"Matt what's wrong?" asked Lilith as she looked at Matt in worry, he had not touched his food at all.
"Come on my love, say something, what's wrong? Do you not feel well?" asked Lilith as she used the back of her hand to touch Matt's forehead to check his temperature, he did feel rather warm.
"How long are you going to keep me here Lilith?" asked Matt as he sighed, he didn't want to be here any longer, he was sure that Annie, Maddie and the others were worried to death about him, and he wanted to tell them that he was okay, sort of.
"Oh my love, please don't ask such questions, you are going to be here with me forever, I love you, and I want to marry you" said Lilith with a smile as Matt sighed, there she went again, saying things that he did not want to hear at all, she was making him feel so angry.
"Cheer up my love, you will get used to it" said Lilith as she smiled happily.
"Ever since the first time I laid my eyes on you, I loved you, so much" said Lilith as she smiled.
"And when did you first lay your eyes on me?" asked Matt as he could not understand, as far as he knew, Lilith lived up here, and he did not think that she ever went down, or maybe she did, but anyway, he wondered just when she first saw him.
"Well I was bored, so I decided to look through my cauldron like I usually do, I check what's going on down there, and then I saw you my love, so handsome, and charming, and your smile, oh your smile killed me" said Lilith as she smiled and Matt was confused.
"Speaking of which, my love, you haven't smiled at me even once, I am sad" said Lilith.
"That's because I don't want to be here Lilith" said Matt.
"But you didn't try to leave" said Lilith.
"Oh I did, only that I almost got myself killed" said Matt internally as he sighed.
"I did, but I made you a promise that I won't try to escape, which is why I want you to release me" said Matt as he was sure his strength would return by this afternoon, so he could get out of here.
"I'm sorry my love, but no, and because I know you would try to escape, I added more weakening spray into your food" said Lilith as Matt looked down at the plate of eggs that he had unconsciously bit into as he sighed, why did he even trust her in the first place? The way he trusted that she would not hurt him, while she was doing just that.
"Lilith, you do know that what you are doing is not good at all right?" asked Matt as Lilith just looked at him obliviously.
"But I want you, and I will do anything to keep you" said Lilith.
"Even if that means harming me?" asked Matt.
"I will never harm you my love" said Lilith.
"But that's exactly what you are doing right now Lilith, trapping me, restraining me from going anywhere, drugging me, all those are forms of harm towards me" said Matt as he explained.
"My love, please try to understand me… if I don't do all those things, I will be left alone, you will leave me alone, and I don't want that" said Lilith.
"Lilith, just stop okay, I don't want to hear it" said Matt as he sighed.
"You said something about a cauldron, what is that?" asked Matt.
"Oh, it's in my brewing room, I can look through it to see what is happening down there" said Lilith as she smiled.
"Can I see it?" asked Matt.
"Alright my love, yes you can, after breakfast though" said Lilith with a smile as Matt just focused on his food as he ignored her, he was not happy at all.
…
"Ugh, could it be any hotter, it's not even afternoon yet" said Maddie as she stopped to put her hair up in a ponytail, in this heat, she was sweating way too much, and her hair started to stick on her face.
"Tell me about it" said Ollie as he agreed, he was sweating a lot as well.
"I wasn't talking to you Blondie" said Maddie as she scoffed.
"Neither was I" said Ollie as Maddie rolled her eyes past him.
Annie wasn't listening to Maddie and Ollie argue at all, she was deep in her own thoughts, wondering how they were going to find Matt up here.
Annie was so absentmindedly walking that she did not notice that the ground she was walking on had ended and she was walking straight into a deep dark exit.
"Annie!" called Curtis as he quickly held Annie and he pulled her back as Annie came back to her senses.
"Oh my…" said Annie as she looked down, she had been so close to the edge, she was almost about to fall if not for Curtis pulling her back.
"Annie, you have to be more careful and aware of your surroundings, that was a close call" said Curtis in worry.
"I am sorry Curtis, I know… I was just… not paying attention" said Annie as she sighed and Curtis let go of her.
"Woah…" said Maddie as she looked down.
"Curtis you really saved Annie this time, that looks like an endless way down" said Maddie as she looked down into the dark abyss.
"I know…" said Annie as she sighed, she was just so worried for Matt that she was not paying attention to what was happening around her.
"Umm… I'm sorry to say, but I don't see a way around this, there is nowhere else to go" said Ollie as he looked around, it was like the ground split open into two, and there was no other way for them to try to go to the other side, or at least not any logical way.
"That can't be true" said Annie as she shook her head, they did not come this far only to be unable to go on further and return back, she wouldn't accept that.
"I'm sorry Annie, but this looks like the end of the road, or rather way, or whatever, I don't see anywhere else to do" said Maddie as she sighed.
"No, there has to be another way to cross to the other side" said Annie as she shook her head, there was no way that she was going to stand for this at all.
"Except we grow wings and fly, we won't be able to get over there" said Maddie as Annie just looked at her.
"No, we are not going back, Matt needs us to save him" said Annie as she paced back and forth, thinking of what they could do, they could not try to go down there, it was too dangerous, and climbing back up would be tiring as well.
Annie thought about what Maddie said, it was true that it was only if they grew wings that they would be able to get over there.
Annie looked at the other side, when she saw a tree that was standing on it's own, and then she got an idea.
"Curtis, can you give me some rope, a very long rope" said Annie as she looked at Curtis.
"Okay" said Curtis as he removed his backpack to get what Annie asked for.
Annie bent down as she checked through her own backpack and she unhooked Alina's bow that she had hooked to the back.
"Annie, what are you doing?" asked Maddie as she watched Annie.
"You will see" said Annie as Curtis handed her the rope that she asked for as she took it and she proceeded to tie it very tightly on one of the arrows that she had, Annie hoped that she had tied it hard enough.
"Here wait, let me help you" said Ollie as he had an idea of what Annie wanted to do as Annie let him tie it even tighter.
"Thank you" said Annie as she hoped that the rope was as long as they needed it to be.
"Alright now" said Annie as she stood up, she gave Curtis the other end of the rope to hold, and she took the arrow with a rope tied to it as she took the bow and she placed the arrow in the bow as she aimed to the other side as she aimed at the tree.
Annie closed her right eye as she pulled back the arrow on the bow and she let it go.
Annie sighed as the arrow did not even reach the other side, and not to even talk about the tree.
"Try again Annie" said Ollie as Annie looked at him and she nodded and Curtis pulled the rope as it took a while for the arrow to come back to their side.
Annie took the arrow as she put it in the bow again as she pulled back, she concentrated seriously and this time she pulled back the arrow further than the last time, and she let the arrow go as the arrow touched the tree but it did not hold on as it fell back down.
Annie sighed as Curtis pulled the arrow back to them, she was not going to give up at all.
Annie put the arrow back in the bow as she pulled it back as far as she could go, she concentrated as she focused on the tree that she wanted to her arrow to hit, she took a deep breath as she relaxed her muscles and she let go of the arrow as it went head first to the tree as the arrow was shot directly into the tree as Annie smiled in relief and she turned to look at Ollie with the other end of the rope.
"Can you tie it over there?" asked Annie.
"Of course" said Ollie as he took the rope from her and he walked to tie it around the sturdy rock on the ground as Annie walked over there and she pulled on the rope.
"Annie, are you really going to do what I think you are going to do?" asked Maddie in worry as Annie looked at her.
"It depends on what you think I am going to do" said Annie.
"You cannot climb on that rope, it's too dangerous, we don't even know how strong it is" said Maddie in worry as Annie did not seem to be listening to her as she put the bow away and she wore her backpack behind her.
"Curtis, say something, this is too dangerous" said Maddie as she looked at Curtis.
"Annie, you need to pause a bit, this is truly too dangerous" said Curtis as Annie did not seem to be listening to them at all she walked to the edge.
"Annie, wait a minute, don't…" said Ollie as he could not finish his words when Annie held on to the rope and she fell down as she was holding on and they all rushed to look at the edge.
"Annie are you crazy, come back here" said Maddie as Annie did not listen to them at all as she slowly moved her hands on the rope, as if she was climbing on monkey bars.
Maddie's heart was on edge, praying that Annie wouldn't fall or else that would be the end.
Annie kept on going, without looking down at all as she took deep breaths and before she knew it, she made it to the other side as she stood up.
"Come on guys" said Annie as she waved to them from the other side.
"Annie you are crazy!" said Maddie as she scoffed.
"Come on, I'm alive aren't I?" asked Annie.
"Can you hear yourself right now?" asked Maddie as Curtis did not waste any time as he followed after Annie.