Free Finders Keepers by Annalisa Gulbrandsen Page A

of limping and hopping.   As they passed by the little dwellings, she noticed that most of the houses were unoccupied.   Boards covered windows, other structures were missing doors.   What she could see of the insides, the places were devoid of anything except cobwebs.   In spite of the situation, she found she was gripping her abductor’s hand tighter and tighter.   The whole scene was like a cross between a ghost town and haunted house.   As they neared the center of the cave, she saw a few flickering lights in windows.   Before they were close enough to actually see in any of those houses, the boy turned down an alley.   Coming out the other side, they turned again.   Down a few more pathways and then another turn and Ellie was completely lost.   Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to walk much further, the boy stopped.   They’d come to a dead end—another wall of the cave.   In front of her was a rope ladder.
     
    The climb up was worse than the stairs down, and this she had to do entirely on her own.   He made her go first and she took one shaky step after another, concentrating on the next rung and not looking down.   Only once, when he spoke to her, did she glance at him and the entire cave floor swayed beneath her.   Her knuckles went white and shiny from the death grip she had on the rope.
     
    “Easy there.   Keep going.   Push up on the trap door when you get there.   Don’t worry, I’m right behind you.”
     
    When the trapdoor finally did come within reach, she couldn’t let go of the rung she clung to in order to push up on it.   They had climbed to one of the wasp-like dwellings on the cave ceiling.   Just thinking about how high they were and what kind of drop lay below her made Ellie’s vision swim.   When it became apparent she would go no further, Gibbs climbed up behind, pressing himself against her as he lifted the trap door open.   Only when there was visible solid ground did Ellie climb the rest of the way.  
     
    They climbed up into a small, dimly lit room.   Light filtered through a door that was propped open by an orange Nike.   Hooks on the walls held jackets and coats of various sizes, and a shoe rack in the corner was similarly covered in a various assortment of tennis shoes, boots, and even designer heels.   This is where Gibbs yanked off the eye-patch and winced.   Gibbs gave her about two minutes to regain her footing and slow her breathing, then he pulled the door open and propelled her through it.  
     
      “Say hello to the gang.”
     
    As afraid of Gibbs as Ellie was, an entire room full of goblins (GOBLINS—even with the city spread out in front of her she hadn’t believed it) was considerably more unnerving.   She pressed closer to Gibbs’ side as he seemed the lesser of two evils.   His smug grin was barely suppressed.  
     
    Six other people (if you could call them that) occupied the large room which could be considered a lounge or common area.   There was a sagging couch and couple of oversized bean bags.   A foosball table stood in the far corner and on the opposite end was a tiny refrigerator.   A boy with silver hair and long, stick-like green limbs cocked his head to one side and stared at her.   His eyes did not blink.  
     
    “Well, not the whole group, I guess.   Dodge and Lola are out.   Sky’s missing of course.   And Sarah.”   Gibbs tugged on Ellie’s pony tail and then placing his hand just under her shoulder blades, he pushed her forward.   “This is Eliza.   Play nice for a few minutes while I tie up some loose ends.”   He walked to another door, his ear to his cell phone before Ellie even thought to open her mouth.   Two girls who had identical brown braids and yellow/gold eyes scrunched their noses at her and sneered.   A small, short boy wearing an oversized Pink Floyd tee wiggled his fingers at her.   His smile was sharp, or maybe those were just his teeth.   Each tooth ended in a razor