Nescience | (On Hold)

Chapter - 18. Visionary

"I don't know. But its possible right?" Zoe replied.

"If that's possible, then you're not safe. We must make sure you never leave the palace until we return home." Ruby said.

"Then we probably won't be able to tour the city. So, we can leave tomorrow." Charlie added.

"No. Guys, I want to see this place. It's amazing. You three can protect me, besides, if the killer neither wants me to have the frame nor return it, then what are we supposed to do?" I asked.

"Maybe we're supposed to return it to its home...Ardelia. But should we?" Zoe asked.

"Do you even know anyone in Ardelia? I think we should talk to someone who knows more about these things. Zoe, you said Ethilyn gifted a bunch of other stuff too right? We'll have to see all of it later. But firstly, I need to get back to my episode. I need to know who that man was." I said.

"Well, your visions are already inside of your head. You just need to get to them. I can teach you how to get to it but I can't assure you'll get to pick what vision you're about to have. Could be anything or could be the one you want." Zoe said.

I nodded in response. We felt like we should get to our rooms before trying it out. So all of us rushed to my room. The three of them stood around me as Zoe instructed me to lay flat on the bed and I did so.

"I want you to go into deep sleep, just concentrate on my voice. Your mind is like a house full of rooms. Can you see it?" He asked.

I got what he was saying. I could see a room. All the walls were painted white. There was no furniture. I could see four doors on the side of the room, all white as well.

'Choose what feels right to you'. I could hear Zoe instructing me, it sounded like an intercom inside my mind.

I have to pick a door. They all looked the same. I chose to go with the third door from the right. I gently opened the door, to find myself in a courtroom. A huge courtroom, with a throne on the dias. People everywhere.

Soon, a man sat on the throne. He started addressing the public, "As you might know, I am the first king of this kingdom. Ardelia has always been a place ruled by women. When my wife died, I had to take over the kingdom because my daughter,Ethilyn, was too young back then. But now, she has reached the age to rule Ardelia. You will soon be under the rule of a young, strong, independent woman after 18 years. Because as you all know, here in Ardelia, our sons are trained to be soldiers, our daughters to be leaders."

Moments later, a young woman appeared and the crowd went crazy. Everyone started yelling and hugging. They just seemed so happy. I could clearly see that the woman was none other than Ethilyn, but there was something different about her. She had a scar on the side of her neck, it was almost like a mark. The same one that was on the frame. The encircled pentagram. It made sense, the frame came from Ardelia so it has the same symbol as Ethilyn.

Time froze, everything stopped. Everyone stood frozen. I finally figured it out. Each room is like a movie. I have to go to the right one to get the right information.

'Kate wake up, wake up Kate.' I could hear Zoe screaming. Waking up was easy, I didn't do anything. I wanted to wake up and I woke up.

"Guys, I got some great info. But, nothing about the man and the chanting." I said.

Everyone stared at me like I grew an extra pair of arms. In an instance, the expression of horror turned into one with concern.

"What?!" I Might've yelled a little.

Charlie said, "You nose. Its bleeding."

I touched my nose to see if it was true. I felt warm liquid which I confirmed was blood when I saw it.

"What happened?" I asked.

"This was too much for your body to handle. Digging too deep can sometimes cause physical injuries. We should slow down. This could be fatal. Promise me you'll never do this by yourself." Zoe instructed.

"I promise. But we should go to Ardelia. NOW!!!" I urged.

"What?! Why?" All of them asked in unison.

"Just a hunch but I feel like someone there might help us," I said.

"Let's get you cleaned up first." Charlie said. I agreed. The process wasn't painful. But I don't have any explanation for the nosebleed. If I dig in too deep this ought to happen. I need to be more careful.

As for now, we have to take the frame to Ardelia. I just feel like someone there could help us.

I went into the bathroom and rinsed off all the blood. I washed my face and patted it dry. The three of them were still in my room. Charlie went through my clothes to pick one for the trip. Ruby helped me with towels while Zoe sat on the sofa in my room.

"This should do it." Charlie said as she handed me a casual black jumpsuit. I turned down the offer and took a pair of my favorite jeans and a denim top. I rushed into the bathroom and changed.

"What about our parents? We were to meet them at the gallery and return the frame. Should I call them and cancel?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, that would be best." Zoe replied.

"What should I say?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. Tell them, we're going to tour the city this afternoon as the weather is beautiful and tell them we'll talk about the frame later." I replied.

Ruby dialed Scarlett's number and took the phone to her ear. Meanwhile, I heard someone knock at the door.

I rushed to see who it was, I opened the door and found a girl about my age. She black hair and wore a casual blue gown.

"Um...May I help you?" I asked.

"Are you Katelyn Barnes?" The girl asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Hi, my name is Alessa Philomena. I was the one who sent you the frame." She said.

Oohhh, a new character. What do you think of Alessa? Comment below on why she sent Kate the frame. This is the first chapter with >1100 words. I have also entered 'Nescience' for the EYHO summer awards under the fantasy section, as they didn't have a paranormal category. Fingers crossed.