Chapter 2
1010 Words
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the pounding in my head.
"Ugh..."
I sat up slowly and pressed a hand against my forehead.
My room looked exactly the same.
My luggage was untouched.
My clothes were where I had left them.
Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
I tried recalling what had happened last night.
The glowing eyes.
The strange words.
The wall.
The mansion.
That man.
But every time I tried to remember, a sharp pain shot through my head.
"What the hell happened?"
No answer came.
As usual.
A knock sounded on my door.
"Miss Zilla?"
I turned.
The maid from yesterday stood outside.
"The family requests your presence downstairs for tea."
I blinked.
"Tea?"
"Yes, Miss."
Who summons people for tea in 2026?
Still, I followed her.
---
The dining room was already occupied.
Servants moved around quietly.
Guards stood near the entrances.
Yet something felt strange.
They all seemed nervous.
Almost as if they were avoiding something.
Or someone.
I sat down and accepted a cup of tea.
The first sip nearly made me forget all my problems.
"Oh."
The maid smiled.
"You like it?"
"I'd sell my future children for another cup."
The maid nearly dropped the teapot.
---
A laugh sounded nearby.
I turned.
A woman was approaching.
She was gorgeous.
Long golden hair.
Perfect makeup.
Sharp nails.
Designer clothes.
She looked like she had stepped out of a luxury magazine.
She stopped beside me.
"So."
She crossed her arms.
"You're the new b***h?"
I nearly spat out my tea.
"Good morning to you too."
The woman smirked.
"I like you already."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Should I be concerned?"
"Very."
She leaned closer.
"Word of advice."
"I'm listening."
"Don't get your hand caught in the cookie jar."
I stared at her.
"What does that even mean?"
She only smiled.
Then she walked away.
Leaving me completely confused.
---
A few minutes later, my cousin appeared.
Finally.
The man who had dragged me across dimensions and then disappeared for almost a day.
I pointed at him.
"You."
He paused.
"Me?"
"You kidnapped me."
"I did not kidnap you."
"You drove me ten hours, flew me to another dimension and dumped me in a Gothic mansion."
He thought about it.
"...Fair point."
I rolled my eyes.
Then left him sitting there.
---
Back in my room, I tried connecting to the internet.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"No internet?"
I stared at the screen.
"No internet?"
I checked again.
Still nothing.
"Are we living in the Ice Age?"
---
With nothing else to do, I decided to explore.
The estate was massive.
Far larger than I had originally thought.
And the strangest thing?
The front door was back.
Exactly where it was supposed to be.
I froze.
Last night there had been a wall.
A giant wall.
I knew there was.
So where did it go?
Had I imagined everything?
The question refused to leave my mind.
---
Eventually, I found a quiet seating area overlooking part of the estate.
The signal was weak, but somehow my laptop connected.
Finally.
I quickly approved payroll reports and submitted everything waiting for me.
The relief was immediate.
At least nobody would be hunting me down for salaries.
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the sky.
Then, unfortunately...
My thoughts drifted to him.
The mysterious man.
The green eyes.
The ridiculous face.
The stupidly attractive face.
"No."
I stood immediately.
"Nope."
There were far more important things to think about.
Like how I was getting home.
Or why this place existed.
Or why everyone acted weird.
Not some overgrown Greek god.
---
As I continued walking, I began understanding the structure of the estate.
Navigas wasn't a normal city.
It had layers.
Three of them.
The lower district.
The middle district.
And the upper district.
I was currently in the highest section.
The place where the giant castle stood.
The place where powerful people lived.
Yet despite all the beauty around me...
Something still felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Then the woman's warning echoed in my mind.
"Don't get your hand caught in the cookie jar."
"What does that even mean?"
I muttered.
---
By the time I returned to the castle, a maid approached me.
"The Third Master wishes to see you."
I blinked.
"Third Master?"
"Yes."
"What happened to the first and second?"
The maid looked horrified.
"I..."
She lowered her voice.
"Please don't ask that question."
Now I was even more curious.
---
A few moments later, she led me into one of the gardens.
A man stood waiting.
Tall.
Handsome.
Dangerously handsome.
I was beginning to suspect that ugly people were banned from this place.
He smiled warmly.
"Miss Zilla."
I folded my arms.
"Question."
"Go ahead."
"Are you from Earth?"
His smile widened.
"Why?"
"Because everybody here behaves like they escaped from Jupiter."
For a second he just stared.
Then he burst out laughing.
The first genuine laugh I had heard since arriving.
"Interesting."
"I get that a lot."
"No, I don't think you do."
---
We began walking through the gardens.
Surprisingly, the conversation flowed easily.
He asked about me.
My work.
My life.
My goals.
"I'm twenty-seven."
He nodded.
"I'm an HR manager."
He nodded again.
"I need to get paid."
He blinked.
"What?"
"I have rent."
Another blink.
"I have savings."
Silence.
"I want to buy a car."
Now he was trying not to laugh.
"Your priorities are impressive."
"They're realistic."
His eyes lingered on me.
Far longer than necessary.
I noticed.
And he clearly wasn't trying to hide it.
Dangerous man.
Very dangerous.
Then he suddenly asked:
"What if I could give you something greater than all of that?"
I frowned.
"Like what?"
His smile deepened.
"Something you never expected."
For the first time, I noticed how far we had walked.
The castle was barely visible now.
Dark trees surrounded us.
The forest looked endless.
A cold feeling crawled up my spine.
Could I even find my way back?
And more importantly...
Was I supposed to?
- Writer
