I opened my eyes to the pitch-black static of endless darkness. I took a breath in the stale air, tasking petrichor on my tongue. The air tasted stale. I reached a hesitant hand up in front of my face and pushed forward, searching for something. For anything. When my fingertips only brushed the stale air, I carefully stepped forward, the tip of my shoe brushing against a large, rough surface.
I crouched, cringing as I reached to feel what I’d kicked. My fingertips brushed a cool rocky surface, but I couldn’t quite place the texture. All I knew I I’d felt it before. I pushed at it, but the item stayed steady like it was attached to the floor. I sat cross-legged on the ground and ran my fingers down the rocky surface, letting them trail along ridges and grooves until, finally, they hit the floor. The transition was seamless.
Was I in a cave?
I stood up cautiously, with one hand over my head, feeling for a stalactite. When I was standing uninjured, I grabbed the empty space before me, feeling for obstacles. Carefully, I slid my feet across the floor, avoiding where I knew the stalactite was buried in the dark.
A few agonizingly slow steps later, my fingers felt the icy cold kiss of metal before them. Surprised, I brought my other hand up, running both hands up and down the metal, trying to figure out what it was. I reached further down, receiving a sharp pinprick of pain in my finger as I touched wood. I cursed, feeling around for any remains of the sprinter. Just as I was going to yank it out, a gust of cool, fresh wind brought a CLANK to my ears.
I froze, turning toward the source of the noise.
Still, no light was visible, but I heard the distant echo of voices and footsteps.
The voices hushed, the footsteps getting louder and louder and louder. Finally, a beam of light shot out from my right, and thanks to a flashlight, I could finally see the cave I was in.
The cavern was around the size of a ranch house. The center was clear of any tripping hazards, but stalactites and stalagmites peppered the outside edges, increasing in density the closer they got to the edge. The largest one was about the height of my knee. Thousands of smaller ones hung from the ceiling. The metal item I’d been fiddling with sat on a wooden table, hidden partially in the corner. On it were various electronics, including the item–a robot head– with parts sitting around it.
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Two men followed the flashlight into the room, flicking a switch to their right and setting the whole place alight. My sight adjusted in a blink, and I watched as Mattie’s father and the Mayor entered, heading right to where I was standing!
Their attention drifted past me, landing on the robot next to me. Red lights powered on in the head, making the Mayor and Mattie’s father jump.
Mattie’s father shuddered. The Mayor grabbed the back of Mattie’s father’s neck, applying bruising force and guiding him forward to shove him at the workbench, inches from my chest.
Mattie’s father grasped around for support, steadying himself on the table as the Mayor squeezed one last time before withdrawing his hand.
“You want me to use this one?!” Mattie’s father exclaimed.
The Mayor shot him a dark glare and gestured at the electronics scattered around the room. “Do you see any others ready to use?”
“But it’s–”
The Mayor slammed his palm on the workbench, sending the items rolling and rattling. Mattie’s father flinched, falling quiet.
“Let me remind you,” the Mayor said, his voice dropping to a baritone as he practically spat the words, “that this is your daughter’s fault. We made a deal, Gael, and I need you to honor it. You know what happens to deal breakers.”
Mattie’s father–Gael–’s eyes dropped to the floor, and he hunched over submissively. “I only meant that it’s not safe. I still haven’t figured out why it acted out of bounds. What if it acts out again? What if whatever happened to it happens to the others?”
The Mayor leaned down, his lips nearly brushing against Gael’s ears. “Then make sure that doesn’t happen.” He whispered, his other hand coming up to rest threateningly on Gael’s shoulder.
Gael shivered, tilting his face away. The Mayor straightened up, dropping his hands back down to his sides. “I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if anything pops up.”
Gael nodded silently, and the Mayor turned to leave, grabbing the flashlight on his way out. He lingered in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at Gael one last time. “And by the way, if Matilda causes any more trouble–any at all–you either convince her, or she’s out if you get my meaning.” And with that, the Mayor left, his footsteps echoing ominously down the hallway.
Gael’s hands shook. His fingers curled tightly together, and he took one last, shaky breath, closing his eyes. When they opened again, his hands were steady.
I hovered over his shoulder as he worked, the splinter forgotten. My magic stirred underneath my skin, an uncertain feeling growing stronger as each piece fell back into place on the robot. I have no idea how long it took him to finish–like all dreams, it was an eternity and a second. When he did, the red eyes of the robot flared, and my magic practically boiled with something.
The robot’s glowing blood red lights-for eyes locked onto me like hounds. Disturbed, I shifted uneasily, feeling like he was looking directly at me.
The red dots followed my movement, and my breath caught in my throat. Thinking it had to be a fluke, I took a step to the other side. The red eyes followed again.
Icy panic flooded my veins, and the dream began to fall away. Before I vanished, I could have sworn the red eyes turned a brilliant, starry gold.