Shadow Cursed

Chapter 24: The Uninvited Vistor

I wasn't so sure where I was. I tried to take a step but I heard a snapping sound from the object under my foot. Turns out it was an old abandoned toy. I fought my way out of the closet, to find myself standing in the hallway of the second floor. "Well now I know where I am, I gotta get better at teleporting."

Opening the door slowly, I walked into my room to find it a mess. "What happened here..." I looked through the pile of items in the middle of my room finding random objects I collected over the years. I discovered stuffed animals of all types and sizes, books of many genres and sizes, a few random drawing books I had, then I had reached the bottom of the pile.

In my hand was the picture of my mother I always kept, on the ground with a crack in the glass. I could only stare at her face, it was the only picture I had. Who ever broke the glass by throwing it on the floor was careless, I wanted to hurt them. Slowly taking the back of the frame off, I removed the picture from the frame and put it safely in my pocket.

I grabbed all my belongings that I would need since I wouldn't be back for some time. Meanwhile, I cleaned up my room and returned mostly everything to their correct places.

I then noticed a note on the floor, a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and opened it cautiously. It was written in fast and barely legible hand writing. I couldn't read it, but I knew someone who could. I took the note along with the picture, and grabbed my satchel with cloak with some food from the kitchen.

Closing the front door behind me I saw the city bus coming. Taking human transportation for once I dropped $1 in quarters into the box in the front and sat down in an empty seat in the back alone. The ride was bumpy, and long. Each minute the passed was more time lost.

Certain that no one was watching me, I flipped the old book open to the bookmark I left. Page 367, Special and Rare Gifts and Powers, I stared at the page. I read down the list of gifts know to exist, and stopped at the heading, Gift of Time. The paragraph was short and brief but it gave me another page to find where it explained it more. I flipped to page 598 and looked at the page numbers confused. The page didn't exist in the book, I examined the binding and noticed remains of a ripped page. I closed the book in frustration and stared at the bus ceiling. Pushing the book back into my stuffed satchel I stood up to get off the bus.

I was the last one to get off for the night. I stopped in front of the little store I was at a few days ago. The sign read closed in bold, red, capital letters, but I tried opening the door and the handle turned for me. Inside the lights were on and the store owner was no around. The bell hanging on the door rung behind me as the door closed.

"Is anyone here?" I wandered to the front counter, to find no one was there. "Maybe I should go."

From the back a voice, "Didn't you see the sign! We're closed!" He was really annoyed I can tell, and I awkwardly stood there as he came out from a room.

"I'm sorry! I'll get going then." I started to turn around when he interrupted me.

He stared at me for minutes, like he was analyzing me. "You're the girl that came looking for the way to the Celestial Realm, come come. I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"There was an accident and I had to return early." I looked down at the floor. "Anyways I wanted to see if you could read this," I took the note out and put it on the counter.

"Let me see," he held the note in his hands and mumbled something beneath his breath. "This is interesting."

"What does it say?" I stood there almost shaking from what the note said.

He took a few minutes to translate it for me. "It's a note to someone, they are to meet them at the clearing in the woods at exactly midnight with the amulet in 2 days if they want the human back alive. A ransom note."

"The human back, and alive? What kind of sick twisted ransom is this?" I could only imagine where a note like this could come from.

He examined the note some more, "I can't seem to locate where it came from. It seems someone dropped it and didn't notice since they were in a hurry." He handed the note back to me folded up neatly.

"Thanks for the help, I've got a start now and I have to find my father." I left the shop and started toward the outside of the city.

On the way, it felt as if the temperature got colder. I held my coat closer to me as I tried to locate the address of Alric's apartment. I hadn't visited it yet so I had to use street signs and ask for directions when I could.

Finally after 2 hours I ended up in the correct place. I used my key and stepped into the elevator, pressing the floor 5 button, I waited. No one else got on and I got off 5 floors from the lobby. I approached his door and knocked, no one came to open the door. I tried turning the handle to find it was unlocked, Alric wouldn't be this careless.

I stepped into his spacious apartment to find it a semi-mess also. Someone must of gone through both the apartment and the house looking for something. I wandered into the bedroom to find the blanket and pillows on the floor, and papers scattered everywhere. The living room wasn't any better upon closer inspection.

Another note caught my eye. It was folded in the same manor and almost same size. I picked it up and opened it, same handwriting.

As I was trying to read the note, I heard the door open and froze. Who was that? I slowly turned to the hallway to discover a bruised and injured Alric, "Oh my gosh are you okay!" I ran to him and helped him into the couch after clearing a space for him to sit. I grabbed an ice pack and gave it to him for his eye. "What happened?"