Cedar had landed on top of the boy. He looked at her, stunned. Then he began laughing. His laugh was shocked and triumphant- and very contagious. He held Cedar's face with both hands, as if to make sure she was really there.

"Oh, my God! Cedar! You made it! It's really you! For a second, I thought you weren't going to make it, but... hi!"

The boy laughed, at a loss for words. "Hi," Cedar said, laughing as well. The boy took his hands off her face and Cedar stood up. Normally, Cedar would be mortified to be caught in a situation like that, but something about the boy made her feel as if she had known him her whole life.

Having seen him only across a chasm, she thought his eyes were harsh and piercing, but up close, there was something alluring about him; his eyes did look the same in different lights, but when you stared directly into them from so close, you couldn't help but trust him.

"Carter, right?" He turned around to look at her. "How do you know my name?"

"There was an article online. I read the whole thing."

"The whole thing?" Carter paled. He seemed panicked, as if trying to defend himself. "Whatever they said about me, it's a lie. I wasn't crazy, but my parents were. I can explain everything."

"Don't," Cedar said, putting her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "I believe you. But I do have a few questions. What happened after you jumped across the cliffs?"

"Nothing much. I was too scared to explore the forest at first," he said, gesturing to the forest full of dense evergreens, oak trees, and redwood trees, which seemed like an odd combination to Cedar. She hadn't even noticed the forest until Carter pointed it out. It was much lighter outside than the other side of the cliffs, which confused her. Carter continued with his story.

"I just kind of stayed there for hours. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, there you were."

"How did you know my name? I just... I want to know everything. Tell me your story," Cedar said with a faint smile.

"I started having the dreams, and then I took the 'leap of faith.' When I made it, I had no idea what to do. I stayed there for a while, slowly going insane. Then one day, I hear the word, "Cedar." It was like someone whispered directly into my ear. I kept that name; I said it out loud over and over. To an outsider, I may have seemed crazy. But that was truly the only thing kept me sane. For a while, I wanted to jump into the pit, but when I saw you appear that first night, it gave me a reason to keep going. You kept me alive. And for that, thank you."

Cedar looked at Carter, stunned. She suddenly found him very alluring, watching him be vulnerable with her. "That's really cute," she said breathlessly. When Carter raised his eyebrows, hinting at a smile, Cedar blushed and finished quickly, "Flattering. Flattering. That's really flattering. Y-you're welcome."

Cedar was still very red, praying Carter would change the subject. Luckily, he obliged. "Nice outfit, by the way. Pretty sure it's different from what you wore before."

She glanced down, shocked. "I didn't even realize I was wearing anything different," she said.

Cedar's hair was tied up in a tight braid rolling down her back. She had on tight pants that were between the color of brown or black. She wore a long-sleeved emerald green shirt that was made of soft, flexible material, over which she had on a tight leather vest. It was buttoned up to the top, with two small pockets in the front and one hidden at her left side. Her pants were long, covered by brown leather combat boots, the same color as the vest.

Cedar found a strap around her right thigh, with a sheath that was clearly meant to hold a small dagger. And to top the whole look off, she wore a necklace that reached midway down her chest. The chain was aged gold with a ruby-red pendant. The color seemed to shift in the light, bright red to rusty brick red. The necklace drew her in, and when she twirled it around in between her fingers she felt powerful, as if some unknown power was coursing through the pendant. This necklace was important, but Cedar couldn't figure out why. She was mesmerized.

"It looks comfortable," Carter said. Cedar had her first good look at his clothes. He wore an off-white shirt, long-sleeved, with long pants and combat boots the same color as Cedar's. Cedar looked back over the cliffs. The darkness was still blocked from going any further.

"Why is the darkness over there? Shouldn't it cross the cliffs?" Carter nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure, but I think the darkness feeds off of fear. It doesn't have enough fear to cross the cliff edge. If that's true, then I refuse to be afraid. I couldn't let it come back," he said.

After glancing up to the sky, he exclaimed, "The sun is starting to set. Even though the darkness can't get to us, it's not ideal to be outside at night. Follow me." Carter directed Cedar through the forest, ducking though redwoods and stepping over fallen branches. They finally reached their destination.

It was a small cottage made of stones and a roof of branches. There was a small well near the front, and just behind it were rows of an herb Cedar had never seen before. There were two windows and a small door. Cedar noticed the herbs grew wild on each side of the cabin.

"I found it when I explored the forest for the first time. It's not much, but it'll be a roof over our heads."

Inside, there was a wooden table, two chairs, and a large blanket spread out. A small fire was lit in the fireplace, a pot of something boiling hanging over it. Ivy spilled over every wall. The space was small, but felt cozy.

"It's lovely," Cedar said truthfully, smiling. "What were those herbs growing outside?"

Carter's eyes widened. "I forgot!" He rushed to the boiling pot, pouring it over the fire, which sputtered out with a small hiss. He reached for two bowls on the table and poured a crushed up mixture into each bowl. "I don't know what they're called, but I just call them Root Leaves."

"Very creative," Cedar smirked.

"Shut up. When you eat them, it tastes like something the most comforting to you. You must be starving. Have some," he said, gesturing to the spoons next to the bowls. Cedar's body realized how hungry she was, and she said down, throwing her reservations away.

Cedar took a small bite. It tasted like the chocolate-chip pumpkin bread her mother made her when she had gone through something sad. Cedar kept eating, enjoying the taste, until it changed. Now it tasted like grilled cheese and tomato soup, Cedar's favorite food combination. Finally, her last few bites, she tasted cherry pie and vanilla ice cream. Cedar sighed contentedly, leaning back. She found Carter looking at her with a small smile playing at the edge of his lips.

"What does it taste like?"

"Chocolate-chip pumpkin bread, grilled cheese with tomato soup, and cherry pie with ice cream," Cedar said, and she couldn't help but smile. "What does yours taste like?"

"Homemade pizza with fresh tomatoes, cherry lime soda, and oatmeal and chocolate-chip peanut butter cookies," Carter said, a wistful look on his face.

"Did your mom make that for you?"

"Back before she and my dad started fighting, yeah. I remember we had a garden. After my mother forgot about it, and me with it, I took care of it as best as I could, and sometimes when my parents left the house on trips to Vegas I'd pick the tomatoes and make that pizza. It was really good," he said sadly. Cedar gave a consoling smile.

Later that night, long after they went to sleep on the large blanket, Cedar lay awake. She wondered what else was in the forest. She decided to take a walk outside to clear her head. She knew it was chilly outside, so she looked through a drawer of clothing and found an emerald green cloak, so dark it almost seemed black. It reached her waist and had a hood that Cedar slipped over her head. She quietly made her way out the door and into the forest, clutching the ruby-red pendant to her chest.

After wandering for a while, Cedar found a small clearing. She looked into the clearing and became curious, so she stepped into it. There was a huge platform of what looked like marble, on top of which stood three pillars.

On closer inspection, Cedar saw the shortest pillar on the left, made of stone. On the right, the second shortest pillar, made of gold. And in the center stood the tallest pillar, made of a black material Cedar couldn't quite place. Obsidian, perhaps.

The most interesting part was that in the center of all three pillars, right on the top, was a keyhole. Cedar was entranced, running her fingers over each pillar in turn, musing over why they were there. Her trance-like state was broken when from behind her, she heard a voice say, "Hey."

Cedar whirled around, relieved that it was just Carter. "Hi."

"I woke up when you left, and decided to find you. I somehow knew you'd end up here."

"What is this place?" Cedar asked, still wonderstruck.

"I'm not sure, but I've been here too many times to count."

"I wonder where the keys are? Maybe we can find them." Carter shook his head.

"I've looked. My guess is that they're somewhere else."

Cedar laughed, "Obviously. What would the keys do? Do you think this has something to do with the darkness?" Carter shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it does. I haven't really found anything. All there is here, is that," he said, pointing to the marble where Cedar stood. She stepped aside. Engraved in the marble was a line of written words, though they did not make sense:

Ylno esoht ohw ecaf eht ssenkrad nac taefed ti.

"What does that mean?" Carter shook his head.

"Beats me. I thought they were ancient runes or foreign, or something."

Suddenly Cedar noticed something about the strange words. "Wait... they ancient or foreign at all! They're backwards! Try to read them correctly!"

The pair read the words out loud together, stumbling on a few words. Mostly in unison, they chorused, "Only those who face the darkness can defeat it."

"Well, that's terrifying," Carter said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cedar instinctively grasped the necklace with both hands, chanting loudly, "Only those who face the darkness can defeat it."

Carter looked at her line she was crazy.
Until in front of the stone pillar, a shape began to glow.

It emitted a pale emerald green light. The light began to shape and stretch until it stopped in a formation that was the unmistakable shape of a door. They both stood, shocked.

"Did you know you could do that? Because I sure didn't," Carter said, eyes wide.

"I did not know that," she replied, then but her lip. "Do... do you think we're supposed to go through it?

Carter sighed. "I'm not sure. Something tells me... we should."

They nodded in agreement, stepping to the door of light. "We're totally going to die," Carter said. "Totally," Cedar adder right after.

"Ladies first?" Carter asked hopefully. Cedar glared at him.

"What kind of a gentlemen would you be if you didn't escort me through a door?" Cedar questioned, eyes wide.

"Right," Carter muttered. He walked behind her and positioned himself to escort her in.

"Together?"

"Together."

And they went, walking slowly through the door of light, praying they wouldn't die. The two mostly prayed they weren't going to be in for a worse date than death- and judging by the pain Cedar faced when she was consumed by the darkness, there were many worse things than death.