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

Chapter Two

The morning sun's rays pierced through the curtains. Stella turned her back against the window and yawned. Her second day in Oppidula had arrived. She grabbed her clothes, took a shower, and proceeded downstairs for breakfast. Celestine had just woken up.

"Awake already? It is just five!" she exclaimed.

"In Rome, I usually wake up at six," Stella explained.

"You are just like your mama then. She likes to wake up early," Celestine said.

Served for breakfast were two cups of hot black coffee and a large plate full of sweet brioches. From the first bite, the brioche became Stella's favorite breakfast food, replacing the croissant. The coffee, however, was too strong for her taste. Celestine anticipated that and had prepared some milk beforehand. After breakfast, Stella brushed her teeth and filled her tumbler with cold water. Her sling bag had all that she needed: her wallet, lip balm, hand sanitizer, and other essentials. All she needed was Celestine's permission. She found her in the living room.

"Zia, may I go and explore the town? I will be back before noon like what you said yesterday," Stella asked.

"Sure," Celestine replied, "just be careful."

"Thank you!"

Stella kissed her aunt goodbye and walked out of the house. She looked back every minute or less, retracing her steps to make sure she would not get lost. Not far from her aunt's house was a row of cafés and little shops, and a little further from there was a large piazza. Stella strolled down the street, her right hand swinging freely and her left hand resting on her sling bag.

Tug. Her right wrist jerked violently to the right as if someone suddenly grabbed her arm. She glanced to her side. Nobody. What was that? Stella stood still for a moment, waiting for any weird movement to reoccur, but nothing happened. I hope I was imagining it, she thought before brushing it off and continuing her walk.

Tug. It happened again! This time it was much more forceful. Stella glanced to her right and saw nobody beside her. What was going on? She dove her right hand into her pocket and continued walking. Maybe it would stop if she would not let her hand swing freely.

It seemed to work. She had been strolling through the town for almost an hour and her right hand had remained in her pocket. Stella turned around and began her return to her aunt's house. She passed by a few buildings and was about to turn right... wait, did she go that way? Or did she come from the left? She looked both ways. The streets seemed too similar for her to distinguish.  I will just go left, Stella thought, and if it is wrong then I will go to the right.

She turned left. For a few moments, it felt like she made the right decision. The buildings looked more and more familiar the further she walked. If she remembered correctly, she should walk straight for another fifteen minutes before turning left after the trattoria. She smiled as she strolled, and then stopped.

The path led her directly to a forest. She swore there was supposed to be a long line of small houses. She was probably wrong. Stella put one foot behind her and began turning around.

Tug! Her right arm shot out of her pocket and dragged her towards the forest. "AAAH!" she screamed. An unnatural force dragged her body through the forest like a fishing rod reeling in a weak fish. The town quickly disappeared from her view as trees suddenly surrounded her. She tried to dig her feet into the ground only to end up scraping it. She grabbed the nearest branch only for it to snap. "Aiuto!" she shouted, but it fell on no ears. Her attempts at resistance were futile.

Thud. She was dropped to the ground like a heavy sack. Stella slowly stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes, and took a glimpse of her surroundings. In front of her was the forest and, though the gaps between the trees were rather wide, she could not see the town at all. Who knew how far she had gone?