"You ready?" Steve asked Ami the next day. Ami pulled her head out of the chest, blinking away the small head-rush.
"I should ask the same," she said, sheathing her sword and doing a double check on her inventory. Steve ruffled his hair, heaving a great sigh. "As the saying goes, you gotta do what you gotta do. I'll warn you now there's no telling how he might react."
"And there's no telling how you'll react to him. Talking about someone is a lot different than actually talking to them."
"Since when were you the expert?" Steve smirked. Ami rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just go." She had finished gearing up, anyway. The duo left Steve's house, waving to the eccentric Villagers, who only yelled and ran in circles. Each to their own. Ami and Steve set off for the Sky House, a bounce in each step of the way.
A swirl of violet murk had melded itself in Michael's eyes. He had been to the Nether so often lately that he feared the pattern might burn itself on his eyeballs. Thankfully, he blinked away the swirls until a mountainous landscape and the looming tower that was the Sky House made themselves present once more.
"Now are you sure we have enough this time?" Izzy pushed a mess of her tangled hair out of her charred face.
"Yes," Michael clarified for the third time. "We don't have to go back there ever again."
"I damn well hope so." Charlotte brushed her dark hair over her shoulder and patted the black charcoal out of her worn jeans. "Anyhow, we should check back in. I bet those two lollygaggers will be ecstatic to see us back again." Michael smiled at the thought.
"Come to think of it, I would have expected a welcoming party, especially from Ami by now. Do you think something happened?" Izzy speculated. Michael waved a stub at her. "No way, they probably just don't know we're back yet. Don't stress about it. Besides, Ami would probably have something set up inside. Let's go." The trio shrugged, leisurely making their way up the vines.
Upon entering the house, an unwelcoming silence loomed over the heads of Michael, Charlotte, and Izzy. It sent a gloomy aura about the place, making it seem more like a prison rather than a safe home.
"Does anyone else feel that?" Izzy asked worriedly. The empty house filled the three with worry and suspicion. Michael took charge.
"I don't trust this place," he said. "We need to check every corner of every room. Don't split up, stick in this group. Be ready for a fight." He unsheathed his chipped diamond sword, holding it out in front of him and stalking carefully around the room. Izzy and Charlotte exchanged nervous glances and did the same.
"So tell me something," Ami spoke through mouthfuls of savoury rabbit stew as Rufus chewed on a bone. Steve blinked, giving her a neutral look. Ami went on. "Has there ever been other people besides Michael and you?" Steve swallowed his food.
"'Course," he said mildly. "But…a lot of them died. I think there was only four, no, five of us total when we had all grouped up together."
"Really?!" Ami swallowed a particularly large mouthful before continuing on ecstatically. "Wow! I mean, it kinda sucks that they're gone, but…wow! What were they like?" She looked at him with her big, curious blue orbs. Steve stirred his stew cautiously.
"Well, you know about Michael and I. There was this other girl, Laura, she was sweet. A real pain in the butt, but sweet, you know? She loved the ocean more than anything, wanted to be a marine biologist. You wouldn't believe how much she flipped out when I showed her a colony of squids." He smiled reflectively. "I can't forget about Paul or Brit, either. Paul was almost always stressed about something. Food, the weather, the trouble the rest of us caused…I think he probably got more gray hairs because of us. But he was kind of like a parent to us, in the sense of keeping us all safe. Otherwise he would always crack jokes, I swear that guy was a comedian." Steve had trailed off all of a sudden, shaking his head and lost in memories. Only the loud crunching of Rufus' bone filled the silence.
"Steve?"
"Mm?"
"What about Brit?"
"Oh, right. Well, he was, er…quite the guy. Very philosophical, you could say. Always analyzed things critically and seriously. Even jokes. Mind, he saved us all probably a billion times with his weird analogies on everything. Great strategist, a great guy to have deep talk with."
"Deep talk?"
"Oh, you know. Considering our place in the universe, realizing how small and inferior we probably are in the bigger aspect of things. Weird feelings, all that sort of stuff." Steve's eyes shined happily on the memory. Ami smiled herself, never having seen him have positive feelings for other people before.
"But then…" Steve's eyes darkened. "…Nevermind. They were good people, that's all."
"Oh," Ami said quietly. "Was Michael with you when you knew them?"
"Yes," he nodded. "He was the first one I met. Unsure of where he was – as we all were – but still witty and obsessed with those damn chests. I never should have shown him those, honestly."
"You were the one who started the chest thing?!" Ami exclaimed.
"No! Well…yes. I only showed him of how to store an abundance of items in one place! It's not my fault he went totally berserk with it and started putting a chest underneath everyone's foot!" Steve put his empty bowl back in his inventory. "I taught him everything I know. At the time, I was just ecstatic to talk to another soul. I figured I should make sure that he knew how to take care of himself, whether in a fight or cooking dinner." Ami looked into the depths of her empty bowl. The worn, wooden bowl, however, told her nothing. Steve cleared his throat. "Anyway, we should get going. It'll be dark soon. We're almost there." Ami put her bowl away, feeling melancholy.
Michael surveyed the bony, pale boy. The inky blue streak in his hair shimmering in the dim light. He had a mixture of a scowl and fear on his face, though Michael was partly certain that the scowl was just a permanent part of his face.
"Luke," Michael said boldly. "What's going on? Where's Ami?"
"You don't have to point your sword at me," He eyed the sharp gem with caution. "She's in the gallery. Is something wrong?"
"It's too eerie in here for something to not be afoot. You should come with us – grab a sword and meet us on the roof. We're going to scope out the gallery." Luke gave him a worried look, glancing over at the stony faces of the silent girls behind him. He nodded curtly, dashing out of the living room.
"Let's go," Michael said coldly, following after Luke but instead heading for the roof. The trio scanned the snowy surface, finding nothing that seemed to be out of place.
"I really don't like the feeling of this," Charlotte gazed into the back of Michael's head. "Ami isn't the type to stand in one place for long, especially when it comes to looking at motionless pictures." Michael was silent. Charlotte continued, "And I know it's wrong to be thinkin' such things, but…" Another glance at Michael's sandy head. "Luke is the most suspicious person here right now. I can't trust him the way things are." Silence.
"Charlotte's right, Michael," Izzy agreed. "For all we know, he could've done something to Ami-"
"Don't say such things," Michael cut her off abrasively. "Luke's one of us. He wouldn't do anything…he has no reason to!"
"Michael, this is all hypothetical," Charlotte whispered. "We should just be wary of him, that's all." Michael swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Let's just go." They went inside the gallery.
The paintings all stared down at them with sharp eyes. The atmosphere had really gone from uneasy to just plain terrifying, Michael thought unhappily. And there was no sight of Ami. She wasn't hiding behind a pillar or behind a painting. She simply wasn't there.
"He lied to us," Izzy spoke quietly.
"He was just misinformed. Ami probably left the gallery a while ago…" Michael felt a cold sweat trickle down his neck.
"Then where is she?" Charlotte stressed.
"I – I don't know!" Michael forced a laugh. "I don't know."
"She wouldn't leave, would she, Charlotte?" Izzy's eyes were wide like a child's.
"Don't be silly!" Charlotte put her hands on her hips. "Ami…needs people. She wouldn't leave unless she absolutely had to!"
"Like if she was driven out?" Izzy's voice had gone to that of a whisper. Charlotte ran her stubs through her hair. "Yeah," she said uneasily. Michael shook uncontrollably.
"Ladies, ladies, I'm sure this is simply a big misunderstanding. We shouldn't stress over something so…so imaginative!" His efforts to calm the two down were in vain, for they only looked at him with fearful eyes, and Michael had to bite his tongue. He knew there was no way to talk them out of it. There was no way to talk himself out of it. Luke was either a liar or very, very misinformed. The innocent voice of a madman announced itself.
"I-I'm here," Luke said, sword at the ready. "Is she here?"
"No," Michael said absently.
"W-what?! I swear I just saw her, she said she was goig to pop in here for a bit, and – and…that's all I know."
"Your lies are so authentic it makes me want to puke," Charlotte scoffed, getting right into Luke's personal bubble. "What have you done with her?" Luke trembled.
"I – I wh – what?" he stuttered.
"You did this, I know it. Ami doesn't hide herself for very long, we all know that. And where's Rufus, anyway? Did you do something to him, too?"
"I d – don't know what you mean!" Luke's eyes were like huge, crystal balls now. "Maybe she went on a walk with him? I don't know! I swear I didn't do anything!"
"Liar," Charlotte bellowed gravely, swinging her sword at the frail boy. He leapt backwards, stumbling to the ground.
"Charlotte!" Izzy cried. "We don't need to kill the guy!" Charlotte wasn't listening. She was angrier than a mother bear who'd found her cub in the possession of another.
"Tell me the truth!" She swung again, breathing heavily as Luke rolled away.
"S – Stop!" Luke pleaded, scrambling for his sword. It shook in his hands. Charlotte cracked her neck. "I'm done with playing nice,"
"Here we are," Steve said triumphantly. "Home sweet home. Er, for you, anyway." Ami giggled. "I think you've already accepted that you're not going back to the Villagers." Steve laughed.
"Them? I'll check back every so often, but they should be fine on their own. …I think." His brow knitted worriedly. "Perhaps I'll check more often than I initially thought." Ami smiled. "You really do care about those guys."
"Correction, they're idiots," he said. They both laughed, the vine ladder before them.
"Ready?" Ami glanced at Steve. Steve gulped. "Sure." He grabbed onto a relatively sturdy vine, slowly pulling himself up.
"This is quite the workout," he puffed, already winded after less than a minute.
"You have no idea," Ami huffed alongside him. Soon enough, they came to the wide entryway, entering the wooden doors.
"Michael?" Ami called. "Are you back yet?" No answer. Ami shrugged. Perhaps they weren't back. She still had the sneaking suspicion that Luke was hiding somewhere, and stayed alert. She thought then that it would be a good idea to tell Steve about this entire ordeal. "Steve – " she started, but found that he wasn't beside her. She did a quick look, scared at first, but relieved when she saw he was just looking at the items and monster heads.
"What are you doing?" She approached him, Rufus at her heels.
"Nothing," Steve said. "Just revisiting old memories."
"Oh," Ami was quiet for a moment, but only a moment. "Look, I need to tell you something. It's about why I left here and was out at night…" Steve looked at her with sharp eyes. "Tell me," he said. Ami went through it all rather quickly, hastily explaining that once Luke had tried to attack her, she fell through the floor into an emergency room, and escaped from there with Rufus. Steve was patient as he listened to her, not taking his eyes off of the wall.
"Well," he said after she had finished. "It seems we should scope the place out, then, shouldn't we?" Ami nodded. "Yeah," Steve pulled out his sword. "I can take him head on, if need be. We can take him together. He won't hurt you anymore, okay?" Ami nodded again, eyes shimmering. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself when a piercing, horrifying scream echoed through the night. Steve and Ami exchanged glances, and rushed outside, climbing to the roof.
Michael was sweating profusely. Charlotte had crumpled to the floor, Luke's sword cutting through her flesh like scissors through paper. She had begun to bleed. A lot. There was a dry, sour taste in Michael's mouth. There was his proof – Luke was a traitor. He had full reason to strike him down right now with intent to kill. But he didn't. He couldn't. Michael was a coward.
Izzy immediately charged at Luke, swinging madly. Luke expertly dodged her attacks, blocking her sword anytime it came in a close proximity to his body. But her slashes were so erratic and asymmetrical that she managed to graze him on the cheek. Luke felt the warm blood dripping from his face. Izzy lunged again, driven by anger. This time, Luke countered with an attack of his own, giving Izzy a large gash on her arm. She yelled, the pain seeping through her nerves.
"Izzy! Charlotte! Michael!" Ami exclaimed, shocked by the scene. She rushed to Charlotte, who had a fairly-sized cut in her abdomen. Steve ran in behind her, squaring off against Luke. Rufus went to Charlotte as well, sticking with Ami.
"Stop this!" he commanded. "Stop and I'll spare your life!" Luke scoffed, raising his sword and ready for a duel.788Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDL5hmAogyc
Michael was surprised, in the very least. His mouth hung agape at the sight of his former ally. A mixture of confusion and concern swept over him, and it was enough to snap him out of it. Michael's grip tightened on his sword, and he stood by him.
"Michael," Steve acknowledged him.
"Steve," He kept his eyes on Luke.
"Whaddaya say we treat this sucker to a good ol' fashioned beating?"
"Fine with me," Michael said coldly. The two ganged up on Luke, blocking his attacks and striking back, easily pinning him to the wall. Michael held Luke as he struggled to break free, keeping him in place. He looked to Steve.
"Do it," he said. "Just kill him already!" Steve hesitated. He held his sword at the ready. It would be a clean slice, half a second and he would be gone. But he couldn't do it. He wouldn't. Steve gazed at his sword, the sweat running down his face. Michael looked at him worriedly. The sword dropped from Steve's hands, making a loud clang on the ground below.
"I can't," he said. Michael was silent. Everyone was silent. "But I can do this." Steve raised a stub and punched Luke so hard that he lost consciousness. His body fell to the floor with a thud, and the two boys blinked at each other.
Steve offered Michael his hand. "Truce?" he asked. Michael took his hand firmly. "Truce."
"Well, where are we gonna put 'im?" Charlotte demanded at the table. They had all gathered around the table to discuss the matter of Luke. His unconscious body currently lay on the ground beside them.
"The ground doesn't exactly seem like the best option. I say we just kick him out." Izzy shrugged. "Honestly I couldn't care less, as long as I don't have to see him again."
"But he could easily come back and hurt us again if we just let him go," Ami objected. "We need to keep him contained, somehow."
"Like a prison cell? We don't have one of those. It's not like we've ever needed one before!" Michael said.
"Couldn't we easily build one? Say, on the roof, across from the firepit." Steve suggested.
"But what could we make it out of? It has to be almost impossible to break, otherwise he'll run away." Ami pondered. Steve tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What about obsidian? I have a bunch with me, enough to make a box big enough to contain the rascal. I can go build it right now."
"Wait, are we all sure we want to keep him locked up?" Izzy protested. "I don't know if I can stand it…"
"Then let's have a vote," Michael said. "Those who want to keep Luke locked up here, raise your hand." Steve, Ami, Charlotte, and Michael raised their hands. Izzy was the only one left out, aside from Rufus, who probably would have voted against her anyway. She gritted her teeth.
"Fine, we can keep him. Just don't expect me to be the one that feeds him." So Steve went to work at once on the cell, and made it rather quickly. Miraculously, Luke remained in his unconscious state long enough so that the cell could be built (they even added a bed) and he could be thrown inside. The box was made of entirely obsidian, the only gap at the very top, where a trapdoor was, so that they could all drop down food or harsh words at Luke. It seemed that things would finally calm down for a while, and Ami could finally relax for a moment. But as the sun set and the moon rose, Ami gazed down at the monsters below and felt a dark sense of foreboding. Sighing to herself, Ami gazed back into the lava, allowing herself to be entranced by it once more before she headed inside.
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