I

The world is slowly dying…
Only three elements may save it…
But they are lost…
Who will find them?


Three Weeks

That was how long she had been there. Seventeen-year-old Leah Dossier sat alone in a giant house with no memory of how she got there, why she was there, or who she even was. All she knew was that she was being held prisoner. When in need of anything, it would mysteriously appear when she wasn’t looking. There was no way out. No doors to exit, not even windows. This house was built to keep her in.

Poor Leah tried so hard to remember anything-- anything at all besides her name. She didn’t know if she had any family, any friends, or even a past. For all she knew, she could’ve been born in that house. She had woken up in bed with absolutely no recollection of anything.

Honestly, Leah was getting used to the house. She was starting to accept the place as her home, but there was one thing she really yearned for… someone to talk to. She knew that the mystery people keeping her prisoner would fulfill her wishes, but this request was always ignored. As soon as she woke up, she wanted someone there to tell her what was going on and who she was. But, of course, that was too easy.

Leah sat in the kitchen, gradually beginning to lose hope that she would ever have any sort of company.

“You know,” Leah looked up at the ceiling as if speaking to gods. “I wouldn’t mind a goldfish! One that talks, at least…”

And the girl sat there, staring up at the wooden supports in the ceiling. She waited for some divine answer, or a sign to tell her that someone would soon accompany her. To Leah’s disappointment, there was nothing. Not a single clue. Nothing to even purposely misinterpret as a sign of hope. Even when looking down at the open bread box, Leah couldn’t make up any imaginary celestial message. She was to be alone.

“Thanks a lot,” Leah sighed heavily as she stood and made her way to the door. She proceeded down the tall corridor of the house to the vast living room where a cozy fire was lit with stacks of books that were already read twice over each. Today, the warm, fuzzy blankets just didn’t appeal to Leah. Nothing did.

Leah entered another hallway that was decorated with mirrors of all shapes and sizes. Everyday, Leah would stop to look at herself in the one full mirror that was at a perfect level for her. She would always inspect her shoulder length black hair and deep blue eyes. She’d do a bit of adjustments to her black, knee-length cardigan that had the elbow length sleeves. Then she would tug at the ends of her white shirt with a silver arabesque design on it, and examine her black jeans and black sneakers soon afterwards.

Her bedroom had dark purple walls with silver stars decorating the ceiling. On her door was a white crescent moon with a five pointed star balanced at the tip. She would stare at its perfection for hours, but today everything was wrong with it. Her bed had a white canopy with silver stars and planets, and a soft, mushy comforter. Leah jumped into bed and curled up under the covers to silently mourn to herself.

“Just one person, anyone to talk to…” Leah whimpered. She secretly waited for an answer, but she fell asleep before she could go to look.
~*~

“Leah, you are a very special girl,” the voice of an elderly woman spoke gently in the darkness. “I believe you are destined to change the world for the better.”

“But… Grandma,” Leah heard her own voice as a scene began to appear. There was a cozy fireplace and an old woman in a rocking chair, holding a long black box in her lap.

“What’s so special about me?” Leah heard herself ask.

The old lady chuckled warmly. “I just know you are, there is no more reason to tell you.”

The old woman held out the box to Leah who very carefully took it in her hands.

“Open it, dear. And wear it always- it will be your guide.”
~*~

Leah suddenly jolted awake at the sound of a crash. She sat up, looking around wildly for the source of the sound. The first thing wrong she noticed was that her door was wide open- she had closed it before she had fallen asleep. The girl cautiously slipped out of her bed and peeked into the hallway. On the floor, she found shards of a broken mirror. Shortly after looking around, Leah examined the scene to find her favorite mirror smashed to pieces. She looked at the wall to see the mirror frame in a crooked position, revealing something hidden behind it. Leah did not hesitate to take it down and set it aside. What she found was astounding.

A doorway into a pitch black obscurity loomed before Leah eerily. The girl stared into it. Her heart began to race. How long had this been here? And who was sneaking around here?

Gasping, Leah took a frightened step back when torches began to light the way to a door. But the girl gathered up all her courage and walked inside, hurrying into the hallway before she changed her mind. She made it to the door, but the rusty doorknob began to stare her in the face asking, “Are you sure about this?” With a deep breath, Leah grabbed the door knob and swung the door open.

Inside was a dome-shaped, brightly lit room. At the center was a pedestal with a long black box. The sight of it caused Leah’s heart to drop. She shakily took the box in her hand and examined it carefully. She glanced back behind her to make sure the mirror-breaker wasn’t standing there, then slowly opened the box. Placed in soft black velvet was a skinny glass ornament with purple and maroon designs. A blue rose was hand painted on it. It was beautiful, yes, but… was it even Christmas? Leah couldn’t tell, since she was locked up in a window-less house. There was neither calendar nor working clock.

“Who would hide this here?” Leah asked aloud to herself. She glanced around in a paranoid manner. “And why?”

Leah hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and quickly put the mirror frame back. She hastily made her way back to the kitchen to acquire a knife as a weapon for self defense. Something wasn’t right here, and Leah was not going to take any risks.

Wouldn’t it be a risk to take this thing? Leah thought. Well, too late. You have it now and you aren’t going back to that creepy room.

Was there some sentimental value for this ornament? Who left it there? Why? And who broke that mirror? Leah’s mind was overflowing with questions, and she was afraid they’d soon be answered.

“When I asked for someone to talk to, I didn’t have a mass murderer in mind!” Leah yelled up at the ceiling again. She looked around in fear that yelling would attract any unwanted visitors. She waited, but no one came. With a sigh of relief, Leah set down the knife on the table in front of her and examined the ornament once more. She was listening for anything that could signal a sneaking killer while she did. Suddenly, the ornament began to glow. It grew very hot, giving Leah no choice but to quickly put it on the table. The ornament trembled as if something were inside it, trying to get out. It then rolled off the table and broke into pieces.

Leah got up and stepped away, bringing the knife with her. She watched as an orb of light lit up the kitchen, taking the shape of a person. Leah covered her face as the light flashed brightly with a surge of strong wind.

Soon after the wind ceased, Leah peeked to see a figure standing beside the kitchen table. She saw a man in his early twenties standing there. He had pale skin with a clear complexion- with the exception of a noticeable beauty mark on the left side of chin. He had a thick head of grayish-blonde hair in a curly, messy, boyish style. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black. On the top of his head was a miniature black top hat with blue and purple roses decorating it. His outfit consisted of a khaki blazer with a black vest and tie beneath it, the sleeves rolled up. With it all, he had khaki slacks to match, and black loafers. He held a sleek black cane in his hand.

Leah stared at him, completely speechless. She squeezed the knife in her hand uncertainly, not daring to take her eyes off the man.

“Whe- where am I?” The man looked around with wide eyes. He laid eyes on Leah, then stepped forward to ask a question. He quickly retreated when the girl pointed the knife at him. “I don’t understand…”

“Don’t m-move,” Leah trembled. “I know how to use this.”

“I… can see that,” the man frowned. “Could you tell me your name?”

“No,” Leah shook her head. “You first, pal.”

“Oh… Ah- my name is Svenn.” The man took a quick glance at his cane. “Svenn Nachttoter.”

“What were you doing in that ornament?” Leah pointed to the broken glass in the floor.

“No, you tell me YOUR name first,” Svenn chuckled. “We’ll take turns at the questions.”

Leah sent Svenn back by taking a couple threatening steps forward,
“You are in NO position to bargain. You answer my questions!”

“You asked for someone to talk to, didn’t you?” Svenn blurted out almost angrily. He calmly inhaled and exhaled. “I was sent here to be your ‘talking goldfish’!”

“Who sent you?!” Leah growled. “Who’s keeping me here?!”

“They told me you’d do this…” Svenn chuckled and looked to the side with a look of defeat.

“Who?!” Leah stomped her foot. “Tell me NOW!”

“Them! The scientists!” Svenn cried out angrily.

“The… scientists?” Leah’s vision began to grow blurry.

“Yes…” Svenn spoke almost with a whisper. “Do you not remember why you’re here?”

“I… No,” Leah shook her head. “Why am I here?”

“Put the knife down and I’ll tell you everything.” Svenn pointed at Leah with his cane.

Leah looked to her knife and her violently shaking arm. She slowly and reluctantly let the knife drop to the floor, then dropped her arms to her sides.

“Now tell me.”

“Won’t you sit with me?” Svenn moved the chair aside with his cane in one smooth move.

“No. You can sit. I’m standing,” Leah stood her ground.

“Fine,” Svenn sighed and sat in the chair. He crossed his legs and twirled his cane.

“You come from the city of Vespyr, where it is always nighttime. It is a floating water kingdom, known for its fishing and oceanic sports. You lived with your parents who died in a boating accident. Your grandmother took both you and your older brother in, but your brother went missing not even a month after. You suffered from insanity that quickly turned into dementia after your grandmother passed away. For a long time, you lived alone in your grandmother’s house with no one to keep you company. Finally, out of bottled up emotions, you wreaked havoc on the part of town you lived in. The citizens were concerned and had you sent to an insane asylum.

“Years passed, and you showed signs of psychological improvement. They decided to run you through a new test that you gladly volunteered for. Which was to stay locked up here, and live a normal life as if nothing happened. As if you never experienced any hardships.”

Leah had to lean against the kitchen counter to reover from what she had just heard. She put a hand over her heart as if she feared it would fall out. It began to ache so much, her legs began to feel weak. Her entire body felt like it was going to shut down.

“I’m sorry, Leah…” Svenn smiled sadly.

“You…” Leah looked to Svenn through teary eyes. “Why did you ask my name if you already knew everything about me?”


“I was told to act this way so not to startle you,” Svenn answered truthfully. “Again, I’m truly sorry.”

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Leah whimpered.

“You signed a contract to stay here for five months,” Svenn stated. “I get to be a sort of friendly neighbor whenever you get bored.”

Leah slowly sat down on the tile floor of the kitchen. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed a little. At this, Svenn stood from his seat and made his way to kneel in front of Leah. He held out his hand to her.

“Let’s be friends, because I’m all you got,” Svenn chuckled. “I don’t bite, I promise. Though, you seem like the type to.”

Leah began to cry, her heart twisted and turned every which way in confusion. She felt it writhe in pain. She stared at Svenn’s hand in deep contemplation.

“You won’t be sorry,” Svenn smiled reassuringly to Leah.

“I promise.”

Carefully, Leah took Svenn’s hand. She expected the worst, but she hoped for the very best. It was all she could do, after all. She had no one, and someone was offering their hand.

“Come on,” Svenn chuckled. “Let’s talk.”

To be continued…