17 Fortune

Felix left that day without a word and today is a new day for me I guess, cause I finally got to get out of my stuffy apartment. Since Felix wouldn't tell me what was going on... I figured I would do a little investigating myself.

"I mean, hey I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I died but wasn't dead or the fact that my body was resting and my soul was not in my body... where it should be... but wasn't."

So I ended up roaming the city. I practically walked everywhere... not that I knew where I was going. There were tons of shops and stores but there was only one store that I wanted to find... The little antique shop Eva had spoke about. She got the necklace there and if anything I think that, that store might give me more clues as to what exactly is going on... or at least what exactly is happening to me.

I walked around so much that I eventually started to walk in circles. But out of all the shops I had seen from walking in circles there was only one that I hadn't seen before.

I was walking in circles, all the shops should have remained the same but somehow only one managed to look like it had just appeared out of nowhere. I made my way up three steps and in front of me stood an old oak door with ice blue and violet stained glass windows.

The handle of the door was sliver and in the shape of a wild rose, it looked so fairytale like that I rubbed my eyes a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Just as I was about to touch the handle, the door then suddenly creaked open. So I did what any curious person would do... I walked into the shop without a moment's hesitation.

I didn't even bother to look back as I entered and all I heard was the door shutting automatically behind me with a creaking sound before it slammed shut. Creepy?.. I think so.

I turned around to make sure that what I heard was correct and by the looks of things... it was because as I looked towards the door I saw that it was closed. Looking around me I saw that the corridor I stood in was completely dark and I couldn't see where I was going.

*Thud* I bumped into something that felt soft and silky but there seemed to be a wall behind it because I ended up jumping up and down on one leg.

"Ouch!.." I exclaimed in pain as I griped onto my sore toe. "Ouch... ouch.. ouch!.. That hurt."

It appears that I hit my toe into a wall. Feeling my way around the curtains I saw the flicker of a dim light that seemed like that of a candle.

*Click*Click* I heard what sounded like footsteps heading towards my direction. Someone must've heard me?.. I think?

"Alice?!.." I heard someone call.

"Alice?.." I heard again as my name echoed down the hallway.

"How did this person know my name?!.."

I tried to make out where the voice was coming from but it was impossible since I couldn't see. The voice, however, sounded like the voice of a woman which slowly began to fade away.

Walking further down the dark hallway, I felt my way around the wall and moved closer towards the flicker of light. I couldn't see where I was going and the wall served as my only guide throughout the complete darkness.

After what felt like ages of being stuck in the pitch black of night during daylight hours I managed to walk to where the flicker of light seemed to be coming from. It seemed as though the light was dancing off the walls and the darkness began to fade away as the hallway I stood in began to light up.

The hallway began to brighten as I walked towards the flicker. Looking around me in amazement I saw that there was a candle on either side of the walls but what amazed me was that as I walked further down the hallway, each candle that rested on the wall began to light up, one by one.

*Poof*Poof* Each candle lit up as I past them in the dark hallway. The hallway was now no longer dark and I took the opportunity to look around for that brief moment.

I looked at the walls on either side of the hallway and I was completely astonished by all the beautiful paintings that came into view.

Is this the antique shop?.. I thought. It looks so fancy.

Gold patterned frames held each beautiful piece of artwork in place but there was one painting that caught my eye... It was a painting of a forest with green light emerging from its centre, like flames?..

The painting looked so real, almost as though I could walk in it. But for some reason that painting looked somewhat familiar?.. Had I seen it before?..

Looking at the painting I observed every detail and soon an ocean of memories came flooding back to me, realisation then took its course.

Dark forest?..

Green flames?..

Marsh?..

Odd looking trees?..

At night?..

"That forest!.." I exclaimed to myself with widened eyes.

That was the exact same forest Felix and I had appeared in after we somehow teleported from that janitor's closet.

"So it looks like I found one clue as to what was going on but it still didn't answer any of my questions."

This place however, definitely had to have more clues. I mean, if I found one clue so far and I just got here... there are bound to be a few more, right?!..

*Tap*Tap* I heard footsteps again.

The footsteps seemed to be heading towards me.

Should I just stand here and wait for whatever it is to appear or should I Hide?!.. I thought to myself. So I made the only logical decision I could think of... I hid in the first room that came into view. I know what you thinking... Coward, right?..

"But hey, I don't know who it is... it could be a killer for all I know."

Running into the room, I stopped as I gasped for air before I took in my surroundings. Then it suddenly dawned on me that the room I stood in was the same room that the flicker of light had originally came from. It was the room I was trying to get to all this time.

Velvet red curtains covered the walls and in the centre of the room there was a round table with chairs placed around it. It reminded me of King Arthur's round table in a way but it had a blueish purple cloth covering it. It looked so mystical but the table's centre piece was what I could not take my eyes off... it was what appeared to be a "crystal ball?.." and it seemed to be the source of the flicker of light that danced on the wall.

The room was illuminated with a dim purple light that seemed rather hazy and the crystal ball was all clouded and foggy inside, with some sort of purplish blue mist that clouded the glass.

I was beyond curious to see it up close so I inched closer towards the mysterious crystal ball that stood at the centre of the table. As I made my way towards the ball I heard a door shut and just as I turned around... there in front of me stood a woman.

Her eyes a frosty grey colour?.. Seems somewhat familiar, doesn't it?..

I looked into her eyes as I thought about where I had seen them before. I knew those eyes from somewhere but the question was... where exactly?.. Suddenly it hit me like psycho at a mental institution... that was the same lady I served at the diner. It must be her, I thought.

"And the clues just keep coming..."

Another clue? You think?.. Maybe she will be able to tell me something?..

To be continued...