I was lifted to my feet, with the help of the beautiful lady that stood in front of me. Now we were standing together, she wasn't as tall as I'd imagined her to be while I sat on the floor. We were roughly the same height, but she was an inch or two taller.
Her skin, smooth and unblemished, with a subtle, natural glow that seemed to emanate from within, was soft against mine, yet it felt uncomfortable holding her hand. I blinked away from her intense gaze and finally looked around.
My brows folded in disbelief when I discovered we were in a completely different place from the dark, gloomy building.
We were standing in a place that looked like a dimly lit cave, adorned with flowers of every hue, their petals shimmering as if kissed by starlight. There was a huge hole at the center of the cave, above the beautiful fountain at the floor of the center of the cave.
The moonlight was the only source of light in this place, and it shone with all its might on the fountain, making the water that flowed from it glister.
Still trying to process the sudden change in the environment, I turned to the entrance that was once behind me, and I felt my heart sink in fear when I discovered there wasn't any entrance anymore.
There was something skeptical about this woman from the start, but I only consoled myself with the thought that Alexander was nearby, and he would protect me if any harm was to come my way. Now that we were in a completely different place without Alexander, if anything we're to happen... These thoughts bothered me, and a surge of panic washed over me.
"Where are we?" I asked, still staring at the entrance that was now covered.
"There's no need to panic, Penelope," she reassured calmly, "We're here to get the answers you seek."
I looked at her calm face. "And where is 'here,' exactly?"
Her sharp green eyes locked onto mine with a depth that seemed to peer into my soul. "I need to remind you again that I'm not the enemy, Penelope," she looked at my beating heart and I suddenly became conscious of my barely covered body.
When I looked down at myself, I gaped in surprise. I was now putting on a new gown, completely different from the one that was destroyed from shifting. How was this possible?
"You're afraid," she continued, still holding my hand. "How do I make you trust that I'm on your side and would not do anything to hurt you?"
Her words made me guilty. All I've done since I met her was doubt her. But how am I supposed to trust her when she have been doing strange things since we met?
"It's hard to not be with everything that has been happening since we met," I said sincerely, "Won't it be weird if I'm not surprised by everything?"
Her lips curved downwardly. "I see what you mean, Penelope," she said politely, "I'm sorry for startling you. Reversing time is beyond my ability, but If I could, I would, just so you don't feel uncomfortable," she humored and I found myself smiling at her soft words, startling me.
The moonlight that shone brightly in the room flickered, and she suddenly became tensed. "We don't have much time, Penelope. I need you to come with me. I have to show you something." There was urgency in her tone.
I followed her without asking any questions. She was still holding my hand as she led me between the flowers to the fountain. "This place exists between the realms, Penelope, accessible only to those who are meant to find it."
Between the realms?
"There's a gap between life and death, a place where the boundary blurs. Some beings who have been here call it 'eternity,' while others call it 'infinity.' I won't blame them though. Time flows differently here from the real world." Her voice echoed in the moonlit cave.
Her words confused me. My presence here was also confusing. From what she explained, we were at the breach between life and death. How can this be?
"This doesn't explain why I'm here...," I didn't know what to address her as, so I chewed my bottom lips. "But more importantly, you still haven't told me who you are."
She bent down to the fountain, staring into the water. "You're here because you're special, Penelope. You're destined for great things, things you'll find out in the near future." Her words only increased my confusion, but instead of asking more questions, I listened to her.
Her fingers slowly touched the surface of the water, and tiny waves rippled through it. "About who I am, I can only tell you my name, I can't tell you what I am. It's your assignment to figure it out. I'll know you're ready when you finally sense who I am."
I almost stumbled when she looked at me from below her thick lashes. Her once sharp emerald eyes had turned pitch black. She turned her face away from me, back to the water when she saw my reaction, and stood to her feet.
"You can't stay here anymore. You have to leave."
Leave?
She quickly moved away from me. Confused by her action, I was about to follow her, even if I was scared when the moon that shone brightly from the hole at the center of the cave suddenly started changing to black. I was so focused on looking at the horrifying scene that played above me that I didn't notice when the cave started turning dark.
Like a trance, the world around me dissolved, blurring into darkness, and I felt myself being pulled through a void, a large dark loop hole. At the realization that I was falling, I frailed my hands and legs wildly, trying to grasp at something, anything that could stop me from falling, but all I could hold was the air that rushed past me like a storm, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
My eyes were wide open, but everywhere was dark, and everything moved too quickly to focus on anything. Time seemed to stretch and contrast simultaneously, and when I realized there was no ground to fall to, I lost my rational thoughts.
Tears brimmed in my eyes, and I could hear my heartbeat, a frantic drum in my chest. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my senses heightened. I almost lost consciousness cause I couldn't breathe anymore, until I saw a pair of golden eyes through my blurred vision.
Time stilled at his presence, and I stopped tumbling in air. I stared into his eyes, those calm eyes that always comforted me.
Alexander stood in front of me. His demeanor was calm as usual, but I could sense his anger.
When he reached out for me, hands pulled me from the shadows. It was too sudden that I didn't have time to think before darkness covered my sight.