SATELLITE HEART [A BARLEY LIGHTFOOT x READER STORY]

chapter 22

"How did you do that?" Ian whispered.

"I don't know!" You grabbed his shoulder and stared wide-eyed at the gush of murky water washing across the stone steps. It moved like a wave, crashing against the grey walls before it dissipated into the darkness. "But I guess I did something." 

"Yeah," Ian said, suddenly grinning. "Well, here we go!" 

"Did you bring a flashlight?" you asked. 

"No need to," he said, picking up his wizard staff from the ground, where it leaned against a tree. He snapped a lengthy twig off of the branch and tossed it to you. You held it out and he exclaimed, "Flame infernar!" 

The branch in your hands burst into flames at the top, giving you a nice torch. You smiled. "Wow, that is actually really cool. Feels very fitting for a quest down into a dark, creepy cave. Thanks." 

"No problem," he said. He looked at the entrance of the cave uneasily. "Uh... ladies first?" 

You sighed, also staring at the creepy darkness. You were just as uneasy, but you couldn't stop now. Barley asked you to be a real sister to Ian, and you knew that if Barley were here, he would be leading the way as fearlessly as he could possibly be.

"Well, I guess so. I do have the torch, anyway..." You took a step down and then looked back at Ian. "Or maybe the optimist should lead the way?"

"I'm not sure I'm feeling as optimistic as I was..." He shuddered as a giant, fuzzy spider scurried across the step you were about to step down on. You sighed and started down the steps slowly, holding on tightly to Barley's Quest of Yore book and the torch. 

"Y-You don't think there are unicorns down here, do you?" Ian asked.

"I don't know," you said. "Why, are you scared of them?"

"A little," he said. "I hate when they hiss at me." He shuddered. "So weird!"

You gave him a look. "Unicorns scare you? What about venomous snakes? Or worse --- what about huge freaking dragons?"

Ian gulped. "And what about gelatinous cubes?"

You stopped. "What?"

The shadows of the fire danced across Ian's face as he looked at you very seriously. "You know, gelatinous cubes? Hasn't Barley told you about those? They're scary and dangerous. A quest isn't a quest unless you encounter a gelatinous cube."

"Like... like Jell-O? Is that what you're talking about?"

"No, not like Jell-O! This is serious and real. They're huge, they're green, and they swallow up everything in their path and their acids or whatever disintegrate it in seconds! I've seen it happen with my own eyes and Barley's friend---"

You shook your head and started walking again. "I cannot tell if you're joking with me right now."

"I can swear to you that I'm not," he said.

"Gelatinous cubes," you repeated. You couldn't picture them. You shook your head and tried not to smile before the what-if game started in your head.

What if Ian happened to not be messing with you? What if Barley knew about them... and he really encountered one...

You opened the Quest of Yore book and flipped through the pages. Ian held the torch just right so you could see. And his finger landed on the page etched with notes.

"Oh jeez," you murmured.

There was a scurry a in the distance. You and Ian looked fast.

"What was that?" he whispered.

You were suddenly very aware of the possibility of danger; the thought of traps lurking in the dark abyss made you tense. Your spine was as straight as an arrow as your feet moved one step at a time, mindful of the slippery stone and the possibility of literally anything, even cubes of gelatin. Or something like that.

It was silent---

And then the sound of your ringtone made you and Ian jump. You nearly fell against him before you realized that it was your own cellphone. Hurriedly, you thrust the torch in his hand and pulled the phone from your back pocket. 

Barley. 

You answered it. "Hello?" 

"I know something's up," he said. He sounded weak and tired. "I wake up from a forever-long nap and you guys aren't even back!" 

You sighed, "Barley... listen, I don't want you to freak out---"

"Well, where are you guys? Dead on the side of the road?! Aw man, did you guys die?!" 

"No! We're not dead," you said, shaking your head. "Ian and I are just..." You looked at Ian who shrugged, face guilty. "We are kinda on a quest right now." 

"A quest? What kind of quest?" Barley asked. 

You glanced at Ian as he started to lead the way. He held one arm out, the one with the torch, and the other one slightly behind him as he gripped the staff and prepared to use it at any glimpse of danger. "One of those super awesome... kinda insane... and possibly dangerous ones? Your favorite." 

"As happy as I am that you guys are hanging out together now... what are you doing?" 

"We've found a way to make you better, Bar," you said. "We have to complete this quest." 

"Oh you guys..."

"It's your dad's quest," you told him. "He never got to complete it. But we will." You held your phone tight.

"You guys don't need to --- if something happens---  just be careful---"

You shut your eyes. "Bar --- honey, you're breaking up. I can't---"

"Please don't---" You couldn't tell what he was saying, but you though he might be crying. Maybe you were imagining it. You really hoped you were imagining it.

"I love you and I"ll be home soon," you said, and then the line went dead before you could finish. You sighed and stared at your phone screen. No service. 

"He's going to be fine," Ian said, stepped back up on your step. You nodded and tucked your phone away into your pocket. He handed you the torch and then his hand found yours. Completely surprising, catching you off guard, but making you smile. You realized in that moment that he was your brother too. "The sooner we get down there, the better. For him."

"Yeah," you agreed with a whisper. And you didn't let go of his hand as you went further into the darkness.