The Time Capsule

Chapter Fourteen.

         Nadia opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The tune from her childhood music box was still playing, and her mattress was the softest thing she had ever felt. 'Not this again. I don't want to be sucked into this prison. Wait... But I... why am I thinking this is a prison? It's not. Not at all. This music is so nice... I might take another nap.'
          A note appeared on her bedside table: 'What did we just tell you? Do not succumb to the Time Pit. -Roman and Rosa' Nadia sat straight up, forcing her memories to come back.
'Why are they trying to distract me? Oh... They want to keep me occupied whilst they plan my punishment. Well, I will have to find a way to escape.'
          She got off the bed and opened the door, carefully descending the steps. They were insanely treacherous, and she was definitely worried about falling. Again, the question in her mind appeared: 'If I die here, will I die forever?' Alas, no response.
        Once she walked past the people and all the different rooms (jail, a pool, beds everywhere, etc.), she finally opened the door to the outside, where the giant walls awaited her presence. The walls were the exact same as when she had arrived: Tough bricks, very tall, impossible to climb.
          Nadia looked around for a ladder of some kind, but after a few minutes of searching, she came to no conclusion. She decided that she could ask the lady at the hotel who worked there, trying to keep the prisoners content. Her main problem was trying to figure out how she would ask the lady to find her a giant ladder? That would be a dead giveaway. So she would have to come up with a plan...
         A flash of bright green hair appeared in her peripheral vision once she had stepped inside the hotel. Nadia walked swiftly over to her. "Excuse me, Miss? I'd like to speak to you for a moment."
        The lady turned around, a wide smile plastered on her face. "Oh, perfect! How are you enjoying your stay?"
      Does she know I remember? Nadia grinned widely. "The maintenance man asked me if he could borrow the ladder for a crack on the wall. He stopped me and wanted to know if I could get you?" 'Please let there be a maintenance man. And, you know, a ladder.'
        "Oh, do you mean Tim?" The green-haired lady confirmed, nodding.
       "Yes, I think that was his name." Nadia responded. "He said that he wanted you to just set it outside on the grass and that he would handle the rest." 'Please work. Please work.'
        "Of course! Can you show me where he wanted it? I completely forgot to tell you. My name is Adelaide, the hotel manager." Adelaide smiled, walking over to a closet that Nadia didn't think was there a few minutes ago, which... was strange.
         Adelaide opened the closet door, grabbed a small ladder, and shut the door with a key. Once she had grabbed the ladder and tucked the key away, the lady stopped in front of Nadia. "Off you go. I need to see where he wants me to put it."
         Nadia nodded. "Ohh, yes. Follow me." After walking through many doors and feeling like the rooms had been added on to, they finally reached the outside door and opened it. "It should be right... here. Yep." She forced a smile on her face, pointing to a spot beside the wall.
        "Here?" Adelaide pointed.
       "Yes." Nadia replied, trying not to get impatient.
       "Alrighty!" She set the ladder down on the grass, whistling. As her whistle pierced Nadia's eardrums from the shrillness of it, the ladder grew exponentially in size. It reached the very top of the wall. Nadia was astounded.
        "Wow..." She was dumbstruck.
      "So... when did Tim say he was going to be here?" Adelaide asked, tilting her head.
       "In a few minutes, I think? But he said that it's alright if you just leave it here." 'Please work... Please work...'
       "Okie dokie, then! I'm off." The green haired lady looked once over her shoulder and walked away through the door.
        Nadia let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, walking over to the ladder and swallowing.
           "This is... very tall."
       "Best get started.." Grabbing the first rung, she checked to see if the ladder would tip over. It felt like it was cemented into the ground, which was odd. Pulling herself up onto the second rung, she started to get a little bit of a rhythm. Time seemed to stand still as Nadia climbed and climbed, badly wanting to reach the top.
Finally, she grabbed the last rung, hoisting herself up and onto the wall, peeking over what lay beyond. Darkness, complete and utter darkness awaited her. Outside the wall, it looked like the Dream Realm. But there were no memories, and there was no Keeper. 'How do I escape from this prison?'
          Desperation clawed at her throat, wanting to release in the form of a scream. 'No, don't scream. I don't want people noticing me. I'll figure it out, but first, I need to climb back down the ladder.'
        The painstakingly slow process started yet again, and Nadia found herself caught up in her thoughts.
'If I can't get out of this prison, will I be stuck here forever? Or at least until the Council decides my punishment? Isn't this punishment enough?'
         Climbing down from the last rung, she stepped onto the grass. A shrill whistle resounded, and Nadia spun around. Adelaide stood there, her eyes glowing red.
       "You shouldn't have tried to escape. You know, Tim? The Maintenance Man? We don't even have one of those. I'm surprised you believed me. Maybe you're not the sharpest tool in the shed..." Adelaide grinned.
           "I guess we'll have to make you await your punishment in less... comfortable quarters." She sprinted over to Nadia, who was backing into the wall. The green haired lady screamed, a horrifying sound, and pushed Nadia to the ground, the grass swallowing her up and into oblivion.