Chapter Text
After a little bit of time standing around the fire and enjoying what would most likely be their last treat for a while, everyone stood close to the fog wall in anticipation of what would be inside. Luna was still a bit upset that they couldn’t get proper rest, but again, they learned to keep their mouth shut a long time ago.
They never actually saw the inside of a volcano before, but if it was anything like what they’d just gone through, they assumed they were about to be in for a bad time.
They could only hope that their lack of sleep as well as whatever was inside wouldn’t get in their way of escaping. The last thing they needed was more problems.
After a few minutes, the fog slowly dissipated, revealing the inside of the volcano. From where they stood, it seemed mostly innocuous: just some more rocks and platforms to climb. What really caught their interest though was the ground up ahead seemingly being illuminated. They weren’t really sure why that was the case, but they wouldn’t find out just standing there.
“So… who’s going with me?” Jamie asked.
Jade raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Aren’t we… all going?”
“Shouldn’t two of us scout ahead to make sure it’s actually safe first? I’m… not getting a good vibe from here.”
Jade hummed in thought. “I suppose that makes sense. Carry on then. Just be careful.”
“Oh please, ‘careful’ is my middle name!” Jamie scoffed. Jade rolled their eyes in response.
“I-It is…?” Luna asked hesitantly.
“Of course not!”
“Oh…”
Jamie suddenly nudged Luna in the side. “C’mon Luna, let’s go check this out.”
“Y-You’re asking me t-to go with you?”
“Well, duh! Is there anyone else named Luna here?”
“Uh…” Rather than finishing their answer though, they instead began to fidget with their hands. They felt too uncomfortable, and unsafe, to willingly go deeper in the volcano. They preferred if someone else went instead—
Jamie grabbed one of Luna’s hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. Though… they seemed a bit irritated. “How about now?”
“O-Okay…” Luna clenched a little tighter.
“Jeez, you really like holding everyone’s hands, don’t you…?” Jamie sighed. “Actually, nevermind, don’t answer that. Let’s go.”
The two of them then set off deeper into the volcano. As they went deeper, Luna’s anxiety crept in more and more. Though, with Jamie by their side, they were able to muster enough confidence to suck it up and deal with it.
They were soon in the middle of the volcano. Almost immediately, they noticed that the platform they were standing on was surrounded by lava. It was still somewhat far down, but… it was still lava, which made them feel incredibly uneasy.
If nothing else, it at least solved the mystery on how the ground was being lit up.
“Hey…” Jamie tugged on Luna’s hand. “Don’t focus on that. Look up.”
“Up…?” They heeded Jamie’s advice and looked up. Needless to say, they were a bit surprised at what they saw.
Much like they saw near the entrance, they saw several rocks and other platforms covering the inside walls of the volcano. However, they also saw some other rocks that seemed bright with lava forming in the cracks. They assumed that those would be hot to the touch and would likely be an inconvenience on their way up.
The middle of the volcano, on the other hand, was not quite as populated with things to climb. Instead, there were a few bridges with gaps in the middle of each of them. They could possibly use those later to get across to the other side, and hopefully to a better path, but they’d need to stick to the walls until then.
Last, but certainly not least, they noticed sunlight peaking through the gaps between all of the debris in the way. They suddenly felt a lot more enthusiastic about climbing knowing that they wouldn’t just end up climbing up to a dead-end and get trapped.
The sight of the sun seemed to soothe them a little bit, but it also allowed their fatigue to creep in a little more. They let out a yawn as a result. Thankfully, Jamie didn’t seem to notice or if they did, they didn’t really care.
Oh, right, they were scouting the place out with Jamie.
They tugged on Jamie and pointed up towards the light. “S-See that, Jamie? There’s l-light!”
“Huh…?” Jamie squinted their eyes as they tried to find what Luna found. “Oh! Yeah, I see it too! You’re, uh, getting pretty good at this stuff.”
Luna was quite flustered by the compliment which also bolstered their confidence even more. They weren’t really used to positive affirmations even with a few days of being showered in them, but those still helped them crawl out of their shell a bit more. They wanted more of that.
They figured the best response would be one of a similar nature. “I l-learned from the best!”
“The…” Jamie paused to process what Luna said. “Oh. Uh… yeah! The best! That’s me!” They then flashed a toothy grin at Luna, who responded in kind. “Alright, I think we should start moving. I can’t imagine this lava’s just gonna stay there.”
Well, that was a harsh snap back to reality. Jamie was right though. They really couldn’t sit here and just compliment each other all day. They still had a volcano to climb. Maybe they’d get time to relax and chat again at the top?
“Y-Yeah… let’s—” A yawn slipped past them. Jamie definitely heard them that time.
Thankfully, Jade and Riley appeared behind them, freeing them from that conversation. “O-Oh! Uh, hi you two! I t-think we can climb up here!”
Jade looked up and nodded. “Looks like it.” They too squinted their eyes then widened them in surprise. “And there’s light at the top too! Nice!”
That was probably the most excited Luna had ever seen Jade. Based on Jamie’s reaction, it was likely the same for them as well. It was nice to see them excited about something for once.
In the midst of all of that, Jamie let go of Luna’s hand and started walking towards a nearby rock while Jade and Riley were still looking up. Since the latter were preoccupied, they followed Jamie to do some more scouting by the rock.
It was actually very close to the platform they were on and seemed to have enough space for all of them. Though, there was another rock just a few feet above it, so they’d all either have to crouch or sit to be able to fit. Maybe the rock above had somewhere safe to stand too…?
However, while the first rock was very close, they did have to drop down a bit and walk across warmer ground. This wasn’t a concept they were unfamiliar with, given they just walked through a field full of that stuff, but they were getting tired of it.
Speaking of tired, they yawned again and their eyes felt just a little heavier. Not getting that sleep back at the fire was really starting to become noticeable. Hopefully they’d get out of here sooner than later so they could get some rest.
Jade and Riley had once again somehow sneaked up on them. They knew they weren’t doing it to be mean, but it was starting to get irritating.
“Guess I’ll go first,” Jamie said.
Jamie then stepped down to make their way across, but immediately cringed at what Luna could only assume was the heat. Instead of complaining about it though, they quickened their pace to the rock and sat down at the far end of it.
Well, it looked like it was Luna’s turn now. Lovely.
They took a step down and similarly cringed at the discomfort. However, their evil thoughts didn’t weigh them down this time so they instead ran for the rock. When they were close enough, they lunged towards it and clung on to the side. Jamie pulled them up the rest of the way.
They took the little bit of time they’d have waiting on Jade and Riley to sit down. Even if they couldn’t actually sleep, it at least felt nice to get off of their feet for a bit. However, they only started to doze off instead, so they forced themselves up before they could actually fall asleep.
Can’t even sit without falling asleep…
Jade and Riley hesitated to follow suit, though initially Luna failed to understand why. However, they soon noticed it was quite cramped with just them and Jamie. Perhaps their initial assessment of everyone fitting there was wrong.
“I think you two should go up before me and Riley continue,” Jade suggested.
Jamie nodded. “Agreed. Lemme just go up there and make sure it’s actually safe though.” They then began climbing without waiting for a response. Luna was starting to dislike that behavior.
After about a minute, Jamie called out from above. “All good up here! Shouldn’t be a difficult climb for any of you.”
Luna took that as their cue to climb up and just like Jamie said, it was not difficult at all. Now, if only every other climb could be as easy as this one…
In fact, every other climb was that easy, at least for some time. It seemed that every rock was conveniently placed to slowly spiral upwards towards the top. They were grateful for this since the climbs ended up being very low energy. They couldn’t imagine having to make a bigger climb while fighting their fatigue.
Unfortunately though, the “staircase” of rocks did eventually disappear, and the next rock was maybe fifty feet up. There was no way any of them were making that. Not even Jamie could pull that off, even if they were at their peak.
To make matters worse, the volcano suddenly rumbled. The shaking was gentle, but still noticeable enough to catch their attention. They attempted to look down, but Riley cupped their face before they could. “Don’t look down. It’s not worth it.”
“B-But—”
“Hey! There’s some kind of bridge over here!” Luna and Riley turned to spot Jamie waving towards what was, in fact, a bridge. Well, not a bridge in the traditional sense but… it looked like one at least. “Just gotta clear this gap and we can keep going up!”
Jade instantly followed Jamie without asking questions. Luna and Riley stayed back for a moment though.
Riley stared at the gap with a concerned look on their face. “I think we should give it a shot. We don’t exactly have a choice.”
Luna nodded hesitantly. They didn’t forget the last time that Riley nearly missed a jump. “Y-Yeah…”
The two of them then proceeded to the bridge. Jade and Jamie had already made it across, so hopefully it’d be easy for them to cross as well.
Luna tapped Riley on the shoulder, who then turned around out of curiosity. “What’s up, Luna?”
“I t-think you should go first… just in case.”
“But what about—”
“C’mon, get on with it already!” Jamie groaned.
Riley sighed. “Alright, but I want you to be right behind me.”
“O-Okay.”
Riley then backed up a bit and then charged towards the gap. This time, thankfully, they effortlessly cleared the gap. They had landed pretty far away from the edge, which did instill some confidence in Luna.
If Riley could make the jump, they could too, right…?
Luna mimicked Riley’s motions down to the exact amount of steps taken back. They then started charging for the gap too and jumped just before reaching the edge. They stuck a clean landing on the other side, and much like Riley, had a lot of room for error.
They really needed to have a lot more confidence in themselves. They were clearly capable of a lot of great things. All they felt right now though was the strong urge to take a nap.
Nobody stuck around to compliment them, instead opting to climb up another rock nearby. They felt sad for a moment, but remembered why everyone was in a hurry when the volcano shook again. Very quickly after, they grabbed onto the rock and climbed atop it.
They once again climbed up a bunch of rocks with few issues, but this time came across a hot rock. Unfortunately, there was no bridge to bail them out this time. On the opposite of end of the hot rock was a cooler rock with luggage though, so maybe it’d be worth crossing it?
Furthermore, that rock seemed to lead to other rocks, so it probably wasn’t a matter of “maybe,” but “definitely.”
Jamie hummed in contemplation. “Hmm… I think if we run quickly across this rock, we’ll be fine. Just don’t think about it and we can open the suitcase on the other side. Easy-peasy!” However… they hesitated to walk across.
“If it’s easy-peasy, why not do it then?” Riley teased.
Jamie gave Riley the ugliest look possible in place of voicing their irritation. They grumbled something under their breath and then stepped onto the hot rock. Almost instantly, they hissed but still committed to it. They ran across to the other side and sat down on top of the suitcase to caress their feet.
That did not instill confidence in Luna. However, much like with the bridge, they didn’t seem to have a choice.
Luna squeezed by both Jade and Riley and just started running across the rock without thinking. Their feet instantly felt like they were on fire, but the sooner they made it across, the sooner they’d stop suffering.
Once they made it across, they quickly leapt on top of the suitcase and sat beside Jamie. It was only then that they similarly hissed in discomfort. They were suddenly concerned they’d doze off again, but it was unlikely given the discomfort they were in. They gave a shaky thumbs-up to Jade and Riley to say they were fine.
However, Riley looked down and seemed to have spotted something. “Oh! We could’ve just gone around the rock and climbed back up.”
“Seriously!?” Jade, Jamie and Luna all said in unison.
Riley nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of their neck. “Yeah…?”
“Whatever. Just get over here so we can open this up and leave,” Jamie said.
Jade and Riley then quickly dipped down to wherever Riley spotted, leaving the two kids alone temporarily.
“Unbelievable…” Jamie sighed. “Convenient that they only find it after we get across, right?”
“Yeah…”
Jade and Riley appeared once again completely unscathed. For the first time in their life, Luna felt slightly irritated at that.
How convenient.
…
Why were they so irritable since entering the volcano…? They knew they were getting tired but… that couldn’t have been it, right?
Jamie hopped off of the suitcase and tapped Luna on the knee. “Get up, Luna. Let’s pop this bad boy open and see what we get!”
Luna complied and got off of the suitcase. Their feet still stung a bit from the heat, but it wasn’t enough to keep them down anymore. Nobody would’ve cared anyways.
Jamie quickly removed the latches from both sides of the suitcase then stepped back to avoid being smacked in the face by it. Once it was open, both kids returned to it peered inside. All that was sitting inside was another first aid kit and some more trail mix.
“Ugh, I’m so tired of trail mix…” Jamie complained. “Anyone want this? I’m not making room for it.”
Riley slid by Jamie and grabbed the first aid kit. They then tossed their backpack down beside the suitcase and shoved the first aid kit in between the rescue claw and a coconut. However, Luna noticed the statue was missing. Where did it go…?
“Anyone…?”
“I think Luna wants some,” Riley suggested.
“Uh, I d-didn’t—”
Jamie shoved the trail mix into Luna’s hands and watched them expectantly.
Luna figured Jamie wouldn’t move on until they ate, so they opened up the bag and dumped all of the trail mix into their mouth. It was very crunchy and salty, and honestly wasn’t really that filling, but it was still food.
Content with what they saw, Jamie then looked around in the volcano to figure out where to go next. Their eyes soon settled on a bridge a little higher up, though the gap seemed much wider than the previous one. Luna was really hoping they wouldn’t—
“Looks like that bridge is our next goal.”
Of course it was. They couldn’t just use all of the rope they had?
They ended up echoing this thought out loud. “W-We can’t just use the r-rope we have…?”
“Rope goes down, not up, silly! Can’t exactly make progress with that,” Jamie teased.
Unfortunately, Luna was now in the mood to be a bit argumentative. “Y-You can’t just… p-put some down when you get across?”
Jamie shrugged. “Guess I never thought about that. Let’s go.”
Luna still seemed very wary about it, but again, nobody seemed to care. Everyone else grumbled in agreement then continued the repetitive process of climbing rocks until they reached the second bridge.
Unfortunately, their eyes didn’t deceive them. The gap was definitely much wider than the last, which meant the possibility of someone falling was much higher. To make matters worse, there was nothing beneath them to stop them from plummeting into the lava below.
Well… there was the first bridge they crossed earlier, but it was far enough down that it’d certainly kill them even if they somehow managed to land on it. So, that wasn’t an option.
They didn’t have any other options though. They could either cross the gap and move on from it or sit there and let either the lava or their hunger take them. The former was scary, but the latter was even scarier, so it seemed obvious what they should do.
It seemed pretty obvious to Jamie too since they once again cleared the gap before everyone else. Their landing was a lot less graceful this time though and they were actually pretty close to clipping the edge with their foot.
So maybe Luna had a good reason to not want to do this. If even their most fit scout struggled with crossing the gap…
Jamie tossed the backpack on the ground and fished for some rope. It seemed, for once, someone had listened to what Luna said.
They soon pulled a spool of it out of their bag and shoved the stake into the end of their side of the bridge. They tugged at it a bit then began to tie a knot around it with the rope. They left enough rope to droop down a few feet from the gap, which would hopefully be enough… just in case. They gave it all one final tug and then gave a thumbs-up.
“Heh, think you can make this jump too, Riley?” Jamie teased.
Riley rolled their eyes. “I’ve improved since the desert.”
“Riiiiight. Prove it then.”
Riley shrugged and then jumped across the gap. Thankfully, they didn’t need the rope, but they were dangerously close to falling off. Jamie noticed this and quickly came within range of Riley to give them something stable to grab onto.
Once Riley re-stabilized and cleared the landing zone, Jade glanced over at Luna. However, Luna shook their head, so Jade was the next to make the jump. They cleared the gap a little more gracefully than Riley and similarly didn’t need the rope.
Once again… it was their turn.
They still felt incredibly uncomfortable about this gap. While they did have the reassurance of both the rope and their friends, they just couldn’t help but think that something would go wrong. The gap was a little too wide for comfort.
The volcano once again rumbled, though it was a little more violent than before. Regardless, it did put some pressure on them to just make the jump and get it over with. The sooner they got it over with, the better…
Right?
They took a few steps back—a bit farther back than last time—and then charged towards the gap. As soon as they reached the edge, and right before jumping, the ground crumbled beneath them.
To make matters worse, they completely missed the rope in the chaos, which meant they were now free-falling towards the lava and their death.
Maybe Edmond was right after all. They really were just a clumsy, stupid, worthless kid. They deserved every bad thing that was thrown at them.
At least they’d finally get the sleep they were looking for.