7.

As Nowar stood, hesitating in front of the partially open door, he heard the sound again, a low wet, croaking, noise, almost like someone stifling tears. Nowar took a deep breath, counted to three, and pushed the stone door all the way open, stepping into the shadowy room within.

The place might once of been a restaurant or a meeting hall. There were a number of low, round tables, carved out of what looked like smooth white marble, scattered throughout the room. Stone vessels, cups or vases or goblets, stood on some of the tables. There were no chairs.

A small figure, a human figure, cowered under one of the tables. The child, because it was a small child, small than Nowar, crouched under a table near the center of the room, it's face covered with it's small hands, shoulders quivering.

"Luz?" Nowar recognized the little person. Luz was one of the few kids at Budsurry School who was both younger and smaller than Nowar. She looked up, brown eyes wide and red from crying. Tears had left salty tracks down her flushed cheeks.

"Nowar?" she asked, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Her face brightened visibly. "I came down here, and then I couldn't find the tunnel back up, and I got scared, and I'm really hungry." Luz came out from under the table and gave Nowar a big hug. Her cheeks felt wet against his shirt.

"Do you have any food?" Luz asked.

"Something stole my backback that had my lunch inside."

Luz nodded understanding, but Nowar could tell that she was really disappointed. He reach into his pocket and pulled out the ziplock baggy with the three slightly smooshed fig bars inside.

"Here you go," he said, handing the bag to Luz. Her eyes lit up, and a big smile appeared on her face. She hopped happily atop a nearby table and set about cramming fig bars into her mouth.

"Thank you!" Luz finally exclaimed , wiping crumbs from her lips. "Thank you so much Nowar! You're my best friend!"

Nowar felt good. He'd never been anyone's best friend before. But his stomach was still empty, and he wondered where they would find something to eat and to drink, and where the tunnel back up to the surface was.