Ch2 A new path

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I started to descend the steps as my curiosity spiked. I took about five steps down before a big bang was heard as the floor above me closed. I shrieked a little and sat down in the pitch black. I searched for my phone in my jeans pocket but remembered leaving it on the desk.

I cursed myself as I was ready to pull at my own hair, but the darkness subsided and light flooded the cave-like underground.

I slowly stood, holding on to the wooden railings. I looked around to find the source of the light, but there were none—no bulbs on the ceiling or walls, no openings overhead. It was strange, to say the least, but I shrugged it off. At least there was light.

I went down thirteen steps, and each step echoed. I found myself turning right to descend another five steps. Once down on the sandy cave-like floor, I saw a path in front with nothing but wall on either side. With a deep breath, I realized it was time to decide: go forward or back? I had already made my decision, but a part of me wanted to change my mind.

I moved forward slowly, looking around at the walls and the ceiling. I was in a cave, it seemed, and I dreaded bats.

But with so much light, I knew bats wouldn't harm me. Still, I feared.

I walked for about ten minutes when I came to a dead end. There had only been one path, a straight path. There had been no corners, no other openings. My shoulders sagged. All that walking, all that fear, all that wasted time, and for what? This? This couldn't be it; it just couldn't be. I sat down, crying, back against the wall.

What could I do now? I had to go back. I just needed to forget, if only for a moment, that I was all alone in this world—no mother, no father, just a lonely girl in a lonely world. I never made friends, not real friends. I just never fit in.

It wasn't like I hated people, no; I just never got along with anyone. I never fought with anyone. I was never bullied. I just kept to myself, I guess.

I stood once more to look at the wall. I touched it. It was cold to the touch, but I noticed something. I moved my head closer and looked closely at the wall in front of me. There were markings, very faint markings, but markings all the same. I couldn't make out what these markings meant, but they seemed to say something. I just didn’t know what.

The wall was rough, and I cut my index finger.

"Ssss." I sucked my finger. There was now blood on the wall. I felt like apologizing to the wall, but I laughed at myself for being ridiculous.

I turned to walk back home, but I heard a grinding sound, like stone rubbing against stone.

I turned to look at the wall once more and saw that it was opening. Light shone from the opening, and once again, my curiosity spiked. I started to walk towards it, and without a doubt in my mind, walked through it. It took my breath away—

It was beautiful, a whole new world, a new sky, a new place. It didn’t seem modern. It seemed I had stepped back in time, but it was amazing nonetheless. Until...

"HALT IN THE NAME OF THE GODS!"

I put my hands up in surrender and slowly turned.

Four men, holding what could only be explained as spears—they were too long to be arrows but too small to be actual spears, although they seemed to be just as sharp.

One of the men, the one with long curly brown hair, nodded with his head at me, showing me to walk that way. He was signaling towards my right. I did as he said.

We walked with me in front and the four men following me, pushing me every time we needed to turn. Now, I know what you're thinking: why didn’t one of them walk in front to show the way instead of having me in front and hurting me? I was too scared to ask.

We soon came to a big mansion-like building. The doors were wooden with big lion-shaped knockers. There were three stone steps leading up to the building, and one of the men poked me, signaling me to climb.

I rolled my eyes and ascended.

The doors opened as I reached the third and final step. Without stopping, I stepped inside. There were red, black, and white mosaic-type patterns on the whole floor, and in the middle of this room was a big statue of a centaur holding a severed head in his left hand and a sword in his right. The centaur had a single horn on his forehead, like a unicorn. I admired it as we walked past it to a set of stairs.

We walked up the stairs and came to a room with a black wooden door. This time, one of the men with short black hair stepped forward and opened the door. All five of us stepped inside. The room was gloomy. The walls were lined with portraits of men in dark-colored clothes, some wearing suits with red shirts or wearing cloaks that were red underneath and black on the outside.

"Wait here," one man said as they left, shutting the door behind them.

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