The air was starting to feel scarce, and the room smaller.
Suddenly Annabelle woke up covered in sweat and with severe pain in her chest and left arm.
She opened her eyes, feeling weak, and knowing that the only reason for her to wake up was that she was almost unable to keep breathing.
She stretched her arm towards the bell that had been put not even two hours previously by herself on her nightstand, and reached, not without difficulty.
The bell reverberated through the hall, bringing three helpers and two worried parents. After seeing Abbie's situation, her parents ran, looking for the contact that Dr. Marsh had given them.
One of the housekeepers was immediately sen to the address that had the small paper carefully saved by the Archers to get the new physician to the house as soon as possible.
A few minutes later, Abbie was still working hard to get some air in her lungs, when the helper came into the house, almost running with the
"Dear diary:Today, the first night at the house in Exeter, I decided to try the sleeping pills that Dr. Marsh added to my long list.I can say without a question that they fulfilled their purpose, but also, apparently, too strong for me.I had the weirdest, most amazing dream, that also was one of the scariest I've ever had.Who am I kidding? I have never dreamed before. At all. So I can't really tell if my experience can be categorized as normal. In times like this, I would like to have someone to ask.If I tell my parents, I will have to add another doctor and more medicines to my list, and they would say I have brain fever, almost surely.It was about a big, floating island with a nice store and two uncommon, very peculiar but warm strangers. I can even remember their names because they were my favorite people on that dream: Myron and Raquel.I don't know if it's normal to meet people in your dr
Annabelle found herself back in the dream, the place that scared her so much, not long before. So big was her fear that she started feeling as if the air was running out of her lungs again, and she had to fight it to stay. "But why am I back, if I didn't even take another pill. I thought it was the only way to get here again."She was scared, confused, and worried. She knew the only way out was moving, but where can you move if you can't even see?Her lantern was on the floor, still turned on. Everything was as if she had put a pause on the whole mirror when she left, and then it moved again when she came back.With a shaky hand, she moved her body down slowly to get the lantern again. Eyes closed, her hand reached and picked it up.When she was firmly holding it into her hand, she noticed that its light went a little further ahead.Abbie didn't have a way to know, but the reason why there was more light in that almost pitch black world was that there was another person in there with
Dominik fell into the water, close to the spot where Annabelle fell before. He tried to stay afloat and soon started swimming, but it wasn't long before the filaments that were holding Abbie got to his foot.He saw very possible that this thing that now lived under the water was the same that had made the holes that lead to the cave. The thing that he felt holding him might have been something Abbie had to fight as well. Domi took out his Sheffield knife and easily cut the threads that were holding his foot. He moved faster to try and get to the other side where he finally took out the watch-like device again and saw the red dot still in motion.It seemed to keep going through the passageway, almost in front of him. "At least she is not screaming that she wants to be saved."Right after that thought, he heard a scream coming from the depths of the cave now."Oh shit." He gets out of the water and starts running through the cave to get to where she is.Meanwhile, in front of her was
It was morning in Exeter. Geoffrey, Annabelle's father, usually got up very early to check the newspaper and get some coffee.It was his tradition right before locking himself up in his office to work until it was tea time. The day before, they had arrived at their Villa in Exeter. He and his wife were secretly excited since their daughter seemed to have a pleasant time being outside, feeling the sun, and even having tea with them in the garden. That is, until night time, when she had a new crisis, and woke up due to difficulties breathing and pain. Those events forced the Archer to call Wilfred Stone, the local physician. Their head doctor, Joseph Marsh, had recommended to them when they finally decided to come to Exeter.After tending to the young patient, doctor Stone said that he knew a person that was a specialist in heart disease. That affirmation had cut Mr. Archer's night sleep short.He was the hopeful one.Not that his wife didn't want to believe anymore, but she was what
"How come you say things like that as if they were nothing, you know what kind of things I found here already?""Well, yes. Or behind who do you think I was? Did you notice that I'm all wet as well?"Annabelle took a look in more detail at the guy that was right in front of her. His white, and now, wet button-down shirt stuck to his body.The semitransparent fiber marked his fit, muscular body, letting her see more than she intended to. She immediately blushed and looked away.Noticing, he smirked. He was in the middle of thinking if it was wise to say anything or not when she turned to his face, and the words died in his throat as he looked into her deep, beautiful hazel eyes.It was ok anyway, he saw her blushing after having a quick look at his body. It was more than enough for a self-esteem boost. He laughed to himself as she looked at him, slightly confused."So you see, I fell on the water as well. You forgot what we were t
"Tell me what you see.""Well, there's a man, so very tall, and I can't see his eyes.""Where do you see him coming from?""Over there."She points to the last bunch of plants with large leaves that grow in the space behind Dominik, the place where they were before, near the exit of the cave, and he thinks it's possibly a creature coming from the cave as well."Maybe we woke him up while we went through the cave. However, I tell you, we're the only living people in this mirror, so I'd say that we should run.""Run where? Did you notice this place?""Well, since this place is a reflection of you, we'll have to make it change a little.""How? And in this so short time? He's almost here, can't you see him?"Even if that mirror stayed as an eternal night, the subtle changes she suffered, like admitting what she feared, and even crying for what she never did before, made the clouds dissipate.There were stars and
The kiss had allowed them a way out. The geography had changed, as Dominik thought. It was a resource he had never used, but Annabelle didn't know that, and it hurt her and enraged her that her first kiss had been that way.It was not a bad reason. Saving yourself from a monster in a dream qualified as a good reason for her. Still, she hoped it was not the only reason why he did it, but she doubted so much.In her mind, there were more and worse monsters than the ones she had seen so far in the cave, and more than the weird, tall man that was walking towards them.Who could want a girl that was broken?And it hurt. Badly.Domi had no idea, of course, of those dark thoughts in her head. He could just notice her pouting from time to time, then frowning and then looking angry, and that worried him.It was partly because the place they were at would show all that was making the changes in her face.He just hoped that it didn't show
Domi made up his mind. He would take her through the mirrors until she was no longer as dark as that world they were seeing, and then he would tell her that he comes from her dimension and will look for her to cure her heart.That was his plan, and he hoped he had enough time to help her the way he wanted. She didn't seem as hopeless as she thought people saw her.Actually, he saw her as more rebellious. The only thing was her darkness. Why, out of nowhere, he wanted to be her hero?Not stopping to wonder why he was so interested in her, he focused his mind on ways to fix their more immediate situation. That was leaving that mirror the sooner and the safer as possible.Abbie, on the other side of the table, was almost asleep and occasionally having small giggle outbursts for jokes nobody else could hear.She was cute, Domi found himself thinking, and once again, he threw that thought to the garbage. That was not the time to get into that kind
It all came down to this moment. Annabelle had been unconscious for almost an hour when Dominik and her family arrived at the clinic, and he quickly met with the parents to get their consent for the intervention, that now was a matter of saving her life or not.“Your daughter seems to have been born with a small hole in her heart. If you try with the stethoscope, you can hear the peculiar sound it makes, very characteristic to the illness. As she grew older, the small hole got bigger, and at the point that we are, if it grows any more, it will be fatal. Besides that, her body is weakening by the minute, so the surgery is a very urgent matter now. We need to operate swiftly and carefully.”He explained the parents, and they, as the last chance, agreed, knowing that if they didn’t accept, their daughter would die any minute, if not that da
“Oh it’s true… For some reason, I thought I told you before. My name is Annabelle Archer, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dominik Stoev,” she said, giggling and still trying to swing to the edge. “I believe, though, that we should still try to get to the edge. Do you mind if we leave the presentations for later and get out of the mirror?” Dom couldn’t believe it… And wasn’t sure if the present news was good or not. He was on the ship and less than a day away to possibly save the girl’s life. Fear was, at least for the moment, transforming into great, big hopes, and Dom was shining bright, excited and with renewed strength. “Know what? Yes, let’s try your plan, suddenly I have a feeling that it will work.” His smile
“Captain Nankov, I found him!” Lazar yelled from one side of the ship’s deck, near the stern.In front of him was Dominik, sleeping like a log, in a half-sitting position.“I don’t know how he does it. The last few days, he sleeps wherever he falls, and not even an hour later he’s walking around again… Come on guys, I think this is the good one, let’s take him back to the cabin!”“Do you think this time he’ll sleep for longer?” Lazar asked, looking at the man deeply breathing, and now frowning.“I believe so. And I hope, because we’re soon to arrive at our destination, and what he said he had to do, will need him to be awake and ready. He’s saving a girl’s life yo
The Man From Hell finally appeared near Belle. He was standing right next to her body, intently looking at her, while Dom looked at him as if saying “I’ll kill you if you do anything to her,” and, as if he knew, the Man looked up and smiled widely, showing all of his needle-like teeth. “Calm down a little, my dear, it is still good that we can see him. I tell you again, he is not what people think he is…” Onia reassured Dom, who took a seat and watched, compass still in hand. “I’ll just feel better when she’s out of that place.” “I believe that she will be very soon. Although, remember, he might be protecting her from something else, so when she’s out there, make sure that her condition hasn’t worsened.” Onia’s words hit Dom hard. He really wanted to go look for her
Belle knew that the intentions of the Wishmaster couldn’ have been for her to die trying. If anything it was part of her test.Finally it was looking like a trial, and she kind of regretted not taking her weapons with her, but maybe she was not supposed to kill the creature that was now moving fast towards her.Then, she felt something grabbing her and pulling her strongly, just in time to get her out of the water.Her body slammed against the floor as the force used to take her out of the pool was that much, and right after she fell, she saw the white-rainbowy scales of the large, round monster that closed its mouth with a loud snap up in the air and fell back to the water.“I have to say, I am impressed,” the Wishmaster said, and the smile on his face
“Possibilities and fears don’t make life. Life is made of choices,” suddenly Annabelle said.“True… Partially.”As the very, very big, white fish swam slightly closer, a white mist could be seen swimming, or maybe, more like floating, around the young woman, that could easily go unnoticed. It had not been noticed by Annabelle herself, since it was not exactly physical, but…Could a shadow be white?“But you can’t tell me, that I have known you for so long that you don’t want to take what has been offered to you. Make your family happy, and be happy yourself,” the voice said once more, and then, Belle noticed something very interesting…That thing that
Belle closed her eyes. It was not the first time that she heard the voice in her head telling her all the things that could go wrong.But now, she didn’t care much about what could happen, mistakes were made and trouble happened as part of life. Her new life in Onerea had taught her that, and, maybe her physical heart was getting weaker, but her will and character were getting stronger.An image started showing up in front of her eyes.“Do you remember, dear, when we were kids, and you met the son of our governess? I remember you liking the boy, and that boy liked you too. It took a lot from you to forget about that, even if you were just a kid.”Annabelle sat in one of the chairs of the library, where she was taught every day by her governess, a
Belle was sleeping. Her breathing was deep and calm. Her chest raised often enough, and not even the disturbances around her, people talking or even accidentally moving her, thinking that she was awake, had changed that.It was many, many hours already too, that she had been asleep. More than twelve. Almost a day, actually, of continuous sleeping, and she didn’t seem to be close to waking up. A few days before, her father received a telegram from Dr. Stoev, letting him know that, if everything went well, he’d be arriving in a week and a half to two weeks, from the day he sent the note, that was about three, four days before.Being too optimistic, in a week the doctor, specialized in his daughter’s disease, would arrive…But was it possible that she resisted for that long?
Belle felt herself falling, and falling, for quite a while. Around her, growling could be heard, but nothing could be seen. The pitch black space that surrounded her made her unsure about the speed in which she precipitated, and where she was precipitating into.“Remember what I said,” he told her, and she remembered indeed.“Eyes wide open, be ready for whatever it is,”she said to herself. “Weapons,” she remembered, checking the different places where she got the holsters, back then at the store.Happy to see that everything was in place, she wondered if that was a mirror.“He said it would be a trial… and to remember what I believe in… cryptic crazy guy… I like him haha.”