The Different Shades of Flame

2: Cave

Two days.

That's how long I've been stuck in here eating oatmeal three times a day. I only know this because of my watch. In those two days, I haven't seen anyone except for the old man. He is the one who escorts me to a bathroom, blindfolded. Everyday.

Turns out his name is Ali, and he has been forced into submission by the man I saw earlier to keep his wife alive.

Poor Guy. When he first told me, I was horrified. Forcing a man into submission by holding his wife or anyone captive is just plain cruel.

He told me; they probably want me dead, so he is helping me escape as soon as possible. I don't know who they are, but they sound dangerous, so I believe him.

Just then, the door opens, and Ali's head pops in. "Come on, we are leaving. "he said.

I hurried outside after him. As I look around, I realize that I have been kept in a room down a whitewashed hallway since my stay here. There isn't even a single black spot from what I can see.

Ali leads me through a maze of hallways, and not even one was furnished or had any details, save the LED light which, doesn't count. There occasionally are white doors with labels that have weird Chinese letters. I ask Ali about them. He said, "Those are off-limits, even for me. I do not know what is inside." Anyhow, it takes what feels like hours to get out of the hallways. Who in the world spent so much money to make this building in the first place? I start to get tired and keep lagging. Luckily, Ali slows down for me. 

After a few more twists and turns, I see two white double doors up ahead, and my heart starts pumping furiously in my chest. I can finally leave this place. Yes!

Ali rushes to the door, quick yet quiet. He looks back at me as if to make sure that I am still here. I nod once.

He pushes the door open, and I gasp out loud at the sight in front of me.

Instead of a front porch, another room, or a street in the city, I see a tremendous patched green field with a starry night sky shining down on us. I think I can even see another planet from where I am standing. There are figures which one could have mistaken for trees, illuminated by a white dwarf in the sky. It looks like a white dwarf but I'm not sure. I think I can see water some distance away. Even the water looks, unlike water.

This is not Earth. This is most definitely not a dream either. Wait a second. What if it is a dream? I could be dreaming, right?

I pinch myself in hopes of waking up over and over again. It isn't helping.

Maybe this is one of those virtual reality headsets or something. I bring my hands to my eyes in hopes of being able to feel the headset. It isn't there! I blink rapidly. The same scene still plays in front of me. I think I can even smell apple cinnamon in the air.

Oh no. This is real. This is damn real. I can distinguish that smell anywhere. s**t. This is so real! I'm in another place. There has got to be an explanation for this.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't notice Ali talking to me until now.

"....you with this mission to reach your destination." he finished.

I don't even know what he said! Gulping down my anxiety, I speak "Ali, Pl- Please tell me I'm just seeing things. I can't be in another place. This has to be some kind of virtual reality room." Yeah, that's it. I'm in a room full of projectors, so this is some sort of high school prank. I let out a tiny hysterical laugh.

Ali simply looks at me like I'm some kind of goblin with 2 heads and a fishtail.

"You are in the land of Evren at gezegen in beozi house. I hear you know your way around here," he said, puzzled. Excuse me? Evren?

"No, I don't. Take back home. I'm... I'm not supposed to be here." I said in a half-choked voice full of disbelief.

"My daughter, Ahsen, will guide you then." He said, stepping back and revealing a thin girl around my age. I didn't even notice her here. I need to be more conscious of my surroundings. I definitely can not trust either of them. Although I know that it is not Ali's fault I am here, I can't help but blame him for this mess. How the heck am I supposed to get back home?

"Wait a second. Where am I in the first place? This is definitely not on Earth."

"As I said before, Ahsen here will guide you to your destination," Ali spoke with a disapproving look on his face.

I turned to Ahsen. She was anxiously playing with her fingers.

"F- Fine. As long as I can get out of here and back home at the end of this."I said.

Ali nods with a slight tug at his lips that makes me very suspicious. "Your journey starts now," he says, disappearing behind some of those tree-like things.

What have I gotten myself into? 

Let me get this straight. I was kidn*pped while looking for the principal's office by someone. Then, I wake up to find myself in a weird sort of asylum. Then I meet an old man who helps me escape said asylum. Just when I thought he was the only one with some sense, he tells me I'm on another planet? 

Yeah, I think that's just about it.

Crap.

I didn't get to look around my surrounding properly during my mini anxiety attack, so I looked around with awe instead of panic like the last time. I know I should be a little panicked, but the apple cinnamon scent was just so alluring. So calming.

I relaxed my tense posture completely, wobbling a little on my feet. It smelt so good. Like nothing, I have ever smelt before. I didn't even realize I was on my knees until I felt the dirt beneath me. I didn't remember that Ahsen is still here with me until she started pulling at my arm, saying something incomprehensible.

I can barely make out what's going on around me. Everything is hazy, and the Apple cinnamon scent is empowering. I can barely see straight, and as I tried to move my limbs, I realize that I am completely numb. I have absolutely no idea what's happening to me. I think it may have something to do with where I am, but my mind is a bag of mush.

Suddenly I completely snap out of my trance, looking around at my surroundings.

"What was the-that?" I asked, my voice shaky. The crazy thing about it is that I was suddenly craving more of that feeling. I felt like I was under a spell.

Ahsen sighed. "That was my Half-brother playing tricks from afar. Come on, I'll explain later," she said.

Since I have no idea where we were going, I let Ahsen take me to a cave. If I had not been panicked already, then I would have found it extremely beautiful in a dangerous way. The cave is small but enough for both of us.

I had not seen any humans in the few minutes that we were outside, so I have no idea who Ahsen mentioned. I sigh. I think I will rest and let all of this sink in before any other Unearthly thing happens. I have had a habit of sitting in one spot for long periods and just thinking about whatever is bothering me.

I make myself comfortable as I allow sleep to overtake me, hoping that I do not have a nightmare. I usually get nightmares, and they are always the same.

No matter how hard I try, I could never sleep properly for the past year or so because of these nightmares: Attacked by a man on horseback, then killed. It's always the same. This time though, the dream is worse. This time, I am being attacked by the same person. The only exception is that this time, like any cliché romance story, there is a Knight in shining armor. Although my view of him isn't good, I have a pretty good idea of what he looks like.

I wake up sweating and startled, looking around myself. This is so strange. Ahsen had lit a fire in the corner I was facing. That probably explains the sweat. She didn't notice I am awake, her back facing me.

This place is messing with me.

---Later---

I stayed with Ahsen in that cave until we both get hungry. Ahsen went out to get some food, and I am alone. We didn't really talk about what happened, and I don't want to either. Not yet anyway. I shiver just thinking about that apple cinnamon scent again. I try distracting myself from those thoughts, looking through my surroundings. The cave is beautiful. The walls look so pretty, unlike anything on Earth. I stand up, looking around but my knees are still shaky, so I sit down again.

"What's wrong, Princessa?" someone breaths into my ear, suddenly. I'm not alone. s**t. That isn't Ahsen.

Gulping, I slowly turn my head to look at the person behind me, eyes wide as saucers. Oh s**t.

The guy behind me is remarkably familiar. I gasp.

That's Him! The Knight. The one in my nightmare, only in a shirt, dark jeans and black shoes.

Cliché.

That's my last thought before fainting into dreamless unconsciousness.