"Well, Malone, we'll miss you. Are you sure you won't come with us?"
Ned Malone shared a happy smile with Veronica. "No, I've got everything I could ever want or need right here."
"Veronica?"
"I'm sorry, Challenger, but this is my home," she said. She squinted in the bright sunlight at the balloon, her friend's ticket home. Though she had Finn and Malone still, she was going to miss Challenger and Roxton, even Marguerite.
"How about you, Finn?" asked Roxton. His voice still sounded raw from his night of mourning, but he smiled just the same.
Finn stepped up to Veronica's side. "Sorry, but I like it here." She looked at the surrounding jungle, acres of it visible from their perch on a knoll. "Besides, I don't think your world is ready for me. This place is more my style."
"Well, then," Challenger gave her a hug, "I'll leave you to it. Be careful, Finn. And don't slack in your studies."
She laughed. "I won't. I promise."
"Goodbye, Malone."
"Goodbye, Roxton. Thanks for everything you've done for me."
"Same here. Things just won't feel the same without everyone all together." They shook hands. When they let go, Veronica stepped up and gathered Roxton in a firm hug.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Her breath hitched even with the quiet words. She felt she had never been so sad in her life to see someone return home.
Roxton pulled away so he could look into her eyes, trying to convey his feelings without words. She had to know he loved the Plateau and his friends, but it was just too painful to stay. Even mud holes reminded him of Marguerite. Her light laughter and darker passions seemed embedded in the very foundations of the Plateau. In his pocket the weight of her locket was a comfort.
"I'm sorry, Veronica, but there's nothing here for me anymore."
Veronica nodded, her own eyes burning as Roxton pulled her closer. She wished he would never let go because as soon as he did, he and Challenger would leave. "I'll miss you so much. I love you, I love you all."
Roxton kissed Veronica's cheek, sorry to say goodbye to one of the truest friends he had ever had. "Take care of them," he said, meaning Ned and Finn.
"I will," she promised.
---
At first all she could feel was coldness. The world felt like it was spinning around and around her, tipping her upside down and over until she didn't know which way to turn. Something was wrong. Though she had no conscious thought, this felt wrong.
By instinct, she reached in one direction. Her arms and legs felt heavy, dragging through what she realized was chilly water. Suddenly, her arms were free and floundering in the air.
With a great deal of coughing, Marguerite surfaced, spitting up water she had swallowed. Wherever she was, it was dark… or she was blind. For a minute, the only thing she knew was that it was dark, cold, and he was treading water.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Is anyone there?" She called feebly, "John?"
In reaching out, she discovered the water was only a small pool. Her fingers scraped against the rock wall, causing her to cry out in surprise. Grasping the rock, she managed to pull herself up.
Her body scraped against the rough floor as she clambered out of the pond. Uncertain how high the ceiling of the cave was, she reached out a hand as high as it would go, slowly standing as her hand met no resistance. She was relieved to find whatever cavern this was, she could at least stand up in it.
Marguerite took a step forward, groping blindly in the dark, hoping to find a wall and not a chasm.
Her leg hit something hard, a stone table. Her scraped hand ran along the edge. She unknowingly spread her blood overtop runes at the edge of the altar, runes that would fade with time as water and gas wore away at the rock. Her blood soaked into the written charms, as though they were parched soil in a spring rain.
As the last drop of blood disappeared, a bright flash of green and gold light exploded in the air. It sparked and fizzled, blinding her. An arm, flung up to protect her eyes, was of little help.
It was a full ten minutes before Marguerite could see again. She had to blink rapidly to clear her vision of the colourful orbs and splotches that danced around her head. Uttering a few choice words, she stood. In shock, she froze.
The entire cave had changed. It appeared to be the same cave she and John had blown up in their bid for freedom after hours of being trapped behind boulders.
Marguerite looked down, shocked at the unusual clothing she had on. While the red cloth was comfy and soft, perhaps a bit more revealing than she would normally have liked, they most certainly weren't her clothes. What was worse, she couldn't remember how she got into them. She couldn't help but notice she was also missing shoes.
Rays of sunshine caught her attention and she looked up. Scorched rubble littered the slightly collapsed cavern and light illuminated everything, courtesy of a long, narrow tunnel leading up to the sky.