Onward to 7 Years

Chapter 6: Another Bottomless Pit

Ian slowly turned back around, facing Jessica and the pond. "Um...yes, I am Ian," he stammered. "H-how do you know who I am?"

"I knew you looked familiar!" she giggled. "When you and your brother went on that huge quest-what, like, 10 years ago?- it was all over the news and it was all everyone talked about in New Mushroomton! I'm from there, too. I was 12 at the time, and I thought it was amazing how you guys went on that quest and saved the city from that dragon!" Jessica gushed. "That's what inspired me  to travel and go on journeys-just like you guys! Once I turned 18, I packed my bags and started traveling!" she smiled, waiting for Ian to respond.

Ian smiled pack politely. He appreciated that him and Barley inspired her and everything, but he really needed to get going. "That's...cool! I wish I could talk longer, but-"

"Wait, if you're traveling, where's your brother? You do  have a brother, right? Or am I just going crazy?"  

"Yes, I have a brother," Ian responded tersely. "And I don't know where he is. That's why I'm on this journey right now." Ian turned around and disappeared into the trees. He looked over his shoulder, and Jessica was running to catch up with him. He couldn't decide if he wanted her to be with him or not. I guess I don't really have a choice, Ian thought.

Jessica appeared at his side. "You're on a quest to find your brother? That's so sweet of you!"

"Not when you haven't seen him for almost 7 years and he might be being held hostage," Ian muttered under his breath. 

But Jessica heard him. She glanced at Ian, opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Finally, she quietly said, "You haven't seen your brother for 7 years?"

"Mm-hm," Ian grumbled. He had been staring at the ground as they were walking, and when he looked back up, he realized that he had been going back toward the direction he came from, and he was passing all the houses again. "Hey, do you know how to get us out of this neighborhood and back out to open land?" he asked Jessica.

She looked delighted to help. "Yeah! If we go to the left of that pond we were at, away from the stream that it led out to, I think I saw some open land in the distance that way," she said as she turned around. "Come on!"

They turned around and entered back through the clump of trees, and came out to the pond. They turned left and started walking slowly. "Where do you think your brother might be?"

Ian hesitated. Should he tell her about Cavaria?

He glanced at Jessica, who was looking at him, waiting for an answer, her brown eyes sparkling.

Ian sighed. "There's a legend about a land named Cavaria," he started. "It's a dangerous land where there are monsters and obstacles, and most importantly, the Hidden Centaur." Ian inhaled a breath, glancing at Jessica. He expected her to be laughing, saying that the legend was crazy, but she was still listening. Ian continued. "The Hidden Centaur-" Ian glanced ahead of him just in time. "AH, look out!" he screamed, extending his arm in front of Jessica to stop her from walking. To their right was the pond, and it extended over to where they were standing into a waterfall. There was no more land right in front of them- but there was more on the other side of the waterfall, which looked like it was more than a hundred-foot drop. They would have to take a huge jump in order to make it over the waterfall-and even then they still might not make it.

"There's no other way to go- it's just a bunch of neighborhoods that I'm sure you passed if we turn back around," Jessica explained. "Are you sure Cavaria is this way? Because if it is...we'll have to jump."

Ian looked at her with surprise. She said "we'll". That meant both of them- she was sticking with Ian! He felt a little bit of excitement rush through him- he was starting to enjoy her company. He glanced up at the sky, where the sun was still a little bit behind him from sunrise. So he was still going east. "I'm sure," he said. "The legend says that 'Cavaria and the sunrise are far; you shall find it under the moon and stars.'"

"And we're heading away from the sunrise, and going toward where it will set," Jessica confirmed.

"Right." Ian glanced up again, and noticed a tree to his left. One of its branches extended over the gap between the waterfall and the other part of land. It didn't quite reach the land on the other side, but they'd have a better chance at making it to the other part of the land than jumping. He looked over at Jessica, who was beaming at him. Immediately, she ran over to the tree and started climbing. Ian watched nervously. "Y'know, you don't have to join me on my quest," he said.

"It's okay!" Jessica huffed as she made it to the branch, and wrapped herself on it upside down like a sloth and started inching her way toward the other part of the land. Ian nervously climbed on to the tree and started scooting himself up. He felt like his backpack was weighing him down. "How does..." he wheezed. "...your backpack...not...weigh you down?" With a grunt, Ian pulled himself up, sitting on the branch.

Jessica was almost at the end of the branch by then. "I dunno, guess I'm used to it!" she exclaimed. 

Ian was trying to decide whether he wanted to scoot on the branch hanging upside down like how Jessica was doing and risk death, or scoot on his butt on top of the branch, also risking death. But then his eyes narrowed on Jessica's left  hand, which was wrapped tight around the branch. Climbing onto it was a tarantula that must've been hiding on the branch.

Ian gasped and gripped the branch and started crawling on it as fast as he could. The tarantula looked as it was about to strike. "Jessica!" Ian shouted. "Your hand!"

Jessica glanced up and shrieked. She let go of the branch completely and started to fall. Ian screamed. Luckily, she was at the edge of the branch when she fell, so she was close to the other part of the land. She latched on and pulled herself up onto the land. (The tarantula was not so lucky- it fell into the waterfall.) "I'm...okay!" she breathed. Ian let out a breath. He very slowly made his way through the rest of the branch, while Jessica patiently waited on the land below him. "You can do it!" she cheered. Ian started to let go, ready to jump, when suddenly he got a blinding pain in his head. He suddenly had an agonizing flashback of when him and Barley were at the bottomless pit and Ian had to form the trust bridge. Ian saw himself fall, screaming, "I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dead, I'm dead, oh, my life is over!" Ian blinked, and he was back to real life, clinging to the branch.

"You okay? You just got really pale..." Jessica asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Ian gasped. Then he reluctantly let go of the tree branch and fell onto the land.

"There, was that so bad?" Jessica asked, smiling.

Ian looked up. "No," he responded. "Hey...do you, um..." Why did he feel so nervous? "Do you wanna stick around with me?" Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having her around. Plus, it'd be nice to have the company, and he could probably use her help. She seemed to know what she was doing.

Jessica flashed a huge smile. "Really? I'd love to! Just so you know...even though I've been traveling for 4 years, I haven't really been on an actual  journey...I just kinda walked wherever, stayed in hotels and cabins...so I don't really know what I'm doing", she laughed.

Ian sighed. Well, I guess she doesn't know what she's doing, he thought.

Jessica smiled. "But it'll still be fun! We can find Cavaria!"

"Thanks, Jessica," Ian said gratefully. They started walking onward together.

"By the way, you can call me Jess," she said as they walked. "Now, tell me more about the Hidden Centaur."