Resilient

Chapter 13 Amber

Amber and Skyler shared a room together not wanting to be separated. Both of them curled up underneath the sheets and rested on a bed for the first time in what seemed like forever. Amber hadn't let go of the staff since they got it in fear of losing it again. She gently slipped it under the bed and let it rest there. It had been two months since the CIA, and Amber realized as she curled up into a ball, they hadn't slept in a bed since then. Amber rubbed the bump on her neck were the now waterlogged camera once was.

She stared at the roof of the shack thinking about Brock's reaction to the man telling them that he was a enchanter. What scared her was how quickly Brock lost control. He was usually a master of his emotions and kept his true feelings to himself, but this new Brock scared Amber. Thankfully he seemed to be back to his old self.

She heard a gentle snoring from next to her and realized that she should probably be getting some rest too. She relaxed for the first time in ages and almost immediately fell asleep.

...

Amber held her moms hand as they descended the stairs into the dark cave. Sky was next to her holding her dad's hand. Both of them were very young. Amber was only a little nervous, the dark didn't scare her but the fact that the rocks could collapse anytime did.

The tour guide was bobbing along in front of them smiling and showing them the way, occasionally telling them random facts.

"The Mammoth Cave happens to be the largest cave in the world measuring up to three hundred and forty-six miles long!"

Amber's mother looked down at her smiling, "isn't that amazing?" She asked her quietly.

"Yeah!" Said Amber with a little jump of excited nerves. Her mother laughed softly and hugged her.

The tour guide continued talking. "There are many kinds of rock formations here in Mammoth Caves like none other anywhere else in the world!"

Amber's dad looked down at both Skyler and Amber and spoke quietly.

"There is something more than rock formations down here girls remember that. These caves are very important to our kind, the caves were a gift from the earth to shelter people of magic from others who wanted it for themselves."

"Whats down here dad?" Skyler asked her dad curiously.

"Yeah what is it?" Amber echoed jumping up and down.

"A powerful magic that can only be controlled by someone special."

"Whoa," Amber said her eyes wide as dinner plates, "Am I the special one?"

"Maybe," Said their dad, but he dropped his voice mysteriously and both girls leaned in to hear what he had to say. "It is said that only someone who is one with the earth can control it."

"Wow." both girls said in unison before giggling at the synchronization between the two of them.

The family and the tour guide passed a large river that lead deeper into the cave.

Suddenly Ambers vision traveled away from her and her family and down the twisted river further into the cave. Suddenly the river branched off in another direction and wound its way into a small cave. Amber went through the wall in the cave and into a deeper chamber. Floating in the middle of the chamber was a staff with rocks etched into it.

Amber's dream self went to grab it but suddenly a creature came out from behind it and jumped at her face claws extended.

Amber woke up suddenly screaming.

Sky was at her side holding her and murmuring that it was going to be alright. Brock came running into the room as fast as he could looking distinctly ruffled from being woke up. Amber watched as he took in the scene. He stood there frozen as if unsure what to do. Skyler signaled that he could leave but Amber suddenly got up.

"Don't." She croaked from all of the screaming. Brock paused in the doorway. "I think I know where the next staff is." By the time that she finished recounting her dream both Skyler and Brock were frozen.

"So it's in Mammoth caves?" Asked Skyler incredulous.

"Yes." Replied Amber with certainty. "The question is how are we going to get there. It's over, like, six hundred and thirty miles from here in Virginia, give or take, so-"

"It would take around nine and a half hours to get there. By car." Said Brock finishing off her sentence.

"Wow." Said Skyler bleakly, Amber personally thought that Sky was impressed with her estimating skills. All three of them pondered how to get to Mammoth caves faster but with no avail.

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to think about it," Sky suggested finally, "that way we will have a fresher mindset."

Brock nodded in agreement and started off back towards his room again.

"Wait." Amber called him back one more time. "There's something else I saw in my dream," She paused debating on whether to tell them or not, "When my dream-self went to take the staff, something came out from behind it and tried to attack me."

"What do you mean by something?" Brock asked very seriously.

"Amonszter" Amber muttered quietly.

"What?" Asked Skyler gently.

"A monster."

A heavy silence draped upon the three of them. Amber felt a shiver of fear run up her spine freezing her into place.

"Let's go to sleep." Skyler murmured sounding faint.

Brock nodded numbly and turned to leave but paused to see if Amber was going to stop him a third time. When she didn't he continued out the door and into the hallway. Amber wished that she didn't tell them about the creature until morning. Fear seemed to seep through the cracks in the shack filling the air with nightmares of what could be waiting for them. Amber curled up once again next to Skyler in the bed and prayed for sleep. Her wishes were granted and she fell asleep almost right away.

The creature that lay deep inside the caves however was far from sleep. For the first time since it had been placed to guard the staff it had felt a subconscious inside the walls of the cave. When he first saw it was a little girl it was curious, but when she reached for the staff he pounced inches away from ripping off her face. She should know, it thought not to come near here ever again.