Wyatt's Magical Wardrobe || ONC 2024

[Five]

I stare at the picture in my hand. How can this possibly be his mother, I've read the articles, she's been missing for so long? But if he's telling the truth, where on earth has she been all this time?

"Who's this dude then?" I ask instead, pointing to the guy that looks like him in the photo.

"Pardon me for being ignorant, but, what is a dude?" He replies.

"How do you not know what a dude is, were you born in a cave?" Becks says from the doorway. She seems very weary to come any closer.

"No, I was born in Summerfield house, exactly two hundred years ago."

My eyes bulge, he can't be serious. Great, we have a nutter in the house. I'm suddenly feeling uneasy, at least when he was a ghost he couldn't hurt us. Both Becks and I take a cautious step away from him.

"I apologise, I must sound rather daft in the head, but I assure you it is all true. My mother found a doorway connecting our times when she was in her teen years. She would often venture through visiting my father-the man in that picture-and his sister."

Becks holds up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. So you're saying there's a magical doorway linking the present to the past in that wardrobe?"

"That is exactly what I am saying," he replies.

I don't know what to think. It all sounds completely bonkers. Actually, Bonkers and intriguing all at the same time. Well, there's only one thing for it.

"Show us," I say.

"It would be my pleasure," he says and opens the door, gesturing for me to go first.

The way he says the word pleasure sends tingles all over me. Snap out of it, Wyatt. He could be a serial killer with a secret torture room hiding behind there, for all I know.

I look at Becks who is staring at the door looking completely dumbfounded. She then turns to me shaking her head. "Nope, not happening."

She's such a wuss.

"Well, I must admit I'm fascinated by this turn of events. So wish me luck Becks, I'm going in."

Before I can take another step, Becks rushes over and grabs me by the arm.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just call the fuzz?" She whispers in my ear.

"Honestly, I think there's something weird going on, but I feel like we can trust him." That's not entirely true, but I don't want her to freak. I really want to find out if he's telling the truth and not totally loco. "But if I do actually disappear in there and I'm not back in, say, twenty minutes, then you can call the cops."

"Fine," she says with a sigh.

I give her a hug and she pulls out her phone to set the timer. Wow, she's really taking this seriously.

Be careful are her last words to me before I walk dangerously close to the handsome stranger-who, damn, smells so freaking good. Mmm, what is that? What'd they use two hundred years ago, anyway? Probably not lynx Africa.

"Once inside, find the top right corner and push the small lever to the left twice, then once to the right and it should click open."

I nod then cast one last glance at Becks, she's not paying any attention to me, because she's watching Matthew like a hawk. I've always liked the name Matthew and it really suits him.

Damn it, Wyatt, focus.

"Okay, here goes. Oh, I'm Wyatt, by the way."

"A pleasure, Wyatt." There he goes again, making me tingle. "Such an interesting name for a young lady," he says, giving me the once over. Ooh tingle city.