"Does anybody wish to change the boating arrangements?" Aphrodite asked. Penny Ling wanted to jump up waving her arms yelling "Me! I want to! I want to change them! Me!" but she couldn't think of a way to do this without hurting Russell's feelings. Or looking crazy.
"I call the pink boat!" Zoe yelled, snapping Penny back into reality. She looked up and saw Russell staring at her with a worried expression."Is something wrong?" He asked with concern. "No, I'm fine." She answered. Judging by the fact that his expression didn't change, he wasn't convinced. "Really." She said, smiling.
"Well, okay then. Let's go."She followed him to the leftover boat. It was a lovely jade green, but this time, the color didn't calm her. Soon, they were rowing around the pond.
Penny watched the other pets while they floated around. Digby was paddling for Zoe as they talked. Minka was paddling in huge, crazy circles as she chattered on and on. Aphrodite was blissfully unaware of the speed of which they were going, totally absorbed in what ever Minka was saying. Pepper was already trying to splash Vinnie and Buttercream, and after some hesitation, Sunil joined in. With a jolt, Penny realized that the other pets were getting smaller and smaller.
"Um, Russell, aren't we going the wrong way? The others are back there." She said, pointing. "I-I just wanted to show you somewhere cool that I saw yesterday." He said. There was that blush again. He probably saw it with Minka.
Two willow trees grew crooked on the shore, and Russell rowed the boat through their hanging leaves. Penny gasped when she saw what their branches hid.
Inside was a small cavern. Blythe wouldn't have fit because, although it was a long oval, the ceiling was low. There were lily pads with huge pink blossoms floating here and there. Blue-green moss hung from stalactites, making the cave look mysterious. The water was warm, like a hot spring. The air was fragrant, and Penny realized that it was because there were rose petals strewn around the water. But the most amazing was the glow.
The rocks all around them were glowing. Some of them were green, while others were purple. The water was glowing pink, no doubt due to more of the rocks underneath the lake. The walls also had some red and pink glow rocks scattered around in them.
Russell obviously enjoyed Penny's amazement. "The rocks are thermoluminescence." Seeing her bemused expression, he explained farther. "They change color and glow when exposed to heat. " Penny nodded. He continued to explain the different types of thermoluminescence rocks, and Penny couldn't stop herself from thinking "He's so cute when he's geeking out." It was just one of the things she loved about Russell.
Once again she began to feel sad and guilty. She thought that by now she'd be use to those feelings, but it still tore her apart inside. Russell rowed the boat close to the wall and picked up a glowing pink stone. "Here." He said, handing it to her. To Penny, the shape looked disturbingly like a heart. "I want you to have this one." "Th-thanks Russell. This place is beautiful. I'm glad you showed me this place." She said, accepting the rock.
"Your welcome. " He said. For a minute they were silent, just looking around. "There's also a tunnel here. Do you want to go though it?" Russell asked. "Sure." Penny answered distractedly. She was trying to figure out why he had started blushing again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. The only reason she could come up with was that he had came here with Minka and was thinking about that.
As they went down the tunnel, Russell pointed out the different types of moss. Penny Ling tried to look interested without actually looking at Russell. She didn't trust herself to do that. If she looked into those wonderful green eyes of his, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from telling him everything, and asking him if he felt the same. And then he would say no, because he loves Minka, and their friendship would be ruined.
Bright sunlight suddenly flooded her vision, and Penny realized that they were out of the cave. Now they were floating down a stream that lead back to where the others were. Cherry trees in full bloom created a lovely pink canopy over their heads, and it was very peaceful. A gentle breeze stirred the branches, and petals rained on them. Penny was sorry to see the end of the stream. They were now back at the shore where they started.
The others were still paddling around. They docked their boat and hopped out. "Um, Penny? I kinda have something to ask you." He was fidgeting with his head spikes. His blush was red as a beet. One of his paws made tiny circles in the ground. This wasn't like Russell. "Okay Russell. What is it?" She asked nervously. "Do you love me? Because-" He stopped mid sentence. Penny started sobbing the minute he asked "Do you love me?" Had she really been that obvious? Now Russell was going to say "I'm sorry, but I don't love you back. I love Minka." and they wouldn't be friends. Why did he ask her that? It wasn't fair!
"This isn't right." She sobbed. "Penny-" Russell began, but Penny didn't want to hear him say the words she'd been dreading. She knew he loved Minka. If actually said though, it would tear her heart apart. She wasn't going to wait to hear him say it. "No, no, no, no nonono… don't say it! I can't love you Russell. I can't love you! Just don't say it! I can't love you!" Then she started running. She had no idea where she was going. She just wanted to be anywhere but there.
Shocked, Russell watched as Penny ran away, tears streaming down her face. He picked up what she had left. It was the heart- shaped glow rock he had handed her. It glowed pink from the heat in his hand. He let it slip between his fingers into the lake. "Oh, drat it all." He muttered quietly as tears poured down his face.
Author's note: This chapter is the longest one I've written! Sorry that it took so long. And thanks for reading!