Chapter 2:
“What... what’s this? A forest?”
I was in the middle of a forest. I sat down in shock.
Birds flew above . I could hear insects around . The ground was covered in thick layers of brown leaves, cushioning .
Everything felt surreal. This situation didn’t make sense.
There was only one logical explanation.
“Oh, I’m dreaming!”
That was it. Could it be anything else?
The last thing I rembered was losing consciousness as the subway arrived. I must be dreaming now. It can’t be that I fell onto the track. I must have fainted.
I denied the possibility that I may have died. It couldn’t be. Even if it was true, there was nothing I could do about it now.
This was a dream. It must be a dream. It had to be a dream.
However, I didn’t wake up from it.
I thought I should at least explore. There were no clear paths, so I walked carefully around sharp rocks and tree stumps. It was a good thing I was wearing a pair of sturdy sneakers.
I can’t rember how long I walked. Soon, the darkness arrived. I could see the moon rising. A full moon. It provided enough light for to continue walking. I stayed up all night. I had nothing to eat or drink all day and night.
As the sun ca up, I wondered.
Why do I feel so tired if this was only a dream? Was I supposed to feel hunger and thirst while dreaming? I tried to rember how I felt while dreaming in the past, but I couldn’t rember.
Despite my fatigue, I continued to move. I was afraid I may die if I stop moving. My brain was not working, but my feet continued leading .
Then suddenly, I heard it.
“Bang!”
The entire forest shook.
Sothing hit the ground near . Dirt and leaves flew everywhere. I scread as I fell backward.
“Ahh!”
“...!!!”
“Woof woof!”
I felt dizzy and nauseous. The sky spun above . Soone ran towards hurriedly. I could hear shouting.
Was it because I was confused? I couldn’t understand a word.
I was so tired.
I felt like it would be better to die right here, right now. I lost consciousness again.
***
Now, here I am.
What I heard was a gunshot. A hunting dog. Soone must have shot , thinking I was an animal. When that person realized the mistake, I must have been brought back to this castle.
I checked my body again. I wasn’t hurt.
A few scratches on my arms and legs, but nothing bad.
I felt relieved.
I finally made a decision.
It was hard to believe, but I had to accept it. I organized my thoughts.
First, I got hit by a subway on the day of the SAT.
Second, I don’t know how, but sohow, I fell into a forest with a strange castle.
Lastly, soone found and brought to this castle. Probably soone who lived in this castle.
I nodded in satisfaction.
I made a smart deduction. It was the most logical explanation.
“...dammit!!”
I swore out loud angrily.
“This doesn’t make sense! Things don’t happen like this even in fictions!”
However, it really did happen. This was really happening.
I needed so ti to accept this situation. Lots of ti.
It was so sudden. Anyone in my situation would have been in denial.
It took a while to accept it.
Soon after, servants ca into the room. I t the man who shot and his family. Even then, I had difficulty accepting the situation.
They spoke a language I have never heard of.
If I wasn’t dreaming, it must be that I sohow arrived in a different world.
I had to accept this fact, even if I didn’t want to.
After about a month, I stopped trying to wake up from this nightmare.
That’s right. I ca to a completely different world.
The man and his family who saved were mostly kind. Except for one. The man’s wife often glared at . Still, most people treated warmly. They gave food, a warm bed, and fancy clothes. I lived a luxurious life.
I slowly beca stable. I was thankful to the family for the life and education they provided . What I didn’t realize at the ti was that they were grooming for sothing. They were taking care of like cattle.
It was a year ago when I arrived at this strange world.
Exactly one year ago.
I worked hard to fit in here for all this ti, and only after a year I finally realized the truth.
Middle of the night.
It was dead quiet.
I slowed down my breath, pretending to be asleep. The girl who was hired to keep an eye on fell asleep. I checked multiple tis to make sure.
I had a few close calls. I was very careful.
I was sure she was asleep, but I continued to act asleep. I needed to be completely certain before I act.
I listened closely. All I heard was my own breath and that of Orlean, who was also breathing deeply. I didn’t hear any footsteps outside the door, but I couldn’t be sure if soone wasn’t patrolling the hallway.
I opened my eyes a little.
“...”
The room was quiet. I turned to Orlean, who was facing , and she looked asleep. I had tried to run away three tis already before, so Orlean had been monitoring closely. That ant she hadn’t been sleeping much for the last three to four days. She finally seed to give in to her fatigue.
I got out of the bed like a cat. Thankfully, Orlean didn’t wake up. I walked towards the window slowly.
The window was locked. I prayed as I reached for the tal latch.
Click.
It made a small noise, but to , it sounded like thunder. My heart pounded as I looked around. Thankfully, nothing happened. The room remained quiet.
I opened the door slowly. It made a small noise, making my heart beat even faster. Luckily, my room was on the second floor. Orlean wanted a room on the third floor, but the only available room was this one.
I slowly stood on the window fra.
“...”
The wind blew.
It was fall. The wind wasn’t cold, but it felt cool. It was probably because I was standing on the second-floor window, looking down. If I jumped from here, my legs won’t fare well.
I hesitated. I knew I would get hurt, but if I stayed here...
I murmured quietly to gain courage.
“This is my last chance.”
Tomorrow, we will arrive at Rombrook Island. There, I will never be able to escape.
‘I can only die once, right?’
When I was about to do it, a sharp scream ca from behind.
“My lady!”
“Dammit!”
The cool air must have woken Orlean. I closed my eyes and jumped. Then...
“Aahhh!”
I suddenly felt my arm being pulled. When I looked up, I saw that Orlean was grabbing onto my arm.
“Dammit...!”
People started to run into my room after hearing her scream.
This was the last night before arriving at the island.
My last escape attempt was a complete failure.
***
Clunk clunk.
The carriage ride was bumpy.
I swore silently.
At who?
The family that took care of for the last year.
They called ungrateful.
However, to put in this situation...!
I cursed them.
The Bonafit family had black hair, which was rare in this world. I, at first, felt close to them because of their hair. I felt like they could be my new family. I was thankful to them.
...I was an idiot.
I should have asked questions.
Why would they be kind to a complete stranger?
I thought I was just lucky.
Until a week ago.
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