Dark Magic

Chapter 7

Rei's POV

I squint, opening my eyes. Sunlight floods in through the windows. I sit up, rubbing sleep from my eyes. I look down at the mess that is my hair. I try to untangle the golden strands, and I brush through my bangs so they hopefully look neater.
Stretching my legs, I stand up. I straighten my clothes and peek into the other room. No one is there. So I was right about being alone. I wonder how long Kiaran had been gone. Deciding I didn't care, I sat at the wooden table in the center of the room.
"I wonder if he has any food..." I mutter to myself.
Getting up from the chair, I scan the cupboards. Nothing. Absolutely no food in this house. There isn't even a bed in this house, I realized. No sink, no bathroom. God, did Kiaran even live here?
       Deciding to get some fresh air, I went outside. There was a small field just by the house, flowers blooming among the grass. The morning air was sweet in my lungs. The bright sunlight warmed my skin. I lay down in the field, stroking the colorful flowers. I didn't recognize any of them, I had never seen them before.
Birds chirped in the trees, and a warm breeze blew across the meadow. I inhaled deeply. Before I knew it, I was drifting into a deep sleep.

* * *

       I ended up back in the house when I awoke. Still starving, I looked around every nook and cranny for food, but found none. As if to emphasize my predicament, my stomach grumbled. I flopped down on the couch, defeated. Kiaran was still nowhere to be found. I kind of hoped he would come back. Maybe he would have food with him.
Maybe there's food somewhere outside. There's plenty of plants. I heaved myself off the dirty, ripped couch and headed out the door. I began my search over by the trees. I scanned the bushes, but didn't see any with some sort of edible fruit.
       I went deeper in the forest, but still no luck. Giving up, I decided to head back to the house. Wait. I had no idea where I was. I didn't want to admit it, but I was lost. Great. I whipped my head around, searching for some sort of sign of where I came from.
       I decided I would just wait. Maybe someone would stumble across me and get me back to civilization. It was unlikely, but that bit of hope still flickered inside me. I sat down on a pile of crunchy, dead leaves and crossed my legs. After what felt like hours- probably only a couple minutes, my patience has never been great- I stood up and bounded in the direction I picked, which was one I had no clue of.
       I kept passing identical trees, seemingly ending up nowhere. My legs started to ache, and I felt like resting. I sat down and lay against a large, gray rock to catch my breath. I guess I'm stuck here forever. I had accepted my fate. I would probably end up like Snow White, living in the woods.
       I noticed the sun starting to set, the sky ablaze in hues of orange and violet. I yawned. Today had been a long day. I had gone out searching for food and had ended up getting lost in the forest, never to come out. I shivered. The night air was cool on my skin, and I hugged myself tighter. I wish I hadn't been wearing a T-shirt and jeans the day I awoke here. Which was yesterday, I realized. It seemed so much longer, like I had been here for years. Maybe I had.
       I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. Small animals scurrying about, birds chirping, crickets chattering. I curled up into a tight ball, wishing that in the morning I would wake up in my own bed. Eyelids heavy, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep, but not before I saw a pair of glowing lilac eyes staring back at me.

* * *

I squinted my eyes in the sunlight, blinking in confusion. Last I checked, I was stuck in that forest, not in... a  house? I sat up suddenly. Why am I here? I looked around me. I was in what appeared to be a bedroom, and I was sitting in a huge bed. Its pale, creamy sheets smelled of the wild, like flowery meadows and the sea shore. The walls were a pale lilac, and a large window was to the right of me. It looked down on a prim little garden, full of red and white flowers.
       My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I am absolutely starving. Swinging my legs off the bed, I eye the door cautiously. I didn't know who lived here, maybe they were a vicious killer that only brought me here for their entertainment.
       Standing up, I tiptoed over to the doorway, twisting the glass knob slightly. I peeked out of the crack, seeing a hallway. I opened the door all the way, and carefully stepped outside. There were paintings hanging on the walls. They were indescribable, the most enchanting works of art I had ever seen. Swirls of blues and golds, portraits of beautiful creatures. I was at a loss for words.
       Deciding to explore deeper into the strange house, I walked to the end of the hall. It branched off into a large, sunlit room. Cream colored walls accompanied deep red furniture, the windows in this room large as well. A potted plant sat in the far corner, only reaching several feet in height.
       The next room was a kitchen. It was the biggest and grandest kitchen I had ever laid eyes on, pots and pans hanging from a rack just above the island in the middle of the room. The cabinets were a deep, pine brown, and the counters a white marble. The walls were a pale lilac, just like the bedroom I had awoken in earlier.
       "Looks like you're up and going now."
       I spun around, startled, and came face to face with a figure in black.
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Thanks for reading!