.

The sound of a scuffle and clearly someone taking a painful hit reaches our ears, and we dare not move. I would not want to cross Ben, but if my friends have traveled this way, it won't stop me from finding them.

After another grunt, it sounds like a large bag has hit the ground. Then footsteps grow louder, moving in our direction, but the pace is sluggish and sounds heavier. A glow grows brighter in the cave, and I look over and see Zadok, with Ben thrown over his shoulder, passing our doorway. The light follows him and fades as he makes his way back from the way we came.

I take a deep breath. Gabriel hasn't moved. I take in the intensity of his clenched jaw, the fullness of his lips, and then his eyes.

His eyes seem to be taking me in as well. They glance over my hairline down to my ear. His gaze glides down to my neck and rests there. My eyes flutter closed, not sure where to look, and my hands press against the rock at my sides, not sure how to hold on to my feelings. I'm a wreck right now. I'm not sure if I like having Gabriel this close because of who he is or the fact that, if someone else doesn't hold me together, I might fall apart.

Gabriel lets out a soft breath that brushes over my collarbone. A moment later, his lips are there, lightly caressing my skin with a kiss. One of his hands is suddenly at my waist, pulling me closer to him. Then he pauses. The irony of being physically frozen in place but feeling the heat of Gabriel surrounding me is not lost.

"Olivia, you are so beautiful." He whispers and takes a step away from me.

My whole body shudders, threatening to crumble.

"I apologize." Gabriel casts his gaze to the floor between us.

"No, I'm sorry, Gabriel. I..."

"It is not appropriate behavior for me to be so close to you, and this is not the time..." Gabriel shakes his head.

"I understand. It was a mistake." I step away from the wall, past Gabriel and into the middle of the room.

"No. It was not a mistake, Olivia." He catches my eyes with his own and doesn't back down. "I mean to say, I know how I feel for you, and I would like to take time to discover the extent of those feelings. But first we must figure out what Ben and Zadok were just arguing about. We need to find out where they're going."

I correct him, "You mean we need to find my friends, _then_ worry about what they're up to."

"Yes, find your friends." Gabriel steps in my direction and offers a smile and his hand. "You must know that I want to find them too, but I am afraid that Zadok is plotting something that may hinder our journey."

"I'm determined to find the others, Gabriel, and there isn't an elder or general that will stop me."

Taking his hand, we move in the opposite direction of Ben and Zadok. The cave feels more and more like a pit, and we walk for what feels like miles.

The trek gives me plenty of time to think, and I scold myself mentally for all the choices I've made. Why didn't I stay in the pool and swim with the others? Why didn't I push Gabriel away? My emotions are about as stable as the ground we walk on. I'm weighed down by guilt, but anxiety is taking its place. The only thing moving me forward is the threat that at any moment more tremors might resume. I'm determined to find my friends before someone else does. Shoving back the dread of not finding them at all, I continue down the cool, narrow cave.

# Eighteen

I've decided that there's no feeling more crippling than fearing for the life of someone you love. Either Gabriel and I have been traveling in circles, or the caverns, caves, and chasms all start to look the same after hours of walking. My thoughts are constantly pulled back to Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis. Gabriel has tried to get me to stop and rest a few times, but I can't. We eat and drink while we trek through tunnels, and bathroom breaks are repeatedly awkward. After a haphazard climb that results in Gabriel's hand shoving my posterior up a rock wall, I relent and rest.

"I am confident that we have covered the radius of the cavern we started in." Gabriel's arms are resting on his knees as we sit on the edge of a small boulder in the middle of a cavern the size of my entire high school campus.

"Are you sure we've covered every cave and cavern? I mean, there's no way they could be traveling as quickly as we have without the _noor_. Maybe they're holing up in one of those rooms, just waiting for us to find them."

* * *

"I'm sorry." Gabriel moves one of his hands and sets it on my leg. The gesture should be comforting, but it reminds me that we are sitting. We should be searching. I stand up and stretch my arms up toward the loyal light that's traveled with us. It's golden, and I notice that it's brighter to my left. I step in that direction and it moves a step or two ahead of me. Could it be leading me?

"Wait, Olivia. I promise we will keep looking, but please rest a few minutes longer."

"What if my friends _can't_ wait any longer for me to find them? They're probably hungry and afraid." My words bring too much reality to the situation, and tears begin to well up in my eyes. "Heck! They could be stuck under some rock, or unconscious. What if one of them is bleeding to death?" My voice grows louder with each horrible thought, and I don't bother to wipe away the tears that I know are rapidly falling now.

"Finding your friends is our priority, Olivia. We will go back through the caverns as many times as we must. Just consider that if you do not sit and rest now, you may not be able to continue looking for them. Your body may shut down from exhaustion and dehydration if you don't take care of it." Gabriel's calm words resonate truth.

"Just a few minutes," I concede. "Will you pass me the water, please?" Gabriel pulls the pack around from his back. The primitive canteen is tucked into a pocket along the side of the bag. When Gabriel hands it to me, I can immediately feel how little water we have left. I shake the container and hear the liquid splash against its interior.

"Feel free to finish the contents. I will scout for a spring of water while we continue to look for the others." As he speaks I take a sip, but I can't bring myself to drink it all. I start to pass the canteen back, and the entire room begins to vibrate. I drop the canteen in shock, and what little water is left spills. Gabriel is quick to pick the container up and grab me around the waist. He leads me to stand along one of walls of the cavern.

"This can't be happening again," I groan, exasperated.

"It is different...the entire room is humming, yet there is no rubble." Gabriel looks off in the direction of one of the cave openings across the room. A large object seems to be moving in the caves darkness, and it is only getting larger, closer. The _noor_ surrounding Gabriel and me doesn't flood the entire room, but it does cast enough light for me to be sure of what I see next.

A clawed, scale-covered foot steps into the room, and from this distance it looks to be the size of my twin bed. A second foot follows, as well as a lizard-like head full of teeth. The creature's mouth opens wide and lets out a wail that can be felt in my bones. With each step it takes, the ground moves around us. A thick neck and large belly spill into the room, and the creature pauses. It raises its head, and its nostrils flare.

My fear is paralyzing. "What is that, Gabriel?" I whisper weakly.

Gabriel silently puts one of his fingers to his lips and begins to set our pack down on the ground. He opens the top of the pack and starts rummaging through the food and clothes. I'm not sure what he's looking for, since I know I didn't pack any beast repellent.

In all my studies, I can't place this species of...lizard? Dinosaur? I'm not quite sure what it is, but if it's like any of the reptiles I remember studying, it's not threatening to us, but we may be threatening it. Most lizards are sensitive to light, and currently we're surrounded by it. Glancing at the claws along its feet, I realize that it must use them to dig. If we can outrun this thing, I don't think it would try to follow us for long. If we can find a cave narrow enough, it won't physically be able to reach us.

The rest of its hind legs and tail move into the cavern, and I am in awe of its dark scales taking on a shade of violet in the _noor_. Its body is similar to the shape of a rhino, but at least ten times larger. My inspection is interrupted by Gabriel as he straightens up with a six-inch blade in his hand.

"Where did that come from?" My voice comes out an octave higher in surprise. "You can't go after that thing with the equivalent of a butter knife!"

"It is not my desire to attack the behemoth but to defend us," Gabriel explains.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" My voice returns back to normal.

Gabriel gestures to two openings in the room that are to the left of the beast. "We will need to make it into one of those caves. If we travel into the one closest to us, I believe the behemoth will be able to follow us. The cave closest to it has a smaller opening, and if we can make it inside, I believe we can avoid the creature chasing us."

Following his thought process, I agree. The only problem is that the cave he wants us to run to is about forty feet from the giant lizard. The cave closer to us is at least one hundred feet away from the beast and would give us a better head start. I look at Gabriel, wanting some assurance, and his gaze is on the creature.

"You will run ahead of me. Are you ready?" he asks.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for something like this." The anticipation has my heart beating like a tribal drum. "Here goes." Without any other warning, I start running toward the cave. I don't hear any footsteps behind me, and when I turn my head to look for Gabriel, I see him running in the opposite direction. _What on earth is he thinking?_

The beast starts to take a step in my direction, but stops when it hears Gabriel fleeing as well. The sound of our feet pounding on the rock as we run in opposite directions throws the creature off. It lets out another wail and chooses to move toward Gabriel. Relieved, but terrified for Gabriel, I keep running. When I turn back to look toward the first cave, the one I'm planning to pass, I am dumbfounded at the sight of Mateo, Jesse, Alexis, and Keren. They are all staring in the direction of the behemoth, and they look as frightened as I feel.

Before thinking of any of the repercussions, I yell, "Follow me!" They all turn to look with surprised expressions. I'm twenty feet from the first cave, and I decide that I can't slow down. They will catch on. They have to. "Come on!" I holler as I pass them.

I look across the room for Gabriel and spot him standing between two boulders. The beast is a few feet away from him but stops and turns its head in our direction. My voice has drawn it away from Gabriel, and hopefully he will think to move around the creature and make his way to the cave as well. Godzilla's flat nostrils flare, and immediately it turns and begins running after us. The speed that it moves at is impressive for its size. Mateo is at my side, and I hear the others' footsteps close behind. We'll make it. I just hope Gabriel can get to the cave.

My bones and muscles scream at me to stop, but there are only thirty feet keeping us from safety. The thought of stepping out of danger and into Mateo's arms gives me the encouragement I need to make it to the cave. When we reach the opening, I stop just inside the wall to make sure everyone else makes it.

"Keep running," I tell them. "We need to get at least twenty feet into the cave to make sure that thing doesn't dig us out." I turn to follow the others and realize that Mateo is still by my side. He grabs my hand and pulls me with him through the cave. Keren leads the group, followed by Alexis and Jesse. Keren disappears to the right, and soon we all veer in the same direction. We find safety in one of the rooms carved out for families of the tribe.

I don't stop for breath or rest but yank on the hand I'm holding. I pull Mateo close. His arms fit around my waist perfectly, and mine wrap around his neck.

"I knew you were alive," I whisper. I pull my head back and search his face. "Are you all right? Is everyone okay?"

I look around the room and see Jesse lying prostrate across the floor while Alexis and Keren sit propped against the rock wall at the back of the room.

"Keren? What are you... I mean, it's so good to see you. Gabriel is... Gabriel!" I run to the doorway of the room and peer down the cave toward the cavern we just escaped from. A dull light fills the hallway and begins to brighten.

"Gabriel!" Keren pushes past me and runs toward the light. When she reaches her brother, the light above them brightens, and I can see them embrace. I turn back into the room to give them some privacy, and relief overwhelms me. My knees buckle, and I hit the floor with a thud.

I overhear Keren plead with her brother. "You cannot make me go back. I have made my choice."

"Ollie, are you okay?" Alexis and Mateo are at my side.

With tears in my eyes, I confess, "I'm just so thankful that you're all okay. I also might be exhausted."

My friends give me few moments of rest, and I start to feel better. The weight of fear and doubt have been lifted off of my mind, and now all I can do is think about what we should do next. Gabriel and Keren join us in the side room, and we decide to rest and wait out the behemoth. It screams and wails for a long while, and I can hear its claws scratching at the rock.

"We will all need sleep before we continue," Gabriel states, looking directly at me.

I explain to Jesse, Alexis, and Mateo that we searched for them for hours. Then Gabriel relates the conversation we overheard between Ben and Zadok. The whole idea that Zadok could have hurt Ben upsets Keren.

"I never liked Zadok," she protests and takes a seat next to Mateo.

"Keren, the only reason you hold any contempt for him is because he wanted you to marry his son," Gabriel says as he paces near the doorway.

"Just one more reason I left," she says, more to herself.

an "I have a feeling I know a few of the other reasons you left, but how did you find Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis?"

"Well, I made the decision to leave after Gabriel's ceremony. I was planning to sneak away in the night and follow you all to the surface. When the tremors began during the feast, I knew you would have to leave immediately. The people were furious over your presence, and I used the turmoil in the village to escape unseen." Keren folds her arms across her chest proudly.

"If you thought the people were furious, what do you think Father will be when he notices you are gone?" Gabriel tries his best to stay calm, but there might as well be steam coming out of his ears.

"He will never allow me to be who I want to be, Gabriel. I know I am destined to be with you on this journey. If it weren't for me, our new friends would still be lost in darkness near the lagoon."

"Is it true?" My eyes move to Alexis and Jesse who sit against the back wall.

"Yes." Alexis is the first to speak up. "When the quake broke open the bottom of the lagoon, Jesse pulled me to the edge. It seemed impossible with all the water trying to pull us down into the sinkhole. We rushed to the cave openings across the room and lost Mateo for a while. We couldn't see anything." Alexis looks at Jesse and then turns to face Mateo. "Mateo tried to get to you, Ollie."

"You what?" I turn to face Mateo, who sits across from me. He came for me.

"I just followed the _noor_ , that is, until it disappeared. Then I went back in the direction Jesse and Alexis headed. They'd already moved into the cave to the right, and I, well, it took some time to find them without any light, but I did," Mateo explains with an expression of grief etched on his face.

I realize that Mateo knows. He knows the _noor_ has been following me, and he must have thought the worst when the light disappeared.

"That is when I heroically rescued them from the depths of darkness." Keren smiles and nudges Mateo's shoulder with her own.

"You mean, that's when you heard Alexis and Jesse arguing about what we should do," Mateo adds in an attempt to lighten the mood.

# Nineteen

I wake with a start. My body screams that I shouldn't have fallen asleep on this unforgiving floor. Looking around me, I find everyone asleep, except Mateo. He's sitting in the doorway of the small cavern. I maneuver myself away from Alexis, careful not to wake her. She must have rolled closer to me for warmth or comfort, maybe both. The fact that she, Mateo, and Jesse are safe with me again, gives me peace of mind.

I stand then step over Keren and walk around Gabriel. She's using him as her pillow. The last time I felt that close to anyone was before I left for South America. I continue to make my way over to Mateo, the only person who's ever made me feel something so unconditional.

Now that I know what it feels like to lose that, I'm not sure if I'm willing to go from best friends, to silent treatment, to more than friends. Losing our long talks about everything and nothing to kissing feels wrong, but I'm not sure we can ever go back to sitting on his back lawn under the stars.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" I'm curious about what he's thinking about. Whether it's earthquakes, me being one of the _noor_ -people, or giant beasts, it can't be good.

"After everyone else fell asleep, Gabriel and I decided it would be a good idea for one of us to keep watch. We need to be ready in case Zadok is still bent on getting rid of us or that giant lizard decides to make a second appearance." A yawn escapes, and he rubs his hand across the stubble growing along his chin. "According to Gabriel, we haven't moved any closer to the surface because of all the circling we did trying to find each other."

I sit next down next to him. "I'm just glad you're okay." I reach over and pat the top of his hand. He turns it over and squeezes my hand back.

"Me too." He pulls our hands onto his knee, and it causes me to lean into him a little closer. "I mean, I'm more than glad that you're okay. I thought some pretty dark stuff when I couldn't find you." Mateo looks over his shoulder in Gabriel's direction.

The _noor_ dimmed in the room as each of us fell asleep, and as a result, my friends look like mounds of laundry littered across the dirt floor. The stone walls are damp, and if it weren't for the warm _noor_ , we would be fighting the cold. Mateo has always been observant, and I wonder if he just recently noticed how the tribe's light follows me.

"When did you figure it out? About the _noor_?"

"The first time I suspected it was after dinner in the common area. When you left the group to walk with me in the gardens, some of the light came with you. I wasn't sure if you'd noticed."

"No, I was a little distracted." As I stare into the dark void of the tunnel in front of us, one corner of my mouth lifts at the memory of Mateo's admission that he likes me. If his arms wrapped around me were any indication of how much he liked me, I couldn't doubt his feelings. Or my own feelings.

Mateo's hand reaches for my chin, and he gently guides my face so that I look at him. The intimacy of being face to face, with my hand resting in his is exhilarating and assuring. I've always thought about tandem skydiving, and this is what I'd imagine it'd feel like. Free falling with another person that's feeling everything with you, someone that you can count on.

"Ollie, you've always embodied light. Since the first day I met you, when we were kids. You're so bright, but it has always come from inside. Watching the _noor_ surround you here isn't that different. It's beautiful." Mateo's smile is contagious. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you..." I say from a breath away. Dizzying feelings of trust, gratitude, and desire flourish inside me.

Mateo's hand caresses my cheek down to hold the nape of my neck, and he leans his forehead against mine. Our lips are a moment away from colliding.

"How are you?" He keeps the question vague, letting me lead wherever it is we're going.

"Honestly? I'm struggling with the idea that I could be one of them. If my dad is one of them, I can't ask him about it. I'll have to find out my mom, and I'm not sure how she'll react. I may never know if, or how, I'm related to them." I pull away just enough to breathe my own air. "I've never sought out the truth about what happened to my dad because I didn't want to hurt my mom. Now I feel like I need to know what happened to make sense of things."

"You'll figure it out, Ollie, and I'll be here to help you if you want me."

_If_ I want him.

Pulling away from Mateo, I notice a hint of hurt in his eyes. The idea of a potential romantic relationship with my ex-best friend is as scary as an attacking behemoth and just as exhilarating. We did beat the beast.

"I'm not sure I can handle understanding the truth."

The truth about my family or the truth about Mateo's feelings? They're both unknown territory, and they both terrify me. But knowing that Mateo's with me, makes me feel stronger, like I can conquer those fears.

I _do_ want him in my life, but do I _want_ him?

Yes.

I've never felt this way about anyone in my life. I move my hands to hold Mateo's face before he turns completely away from me, and he looks surprised.

"I do want you, Mateo."

He exhales, and suddenly, Mateo's body is all I'm aware of. His lips press firmly against mine, and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into an embrace. My fingers move through the soft curls at the nape of his neck, gently urging him closer. I feel breathless, and a small sigh escapes me.

The soft sigh travels across the room and bounces off the walls. We both freeze, and I peek over Mateo's shoulder. A mound in the middle of the room moves. Someone starts to raise his head, and it's covered with dark hair. I panic and push myself off Mateo's lap. How did I get _there_? He looks at me, just as shocked by the change in position and mood. I silently point in the direction of the others, and Mateo's head snaps back to look back into the room.

Jesse sits up with a Joker-worthy grin carved into his face. He waves at us just to remove any doubt that he's seen everything, and in exasperation, I lean my head against Mateo's shoulder.

"We are never going to hear the end of this," I whisper.

"I'm okay with that," Mateo replies. I look up and see a grin identical to Jesse's.

Everyone else rises within a few minutes after Jesse, and we begin to pack up. I need a few moments of privacy, and we agree that the term privacy will now have a new definition: being alone with a friend. We can't take the chance what someone gets separated from the group. So everyone gets a buddy while underground.

"Ollie, if you need privacy, maybe Mateo should go with you," Jesse's teasing begins.

"I think this should be a girls-only trip," I reply, looking at Alexis for some back up.

Her answer is clear as she steps in my direction.

"Figures. It never fails that they travel in packs," Jesse remarks under his breath.

"Did you just refer to us as some sort of pack of animals?" Alexis asks, bristling.

"Come on, Alexis. Just ignore him." I begin to walk into the hallway, and _noor_ filters in with me, and Alexis soon follows. The tunnel is just wide enough for the two of us to walk side by side, but the ceiling is only a foot above my head. The _noor_ spreads thin, and I can see the jagged rock through the vibrant mist. I wonder if the _noor_ 's brightness is determined by my mood.

After walking about ten feet in the cave, I hear a few added footsteps behind us. I turn to find Mateo and Jesse walking in the same direction we're headed.

"Decided to join the pack, I see." Alexis can't contain the jab at Jesse.

"We thought we would help direct you to a cavern that Keren just mentioned," Mateo offers.

"Thanks, but she could have come and told us herself." Alexis' reply isn't as cutting when directed at the older brother.

"Keren and Gabriel are going to discuss a route to get us to the surface," Jesse interjects, "while we all wash up."

I slow down to let Mateo and Jesse catch up, and with their long boy-legs, it only takes a few seconds. Mateo passes Alexis with a nod and then smiles at me. I get goose bumps when I feel his arm brush mine as he passes.

Jesse and Alexis exchange growls as he passes her, and as he reaches me, Jesse bats his eyelashes and blows a kiss after passing.

"What was that about?" Alexis asks. I'm almost positive she didn't see Mateo grinning at me, but I can't be sure. "Jesse is such a pain."

"He's just a typical brother, Alexis. Isn't your brother annoying?" It's a trick question, because I know he is. "You should be used to it," I try to console her, but Alexis grows silent. We pass a small empty room, and I look over my shoulder to check on her. I catch her looking in Jesse's direction, and it's not how anyone should look at their brother.

Alexis sees me in her periphery and caves.

"Okay, I'll 'fess up. Jesse and I _might_ have had more than a fling last year." Her words rush out in a whisper.

"So, you dated? That is a big deal. Do you still have feelings for him?" Silence. "Please, tell me you don't have feelings." When did I turn into a priest? This definitely isn't the time or place to hear all of Alexis' deep, dark secrets, but as soon as we get back home, I can't wait to hear them. If we ever get back to the surface.

"Well, maybe..."

All the sudden the banter and arguing between Jesse and Alexis makes sense. I stop in my tracks and look at her, _really_ look at her. They would make a cute couple...if they were both mute.

"Geez, Alexis. I just thought Jesse was flirting all this time and you were putting him in his place. But, you've been flirting back in some sort of sick, prepubescent way." I interrupt.

"What? He's hot. I admit he's arrogant and sarcastic, but at first it came across as confident and funny. It's over, in fact, it was over before Christmas. I had to start getting serious about the SATs and college, and Jesse doesn't graduate for another year. There's no way it would have lasted."

I begin to walk again, trying to keep the boys in my line of sight. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"Whatever. You, of _all_ people, should understand."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I challenge and step over a loose rock on the path.

"Oh, please. Why didn't you and Mateo ever get together? Why did you date my brother instead of him?"

Obviously, Jesse hasn't shared any of his personal insight about what he saw last night with her. Heat rushes up my neck and into my cheeks before I realize what the thought of Mateo and me kissing does to me.

"Shut up!" Alexis exclaims.

"I didn't say anything," I mutter through clenched teeth. I hope that it calls to her attention that I would rather not talk about it with Mateo walking ten feet in front of us. Silence grows between us, and I can barely make out that Mateo and Jesse are having a conversation of their own.

We near a fork in the cave, and Mateo veers to the right. I hear a trickle of water up ahead.

"You two can take this room," Mateo offers.

We walk up to the doorway, and I can see a small stream of water running through the cave we're entering. Some plant life grows at the far side of the room, but nothing as large as a tree, just some smaller bushes.

The sound of running water reminds me of how thirsty I am and that I need to pee. I hear footsteps and look back to see Mateo and Jesse moving ahead to another room. Alexis steps around me, and I step into the small room after her.

"Hey!" I hear the guys both exclaim from the cave. "Ollie?" Mateo calls.

I step back into the hallway, and the _noor_ moves into the small cavern with me. Mateo and Jesse were left in the dark when I left them. As the light filters back into the walkway I notice a look of confusion on Jesse's face and a knowing smile on Mateo's.

"Ollie?" Jesse looks from me to the _noor_ above me.

"Jesse, I'll explain, but first I have to pee." I run back into the room with the trickling water, and collide with a wide-eyed Alexis.

"Sorry." I recover my balance, step over the small stream, and duck behind a medium-size plant. "Wait out there. I'll be right back." If they do walk in, they won't be able to see anything, but I'm not taking any chances.

As I stand and situate my clothes, I notice that Alexis is staring at the _noor_ above me. She looks down at me then back up. "Did I just see that stuff following you?" she asks pointedly. I nod and move back toward the doorway.

"Come out here, and I'll explain it to you and Jesse at the same time."

"Explain what, exactly? Did those tribal people do some voodoo-hexy-mumbo-jumbo on you?" Alexis follows me into the cave where Jesse and Mateo are waiting.

"The tribe did something to you?" Jesse's made his way to just outside the doorway and jumps into the conversation.

"No, I'm fine."

"Was it Gabriel? Did he do something to you?" Alexis guesses wildly, and I see Mateo's whole body tense at the notion.

"I'll beat him senseless if he did anything to you." Jesse pushes his right fist into his left palm.

"Hold on a second." I never imagined Alexis and Jesse would join forces, and I'm starting to think I liked it better when they were at odds.

It doesn't take long for Jesse and Alexis to be at each other's throats again. It's as if insults lace in and through the carbon dioxide they exhale.

"Please tell me they didn't include you in some weird ceremony or animal sacrifice before we left. That whole killing-a-goat-and-chanting-thing at Gabriel's ceremony was whack." Jesse's face turns green, and I'm glad Gabriel and Keren are waiting for us in the other chamber because Jesse's concern could be taken the wrong way. Alexis steps over in his direction with what looks like concern, but I wait for a snarky retort. It doesn't come.

"Jesse, relax. It's more like it's taking care of me, nothing creepy like that."

"Why don't we all step into the cavern and get you some water," Mateo offers.

I head back to the trickling stream. It's nestled between the rock, like a mini Grand Canyon. When I don't hear or feel the others behind me, I look over my shoulder to find Jesse and Alexis standing in the doorway looking up at the light above me. Mateo's eyes are on me, and I'm not sure if I'm bothered more by the _noor_ -staring or Ollie-staring.

"Okay, stop staring, people. Jesse, you need to get over here and drink some water." His color begins to come back as he makes his way over to the stream.

"I'm glad you're doing okay with all this, Ollie," Jesse says as we both kneel next to the stream. He fills his cupped hands with water and drinks.

"No one said I was okay with any of this, but I guess I can't complain. It means that we have light down here in case we get separated from Gabriel and Keren. But it also means that my mom has a lot of explaining to do when we get home. She's been keeping some family secrets from me and it's time she started sharing them."

"I see you all found the right place." Keren's voice echoes into the cavern from the hallway. We all turn and find her making her way into the room with Gabriel close behind. Both wear two packs, one strapped on each shoulder. Setting them down against the wall, Keren takes a look at us like she's taking inventory. "Good, we are all here. Gabriel and I have are having a difference of opinion on the route we should take to the surface. I think it would be best to take a vote."

"This is childish, Keren," Gabriel scolds softly, but the quarters are so small, we can all hear him clearly.

"What's the difference in your routes?" Mateo inquires.

"My brother would like to track back, by way of the behemoth's cavern, and take a route to the surface that will add two days to our journey," Keren quickly explains.

"I vote for Keren's route," Jesse chimes. He beats me to the punchline, but there has to be a good reason Gabriel doesn't agree with Keren.

"My sister would like to escort our group through the tribe's forbidden burial grounds. It may be a shorter trek, but they are forbidden for a reason," Gabriel counters.

"I probably want to get home more than anyone, but forbidden burial grounds sound pretty ominous. Maybe we should take the longer route," Alexis suggests, and I'm shocked that she'd even consider the idea of being down here a minute more than we have to be.

"So now you're scared?" Jesse digs at Alexis.

"Shut up, Jesse!" Mateo cuts off any banter before it begins. "Why are they forbidden, Gabriel? I personally think passing by some graves will be a lot less dangerous than outrunning a giant lizard."

"Good point, Mateo." Keren nods her approval. "Gabriel has never been there. He has only heard stories about the ancient terrain, but I have seen it."

"Be careful, Keren. You do not want to mislead them," Gabriel warns.

"So, what are you not telling us?" I try to read between the lines.

"I have not walked through the grounds. I have been to their borders but never crossed them." Keren pauses.

"Go on," Gabriel prompts.

"I heard voices and sounds that made me hesitant to proceed," Keren admits.

"The area is where our ancestors have been laid to rest. By disturbing their peace, we will be endangering or cursing our journey," Gabriel adds.

The stream of water is the only sound between us. Gabriel's spiritual beliefs weigh on him, and he looks distraught over the fact that we're considering the route through the burial grounds. I can't help but think that there's something else to it. "Gabriel, is there another reason you want to go back the way we came?"

Gabriel steps in my direction, but his eyes move from me back to Keren. "We are not far from the village, and traveling in circles yesterday set us on a path in the opposite direction we originally mapped out." He pauses, and I know his heart is in the right place. The only thing keeping him from returning is his promise to us. "They are destroying _noor_ , and someone could get hurt. It is our most precious gift, and I feel an obligation to our tribe to bring Zadok to justice."

"I despise him as much as you, but this is our chance to get to the surface." Keren begs. "You know if we are found that Father will try to keep us with the tribe,"

"You mean, he will keep _you_ with the tribe," Mateo interjects. We all probably thought it, but Mateo saves Gabriel from having to make the point.

None of us knows this underground maze of caves and caverns like Gabriel and Keren, and it makes it hard for any of us to offer a solution. Keren starts moving back and forth between the backpacks and the stream, filling the canteens with water.

Gabriel soon breaks the growing tension. "Let us make a compromise. We will take the route you have suggested, Keren, with the understanding that if there is another quake I will turn back to check on the others."

The concession is made, but resistance pulls between Gabriel's eyebrows. He looks over to a relieved Keren, and she immediately moves toward him and wraps him in her arms.

"Thank you. If what you say is true, I know father will discover Zadok's treachery and handle it," Keren reassures him. "We will be free to explore the surface, and we can return when we are ready."

During the heartfelt interaction, I linger over Gabriel's words. He specifically said _I_ will turn back. Gabriel's loyalty and concern for his tribe is honorable. It reminds me of Mateo's loyalty to his family. They're both good men, and if I'm right, Gabriel won't be able to stay on the surface at the expense of his family.

"If everyone has had sufficient privacy, I believe we should get moving," Keren jokes as she lets go of Gabriel.

"If I am accurate in my estimation, we will arrive at the surface in less than three days." Keren moves to the doorway and picks up a pack. She throws it over her shoulder and steps into the hallway. A fraction of the _noor_ moves out of the room with her, and the small cave shrinks with growing shadows. We all fall into line behind her, with the other three packs getting picked up by Jesse, Mateo, and Gabriel.

# Twenty

Our journey starts off on a typical note. Jesse and Alexis argue with each other about what Keren will like more on the surface, pizza or chocolate. The most interesting part of the conversation is how Jesse goes on and on about his addiction to all the different types of chocolate. It seems he loves milk, white, and dark chocolate equally. He even goes into a theory he has that everyone loves chocolate, but has to find the "right kind" of chocolate. Unable to accept unequal airtime, Alexis takes the opportunity to explain how the different types of pizza can be served as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

I can't help but chuckle over the conversation we're having. Who knows how many thousands of feet below the surface we are, hiking around rock formations and climbing over boulders, and we're still focused on junk food.

"Good grief! Y'all are making me hungry, can we please change the subject?" Mateo asks from behind me.

From the front of the pack, Keren slows and turns to face us. "I like learning more about your culture. How about we play a little game? I ask a question and you answer it, then you can ask me a question and I'll answer it."

"I'm cool with that," Alexis responds.

"Yeah, anything to help pass the time, I guess," Jesse agrees.

I'm not sure I really want to play the game, but learning more about the tribe can't be all bad. It does make me a little nervous to think I might learn something that will creep me out. I also have very little faith that Alexis and Jesse will keep the conversation polite. They seem to thrive on conflict and drama.

"You go first, Keren. It's only fair, since we're headed to the surface," Jesse offers.

"All right. I would like to know about your school. Specifically, what a girl is allowed to learn." It's refreshing to think Keren might seek more education when she gets to the surface. I would have been miserable in high school if it hadn't been for my textbooks.

"I can tell you about the fun activities in high school," Alexis starts off, "but Ollie would be better at tell you about everything you can study. She's been learning about all sorts of stuff in South America during the last school year, and she's headed off to college soon."

Keren looks over her shoulder at Alexis in confusion. "I have heard of college, but can you explain what it is?"

"Well, college is school for anyone that wants to study a specific field. At least, that's how I would describe it." I stop to get some affirmation from the others, realizing that describing what college is turns out to be more difficult than I'd imagined.

"No, that's a good way to put it," Mateo confirms.

I continue, "After people go to school and learn the basics, they may want to learn more about a specific subject. Ever since I was little, I've wanted to learn more about the earth and get a job helping to preserve it. It will take at least four years of classes."

"What will you go to college to study, Alexis?" Keren asks.

"I haven't decided yet. I want to study art, but my dad wants me to study business. I'll probably take a few classes for each and decide later," Alexis admits.

"You need to study art, Alexis," Jesse begins. "You're so—"

"You wouldn't understand, Jesse," Alexis huffs. "I owe it to my dad to give business a try." I try not to overanalyze the obvious annoyance Alexis is throwing at Jesse with her words.

"Did you hear that, Gabriel?" Keren dispels the tension by shouting to the back of our group. "I can go back to school on the surface. I can learn to do anything I want."

We fall silent as we all try to imagine a world where college is a foreign idea. After a few minutes of our footsteps echoing in the cave around us, Keren passes the torch. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"How about you explain the burial grounds to us," Mateo suggests. "It seems pretty far away for people to be buried. Don't your people visit their family's graves?"

"We believe that once the spirit leaves the body, it must remain undisturbed. The dead body is buried, and if you are related by blood to the deceased, you go through a mourning period. When our mother passed away, I was dressed in white every day for many seasons and Father visited her grave often. Now I wear white on special occasions to celebrate her life." Her words aren't accompanied by a sad smile or weepy tears, but her eyes are piercing and thoughtful.

"The burial ground we will be traveling through is an ancient one. Our elders deemed it forbidden when we moved here. I was just a small boy at the time," Gabriel explains.

"There would be no reason for anyone to travel there," Keren adds. "Anyone that would have gone to pay their respects has long been deceased themselves."

"So what do you think you heard when you traveled there, Keren?" Alexis asks.

"It was when I was a small child, and I found myself on the edge of the burial grounds. I'm not sure if I really heard voices or if it was the unknown that scared me away."

"You are still somewhat small, Sister," Gabriel teases. We all laugh a little, and I'm happy to avoid any more discussion about the dead and their forbidden burial sites, although learning some of the traditions about honoring the dead, like the idea of celebrating life with white rather than mourning with black, intrigues me somewhere deep inside.

We continue to play our little game for what seems like hours. We talk about skyscrapers, music, and different races of people living life together. Keren tells us all she knows about the underground network of caverns and how the people of her tribe occupy areas under China, Italy, Turkey, and even parts of South America. Gabriel's quick to correct Keren when she offers half-overheard conversations, but he also adds his own knowledge of where the tribe has traveled. Places like California and Colorado have been occupied more recently, and the nomadic tribe first moved here, under Texas, hundreds of years ago. Their heritage, my heritage, seems immeasurable. My skin prickles more and more as I learn about the depth and breadth of the tribe.

"How has your tribe eluded the people on the surface for all these centuries?" Jesse inquires.

"As children..." Gabriel starts, then he and Keren look at each other and pause for a second, as if silently deciding who should explain. He continues, "We are taught that the _noor_ protects us from discovery. People who have come into contact with us by accident never remember the tribe after they leave the presence of the _noor_. It even shields us from being detected by those who do not share our bloodline." None of us can imagine forgetting this experience, although Gabriel's words ring anything but hollow in our ears.

"I have my own theory," Keren interrupts our silent musings, "and I believe that our people are lost. I mean to say, they do not know where they belong, so they wander from place to place hoping to find a permanent settlement. In their effort to hide themselves hundreds of years ago, paradoxically they lost themselves."

"Keren," Gabriel calls to his sister, "I know you will find your place someday. Whether it is on the surface or underground."

We finally arrive at a cavern that stretches so far ahead it fades into a soft darkness. Stalagmites rise up from the floor, with thick gray webs that reach high above their tips to the ceiling. The _noor_ casts eerie shadows and makes the webbing appear silvery.

Along the side walls of the cavern are arched doorways spaced about twenty feet apart. A glow, like a halo, outlines each opening. There's no telling how many rooms or caves there are, because each side of the cavern is dotted with light as far as I can see.

Keren begins to move forward, and Gabriel is quick to step around all of us to join his sister. Now that we're out of the narrow cave, we don't have to walk single-file. As I move further into the room, I become aware of the broken ground beneath and ahead of me. It looks like the quakes have affected the burial grounds, and there are crevices that run jaggedly on either side of us along the length of room.

Where one crevice ends, another begins.

I feel something brush against my arm, and I flinch. "It's okay, it's just me," Mateo whispers with a grin. He waves his hands in surrender, and I smile back at him.

"I wonder where all of the doorways lead. At least they're too small for behemoths to get through," I announce to the group, relieved.

"Maybe they're baby-beastie holes?" Jesse teases ahead of me.

Alexis, walking next to Jesse now, reaches over and punches him in the arm for all of us.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Ollie," Alexis answers simply with a smile. Mateo and I just laugh from behind them, and Jesse pouts.

"The openings lead to family burial chambers," Keren mentions as if it's no big deal.

"Oh...sorry..." I feel like I've been somewhat disrespectful. Soon we pass the first set of doorways on either side of us, and I can barely make out short headstones scattered across the floor. "What's the light in the rooms? Is that _noor_?"

"It is. When a tribe member perishes, there is a small amount of _noor_ that remains in the chamber where they are buried," Gabriel explains.

The knowledge that _noor_ resides in the burial chambers with the families is consoling. The farther we move into the cavern, the more I grow concerned with what else resides in this cavern. The webs that stretch above us must have been left by spiders. After passing the 13th or 14th set of rooms, we come across a room to the left with no light. The fact that the doorway is so dark makes it more noticeable, and it feels wrong.

The sound of rocks falling against the floor stops the group in surprise. I'm not sure if the sound came from one of the small rooms or from up ahead. Gabriel places a finger over his mouth, and we all nod in understanding before we continue walking.

An hour or two of hiking passes without creepy sounds, and we don't see anything moving. Then odd noises blow in with an unexplained gust of wind and settle at our feet with falling rock. A loud screech causes Jesse to jump behind one of the stalagmites, and when Keren explains that it's only a bat he moves back to Alexis' side. The only problem with Keren's observation is that it sends Alexis into duck-and-cover mode every time we hear any other similar noises.

We walk by hundreds of burial chambers, and I eventually lose count. More and more of the rooms are consumed by darkness.

I finally work up the nerve to voice the question that has been swirling around in my head. "Gabriel, why do you think so many rooms don't have _noor_?"

"I'm not sure. It may be that they are not being used."

I step in the direction of the next doorway that's void of light, and feel Mateo move with me.

"Where are you headed?" he asks.

"I'm just going to check out that room." I point and notice that everyone else has slowed down, watching Mateo and me.

"I won't go inside. I just want to see if there are any headstones," I reassure them and myself. I won't let my curiosity outweigh my respect for the dead.

I step over crevices and around stalagmites with Mateo close behind, and when I reach the doorway I can see headstones peeking out from the ground. There are at least twelve of them, but no _noor_. Unease slithers up my spine, and before I turn to head back to the others, I see a shifting shadow in the back of the room. Without waiting to see what might move into view, I step backward.

Mateo's solid chest stops me, and it's as hard as one of the rock walls surrounding us.

"Are you... What is that?"

# Twenty-One

Mateo and I don't hesitate to rush to the others. I fumble around him and grab his hand, pulling him behind me. It only takes a few strides before he's at my side. Before either of us can yell at the others, they know something is wrong.

I glance back over my shoulder and see two crab-like claws, each the size of a small child. They push out into the open from the room we were just peering in. Pinching at the _noor_ , the claws appear fluorescent. They're followed by beady eyes and eight glowing legs. Its long, curling, neon green tail is the most alarming feature—it ends in stinger. It's all I need to see to figure out that it's an enormous, neon scorpion. I kick into high gear, and I push through the burning in my thighs to run faster than I've ever run before.

As we reach the others, a loud shriek echoes through the chamber. I grab Alexis with my other hand and pull her behind the closest stalagmite. The others file behind her while I stop to catch my breath.

" _¡Escorpión gigante loco!_ Did the rest of you see that?" Jesse exclaims.

"Shh. It will come over here if it hears you," Alexis whispers.

"The _aqrab_ should avoid the _noor_. Do not worry yourselves," Keren offers.

"Don't worry? There's a _giant scorpion_ less than a hundred yards away, and you want us to not worry? I thought I was going crazy, but I think you've lost it," Jesse retorts. Alexis lets go of my hand to grab his, and her touch instantly distracts Jesse. His eyes fall to their tangled fingers, and a corner of his mouth stretches closer to its corresponding dimple. Alexis has become quite the Jesse Whisperer.

"The _aqrab_ is retreating back into the burial room as we speak," Gabriel announces, and he moves back toward the path at the center of the room.

Mateo's eyes stay glued to the creature and his mouth hangs open in awe. His curiosity gets the best of him, and with a nod toward the cave he whispers, "Why are you so confident that it won't come back out?"

"The _aqrab_ is one of the obstacles I knew we might encounter. Our shepherds confront the beasts when watching after the _izzim_ on a frequent basis. What you refer to as a scorpion has never attacked any of our people in the past. The _noor_ has always protected us," Gabriel explains.

"Do you mean you knew about those things and didn't tell us, and the light with me would have kept it away?" I ask.

"Yes," Keren answers.

"But it could have decided to eat me because I don't have it?" Mateo reminds us all with a question that half the group would be lost in a pitch black labyrinth or eaten by an oversized arachnid if we were separated.

"There is no way to know. I would guess that you would only have to face the _aqrab's_ wrath if you left our side," Gabriel says.

"I would rather not test out that theory—just stay close," I tell Mateo, Alexis, and Jesse.

We quietly travel another mile and pass more than ten dark doorways along the way. Knowing what could lie waiting in each of the rooms makes me anxious to get through this cavern. I can barely make out what I think is the end of the room and can't help but feel relief at leaving this place.

I remember that when I was younger, I would hold my breath when my mom drove past graveyards. Some kid in school, maybe Mateo now that I think of it, told me that you could breathe in a dead person's spirit if you inhaled when passing a cemetery. I grew out of believing the silly superstition, but this place has aroused a respect for the dead that I've never considered.

"I'm so glad to be getting out of this cavern." Alexis obviously doesn't share my attitude toward the deceased. There's not a clear end in sight, but we've all noticed the cavern getting narrower. I hope it leads to a place we can camp and get a little rest. There's no way I'm sleeping with a tomb next door.

"I second that," Jesse agrees. "The dark rooms are starting to outnumber the ones with light, and it feels like I'm in a really scary movie."

"It's nice to hear you two have an exchange without any sarcasm," Mateo teases.

"Don't encourage them." I punch Mateo in the bicep.

Gabriel and Keren are having their own conversation at the front of the group. Keren folds her arms across her chest and she seems more frustrated with her brother than normal. There's a clear break in their discussion, and Keren goes into full-on pout mode.

"Hey, Keren, can I ask you something?" I take few long steps to her.

"Sure. As long as you're not going to try and talk me into turning back." The dig is meant for Gabriel to catch, but he seems more interested in one of the dark burial chambers to the left.

"I'm wondering where we're headed next. It looks like we'll be out of the burial grounds soon, but do you know where to go from here?"

"There is a trail that I've seen marked out on a map just past the burial grounds. It is one of two that forks at the end of this trail. One way leads to the old tribal grounds, the village that our tribe settled at hundreds of years ago. The other path leads to the surface. If we can make it to the fork, I think it will be—"

"Olivia," Gabriel calls out my full name with urgency from the dark side chamber's doorway. Keren squints in Gabriel's direction, and he waves at her to wait.

"Just a sec." I leave Keren's side and walk over to Gabriel. He paces in the chamber's entry and pulls one of his hands through his hair. He clenches his jaw, and as soon as I am a few feet away, he stops in his tracks.

"Were there headstones in the room you..." Gabriel doesn't finish, but looks sorrowfully into the dark room in front of him.

"Gabriel, we shouldn't be so close to this room. What if there's another scorpion?" I say. I can barely focus on anything else with every inch he strays closer to the dark rooms.

"I have checked, and there is no beast. Now, please, can you tell me if there were headstones in the room you checked earlier?"

"Yes. Is there an explanation for something like this?"

"No, I cannot fathom what could cause the _noor_ to fade or leave these graves," Gabriel answers. "The _aqrab_ should not have been able to live in the burial room if _noor_ rested there with the deceased. Someone has removed it."

"Why don't we keep moving?" I suggest, nodding toward the rest of the group, who are now fifty feet away from us. Gabriel is not paying attention to me. "If we can get to a place to rest and eat something, maybe we can put our heads together and figure out what's going on. Maybe we can fix it." I try to encourage him to move with me and take a few steps in the direction of the others.

"I am sure that I have a good idea of what is happening, and if I'm right the damage is irreparable."

"You can't be sure of that. Think of all that we've come through already. Let's stay positive," I say, snapping him out of his daze.

"All right, Olivia, but I feel there's something wrong happening here. It is a good idea to keep moving," Gabriel responds in a monotone voice, walking behind me.

We reach the others, and Gabriel moves to the front of the group. He begins talking in whispers to Keren, and she's engrossed with what he is saying. I'm startled when I feel a hand slide across my lower back.

"Everything okay?" Mateo steps closer, and his hand rests on my hip as we walk together a few feet behind the others.

"Yeah, Gabriel's upset that some of the burial grounds don't have _noor_. He wanted to know if the one I checked out earlier was the same." I look in Gabriel's direction and spot Jesse sneaking off to the right behind a stalagmite.

"What is your brother doing?"

Mateo looks over to where I'm focused. Jesse's back is flat against the rock putting him in a position to scare Alexis.

"Well, I'm going to guess he's flirting, in the kindergartener-pulling-pigtails sort of way."

"If he's about to do what I think he's about to do, Alexis _will_ react. Hopefully she'll just scream and maybe hit him, but I have a feeling we'll _all_ suffer the consequences." I'm annoyed. Can't Jesse comprehend the danger we're in and keep moving like the rest of us?

Jesse pauses in his pursuit just as Alexis stops. She looks ahead and off to the right. I follow her gaze to see what has her attention. One of the doorways ahead of us is twice as bright as any of the others in the cavern. I glance at Keren and Gabriel, and I find that Gabriel is listening intently to something Keren is telling him.

Jesse pounces out from his hiding spot at that moment with a roar, and Alexis and I both jump. My heart is racing, and Mateo chuckles beside me.

The commotion pulls Keren and Gabriel out of their discussion. Alexis walks over to them, ignoring Jesse's laughter.

"Have y'all noticed that room over there?" Alexis points in the direction of the bright doorway.

"Interesting," Gabriel puts it simply and walks toward light. We all follow this time.

"I am not done with you, Vargas."

The room is still far enough ahead that we stay on the path in the center of the room. As we move closer, I begin to see the light in the room bend and move. Keren looks back over her shoulder and places one finger over her lips.

Gabriel walks around stalagmites and uses them as cover when we're two rooms away. It's a smart move if we don't want to be noticed by whomever, or whatever, is in that room.

"I do not believe...idea. We have conveyed...message...people...obey." I can hear a mumbling reply coming from a second party, then a third party. The words bounce from rock to rock, and echo as each man moves around the cave. No wonder the _noor_ is so vibrant in the burial chamber; there have to be at least three tribespeople in the room.

Gabriel stops ten feet from the doorway, and we all press our backs against the wall. It reminds me of our covert entrance into the village the day Gabriel offered to help guide us to the surface.

"It is necessary, Enoch. You are deluding yourself if you think the people do not need to be reminded of God's wrath." Zadok's asserts, enraged. What is he doing here with Enoch?

Gabriel's whole body stiffens beside mine when he hears his father's name being spat with such anger.

"The people are in an uproar, Zadok. We need to focus on calming their fears, not instilling terror in them," Enoch states.

"With the surface dwellers gone, we should work together to build unity," a third voice suggests. "It is why Ben sent Barack to warn us of your duplicity."

"Asa, you are mistaken if you think that was the last we will see of surface dwellers. They will _always_ wander in our caves, and I will _always_ be required to dispose of them. Trusting our own men when they pledge secrecy is different than trusting people we do not know from a world that is just as foreign. I believe we are called to do greater things than hide underground. Before we make our place on the surface, we must make sure the people there respect and fear us."

"You are not bringing the Wrath of God on those people, you are destroying His gift to us!" Asa shouts.

"Zadok, you will be stopped. Too many people know your plan now. You will destroy the ground you wish to live on and the firmament God has given to protect us," Enoch roars back.

"You are both fools, and if you do not join me, you will regret it," Zadok declares.

Gabriel takes a few steps over to stand in the doorway. I wait, expecting Zadok to try and escape, only to be grabbed by Mateo.

" _Qualal mishpakha. Qualal mishpakha. Qualal mishpakha_ ," Zadok repeats over and over.

her brother as Gabriel steps inside the room "Father!" Gabriel yells.

The light in the room begins to dim, and a shrill sound assaults my ears. The noise is so high pitched that it makes my teeth hurt. The ground beneath us shakes violently, and Keren enters the room after Gabriel. Crevices that have already invaded the rock floor begin to spread even wider. The small amount of _noor_ above me is not enough to shelter me and my friends as the ceiling rains dust and rubble on top of us. There is no place to run, so I step haphazardly toward the room.

"Follow me," I yell to Mateo, Alexis, and Jesse.

I move into the doorway, and a large man dressed in an elder's robe pushes past me. I fall back into Mateo. The hulking figure running past us must be Asa. He doesn't stop but runs full speed away from us all.

Once we are all in the room, I see Zadok, with his hands raised in the air, pointing toward the _noor_ swirling above us. He is still chanting, but his words are now drowned out by the crying light. Enoch reaches for Zadok as a fissure grows wider between them. The gaping hole is bottomless and growing wider with each chant.

Enoch grabs hold of one of Zadok's arms, and his step falters. He falls near the edge of the crevice, bringing Zadok down with him.

The screaming stops, but the tremors are only growing more forceful. I fall to the ground, and when I look up, Gabriel is straining to extend his arm as far as it will go in an attempt to help his father. The two elders wrestle, rolling back and forth, and Enoch is shoved over the open space. The gap is too wide for Gabriel to reach across.

The only thing keeping Enoch from falling into the depth of the hole is his grip on Zadok's arm. Keren stops Gabriel from trying to jump across the gap with a scream, "No! You will fall!"

Holding on to each other, they watch their father fight for his life.

The crevice grows into a chasm that reaches the edge of the chamber and then travels up the wall and back across the room along the ceiling. A loud crack sounds as the cavern splits in half. Gabriel, Keren, and the rest of us are together on one side, but Zadok and Enoch are on the other.

"I will tell the tribe you died with honor, Brother."

We helplessly watch as Zadok releases Enoch into the darkness below. A small amount of _noor_ drifts down with him to his death.

"NO!" Gabriel cries out.

Gabriel holds Keren back, and they both fall to the ground. I'm not sure if the fall is Gabriel's last resort to keep Keren close or if it's a result of the quake.

Zadok stands, rage etched into his features. "You will leave this place and never return, or I will see that you suffer the same fate as your father." He looks over the huge chasm in the room and knows that we cannot come after him. The murderer runs for the doorway and disappears into darkness. The _noor_ remains with us.

The tremors subside, and an echoing sob brings my attention back to a huddled mass on the floor. The sight of Gabriel holding his sister while they mourn the death of their father brings tears to my eyes.

Alexis makes her way to my side, and she rests a hand on my shoulder. "What can we do?"

I shrug, numb.

So, we wait, and I cry silently for my fatherless friends.

# Twenty-Two

Keren's been sobbing for hours. Her heart-wrenching cries reverberate and fill the small cavern and bounce from wall to wall. I look at Alexis and nod, hoping she'll follow my lead. Picking up a backpack, I walk past her to Gabriel. He's sitting with his arms wrapped around his younger sister. All they have is each other now.

"Keren, can we take you to get cleaned up? It might make you feel a little better." I hope the simplicity of my suggestion doesn't come across as offensive. Keren looks up at me with a runny nose and streams of tears falling down both cheeks.

"Come on, Keren. We'll all go together and make camp," Alexis adds from behind me. Keren looks from Alexis and me to Gabriel. He nods and helps her up from the floor.

As Alexis and I help her out of the destroyed room, I can hear Gabriel say something under his breath to Jesse and Mateo. The verbal exchange is quick and muffled, and I let it go so I can focus on Keren.

Keren glances back over her shoulder, at the gaping hole in the middle of the room, and starts to tear up again. I place an arm around her waist, and she leans into me, releasing a moaning exhale of air. We continue to move forward together through the large cave, and I follow the light of the _noor_ moving away from the burial grounds.

The echo of our footsteps follows us as we trek through a narrow cave, then suddenly it opens up to a beautiful garden. When I step into the space, I hear the trickling of water ahead. Getting Keren a drink and letting her wash her face is my priority, so I look for the source of water.

"We'll stop here and set up camp," I hear Mateo announce behind me.

"Thanks," I reply and set my backpack down. Opening the top flap, I pull out an empty canteen.

Keren and I make our way a few feet farther into the garden and follow a small stream of water to where it gathers into a small pool. Alexis hasn't followed us, so I have to do my best to console Keren on my own. I guide Keren down into a kneeling position with me at the edge of the water and start to fill the canteen. She leans forward and cups her hands in the water then lifts them to her face, washing away the salty tears and matted dirt. Rivulets of water slide down her neck, soaking the purple fabric of her tunic and making it appear black.

"Drink this." I hand the full canteen to her, and she takes three big gulps. "How are you feeling, Keren?"

"Devastated...angry...worried...and selfish." She hands the canteen back to me, and I begin to fill it again.

"I get three of those reactions, but you shouldn't feel selfish."

"I cannot wrap my thoughts around what just happened, Ollie. I had time to come to terms with my mother's death because she was sick for a long time. If I hadn't left the tribe, I might have been able to stop my father from going after Zadok to begin with. It feels like there is a hole in my chest," she admits.

Keren's eyes become glassy, and I can sense that she's about to start bawling again. I immediately wrap my arms around her. She inhales deeply, after a few seconds, and pulls out of my embrace. Keren seems transfixed by something behind be. A plant's leaves rustle, and Alexis steps into view holding a piece of fabric.

"I thought you could use a fresh shirt," Alexis offers, holding out the clean tunic with a smile.

Keren doesn't reach for the tunic but stares at something to the right of Alexis. The plant she just walked past has large beautiful purple petals, and it looks familiar. I think I remember it having to do with dyeing fabrics and...

"Toxins!" I shout at Alexis.

Alexis darts away from the flower and closer to us. "What the heck, Ollie. Toxins? What are you talking about?"

"That plant is used by the tribe to dye fabrics, Alexis. Don't you remember Keren telling us about them back in the courtyard?"

"No. I mean I remember the flower, but not that it's poisonous. Why would I?"

I groan internally at Alexis and can't seem to keep my mouth from reacting. "Are you kidding me? _Why should I?_ Maybe because it would save your life at some point while we're stuck in these God-forsaken caves. I can't believe you."

"Calm down, I'm sorry." Alexis is taken off guard by my outburst, and so am I. She holds her ground and seems to be holding it together better than any of us.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm tired and need some rest. We all do." Embarrassed, I stand and turn to walk away.

"Ollie?" Keren stops me. "Be careful to avoid any of the plants that have blooms. The toxins from the _muranymph_ blossom can be fatal. Some of the pollen from the other blooms may cause hallucinations if they are inhaled, or rashes if they make contact with your skin."

"Got it. Steer clear of beautiful flowers." I walk back to camp and stop short of the clearing. Listening in on part of a conversation between Mateo and Gabriel, I find a spot to wait behind a small grouping of bushes.

"You know you can't ask that," Mateo says flatly.

"I must. You know Olivia better than any of us. If I do not ask..."

Hearing my name, there's no way I'm going to sit back and let them talk about me when I can just be included in the conversation. "Ask me what?" I walk into the circle of pallets and see that there are only three left. Since there are six people in our party and only three places to sleep, my thoughts betray me. Two of the three guys in front of me have put their lips on me in the last three days.

"Will you be all right sleeping with Alexis?" Gabriel blurts out.

"Sure." I look over at Mateo, and he's shoving things around in his backpack, frustrated. Jesse is rummaging through one of the packs and avoiding all of us.

"I'm going to go wash up. Ollie, will you pull out what food we have?" As Mateo makes his way across the space between us. He tosses the backpack at me. Jesse is close behind him with his own pack in hand. They both move into the foliage behind me.

Their departure has given me the perfect opportunity to ask Gabriel about what I overheard. "So, what was that _really_ about?"

Gabriel takes a few steps in my direction, and I raise an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to get Mateo's thoughts on something."

"It sounds like you have something you want to ask me."

He's two feet away, and with his answer, he moves one step closer.

"I do wish to propose something, Olivia. I am just not sure about the timing."

Did he just use the word propose? This stupid language barrier sends my mind reeling. No matter what, the timing is _definitely_ off. "So don't right now. Just wait until later," I offer.

A smile spreads across Gabriel's face, and after all that has happened, the fact that he can smile gives me hope.

He is so beautiful. The thought brings one of the corners of my own mouth up, but his formal demeanor makes me unsure of how I should react.

I want to make sure he's okay. I want to take care of him the way he took care of me when I thought the worst had happened to my friends. While I question myself and my feelings for him, it seems Gabriel is confident and closes the gap between us.

He brings a hand up to my face and traces the line of my jaw from my chin to my ear. He rests his thumb on the same spot where he kissed my neck. His pink, puffy eyes look longingly at that spot and then move up to my lips. My stomach flips, and I'm not sure if it's in anticipation or guilt. He's grieving right now and has to be even more confused than me.

"Olivia..." he whispers, just as I hear Keren holler from behind me, "Ollie!"

My name is like an alarm that wakes both Gabriel and me up from a dream, and we both take a step away from each other.

Keren moves between a few bushes into the camp with Alexis close behind her. Keren has a goofy grin plastered across her face, and I can only imagine what she caught a glimpse of before alerting us to her presence.

Alexis, on the other hand, has her arms crossed over her chest. Keren pushes a canteen into my hands as she walks by and brings my attention back to the task I was assigned. Food.

I bend down to search the backpack and place the canteen on ground next to the bag.

"What are you so upset about, Alexis?" I ask while avoiding eye contact. I pull out a bundle of fabric that contains a few pieces of jerky.

"I had an encounter of the third kind on the way back to camp. I'm so tired of Jesse and his sarcasm. It's starting to hurt my feelings." Alexis plops down on the pallet we're supposed to be sharing.

" _You_ have _feelings_?"

"Hardy-har-har. I'm for real, Ollie. There's no way someone can dis you that much and have none of it be true."

"My mom always says there's a little truth to every joke," I concede.

"Not helping."

"Sorry. Mateo mentioned that Jesse was giving you a hard time when he jumped out to scare you. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that he's not over you, and this is the only way he knows how to deal." I pull out a few more bundles of bread and hard cheese and look over at Gabriel and Keren. They're going through their own packs and seem to be content listening to Alexis and me discuss Jesse.

All of a sudden, Keren looks at Alexis and states, "Jesse must not be sure of what he wants in life. Most of the men in our tribe are working and planning to get married at age sixteen."

If there's anyone who knows what she wants, it's Keren. Her comment brings a thoughtful silence over Alexis and me. I've always known what I want in life, but it's becoming clearer, the more I actually live it, that I may change my mind. That's scary. With the way Jesse and Alexis have been throwing mixed signals at each other, I have to consider that I've done the same.

"I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, Keren, but most guys on the surface are like Jesse," Alexis warns with an added eye roll. "What I mean is, that while Jesse's a good guy, he still has some growing up to do. Most men don't even settle down until they're in their mid-twenties or early thirties. Women too, now that I think about it," Alexis says.

"Ollie, you seem more responsible." Keren asserts and turns toward me. "Won't you settle down soon? Or will you finish college?"

I look from Keren to Gabriel and back; both wait for my answer.

"I guess it depends on a few extenuating circumstances," I answer as honestly and vaguely as I can.

"Hello? Is anyone out there? Someone help me!" Jesse's sudden screaming drags me out of my muddled thoughts, and it sounds like he's calling out from far away.

"Jesse?" Keren calls out, but there are a few seconds of silence that follow. "Jesse?"

"Mateo, where did you go?" Jesse doesn't sound too far now.

Gabriel is the first one to stand and move in the direction of Jesse's voice. "You all stay here. I will bring Jesse and Mateo back." He dashes into the dense greenery, and the next thing we hear is a scream. Not a manly yell for help, but an all-out high pitched, girly scream. Keren stands and scurries closer to Alexis and me.

"What do you think happened?" I start pacing, impatiently waiting for some other sign of life.

"It's probably Jesse's idea of a funny joke," Alexis retorts.

"I hope there is no truth to it." Keren starts to sit down next to us but freezes when the large leaves begin to rustle across from us.

"What do you think you're doing, man? We have to find Mateo and get away from them." Jesse wrestles against Gabriel's hold on him. They make it to the center of camp before Jesse even notices us.

"Alexis." Jesse breaks out of Gabriel's grasp and rushes over to her. He nearly knocks me over to kneel beside her.

"What are you doing here, babe? We have to make a run for it before those creatures get a hold of us. We all have to leave, now."

"What creatures?" I ask.

"Jesse, where's Mateo?" Gabriel interrupts.

"Oh, God. They must have caught him!" Jesse's eyes don't reach mine because they're darting from plant to plant around the camp. Jesse is so amped up that he's sweating.

"Jesse, did we just hear you screaming, or was that someone else?" I need to know if it was Mateo.

"We have to go," Jesse whispers and points in the direction of a larger bush with yellow blossoms. "They're coming for us."

"This is bad," Keren states, and her palms push out in front of her in a warning. We all freeze, unsure if our movements are causing Jesse's outburst.

"He is hallucinating," Gabriel confirms. "We need to find Mateo; he may have inhaled the same pollen and could be suffering the same delusions."

"Aw, crap. Why _now_ , Jesse?" Alexis whines but wraps her arms around him. "We were almost home free."

Jesse breaks down in tears murmuring something to Alexis about not wanting to die.

The rest of us just stare in disbelief.

# Twenty-Three

"I will track down Mateo while you all calm Jesse down." Gabriel severs Jesse's hold on our attention, and he disappears into the bushes. His stealth and grace leave the foliage undisturbed. It's hard to keep myself from going after Mateo myself, but it won't help anyone if I wander off and get lost.

Jesse lays across Alexis' lap in the fetal position. She begins running her fingers through his hair, but he swats at her hand. When he misses, he slaps his own forehead with a loud thwack.

"What are you doing to me?" Jesse asks, sitting up.

"I didn't do anything to you. You're the one acting all crazy. What were you doing breathing in the pollen anyway?" It's not like she's ever had patience for Jesse, but if there was a time when she needed it, this would be it. The guys weren't aware of the danger hidden in plain view.

Jesse spaces out for a second in thought, then his eyes light up like he's remembered something. "I was picking flowers for you," he claims, like he's accusing her of a crime, "and you go and hit me in the head."

"I didn't hit you in the head, you hit yourself." Alexis' arms wave at her side, and Jesse flinches.

"Why would I hit myself in the head, Alexis? _You're_ the one that's crazy. I can't believe I would take the time to pick flowers for you anyway." Jesse starts to scoot farther away from Alexis and stands.

"How long does this sort of thing last?" I ask Keren, unable to break my gaze from Jesse.

"I am uncertain. There is no way to tell how much of the pollen he breathed in. I have only heard stories about this sort of thing happening to _izzim_ herders who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. They always come out of it, but for some it lasts days and others only hours."

Jesse scans the plant life surrounding the camp, and his gaze stops at a small tree covered in green leaves. It looks like the pointed tips of each leaf have been dipped in bright yellow paint. They're the size of my hand, and six or seven of them hang limply from each branch.

Jesse takes two steps toward me and then pulls me behind him. It's like he's trying to protect me from the tropical-looking plant.

"How did they find us?" Jesse whispers over his shoulder.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Alexis asks, exasperated. "You need to lie down and stop tripping." Alexis stands and steps toward Jesse. She lays her hand on his shoulder, trying to settle him down. I hope that it serves as an anchor to hold him to reality. He looks at her hand and tenses.

"Freeze!" He orders. "They'll attack us. I bet they're drawn to our movements."

I'm not sure what to expect, but all of a sudden, the leaves start to sway. Jesse turns around and starts running. As he passes Keren, his feet get tangled up in her small foot which she's placed in his path. Jesse collides with the rock floor, and Keren plops down on top of him. She beams in triumph.

When I turn back toward the rustling leaves, Gabriel emerges with Mateo propped over his shoulder. Gabriel gently lays Mateo on one of the mats and reaches for a canteen. I move closer to examine Mateo, and he has a dark red welt along the left side of his jaw.

"He was unconscious, lying near the stream of water when I found him. It looks like someone might have hit him here." Gabriel points to the blotchy area at Mateo's jaw, and my first instinct is to get a bag of ice. The only problem is that we're in a cave, so ice is a no-go.

"Do you think it's broken?" Alexis asks from behind me.

"I am not sure. We will have to wait and see how he feels when he wakes up," Gabriel answers.

"I guess we'll also have to wait until he wakes up to find out if he inhaled any of that pollen. Do you think it's safe for us to stay here, Gabriel?" I'm more worried about keeping the Vargas brothers contained than future encounters with toxic pollen.

"I would suggest that we move into the cave. There is no vegetation, and it is close quarters to keep this one from running off," Keren says from her self-made seat.

"Agreed," Gabriel replies as he takes his canteen and tips it over Mateo's face. The water hits him squarely between the eyes and rolls down his face on either side. Mateo doesn't react immediately, but his lashes slowly pull apart as his lids open. His eyes slide past Gabriel and rest on me. He starts to sit up and winces in pain. One of his hands goes to the back of his head.

"Are you okay, Mateo?" I move past Gabriel and kneel next to him, placing one hand behind his head to help him finish his transition into a sitting position.

"Ugh, my head hurts...and my jaw." Mateo moves his hand from the crown of his head to his jaw, rubbing at the red area. The fact that he's not panicked or freaking is a good sign that he hasn't inhaled any of the pollen.

"Did someone hit...Jesse...where's Jesse?"

"Calm down, he's right over there." I lean to the side so that Mateo can see past me to where Jesse lies prostrate on the floor with an alert Keren perched on his back. Mateo bursts out into laughter at the sight of his brother, and the rest of us chuckle in relief.

"I will need to refill this canteen, as well as a few others, but if everyone is able to walk, we should move into the cave before we rest." Gabriel does not get distracted by the brothers' situation but encourages us to get moving.

"It will be good for you to stay awake a while longer, anyway," I tell Mateo, "just to make sure that you don't have a concussion." He nods and takes my helping hand to stand, and he continues to hold it as we walk past Gabriel and around Jesse.

"Keren, why don't you lead them around the poisonous plants, and I'll meet the group after I fill these." Gabriel holds three canteens up and jiggles them to warrant the trip back to the stream. Then he glances at Mateo's hand holding mine.

I squeeze Mateo's hand and let go. I offer to help Alexis roll up the mats while Keren continues to keep Jesse occupied. I can't help but grin at the conversation they're having as I tie my mat to one of the backpacks.

"Normally, I'd need dinner and a movie before letting a girl get me into this position," Jesse comments.

"You will not distract me into letting you up, if that's what you're trying to do," Keren retorts.

"No one said anything about wanting to get up. I'm just thinking you would enjoy joining me down here a lot more than sitting up there." Jesse grins in Keren's direction, but she's not falling for his lame attempt at flirting. If he weren't completely loopy on poisonous pollen, and if Alexis wasn't still hung up on him, I'd consider Keren a good match for Jesse. It'll definitely take a headstrong, no-nonsense kind of girl to keep Jesse in check.

My eyes meet Alexis' as we both open the backpacks, and I can tell that she's not having as much fun listening to Jesse flirt with Keren. We place the food back into the bags then strap them on.

Keren lets Jesse get up, but not without a warning. "You stay close to me," she orders.

"That won't be a problem," Jesse says with a smirk.

I hear Alexis clear her throat behind me. "Can we just get going already?" she interrupts.

Keren leads the way with Jesse close behind. Alexis dejectedly drags her feet behind them, while Jesse throws himself at Keren. Mateo quietly follows behind Alexis, and I bring up the back end of the party. As we move across the cavern we have to push between plants, but Keren is careful to make sure that none of the plants we come near have blooms.

Some areas of the room look like a rainforest. One clearing in particular, with a ceiling so high it's barely visible, takes my breath away. A blanket of moss covers a pile of boulders, and a large tree grows out of a crevice at its center. The tree is covered in small white blossoms, reminding me of the white dogwood tree Mateo planted for me.

Taking a last look at the tree before we move on, I run into Mateo. He pulls me between two bushes and turns around to face me. I peek over his shoulder and see the others still moving forward.

"Everything okay there, buddy?"

"I need to tell you something, but it's private," Mateo whispers.

Maybe Mateo didn't get by unscathed after all. He seems calm, but when I look him in the eyes, I notice that his pupils have grown larger than normal. They threaten to take over the deep brown that surrounds them.

The only thing I can think to do is play along and hope that he will continue to follow the others after he tells me his secret.

"Okay, why don't you tell me really quick, and then we can catch up to the others. They won't even notice we're gone," I whisper back and take a step closer to him.

Mateo looks around us in a way that makes me concerned that he's really lost it. What is he looking for? It's not like we'll be overheard by anything other than leaves, rocks, and moss. I turn my head to look around as well, and suddenly, Mateo's hands are on either side of my face.

"What's going on, Mateo? Just tell me." I look him in the eyes, a little worried at what he might say, and wait.

"I can't lose you," he divulges.

"You won't, I'm right here."

"No, you're my best friend." He leans in and presses his forehead against mine. It's like he's trying to press his thoughts into my head. "Ugh, I'm so bad at this, Ollie..."

Mateo has never been bad at anything. "If I'm your best friend, you should be able to tell me anything, right?" I encourage him.

He nods, and our noses brush against each other. "I'm afraid of what my life will be like if you leave me out of your life again. Do you get what I mean?"

"I think so. And I don't plan on ever leaving you out again. I'm sorry, I'm just not sure..." What if he's not lucid right now? "Wait, we can't be having this conversation while you're all pollenated, Mateo. Can we please talk about this on the surface? We need to get you and Jesse back to normal and get home," I plead with him.

"You think I'm saying this because I'm poisoned?" Mateo grins.

Maybe the joke's on me.

"I'm not crazy, Ollie. I'm in love with you, and when you go off to college, or if you choose to go back to the tribe with Gabriel, I'm afraid I'll lose you for good."

"Wait. What do you mean, go back with Gabriel? What makes you think that's even an option?"

"Ollie, I _know_ you. If it means you have to return to the tribe so you can learn more about your father, I know you'll go back."

There's no time for me to respond, because Mateo's lips stop mine with a deep, lingering kiss. I want to indulge myself with another kiss in slow motion and return the soft affection, but I'm not convinced he's not hallucinating. I guess it beats being deluded that flowers are attacking us.

Mateo's heart and mouth may be present, but I'm not sure his mind is, so I press his shoulders back lightly.

"I love you too, Mateo, but we need to catch up with the others or they'll think something's wrong." I look past his shoulder, because I can't bring myself to look him in the eyes. I _do_ love him. I've loved him like family for years, but now it feels like everything is shifting. He turns and starts to walk in the direction of the others without another word. Before I follow, I pause to cherish the words he said to me: I'm in love with you. There is a chance he won't remember them if he's hallucinating.

He loves me.

# Twenty-Four

I wake up with jagged rock interrupting the order of my vertebrae. Heavy breaths and restless groans come from the area where the boys are sleeping. The toxins must be wearing off, because when the Vargas brothers first fell asleep they were sleep talking. Jesse even thrashed around. Staring up at the _noor_ dancing along the ceiling, I think about everything that's happened in the last three days.

I fell into an underground world, like Lewis Carroll's Alice, and instead of meeting a pipe-smoking caterpillar, I faced a giant lizard. I haven't come across the Mad Hatter, but Mateo and Jesse were definitely whacked out last night.

This underground wonderland might be a dream come for an extreme caver, but these harsh conditions are wearing me down. Between giant scorpions, animal sacrifices, and the injustices I've witnessed, I'm ready to be home.

The weird thing is that I might belong here in some twisted I'm-a-descendent-of-the-tribe way. This world feels as foreign to me as Uruguay did when I first arrived, but at least I still had a few luxuries there. There are so many things I love on the surface, like the sun, indoor plumbing, beef, and mattresses.

I also love Mateo, but am I _in_ love with him? I missed him more than I thought was possible the past several months, but if I'm in love with him, why does Gabriel have such an effect on me?

Keren wakes next to me and slowly sits up. She looks over and lifts a finger to her mouth. Then she points at me with the same finger and motions for me to come with her. I guess the buddy system is still in effect.

I follow Keren up a path farther into the cave, and she stops far enough from the others not to be overheard. If her disheveled appearance is any indication of how I look, it's rough. Her hair bunches in a ratted mess at the back of her neck, and her clothes are wrinkled. The worst are her red-rimmed eyes, accompanied by dark circles, likely a direct result of crying.

"Ollie, I wanted to ask you about something without Gabriel being around."

I nod for her to continue.

"When we get to the surface—it is close, and we should get there today. But when we get there, can I go with you?"

A long pause follows, because my brain is trying to figure out how to respond. I lift a hand to my brow and place the other hand on my hip, thinking about how I can handle this with the least number of repercussions. Gabriel may hate me if I just say yes, and Keren will definitely hate me if I tell her I need to check with Gabriel. "I don't know, Keren. I'll need to talk to my mom. Are you sure you want to stay on the surface?"

"Yes. There is nothing to go back to, because my parents are dead." Keren pauses to gather her composure. "I'd just be married off to a boy that wants to avoid his _Masa Shel Emoonah_. I need more than that to be happy in life. You should know me well enough by now to know how determined I am."

"But what about Gabriel? He's lived through the same loss, but he won't be forced to marry, will he?"

"He will have to make his own decision, but I think if he had a reason, from _you_ , he might stay."

I'm dumbfounded into silence.

"Ollie, you and I share a similar passion for life, and I believe that there is very little Gabriel wouldn't do for you. Just think about it, all of it." Keren turns to head back to the others.

I follow Keren, and when we arrive back at camp the others are up and packing our supplies. Gabriel looks up from his pack first and tilts his head in question.

"Did you catch any worms?" he asks.

I smile in surprise at his successful attempt at a joke, and Alexis lets a giggle escape. Poor Keren looks puzzled by the expression.

"I've been teaching Gabriel a few of our expressions on the surface," Alexis explains.

"You should have heard him repeating _what's up_ and _laterz_ ," Jesse tells me and turns back to Gabriel. "We'll have to work on the delivery later."

"I can practice while we walk," Gabriel responds. I can't help but smile at them both. After everything we've been through, and after everything Gabriel has lost, he can still find a reason to smile.

The fact that we are so close to getting home has brought a new energy to most of the group, but Mateo and Jesse are quiet, too quiet.

"Are you two okay over there?" I ask.

Mateo looks up and nods in my direction while Jesse completely ignores me.

"They're suffering from the side effects of the toxins," Alexis whispers softly with a wink.

"Ugh. It's worse than a hangover," Jesse groans.

"How would you know what a hangover feels like?" I ask rhetorically.

"Oh, please," Jesse responds with a dismissing hand wave.

"What's a hangover?" Keren inquires before I can give Jesse the third degree. "I feel so lost when you all talk sometimes, and I know Gabriel will not ask you."

"How about we discuss hangovers when we get to the surface. In fact, we should let Jesse explain what it feels like, since he's an expert now," I add sarcastically, and a little louder than necessary.

Jesse cringes and straps on a backpack. He has a canteen in hand and takes a swig then passes it over to Mateo. After Mateo takes a long drink, he looks over at me with a knowing expression. From the look on Mateo's face, he remembers, so maybe a hangover isn't the best way to describe the lingering effects from last night.

I decide it's not the time or place to discuss anything that may, or may not, have happened the previous night, so I suggest that we start walking. It's early, and if Keren and Gabriel are right, we might make it home today. I may get to fall asleep in my own bed to the sound of Mateo strumming on his guitar from his backyard.

The others begin to move up the path, and I glance in Mateo's direction. He motions for me to go before him, and as I pass, he takes my hand. The narrowing cave doesn't allow us to hold hands for long, but a smile reaches my lips when Mateo squeezes my hand before releasing it.

Hours of climbing up rock walls and through small openings takes its toll. The longer we're at it, the more tired we get, and the sillier we become. Telling Gabriel and Keren about what we do for fun becomes the main topic of conversation. Gabriel's baffled by the idea of dating more than one girl, and Keren can't imagine a whole building filled with books that anyone can read.

Gabriel explains the process a young man goes through to spend time with a girl he is interested in. It usually involves trading _izzim_ and nosy chaperones. Keren confesses that she's only seen about a hundred books. All of them were collected from journeys to the surface, and she was forbidden to read any of them. Women in the tribe are only sanctioned to read a large collection of scrolls that keep a record of the tribe's history. Learning more about the customs and principles of these people leaves me feeling despondent. There's so little for Keren to hope for in their tribe. Then she reveals that her mother read stories to her as a child. Maybe Keren isn't the only woman in the tribe that desires to be independent.

The air in the caverns and caves becomes warmer, a sure sign that we're approaching the summer heat on the surface.

Jesse is covered in sweat and dirt ahead of me. "I'm starting to get hungry. Is there anything left to eat?"

"Has that hangover worn off? Maybe we have some bat jerky left," Alexis teases him.

"I'll eat anything, Blondie."

"Whoa! You _are_ feeling better. I actually think there's a little left in the bag I packed this morning. Who's wearing that one?"

"I believe I picked that pack up. There is a cavern up ahead. We can rest and eat there, if you can make it." Gabriel states and continues to lead the group when no one objects.

I can barely make out that the cave is getting wider out in front of him. As we truck on, the glow from the _noor_ continues to light our way. The cave opens up into a cavern the size of a department store, and the sound of water dripping can be heard echoing through the room. Gabriel stills and raises a hand up to call for us to stop and be quiet as well.

Our straight line has become oblong, and out of the silence, a growl sounds beside me. Jesse's stomach interrupts whatever Gabriel was listening for, and we all burst out laughing. Realizing the seriousness of Jesse's hunger, we all make our way to an area of the room that is elevated. Gabriel digs out the remaining food and hands a bundle to Jesse.

Mateo pulls the backpack off his shoulder and thrusts his hand inside. He pulls out two canteens, and three small bundles of fabric.

"I've been saving these in case of an emergency, but I have a feeling we could all use a little pick-me-up." Mateo tosses the bundles to Alexis, Keren, and me. In turn, Jesse tears a piece of jerky and hands it to Mateo.

I unwrap my bundle to find a piece of bread. The outside layer is crusty and hard, but I am sure that it protects a fluffy center. Thinking about eating the bread immediately makes me thirsty. I look over at the canteens in Mateo's possession, and they are deflated, empty.

"Thanks, Mateo." I can't imagine how hard it is for him to give away all his food, especially if he's anywhere near as hungry as Jesse sounds. I tear the bread he gave me in half and hand him one side.

"I think water might also be helpful to have on this last leg of the journey. How about I go look for some?" I wrap my half of the roll back up and grab the canteens.

"I'll go with you," Gabriel offers and begins to pull out the rest of the canteens from the other two backpacks.

"I think I heard the water dripping from that direction when we walked into the cavern." He lifts his arm and points toward the cave up ahead, it's the only other way in or out.

"The rest of you can meet us after you rest and finish eating. Hopefully, we will have water for everyone."

I start to follow Gabriel and become aware of the amount of space around us. It takes a couple of extra steps to close the distance between Gabriel and me, and then two more to make my way to his side. Gabriel is definitely in a hurry to get to the source of the dripping water, and I work hard to keep up with him.

"You seem a little quiet. Is everything okay with you?" The length of silence that follows leads me to believe that everything is not okay. I have a feeling he's still dwelling on what happened to his father, so I don't push him.

We continue walking and make our way around gaps in the floor and over rock formations. The lack of communication is awkward and uncomfortable, but warmth spreads from my fingertips up to my neck as he helps me climb down a boulder.

As I reach the bottom, I see the source of the sound we've been following. A trickling flow of water seeps through a crack in the wall, and it gathers in a small pool on the floor of the cavern. The water must be escaping through a crevice beneath it, because the pond doesn't grow any larger. Gabriel kneels down and fills one of the three canteens he's been carrying. I plop down next to him, with my legs crisscrossed, and start to fill one of my canteens.

"Gabriel..."

"Olivia..."

We start talking at the same time, and we both hesitate.

I start to laugh nervously, making the situation even more awkward. When did I become totally awesome at not talking to boys? All I can think about is what Keren and I discussed earlier in the day. "Please, go ahead," I encourage once I have my giggles under control.

"All right." Gabriel bows his head, and smiles more to himself than at me. Then his expression grows more serious. His eyes meet mine, and I smile.

"Olivia, I want to let you know that I plan to go back to the tribe once we reach the surface."

# Twenty-Five

I was not expecting him to say that, and as my smile fades, I notice that the _noor_ above us loses some of its luster as well. Gabriel is not staying. Why would he want to go back? There is so much for him to experience and learn on the surface. Even if he chose to go back in the future, he could take so much knowledge with him.

"What...why?" is all I can get out as I focus my sight on the canteen I'm filling.

"Olivia, I must go back and help my people. Zadok will continue to plague the surface with earthquakes, and in the process, I believe he will destroy our people. They need to know the truth, and if I don't go back to tell them myself, they will only know Zadok's lies." Gabriel lifts his hand to my chin and nudges it up until I'm looking at him.

"What if Zadok isn't working alone? Do you really think you can save them?"

"I want to go with you to the surface, but it is my responsibility to take my father's place as an elder. The people of my tribe need me."

"What about Asa?"

"I cannot trust that Zadok will not stop him the same way he stopped my father. Zadok will not expect me to return so quickly, and I need to take that advantage," he explains. "I just want you to understand that my _desire_ is to stay on the surface with you and explore all the possibilities there."

Gabriel's gaze moves from my eyes down to my lips, and he leans toward me. "Olivia, I want to kiss you," he states in a whisper, and, without faltering, Gabriel brushes his lips against mine. The movement is so quick and deliberate that I don't have time to second guess myself or resist.

Gabriel moves his lips toward my ear. As his heated breath brushes my hairline, I sigh his name.

"Gabriel..." Everything feels good until his name leaves my lips.

My body stills at the sick feeling that suffocates the butterflies in my stomach. Gabriel notices my lack of enthusiasm and pulls away to face me. When he looks me over, I'm not sure what he sees, but he pulls me into a simple embrace. The gesture is welcome, and Gabriel doesn't push anything further. He whispers an apology into my ear, and I begin to object.

"No, Gabriel, I'm sorry. Please don't think this has to do with you." As the words leave my mouth, Gabriel's brows move closer together in confusion. "I mean, it has something to do with you, but not what you think... Ugh. This is coming out all wrong... I like you Gabriel, but I don't know what I want." Or whom I want?

"Olivia, it's all right. I think I understand—"

"You're planning to go back to your tribe, and I might not ever see you again," I interrupt him.

This is a new level of awkward. Gabriel's strong arms and chiseled chest try to console me, but I let my conscience guide me away from his grasp, and I pull away slowly. Unsure of the social protocol, I quietly begin filling my canteens again. I'm relieved that Gabriel is just as unaware of how to handle this post-kiss situation. He fills his canteens in silence as well.

When I finish, I stand and lean against a boulder. I take a swig from one of my canteens as Gabriel finishes, and he stands up in front of me.

"Olivia, I would like to ask you a favor."

"Okay..." I reply, curious.

"Keren will want to go with you once we reach the surface, and I hope that you will agree to look after her."

I'm relieved that Gabriel is on the same page as Keren. "Of course. If you're okay with her staying, I'll be happy to help her however I can."

We return to the rest of the group, in front of the cave that leads to the surface, and Gabriel and I pass the canteens out. As Gabriel heads into the cave, Keren bounces in front of him in anticipation.

"Can I lead the group for this last part of the journey?" Her joy is contagious, and we all chuckle in response to her eagerness.

"Please, lead the way." Gabriel waves a hand across his body toward the cave and bows slightly. As Keren moves into the tunnel, we all line up to follow her. Gabriel is close behind Keren, and the rest of us fall into the same order we've been in throughout our hike.

During two hours of hiking, we answer more of Keren's questions about different places we've each been. Alexis' description of Disney World fascinates everyone. Then Jesse has fun describing his favorite vacation destination, the beach.

I notice that sunlight is filtering in through an opening a few hundred feet ahead of us. Its warmth pulls us closer, and the thought of endless blue skies brings a smile to my face. We are _so_ close.

I look up above at the _noor_ , and it seems to be fading the closer we get to the sunlight. The lack of brilliance makes me wonder what could be happening to it. The sunlight replaces the need for it, but knowing that it was always with me underground, keeping me out of the darkness, gives me a peace.

"I have a feeling it's always been with you, and will always be with you, Ollie," Mateo chimes from behind me.

"I'm not too sure about that. What if it's only with me down here? What happens to it when I leave?" Not expecting an answer, I keep at the incline that is leading us home.

"Ollie, if you've never needed the _noor_ before, why is it so important now?" Mateo's question takes a minute for me to process. The security I've found in this light makes me wonder if it has always been with me, but it took me needing it to bring it to life.

"I think it has something to do with belonging. When I found out that it was following me, I felt like I belonged to something or maybe that it belonged with me. I don't know... I'm starting to sound all sappy now." I wave the conversation off like it's not a big deal, and look ahead.

Mateo says something so quietly that I barely catch it. "You'll always have that light inside you, Ollie, no matter where you are."

I'm not quite sure how to respond, because I'm not sure if Mateo meant for me to hear it. My attention is diverted to our friends stopping ahead of us. Making it to the edge of the cavern, grass grows bright green along the path, and everyone becomes quiet.

I look past Alexis, Jesse, and Gabriel to see Keren step out into the sunlight. She begins to turn in a circle, getting a look at her surroundings. Gabriel steps to the side to let us pass. Jesse and Alexis don't give him a second thought and rush past him to stand with Keren. I take a few steps forward and stop in front of Gabriel, with Mateo at my side.

"This is as far as I will go. Please be safe, and thank you for looking after Keren." Gabriel takes my hand and lifts it to his mouth. I cringe inside at the thought of Mateo watching, but a small part of me is thankful that the others have already moved ahead. He squeezes my hand gently before releasing it, and I step back.

I'm worried Gabriel's gesture may have upset Mateo as they take a step closer to each other. Both of their faces remain stoic. They suddenly grasp each other's forearms and shake. Gabriel strides past us, away from the surface, and walks away in silence.

"Wait. Is there anything I can say to convince you to come with us?" I ask.

"There are too many lives at risk, Olivia. If Zadok succeeds in destroying more _noor_ , my people will have no choice but to escape to the surface. They are not prepared for that outcome."

"But Zadok didn't have any _noor_ with him when he ran off, don't you think that will affect him in some way?"

"There's a possibility that he's been misleading the tribe for years, and that is what I have to find out."

"Will you at least tell Keren goodbye?" I can't imagine why he thinks it is a good idea to leave her without an explanation.

"In our culture, we do not say goodbye. I believe that someday we will see each other again. _L'hitraot_." Gabriel's eyes meet mine, and I'm not sure if he meant that statement for Keren or me. He bows his head slightly and turns away from us and walks deeper into the cavern. I stay and watch his progress, and as he moves farther into the darkness, the _noor_ above him grows stronger and brighter.

"Ollie!" Keren shouts at me, and I turn to find Mateo stoically waiting for me just a few feet away. Keren stands at the opening to the cave, not daring to step back inside.

"Get up here. Jesse found a park ranger to help us."

A park ranger? Where the heck have we ended up?

Mateo shrugs, and I figure he must be thinking the same thing I am, then he gestures for me to pass him. I hear his footsteps and feel his presence closely following mine. As I step out onto the surface, out of the cave, I'm suddenly surrounded by color and open space. A bright, blaring heat falls from the sun, and there's a soft breeze that dances across my shoulder and through my hair. Green grass, blue sky, and bright orange wildflowers wake my eyes up from a dream.

Jesse and Alexis stand fifty feet away, and they're waving their arms wildly, trying to get the attention of an SUV with the Texas State Parks' logo plastered across its side. The vehicle stops in front of them, and a park ranger in the typical khaki button-up shirt and knee-length shorts climbs out. As Mateo, Keren, and I make it to the vehicle, Alexis and Jesse are already piling in.

"Hi there. I'm Ranger Scott," he declares. "Your friend, Alexis, mentioned that your car broke down back on the highway?"

"Yes, sir. We spent a long weekend camping here, and it seems my car couldn't take this Texas heat," Mateo claims.

"Well, let's get y'all back to the ranger station, and you can call one of your parents to come pick you up."

"Thank you, I'm Ollie Miller." I reach forward to offer a handshake. "This is my friend Mateo and my cousin Keren." This split second decision to lie about Keren's relation to me is likely not the only thing I'll have to lie about this afternoon.

"Nice to meet y'all. Why don't you jump in the Jeep, and we'll get a move on. No disrespect, but do you mind telling me why y'all are dressed...well, the way y'all are dressed?"

"Oh, it's all a part of a stupid dare to see who can last the longest in these clothes." It's a lame excuse, but hopefully he'll buy it.

"I'll definitely lose, because I'm changing the minute I get home. These things are hideous," Alexis validates.

She and Jesse are already sitting in the backseat of the Jeep, and I have to encourage Keren to join them. She's in awe of the vehicle, and I close the door once she settles in.

"Why don't you take the front seat? I'll be happy to jump in the back." Mateo offers.

"Are you happy to have me pull a story out of thin air, too?" I challenge.

"Actually, yes. You're much better at thinking on your feet, and he's more likely to believe you. I'd just avoid any tall tales about magic caves with giant beasts and primitive people."

I push Mateo toward the back of the Jeep, because Ranger Scott passes by and any sarcastic response I have could be misconstrued. Once we all get in, I watch Jesse reach over Keren to help with her seatbelt. Scott starts up the SUV, and I look in the rearview mirror and see Keren staring out of her window with wide eyes.

"So, I don't remember seeing a Miller registered in the books this weekend for camping at the park," Scott states.

"We were actually here with a large group. I'm not sure whose name the reservations were under," I reply, looking out of the window for any clues about where we are. As we drive into a clearing, I spot a beautiful pink rock formation, and I can't believe our luck.

"Most of our group graduated last month, and before we all head off to college, we thought it would be fun to go camping. Several of us came to Enchanted Rock on a field trip together in the eighth grade." I look back at Mateo and smile, because I don't have to lie about this part of our story.

"So where are you kids from?" Scott inquires.

"We drove down from the Dallas area; it only took about four hours," I answer. "I know my mom would have come down to get us, but my phone's battery died. Our parents are probably all wondering why they haven't heard from us yet. I promised we would call before we left."

"Well, once we get around to the station, you can put their minds at ease," Scott assures me.

I'm actually dreading the call to my mom. I glance over at the rearview mirror again, and see Keren with her face lifted to the sky. She's drinking in the sunlight, and every once in a while, she'll point out a cloud to Jesse.

The park office looks just like it did six years ago. I notice the date posted on the front door.

We've been gone four days.

There's no way any of our parents are going to let this go without a good explanation. I know my mom is the only one that might believe what really happened to us.

Keren needs help to get out of the Jeep, but Jesse's flirtatious nature keeps Scott from noticing anything odd. We file through the station's front door in a single file line. Watching Keren's face as she feels the cool breeze from the air conditioning is comical. She doesn't skip a beat, but we'll have to explain more to her than I could have imagined.

Scott leads us into a conference room with a very outdated phone. I pick up the handset and dial my mom's cell number.

Ring.

Tap, tap.

I look up, and Keren is investigating a glass window.

Ring.

Alexis moves to sit next to Keren and whispers a few words just for Keren to hear.

Ring.

"Hello? Ollie, is that you?" My mom's voice sounds puzzled, and I realize that the caller ID must show a number she doesn't recognize.

"Yeah, Mom? It's me. It's Ollie."

# Twenty-Six

It's impossible to try and explain everything that happened to us over the phone. I convince my mom that everyone is safe and try to drop a hint by saying that I ran into some relatives. Other than the elusive clue, I keep it simple and tell her I'll answer all her questions when she picks us up.

"Ollie, make sure the others call their parents as soon as we hang up, I know they're all worried. One last thing, did you happen to feel any of the earthquakes while you were on your trip?" my mom asks, and I can hear what sounds like a car door closing in the background.

"Yeah, Mom, we felt all of them. They were pretty intense where we were. How did you..."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you," she interrupts, and the line cuts off.

Without her question being heard, my answer has all my friends' attention. I set the handset down.

"I think my mom caught on, but you guys are going to need an explanation for your parents, because my mom said you need to call them ASAP."

We decide to clear up our story for the others' parents. The most difficult part is deciding how much detail to add.

"I'm just going to tell my parents that I told them about this trip the other night when I stayed with Ollie. There has been so much going on with our family in town that they will feel guilty for forgetting. They aren't going to care who slept in whose tent, but I know your mom will _freak_ if she thinks we were camping together," Alexis directs at Jesse.

"Let me handle our parents," Mateo interjects. "I think Ollie had a good idea to make this all about getting together one last time before she heads off to California. Our parents aren't going to be happy, but I think I can get us off with minimal consequences."

"I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and let you try to get us out of this. You all should be warned, there will be a lot of Spanish spoken when we get back home," Jesse cautions.

Ranger Scott returns with bottles of water and granola bars after Mateo calls his dad. One thing my mother forgot to mention is that all our parents reported each of us missing two days ago. It doesn't take long for us to figure out that Ranger Scott called in our names after picking us up, and all of our parents were notified.

While Mateo and I get our calls made before our parents are reached, Alexis isn't so lucky. Her parents are already in the car and on their way when she calls. The conversation isn't long, since her dad won't even speak to her, and the end of Alexis' conversation with her mother is the worst part.

"I can just ride back with Ollie and her mom," Alexis pleads, and a long pause follows. "Yes, ma'am. I understand, election year and all that."

The next pause leaves the room feeling awkward as we all listen in.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll see you soon." Alexis hangs up the phone, and looks at me. "I might need some backup on the story when they get here. I think my mom bought it, but my dad doesn't want to look like a forgetful idiot during an election year."

"You got it," I assure her.

Keren's presence is the perfect distraction while we wait for our parents. Her questions seem endless, and after thirty minutes she knows everything we know about state parks and office supplies. A few hours later, the arrival of a policeman takes us by surprise, especially because he shows up before any of our parents.

Officer Allen is friendly, and he asks several questions about where we've been and what we've been up to. When he seems satisfied with the description of our lazy weekend of camping, he turns to Keren. "So, Keren Miller? Is that right?"

Keren looks over to me with a smile, and I try to pull off a nod without the officer noticing.

"Yes. I am related to Ollie. We have just recently come to know each other, and she invited me along to get to know her better."

"That's nice, but when we ran your name, well, it seems there is no record of it."

"Oh, I can explain that," My mom's calls out before she enters the room.

She rushes over to me and gives me a big hug. Her embrace is strong, and before I can whisper anything into her ear she begins to pull away. She's staring at Keren, and her mouth falls open in astonishment.

"Mom, this—"

"Your cousin. I'm so glad you're okay. Your parents will have my hide if anything happens to you while you're staying with us." My mom gives me a stern look that I've seen many times before, and I know not to argue.

"My cousin. Keren." I respond, not quite sure of what to think about the familial reference. "She really knew her way around the outdoors, and I'm not sure we would've made it without her," I explain.

"Well, in that case, your aunt Rachel will be very thankful." My mom winks at me and embraces Keren. Keren looks at my mom in awe, and a small tear slides down her cheek. It doesn't escape either of us that my mom knows her mother's name. Mom is quick to tell the officer that we will answer the rest of his questions tomorrow morning, after we get home for some rest. It's not long before the Vargas and Hicks families drive up to the ranger station, and we're all waiting on the front steps for them.

We all pile into our respective family cars. Alexis and her parents lead the caravan with their Lexus, and the Vargas family follows in their mini-van. Bringing up the back of the pack is my mom's smart car, and the tight quarters are the perfect place for an interrogation.

She wants to know everything, and with Keren sitting in the backseat, I begin to explain.

"Mom, we fell into a chasm and have been trying to find our way back to surface for days. Luckily, Keren and her brother were there to help us, or we may not have made it," I explain.

_"Luck had nothing to do with it, Ollie. The noor has been calling out to all of us more desperately since the earthquakes have become more frequent. This is the first time I_ 've heard of it pulling someone underground."

"So you _do_ know about the tribe. Why haven't you told me anything about it before?" I challenge, and silence is the only answer I get.

The sky grows dark, and the headlights from our car make silhouettes out of the Vargas brothers sitting in the backseat of the van ahead of us. Jesse gestures wildly, and Mateo is as still as a statue. It looks like Jesse is having too much fun telling his parents about our impromptu camping trip.

"Any questions you have can wait until we get home, sweetheart. I'm sure you want to ask me more about your father and the tribe, but any answers I give you won't change in the next few hours." One of her hands moves from the steering wheel to smooth out a strand of my hair. The touch is calming, and I agree with a half-hearted nod.

"Tell me more about what you found underground," my mom prompts.

"Do you mean in addition to the funny looking goats, giant lizards, and scorpions that glow?"

"Oh, Ollie, I can't believe you all made it back up alive."

"We didn't, Mom." Is all I can bring myself to say.

"Was it your brother, Keren?"

"No, it was my father. He died trying to stop the earthquakes." A quiet sob escapes her lips.

"I'm so sorry," my mother apologizes. "Where is your brother? I know you mentioned he helped you all to the surface."

"Gabriel felt obligated to go back and help the tribe; they have no idea what's causing the earthquakes," I answer.

"Can you tell me more about the earthquakes?"

"They are tearing apart the rock underground," Keren answers. "Zadok is destroying the _noor_ to wreak havoc on the surface. He's so focused on his plan that he can't see the chaos he's causing underground."

My mom grows quiet and only asks Keren a few more questions about the tribe and its location. She suggests that Keren and I take a nap in the car, and we both give in to our exhaustion.

"Ollie, sweetheart? We're home," my mom whispers and nudges my shoulder. "Keren, it's time to wake up."

The overhead light comes on as my mom opens her car door. Someone simultaneously opens my door, and when I look over with squinty eyes, I see Mateo standing there.

"Ms. Miller, can I have a minute with Ollie?" Mateo requests as he takes my hand and helps me out of the car. When I look over the car to give my mom the puppy-dog-please-eyes, she already has a grin plastered across her face. She nods in his direction and starts to open the back door.

"Keren, how about we go inside and get you settled? I bet you're hungry." Keren steps out of the car and follows my mom inside.

Mateo closes my car door, and I turn to prop myself up against it. He takes a step toward me, and my heart skips a beat.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Mateo, just tired and really hungry. I think I'd be happy eating anything but bat right now," I reply with a sleepy giggle. "How are you? How did your parents react? Or better question, what did Jesse say?"

"Jesse had _plenty_ to say, and his wild gestures only complemented his exaggerated story." Mateo spreads his arms out in mock animation, and then he places a hand on the car, grazing my arm as he reaches past me. The touch sends shivers through me.

"I really want to ask you something, while I've still got the nerve..."

I stay quiet to encourage him to go on.

"The last few days feel like some crazy dream. Parts of it were more like nightmares, like when I thought you died in that earthquake." Mateo's head tilts forward, and his eyes look down at the ground.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to spend more time with you. I want to take you out...soon. I don't want to wait, and I don't want you to question all that happened. It doesn't matter that we were in some alternate, underground universe."

Mateo inches forward, and I can't help but lean toward him too. His eyes meet mine, and he starts to close them as his lips graze mine. His hands are off the car and on me, pulling me closer to him. One hand wraps around the back of my neck, and the other rubs along my lower back.

Our kisses are in sync, and the tempo grows faster as Mateo's presence pushes everything else to the back of my mind.

"Hey, Mateo! Mom wants to know what you want to eat," Jesse's calls from across the yard.

Unashamed of our actions, Mateo leaves a trail of kisses along my neck before answering his brother. "I'll just eat some tamales when I come inside."

"You better hurry with whatever it is you and Ollie are up to. Dad wants you inside, but I'll try to distract him a few more minutes."

I can just picture the huge grin on Jesse's face, but it's too dark outside to see him in their house's doorway.

"Go ahead... I'll see you tomorrow." I start to pull away from Mateo, and he stops me by pulling me into an embrace.

"Ollie, will you let me take you on a date? Tomorrow?" As I begin to answer, he interrupts, "I know it will change things, but I'm ready for that. I know we can handle it, and it feels right," Mateo ends with a satisfied grin.

"A date, tomorrow?" I tease. "I think I can pencil you in. Maybe between routine questioning with the local police and saving the world?" My wide grin is met with a peck on the cheek.

"Let me walk you to your door." Mateo takes my hand in his and tips his head in the direction of my front door. He walks so closely to me that his hand brushes against my thigh. We stop under the porch light, and the soft glow reminds me of the _noor_. After everything we've lived through in the past few days, I'm thankful for this moment. Mateo begins to lean in, so close that I can feel his exhale of warm breath. Suddenly, the front door opens wide and my mom's lips spread thin and tight while her brow folds down, hovering over her eyes.

"Oh, Ms. Miller, I was just saying goodbye." Mateo takes an awkward step away from the front door, and from me. I stop him by tugging on the hand I'm still holding. I reach up and kiss him on the cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mateo. Goodnight." I can't stop smiling as I step inside.

As my mom closes the door, I hear Mateo reply, "I'm looking forward to it."

# Twenty-Seven

"Your turn, honey. I promised to answer your questions, and I'll try to be as open about everything as possible." My mom walks across the room to the overstuffed chair and sits down. "There's a cup of hot chamomile tea for you."

Chamomile? I don't want to get any drowsier than I already am. She points to the coffee table, and it's like she can read my mind.

"You don't need coffee this late."

Keren binds herself in a cocoon of blankets on the couch, already enjoying her tea. I plop down on the loveseat and reach for my cup, and heat pushes wisps of steam floating above the liquid. I blow softly, obliterating the curling smoke.

"Well, I told you everything that happened to us, and I've figured out that Dad had to be related to the people below the surface," I admit. "I'm just not sure how much you know about Dad's tribe. I need you to be honest and tell me what really happened with Dad. How did y'all meet? He must have told you where he was from." Tact can only get you so far with my mom, and she has been hiding things from me for years.

"Ollie, your dad left us, but not for the reasons you may think. He left to help our people. He was concerned about—"

"Wait—"

"—the increasing number of—"

"Mom! Wait a second. Did you just say OUR? You're from the tribe too?"

"Yes, Olivia. Your father came to the surface for his faith journey, and before he left, we agreed that I would follow him. Joe and I had plans to be a family..." My mom isn't staring at me anymore; she is in a daze, lost in her memories. "It was so many years ago, and I was never happy under the surface."

My mom looks over at Keren and the tinge of a smile touches her lips. "You and I have a lot in common, Keren. My father is an elder, and I was aware of so many things growing up that the other tribespeople were not. I was educated and independent, but those weren't attractive qualities in a young woman. I thought I would grow up to become a spinster, but then I met Joseph. He came from a tribe that settled under Uruguay, in South America. He was the son of an elder there, sent to bring a message to our elders."

My mother's attention returns to me, and she holds my gaze. "My father wouldn't let us marry until Joe completed his faith journey. I don't think he ever thought Joe would return from the surface because he was such a free spirit. I later found out that he made sure Joe wouldn't come back. I knew I wouldn't ever be happy if I stayed, so I made the decision to run away to the surface with Joe."

"So you climbed to the surface, found Dad, but then the happily ever after didn't stick?"

"Honey, your father stayed on the surface longer than I ever thought he would, and that's because of you. He loved us, but after you were born, he started to notice an increase in earthquakes all over the world. He claimed to know what was causing them."

Keren and I glance at each other, and since my mom knows what happened to us underground, she now knows the cause of the quakes too.

"So Dad decided to go try and stop them? What happened?"

"Your father told me that, over the last few decades, a group of elders became disgusted with what the world had become. They took matters into their own hands and began destroying _noor_ in different areas underground. The effects have just been observed as random natural disasters on the surface," my mom explains.

"Why didn't we go back with him?"

"I never went after him is because we agreed I would stay on the surface and raise you. We thought Texas would be safe from the destruction, and it was for a while. The work your father and I have done since arriving on the surface has been about monitoring the activity underground. I thought your dad succeeded in stopping the elder responsible in North America, my father, Zadok."

My jaw drops at the new information, and I can't help but think that my grandfather killed Keren's father. I look over at the couch and see tears welling up in Keren's eyes.

"So, did you know my mother?" Keren asks.

"Yes, and I am so sorry to hear that she is no longer with us. Your mother and I were close when we were young. Olivia is actually named after my mother and yours. Olivia Rachel." My mom looks at me and must see that I am starting to become overwhelmed.

I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for Keren's loss, and also for the loss of my dad. If Zadok is still an elder, that means my dad must have failed. He left us to save us and ended up losing his life in the process.

This is not the closure I want. My mother sits down on the cushion next to mine. Her arms wrap around me, and she just holds me while I let go. I let go of all the bitterness and hurt, and I think of my father.

The sound of snoring disrupts my mind's attempt at dreaming, and I wake up tangled in my old comforter. My body is spread across the loveseat, with my feet hanging over its arm, while Keren only takes up half of the couch. Her stature may be small, but the way she's snoring you'd think she is as big as Mateo or Gabriel.

Gabriel. Last night I learned that our families are tied together in ways that I could not have imagined.

Not related.

I might've resorted to prescribed medication if that had been the case. My mom was close friends with Gabriel and Keren's mom growing up. It's almost like I was led to him, not just the tribe.

Stretching my limbs out, I move to sit up and hear rustling noises coming from my mother's bedroom. I stand up and move toward the clock hanging in the hallway. It's already close to noon. Taking a few more steps through the hallway, I hear more rustling and the sound of a zipper.

"Mom?"

I open the door and find my mother lifting a large backpack onto her shoulders.

"What..." Oh, Lord, no. She can't be.

"Honey..." She takes a few steps to close the distance between us.

"No. Don't even think about it, Mom. You can't go back!" I don't stop to think before shouting at her, and I'm sure Keren will wake up to the sound.

"Olivia, _please_. Let me explain."

"Explain what? That you're leaving now too? I just got back and learned all this crazy stuff about my cave-dwelling family. My dad's dead, my grandfather is an ancient tribal Voldemort, and I have a date later with Mateo. I need my mom here," I whine and stomp my foot like a toddler trying to make a point. I can't lose her, not now, especially after discovering all that I have.

My mom reaches out and lays a hand on my shoulder. The gesture isn't nurturing, but it keeps me at an arm's length both physically and emotionally.

"Ollie, you are more grown up than you think, and I understand that you've been through a lot, and that's why I'm not asking you to go with me. There is more to this than just stopping Zadok. Your father was sent to my tribe as a messenger, and his message is what led to the destruction here. Think about it, Ollie. There are tribes settled under hundreds of highly populated areas across the globe. The increase in earthquakes here is just the beginning. You have your life to live now, but it won't be a long life if I don't go back and finish what your father started."

"Gabriel already went back," I plead. "He'll be able to handle it and help lead the tribe to wherever it is they need to be."

"It's not that simple, Olivia. Your father and I are partially responsible for all of this. Even if Gabriel makes it back, I wouldn't put it past Zadok to have him killed. My father will do anything to preserve his position and power. If there's a chance he can control Enoch's position, he'll stop at nothing."

"Why? Do you know why he's doing all this? Why any of the elders would do this?" I feel like I'm beginning to interrogate her with all of my questions.

"I can't begin to know why elders from other tribes are destroying the _noor_ , but Zadok is seeking vengeance."

"I'm going with you," I announce, without considering the consequences. There's nothing she can do to stop me, and she knows it. She doesn't argue but pulls me into an embrace. The hug lasts a few seconds before I can feel that someone watching us. I let go of my mom and turn to see Keren in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

"When do we leave," Keren whispers between sniffles. Seeing her cry makes me wonder if it would be better for her to stay here.

"You're not coming," my mother tells Keren with conviction. "If you go with us, Zadok can use you as leverage. I know how hard it was for you to leave there, Keren. It wasn't just about the hike, there are things on the surface that you will struggle with understanding. You must also consider that you may not be well-received by your brethren after your defiance. You shouldn't return yet." My mom steps between us. Mom studies me and begs with raised eyebrows. "I can't convince you to stay here, and help Keren get acclimated, can I?"

"No, you can't. She can stay here, and we'll get Alexis to help her out." My off-the-cuff suggestion just might work. When I look past my mom to Keren, she nods letting me know she'll go along with anything if it means she can stay.

Knock, knock, knock.

The loud, clear knocking seems to have brought clarity to my mom, and she nods in approval at me and steps around Keren to answer the door.

"Thank you," Keren mumbles as I pass her, following my mom.

My mom takes off her pack and sets it to the side of the front door before opening it. My first thought is that is must be the authorities, here to ask more questions. I don't know how I'll avoid letting some part of the truth slip out, but I'm sure mom will be with us through every question and answer. Maybe the questioning will buy me some time to try and convince Mom that we should wait and put together a better plan.

The door opens, and warm sunlight invades the small hallway. I missed that light, the kind of light that prevails over darkness and cuts through shadows. When I try to make out the figures standing in the doorway, my eyes refocus and the light surrounding them looks like a bright aura.

Alexis and Jesse look bored, but Mateo is grinning at me from behind them.

"Well, good afternoon. If it isn't the rest of the Goonies." My mom waves them in with a laugh, and everyone, except my mom, moves into the living room and makes themselves at home. Mateo walks beside me and sits next to me on the couch, while Mom stands in the entryway with her arms crossed over her chest. Mateo eyes her thoughtfully then moves his gaze to the backpack on the floor.

As Jesse sits down on the other side of me, he reaches for the television remote. "I'm hoping that since we haven't heard from the police yet, they've forgotten about us."

"They haven't forgotten us, you idiot. My dad made a few calls this morning and explained that we're all exhausted and need some rest. I've got my fingers crossed that he can pull a few strings and they won't have any more questions."

The familiar banter brings a smile to my face, but when I look over at Mateo the worried expression on his face brings me back to reality.

He knows.

Just when I thought things would be better between us, I decide to leave. He's going to be pissed.

"How was I supposed to..." Jesse begins to retaliate, but Mateo interrupts.

"What's with the backpack?" His question is nonchalant and directed at me, but my mom answers.

"Gabriel won't be able to handle this on his own, regardless of his good intentions." My mom picks the bag up and shoves her arms through the straps one at a time. "Keren can fill you in after we leave."

"We?" Mateo accuses, never breaking eye contact. "You can't be serious."

It's not anger or frustration I see etched on his face, but hurt. I don't want to leave him, but I don't have the right to ask him to come with us.

"Mateo, we _have_ to."

"No, you don't. You can stay here with _me_ , with us."

"Mateo, Mom and I are both descendants of the tribe, and it's our responsibility to help defend it."

# Thank You

Holy, where-do-I-start, Batman! Thanking the group of people that have supported, pushed, encouraged, critiqued, and loved me, all in one passage feels insufficient. I'll try to stretch my words to measure up to the family and friends I'm surrounded by. Writing my first novel has been a long journey, and I was blessed to have my own tribe exploring this new world with me.

First, I must entrust with you the truth that I'm nothing without Jesus Christ, who has gifted me with the ability and provided a sure foundation for everything I do. I made the best decision of my life when I accepted Him as my Savior. The second best decision I've made is to trust and love my husband, Scott. He makes me laugh, holds me tight, and has now encouraged me to fly in my dream to write. Our two Reds, Lilah and Luke, fill me to the brim with joy, and their imaginations challenge me to be more creative every day. My GrandPatsy is the brain I test out my thoughts with. My mother, Kay, is the real inspiration for any adventure I (or my characters) go on. Kassie, my sister, is my own personal 'Alexis,' and I'm so thankful for the friendship we have.

Now, onto an impossibly long list of friends that have tested and twisted my writing and made me and my words better for it. Melissa Bailey, you have fed my soul with pep talks since we were in high school. Thank you for believing in me before I believed in myself. Kelly Simmon, I feel like I dragged you into this. I would still be wishing I was writing if it weren't for your enthusiasm and drive. I would lead a boring life, mesmerized by my computer screen if it weren't for Morgan Wylie and Gaby Robbins. Thank you for reminding me to #LoveWriteCreate every day. Chelsea Fine, you started having an impact on me when I started reading your novels. I'm so thankful that you are as generous a person as you are a storyteller. Krystal, Robyn, and Leah, your curiosity and support focused my writing for the reader. Thank you, Stefanie, for making me look good. My students are always an inspiration, and I'm so thankful to have a story to share with them.

Three editors have stretched my research-paper-writing-brain, and challenged my creativity. Jessie Sanders helped me take the first steps away from my manuscript, and taught me to be objective. Amber Beuschel elevated my writing to a place I thought would take years to get to. Maria Pease worked out a lot of my bad habits out, and brought fluidity to my storytelling. I've also had the privilege of working with an extremely talented graphic artist, Drew Rodgers. He caught my vision for _Descent's_ cover and brought it to life.

The bloggers I've met over the years have been the most amazing, inspired, and accepting people I've ever met. Knowing that our strong online community is supporting me on this new adventure has brought so much comfort to me. I want to thank Laura, Jen, Andrew, Erin, Elena, Kimmy, Katie, and so many others that have waited in signing lines, squeezed onto red carpets, and created buzz about great new novels with me.

Lastly, to the reader I send a huge thank you! My hope is to be as dedicated an author as you are a reader. Where fear and shear stubbornness have been roadblocks, courage and trust have led me here.

Being loved by people that want the best for me, and see the best in me is a blessing. Thank you!

# About the Author

_W riting unique adventures with heart._

Kallie Ross has a passion for writing that has become an adventure in itself. She desires to create unique young adult fiction that incorporates legend, conjecture, fantasy, and conviction.

In addition to loving her life as a writer, Kallie adores being a wife, mother, friend, and teacher. She began her creative journey with books, a blog, podcast, and lots of caffeine. Ross never imagined her own adventure would be filled with so many wonderful people or words!

Please keep in touch...

  *     @KallieRoss
  *     kallieross

www.kallieross.com

# Also by Kallie Ross

**D efend**

After emerging from her Descent into an uncharted underground world, Ollie Miller is sure of three things. First, her feelings for her best friend, Mateo, are far from platonic. She can't even look at Mateo without blushing at the memory of his lips on hers. Second, an evil man named Zadok is plotting to destroy the civilization above the surface. Third, there is no way to save the earth without returning underground. At least this time, she will have her mother along with Mateo and her friends to help guide her.

On their journey, noor, a mystical blessing guides them, but only if they're willing to follow. Ollie's determined to save the tribe from their evil leader, even if it means facing off with her long-lost grandfather. As Zadok comes face to face with his runaway daughter and his granddaughter, his plan starts to unravel, but is it too late to stop the destruction that he put into motion? Can the tribe survive and the surface be saved? Will Ollie learn to trust her own heart before it is too late?

Defend is the conclusion to Ollie's discovery of a lost tribe in Descent. Don't miss this adventure, brimming with ancient secrets and a thrilling underworld.

Learn more HERE!

* * *

**E velyn: A Cupid Chronicles Novella**

Evelyn Bowden, at nineteen, sacrificed herself for the love of her life. Her act inspired the heavens to deem her immortal as a Cupid. Piercing two hearts with true love takes more than a bow and some arrows. That's where Andel Lambros comes in, he's a handsome, experienced Cupid in charge of her training. While trying to prove herself worthy, Evelyn is challenged to deliver her first arrow, let go of her first love, and trust her mentor with her existence.

Learn more at http://TheCupidChronicles.com!

* * *

**U nbreakable: The Cupid Chronicles**

**_Dying for the love of your life..._**

Evelyn Bowden thought her story was over. Little did she realize, it had just begun.

The heavens made her a Cupid– a supernatural with the rarest ability. One that allows her to pierce both mortals and immortals with arrows possessing everlasting love. But Evelyn soon discovers Cupids fight a battle in a long fought war.

**_A duty to protect the purest form of love..._**

As Evelyn embarks on her first mission, helping a Gargoyle find his true love, she is exposed to the blurred battle lines between light and darkness. While an unknown threat proves it's willing to do anything to get their hands on Evelyn and her arrows, the heavens send Andel Lambros to help protect her. She finds herself at risk of being distracted by her former mentor, Andel, a stunning Cupid with dimples hard to ignore.

**_Missing her mark could lead to a supernatural war..._**

Having no idea how powerful she is, Evelyn is forced to put everything on the line as she balances the fate of the world on the tip of her arrow. But will love conquer all once she hits her mark, or will all be lost in the end?

Learn more at http://TheCupidChronicles.com!
