Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 21 - Exploration

The six children crept down the hallway, their rubber boots making muted thuds as they padded against the slick, stone flooring. The group had decided to go the opposite direction Uncle Taner had taken them, instead walking down a straight and plain hall. "We've already seen that other way," Kronalia had said. "This way is uncharted territory!"

Ivy, for one, grew wary of the "uncharted territory" — it had a lack of corners or alternate paths. It's almost as if we've been walking in a big circle, she thought with an impatient twist of the bulb in her hands.

"Circuits, it's just one long hallway," Kronalia said with a pout, echoing her thoughts.

"Well, what did you expect?" Oak growled. "Some super neon technology or something?"

"Oak, be nice," Augaley scolded.

He sighed and crossed his arms, glaring at his feet as he walked. "Just wait 'till Uncle Taner catches us," he muttered. "We're gonna be so fried."

Ivy glanced at Oak, noticing his clenched jaw and tense shoulders. Why is he so on edge? she thought. "You know," Ivy ventured, breaking the silence that had settled on the group, "You looked pretty tense with Uncle Taner around."

He flinched, his eyebrows raising. "Did I?" he said.

"Well, yeah," Ivy said with a shrug. "I dunno, you seemed way more confident when it was just the six of us last week...up until Uncle Taner joined us. And even now, you're on edge just at the chance of running into him."

"I noticed that too," Carbon said with an empathetic nod. "I always wondered why you were so formal when I came to get my coding lessons with your uncle."

Oak frowned, then glanced away. "I guess you can say that we haven't been on the best terms since the whole 'portal incident'," he finally said. "He's been doing a lot of favors for me of late, and I feel like the more favors I've asked of him, the more trouble he's gotten into."

"I can see that," Ivy said with a sympathetic nod, thinking of the Most Wanted advert.

"But if he was really on bad terms with you," Syndria thoughtfully said, "he could have just left us with the agent, couldn't he?"

Oak's frown deepened. "Sure," he flatly said.

They must be very close for him to be so concerned, Ivy thought. I wonder how close...

"How long are we gonna be walking aimlessly?" Oak said. "It looks like it's just a long hallway. Can we go back now?"

"No," Kronalia stubbornly said. "Uncle Taner couldn't have possibly stepped out just to walk down an endless hallway. There must be some way to the rest of the building, I'm sure of it."

Oak's face darkened. "If we don't find a doorway or another hallway in this direction within the next minute," he said, "I say we turn back and stay in the room like we were supposed—"

"Hey, look at that!" Syndria interrupted from ahead of the group. "There's an end to the hallway!"

There at the end of the hall was an opening, branching to several other halls. Oh good, there are doors in those hallways, Ivy thought, perking in interest.

"Are you kidding me?" Oak groaned, dragging his feet as he followed the rest of the group rushing into the hall.

"Which way should we go?" Augaley said, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"We should let Kronalia choose," Carbon said. "After all, this was her idea!"

Kronalia smirked at Oak, then turned to the hallways, her eyes narrowing as she looked at each one. "Hm... This one!" she said, pointing at the far right hallway and leading the group.