Chapter 89 Dante!

Maria's face slammed into the ground, burying itself deeply. Dante landed on top of her.

“OFF!” Maria's muffled voice screamed desperately.

Dante rolled off of her. Maria emerged from the ground, covered in dirt, gasping for breath.

“OK,” Dante panted, nervously looking up the the nest on top of the tall mountain. “Two hours HAS to be almost over. We should find Conrad and Logan, and then crouch inside of a nice, cozy hiding place.”

“Boqay,” Maria nodded, spitting out mud.

Dante helped Maria to her feet.

“Come on.”

As they walked, something occurred to Maria. Dante hadn't even tried to hit on her for a couple months, since the Runescape crap.

“Hey did you finally give in and admit - “

“Shh!!”

Dante shoved himself and Maria into a shrub.

“Not another dino,” Maria pleaded.

Another dino indeed.

A TYRANNOSAURUS!!

“Heart attack,” Maria whispered.

The Tyrannosaurus clearly didn't notice them. It continued its walk, sniffing for flesh.

Maria and Dante sighed in relief.

“... Miss Nana can truly do well in the female rapping industry.”

Maria and Dante rose their heads curiously. Was that...! Maria pointed out of the bush. Conrad and Logan were walking directly towards the Tyrannosaurus, concentrating on their Miss Nana trading cards too much to notice!

“They're dead meat,” Maria said.

Dante gasped.

“We have to do something!” he said.

“But the Tyrannosaurus will smell us if we do!” Maria exclaimed.

“Fine. Stay here. Two is better than one.”

“No!” Maria cried.

“I got us into this mess. I owe it to them.”

Maria gasped when the meaning of his words sank in. She grabbed at his ankles, but missed. “NO!”

“HAY! HAY, BIG T!” Dante screamed, jumping around in clear sight, waving his arms in the air.

Logan and Conrad stopped in their tracks.

“Who's he calling?” Conrad asked. Logan shrugged.

The Tyrannosaurus turned to Dante.

“YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! I HAVE FLESH!” Dante cried.

The hungry Tyrannosaurus charged.

“How long was that Tyrannosaurus there?” Logan asked. Conrad shrugged.

Maria watched openmouthed from the shrub.

“JUMP!” she screamed. Why wouldn't he jump?!

The Tyrannosaurus got closer. Dante wasn't going to escape.

Maria threw all caution to the wind and leaped out of the shrub, sprinting directly towards Dante. Feet away, she jumped, slamming right into him. Both toppled over onto the ground, tumbling a few feet over, and out of the way. The T-Rex continued running, although this time after a baby Plesiosaur.

Maria and Dante remained on the ground, gasping for breath. Finally, they both sat up, still in slight shock.

“That was awesome,” Dante said.

They stared each other in the eyes. Maria took a step closer – and kissed him directly on the lips. (SORRY MIMI!! :O)

Maria finally realized how much Dante meant to her. While he was very annoying, he had done so much for her, and Maria had never appreciated any of it. Not anymore. If they both survived this entire ordeal, things would be different. She would treat him better.

Like a boyfriend, even.

They stepped back, upon feeling a slight tug.

“We're going back to present time,” Dante said. Maria took his hand.

Lights flashed all around them, tiny at first, but gradually growing brighter and stronger. Logan and Conrad quickly caught up to them.

The ground vanished from beneath their feet. They were now in a world made completely of light. Maria felt herself soaring through whatever it was they were in, feeling nothing except Dante's hand at her side.

It ended almost before it began. The four slammed to the ground in the middle of a dense forest, back in normal time.

They quickly got to their feet, looking around.

“This isn't Supul Academy...,” Conrad said. “Nor is it a girl's bathroom.”

“But... then where are we?!” Logan asked.

In the back of Maria's head, something felt something familiar. As though she had seen this place so many times before, but had never stepped foot near it...

She gasped.

“The climb!” he said.

All of her climb training with Miley had been spent staring at the gigantic mountain she was supposed to conquer.

And now, here she was, without her mentor, up close and personal.

“I know where this is. Mt. Climb,” Maria said.

Logan, Conrad, and Dante gasped.

“And by the looks of it,” Maria continued, “we're on the opposite side to Trenton.”

“That's it then,” Dante said. “No way any of us are going to ever make it over this mountain. Trenton's doomed.”

He sat down on a boulder, defeated. Logan and Conrad sighed angrily with despair, also giving up.

“No,” Maria said, like she had suddenly realized something. The 3 looked up at her.

“No,” she repeated. “I know exactly how we're going to make it over. Follow me.”