The Temple 81

                                    

                                          
Eventually, they made it to the cave's entrance, Lloyd took a running leap and landed on one of the pillars, Rumi did the same but she almost slipped and she screamed but caught herself Lloyd reached out a hand to grab her just in case,
                          
Lloyd looked up and spotted the staircase up ahead. 
                          
He jumped forward and a few more but landed on one and it crumbled a little, he muttered: "If the last mask is here, it won't come easily, Trust me, I've had my share of deadly tombs." Lloyd said 
                          
"Yeah, as Morro" Misty said she jumped to another one but slipped off the edge and was just barely able to catch herself, she clung to the edge of the pillar, "hey, a little help here?!" She said looking to Lloyd she was closest to him. 
                          
But Lloyd just shrugged and said, "looks like you've got it covered." and then she turned to Rumi and said, "Be careful, and follow my every step."
                          
"Seriously" Misty muttered her patience was wearing thin with Lloyd and she tried to pull herself up but nearly fell off  entirely, for a second Lloyd looked back at her and noticed  how much she was struggling he realized how mean he had been and he started to reach his hand out to her. But Rumi slipped on the next one she jumped to and nearly fell Lloyd jumped and grabbed Rumi's hand instead and steady her. 
                          
Misty watched this as she struggled to pull herself up, resentment filled her. Rumi smiled at Lloyd and Lloyd smiled back at her, and he turned and jumped to the next Misty noticed it had a symbol on it and the pillar began to crumble, Lloyd was barely able to jump to a safe one before the one he had been on fell to pieces.
                          
"Lloyd!" Rumi screamed 
                          
"Don't touch anything with that symbol on it," Lloyd said and he jumped toward the stairs. Misty following all of a sudden the cavern around them began shaking, "What's happening?!" Lloyd shouted 
                          
"I don't know I didn't touch anything Rumi shouted 
                          
"Misty what did you do?!" Lloyd shouted 
                          
"Me?! I didn't-" Misty began to say
                          
"Forget it we'll talk about it later!" Lloyd shouted and then he noticed the cave exit was closing. "Rumi, the exit!"
                          
He turned to jump back but didn't make it in time.
                          
"No! no, no!" Rumi screamed 
                          
Lloyd sighed  and said, "Guess there's no turning back now." 
                          
The stairs started crumbling, as Rumi and Lloyd began running up them, Lloyd helped Rumi up and when they made it, he said, "You okay." to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. 
                          
"Oh don't mind me," Misty shouted Lloyd turned around and saw Misty again was clinging to the edge it appeared she had just barely been able to grab onto it before the staircase gave out. Her face was flushed red, from anger and frustration.
                          
"Yes, but it's hard to see," Rumi said answering Lloyd's question 
                          
Lloyd reached down to help Misty but she sneered at him and propped her chin on one of her hands using her elbows and the other hand to hold on and she said, "No, no I'm good by all means please accommodate, your princess." Her voice was thick with sarcasm.  
                          
Lloyd didn't look happy but he took a torch from the wall and lite it using his element. It gave off a green glow. 
                          
Meanwhile Misty pulled herself up while muttering, "Talking about leaving me hanging..." She was still on her hands and knees catching her breath, not like she would have admitted it but she'd been terrified that she wouldn't have been able to make the jump, she'd just fall into darkness.
                          
All of a sudden she saw a hand come into view. She looked up and saw Lloyd looking back at her his hand extended toward her. Lloyd looked unsure but it was obvious this was his way of trying to apologize. Misty reached out to take his hand. But Harumi saw this and grabbed Lloyd's arm and pulled him away from Misty and said: "come on Lloyd we need to hurry." Lloyd's hand dropped away as Rumi pulled him away, leaving Misty still on the ground now in darkness, as they had left with the torch. 
                          
Lloyd looked back at Misty and saw her still on the ground, her hands back on the ground and her staring down to he noticed her hands had clenched into fists, him as he left with Rumi. He felt a stabbing feeling of guilt as he thought back on how he had been treating her. She was right... he had been treating her badly ever since she had returned. He guessed it was because he was still irritated at her leaving in the first place. He pulled free from Rumi and walked back toward where they had left Misty. 
                          
"Where are you going, Lloyd?!" Rumi asked 
                          
"I'm going back to help Misty... I'm not leaving her behind again." Lloyd answered 
                          
Rumi glared at Lloyd's back and she said in a sweet voice, "But Lloyd we need to hurry and Misty's slowing us down..." 
                          
Lloyd stopped but said, "Misty, is apart of this team I will not leave her behind." 
                          
When Lloyd got back to Misty he saw she was gone... "Misty?" He called out there was no reply. "Misty where are you?"
                          
"Oh, so you actually came back for me..." Said a voice cooly 
                          
Lloyd turned his head to the right and saw Misty leaning against the cave wall, crystal had started covering the ground around her. "Of course I was going to come back for you," Lloyd said he reached his hand out to her again.
                          
A small part of Misty wanted to take Lloyd's hand, but she was too frustrated and angry with him so instead, she shoved his hand away and walked passed him, and said coldly. "I wasn't expecting you to... I was expecting you to go off with Rumi... and leave me behind..." she didn't even meet his eyes when she said this.
                          
Lloyd looked at the ground and said, "I wasn't going to leave you Misty..." 
                          
"Oh, really? Is that another one of your lies?" Misty snapped and added, "You'll have to do better than that." 
                          
"Misty, please don't be this way," Lloyd said and he reached his hand out to place on her shoulder. 
                          
"Don't touch me!" Misty shouted and she slapped his hand away, and she glared at him, and said, "Do you expect me to just forget everything you've said? Everything I've seen, I see the way you look at Rumi you love her! Not me at least not anymore!" Misty said bitterly
                          
"May I remind you, you were the one that cut it off first," Lloyd said he started to grow irritated 
                          
"I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do, I do stupid things okay! That was one of them... but it doesn't matter... even if I said I want to take it back, that I regret it... It wouldn't matter! You've already moved on!" Misty said she looked down at the ground and whispered, "I just wanted you to be happy... even if that didn't include me... and you seemed happier when you were with Rumi instead of me." 
                          
Lloyd stayed silent. 
                          
"You know what... let's just focus on getting this stupid mask... afterward... you won't have to see me again... I'll go back to looking for Wu and you can be happy with Rumi, where I don't have to watch." Misty said