(AN: The cherries are here!)
She yawned a bit as she walked around the property The sun shined brightly overhead as she walked across the yard. She reached for her phone, noticing it wasn't charged yet again. It was almost 10 am, and she'd been walking around the property without it charging for 2 days already. She thought for a bit, and decided to try something.
She held the charger in one hand and plugged it in. Focusing her energy and praying that her phone wouldn't explode, her hand sparked and lit up. She felt tingling through her entire hand and closed her eyes Slowly, the electricity stopped coming, and Lightbulb released a deep breath she hadn't known she was holding.
She looked at the phone. It was still dead. She frowned. She figured she would have to go back inside to plug it in. She checked the batteries and smiled, making a mental note that she would have to replace them tomorrow. She opened and closed the gate carefully, heading down to the lake. It was a beautiful sunny morning. No wind, no rain, and the sky were completely clear.
She walked down the dock and sat down, taking off her shoes and dipping her feet in the water. The water calmed her nerves down considerably, causing her to open her eyes, which were filled with relief. She felt calm. Everything was okay. She picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. A ripple formed and sent it floating across the surface of the lake toward the opposite shore, where it landed in the sand. She laid down on the edge and let the breeze blow across her face. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun.
Lightbulb felt peaceful.
All the pain of the past few weeks disappeared. She didn't have to deal with Lightbulb. She didn't feel guilty anymore. She was free now. She wasn't stuck anymore. Lightbulb didn't know how long she lay there peacefully, but eventually, she heard light footsteps coming toward her. She glanced up to see the Cherries. She sat up, her hands rubbing her tired eyes.
It was early in the morning, probably 9 AM, judging by the position of the sun. She stretched, feeling the muscles pop throughout her arms and legs.
The Cherries walked closer to her until they were inches apart. Lightbulb stared at the pranksters suspiciously. "Uh... Hey!" They greeted. Lightbulb frowned. "Why aren't you guys running around doing whatever you idiots do?" She demanded, crossing her arms across her chest. "We uh... got bored." they replied, looking at her sheepishly.
Lightbulb glared at them. "So what are you doing here then?" She raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you guys got kicked out because you broke something important?" Their eyes widened in shock. "Who told you-" "It's cool, Cherry-os! I don't really mind." She chuckled. "You're looking at me like I'm gonna bite your head off. Or, Uh, heads. They blinked in surprise before laughing. "That's exactly what we're worried about." They joked. Lightbulb snorted. "Oh my god. You guys are such little twerps." She shook her head slightly "Whatever," she rolled her eyes and stood up. "You can leave now. But please, come back tomorrow for your next prank." She winked playfully at them. "Or maybe you can just stick around and help us." she grinned. "And, if you do, then I'll forgive you for being so annoying and noisy all day yesterday."
They chuckled. "Thanks, Lightbulb!" They said cheerily. Lightbulb rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She muttered, turning to walk back inside. "Hey!" One called after her. "You never answered my question." She turned back around. "Which one?" She asked curiously. "What are you planning to do later today?" She narrowed her eyes slightly "Nothing," She shrugged, "why?" She asked, tilting her head. "We were thinking of going to the waterfall, but we aren't allowed to go without a buddy." They p Lightbulb sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you guys." They smiled widely "Awesome!" The Cherries ran outside, dragging Light along, but Lightbulb stayed behind, watching them run to the front of the hotel. Lightbulb smiled, watching them run happily while chatting together
They walked into the woods, the two boys leading the way. She knew where the waterfall was, but she liked to let them lead her. The trees surrounded them and it felt so peaceful. There were butterflies everywhere, flapping their wings lazily, resting against each other, and floating in the air. It was the most peaceful place she's ever seen. She had never really gone to this place before.
As soon as they arrived at the waterfall, the Cherries dropped their bags and ran ahead, taking off their shoes and jumping into the creek. Lightbulb followed them. They dove underwater, resurfacing from the other side, swimming over to where she was standing. She laughed, splashing water at them and chasing them. "Get back here!" She yelled.
They giggled, ducking under the water, trying to avoid the splash attack. The sound of the small falls rushed behind her back, creating white noise and relaxing her tense body. Lightbulb smiled, sitting down near the stream of water. "Do you like it? It's pretty nice isn't it?" She heard one of them say. Lightbulb nodded, leaning backward. "Yeah." She replied
The twins laughed, splashing one another playfully. They started splashing Lightbulb, who jumped up and ran away, giggling uncontrollably. The Cherries chased her, laughing loudly. They chased her around until she came to a halt, laying panting on the ground. They sat down next to her, laughing uncontrollably. Lightbulb smiled at the sight of them laughing. She loved the sound of their laughter. It was so pure and innocent, unlike how loud and obnoxious the rest of her friends could be. It reminded her of when she was a child, when she was happy. When things weren't so complicated.
Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name. She looked up to find the two cherries standing in front of her. "Lightbulb! We found something super duper cool!" "Huh?" She questioned in confusion. "What is it?" "Follow us!" They grinned and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the water. They swam towards the bottom of the waterfall, stopping suddenly. "Here you go!" Lightbulb looked confused. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked hesitantly.
"Of course we're sure! C'mon!" They shouted. Lightbulb sighed. It wasn't like she had anything better to do anyway. She climbed up onto their shoulders, and they carried her the rest of the way down. She looked around as they entered the water. Water cascaded all around them, soaking them to the bone instantly.
"Over here! Through the waterfall!" They took a running start and lept into it. Lightbulb was forced to hold on tightly as they fell through the water. She screamed as they flew through the watery curtain, landing at the entrance of the cave.
"Holy shit..." She breathed out. The cave was breathtaking. The waterfall was only meters away. It was so quiet. So serene. Her heart raced as she took in her surroundings. It was beautiful. She felt safe here. She couldn't believe she'd be able to stay here forever and not get caught! What was happening!?
The Cherries got up, shaking their heads and running further into the cave. "C'mon! I bet there's treasure in there! Let's check it out!" The twins shouted excitedly, following closely behind them. Lightbulb shook her head, getting up and walking through the water, entering deeper into the cave. She gazed into every corner. She noticed they were heading into the center, where a large opening was. They stopped walking, staring ahead in awe. Wow..." she whispered. Lightbulb turned around and saw that they were staring into a huge cavern. It seemed like the whole cavern was made of stone. A massive rock formation stood in the middle, forming a dome-like structure.
The Cherries stared intently in disbelief. "Whoa..." they mumbled, gazing into the enormous cavern. Lightbulb felt a smile growing on her lips. This was amazing! She walked forward, admiring the beauty surrounding her. There were various gems embedded into the walls and ceilings of the room. Some glimmered beautifully in the sunlight that was streaming down from above. Other gemstones glittered in all different colors.
The three looked around, up and down. They were silent for a bit. Lightbulb broke it. "Well, What are you waiting for? Avast, Me hearties!" She said in an exaggerated pirate voice. They burst out laughing, joining her in making pirate noises.
"Okay, okay..." she giggled, holding her sides, "let's go explore!" "YAY!" They cheered, grabbing her wrist and dragging her further into the cave, skipping and yelling happily. Lightbulb smiled amusedly at their enthusiasm.
She didn't know why, but her heart melted as soon as she looked over at them. Even though they were acting childish, she still cared about them, which surprised her. She wanted to help them. That much was obvious. But, she didn't really have any plans to help either.
"This is it!" One exclaimed. Lightbulb snapped out of her thoughts. They were already in front of some kind of statue, standing in front of a gigantic statue of a woman. "Oooh, a statue!"
Lightbulb gasped, squinting her eyes to read the name engraved in the top corner of the stone statue. "Sister Maple..." she glanced around. There were more statues. They all looked like nuns. "Sister Oak, Sister Lemongrass...Sister Pine... Her voice trailed off at the last one. She furrowed her brows. Who were these people? Where were they from? What happened to them?
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and moving on. She didn't have time to be wondering about all this stuff, especially if they were looking for something. They more into the circle, And they saw the largest statue. She looked at the plate. Mother Sequoia. Her face was covered by stone leaves and branches, leaving only her red eyes visible. Lightbulb gulped, feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't comfortable in that statue at all.
Her gaze shifted over to the twins. Their faces were filled with determination. They stared at the statue for several minutes before one of them grabbed the pedestal on the wall. They started lifting the stone. "Woah! Woah! Don't touch those!" Lightbulb quickly ran over to stop him. "You can't be touching them!" "Why not?" "I don't know, but that stone is extremely dangerous! You could hurt yourself!"
The twins rolled their eyes. "Oh come on Light, we'll be fine. Just give me your hand. I won't hurt myself, you know that." He held his hand out. Lightbulb hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip, thinking about it. She didn't want them to get hurt, and neither did she want the statue to fall off its pedestal. "Let's look somewhere else. That statue is giving me the creeps."
"Ugh, You're such a chicken, Lighty!" One said, rolling his eyes. Lightbulb glared at him, crossing her arms. "Don't call me that!" "Whatever!" They both ignored her, walking further into the chamber. Lightbulb's stomach twisted nervously at the fact that she had no idea what was going on anymore. All she knew was that whatever it was, they wouldn't be safe. She hoped she wouldn't regret helping them.
They reached the end of the cave. In front of them, was another door. It was large and wooden, decorated with carvings in intricate patterns. Lightbulb eyed it curiously. The twins exchanged nervous glances before the left twin slowly opened the door. They walked cautiously inside. Lightbulb followed them quietly, closing the door behind her quietly.
It was dark inside the room. They slowly walked forward, stepping softly. Lightbulb flinched when she heard a noise coming from the other side of the room. They moved towards it cautiously, listening carefully. She felt around, finding a candle and lighting it with a spark from her hand. It lit up the room, revealing two rows of pews. On either side, there were rows of shelves with candles placed neatly between each row. In front of the shelf was a large cross hanging from the ceiling.
Lightbulb shivered at the sight. There was something unnerving about the entire thing. She wondered why it was so cold in here. Was it because of the temperature control? Or were they somewhere very cold indeed? She shrugged off the thought as the other one spoke.
"Guys... we need to go back now. Maybe we should just leave this place.." He stated, eyeing the room suspiciously.
"No! We've found something amazing! We can't leave without exploring! And besides," he continued. "We came this far, we might as well see the rest. Come on, let's keep going."
Lightbulb frowned. She really didn't want to go. But she couldn't just leave two little twelve-year-olds alone. OJ would kill her. She sighed quietly and followed the boys. They kept going, walking around the edge of the room. She walked along beside Lightbulb, trying to make conversation, but the poofy-haired girl just kept walking silently. After a while, they reached the end of the room. There was another door.
They headed over, opening the door carefully. There was another hallway stretching out in front of them. Another doorway sat at the end of it. Lightbulb took the lead and walked down the hallway slowly. As they went further, It was like she could hear whispers coming from inside the walls. Lightbulb tensed up, clenching her fists. She hated being scared. Why couldn she just be strong like the others? She was always weak... she always needed someone else to protect her. Always.
They reached the end of the hallway, peeking through the small gap. There was a single door across from them. She opened it. It was a large cathedral that was almost entirely buried underground, and they were in it. The room was illuminated by a light shining down from above.
"Holy crap, Look what we found." Lightbulb gasped. Everything in the room was beautifully designed and crafted. There was beautiful glass panes covering the windows, but they were covered in dirt outside, with long-broken lights that used to illuminate it. There was also a big chandelier hanging from the roof. They were surrounded by magnificent statues and paintings, but they were obviously worn down from age. It looked like it hadn't been touched in centuries.
She looked around again. She could sense an ominous aura. Something bad was going to happen. She looked down at the floor. It was littered with broken pieces of shattered crystal and dust. Then she noticed the cracks in the marble. She noticed the cracks in her feet too.
"It's like a trap," she thought to herself. She stepped closer to the center of the room. She examined every piece carefully until she stopped in front of a portrait of a young man with blonde hair. His eyes seemed to hold wisdom and strength; however, his expression was frozen in fear.
She moved around the portrait, inspecting it closely. It was beautiful, and she felt sorry for whoever painted it. A few of the other portraits in the room were of similar events. The same young man. The same girl. The same monster. She sighed deeply, running her fingers along the surface of the painting, tracing the contours of his features. She stopped suddenly when her finger accidentally met his eye, the same one as the picture. She jumped and backed away. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Light, what's wrong?" One asked curiously, looking over at her. Lightbulb gulped. She shook her head, smiling weakly at him. "Nothing, nothing." She mumbled, trying to brush it aside as casually as possible. "So, um, where do you think it leads?" She asked instead, hoping that maybe, it will change her mind. It doesn't.
"To...the library." The twins replied together. "But it doesn't say anywhere else." "Well, then maybe we shouldn't waste our time searching. We better go back." "Yeah. Let's leave. Maybe we'll find some more clues while we're at it."
She nodded in agreement. Maybe they would find some more clues. They should just head back before something happens.
"Um, Lightbulb?" She turned around, seeing both the younger twin staring at the ceiling. She followed their gaze, tilting her head to see what was happening. They were pointing at a painting near the back of the room. "What's wrong?" She asked, frowning slightly at their behavior.
"There's something weird about this painting." They said, pointing at it. She stepped closer, squinting to try and read the words on the canvas. "Looks like a symbol..." "Like an eye or something?" She shrugged. "Maybe, yeah. It looks like it's supposed to be an eye." She tilted her head, examining it carefully. Suddenly, she felt a rush of fear and adrenaline course through her body. She turned around to face the twins, who were staring right back at her.
"Are you alright?" Lightbulb nodded hurriedly. "Yea, yea. Just..just got caught off guard. Yeah." They nodded slowly, turning back around to stare at the painting. Lightbulb looked back at it and saw something strange. Something that made her blood run cold. She narrowed her eyes as she studied the painting. It was just a simple depiction of three nuns holding hands while they were dancing. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What was it? She stared at the sisters' faces intently, looking for any clue, any sign of what it meant. The sisters stood still. Still as statues, staring straight ahead into space, unblinking. She frowned and started shaking her head. No way. That was ridiculous. There was no way they could have done that.
She looked away and tried to focus back on the painting. Sister Maple, Sister Oak, and Sister Pine.. But where was Sister Lemongrass? She'd seen her earlier in that room. Where had she gone? She glanced back at the painting. Sister Oak looked familiar, but not in the creepy way that Sister Maple did. She looked normal enough, but Lightbulb knew there was something off about her. Something was definitely off, and it wasn't good.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by a clatter, Quickly whipping around to see the Cherries messing around with a candleabra. She glared at them furiously, causing them to jump guiltily. "Look, Don't touch anything! This place could be haunted or something!" She snapped at them angrily. They shrank away slightly, nodding quickly. She relaxed. "Sorry, Lightbulb.." one of them muttered. She calmed herself down. "Sorry, but if you die, Your parents will kill I'm sure you get that. If you don't watch what you do, I will literally kick your ass." They smiled sheepishly at her, nodding again
She sighed and shook her head. Kids... They're going to get themselves killed. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer on the painting, looking at the scene behind it for the last time. She felt uneasy. Something was off. Something was not right. She didn't understand what it was. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. She opened her eye. She was in an empty cathedral that just so happened to be underground. There was nothing unusual about this place. Nothing odd. Nothing out of the ordinary. "Alright then.. let's get going." She declared, heading back toward the exit and ignoring her fears.
She sped-walked towards the exit, hoping the kids wouldn't notice her hesitation to continue. It had only been a few minutes since they found it, but it felt like forever.
She glanced back over at the painting once again. That feeling..that fear. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. Maybe because it was getting colder. Maybe because something was different. She shook her head sharply, forcing herself to stop thinking. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter! She told herself sternly. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter... She chanted it to herself a thousand times before she finally reached the door.
She thrust herself against the door, opening it to the gem-filled cave once again. She didn't stop, hurrying past the statues while avoiding looking at them in the face. She made her way to the end of the cave and jumped through the waterfall and into the water. The shock brought her back to her senses, and the cherries followed closely after. She trod the water quietly for a moment, listening to it crash against the rocks below. Once she was sure everyone was safe, she swam back over to the creek's edge.
She watched as the siblings climbed out from the water, stumbling onto the soft grass of the bank. They sat in silence for a bit before one of The Cherries got excited. "That was... AMAZING Holy crap, that was awesome! That was some super cool treasure!"
Lightbulb smiled, watching them. She couldn't help but laugh quietly. She shook off the strange feeling the painting gave her. Lightbulb smiled, watching them. She couldn't help but laugh quietly. She shook off the strange feeling the painting gave her. She felt like she was being watched, or someone was observing her. She shivered. What is it? Is it because of that painting? Or, are there other things here that have something to do with it? She didn't know what it could be, but she sure as hell hoped not.