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From Chapter Six: The Book of Lights

' Oh', Tom said faintly. 'But where are we?' It was like swimming in black ink, except that wherever their torchlight went, hundreds of tiny dots of light swirled and swayed.

'We're in the flooded basement of Aquiliton, seabed level. This is where they put all the glow-worms to recharge their lights. They're used in the water lamps through the hallways; you've seen those soft little lights? They glow for a couple of months, before they have to be put in the dark to recharge.'

'How do you know all this?'

'Will told me. He had a detention changing all the glow-worms on our floor. I knew you wouldn't know the way out. That's why I followed you.'

'I'd have died down here,' shuddered Tom.

'Sooner or later someone would have come to exchange the glow-worms, but you would have spent an uncomfortable time up till then,' Waverly said matter-of-factly. 'I'm not sure what else lives down here in the dark, so maybe we'd better get going.'

'The sooner the better,' agreed Tom fervently. 'Look, let's link arms, and hold your torch in your far hand. That way, our lights will seem like the giant eyes of a huge creature in this darkness, and we also won't lose each other. Which way do we go?'

'I think it'd be best if we head straight out from the waste chute, which I can hear behind us. I saw a floor plan of Aquiliton on the back wall at History class, and I remember there's an opening on the far wall. The hard part will be not to go in circles.'

'I've got my save belt on. It's got a compass.'

'Second inside pocket left,' said Waverly helpfully.

'I knew that. Right, got it. Ready?'

They set out in a rhythmic steady pace, with their arms linked. It was strange swimming through such total blackness. They could see only where the beams of their torches cut through the inky water. Creatures loomed up out of the darkness, strange sometimes luminous creatures with huge eyes. Tom would catch a glimpse of their glowing bodies, and then they would turn abruptly, and disappear out of the torchlight. Once, they both sensed something large just above them, and when they tried to look, could only see a huge black mass. It passed silently overhead, and was gone.

'What was that?' Tom said in alarm.

'I don't know and I don't want to know,' Waverly stated firmly. Once she veered sharply, pulling Tom with her. He saw a grotesque grey eel with sharp, pointy teeth slither past.

'Maybe we should speed up,' urged Tom. 'We could go faster.'

'No don't!' Waverly said sharply. 'It's not wise to act like we're panicking, or anxious. There are probably things down here that would pick up those vibrations, and come to investigate. Just keep going as we are. Just slide through the water with as little movement as possible.'