When I woke up, I sat up to see that I was on a soft bed in a decorative room. The bed was about a king-size and the covers were velvet red and gold lining, matching the rest of the room's decor. "Where am I? Am I dreaming?" I whispered in a dry voice. "Water…"
The giant wooden door, on the far right side of the room, opened to reveal a girl with a maid-like outfit behind it. She entered with a broom and started to sweep, without noticing I was awake. I blinked when I saw that she had the same eyes as Anna from the other day, a crystal purple.
I almost gasped when she looked over my way. A smile came onto her beautiful face. "Oh my. I see you're awake. I'll inform Lady Annabella."
"Lady…" I grabbed my throat at the pain in my dirty throat. I looked to see the maid pouring a glass of water for me and handing me the glass. "Th-Thank you…" I took a drink and the maid left, leaving me alone and very confused.
Looking around the unknown yet beautiful room, I noticed a curtain covering up what seemed to be a doorway by the looks of its size. Wanting to know where I was, when I got here, and where my best friend was, I wanted to uncover the outside world.
Wanting to get on my feet, I pulled the thick covers off of me and noticed that I was wearing different clothes. It was a silk white nightgown with red ribbons. Stockings were under the dress and kept my feet warm.
I blinked when I saw the bandages on my ankle through the stocking fabric. That's when I knew that the events I remember weren't from a dream at all.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, only to be greeted by some pain from my bandaged ankle. After I put some weight on it, seeing if I could walk, I walked over to the curtains. When I reached over to open them, a voice from behind stopped me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
I whirled around to see a teenage boy standing in the middle of my room. He looked around my age, but older and he was incredibly gorgeous. His hair was almost the same color as Anna's but a bit lighter. His eyes melted my heart as they glowed a pure, crystal green. The vest that was on top of the light cream-colored shirt was dark green and his shoes matched his black pants.
"Wh-Who are you? How did you get in here? I didn't even hear the door open or close." I asked, ignoring his beauty for a moment.
"My name is Jason and I'm here to escort you around the kingdom." He stated with no kindness in his voice at all. "Hurry up and get dressed so that we can depart."
"Where's Anna?" I asked, wanting more answers. I needed to know where she was. After all, I have so many questions for her.
"She has other things to worry about than to care for you all day and night." He responded, cold as ever as he pointed at the gold-painted dresser next to me. "Inside, there are some clothes you can use. Pick one you will like and wear it. You were bathed when you arrived last night, so you only need to change."
With that said, Jason left the room so that I could change.
"I arrived last night? Well, at least I know how long I've been here." I said as I turned to the dresser thinking about my parents. Wondering if they were worried or at least knew where I was.
"Heck, I don't even know where I'm at," I muttered out loud. "I want to go home. Where am I? I need to talk to Anna."
Before opening the dresser, I looked back at the curtains I wanted to open and let out a sigh. Why I couldn't open the curtains was still a mystery to me, but if I didn't hurry and get dressed, that Jason guy would definitely get mad.
I finally opened the dresser and blinked at the beautiful clothing that was inside. Wondering what these people wore, I looked at all the dresses that looked a bit medieval and vintage. They seemed so expensive and not modern that I couldn't decide what to wear.
Finally, I found a normal-looking dress that suited my interest. The top part was black with a blood-red collar with a matching red skirt attached to the bottom of the top. I left the stockings on and put on a pair of black ankle boots, with a small heel, over my covered socks.
"Are you almost ready?" Jason yelled from the other side of the door. "We have to be on our way!"
"I just need to fix my hair!" I yelled back, annoyed that he was so impatient. I went and sat in the chair that was in front of the desk, a mirror on the hall on top. I grabbed the brush that was on top of the desk and began to brush my thick hair into a ponytail.
"You can't fix your hair like that." Jason's voice could be heard right behind me and I turned to see him standing right behind me.
I jumped to my feet and stared at him. "How do you keep doing that?" I asked, now scared as heck.
"I have no idea what you mean." He responded and before I could argue, he grabbed the brush from me. "Now, time to prepare you for our departure."
"What?" I asked, not getting it.
"I'm doing your hair."
I almost hit my face with my hand when I realized that. "Okay, okay." I sighed as I felt his hands run through my hair.
I took a deep breath to keep myself from yelling at the guy. When I did, however, I smelt his cologne. It had a warm white cedar scent mixed with green verbena and citrusy bergamot. It reminded me of something from my garden at home.
"Done." Jason's voice snapped me out of it and I was amazed at how well he fixed my hair. He braided my hair to one side with a red ribbon weaved into it. A red rose clip pulled a quarter of my hair back and made me look like a different person.
"Amazing…" I whispered as I stared at my reflection.
Jason's reflection appeared behind mine. "You look decent for a human."
I frowned at him as he walked towards the door. "Aren't you human, too…?" I started to ask, then I saw something green behind his ear. "What's that?"
"What are you talking about now?" He groaned.
"That green mark behind your ear. What is that?" I asked again as I got up, closing the large gap in between us.
"Oh, this?" He asked as he showed me that it looked like a small green symbol tattoo. "It's my birthmark. It shows what country I'm from. Everyone here has one. I'm guessing you don't?"
I turned my head to show him my invisible birthmark. "Nope, humans don't."
He looked behind my ear, interested. After a few uncomfortable seconds which seemed like hours, he looked away, knowing this information. "Come. We must be on our way. We have wasted enough time." His harsh tone in his voice was back as he went to the door and opened it so I could get through.
As Jason showed me around, I realized that I was in an actual castle! The room I woke up in was mine that was prepared just for me while I stayed here. No words could describe the beauty of this place, more like the words wished they could. Everywhere I looked, I was dazzled with beauty.
Jason showed me every room and introduced me to the staff as we saw them. Everyone treated me kindly, unlike Jason who would abandon me and left me lost until he felt it was okay to show himself. However, he did show me where the library was, which I deeply thanked for that. If I knew the library I would find some information about this place and it would give me an idea of what to do whenever I was bored.
When we arrived at the kitchen, the staff wanted to give me a big feast. I told them I would accept a small meal. For some reason, they thought that I ate nothing but burnt meat and soggy leaves, which made me think of cookouts and salads with a lot of dressing. After some explaining on what I could eat, they finally gave me two muffins and a glass of milk. I seriously have no idea what kind of berry they put in the muffins, but they tasted amazing!
Once I was done eating, Jason decided to take me outside. When I asked him why he was, he only sighed. "Do you wish to stay locked in the castle without any way to go outside and wander during your free time? We have a small pond in the gardens with few fishes, a stable for the horses, and a field for picnics."
I blinked at his answer as we walked through the exit door. I started to wonder if this boy was actually caring about my wellbeing or if he was just doing his job, even though he's doing it with a poor attitude. However, all these thoughts left my mind when I saw the gardens.
Different varieties of colors and shapes blended together around the stone paths, making the area feel like a dream. This place reminded me of something that could have come from a fairytale picture book. The wind blew at the patches of new flowers and they swayed as if they were waves from a sea.
I ran to them, wanting to know what kind of flower they were. I saw a beautiful red flower that looked similar to a red poppy. I looked at them, loving how they looked. I felt refreshed and happy as the wind blew in my face. As if the wind was controlling my body, I slowly got up and spread my arms out, letting the wind surround me as if it was hugging my body.
"Aren't you happy?" Jason's voice commented, snapping me back into reality.
I stood up straight, feeling the heat coming to my cheeks. "Sorry. I got carried away."
"Why did you react like that? What's out there that excites you?" He asked as he looked around the garden, trying to find what got me excited.
"It's beautiful, okay?" I glared at him then turned away, not wanting him to see my red face. "As a member and soon-to-be future president of the gardening club, I am grateful to see such a beautiful garden. These flowers were well taken care of and I'm admiring them, so please restrain you from insulting me."
"My apologies, but I am not insulting you in any way." His words surprised me and made me look his way. His green eyes burned into my brown ones with an unreadable expression.
"Then what are you doing?" I asked, confused about his true intentions.
"I'm only observing you. You interest me. No, that's not correct. Humans interest me." He stated. "It's not every day when you meet a full-fledged human. Lady Annabella is only half, so she doesn't make anything interesting. To be honest, she acts more like a warrior than a princess." He chuckled as he remembered my best friend.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw his smile and heard his laugh. At the same time, I felt pain with it. He was laughing because we were talking about Anna.
"Oh, I agree with Anna not being more feminine." I laughed. It seemed like the pain grew the more I laughed, so I stopped. "So why are you so interested in humans?" I asked, wondering why I was feeling a bit hurt.
"They're different." Jason shrugged. "Come. I'm supposed to take you into town so that you can select something you wish for." He walked away, making me feel a bit confused.
Then I realized what he had said.
"Wait? Town? Why?" I continued to question him as I caught up with him.
"It was an order from Lady Annabella." He told me, not looking at me at all.
"Is Anna making you do this?" I felt a bit guilty. "If Anna's making you do this against your will, then I cannot accept this treatment. Even if it's not a very nice treatment." I whispered the last part, but I think he still heard me.
"No." He replied with a cold tone that made me flinch. "It was my wish to escort you. Lady Annabella granted that wish and gave me the orders on where to take you."
"Th-That explains the gardens and library…" I muttered, a bit afraid of his tone. "Why did you want to show me around?"
I jumped when Jason finally looked at me, but he had a glare. I stopped walking and so did he. He faced me and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Why must you ask so many questions? It's annoying and not needed at this moment." He told me.
Still a bit nervous, I got my nerve and glared back at him. "W-Well, I don't know anything about this world! Of course, I want to know more about it and what to expect! Just like you want to know more about humans!"
I stepped back when he blinked. My confidence vanished when he turned around. I knew I made a mistake when he stayed quiet for a while. After I had enough of his silent treatment, I sighed, wanting to apologize for my outburst. When I opened my mouth to do so, his voice beat me to it.
"My apologies." He finally spoke. "I want to study how a human will react to this world, so I shouldn't complain about your curiosity."
"I-It's fine…" I stuttered. "I'm sorry for yelling at you as well. I shouldn't ask so many questions."
Jason turned around and sighed. "No need for apologies from you, Lady Christa. My rudeness is keeping you from learning about this world. Please continue with your questions and wonders. I will try my best to answer them."
I blushed at his words. "D-Did you… Did you just call me 'L-Lady Christa'?"
He looked at me with confusion. "Is that a problem, Lady Christa? I have been calling you that for a while now and you haven't complained."
"When?" I asked, trying to remember when he called me that.
"When I introduced you to the workers here." He stated. "Everyone here knows you by Christa Fuller. The appropriate title for you is 'Lady', unless you're not a lady. Are you?"
"I am!" My blush was replaced with anger as I watched him smirk. "Aren't you taking me to town?"
"Of course, Lady Christa." Jason nodded as he led me along a path that went around the castle.
As we walked, he kept asking me if he was supposed to call me 'Lady' or 'Sir', which made me yell at him. He was apparently enjoying my facial expression as he joked with me. I didn't even notice how far we walked while we argued.
I walked ahead of him and started to walk backward, speaking. "Aren't you being a bit disrespectful to me?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Am I?" He laughed. "My apolog-!"
I blinked when his smiling face turned serious as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms. My face slammed into his chest and he held me close. I had my ear next to his heart and heard his calm heartbeat, the exact opposite of mine.
"That was close," Jason spoke, snapping me out of his heartbeat's trance. I looked to see the stairs that descended down to a road. "One more step and you would have fallen."
I slowly nodded my head as I stepped out of his arms. "You could have told me." I sighed as I looked at him, still a bit panicked.
Jason nodded. "Maybe, but it didn't occur to me to tell you about your danger. My apologies." He pointed at the road. "The coach has arrived."
I turned around to see a coach like the ones from the movies. It was a white or gray color and had purple patterns all over it. The horse was white, matching the coach and the man that held the door open had the same purple eyes that Anna had on.
"Lady Christa," Jason called me as he passed me. "Be sure to keep your distance from the shadows."
"Huh?" I blinked as he walked towards the coach. I looked at my feet just in time to see the shadow of the tree on the next step change from a dark gray to a lighter shade. "What the…?" I asked, a familiar fear rushing to my senses.
"Hurry or I will leave you behind!" Jason called for me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"R-Right!" I stuttered as I climbed down the stairs, avoiding the shadows. I hopped in and the coachman closed the door behind me. Remembering the strange shadow and how I felt when I saw it, it was the same fear that I had when I was attacked at home.