The forbidden routes

in the night, Maliah and Troy sat at the door of the tunnels, Maliah asked him

"How do you know these?"

"I came here along time ago and got lost, it took me weeks to get out and find my way out of these things"

"but why did you come here in the first place?"

"I was heading somewhere and I thought these were the short cut but they weren't."

"I see"

Maliah looked to the sky and saw the moons.

"oh yes, the mission, where are we headed next Troy?"

Troy opened the map and placed it where the moon would shine on it. then the map began to writing itself

"to find the yellow stone, you must cross the dessert of the lost, and underneath the blanket that shines with the night, what you seek for, if your heart is pure enough, it you might find"

" the dessert of the lost? got any idea Troy? "

" The bad lands"

" wait..... what are..... the bad lands? "

" a dessert, only sand and sun in the day, cold fury winds in the night"

" and that's where the yellow atone is located? "

" yes, and exactly how are we gonna find it in a dessert? "

" beneath the blanket that shines with the night"

" Shit!! "

" what is it Mal? "

" I got no idea what are those but they are coming at us!! "

" What?! "

Troy turned and looked,

" shit!!! crooks... the warlock's beasts, come on!!"

Troy held Maliah's hand and ran in the tunnels as the beasts started to run towards them, the two of them run and the crooks roared at them and ran with full speed. then, they transformed to tiny bags and hid in the dark, the beasts stood and sniffed them, they tried to find their scent but they didn't, and so they turned and left the routes. Maliah and Troy flew far enough from them while hiding in the dark, then, they transformed back and landed.

"I think we got away from them"

Maliah said as she didn't see them anywhere near them. she looked at Troy, Troy wasn't okay, he looked different, his expressions changed again, and this time he looked mad, angry and confused.

Maliah went closer to him and called out

"Troy, are you okay?"

"am fine"

"are you su....."

"I said am fine!!!!!!!"

Troy snapped out at her. Maliah got shocked. then, she also got mad and told him

"I was only asking you if you were fine?! why yell at me?!"

"Did I ask you to care for me?!!!!

No, so I see no problem on how I answered you"

Maliah was hurt by his words, her anger boiled inside her and ask him

"Why are you like this? since the moment we entered in these tunnels you've been acting different and... "

"let's just go"

" No,you are hiding something from me about these tunnels, what you told me back there ain't the whole story isn't it? "

suddenly, Maliah heard something in her ear, like a. whisper, a whisper which she seems to be the only one who can hear

" lies... lies"

" Lies, Troy you're hiding something from me, tell me the whole truth about these tunnels and stop lying to me "

"Am not lying to you Maliah"

" Arrogant"

Troy heard it as well now, but to him, even it seems like he was the only one who could hear them.

" Stop being so arrogant! "

" Am not being arrogant you are!! "

" Can't we just go? "

" am not going anywhere til you tell me the truth"

" leave heeeer"

Troy heard it, but upon hearing the word leave her, he shook his head to get the idea out of his head, but Maliah was keep on insisting and the whisper kept on telling him to leave and til finally, he snapped out

" Fine!!!!!! Do what you want!"

Troy left her and headed on his own way.

Maliah got mad and tears fell beneath her eyes, then she answered him

" Fine!!!! I'll go on my own way!! "

then, the two of them parted and each one of them headed on their own direction.

Troy walked through the tunnels in anger and it took him time to find out what truly happened. on his way, he stopped and his anger chilled off. then he realized.

"Maliah, no....."

he turned back and went to search for Maliah. Maliah didn't know what happened, she knew Troy was mad, she didn't care where he would go. though his the one who brought her here in this realm, but for now, it's better if each one of them went there separated ways.

"Maliah!!!!! Maliah!!!!"

Troy yelled through the tunnels but there was no response.

"Maliah!!!!!!!!"

still no response. then he fell on his knees and leaned by the wall.

"Maliah.....not again, I can't lose you again"

then,tears dropped beneath his eyes as he sat there not knowing what to do.

Maliah on the other hand, walked with anger,and when she reached a certain place, she got mad and kicked the walls in the tunnels. then, she too leaned against the wall and started to cry.

the whisper was talking to Troy again

"your fault, always your fault ....

She's lost again because of you,...lost... you lost her... and it's all your fault"

"it's my fault, all is my fault "

he said this as he hid his face in his palms.

then, he heard

" Troy"

that voice, he recognize that voice, he knows it, he knows it by soul and heart. but no, it couldn't be, it couldn't be who he thought it was. he slowly removed his palms on his face and checked who was it that called him, with that familiar voice....

on the other hand, Maliah was also in tears, she was crying, sobbing alone in the tunnels, and then she too heard a familiar voice.

"Maliah"

Maliah raised her head to see who it was. to her surprise, it was Troy,

"you.....Troy...."

"You are still mad at me?"

"You.... "

"you should be mad at me, you have every right to. just like she does"

" she... what do you mean?"

Maliah realized something, she looked at him and asked him

" you're not Troy, are you?"

Troy smiled and continued

"these tunnels, they make us do things beyond our control with no one to stop us. "

" Who are you? "

Troy turned and looked at her, his eyes were dark, his skin was pale, and he looked.... lonely, sad, and lost.

"these tunnels, they tend to play wicked games with us, first they play with your head and next, they show you what the soul feels of the owner of it"

"then, you..... Troy"

Troy smiled again

" We don't really mean what we say sometimes you know, that's exactly what happened. I lost her once, twice, if I won't be able to find you again today in these tunnels, then I swear I might lose my mind love."

" love?"

" Don't hate me, just find me, all I need is only to see and know that your alive, that's all"

" Troy... you.. "

before she could say anything, he vanished.

" Troy.... Troy!!!!! "

Maliah yelled as she too started searching for Troy in the forgotten routes