Warped

Chapter 4

It was a push door.

Feeling like a total idiot, I eased my way through the door. It felt like walking through one of those walls.

I was in a cavernous room, and it looked like it was from like six million years ago, give or take a few. The walls were made of stone, and a crackling fireplace roared in the center. There were many paintings of ugly people in ugly clothes. Doors whose tops touched the ceiling were lightly dusted by the straw that covered the floor. Otherwise, there was nothing else, like couches or anything. 

 "Where am I..." I whispered, then covered my mouth with my hand in shock. I hadn't spoken in English. My hands were oddly cold.

On my body hung a simple, pale yellow dress that had tiny straps and a straight top. The waistline was highly unflattering, cut just below my--wait, since when did I have boobs?

"Janie?" Hair cropped close to my neck brushed my cheeks as I looked quickly around, searching for the source of the voice. "Janie?"

My feet unwillingly stumbled backwards as my hand reached frantically for the door. A tiny gasp escaped my lips. My hand rested on stone. A quick glance confirmed my escape was gone. Eyes wide, I stiffened and stared across the ballroom, knowing that whoever called for Janie would be on the other side. 

"Janie!" The doors creeped open. Judging by the amount of time it took for the woman to squeeze through, I guessed they were pretty heavy. "There you are, love." She visibly breathed a sigh of relief. 

The wheels in my brain spun and spun until they locked into place. Instinctively, I grasped the straw-like hair at my shoulder. No, Janie's shoulder. Janie's hair. 

"Jane," she said, and I broke from my trance. "Are you all right, my dear?" 

"Oh! Um, yeah. I mean, yes. Ma'am." 

"Well, what are you doing?" I then noticed the tone of urgency in her voice as she continued, "Come here, come now. Hurry!"

But my feet were frozen. Where was I? More importantly, when was it?

The woman was suddenly distracted by a distant noise that didn't reach my ear. Her head turned back to me, tendrils loose from her bun hitting her hollowed cheeks. A new sort of panic filled her eyes, and my feet unfroze. I may not have been familiar with the time or place, but I could recognize a person in danger. 

I tried to run, but the slippery rushes on the floor made it nearly impossible. The woman again jumped at something I could not see, and my heart flailed in my chest. My foot landed too hard in front of the other. The straw flew up in a bunch. Arms flailing, reaching out, I landed with a clump of hair stuck in my teeth. Catching my breath, I glanced up to see the woman embracing someone, a man. They spoke as they held each other. They both looked at me, and even though I didn't know her, the heartbroken look on her pale face filled me with sadness. 

A deep, menacing boom filled the ballroom, and screams echoed throughout the halls. Something was very, very wrong. In slow motion, the man began to run through the massive doors as the woman watched, grief-stricken. His head rose sharply and stared at something far behind me, and his pace quickened. I lifted myself on one of my elbows. My other arm couldn't bend. Crying out, I managed to look behind me. The thick stone wall was crumbling behind me, large chunks starting to fall out. A thick rumbling filled the room and the ground began to shake. I was just beginning to feel the fear spilling like an overflowing sink when someone grabbed me at my waist. By now, the pain had left me in a daze, and I stared in wonder at the still-crumbling wall.

Eyes nearly shut now, I looked up to see the carved doorframe of the ballroom's exit. I gasped involuntarily as someone dunked me headfirst in a bucket of water. It was ice cold. How would I be able to swim with my arm? 

"Please," I cried, but I couldn't hear my own voice. "Help!"

The water around me was so dense, so crushing. I was so exhausted. I closed my eyes and stopped trying to swim with my broken arm. Darkness filled my mind, and I welcomed it.