Magic Land: The Lost Princess (On Hold Until January)

Chapter 3

Still shocked by what just happened, Imogene sat immobilized on the floor with her back on the wall.

Something like that has never happened to her before.

How can the bookshelf fall through her like that? It just wasn't possible. She didn't know what to make of it. It was really confusing.

After sitting on the floor for a while mulling her brain over, trying to understand what happened, she decided it was time to get up.

She walked over to the bookshelf to take it up but hesitated a little. After what just happened, she was afraid to even touch the bookshelf.

Taking a deep sigh, she stooped down and tentatively reached her hand out to the bookshelf. Relief washed through her as her fingertips came in contact with its rough wooden mahogany surface.

She then gripped the edge of the bookshelf and pulled it up to stand again.

Maybe, she had just imagined it, she thought.

No way, she shook her head as soon as that thought entered her mind.

That didn't explain the fact that the bookshelf didn't hit her. There was no doubt about it that it was coming down in her direction. Truthfully, she should've been knocked out cold by now.

She was no longer in the mood to read, so she took up the book from the floor and replaced it on the bookshelf along with the other books that had fell.

Throughout the day, to get her mind off of what happened, Imogene busied herself by getting some cleaning done. When she was finished, she saw that it was almost noon and Aaron was going to be here soon.

Imogene went back into her bedroom to have a shower and comb her hair. She brushed her chestnut coloured hair before she caught it into a loose ponytail. She was now applying a light shade of lipstick when she heard a knock on her apartment door. She went to the living room and answered the door.

When she opened the door, Aaron stood on the other side with a charming smile. "Hi."

"Hey." She returned his greeting.

Aaron frowned a bit. "Are you okay?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

He must have noticed she didn't look like herself. Since what happened this morning, all she could think of was it and that was definitely taking a toll on her.

Despite him being her only close friend, she just couldn't tell him. She didn't want him to think that she was some kind of freak or crazy. Aaron meant so much to her and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. It's best if she just kept this to herself.

Whatever this is.

She put on a bright smile on her face. "Yes, I am. Thanks."

Aaron looked at her skeptically for a while, before he brushed it off. "Good. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just let me grab my handbag," Imogene said. "You can come in." She then turned away from the door and walked to her bedroom. When she got back, he was sitting on her couch, skipping through a magazine that she had on the coffee table. "Do you want anything to drink before we go?"

Aaron looked up and placed the magazine back on the coffee table. "No, thank you. That's okay."

"Great, so let's go then." She walked to the door with Aaron behind her. When she and Aaron were on the other side of the door, she closed the door with her keys.

They walked down the short steps to where Aaron parked his car. Aaron unlocked his car and opened the passenger side door for her. When she got in, he closed the door before walking around to the driver's side and got in as well. He then started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

It was a forty minutes drive to get to the orphanage where she grew up. For the entire drive, she remained quiet and looked through the window at her surroundings. All she could see however, were palm trees for most of the journey.

As the house came into view, Imogene couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. She hasn't been back to this place since she left seven years ago. When they reached the house, Aaron stopped the car in front of the wrought-iron gate.

Imogene just sat and looked at the house where she spent most of her childhood. The house was like a mansion. It stood big and proud surrounded by a variety of fruit trees. The house looked the same as she remembered it. It was made out of bricks painted in grey. The windows were modern casement windows that decorated the front of the house. It gave the house a beautiful and majestic appearance.

The brown front door was the only contrast from the grey building and roof. In front of the house was a wide enough space for children to play. The only thing different was that the walkway was now cemented.

A memory of her sitting on the front steps playing with her doll and watching the flowers that lined the front of the house flashed through her mind. She would generally stay by herself as no one would talk to her.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers. "Are you alright?" Aaron asked.

She pulled her eyes from the house and turned to look at him. "Yeah. I'm just not ready to go in yet. I want to take a few minutes first."

"That's okay. We can wait as long as you want to." Aaron replied before removing his hand.

They sat quietly in the car for a while before Imogene broke the silence. "You know, I haven't been back here since I left when I was eighteen."

"Really?" Aaron asked.

"Yep. The house looks the same though. Do you think that they'll have any information about my parents?" She asked looking at Aaron.

"I'm not sure. Did they ever give you any information before about them?" He questioned.

Imogene shook her head. "No. All they said was that someone found me behind a dumpster and brought me to the police. From there, I was sent here."

"Well, maybe they know something. It's worth a shot to ask." Aaron stated hopefully.

"Yeah." She said, turning to face the house again. "Okay, I'm ready to go in now."

"Alright. Let's hope you'll get the answers you need."