The 99 Caverns (book 2)

Eastern Caverns

Kerien felt someone shake her gently.

"Kerien, Ker." She sat up to find her mother looking down at her.

Kerien had never seen her mother look so nervous before. And she had seen her mom have some pretty bad fights with her dad.

She could see her mom carrying a bunch of bags, 2 of which she handed to Kerien as she helped her out of bed.

"Is dad still mad?" Kerien touched her face, where is still stung from last night.

"He always is sweetie." Her mom murmured. "You remember those stories I told you. About Slugterra?"

Kerien nodded. Her mom was dragging her towards the her car.

It must have been just past midnight, and Kerien could see Cassiopeia in the sky. She liked the stars.

"Yeah." She got in the car and buckled up.

Her mom turned back to her with a smile. "Well, we're going there."

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Kerien had never been on a plane before. She was excited she couldn't even sleep at all on the flight. And it was a long flight.

They were going to China, her mom said.

Kerien was a little confused. Mom had thrown her phone away before they got on the plane. Her dad wasn't here.

That made Kerien feel okay. Dad wasn't being nice right now.

She stared at the stars when they landed. They were always there. Kerien liked stars.

Stars didn't hit. Stars didn't cry. Stars never made her feel like it was her fault.

It was still dark in the sleepy little town in China where they landed.

Was that right? Kerien thought they lived in different time zones. How long was that plane ride?

Her mom rented a jeep. Kerien liked the jeep.

It was fun as they drove through a thick forest. It was scary but in a fun way. The sounds of foreign--at least for her--creatures she couldn't see.

She could still glimpse the stars through the tree line.

That's when it hit her.

"Mommy, are there stars in Slugterra?"

Christina tore through the forest, hands clutching the steering wheel. Kerien was sure she was fighting tears. She always did around her after a bad night with her dad.

Her eyes flicked to her daughter, then refocused on the strip of path before them.

"No dear."

"What? Then we can't go!" Kerien screeched.

Her mom tried to calm her down--what was the big deal--but Kerien refused.

She couldn't leave the stars. The stars were her friends, the ones always there for her, always on her side. Always told her good night. Were never mad at her. Never hurt her.

She couldn't just leave them.

She wanted to see Slugterra, and meet slugs, she really did.

But she couldn't abandon her friends.

She cried, screamed, even threatened to jump out of the car.

But then the jeep stopped. Kerien stared in wonder at the waterfall before them. She had never seen one before.

The stars reflected in the water as it plunged into the lake beside them.

"This," Her mother began, cracking a smile for the first time since leaving America. "Is our way to the Eastern Caverns."

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Kerien, to her later horror, forgot about the stars as her and her mother--waterproof bags in hand, plunged into the water fall.

Keeping a firm grip on her daughter, Christina told kerien to hold her breath whenever they went under water.

First they simply fell, no stone or water. It was a long drop.

Kerien was scared at first, but with her mother's reassuring smile, she simply pretended she was flying.

But then they hit ice cold water. Kerien did just what her mother said and held her breath. She felt the water current pull her deeper and deeper.

Kerien fought it at first, but she felt her mom gently guide her to go with the flow.

It felt like they were caught in a whirlpool, but soon enough, they were launched up.

Kerien surfaced and immediately released her mom's hand to run onto the land, gasping at what she saw.

A beautiful, blue, jungle. With giant plants. And there, there, were tiny little creatures which chittered at her gently.

One, a small droopy green one waddled up to her.

Kerien got down to pet it. Her mom giggled behind her. And she sounded so...free. She had never sounded like that before...on the surface.

The slug smiled at her.

Kerien forgot about the stars for a long time.