Aspirations

Chapter 20

I Just Want to go Home but Apparently I Have to Deal with This Psychopath on my Hands Right Now Instead

POV: Henry

I was still in shock at how easily Amonae obliterated one of the eleven, but had to push it aside because now all her focus was on me and she demanded answers. She was poking every crack and crevasse of the playground trying to find Reverse. Or more like someone, she didn't really know what she was looking for.

"Human," she called to me. I had my arms wrapped tightly around myself like a hug. "This is the right room, right?" I gave a shallow nod.

"Then where did they go?" She asked herself. She ducked under a slide but saw nothing and looked back at me. "Do you know where they went?" I shook my head. "Then they must be hiding! Oh I love hide and seek!"

She wiped some goop off the slide and I tried to keep everything in my stomach level. "You know, it might help if I know who I'm looking for." She glanced at me.

"I really don't think it's a good idea." I said again. She raised her eyebrows. "Reverse. This weird black and white card Aspiration called Reverse. I don't remember his number."

She gave me a smile. "Thanks! Oh, Reverse~!" She sang out. "Come out and play with me! This game's getting a little boring and I want fun."

No answer. She kept a smile on her face but I noticed her eyes grew agitated. She spun to me.

"You don't know where he left, but did you see where he came in?" She asked. I glanced at the merry-go-round.

"Through a... through a hole in the ground." I said. She waited patiently for more of an explanation. "Underneath the merry-go-round. Mischief spun it and it sunk down into the ground. He came out of there."

"Ooh, the ultimate hiding spot of all time." She said. She grabbed my arm and began to pull me toward it. "He isn't in this room, is he? Cheater." She took the bars and gave it a tug. It began to rotate, then faster and faster until it was like earlier and sinking into the ground slowly. I watched as it started to descended. "Oh, it's like an elevator."

I nodded in agreement. "Like an-aaAHHHH!!!" Amonae suddenly shoved me from behind and I feel in. I landed with a thud on the metal, luckily though, I didn't think I broke anything. She jumped in after me, landing more gracefully. I glared up at her. "What was that for?"

"You wouldn't have jumped if I told you." She said casually. I achingly got to my feet and held onto one of the bars for support. The decent was slow and the deeper it went the more worried it got. The dirt turned to stone, then to a black shinny rock that sucked all light away. I looked back up at the tiny hole of light that was slowly fading.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked her.

"Find Reverse and ask why he wanted me." She replied.

"What if he's not down here? What if this really isn't a place at all and we have no way to get back up?" She shrugged with a small giggle.

"Oops."

"No oops." I said. "Reverse is a really bad guy, even Hryumn was afraid of him and Hyrumn isn't afraid of anything." She glanced back at me.

"I'm not Hyrumn." She said. "I don't fear."

"You don't fear?"

"I don't have a lot of emotions." She said. She traced her fingers on the black rock.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Why?" She looked back at me confused.

"Well, I mean, emotions are life. Happiness and sadness and fear and excitement and anger and love are what make you feel alive. Life without emotions is just... depressing."