"Lillia!" I giggled. "Where'd you go?" We were hiking up a mountain in our area for a class field trip. Not very fun, but 14 year-olds can spice up anything. "You'll never find me!" I heard her from a ways off. "I've got you now," I thought to myself. As I threw my arms into the bush where her voice came from, I heard a war cry. Suddenly, my back was on the ground and Lillia's arms were around me, trapping me in a victorious embrace. We both sat there giggling like children. "Gotcha, Tobs." she said in between breaths. "That you did," I conceded. "But now who's got who?" She jumped up and ran, laughing once more. I couldn't stand not seeing her smile, so I got up and ran right after her.
We had run ourselves to the top of the mountain, and off the path lay a cave. "What if we go in here?" I recommended. She lead the way in. It was beautiful. The inside shone and sparkled, covered in gemstones. I couldn't help but be in awe. "Hey, Toby? You, uh, you're drooling." She laughed. I wiped my mouth, embarrassed, and laughed too. She suddenly cut short, gaze focused on the middle of the cave floor. A pit. A dark, bottomless pit about 8 feet wide. "Lillia?" No response. "Lillia." I spoke sharply, getting worried. She stood there like a statue. "Lillia, I think we need to go-" As I went to grab her arm and pull her out of this trance, she spoke. "The Underground awaits for those who are willing to take what is theirs."
I would have been only mildly concerned if she had said this in normal conversation, but the thing is, this wasn't her voice. This wasn't the voice I've heard so many times, joking with me and laughing. This was metallic and cold. Before I hardly had the chance to attempt to process what was going on, she broke free of my grasp, and leapt feet first into the hole. "LILLIA!!" I reached out to grab her, a second too late. My momentum carried me forward, and suddenly I was free falling into the inky blackness.
