Moonlight Kingdom

Chapter 3

Ray could feel a slight pressure on her body as she walked through the mirror. Although it felt as if she were walking both through the air and on air, she could hear her heels click on the ground beneath her. She could also hear Frankie and Stacy call out to her, but she ignored them. The three of them were once in a mesmerizing trance, but the moment Ray walked through the mirror, Frankie and Stacy snapped out of their hypnosis. Now, they were trying to search for Ray. It was as if their memory had been wiped, and they couldn't recall where she went. They couldn't remember her walking through a mirror, they couldn't remember anything. Instead, they found themselves making their way out of the alley—they could no longer see the mirror, the alley was no longer endless, and they suddenly had the idea that Ray wasn't apart of their plans that evening. After all, she would be there with them if she were.

"Was Ray with us?" Frankie asked as she rubbed her temples, the pressure from the alley gave her an instant headache. "I vaguely recall hearing her voice."

"I'm not sure," Stacy stared off into the evening sky. "Everything feels murky. I think she told us she wasn't coming out tonight, right?" Stacy couldn't remember, neither could Frankie.

Instead of wandering around the city, they decided to go home. After all, both of them were suffering from post-hypnosis, and it left their brains aching.

Meanwhile, Ray made her way through the mirror. Her hand was stretched out before her as she tried to find an ending to her adventure. She was still under some sort of spell—a spell cast by the same person who distorted Frankie and Stacy's memory—and it beckoned her deeper and deeper into the mirror. She could smell a faintly sweet odor like cologne, and she wondered if someone else was with her.

The walls around her began to expand farther and farther until she stepped through the surface of the mirror and entered the city. At least, it looked like the city.

Immediately, Ray awoke from her trance, only she wasn't left with a headache like Stacy and Frankie. She felt more alive than anything else—apart from being frightened.

"Where am I?" She muttered as she turned around and was met with nothing but a brick wall. She was in another alley, but this wasn't the same alley she walked through. Instead, it seemed as if everything was mirrored. Mirrored and far darker.

"Welcome," a voice near her spoke causing her to jump slightly. The voice was familiar, and Ray's brain immediately conjured up memories of last week's encounter with Dakota. "To my Kingdom," he finished as he stepped out from behind her as if he were there the entire time.

He looked the same as he did last week, only this time he was wearing bright yellow jeans instead of red ones. He also changed out his leather jacket for a dark washed jean jacket where he rolled the sleeves up a quarter length on his arm. A gold chain laid about his neck as the accessory to finish off the look. Dakota wasn't wearing a shirt, and Ray couldn't help but let her eyes wander across his chest. He wasn't the most attractive man, but there was definite potential. His eyes were smaller than hers, but that added to their darkness. His lips were thinner than hers, but that added to his authoritative atmosphere as he stood there smirking at the lost woman before him. Dakota had a certain attitude that took over his entire being, and Ray became unsure of herself in his presence once again.

"Your what?" She asked softly, for she wondered if she had heard him correctly. "Where am I?"

"I already told you," he smiled as he pushed back his curly hair. His eyes seemed playful, unlike their curious suspicion from last week. However, Dakota was still unsure of the girl in front of him, and that's why he planted the invitation in Stacy's mailbox. He had a few of his men keep watch on Ray, find out who were her closest friends, and figure out a way to coax her into his lair. He knew that she would never find herself in his alley again because of how frightened she was last time, so he had to plant the seed into Stacy's mind. His lead man informed him about Stacy's love for parties, and it was a perfect situation. "You're in my Kingdom, baby."