4 Chapter 4: The Next City

After Matt was pulled into the closet, Grayson and I looked at each other. Both of our eyes were wide open, and like time had stopped. I wouldn’t doubt if time actually did stop. That was until we remembered Matt was gone.

“We might as well follow him. We always stick together, right?” Grayson asked me as he took my hand.

“Always, man.” I replied as he pulled me through the closet. When we got to the other side Matt was standing there talking to a guy in a tuxedo. I saw a big sign seemingly floating in the sky that read “Welcome to New York City”. We were surrounded by buildings touching the sky and covered in windows. I’ve never seen so many lights in one place. People were walking all around us, talking, riding bikes, and speeding through the roads. Yellow cars people were screaming at, commercials for perfume with beach scenes and sophisticated outfits, and a sky that looked like it would stay a sunset forever. Once Matt noticed Grayson and I looking around, he ushered us over.

“I’m glad you guys followed me. I’m not sure if I would be able to find a way back if the door closed. I could use your help too. This is Sir Jack, he gave me a clue for this level.” Matt said as we were still adjusting to being in a completely foreign place.

“Of course dude, we couldn’t just let you go alone. Now, what’s the clue, Sir Jack?” I said to Matt and then the man in a tuxedo.

“Welcome to New York City. Follow the trail of lights to the place of deepest darkness. Good luck!” said Sir Jack as he waved to us and stepped to the side. We went on our way down the sidewalk as we tried to figure out what the clue meant.

“There’s so many lights out here. How do we know if they make a trail or not?” Grayson asked as we all looked up at the lights and billboards all around us.

“Maybe we just have to keep walking until they start to fade out. Maybe a place that has less people, or it could be a power surge.” said Matt as he walked in front of us.

“Have you guys ever heard of New York before?” I asked the guys.

“My mom mentioned it once, I think. Something about being really noisy all the time. She has an Aunt here that she used to talk about.” Matt answered.

As we were walking, I noticed a little girl in front of us with light-up princess fairy shoes. Every time she walked they set off bright pink and purple lights. I looked over at Grayson and said, “Dude, what if her shoes are the trail? It might sound creepy, but we should follow her.”

“Right on man, they do leave a sort of trail.” Grayson replied as he put a hand on Matt’s shoulder.

“What’s up, guys?” Matt asked, confused as to why Grayson grabbed him.

“We think the trail of lights is that girl’s shoes. So we’re gonna see where she’s going.” I told him. He nodded and we kept following the princess lights.

Suddenly the girl turned and opened a door to what looked like a therapist’s office. We followed her in and when we walked inside, she was gone. We were now in an office waiting room. There were rows of chairs that hurt your back after sitting too long, plain white walls with an abstract painting or two, two TVs playing home makeover shows, and a receptionist at the front desk.

We walked up to the receptionist and I asked, “Excuse me, what is everyone waiting for here?”

She looked at me kindly and said, “They are waiting to share their deepest and darkest secrets with the therapist of course. You three will go in one at a time. First Grayson, then Matt, and then Ben. Okay? Please have a seat until your name is called.”

All we could do was nod and follow along. We picked seats to sit in and every time we looked at each other, we would nod and shrug our shoulders. All we could do was listen and follow the chain of events.

After waiting for a few minutes, Grayson’s name was called. He reluctantly stood up and went into the other room. A few minutes after that, Matt’s name was called and he waved to me as he went into the other room. Then when my name was called I eagerly stood up and walked over, curious to find out what happens in this room. I walked in and it was a small and very gray room with a bench on one side, a single chair on the other, and one doorway on the far wall.

“Please set down on the bench, Mr. Drewer.” she said to me kindly.

“How do you know my full name?” I asked as she closed the door and sat down opposite me.

“I’m someone who knows a lot of things. Now tell me this, what is your deepest and darkest secret? I won’t tell anyone and you’ll be able to walk right through that door where your friends are waiting for you.” She asked me as she wheeled her chair closer to me.

“Okay. Here goes nothing. I honestly have no idea what we are doing or why we even left San Francisco in the first place. I’m really fucking scared all the time and so confused. Are we supposed to have any idea what’s going on??” I spewed out in two seconds, out of breath. I looked at the door and back at the woman as she was writing furiously on her clipboard.

"Anything else?" She asked once she stopped writing.

"That's what I got lady. Can I go?" I asked as I stared back at the door. I hope the guys are waiting for me.