Red Shoes and the 3 Realms

Chapter 5:// The Cerulean Manor

I'm falling. Slowly falling. I felt light as ever which made me think that I was about to die. The white light which engulfed me, slowly began to fade. Once again like before, strange voices were heard. I strained hard to make out the words, but I sought no luck.

Just when I was about to accept my mistake about believing a stranger and magic, reality hit like a...moist grass?

A loud, clear and audible GASP!

"where am I? who am I? wh...what...why is it so *pg-13 word* bright! Ughhhhh" I quickly cover my eyes with my hand and slowly sat up.

"Thank god your finally up. I was starting to get worried. Wel-" I cut him off with my complains.

"What the hell Alex! You could've at least warned me about it and, where am I? Do you realize the amount of pain I am in right now because of the fall? What are you staring it? Maintenant commencez à parler pour l'amour de Dieu ... s'il vous plait." (Now start talking for the love of god) I pleaded

"If you want explanations then DON'T INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!" He yelled at me, but I couldn't stop a laughter bubble inside of me. He sounded more like an old grandma who is yelling at her grandson for coming home late.

"Ok, your majesty! I won't interrupt from here on now"

"Tha-"

"Wait, what if I have to ask a question, then what? Do I wait or interrupt?"

"YOU. WAIT. TILL. THE. END." And I quietly nodded. And his mood changed faster than Mme. Colette shifting from a pirouette to a couper.

"Well in that case, WELCOME TO THE CERULEAN MANOR!! This is the headquarters of all the fairytales, and might I mention, the best fashion too, hence the change in your outfit." And with that said, he eyed me up and down with a proud smile. Curious as I was, I looked at myself and my jaw fell to the ground. My casual attire changed to a very formal yet casual frock. The striped black& white skirt which elegantly flowed till my knees felt weightless. On the contrary, the bell sleeves were something I wasn't always fond of. But the shoes remained the same. My red pointe shoes. But I must say, they are Hella comfortable.

"Outfit changes are part of the package and by that, I mean your magic abilities. The powers are revealed on their own at their own rate but so far it is safe to assume that you can teleport your world and change outfits here too. Right now, the shoes decide, but later you will be capable to do so at your command. Now let's go inside and I'll tell you what your task is, ok?" and I obediently nodded.

We made turned around and began to make our way out of the garden. It wasn't long before we stood in front of the manor. It was breathtaking. It was truly a work of art and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't dying to get a closer look at it because I really badly wanted to. The cream-colored pillars to the intricate details on the ceiling and that blue roof! It looked something out of a fairytale.

The grand doors opened, revealing many busy bodies which surprisingly seemed familiar. The interior itself looked more spacious than I anticipated. As we walked through the rush hour, Jin walked closer to me and softly spoke "Relax, they are all either narrators like me or characters from various realms."

"But there is no one like me...is there?"

"No...You're the one and only, Evelyn Éclair." Which to mine and his surprise came out louder than we wanted it to and caused us to draw a large amount of unwanted attention.

"Did you just say Evelyn Éclair? As in the one who is supposed to handle the situations in realms 2,3 & 4?" I stood there with a blank expression, my gaze bouncing between the Jin and the middle-aged man with glasses who looked at me with...hope? But there was something strange about them at the same time.

"Yes. Yes, she is, and I am her narrator." Jin spoke proudly as if he had just won first place in a competition.

"Wonderful! I'm Choi Won-Young but call me Mr. Choi. I am the owner of this manor and all in-charge of the workings here. I keep tabs on everyone and everything that goes on here. Nothing goes unnoticed." He spoke in a very stern tone, but then laughed it off as if it were a joke. This was our cue to also laugh along as well. He seemed very sketchy.

"But anyways, we need to get you started with your task, mademoiselle. So, follow me!" And with that we began to follow him. I couldn't help but look at Jin and give the there-is-something-fishy-about-this-person look because trust me, he felt sketchy TO. THE. CORE. But he gestured me that all's fine.

We walked and walked until we came across a glass door. Mr. Choi held the door out for me, and I accepted it. Once me and Jin were settled on the only two chairs present and Mr. Choi standing in front of us.

"Before I tell you, there are rules that must be followed. Rules which must not be bent let alone, be broken. Understand?" I took a second to let the words sink in and eventually I gave in and sincerely nodded.

"Rule number 1: Once you have signed the contract, you are connected to the manor and the realms which your serving." I nodded but one unanswered question still lingered which soon was answered. "Don't fret sweetheart, it's been met"

"Rule number 2: Once a realm has been entered, it cannot be exited through the same way. A portal will open when the task ends in that realm. In some cases, there may be more than one task and the portal will still open for you to travel to the next realm. But in order to enter the manor, all tasks must be fulfilled. Once that's done, your narrator will escort you out to the manor himself."

"Rule number 3: Upon entering the realms, you are not allowed to physically interact with your narrator. The only means of communication through which he will guide you is through telepathy."

"and Rule number 4, the one that often gets forgotten by many. Do not get emotionally attached with the characters present in the realms. Whatever happens, do not fall in love because if you do, the consequences may not be in your favor." I gulped at the thought of what the consequences may be but quickly shook my head to erase any signs of fear which may be displayed.

"And finally, your task: you must have them find their happily ever after, one way or another. Your secondary task, is to settle any type of grudge they may be holding."

***

I'm terribly sorry for those who read the 'intended' chapter 6 as chapter 5 without really knowing why the occurrence of these events is happening. I will make an announcement for it as well but this is the REAL CHAPTER 5 :)

-Annabelle