Looking for Adventure ~ Chapter One

         The city of Luccia was one of the most beautiful places you could find in the Void. Underground and undercover, the city was a haven for the people condemned to living in the dark abyss. Its rocky sky was gorgeously adorned with hundreds of starpebs, small stones that irradiated a cool white light and lit the whole city. The buildings on the outskirts of the city were small, mainly condos and apartments where the majority of the population concentrated. The center of Luccia however, was where all the stores were, the big buildings where people came to do business before returning to their homes. But that was all Luccia could give: a peaceful but repetitive life, as nothing ever changed in the Void. Wake up, do your business and return to your house. Entertainment was almost a luxury. And in the end, this was mainly one of the reasons why the young adults of Luccia searched for thrills every day.



         The gigantic clock in the center square of Luccia rang, its powerful sound echoed throughout the whole city. As Luccia was underground, one could never know if it was day or night. So the clock would ring every morning, announcing the start of the day, and it would ring every night alerting the citizens that the day was over.

         People were starting to go out, making their way to their homes. Among them, a hooded figure walked quickly through the rocky streets, his cape flowing behind him. People walked beside and past him, hurrying to their destinations, the end of the day announced by the clock, but he wasn’t going home. After walking a good twenty minutes, he turned down a dark alley and kept walking forward until he reached a dead end. The walls that covered Luccia were in front of him. He looked up, searching for something. Then, swiftly as a cat, a shadow came down from the dark wall.

         “About time, Marcelo,” said the man, his soft brown eyes fixed on the tall hooded figure in front of him. “I almost certainly thought that you were gonna be a no show.”

         “And you say you know me,” said Marcelo in a joking manner.

         “Yeah, I know you. That’s why I said ‘almost’.

         “Idiot,” said Marcelo, taking off his hood. The starpebs gave light to his handsome face, his broad nose, his dark eyes and black hair.

         “Well, what are we standing here for? Let’s pick up the pace or else they’ll leave us outside,” said the tall man to Marcelo. And so they returned back to the main street and headed back to the central square where Marcelo had been some time ago. They walked fast, encountering almost no one on their way to the core of the city. Soon, they were walking through the business section of Luccia and just minutes later they were already at their destination: the central square.

         Central Square was just a plain circle of pavement with some trees strewn about here and there and the Clock Tower in the middle, rising high in the air, casting an eerie shadow over the place. As soon as they entered, both men put on their hoods and walked straight to a little house on the border of the square, across to the other side of their position. They treaded quickly through the square and soon they were knocking on the old wood door of the house. No one answered. Marcelo knocked again, but the response was the same. He rolled his eyes and knocked again.

         Footsteps sounded inside the house. The doorknob turned and the door opened slightly. A man’s face came out. Both men outside took their hoods off.

         “Oh! ‘Bout time’. You’re late you know,” scowled the man while he opened the creaking door slowly. “Come on, inside, inside!”

         Marcelo rolled his eyes. “I can’t wait, Raphaiel,” he said, his voice tinged with excitement as they entered the dark house. Raph nodded. After closing the door behind, the old man passed between the boys and hurried them to follow.

         “Come on, Z, don’t be mad; we aren’t that late,” said Raph. The man ignored his comment and guided them to the basement, where a small group of about fifteen people where talking to each other. The basement was a large, rectangular room, plain except for a few wooden chairs, and a small platform at one side. It was completely lit by starpebs in pouches hanging in a few places throughout the room.

         A red-haired man noticed the arrival of the final two men and immediately stood up on the platform. He had a serious look, and cleared his throat before speaking.

         “May I have your attention, please?” A sudden silence permeated the room as everyone directed their attention to the man. “Thank you. As you all know, we are gathered here to make a…field trip out of the city. Luccia is known as a haven for everyone, although a rather boring haven. So we are going to spice up our lives a little. We are young and we are free and we are going to get out of here. So here’s the plan and hear it well ‘cause I’ll only say it once: we meet at the South Crack tomorrow night, immediately after the Clock rings. From there we’ll get to the Luccia Upjoints, the labyrinthine cave formation that gives way to the surface. It is important to be punctual.” He looked at Ralph and Marcelo with his commanding eyes. “Remember to equip yourself, as we would not want any…casualties, or do we?”

         The crowd murmured and looked at each other. They knew how dangerous these travels out of the city could be. So dangerous, in fact, that they were not allowed. The Void was a virtually unexplored maze, and the dangers it held were unknown. Everyone knew that they should be prepared for the worst.