Beyond Us | Mature Harry Styles

I - Summoned

Caroline Vance.

I have been summoned by King Dexter.

My heart is pounding so hard against my chest that it almost hurts, and my palms are unbelievably sweaty. My breathing is ragged and forced, making me even more uncomfortable. I close my eyes for a moment, attempting to block out the ominous atmosphere of the room around me, but it only reminds me of how much my mind is spinning.

I'm violently shaking as an intimidating man dressed in all black enters the room I have been waiting in for what feels like the past few hours, and paces slowly towards me.

"Ms. Vance?" The man's deep voice echoes throughout the small, darkly-decorated room.

I hesitantly make eye contact with him and nod, knowing that I would most likely be unable to speak right now.

"Follow me."

I gather whatever is left of myself and stand up, following closely behind the tall man as he guides me out of the room. I have never been in King Dexter's castle before. In fact, I don't know anyone who has. The floors are a dark shade of gray marble and bright, white columns align the seemingly endless hallway that the man leads me into. Several chandeliers hang from the ceiling that seems almost as high as the sky. I unwillingly gulp as I also notice the chilling black statues that seem to be in almost every space available. I can't tell exactly what they are... they look similar to gargoyles. It's definitely uninviting, to say the least.

Of all the times I have imagined what lies inside of King Dexter's amazing castle, this is never what I had expected.

I somehow manage to make it to the end of the hallway following behind the still unidentified man, and shiver as he slams the large door behind us, eliminating my view of the daunting hallway. He then leads me to another door in which I expect for him to open and reveal King Dexter, but to my surprise is just another long, dark hallway. The castle from what I have observed so far is dimly lit and something straight out of a nightmare.

At the end of this hallway, however, there is a large, red door which stretches from the floor to the ceiling. The man types a long code into a small, almost hidden touch screen monitor located to the right of the door, then swiftly turns around to face me.

"He is ready for you." The man says, only making my anxiety multiply.

I simply nod at him again, not knowing what I could possibly say in return to his grim statement.

I am startled as the red doors slowly break away from each other, providing an entrance. My heart jumps around in my chest as I approach the room in front of me. I am finally about to find out why King Dexter has summoned me out of all people.

The room is dark, and quiet. Very quiet. I look around for King Dexter, and feel my soul escape my body when I realize that he is right in front of me, sitting behind the largest desk I have ever seen.

As if the castle wasn't eerie enough, King Dexter is the cherry on top. He is an aged man, not yet elderly, but not at all young. His black hair with gray streaks is perfectly slicked on the sides, and looks immaculate. He is wearing a black suit which fits him almost too perfectly. As I step a bit closer, I notice his prominent features, including his large eyebrows and dark-brown, almost-black eyes to accompany them. He is much more intimidating in person that on our monitor at home.

"Caroline Vance," he says almost as if he is announcing it to a crowd, "have a seat."

He briefly stands up from his chair and gestures towards the space in front of his desk. I realize that he is wanting me to sit down. I feel sick to my stomach as I force myself to take a seat almost directly across from him.