I Dare You To Read This Book.

Playing The Game Of Seven Doors: Part 2

When we met out in the woods the next day for our lunch time adventure, everyone was a little quieter than usual, but most of the girls had regained their good humor. I, however, had not. I had slept poorly the night before, waking multiple times throughout the night, drenched in sweat despite the Pacific Northwest dreary, forever-fifty-degrees weather. I had no recollection of my dreams, but it was hard to peel myself out of bed this morning. Needless to say, I almost didn't go to school, because I knew they were going to try again, and maybe even actively look for the black door. We were a ucurious bunch, and no one had seen it or experienced it besides me.

I was silent the entire way out into the forest, even when Elia shoved up next to me as we walked, digging an elbow playfully into my rib.

"Did the black door follow you home?" she mock-whispered.

"Elia, the day you take something seriously, is the day I die of shock." Aubrey had come up behind us and swatted at Elia's backside. Elia shrieked and leapt forward, skipping ahead of us a few steps and laughing.

"Should we call it eight doors now, since Kat found a new door?" This came from Emory, walking a little off to our left.

"No," I said quietly. "I don't even really know what the hell I saw, but...let's keep it at seven." Somehow, acknowledging the black door's existence seemed like it would make things worse.

Or maybe I just wanted to pretend it never happened at all.

Emory fell into step beside me. "Did you see anything on it? You know, besides that it was black."

I shook my head. "Honestly I wasn't looking super close, though. I think there were designs in the center, but of what, I don't know."

When we got to our spot in the woods, Jay and the other girls were already there. We formed our circle, with a girl named Lauranne taking the honored position of the traveller this time. Jay did most of the question-asking when it wasn't her turn to travel, so she knelt on the carpet of dead pine needles first before Lauranne lay down and situated her head on Jay's lap.

"You ready?" Jay asked.

Lauranne nodded and shut her eyes. Jay cupped her hands and placed them over Lauranne's face. She took a deep breath, shut her own eyes for a moment, and then nodded briefly. The circle of girls began chanting.

Seven doors, seven doors, seven doors...

After a few minutes, Lauranne's breathing had become slow and heavy, as if she were sleeping; we could see her belly rising and falling beneath her baggy Soundgarden shirt. Her hands fell open and slack at her sides, her feet splayed outward gently. She looked deflated against the forest floor, as if she were a discarded doll with all the stuffing ripped out. Jay's voice cut through our chanting and all our voices fell silent. "What do you see?"

Lauranne let out a slow breath. Her voice sounded tiny as she said, "I'm in the woods. In the clearing." A pause, and then, "I don't see any doors. I'm going to start walking west."

"Do you hear anything?"

Pause. "There's a breeze; really slight. I can hear the leaves rustling. But nothing else."

"Do you see the black door?"

This came from Emory, and Jay looked sharply across the circle at where Emory was sitting. It was against the rules for anyone besides the question-asker to say anything or ask questions, to prevent any confusion when trying to "pull" someone back out of the imaginary woods. Lauranne's face furrowed slightly beneath Jay's hands, and Jay quickly repeated Emory's question to get everything back on track. "Do you see the black door?"