Alluring Lights

I have always been afraid of the dark. 

Darkness is the constant reminder that life is determined by light. It steers us, offers guidance and hope. Without it, we wouldn't be able to move in a straight line, we would wander off into the shadows, facing the shambolic pits of despair.

But despair has nothing on this feeling of loneliness and pure dread that's running through my veins. I feel frozen, lost, and utterly confused.

The cold, bare darkness surrounds me as I slowly but surely awaken, only to sense that I'm alone, once again. Facing the darkness on my own.

A sudden thud echoes through the space, and I find myself trying to pry my eyes open, the prospect of someone invading my personal space has me panicked. As soon as I take in the dimly lit room, though, I can tell this is not my personal space, after all. 

Where the fuck am I? 

The mellow moonlight illuminates the space enough for me to realize that this is not my home. I don't recognize the white tiles on the wall or the green towels on the rack next to the sink, the purple shampoo bottle I spot from the corner of my eye also seems foreign. 

A quick glance to my left makes me realize I'm sitting in some sort of tub, the cold porcelain prickling against my body as I try to make sense of this situation. The last thing I remember is being on the balcony, watching the stars in the middle of this eerie Friday night while having my favorite snack. 

And now I'm here. In an unknown space, no exit in sight. My breathing becomes shallow from the mere thought of not knowing where I am and how I got here. Did I get kidnapped? 

"Hey!"

The voice seemingly comes out of nowhere, and I have to carefully squint my eyes as I look around, searching the space until I suddenly take note of the set of green eyes staring back at me from the corner of the room.

"You're awake!" 

I blink a few times, trying to grasp the situation at hand. 

"Where am I?" my voice is hoarse and my throat raspy, I must have been asleep for a while.

"Honestly, I don't know either. I don't think anyone's home." 

I simply nod my head at the stranger on the other side of the room, who now suddenly crawls towards me, her body slowly lowering right next to me in the tub. 

"I'm Charlotte. What's your name?" 

"Roberto... I mean, Bobby," I respond. My voice is clipped, the panic clogging my throat and making me feel light headed and drowsy. I scan the room once more, trying to look for something, anything to release me from this prison.

There must be some way out of here, right? 

"Don't even bother. We've been looking, too," Charlotte's voice is laced with despair as she shoots me a sad look. I wonder how long she has been here. 

"We?" I pick up on the word.

"Oh, yeah. Luna over there has been here much longer than I have," she points to something to my right, and after narrowing my eyes once more, using the last rays of moonlight in the room to see what she sees, I finally spot a well on the other side of the room. 

A well? What is a well doing in this confined space? And who even uses a well? This doesn't make sense...

"Hello there," her gentle voice makes me focus on the pair of amber eyes, and just now do I notice that she looks absolutely stunning, from what I can tell. She seems fragile, weak, almost. But generally she's more my type than Charlotte next to me. Not that it should matter right this second...