Guardians Of The Box

Chapter 3 - The Village

Further into the room was a woman who had been waiting for them. She was tall and incredibly beautiful. She had ivory skin that looked soft to touch. She had flowing blonde hair that reached past her firm bust. Her beauty oozed out of every pour, she exuded it with grace. She was about thirty years old. But she looked wise beyond her years. There was an innocence about her that made Stephanie feel somewhat safe in her presence. When the lady noticed the pair enter the room, a gleaming smile emerged on her face.

"You are Stephanie Rollins," she said. Her voice was soft, heavenly.

"Yes. And you are?"

"Forgive me but I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time. It brings me joy to know that this wait has been worth it. My name is Valerie, I'm very pleased to have the privilege of meeting you." She gestured to a mat on the floor. "Please, will you sit down? We have much to talk about now that you're here."

Stephanie did as she was asked. There was something about Valerie's voice that compelled her to want to do just about anything she told her to do. This moment vaguely reminded her of her time spent with Jonathan Creel, he too had wanted to talk with her privately. Of course, these circumstances were different and Valerie was Creel's polar opposite in comparison, however, it was important for Stephanie to keep her wits about her. She didn't know much about Valerie nor Enzo, hopefully this wasn't another trap.

"Do you mind me asking where we are? And how I got here?" Stephanie queried.

"You are in Parkwood, a small village in Aramoor. Enzo brought you here through a door controlled by magic fairy dust. Don't worry, the people you see around here will keep you safe."

Valerie turned her attention to Enzo. "What happened when you arrived in Creel's chambers? Did you get out safely?"

Enzo nodded his head. "I got in fast and grabbed her. Creel tried to stop her from entering the door but he was too late."

Valerie's eyes widened with shock. "If he saw your face then we don't have much time before he makes an attempt to recapture her. It's important we discuss everything we need to. Who knows how much time we have left."

Butterflies swirled around Stephanie's stomach. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours and none of it was simple. It was as if she had spent the last day in a never ending nightmare filled with seers, magic boxes and teleporting doors. None of this was ordinary, that's what scared her the most. Was any of this real?

"Who is Jonathan Creel? Why are you so afraid of him?" Stephanie asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Jonathan Creel is a very bad man, Stephanie. He's a seer, meaning he has the ability to see into the future, a power he uses to further his plans of unleashing hell on this Earth and more. If Enzo hadn't of saved you in time, who knows what he would've done to you."

"I know about all of that. I met his son also, what does he have to do with it all?"

"Caleb. His mother died giving birth to him, so he and Jonathan have always had a complicated relationship. The boy is troubled. But make no mistake, Caleb is just as lethal as his father, if not worse. Whilst Jonathan has control over his temper and knows exactly what he's doing. Caleb does not. He succumbs to his inhibitions without any thought or consideration into what he is doing, he lacks the clarity that his father has as well as lacking his father's ability."

Valerie seemed to know a lot about the Creel's and everything that had happened so far. Hopefully, she could shed some light on how Stephanie could get home so that she wouldn't have to deal with this nightmare anymore. However, there were still some questions she needed answers to, it was best to get them out of the way with first. "You said the people here will keep me safe, who are they?"