The Keepers

Chapter 13

Emily's POV

I stood in the small bathroom scrubbing my arm. The small mark has gotten darker the longer I have stayed in this dungeon. Even though I now live here, I don't think that it could ever feel like home. I guess I feel like if the mark is gone, then I could be free from this place. I sigh getting back to my task. No matter how hard I scrubbed, the mark would not go. My skin around the mark started to go red, but the mark itself stayed exactly the same color. It was the most peculiar thing. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Just a minute," I called.

I wiped my arm dry, pulled down my sleeve, and opened the door. A guard was waiting outside. "Dinner is ready," he announced.

"Oh that's alright, I'll eat in my room," I answered politely.

"Master requires you to be there, my lady," he informed me.

"Oh, if I must," I said quietly to myself. "Alright," I agreed loud enough for him to hear. He led me through the crisscrossed hallways. If he wasn't here I would've easily gotten lost. While we were walking, we passed a room with two big doors that were each at least twice my size. They were both a bluish- silver color with metal crescent handles on each. I was thinking about checking it out later, when I saw a small figure out of the corner of my eye. My thoughts went away from the door and to the figure, but when I turned its way, I saw nothing unusual. No one else was in the hall except the guard and me.

We finally made it to the familiar dining room. When you walked in, right in front of you was this huge mahogany table. Only one person sat at it but it was big enough for an army. Above it was a crystal chandelier, so fragile that it seemed a feather could break it. The floor was wooden and the walls were stone like the rest of the place. A weird combination, if you asked me. I had yet to come across walls that weren't made of stone.

My brother was sitting at the head of the table opposite from the door. He was staring at me with a small smile on his face. I smirked and sat at the end across from him so I was at one end of the table while he was at the other. That was one of the little things that upset him and I made sure to do them all. His eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. One of the maids scrambled out to fit his needs. "I will have the lobster," he told her, "And she will have the salmon." I frowned. He knew that I hated seafood.

"Actually, I'll have steak," I inserted. The maid nodded her head and turned to go back to the kitchen, but before she had a chance to go, my brother spoke up.

"No. She will have salmon."

"No," I replied. "I'll have steak." The maid kept looking back and forth at us. She must've had no idea what to do.

"She will have salmon or she will have nothing and that's final."

"Fine," I shouted, standing up, "I'll have nothing." And with that, I left.

I ran through the twisted halls not having a clue to where I was going. Stopping, I kicked the wall. Right then, I remembered that the wall was made of stone. I clutched my foot and grunted. Then I decided to head back to my room.

I looked around to see which way I should go but I had no idea. I settled on going back the way I came. I turned around and started walking. When I was sure I was going the right way, I sped up. Soon, I came upon a straight hallway. I walked more slowly now since I didn't remember the hallway. I looked around searching for another path but there was only one right in front of me. I kept going, curious where it ended.

I came to the end in about 15 minutes. At the end there were the same huge door I saw from earlier. I could've sworn that they were in a different hallway, but these were the same doors. They're shaped and colored the same exact way.

I looked around me and found that no one was about. Curling my fingers around the cold handle, I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. Light came shining out right away. I had to close my eyes to get used to it. Soon, I opened my eyes and peaked in the room.

Inside was an enormous library! There were three floors that could be seen from where I stood. On the first floor, the room was filled with couches and carpets and chairs. In the center of the room was a mahogany desk. The desk was very neat and looked like nobody really ever used it. I looked behind me to make sure that I wasn't followed. When I was sure, I decided to explore.

The walls were only shelves filled with books. There were tall, sliding ladders at every wall. On the second floor was the same, but the third floor was restricted. I yanked on the door that would let me in to the third floor but it wouldn't budge. After ten minutes, I gave. Sinking to the floor, I let out a sigh. I banged my head on the wall behind me and instantly regretted it.

"Ow," I yelped, holding my head in my hands.

"Pst!" I searched around for the sound. Thinking I was just hearing things, my head plopped back into my hands.

"Over hear!" I heard it again. "Lookuphere." The noise sounded again but much quicker and louder. Finally, I stood up realizing that this couldn't only be going on in my head. I checked at the bookshelves that were above my head for the sound. Maybe it was coming from a book, I thought losing my mind altogether. My eyes swept over and over the selfs. Then I saw same small figure from before moving from the corner of my eye. Snapping my eyes to its refuge, I saw nothing.

"What's making that sound?" I said, voicing my thoughts.

"Over here!" I heard. Where I found nothing before, a creature appeared. I stared at the figure's twitching green ears and its shark-like yellow teeth. Gasping, I took a step back.

"Oh my! This can't be real! I must be dreaming," I reasoned.

The creature scowled at me. "Please," it said in a sassy voice. "I'm the realest thing you're ever gonna get."

My eyes widened. "You're the voice I heard."

"Great job! You figured it out," the creature sassed while rolling it's eyes. "Now won't you help me?"

I finally realized the book crushing the creature's tail. "Oh! Yeah, sorry," I said rushing to pick up the book. The creature grabbed its tail and made it plump again.

At that moment, I noticed how late it was. "I must be going," I told the creature while running away. I ran through every twist and turn until I found my cell. That was the term I preferred over bedroom, cell. That's pretty much what it was for me anyway.

The room was pitch black when I opened the door. The only shred of light coming from the hall behind me. I shut the door and the light immediately left. I knew the way around my cell well enough to make my way to the bed without being able to see where I'm going. Still, I wish there were lights in this room.

"Click!"

The room lit up immediately. Surprised, I gasped. I looked around for a switch but there wasn't one. "How weird," I wondered aloud.

"I wish this bed was more comfy," I said waiting to see what would happen but nothing did. Sighing, I sunk into my bed. My stomach growled, reminding me of my hunger. Suddenly, a plate of food appeared before me. My eyes widened and my mouth hung open. How did that happen? I wondered.

I slowly reached out and touched the food to see if it was real. When it was, my stomach growled again. No time was wasted, I swallowed the steak and the carrots. I inhaled the potatoes and the green beans. Finally, I washed it down with a big glass of milk. I ate so fast that I couldn't even taste it, but I couldn't care less. My stomach was full and I felt great.

I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Soon after, I was asleep in my bed dreaming colorful dreams.