Mirrors to Atlantis

Chapter 7

Polina opened her eyes, finding herself lying in an opulent canopy bed. White and Marian blue silk organza draped over the canopy, while the sheets were silk, and the blankets were made of cashmere and brocade. As she stretched and sat up, she took in her surroundings—a pristine marble room with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of a tropical garden brimming with unfamiliar flora. Tall doors led to a terrace adorned with alabaster statues, potted plants, and fountains.

"Where am I?" Polina wondered aloud. Slipping out of the bed, she noticed that the clothes she was wearing were not what she had worn to the testing facility. "There's no way they changed me into this," she thought while gazing into the mirrored wall in front of her. She was dressed in a pale mint-colored ankle-length silk slip dress, complete with a matching robe loosely tied around her slender waist. She ran her fingers down the lace accents of the unfamiliar attire.

Her head slowly turned to the wall of windows, revealing a surreal landscape outside. Was it summer? The sky displayed a brilliant blue, adorned with large puffy white clouds. The lush green grass of the garden and the blooming flowers, leafy trees, and tropical plants painted a scene she had never witnessed before, even during her four years in the Arctic circle. Doubts crept in: "Is this a dream? What is going on?"

A soft knock on the door at the other end of the room snapped her attention away. Before she could react, the head of a blonde woman peeked in. Both Polina and the woman seemed equally surprised. "Hi," Polina timidly greeted, but the woman quickly shut the door, leaving Polina perplexed and anxious.

She began walking towards the door, her hand reaching for the ornate golden knob, when she heard another soft knock and voices on the other side. She hesitated but eventually opened the door to find the blonde woman and an older raven-haired woman standing before her. "Hello, miss," the dark-haired one said. Polina asked, "Where am I?"

"You're at the residence of Anax Hektor Argurios Drakomaxos and Anassa Lyra Cressida Vasiliki. We have some questions for you," the black-haired woman replied. She motioned for them to sit at small couches across from the bed. The furnishings were as luxurious as the rest of the room, upholstered in silk jacquard in blues and whites, matching the opulent decor.

Polina assumed that Anax and Anassa held some sort of title, given the extravagance surrounding her. The overwhelming wealth was beyond anything she could comprehend. She questioned, "Surely this is a dream."

"What are you doing here?" the dark-haired woman demanded.

"I don't know," Polina replied, her confusion evident.

"How did you get here?" the woman pressed.

"I really don't know," Polina pleaded. The woman rolled her eyes.

"The Anassa herself found you here. How did you enter the estate?" the blonde one revealed.

"I have no memory of entering any estate. I woke up in clothes that are not my own, in a very different place than I came from," Polina answered, sounding perplexed.

The two women exchanged a glance. "How long have you been seeing the Anax?" the dark-haired woman asked bluntly.

"The who?"

"Don't play dumb; you were found nude in his private courtyard."

Polina gasped, covering her mouth, feeling embarrassment flush across her face and chest. "Tell us how long you have been seeing him, and we will put you back onto the streets. You'll face no consequences," she offered Polina a deal.

"I honestly have no clue who any of these people are, where I am, or how I got here! My name is Polina Morozov from Dikson, Russia, and I have no idea what is going on." Polina began to panic, and the women saw it on her face. In a rush, they left the room and locked the door behind them.