7 A Peculiar Dinner

I thought taking a long bath would ease my mind and relax my body, but I've been lying restless on this large bed for some time now. I turn towards the side, seeing the late afternoon sunlight passing through the windowsill.

The sun must be going down soon.

I sigh, giving up pushing the covers off me as I sit up. I scan this wide room from left to right until my eyes fell on one of the vanity drawers. From a distance, an engraving has caught my attention. Since young, I've always had good eyesight.

For the most part, I can notice such mundane details; the little shapes of the cobwebs in the corner of my ceiling, slight carvings on wooden walls, and even the little cracks on the plates I was never able to use.

I steadily slip off the bed, my feet search for my pair of slippers. As soon as I find it, I slip my feet inside, feeling the soft material's comfort covering half of my feet. I've owned only one pair of shoes, one that I found in the trash beside our neighbor's house. It's been worn before, but it was still in good condition, so I took it home with me. But right now, I eye the worn out, ripped-in-many-places pair of leather slip-on shoes.

My attention turns back towards the vanity that lay just in front of the bed, and I walk to it. I move the chair that's tucked underneath the vanity for me to sit. I come facing my reflection on an oval-shaped antique mirror with fascinating swirls on its frame.

I stay still, taking in my appearance. I see a skinny physique that shows from my sharp cheekbones and jaw. My forest-green upturned eyes shed many tears, and lips pale pink that quivered most of the time. I look very much like my mother indeed but what differs is the beauty mark below my right eye, my pale skin that almost looks unhealthy, and my raven black wavy hair. I must have gotten these from my father, but I never knew him.

It's been quite a while since I have last taken a good look at myself in the mirror. The many house chores I had to complete and the constant slaps I received has made me disregard my looks. I often told myself that my appearance never mattered anymore.

My fingers run through the wooden vanity collecting a few layers of dust that I wipe away using a cloth on the side. I bend slightly to the right, where a small drawer with an engraving is. My eyes widen as I read the name engraved, 'Rosetta.'

"This room," I breathe almost in a gasp, looking around admiring every furniture and decorations it has, "belonged to my mother."

I pull on the handle of the drawer to open, but it refused to open. Then I realized that there was a tiny keyhole located in the center. I open the three other unlocked and available drawers to find them all empty. The second drawer is locked, which means something might be in there.

For the past half an hour, I have been scavenging the entire room looking for a key that would fit into the drawer's keyhole. But I have had no luck. This place is wide, making it easy to find misplaced items. But most of the storage is empty and wiped clean.

Maybe mother doesn't want anyone to open that drawer; I should leave it be.

I wonder how it is going back home. I gasped, realizing that the Duval family was going to visit this morning. I look outside the window and see the sun going down. I cover my mouth, my hand letting out a small unbelievable laugh.

What must be my grandmother and aunties' reaction? Breaking open my bedroom door, only to find my room empty? I couldn't help but let out another laugh. I must be going completely bonkers.

On the corner of my eyes, I spot a full-length, beautiful mirror luring me towards it. I watch the reflection of a girl wearing a lovely white dress, approaching with a glowing purple gemstone necklace hanging from her neck. I bring my hand to my necklace, grasping it and the memory of that night came back.

To see if this necklace had brought me here in the first place and the possibility of it bringing me back. Should I give it a try?

I take in a deep, deep breath. Mentally asking myself why I haven't done this earlier. It must have slipped my mind.

I clench the pendant replaying the words of that night with my eyes tightly shut, "I wish to be somewhere else." Silence. I peek open one of my eyes to see nothing happening.

"Necklace, you shall bring me back," I say again, but nothing. I'm still standing in front of a full-length mirror in the place called center realm full of mythical creatures.

"What?" I asked myself softly as if someone would answer. Does this mean that the necklace took no part in bringing me here? Why wasn't it working?

But I remember it crystal clear in my head that night, the necklace glowed so bright, beating the illuminating light of the full moon and almost blinding me completely.

Something must be wrong. Could this mean I can't go back?

I jump at the sound of knocking that came from the door, breaking me out of my thoughts. I gaze behind me at the mirror towards the window and see that it was already dark outside. Since when did it become so dark? I remember seeing the sunset not too long ago.

Another knock came from the door, and this time I hear Faye's voice, "Miss Rose Ann, are you in there? May I come in?"

I tuck the pendant of the necklace inside my dress, grateful that it wasn't glowing anymore else it would be obvious through this white, soft fabric. Making my way towards the door, I straighten my dress, wiping away the creases "yes, come in."

Shortly after my answer, the door opens slightly, Faye's head popping inside, coming face to face with me.

She opens the door fully for me to go out.

"I hope that it's not too early for dinner. We usually have dinner as soon as the sun sets."

"No, you're just in time. I'm starving."

Faye's eyebrows furrow "have you been hungry all this time? I apologize. I have forgotten to tell you about this bell," she points to the bell that hangs on the wall beside my door "ring this if you require any assistance."

"No, no. I wasn't that hungry before, but I'm excited about dinner," I say, smiling kindly at her, confused as to why I was starting to sweat.

She returns me an even kinder smile and nods. She turns on her heel and starts to walk towards the direction we came from this afternoon. I follow silently behind her, bowing my head as I walk. The memory of me crashing to her back comes back to me, making me snap my head right up. I absolutely do not want a repeat of that embarrassment.

I look at Faye as she walks, and I can't help but smile. The atmosphere between us is different. She seems to be warming up to me, which made me glad.

We went past the long hallway and down the staircase, maneuvering to the opposite side of the sitting room. As soon as Faye pushed open the double doors, I was awestruck. Three big shining chandeliers hanged from the ceiling, making the dining hall shine with great brilliance. There are pillars on every wall with a distinct design.

In the middle is the longest wooden dining table with a marble top paired with ten wooden chairs with an elegantly designed cushion. The dining hall has taken my breath away.

"Rose Ann?" I hear Faye's voice breaking me from my amazement. I see her pulling a chair for me to sit on. My cheeks redden as I approach her, thanking her as I take a seat.

The double doors on the opposite side of the dining hall open, causing a loud sudden bang from the doors coming in harsh contact with the fall. I hear Faye hiss through her gritted teeth.

My amazement sparked further when I see four flying creatures about the shape of a ball, wearing chef hats, each carrying a silver platter.

"Are they pixies?" I turn to Faye, who sat beside me, and she nods, "they're bigger than I thought they'd be," whispering to myself. Right behind the pixies followed three short and plump creatures, the last one pushing a tray.

"Trolls?" I ask, unnoticing that I said it too loudly. Again, I thought they were smaller, but the trolls are taller than the dining table.

The six of them place each dish in the middle, far enough for us to reach. Together they open the silver lid, my stomach grumbles at the sight of it. The creatures don't say a word nor look at us; they have merely done what they had to do and went straight back to the kitchen, shutting the door behind them with another loud bang.

I hear Faye muttering something underneath her breath, from what I can fathom, "those insolent beings."

"Wow, the food looks wonderful! I'm sure they taste just as great," I eye every dish that lay before us. They look like the normal dishes our cook would make back home.

"Please," Faye holds her hand, facing up urging me to dig in, "enjoy the food."

"Thank you," I say and did as she said. The first bite felt like heaven in my mouth. I never realized that I was, indeed, starving.

I must be eating like someone's after me when Faye slides a glass of water near my plate. I calmed down, taking the glass and thanking her.

Once I put the glass down, I popped the question, "Blossom won't be joining us?"

"She wishes she could, but there are important matters she had to take care of in the town of tinkers. She'll be back in the morning."

"Blossom… What is she around here," I fumble with the cloth on my leg, "is she the queen?"

Faye stops sipping on her soup and looks at me, our eyes meeting, "no, she just takes care of this kingdom."

I nod and was about to go back to eating when she speaks again, "only true royal blood can take the throne, like your moth-"

Both our head snaps towards the door that was forcefully pushed open. In came two elves in human form, just like Faye, but both are wearing armor.

One of them is a woman with curled white hair as beautiful as Faye. The other a male, his blonde hair messily pushed back. But his eyes, icy blue that would send shivers down your spine, staring right at my forest-green pupils.

The male elf moves in front of the female elf, covering her facing Faye and me. He bows for a few seconds, then he opens his mouth, his voice low and rather tense.

"Sorry to interrupt your dinner, ladies, but there's been an attempted attack on the right wall of the castle; it's the creatures from Beorene."