Sophie's POV:
"oh my" Sophie said, wiping off the dirt from her simple white tunic and dark blue leggings as she took in her surroundings
"I know right" Tam agreed, doing the same
All around her it was dark and coated with mud, rocks, grime, and dirt, and the stinking polluted-water underground smell didn't help.
It looked like a tunnel, with dark passageways placed randomly and small fires on the walls the only source of light in the place. The ceiling stopped low, and it was also covered in filth. Water dripped down from it, making a small splat sound as it hit the floor
"Where are we?" Tam asked
"underground" Mr. Forkel answered, trudging forward
"Yeah, I know we're underground, but where exactly?" Tam prodded
"A maze" Sophie whispered, grazing her fingers along the wall to her left. The wall had jagged edges and was rougher than sand paper, thick layers of dust on it.
She glanced around and saw many, many passageways leading to different places, and by the looks of it, without a proper guide you'd get lost in here.
"This way" Mr. Forkel indicated to a opening to her right about 20 feet away
Sighing, she and Tam followed him, taking a bunch of twists and turns which she was sure was too much even for her photographic memory. Nevertheless, she tried to remember as much as possible using a trick that Keefe had thought her.
Keefe.
The name twisted something inside her
He's going to wake up. That's why I'm here. She reminded herself
"Come on!" Tam shouted, snapping her out of her thoughts and she saw him 50 feet away near another opening
Sophie jogged up to him, yelling, "Wait for me!"
"Are we there yet?!" she huffed, resting her hands on her knees as she bent over to catch her breath.
"Just a few more turns" Mr. Forkel assured
"Few more?" she groaned, slumping against the wall behind her.
They'd been walking around the never-ending maze for so long that she'd lost count. The foul smell along with the dim lights didn't help either.
"What time is it?" asked Tam, tugging on his bangs
"I guess around evening;" Mr. Forkel answered, "Now come along" he started walking
Sophie got off the wall and followed him, Tam trailing behind
"Ah, here we are" Mr. Forkel announced after a while, motioning to a brick wall in front of them that had ivy's with very thick thorns cascading down with mud closing around it
"um...I see no...entrance?" Sophie said, looking around
Without answering, Mr. Forkel strode forward towards the wall.
Fearing that he would hit the wall, she yelled for him to stop but he didn't stop; and as his body touched the wall it shimmered (the wall, not his body) and he was completely swallowed up by the rocks
Sophie blinked in confusion a few times before her mind pieced together that the wall was actually an illusion. She turned to see Tam inspecting the wall, with one of his hands hesitatingly reaching for it.
He glanced back at her as she joined him to take a closer look.
Just as she was going to try to touch the wall Mr. Forkel's head popped out of the wall, scaring the living hell out of her and she jerked backwards, slamming into Tam.
"oh, sorry" Mr. Forkel apologized sheepishly before continuing, "Are you gonna stand here forever or come on in?" He questioned
"Yeah, uh, we're coming" she stuttered, standing up straighter
Mr. Forkel nodded as his head disappeared again
Sophie took a deep breath as she closed the distance between her and the wall, first cautiously pressing her palm against it. She gasped as her hand sunk through the wall, making it ripple, and it felt as if cold water was poured on it.
She glanced back once to see Tam shooting her a reassuring look before she stepped in fully, the wall consuming her whole
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut as she shivered, her body feeling as though it had been dipped in cold water
When the sensation passes, she slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.
Right now, she was standing in a small room with lemon yellow walls on her sides and a big, rectangular metal door with a bunch of locks on it in front of her, a single small light in the center of the ceiling.
She took a step forward just as Tam stepped through the wall behind her, scaring the living hell outta her
"Geez, Tam, mind asking next time before you come tumbling into me?" She mumbled under her breath
"Geez, Soph, mind moving next time before I come tumbling into you?" he shot back
She rolled her eyes, moving forward to touch the metal door. The metal felt sleek against her fingers, cold and smooth, and she could tell that it was sturdy. The door also had heavy mechanism
Sophie turned back to look at Mr. Forkel and Tam as she asked, "Can I go in?"
"Of course, Miss Foster, but before that-" Mr. Forkel started but she cut him off, "Yeah, yeah, I know, rules, we've gone over them a million times, and I'm really not in the mood, so can I just go in?"
Mr. Forkel sighed but nodded, coming up beside her with Tam on the other side.
He removed the many locks on the door, opening it for her. "Be careful" he whispered as she stepped in, and she gave him a small smile in return.
Her eyes took sometime adjusting to the bright, colorful lights around her after the dim lights in the cave, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision.
The room had white walls, which were illuminated by dozens of colorful glowing orbs floating around, and the only piece of furniture was a wooden chair, single bed with thin mattress, and a small cupboard in the corner. It had no windows or doors except the one they just came from.
"Hello, Sophie" A hooded figure said from her left side, her back facing her.
"I was wondering when you'd come visit me" she turned around, the hood still covering her face, to face Sophie.
"Glimmer"