The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé [1 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter One

"This way," a woman said.

Stella dragged her luggage across the floor as she followed her aunt. It was her first time traveling with someone other than her parents, and she wished that they had come along. Sure, Aunt Celestine was her relative, but prior to that day, they had met only a handful of times. The whole situation felt awkward for Stella, to say the least. After five minutes or less, they reached an old sedan. Stella loaded her bag into the trunk and sat at the front passenger seat before her aunt began driving.

They arrived at the house after hours on the road. The house was a narrow two-story building. Since there was no garage, the car was parked right in front of the house. The first room to be seen upon entering was the living room, which looked bigger than it was supposed to be. Thick white curtains covered the windows, a thick white cloth covered the coffee table, in the corners sat white vases that held colorful flowers, and a painting in a white frame hung above the white sofa. The kitchen was at the back of the house, and it was much bigger than the living room. A white table with three white chairs sat in between the living room and the kitchen, and next to it was the white-washed stairs. It was the least colorful house that Stella had ever been to.

"So how do you like the house?" asked Celestine.

"It looks cozy," replied Stella, "and very white. Is that your favorite color?"

"Second favorite. I like dark purple better, but my home would not look so nice in it, no? White looks better."

The woman took off her footwear and placed it on a nearby shoe rack. She then put on a pair of slippers and gave another pair to Stella, saying, "You can borrow this for now." Stella took off her sneakers and placed them on the rack. She then slid her feet into the slippers. The woman led Stella up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. Stella placed her luggage against one of the walls.

"I'll let you settle in and rest. If you need anything, you can go downstairs and look for me. Got it?"

"Got it," Stella said.

She was left alone. Stella lay on the bed and looked around her room. In front of her bed was an old wooden cupboard; the left half was filled with old yet usable clothes, while the right half was empty. In the right corner of the room, opposite the bed, stood a floor lamp with a warm yellow lightbulb. A wooden desk and chair were situated between the floor lamp and the cupboard. To her left was a bookcase, which held about thirty old books, and her still-locked suitcase. To her right was the window which, of course, was draped in white curtains. Stella got up and pulled the curtains to let in more light. She then sauntered towards the bookshelf.

Stella browsed through the collection of books. Some of them were about history, others were novels, and one had no title. Stella held up the titleless book and flipped through the pages. They were blank. Part of her wondered why someone would keep a blank book on their shelf, but she shrugged it off and placed it back on the bookcase. There was luggage to unpack. She opened her bags and began unpacking, putting her clothes into the empty half of the cupboard.

Creak.

What was that? Her hand tapped the back of the wardrobe and felt a loose piece of wood. She removed it. There was nothing but an empty compartment. Strange. She put the wooden plank back and closed the closet.

A yawn escaped her mouth. Ah, travel fatigue. Nothing a nap could not cure. She got up and walked toward the bed, and as she did, she noticed that one of the floorboards was loose. She opened it. This time the hidden compartment was not empty, but instead kept a small velvet box. Stella looked around. Nobody was watching. Her hand slowly reached for the box and she opened it. Inside was a shiny, silver bracelet. When Stella touched it, it glowed. It was as if it recognized her.