Locked Door

p r o l o g u e

P R O L O G U E:

Black vines draped over slender dark oak trees. The air was misty. A shimmer of silver glowed from the sliver of moon. A small black vault squatted upon a rotten stump. It was undoubtedly locked.

A black-haired girl shivered. Her blue eyes darted around. "I've never read about one like this in the books, " she murmured to herself nervously.

A rat scuttled around in the dark. The girl jumped, then recovered herself. "There's nothing to worry about. You're safe."

A branch on the tree next to her snapped, filling the silence with a sharp Crack! The girl whimpered in fear. One of her hands flew up to the miniature hourglass that hung on a necklace around her neck. A thin trickle of sand was a mark of how much time she had left.

Something moved behind her. The raven-haired girl froze, and slowly turned around. There was nothing, though something about the absence of the creature who made the noise made her uneasy.

All I have to do to get out of here is to turn the hourglass. She thought, her hand subconsciously creeping up towards where the hourglass hung. No! This is your chance to prove yourself to everyone. Keep going, there's nothing to worry about... yet. Another voice piped up angrily.

The girl straightened up, squared her shoulders, and stuffed her hands into her pockets. She marched deeper into the eerily quiet forest.

After long minutes of walking, she had to admit she was lost. The crystal-eyed girl glanced at the hourglass, and her insides squirmed when she saw just a few more grams of sand to go. I'm running out of time. Where is the key?

Just as she had thought that, a soft, golden glow alerted her. She immediately ran towards the glow without a second thought, her eyes glowing with excitement and anticipation.

I found the key!

A large, rusted, golden key laid on the dirt floor of the forest, the first welcoming gesture of the host she had seen. The inky-haired girl picked up the key, the key to Aidan's lock.

❧♡❦♡☙

A howl of rage and pain erupted from his mouth. He could feel the black-haied girl, Emma, picking up his key.

Voices swam hazily around him. He blinked and suppressed a snarl. Aidan could see Emma's unconscious form in front of him, clearly still immersed in his realm.

A image popped up before his eyes, something he was sure, like all the others, only he could see.

Emma was running back towards his vault, her blue eyes shining with glee. She's going to unlock it. Twenty meters. Ten. Five. Three. Two. One. She was there. Emma slid the key into the vault and turned it with a triumphant grin on her face.

Get rid of her. The voice whispered inside his ear. Now. Before it's too late.

Aidan was unaware of what happened next. He knew that he listened, felt the blissful obeying sensation. Then, red paint splattered his shirt. He frowned.

The screams and yells were hazy, almost distant. Aidan shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It was then that he saw it.

Emma was lying on the floor, her mouth open in a silent scream that was never to come. A knife pierced her from the behind, hitting her in the middle of her heart. Blood seeped and formed a large red lake on the floor. And most of all, he realized his arm was still arched, the invisible knife clutched in his hand.