Once Upon A [Stolen] Time - [Stolen] Series I

CHAPTER 8

"What do we do if we hear screams today?" I asked.

"She's right, Steve. I don't feel good about being here," Tyler said. "We'd run. What else?"

Steve was looking down, biting his nails absently. His mind was locked in some deep thinking.

"I've been planning to film this place for my game for two years," reading my wrought face, he continued, "And now, when it's finally happening, you guys are entertaining ridiculous ideas." He turned to Tyler. "Nothing bad has happened so far." I gulped. Was he waiting for something to happen? "I'm not backing out. I feel like the unwritten story of my game lies in this castle, and I want to explore the whole thing."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. I could see how stressed he was. It showed in his eyes, in his body language, that he'd worked hard to get into this place, and now Tyler freaking out over every incident was making him crack.

I held his hand. A glint of hope sparked in his eyes. "I'm in this as much as you are." Tyler was watching us. "You don't know how much I wanted to visit this place, and now, when I'm finally here, I shouldn't be scared." I smiled at him.

He touched my cheek with his hand. "Thank you. It means a lot to me." He glanced at Tyler accusingly.

"Oh, man! You know I can't see you like this." Tyler wrapped his arms around our necks, pulling us into a bear hug. "We are a team now."

Julia cleared her throat to grab our attention. "So, where do you guys want to go next? Explore this main floor, the upper floor, or the tower?"

"Tower," I said immediately.

She took out a paper from her bag. It was a map of the castle.

"You don't know where the tower is?" Steve asked.

She shook her head. "I've never visited the tower. I've only explored the chapel, the kitchen, and a few rooms. I had a very minimal time, Mr Bernard." She paused. "The tower was not originally part of the castle's layout because David and Jasmine never used such punishment. His brother Andrew extended the castle and built the tower to torture people."

"You mean to say this castle doesn't have a dungeon?" I asked.

"That's correct. According to my knowledge, there was none, as David and Jasmine never held anyone in prison during their reign."

I walked towards the massive wooden dining table at the corner of the Hall. It was a private dining room, separated from the rest of the Hall. A red velvet runner was spread out on the table. The chair at the head had a high back and was positioned on a higher level than the others, commonly used for monarchs. Fourteen chairs were on each side, all beautifully carved on the back in some unknown language. I pulled out one chair adjacent to the head of the table and sat on it.

A strange, unknown feeling washed over me. My heart started beating faster like I had run a marathon. It was a blinking moment of déjà vu—as if I had been to this place, I had used this table and had eaten dinner here. Gawking around the Hall, I noticed a passage that disappeared into darkness.

"I think the tower is on that side." I pointed out the passage.

Steve and Tyler turned their heads where I indicated. Julia looked up from her map. "She's right." Surprise masked her face. "How do you know?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." I really didn't know.

I stood up from the dining chair and started down the darkened path. It was a broad passage at first, but then it started getting narrower and closed like a cave. There was a strange dingy smell, and it was too dark to see. No air filtered through the walls. Steve turned on the flashlight from his iPhone, and we all followed him.