I didn't open my eyes at first I was having such a good dream. I felt a breeze then, it carried a strong scent of roses. I sat up quickly thinking of the day before hoping it all a dream. I looked around the room, I blinked few times trying to figure out if what I was seeing was real. The room itself was nearly twice as big as whole my apartment, not that an affordable flat in NY was expected to be any bigger than a shoe box. The bed I was in was fit for a Queen, and on nearly every table in the room there was a vase of dark blue roses. I looked down at myself seeing that my old clothing was gone, I was wearing a very pretty black nightgown with fabulous gold embroidery along the edges. I climbed out of bed and was headed towards the window, but before I had a chance to look outside the door opened. I turned to see an old woman walking through the door. She was short and the tray she carried looked so heavy she might fall over from its weight.
"Here let me help you." I said rushing to her side and taking the tray without thinking. "Why thank you my dear, I hope you like tea it's all I drink." She said I followed her to the small table and chairs that sat by the window. "Who are you?" I asked as she sat, "I'm high priestesses Lady Amari of the amazonian tribe Utopia, but you can call me Mari. No one does anymore but you can." "Mari? Where am I?" I asked still in slight shock, hoping I'd wake up back at home any moment. "Why Utopia my dear, didn't I just say that? Now come sit, sit we have much to talk about." "Utopia, you've got to be kidding me." I said sitting, "Child I don't joke, most of the time." She smiled and waved her hand towards the open window to our left. I looked outside and my jaw dropped. Below the window was a vast garden at the edge of which was a not so small town. It looked like I was at the center of the town, in what looked like a castle. The town was full with houses shops and people who looked like they belonged in the middle ages the streets were made up of grass. "Utopia like paradise?" I asked looking back at her, "That's what they tell me, what you think is up to you? After all this is your home now." "No, I can't stay here. I have a life back in New York." I said standing, "I'm afraid that isn't up to you my dear." "Like hell it isn't." I yelled and ran to the door that was still open, there was no one at the door or down the halls. I made my way down the halls running passed amazons they just stopped to stare in confusion. I ran down a few wrong halls and doors seeing practically the entire castle before I finally made it to the door that definitely lead outside. It was a large ornate pair of double doors that sat in what had to be the throne room. I pushed on the doors, but they didn't budge. I tried for the windows on either side, but those where to small and didn't open.
"Good morning Marnie," a musical voice said from behind me. I smelled the roses before I even turned around. Behind me holding a bundle of roses was the Queen. Today she wore a long dark green dress it was loose and flowed around her like the fields of grass in the wind. Her hair was tied up in an ornate fashion with fake gold roses placed throughout it. She still had the same gold a seashell around her neck as before. I could see that she wore no shoes as she walked towards me, giving the roses to the red haired guard that followed her. "I'm so glad you finally woke, we were starting to get worried." She said softly sounding truly worried, "W-why?" I asked still gasping for breath after running so much. "What do you mean, my dear?" She asked, she was smiling at me. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked, "For the same reason we bring the unwanted, so you can grow and learn from us. So you can be stronger, I saw something in you the other day. Something I haven't seen in a long time, passion." As she spoke she placed her hand under my chin I backed away leaving her hand in the air where my face had been. "You broke into my home kidnapped me and my fox, because I have passion?" I half shouted, "Well when you put it like that it does sound odd." Mari said, she was walking slowly towards us. All but the Queen and I bowed as she entered, "Priestess," the Queen said placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head slightly in respect. "I want my fox, I want my old clothing, and I want to go home right now!" I shouted stomping my foot feeling like a child. "I'm afraid I can only slightly help with one of those," the Queen said, with a wave of her hand the nightgown somewhat vanished. It was more like a wave of dark blue the nightgown disappeared and in its place was a white gown. It had a clasp that looked like it was made of gold held it together at the top over my shoulders. It looked like something an elf or the Greeks would wear. "White's not your color," she said looking me over. "Blue," she said and with another wave the gown turned a deep midnight blue. She smiled at me seeming pleased with herself, I crossed my arms. "That's not what I meant, I just want to go home." "I'm afraid I can't let you." She said her attention only slightly taken away as a second guard came up and handed her what looked like a small scroll."Why not?" I asked, as she read the scroll. "You were wasted on earth, here you can be something greater. You can be one of us," She said hiding the scroll back to the woman with a smile and nod. "But I like who I am, I don't want to be one of you." I said, "You will," She smiled as she looked back at me. "And if I don't?" The Queen's guards glared at me. "Marnie, will you walk with me?" She asked, "Do I have a choice?" I said knowing the answer when she laughed and with a wave of her hands the ornate doors opened. She placed her hand softly on my back leading me out the doors. Her guards followed us Mari vanished back into the castle. The sun was high in the sky above us. We made our way through what looked like a garden.
