Chapter Three

“Brooklyn,” said Ryder in a hushed voice. “Please follow me right now. Our lives depend on it!”

Without another word, Brooklyn grabbed Ryder’s hand and they began to run. It wasn’t until she stepped on a sharp rock that Brooklyn realized she had forgotten her shoes back where she and Ryder collided. She cried out in pain and slowed down.

“We don’t have time!” Ryder said urgently. Brooklyn looked down at her foot and saw a deep gash. “Ryder, I can’t… I’m hurt.”

“Just a little bit further! We’re almost there!” said Ryder. He led Brooklyn deeper into the forest, away from civilization. She tried to keep up, but the cut on her foot slowed her down considerably. Whatever was following them wasn’t giving up. Intermittent snarls and howls kept Brooklyn motivated to keep moving, no matter how painful it was.

Ryder could hear the rushing water. They were getting closer. Just a few more minutes and they would be safe. He navigated his way through the trees to the edge of a clearing. Ahead he saw his intended destination. Through the mist from a waterfall, a moonbow shimmered. Brooklyn couldn’t believe her eyes. “How can there be a rainbow in the middle of the night?” she asked.

“We’re almost there, Brooklyn, just a few more feet,” Ryder panted. Pulling her by the hand, he led them into the small lake at the base of the waterfall, and then quickly waded out to the middle of the moonbow.

“Brooklyn,” Ryder said turning and looking into her eyes. “There’s something very bad following us. If it catches us, it will kill us. There’s only one way I can keep you safe right now. Please, you have to trust me.”

Brooklyn stared into his deep green eyes. “I think I believe you,” she replied. “But…” before she could agree, a bone-chilling snarl interrupted her.

“Quick,” Ryder said, rummaging through his pockets. “Drink this!” He presented her with one of two small glass vials filled with an indigo liquid. Brooklyn downed the sugary formula and her eyes widened. What had been chasing them finally burst into the clearing. She dropped the empty bottle and a blood-curdling scream escaped her lips just as the large beast lunged straight for them.

Right before the indescribable thing reached them, Brooklyn felt like something hooked her by the shirt and ripped her away. It felt like an invisible rollercoaster. It pulled her up, down, left, right and every other way it could. Hot air blasted her in the face, making perspiration dampen her brow. The only thing keeping her from throwing up was Ryder’s hand tightly gripping hers. She struggled to see him as a dense fog encircled their bodies. Then they were falling. She felt her fingers slipping from his grasp. Panic and confusion set in. It felt like forever until a jolt threw her forward and she slammed into the ground. Everything went black.

The headache hammering at her brain woke Brooklyn up. Her foot throbbed and burned. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar objects in her bedroom and perhaps her cat, Snuggles, curled up by her feet. Instead, she saw a dirt floor and crude stone walls.

What in the world? Where the hell am I? Brooklyn thought as she looked around the small, dimly lit room. Then everything came rushing back. The party, Ryder, the night rainbow, and the horrible beast that was trying to kill them. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rattling noise coming from another room.

Brooklyn squinted to see out the door and timidly said, “Ryder? Is that you?” The noise stopped and Brooklyn froze. What if it isn’t Ryder? What if it’s that horrible monster we saw last night?

Before she could think another distressing thought, Ryder appeared in the doorway with an old fashioned lantern in hand. “Hey,” he said softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I feel like my head is about to explode and my foot really hurts,” Brooklyn replied.

“I’m really sorry you got hurt,” said Ryder. “Can I take a look at your foot?”

“Um, I guess,” said Brooklyn. “But first I’m going to need you to tell me what’s going on here. Where am I? How am I going to get home?”

Ryder sighed. “Brooklyn, look, I’m really sorry. I never should have brought you here. I was just worried that if I didn’t bring you, Grishma would have killed you…” He trailed off. “Is any of this sounding sane?”

“Well, to be totally honest, no, it’s not. You sound like you should be admitted to the loony bin and I’m a bit worried that I’m here in this room alone with you,” Brooklyn replied. “However, after seeing that terrifying beast last night, I’m slightly more inclined to believe you.”

“Grishma,” said Ryder.

“Grish — what?” asked Brooklyn.

“What we saw last night is a heinous monster called Grishma. I’ve been hunting her for the last two years. She killed my father and kidnapped my mother and little sister. I have to destroy her to save them,” Ryder explained. “But first I need to get you home. It’s far too dangerous for you here.”

Brooklyn shook her head in disbelief. “This must be some kind of bad dream. Yeah, that must be it, I bet I fell in the woods and hit my head. There’s no way this could be real.”

Ryder looked deep into Brooklyn’s eyes, just like he did at the party. “Brooklyn, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is for real. Everything I just told you really happened.”

She shifted uncomfortably in the strange surroundings. “Can’t you just send me home like this? I can just go to a doctor once I get there,” said Brooklyn.

“I wish I could, but we’ll have to walk for over a day to get you to the place where I can transport you home,” explained Ryder.

“Oh… Do I need to go under another one of those night rainbow things to get back?” said Brooklyn with mounting disappointment.

Ryder chuckled. “Yes, the night rainbow thing, or a moonbow, as we call it. It’s like a doorway between your world and mine. You have to drink the same indigo colored liquid as you did last night under a moonbow in order to get home.”

“So you’re sure this is real?” asked Brooklyn with a quavering voice. “I’m really in another world?”

Ryder looked at her sympathetically and nodded. “Yes, it’s real. You’re in Necoh, and the only way I can get you home is to fix this foot of yours so we can travel to the Zonam Mountains and find a moonbow.” 

 Brooklyn’s eyes began to well up with tears.

 Ryder watched her with great concern. “Brooklyn, I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll get you home as soon as possible. And, if it makes you feel any better, time moves way slower back in your home than it does here. By the time we get you back, it will only be like a few hours have passed.” He smiled and added, “You probably won’t even miss your curfew,” Ryder said with a slight smile.

Brooklyn sniffled. “Okay, it’s just that this wasn’t how I expected my summer break to start, you know being chased by a scary monster and ending up in some other world.”

Ryder wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know, just please try to trust me. I promise I’ll get you home as soon as I can, but first we need to fix your foot.”

“Okay,” replied Brooklyn. She gingerly lifted her leg so Ryder could examine her foot.

“Hmmm…” Ryder mumbled. “You’re going to need to wash this out really well before I put any kind of medicine on it. We can’t let it get infected.”

“Do you have a bathtub or something I can use?” asked Brooklyn.

Ryder laughed, much louder this time. “Something like that. Here, lean against me and Ill take you to a Necohian bathtub.”

It wasn’t until Ryder led her out of the room that Brooklyn realized she was in a cave. “Um, Ryder, are we underground?”

 “Yeah, it’s actually the safest place in Necoh,” he replied.

 With each hop, pain shot through Brooklyn’s foot and into her lower leg. After turning what seemed like their tenth corner, they reached their destination.

 Brooklyn gasped. “Wow… it’s beautiful.” In front of her was a small body of water illuminated by a strange green mass floating in the middle.

"Welcome to our version of a bathtub,” said Ryder with a smile.

“Is it safe to go in?” asked Brooklyn. “What’s that green stuff glowing in the middle?”

“It’s kind of the Necohian version of algae,” replied Ryder. “It’s completely harmless and it serves as a great source of light. Speaking of which…” Ryder led Brooklyn over to the nearby wall and lit a torch that was secured there. Ryder did the best bow he could holding up both Brooklyn and a lantern. “Ta da!”

Brooklyn smiled. Ryder was really trying to cheer her up.

“If you give me a second, I’ll go grab some clothes for you and something to dry off with,” said Ryder.

“That’s fine,” replied Brooklyn. “But first, could you please help me sit down near the water?”

“Of course.” Ryder helped her hop over near the edge of the crystal clear water.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” said Ryder. He quickly turned and exited the room.

Wow, this is pretty amazing. Too bad no one would ever believe me if I told them about this place.

A few minutes later, Ryder came back with a neatly folded stack of clothes and a towel. “You’ll have to wear these until you get home,” he said, holding up the clothes. “Otherwise you’ll draw too much attention to us. Got it?”

“All right,” agreed Brooklyn.

“Oh, one other thing, the water is really shallow near the edge, but it gets pretty deep rather quickly. You do know how to swim, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, since I was like two,” Brooklyn replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry, Ryder, I won’t drown.”

“Okay, just checking,” said Ryder, smiling at her.

Brooklyn felt her heart flutter. Ryder’s smile was amazing.

“Just shout once you’re clean and dressed,” stated Ryder, “and I’ll come back and get you.”

“Thanks,” replied Brooklyn. “I’m pretty sure I would get super lost if I tried to find my way back to that room.”

“Not a problem,” said Ryder. “Do you need anything else?”

“Um… Do you have soap or something?” asked Brooklyn.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, it’s right there,” said Ryder as he pointed to a nearby ledge hanging slightly above the water.

“Okay, thanks, I think I’m good then,” said Brooklyn.

“See you in a bit,” said Ryder as he walked out of the room.

Once he was gone, Brooklyn looked around the room again in amazement. The glowing mass in the water was beautiful. She undressed and slowly slipped into the water. Although her foot stung slightly, a feeling of utter bliss and relief washed over her. The water was the perfect temperature and it smelled clean and refreshing. She waded over to the ledge holding the soap.

Mmmm, this smells like lavender, thought Brooklyn as she washed herself from head to toe. Once she felt sufficiently clean, she hobbled out of the water and reached for the towel and clothing Ryder had left.

Eek, she thought to herself as she held up the clothing for a closer inspection. The pants were a shade of brown that resembled mud and the shirt, which appeared slightly too large, was the same color as the straw bed Brooklyn awoke upon only a few hours ago.

Brooklyn looked over at the outfit crumpled on the ground that she had so carefully chosen the night before. I guess this will just have to wait until I get home.

After getting dressed, Brooklyn attempted to give herself the once over. This would be a heck of a lot easier if I had a mirror. All things considered, the outfit actually didn’t look too bad. She tightened a belt around her, which helped keep her pants in place and the shirt from looking like a pillowcase.

“Ryder, um, I’m done, can you please come get me?” Brooklyn called out. She wasn’t sure how loud she was supposed to yell, so she took a deep breath, “RYDER! I’M D— ”

“Whoa! I’m right here, there’s no need to wake up the dwarves!” joked Ryder.

“The dwarves?” asked Brooklyn.

“Yeah, they live a bit further down, but in the same cave system,” replied Ryder. “Anyways, let’s get you some medicine for your foot and something to eat— that is, if you’re hungry?” asked Ryder.

“Yes, please! I’m starving,” Brooklyn answered with enthusiasm.

As Ryder helped her hobble to the kitchen, Brooklyn tried to absorb all of the details in this odd underground habitat.

“So you, like, really live here?” Brooklyn asked Ryder.

“Yes, I like, really do,” replied Ryder.

She smiled. He could be a real a smartass. “Um, okay, you can make fun of the way I talk, but how about we talk about the way you people dress?” she said, holding her arms out to emphasize her clothing.

Ryder inhaled sharply. “You know, I’m just trying to help, you don’t have to be so rude.”

Brooklyn was shocked. How had Ryder’s mood changed so drastically? “Did I say something wrong?”

Ryder sighed and dropped his head. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that those are my mother’s clothes, and well, it’s difficult looking at you wearing them. It makes me think of her.”

“Oh Ryder, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Brooklyn replied.

“It’s okay, it isn’t your fault. Plus, I really like what you did with the belt,” he said with a slight laugh.

Brooklyn smiled. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that. You see, I’m going to start a new fashion trend here in Necoh, but since I’ll be going home in a few days, I thought I better get started right now.”

Ryder grinned as he helped her up on to a stool in the kitchen. Something smelled delicious. Brooklyn looked around the brightly lit kitchen, which had multiple torches on opposite sides of the room as she tried to find the source of the mouthwatering smell.

“Medicine before we eat,” said Ryder as he sat across from her and gently lifted her foot. “Well, I can honestly say I’ve seen worse. However, it still looks like a pretty nasty cut.” He reached for a glass jar containing something that looked like a sugar scrub Brooklyn used in the shower at home.

“Is it going to hurt?” Brooklyn asked Ryder as he dabbed a large amount of the gooey concoction on something that looked like a tongue depressor.

“Not too much, I’m pretty good at mixing this stuff. I’ve added something to numb the wound as well as something that will take care of any type of infection,” he explained.

Brooklyn took a deep breath in and waited for the medicine to touch her skin. She was pleasantly surprised when all she felt was a slight sting.

“Wow, you’re pretty good at that,” said Brooklyn with a smile.

“Thanks,” replied Ryder. He wrapped her foot with a clean cloth. “If we cover this now and apply fresh medicine every couple of hours, you should be able to walk by tomorrow night.”

“It really works that quick? Where did you learn to make this stuff?” asked Brooklyn.

“My mom taught me some and the rest I learned on my own.” There was a sadness creeping into his voice.

Brooklyn decided to drop the subject and switch to a safer topic. “So, what do you have to eat down here?”

“Well, while you were cleaning up, I started dinner. It should be ready in a few minutes.”

Brooklyn looked around. “Can I help with anything?”

“I think it would be best if you just sat there and let your foot rest,” said Ryder. “Can I get you some water?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” said Brooklyn, realizing she was feeling rather parched.

After he set down a stone mug in front of Brooklyn, Ryder went over to a wood-burning stove and carefully inspected the contents of two simmering pots. Appearing pleased, he spooned two large helpings of something that looked like mashed potatoes on each plate, followed by some type of gravy.

“Dinner is served,” said Ryder as he set down a plate for each of them. “I hope you like it.”

Brooklyn’s stomach grumbled with hunger. Picking up a hand carved utensil, she dug in to the hot foot sitting in front of her.

“Wow, Ryder, this is amazing!” exclaimed Brooklyn.

“Oh, well, it’s no big deal. I’m glad you like it,” he stammered as his cheeks flushed slightly.

After finishing dinner, Ryder helped Brooklyn back to the room she had woken up in only a few hours ago.

“It’s surprisingly comfortable,” said Ryder as he motioned to the makeshift bed on the floor.

Brooklyn raised her eyebrows. “I’ll take your word for it.”

After Ryder left and Brooklyn got comfortable, the seriousness of the events that had transpired hit her like a ton of bricks. Tears began to well up in her eyes as thoughts of home flooded her mind.

Brooklyn finally drifted into a restless sleep flooded with vivid nightmares. She and Ryder were running through the forest and Grishma was so close behind she could actually feel the horrifying monster’s hot, fowl, rank breath on her neck as she raced through the trees. Then, she tripped and fell onto the damp ground littered with leaves. Before she could get back up, Grishma was on top of her, gnashing its razor sharp teeth inches from her face. Just as the murderous beast opened its mouth to expel its deafening cry, Brooklyn awoke screaming.

Within seconds Ryder appeared in the doorway, looking disheveled. “Brooklyn! I heard you screaming. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you up. I’ve just been having the worst nightmares about that Grishma thing.”

He rubbed his face and shook his head. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“No, it’s not.” She yawned. “Well, maybe it is a little bit. Is it time to get up?” she asked sleepily. 

“No, it’s still night,” said Ryder with a chuckle. “You can go back to sleep for a few hours if you want.”

Brooklyn bit her upper lip. She knew there was no way she would be able to fall asleep again, the nightmares were too intense.

Ryder, noticing Brooklyn’s apprehension, said, “You know, I could stay in here if you want. I mean — Not like with you, but like next to you, or not. I mean, whatever, it’s up to you.”

“Oh, um, yeah. I mean, yeah, that would be really nice,” Brooklyn stammered. Her heart slammed in her chest and her palms felt sweaty. She had never slept with a boy in her bed.

Brooklyn moved over and made room for Ryder. He crawled next to her and got comfortable. She tried to control her breathing. Damn it! Why am I so nervous? He’s just doing this because he thinks I’m too scared to sleep, it’s not like he likes me!

After a few minutes, Brooklyn could hear Ryder’s steady breathing, in, out, in, and out.

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