⊹ ｡ ﾟ⁖✦ •𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘈𝘜⁖ °✦ ･ﾟ⋆

Chapter 1

Mark Heathcliff opened his eyes and found himself standing outside of a large, opulent building. It was a bit foggy and misty, and he felt himself shiver. He looked around to see if he could see anyone else, or any other buildings, but he was the only one around. The walls of the building in front of him seemed to stretch on as far as his eyes could see. The fog, of course, didn't help. He puts a hand on the door handle. "Guess there's nowhere else to go.." he thinks to himself. Mark closes his eyes, inhales sharply, and steps inside.

He immediately feels warm air brush his cheeks. Mark opens his eyes to see his childhood best friend Cesar Torres standing there to greet him. "Mark! It's great to see you! Glad you could make it." Cesar exclaimed, walking over to Mark. The two pulled in for a hug, which was mostly initiated by Cesar.

Mark broke out of the hug. "Um...where are we?" He asked. Cesar gave a warm smile. "Hehheh, welcome to The Mandela Casino, my friend!" Cesar stretched his arms out and Mark let his eyes wonder. They were currently standing in the lobby of a big, bright, but oddly quiet casino. Mark furrowed his brows. "Casino...did you forget I'm still 17? I can't gamble or anything. Or least I shouldn't." Cesar continued to smile and giggled lightly. "Don't you worry Mark, you are EXACTLY where you're supposed to be!" Mark's confusion and uneasiness only grew. He hated not having his questions answered. "Here, let me show you to your room!" Cesar said, and he lead Mark over to a large set of stairs situated at the back of the lobby and behind what appeared to be a reception desk. The steps were a shiny cream-colored marble and seemed to curve up the wall. "So this one's my room," Cesar began, pointing to the first door on the right side of the hallway. "And here's yours!" The two guys were in front of a big oak door with a shiny black knob. Cesar turned the knob and held the door open for Mark.

They both stepped in. The room itself wasn't anything that set off any red flags, but Mark had always been an anxious guy. He still had no idea where he was or why, just that he knew he wasn't home. Or in heaven, where he was hoping to be. There was a faint aroma of vanilla and lavender. The room was warm, but not too warm. Cesar looked back at his friend who was still standing in the doorway. "Come on in, don't be shy!" Cesar said excitedly. Mark's legs started moving without him thinking, as if a force had pushed him in or was controlling his body. He had a strange feeling he couldn't really put a finger on. Paranoia...with a hint of safety? The room reminded him of home, even though he had never seen such a place. "I'll let you settle in, okay? I'll be back in twenty minutes! Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Cesar said, gently patting Mark's shoulder on his way out.

Mark watched Cesar disappear behind the wall. He then let his eyes dart around everything in the room. "Okay, Mark..." he whispered and took a breath in. "Ground yourself. What do you see? I see...a r-red..comforter..." he whispered shakily. He was looking down at his bed, which had a thick maroon blanket on it. There were two pillows covered with golden color pillowcases. Mark turned his head up again and saw a wardrobe and a desk. He sheepishly stepped over the wardrobe and put a hand on one of the handles.

As he opened it, he remained hidden on the other side, as if there was something in there waiting to jump out or grab him. After a second, he peeked out from the door he held open and peered in. It was just a normal wardrobe! Except for the fact that it was stocked full with the exact same outfit he was currently wearing; black slacks, a white dress shirt, a maroon coat, and a silver tie. "What the heck..." Mark whispered to himself. He noticed where the scent of the room was coming from. The clothes in the wardrobe seemed to have all just been cleaned. Everything was still warm as if it had just been taken out of a dryer. "There's no way I'm gonna keep this up myself." He sighed, looking at how neat everything was in there. In the past, he would sloppily fold his clothes and shove them into drawers, not really giving a shit about how things looked.

He closed the door and turned his attention to the desk that was placed next to the wardrobe. There was a cup holding three pens and a journal. He opened the drawers to find more of the same journal—all blank, of course—and more pens. Fancy pens. There were quills, fountain pens, colored markers. Nothing unlike what he had owned previously...except for the quills. Those interested him. He picked one up and studied it.

There was then a soft two-knock signal tapped on the door to his room. It was Cesar's signature knock he had always used for as long as Mark had known him. "Um...come on in," Mark yelled. Cesar walked in and smiled again. "How are ya feeling?" He asked. Mark took a moment to answer. "I'm alright, I guess.." he said, still not feeling like he wanted to be there. "Well, I just wanted to let you know a few things once you were ready! ...Are you ready?"
"Sure.."

"Great! Well, for starters, this is where we live now. Breakfast begins at 7am and goes until 11am. Lunch is from 1pm to 2pm. And dinner is 5 to 6pm! At 8 o'clock sharp, we'll go play some games together. Just join me in the lobby!" Cesar beamed.

Mark took a second to think. "Any questions?" Cesar asked. "Actually, yeah," Mark started "What do you mean when you say 'this is where we live now'?"
Cesar's face got serious for a moment before he chuckled. "Oh, you know! We live here, this is our home now."

"That...doesn't really answer my question."
"It's all I've got for now, really." Cesar looked down at the floor and slid his right foot around on the carpet. "Well anyway, see you at 8! It's very important you be there. Ciao!" And he left the room again. Mark sighed. Maybe none of his questions would be answered tonight.