How four teenagers ended up in Thera

*The story of how Lucas, Sarah Beth, Harper, and Michael, ended up in The Timeless Kingdom...

 

“Michael, stop splashing everyone, will you.”  Sarah Beth looked over the tops of her sunglasses at Lucas and Michael and rolled her eyes.  Lucas was swinging his arms wildly, about to do another backflip off of a large rock into the river.  Michael was grinning at her stupidly. 

Sarah Beth sighed loudly. 

“Watch this, babe,” Lucas called before jumping off the rock and spinning himself around.

“Nice, babe,” she said.  Lucas was hot, with six-pack abs and a gorgeous smile, and was always trying to show off for her. 

“Watch this, babe,” Michael said, imitating Lucas and slinging water at them again. 

Sarah Beth ignored him.  Harper, who was lying on a towel next to her, said, “And why do you guys invite him everywhere we go?”

Sarah Beth shrugged.  “He’s Lucas’s best friend.  Although I don’t know why.  He’s such a pain in the ass.” 

“And weird,” Harper added. 

“And weird,” Sarah Beth said in agreement. 

They were hanging by the river today, enjoying the early summer sun.  It was Senior Skip day, and everyone was there. 

They rolled their eyes together when Michael tried to get their attention.  The only reason why Michael had any friends at all was because of Lucas.  Everyone liked Lucas, and Lucas liked Michael.  If it wasn’t for that, no one would have put up with his childish behavior. 

“I mean, we’re about to be out of high school, and he still acts likes he’s in third grade,” Harper said.  “I don’t even know why I let you talk me into hanging with you guys today.”

Sarah Beth had convinced Harper to hang with them, so she and Lucas could ditch them together and go off and make out.  But that hadn’t happened, and it was getting late.  And the more they hung out, the less Sarah Beth wanted to leave Harper alone with Michael.

“Can we go,” Sarah Beth called as Lucas mounted his boulder for another jump? 

He looked disappointed at the thought of leaving. 

“We’re ready to go,” Sarah Beth said.  Mostly she was ready to ditch Michael. 

“Yeah, sure, babe,” Lucas called.  He jumped from the rock, cannonballing in and splashing everyone around them. 

Lucas climbed out of the river and grabbed his towel. 

“Oh, come on,” Michael whined.  “Just because she wants to go doesn’t mean we have to.” 

Lucas shrugged.  It was getting late, and they needed to get home.  Everyone knew this was senior skip day, but he still wanted to get home before his parents and at least pretend that he had gone to school.  They all did. 

But Michael didn’t care.  His mom wouldn’t know, or care, if he’d gone to school any day of the year, so cutting senior skip day short seemed like a crime to him.

“Hang around if you want,” Lucas said.  “I’ll walk the girls home.”

Sarah Beth thought that was a great idea.  “Yeah, Michael, hang out and have fun.  I just need to get home soon.” 

Michael looked around.  Everyone knew Lucas was pretty much his only friend.  “Na, I’m good.  I’ve had enough fun for one day anyway.” 

Sarah Beth and Harper looked at each other and rolled their eyes. 

They gathered their things, towels, sunglasses, and cell phones and started walking home.  Other kids were starting to leave now as well. 

“We should cut through the woods,” Michael said. 

“Absolutely not,” Harper said. 

“I don’t think so,” Sarah Beth said. 

Lucas just shrugged.

“Come on,” Michael said.  “You guys scared or something?  You don’t believe all those old stories or anything, do you?”  He was taunting them now.  “I mean, I thought we were all grown up now that we’re about to graduate.  I didn’t know everyone believed in ghost stories.” 

“Shut up,” Harper said. 

Michael looked offended.  “You shut up.” 

“Hey, you guys just chill, will you?” Lucas said, holding his hands up between them. 

“Fine,” Michael said. 

They walked out of the parking lot next to the river and onto the road that led back to town.  Several cars pulled out behind them, loaded with their classmates.

“Get a car, losers,” someone shouted as a car full of their classmates passed them by. Sarah Beth flipped them off. 

“You know…” Lucas was looking at the woods.  “We’d probably beat all those guys back to town if we did cut through the woods.  Wouldn’t that be something?”

Michael smiled.  “Yeah.  That’d show ‘em.” 

Lucas stared at the woods.  “What’d you say, babe?  We could show those guys what’s up.” 

Sarah Beth blew out a loud breath in exasperation.  “Everything’s a competition to you guys, isn’t it?” 

Lucas and Michael looked at her and together said, “Yeah.” 

“Well, you guys do whatever you want,” Sarah Beth said.  “I’m sticking to the road.” 

Michael said, “Oh, come on, S.B.  Don’t be a baby.” 

Sarah Beth felt the anger heat up her cheeks.  Michael knew how she felt about him calling her S.B. instead of by her full name. 

“I am not being a baby,” Sarah Beth said.

“We’re just not stupid,” Harper said. 

The guys looked at each other. 

“They’re just scared,” Lucas said.

“Yep,” Michael said. 

Sarah Beth had had enough.  “Fine.  You guys think we’re scared?  We’ll show them.  Harper, let’s do it.”

Harper shook her head.  “No.  I’m not going in there.” 

Lucas and Michael laughed.  Then started to chant “Scaredy cats, scaredy cats” over and over like they were all seven again. 

“Fine,” Harper said with a roll of her eyes.  “Let’s just fucking hurry.” 

They cut through the woods quickly, with Harper holding onto Sarah Beth’s hand like she really was seven and scared of the woods and the stories again. 

“See, this isn’t so bad,” Lucas said when they were deep in the woods.  “There’s nothing to be afraid of in here.  It’s all those old stupid stories that freak everyone out.  Especially about the lumbar jack that came in here because it was the last virgin forest, and he was going to make a killing with these trees…” Lucas gestured to all the tall tree’s around them. 

“But he never came out…” Michael said in a spooky voice. 

“Will you guys shut up,” Sarah Beth said.  She was ready to get through these woods and home.  And to have Harper let her go.  Harper had been clinging to her every step of the way so far. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Lucas said.  Through the trees, they could see a small mound of dirt with what looked like a door built into it. 

“Woah,” Michael said.  “That’s like some kind of dirt hut or something.  Let’s go check it out.”

Lucas and Michael started toward the mound. 

“Guys, let’s just go,” Sarah Beth said. 

“Oh, come on,” Lucas called.  “Don’t be a baby.  This is fun.” 

When they got to the hut, they noticed that it was, in fact, a dirt mound.  The door that lead inside had ornate carvings covering it and a small window at the top. 

“Wonder what’s in there,” Michael said. 

“Let’s see,” Lucas said.  He reached for the knob.  He tapped it lightly, just in case.  In case of what, he wasn’t sure, but there was something weird about this whole thing.  It was dark in these woods, and if no one had ever been in these woods, who had built it?  Maybe there was like a hermit or homeless man living here. 

He turned the knob, and the door opened.  There was nothing but a dirty tunnel leading down into the earth. 

“Holy shit,” Lucas said.  “Wonder what’s down there.”

Sarah Beth and Harper had made their way over and stood behind the guys.  “I don’t want to find out,” Sarah Beth said.  “This is creepy.  Can we just go?” 

“Man, somebody probably lived down there,” Michael said, ignoring her.  “Or did at one time.” 

The guys looked at each other.  “We gotta check it out,” Lucas said.

Michael nodded.  “Hell yeah.”  They pulled out their phones and turned on their flashlights. 

“You guys aren’t seriously going down there, are you?” Harper said. 

“Man, I bet there are bats and shit down there,” Michael said. 

“I know, right,” Lucas said.  “Come on, let’s go.” 

They started down the tunnel that the open door led to. 

“Oh my god, what fucking morons,” Sarah Beth said. 

“I know, right,” Harper said, sinking her fingers into Sarah Beth’s arm.  “Can we just go?” 

Sarah Beth sighed loudly.  “As much as I hate Lucas right now, I can’t just leave him in a dark tunnel.  What if he gets hurt or something? ” 

Harper said nothing in response. 

“Babe!” Lucas called, his voice echoing off the tunnel walls.  “You’ve got to come see this.  Someone’s living down here.” 

Sarah Beth leaned into the open doorway and called into the tunnel.  “I don’t want to see.  Come on, or we’re leaving.” 

“Oh, come on,” Lucas called.  “It’s cool.” 

Harper shook her head.  “Sarah Beth, don’t.” 

Harper was really being a big baby about all of this, Sarah Beth thought.  And wouldn’t it be cool to explore an underground cave or whatever it was?  She’d been to this cave on vacation once, where you followed it all the way to an underground waterfall.  Maybe there was something like that down there.  She couldn’t explain it, but she really wanted to see what was down there. 

“Listen, Harper.  Stay here.  I’ll be back in a minute.” 

Harper looked scared.  “You’re not really going down there, are you?” 

“For just like a second,” Sarah Beth said.  

“Come on, Sarah Beth, don’t.” 

Sarah Beth pulled Harper's fingers from her arm.  “I’m just going for a second.  Just stay here, and you’ll be fine.” 

Harper shook her head.  “If you’re going, then I’m going.  There’s no way I’m staying up here by myself.” 

“Then let’s go,” Sarah Beth said.  She started down the tunnel with Harper still clinging to her. 

They could hear the guys laughing somewhere up ahead in the darkness. 

“Where are you guys?” Sarah Beth called. 

“We’re back here,” she heard Lucas yell. “Come this way.  I see something up ahead.” 

“Yeah, there’s light up ahead,” Michael said from in front of them, the darkness thick.  Sarah Beth turned on the flashlight on her phone.  The walls of the tunnel were solid dirt, and she hoped it didn’t collapse on them and kill them.

“Guys, where are you?” she called.  Harper was still clinging to her like a kid clinging to their mother at a haunted house.

Up ahead, she could see light.  Had they gone out that way?  Where did this tunnel come out at?  How had no one ever noticed a tunnel coming out somewhere around town?

They got closer to the light, and Sarah Beth stepped through, pulling Harper with her.  

#

When they stepped out into the light, Sarah Beth couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing. 

There were people dressed in shiny costumes play fighting other people dressed in monster costumes. 

“What is going on?” Harper said, still clinging to her.

Suddenly someone jerked them down from behind.  They landed on the grass, and Sarah Beth started to get up but stopped when Lucas said, “Get down!” 

“Where’d it go?” Michael practically screamed from behind them.  “Where the fuck did it go?” 

Neither Sarah Beth nor Harper had any idea what he was talking about. 

“What’s going on?” Sarah Beth said.  “Are they filming a movie or something?”

Michael was running around behind them. 

“No,” Lucas said.  “Where were you guys?  Why’d you come out of the tunnel?” He was frantic too. 

“Where were we?” Sarah Beth said.  “We were right behind you.  We came out right after you did?”

Lucas was pale.  He looked like he was about to cry, which scared the girls.  Lucas was always tough and strong, and he looked completely panicked.  “We’ve been here at least two hours… waiting… hoping you wouldn’t come through.  Hoping we could catch it and go back if you did.” 

Sarah Beth said, “Two hours?  What are you talking about, Lucas?  You guys were maybe twenty seconds ahead of us.  Where did this tunnel come out at?  Let’s just go home?”

“You don’t get it, stupid,” said Michael.  He wasn’t running frantically around anymore, just standing there glaring at them.  “We can’t go home.  This isn’t home!”

“What are you guys talking about?” said Harper.

Lucas pulled them all behind the hill they were on, out of sight of the fighting below.

“Listen,” Lucas said.  “This must be some kind of other world or something. I don’t know.  But we need to get out of here!  That’s the only thing I do know.”

Sarah Beth peeked back over the hill and saw that the men wearing the shiny costumes were actually dressed up as knights.  Some of them were riding horses, and some were on foot, but all of them had weapons and were attacking the people dressed up as monsters.

Sarah Beth looked closer.  She gasped in horror. 

They weren’t play fighting.  She saw a knight on horseback swing a big sword down on one of the monster people, cutting its head completely off. 

Lucas pulled her back to their side of the hill.  He looked at her. 

“Sarah Beth,” he said gently.  “Let’s get out of here.” 

“They’re really fighting,” she managed to say.  Lucas could tell she was in shock.  Harper also gave him a what the fuck is going on look.

“Let’s fucking go,” Michael said impatiently, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.  “Let’s get the fuck out here.  I didn’t even want to wait for them in the first place.”

Sometimes Lucas wondered why he was even friends with Michael.  The guy was a complete prick.  This was one of those times. 

They had been waiting on the girls for what felt like about two hours, but in reality, felt more like years.  While they’d waited, they’d pieced together that they had gone down some portal and into some alternate reality, mostly when the knights and the goblins had shown up an hour in and started killing each other. 

Michael had wanted to leave before the girls showed up, but Lucas had insisted on waiting, hoping they’d bring help or something.  But it seemed like not only was the tunnel some kind of portal, but it also altered time. 

Lucas couldn’t worry about that right now, though.  He took Sarah Beth’s hand and then wrapped an arm around Harper.  “Let’s get out of here,” he said. 

They both nodded, as dazed and confused as he and Michael had been when they first arrived. 

They heard the roar of the battle behind them, men and monsters screaming and yelling, and they all wanted to be as far away from it as possible.  Then it died down and almost instantly was eerily quiet.

Suddenly there was a loud cheer, the victors giving a gleeful huzzah in celebration of their victory.

They need to leave.  Now.

#

 

They ran down the hill after Michael.  Lucas looked back, but the hill blocked his view of whatever had happened.  He was glad.  They’d watched the battle when it first started, thinking it would be cool, but still a little amazed about everything.  It had quickly turned their stomachs, though.  It seemed like blood and body parts had been flying everywhere.

Lucas didn’t know where they were at, but there weren’t goblins on Earth, that was for sure.  He had cheered on the knights, hoping they killed every last goblin because at least they looked human.  But would that matter if the knights noticed them?  Would they care that they were all humans, or just chop them up?  Lucas didn't want to find out. 

Now that the girls were here, he just wanted to find a way back. 

How were they going to do that?  And where had the tunnel gone?  This was all so crazy.

There was a thundering sound over the hill toward where the battle had taken place, and Lucas pulled the girls along faster.  There were only more hills and grasslands to hide them, though, no trees or buildings to hide behind.  He just hoped they wouldn’t be noticed.

The thundering noise got louder, and a group of mounted knights topped the hill and rode straight for them. 

Lucas’s stomach felt like it was turning around inside of him.  The girls screamed.  Michael, who was ahead of them and wasn’t waiting around for them, took off running. 

Two horsemen spurred their chargers forward, hulking horses that made Clydesdales look small, Lucas thought, and got in front of Michael to cut him off.  The rest surrounded Lucas and the girls.  Michael was pushed back to them by the horsemen, and they all huddled close together. 

A knight in gleaming sliver armor rode his horse toward them.  He stopped in front of them and removed his helmet, and Lucas noticed his armor was spattered in red blood and green goo that was probably the blood of the goblins. 

Lucas stepped forward, trying not to show his fear but also wanting to show this man respect. 

“What are you doing out here?” the knight asked.  He was a lot older than they were, Lucas noticed and had a dark black beard. 

Lucas didn’t know what to say, so he tried a variation of the truth.  “We’re lost, sir.” 

The knight nodded.  “And where did you come from?” 

Again, Lucas wanted to stick with the truth.  “America.” 

The knight scratched his chin and looked at a few of the other knights.  “America?  Is that across the sea?  How did you end up here?”

Lucas had no answer for that.  “I don’t know, sir.” 

“Hey, buddy,” said Michael loudly, causing Lucas to wince.  He knew Michael speaking wasn’t going to be good.  “We just want to get home, OK.  So point us in the direction of a tunnel that dropped us out here out of thin air, and we’ll get out of your hair.”

The knight with the dark beard’s jaw stiffened, and some of the other knights crossed themselves.  Then they all pulled their swords from sheaths strapped to their saddles.  Even with the swords pointed at the four of them, it seemed to Lucas like every one of the knights suddenly got very nervous. 

The knight with the thick dark beard glared at them.  Then said, “Take them.”