【 𝚄𝙽𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙿𝙿𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 // 𝚃𝚆𝚂𝚃 】

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨.

At the hotel you've been staying at, the bookstore is the one place you haven't visited yet. The store has an entire floor dedicated to an expanse of bookshelves and quaint furniture, with a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Nothing is holding the chandelier up, and it dangles in the air precariously. You avoid stepping underneath it, despite how stable it seems. The windows let in warm sunlight, and various potted plants are stationed near the largest window, one that takes up majority of a wall. The window is lined with gold, and there are words carved in various languages around the perimeter. You reach a hand out, tracing the letters, before drawing it back quickly at a voice.

"Welcome to Midnight's Fanfiction Corner, where almost nothing is out of the question!" A cheerful voice calls out, and you turn to see a man considerably taller than you. "My name is..." He trails off, pondering for a moment while a hand clutches his head.

"Carlos?" You fill in for him, reading the name tag on the front of his sweater.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I... don't know how long I've been here. It's been years since I first applied here, but my physical state hasn't changed," He rubs his eyes behind his gold-rimmed rectangular glasses, when he freezes.

"Oh fuck, you heard nothing, alright?" He turns panicked, and you're stunned at the mood switch.

"Please, you have to help me! She'll kill me!" Carlos pleads, his long white hair falling into his face as his head turns to look at the counter. "This place is cursed! I- I can't remember anything about my life before I came here! All of my memories, they're of this stupid hotel! Get me out of-" His sentence is cut off by a deafening screech, one of inhuman capabilities. Everything distorts, and Carlos's face appears to melt.

"ꑛꍟ꒒ꉣ ꁒꍟ! ꂑ꓅ ꄘꐇꏸꀗꂑꁹꁍ ꑛꐇ꒓꓅ꌚ-!" Everything around you is reset.

—

"Welcome to Midnight's Fanfiction Corner, how can I help you?" A disinterested girl welcomes you. Funnily enough, you can't see her facial features clearly. You don't even think she has a face, because all she has in place of a face is a void, an eye, and a crescent-shaped smile. However, the rest of her is perfectly visible.

"How can I help you?" Her voice takes on an aggressive tone, and you can sense that she's growing impatient. You hesitantly tell her about what you're looking for.

"A 'Twisted Wonderland x Reader', huh? Follow me," She confidently walks into an aisle of bookshelves, then stops when she realizes that you aren't following.

"Are you coming, (name)?" She asks politely. You don't recall telling her your name, but you follow her deeper into the bookshelves. After lots of walking, the two of you finally find what you were looking for. She takes a couple of books from the shelf and hands them to you. Wordlessly, she makes her way back through the maze of bookshelves.

You spend half an hour going through the books she chose for you, then a few more, when you finally make your selection. You attempt to make your way out of the labyrinth, but only end up becoming more lost. You sit down to contemplate and catch your breath when your attention is caught by a pale purple light.

A lavender colored orb is floating above you, and it nudges you before slowly drifting in one direction. You decide to follow it, as it's your best bet, and make your way through the maze. You finally emerge back at the counter, and you see the girl standing eerily and staring fixedly at one spot. As soon as you enter her line of sight, she turns her head towards you and watches as you set the book down in front of her.

"Will that be all?" She asks, and you nod. "That'll be $7.99."

You take your credit card out and tap it on the designated area. The machine beeps, signaling that your transaction was approved.

"Would you like a receipt?" She asks the second question, and you shake your head. You take your book and make your way back to your hotel room, not looking back at the girl.

You open the book in your hotel room, and read the first chapter. Surprisingly, it's exactly what just transpired in the bookstore. Feeling way, you try to set the book down, but you're frozen in place. A silver light emits from the book, and then it falls to the ground with a 'thump', transporting you inside before it shuts.

The girl from before picks up the book and sets it on a nearby table, twirling a master key in her fingers playfully. She adjusts her clothes, and the Cheshire grin on her face never fades.