"It takes all sorts of people to make the underworld." – Don Marquis
.
CHAPTER ONE –
.
I knew that something had to be wrong. Either with the world, or myself.
How did I know that something was wrong? Easy.
Looking above me, I noted how the sky was a deep shade of orange. If I looked at the vastness of it, I could make out the thin pale yellow outline at the sides.
I glanced at my silver wrist watch residing on my left wrist. I felt the corners of my lips tilted downwards, forming a small frown. My watch had stopped working, and all three arms were pointing at the big bold number twelve.
Sighing, I took this time to observe my surroundings. There were buildings surrounding me. Their towering heights and large sizes intimidated my small figure.
But that wasn't what stood out. There were absolutely no plants in sight. Not a single one.
There were many things wrong with this situation. But I decided to just concentrate on the main three obvious things.
First of all, the sky isn't blue. Instead, it's the color of when the sun is either setting or rising. Now, I know that it isn't rising, because I woke up early today for my daily morning run, and I remember watching the sun rise as I was halfway done with my run.
Secondly, my watches never brake. Not unless they've been tampered with. And this particular watch is new, and hasn't left my side since the second I bought it. Also, with all the arms on the exact same number . . . Well, I don't know what that means, but it seemed pretty suspicious to me.
And last but not least, my surrounding was very off. Sure, if one were to look at it they would see nothing wrong; but it wasn't the appearance or the vibe it gave off that made had caught me off guard. No, it was the location. If memory serves me right, the last place I remember being at was the woods behind my house.
I had just finished my morning run, and, like always, I ate my breakfast, took a shower, and brushed my teeth. After dressing, I grabbed my camera, my small leather brown bag, and some cash before I walked over to the woods to take some pictures.
Everything after that became one big blur. Not only that, but the last time I checked the time, it was barely turning ten – as in ten A.M.
This brings us back to the color of the sky, which looked as if the sun was setting.
To say that I was confused would be an understatement.
The last thing I remember was taking pictures in the woods at the back of my house at ten in the morning.
So how the hell did I end up on the streets at a place that looked very unfamiliar to me at who-knows-what-time?
I was lost, confused, and frustrated.
Just what the hell was going on here?
Did I pass out somehow? And if I did pass out, how in the world did I end up here? Someone would have had to bring me here, otherwise, I was dreaming. This would be nothing but a dream.
I frowned at that.
I never, not once, had a dream when I knew that I was dreaming. Much less think that I was dreaming. Heck, I don't I've ever recalled having a dream were I knew or remember the last few things that had happened to me.
I sighed heavily.
Now I know that this isn't a dream . . . Or is it?
I shook my head. I shouldn't be wasting time confusing myself in a situation like this.
I frowned again. I was getting off track.
But if this isn't a dream, then that left my other hypothesis.
Someone had brought me here.
However, that did not make sense.
Why would someone kidnapped another person, bring them to an unfamiliar place, and just leave them there? Was it just to mess around with them, or was it something else entirely? And what about my watch?
None of the dots connected. There were just too many unnecessary dots that didn't need to be there, and I couldn't tell which ones the lines had to connect, and which ones someone else added just to mess around with the solver's head.
I sighed throughout my nose.
It would be better if I just ask someone where I was and what time it is instead of making me think too much. I'll just come up with more crazy ideas, and I'll probably jump into those crazy assumptions and think of the worse. That was the last thing a person in my situation needed.
However, I still felt a little . . . disorganized. With all those thoughts running loose around my head, I couldn't think properly, and I couldn't concentrate too.
I began to take deep breaths, and I slowly counted up to ten in my head. All the while thinking, calm yourself, Sophia. Be patient and be calm. Clear your mind. Clear your head. Erase all complications in your life right now.
I said, well, more like thought, of every sentence between the numbers ten to zero. By the time I reached the last number, I felt more level headed, and a whole lot calmer.
My fingers began to fiddle and play with my camera strap. Blinking, I looked down and was surprised to see that I still had my camera and bag with me. I was even more surprised to find out that my appearance was still clean. Well, as far as I could tell, anyways. I couldn't see my face or hair, and I was sincerely hoping that they were just as clean as the rest of my body and clothes.
I took the camera strap along with the camera off my neck and stuffed it in my bag. However, the bag was small and skinny, so the camera stuck out, making a visible lump appear at the front of the bag.
I sighed.
It stuck out like a sore thumb.
Whatever, I have to go to ask people where the hell I'm at anyways. I couldn't waste my time worrying about how my bag appears and what to do to make it not look like I have a rock stuffed in there.
I began to walk up to the road, looking for someone who was by themself, or if not, than a pair of people to ask questions.
I wasn't going to go up to a crowd of people and start talking to them. I always felt awkward and uncomfortable in crowds. I always felt so out of place as everyone conversed with one another while I just stood at the sidelines looking at everyone, listening to all of the different conversations going on around me all at once before deciding to just walk around by myself while listening to music.
As I began to look at my surroundings and the people, I noticed how high class everything looked. I suddenly felt belittled.
Everyone looked so rich and fancy. Actually, everything I saw looked rich and fancy! Even the streets looked good. I couldn't see gum stuck to the pavements or bird poop anywhere. The street cement was black and the yellow paint looked fresh.
Everything here looked absolutely new, clean, and perfect.
I bit the insides of my cheek and bowed my head a little.
How the hell did I get here?
I heard laughter nearby. I turned my head to the side to see a group of teenagers dressed nicely, chortling as they talked to one another.
One thing I noticed was that everyone in this god damn neighborhood's physical looks varied from cute to looking like a God or Goddess. None of them fell into the "average looks" category or anything below that.
There was something wrong here.
My steps began to falter as I finally spotted my victim.
A cute blond with striking blue eyes, great complexion, and a well put-together girly outfit. Actually, she was a very beautiful girl, and the makeup on her face looked natural. It would have fooled me if it wasn't for the thick coat of bright red lipstick and heavy shimmering pink blush. However, with the more attractive looking people surrounding her, her beauty seemed to have been outshined by theirs.
"Um, excuse me," I said, my voice soft and shy as I walked up to her. I made brief eye contact with her before my eyes darted to the side as I talked before they made eye contact with her again.
It was my body's way of showing how shy and nervous I was.
"Yes?" said the girl, arching up her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
"Do you know where I'm at?"
The girl furrowed her eyebrows together and frowned. I felt her cool blue eyes inspecting me as they scanned my appearance from head-to-toe.
I mentally sighed.
She wasn't going to hide her bitchy-judgemental side. Or at least that was how she was acting right now. After all, I barely met the girl. I couldn't judge her too quickly. Besides, people always have their way of surprising you.
I guess she didn't like what she saw because her eyes hardened, and, it could have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but they seemed to have turned a few shades darker.
"You're at Inferes." She answered.
Even the name sounded unfamiliar and totally foreign. I eyed the girl carefully. I couldn't help but detect the heavy sarcasm in her voice. I would have understood if she said Earth instead of Infermis, or whatever the hell it is she said.
I frowned. "O-'Kay? Well, um, can you be a little more specific?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "You're at Divinum," she said, this time using a duh tone of voice, "it should be obvious with your surroundings."
Right, because everyone in the freaking world knows this place, huh?
I bit my tongue to keep the sarcastic comment from spilling out. I was still going to ask her my other question, but, I was, however, more hesitant with it.
"Do you know what time it is?" I asked, trying my best to sound indifferent and unaffected by her attitude.
The girl glared at me. Her look obviously said I've got better things to do!
I ignored her looks as she checked the watch on her wrist, which actually looked pretty complicated to read. There were a bunch of little circles inside the bigger circle, and all of the numbers looked as if they were written in another language. Actually, if I looked at it a little closer, they were in another language. They were in Roman Numerals – which is either from Greek or Rome, or maybe even both?
I suddenly felt impressed by her, quickly assuming that she must be very smart. I don't even know how the Roman Numeral number four looks like!
"It's sedecim viginti tres quinque."
I felt my bottom jaw slowly drop. What the hell did this girl just say?
I sighed inwardly.
I guess she really was messing with me. She probably made up those words and used a sarcastic tone of voice to make me feel stupid, as if I was supposed to know them. When in actuality, all this time, she was mind-fucking me!
I frowned. Well, at least she took the time to talk to me. This, in a way, kept me busy. "Oh, alright," drawled. "Well, thanks anyways."
The girl pursed her red lips together. Once again, her eyes inspected me judgingly. I would have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that this time she didn't have the same hostile look she had on earlier.
"Whatever," she said haughtily. She turned her heels and began to strut down the street.
Guess I'll just have to look for another person to answer my questions.
.
Un-freaking-believable.
Everyone. Every. Single. Person. Whom. I. Talked. To. All. Had. The. Same. Freaking. Answers!
It was absolutely ridiculous! After a while though, the street names would change as I walked to another part of this town or city, and the time began to change too.
However, their answers were all similar to the girl's. It was like they were talking in a whole other language!
I began to shake my head in disbelief. Like I said before: un-freaking-believable.
"You don't belong here."
I looked up to see who had spoken.
I was surprised to see a very attractive woman who looked to be between her early and mid twenties.
"Uh . . . Are you talking to me?" I asked rather dumbly, my gaze going off to the side before making eye contact with her.
Her bright green eyes were inspecting me, kind of like the same way the girl was checking out my profile.
The woman sighed. "It's dangerous to be out on the streets at this time. Follow me, if you will."
I took a tentative step forward. I didn't know where I was, I didn't have a phone with me, and my watch had stopped working. I guess I have no other option but to follow this woman. I just hope that she isn't going to lead me to a whore house or put me in the Black Market or something like that.
I would have gone to the police station to call home, but I didn't spot a single policeman, police car, or station. It made me wonder if I had missed them several times, or if they all somehow simultaneously gotten a free day, or if this town is just that safe, or something.
We walked in silence. It was surprisingly comfortable, or as comfortable as it could get between two strangers – one of whom did not know where she is, and the other . . . Well, I don't know much about this woman, so I can't really say much. The walk itself, however, seemed to be a bit longer than I had expected it to be; it was at least ten minutes longer.
I noticed that the more we walked, the more the houses began to look bigger, better, and expensive. It was then that I noticed that we had walked into the neighborhood where I first popped up at. Where I had asked the girl all those questions – and she had gotten annoyed very quickly.
"Follow me," the woman said as she walked up a cement pathway that led to a big house. It was what one would call a 'McMansion.'
The inside of the house was brightly lit, and it seemed as if the walls and floors were transparent. They were glossy and as clear as glass, I swore I saw my own reflection on the walls – even though they weren't made out of glass.
I began to mentally shake my head. Even the furnitures looked as if they were sparkling. It was a stark change from the outside, which was darkly lit like a single candle in the middle of a dark room.
I was surprised as to why the woman brought me here. I wasn't even sure if this was her house. As far as I know, she could be working for someone who kidnaps people or something.
I blinked.
I really should stop getting ahead of myself.
"You're probably wondering where you are, what the hell happened to you, why you're here, and who I am." The woman said, taking off her black leather jacket, revealing a purple tank top, and a pair of ridiculously large breasts. It was hard not to gawk at it. "Take a seat, I'll answer those questions for you, and any other questions you have too."
The first question that popped into my head was if her boobs were real. I slumped forward, shaking my head in amusement and irritation.
I did as I was told. I took a seat all the way at the side of the white corner sofa, my butt on the edge. It probably looked as if I were about to fall off. I didn't care though.
I still wasn't comfortable, and if I were smart, I would be cautious right now and not completely trust the woman and everything that comes out of her mouth.
She came back into the room with a glass of ice cold water – I hadn't even noticed her walk out – and held it out towards me. I had gradually accepted it.
"Thank you," I said shyly.
"You're welcome," the woman grinned. "I suppose I should start now. I'll begin by introducing myself. My name is Maria, and you are?"
"Sophia," I answered.
"Well then, it's nice to meet you Sophia. Let's see, now that I've got the introductions out of the way and we know each other's names now, I'll start answering your questions."
There was a pregnant pause before I finally figured out that Maria was waiting for me to ask away.
"Oh, alright," I murmured, feeling my cheeks warm up as I dropped my gaze to my tanned hands. "W – Where am I at?"
"You're at Inferes, which is Latin for Underworld."
I felt my eyes widen. What the hell?
"The street names here are also in Latin," Maria said casually as if she were talking about the weather and not something that sounds like it came out of a fictional book for little kids promising a land made out of sweets, flying unicorns, and peace and love – or you know, something completely opposite of that.
"Underworld?" I echoed, feeling a little out of breath.
Maria sighed before looking at me sympathetically. "I know you don't believe me, but you've somehow been transported from your world to here – the Underworld. You probably think that I'm crazy, and you're most likely regretting ever following me here, but please, trust me when I tell you that you are in safe hands with me."
I couldn't speak.
I was in too much shock to even make a sound! Much less open my mouth.
"Drink some water, it'll help," Maria said, pushing the glass of water closer to me. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to it if that's what you're thinking. It's one-hundred percent pure."
I didn't care if she spiked my drink or not, I was starting to crave ice cold water, and the glass in front of me looked refreshing and just what I need at the moment.
The second my hand lifted the glass off the table, I realized that I was shaking. I relaxed my tensed muscles and brought the cup up to my lips and began gulping down the drink.
"I should give you a warning," Maria said, sounding serious. Her face looked troubled, and a thoughtful look crossed her features. "This place . . . It's basically a huge sex club, roaming with horny people."
Oh God, you have got to be kidding me!
"A – Are you serious?" I asked, my voice fading out to a breath towards the end of my question.
"Glad to know that you believe me about the Underworld part," Maria smiled. "Most people from your world would never believe someone when they say that. They always have to go through some situation, or situations, to finally believe and, or accept the fact that they've somehow ended up here in Inferes."
I shrugged.
In all honesty, I didn't believe the woman. And if I did, then I would most likely have a hard time accepting it. But I know that I'll forget about it, and when the subject comes up – that I really am at the Underworld, even though I still don't believe it – I'll most likely shrug it off, and if it comes to that point, then I know that I really have come to accept it.
For now though, I had no idea if this woman was telling me the truth or not, but I'll just go along with what she says and not yell or argue with her, calling her crazy and that we're not in the Underworld. It would be a lot easier and faster if I just sat here silently only asking questions that needed to be answered.
"Well," Maria said, folding her hands together, her lips curling into a sly yet warm smile. "Are you a virgin?"
I blinked.
That was a really random question. I was just so out of the blue that I was caught off guard – again.
What the hell?
"Um, yes," I answered truthfully. Hopefully that was the right answer.
Maria frowned – I guess it wasn't. "You should really keep that to yourself. Taking someone's virginity here is like winning the Noble Prize in your world, or winning the lottery. If word ever got out that you're a virgin, everyone – and when I say everyone, I really do mean everyone, no matter the gender or age – will be after you like a pack of wild hungry dogs."
Now it was my turn to frown. "But, surely I can get back to my world without that happening, right?"
Maria sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Sophia, but the only way for you to get back to your world is to attend Universae Potestates Divinitatis Academy and graduate."
I felt my shoulders drop down to a slump. Oh, you have seriously got to be kidding me!
"I'm not kidding."
I furrowed my eyebrows together, cocked my head to the side like a dog, and peered at Maria curiously and confusedly.
"You said it out loud," Maria pointed out, smiling tightly.
"Oh . . ."
I frowned.
I never really voiced my thoughts. And when I did, it's usually on purpose. This is the first time I've ever done it by accident. I really should be careful. Who knows what kind of trouble I'd get into if I voiced out the wrong thoughts out loud.
"How long do I have to go the school?"
"There are four years of school."
I felt my eyes bug out of my eye sockets. "Four years? Four years. That's going to take a while," I protested, frowning. "If I go to school here and graduate, I'd most likely get back home when I'm nineteen! I'll have to catch up with my studies and try to graduate there too!"
Maria closed her eyes and smiled. "One thing I love about Inferes is that time works differently here. Where as someone who is eighty in your world, will look like someone who is eight hundred years old here. Someone who is eighty here will look like they are in their late teens or early twenties in your world."
I felt my eyes widen. "How will I know someone's true age then?"
"Well, first of all, aging here seems to stop or slow down when you're eighteen. So you can bet that anyone who looks older than eighteen is at a much older age. However, there are some cases when the person slows down their age process at sixteen."
"H – How is this all possible?"
"It just is."
"People will probably figure out that I'm not from here."
Maria chuckled. "That's highly unlikely."
I shot her a curious glance.
"You see, since you're here in this world now, you'll also be affected by this time-age thing. And if you're here long enough, it might even become a permanent thing too; meaning that your body will function as if it originally came from this world. Even when you get back from your world, your body will react and work as if it were still in this world.
"In fact, it's affecting you right now." Maria paused before looking at me slyly. "And the people from your world that end up here, well their age process actually starts to slow down the second they get here.
"So if you do go back to your world – and let me tell you now that time in your world is much slower than the time here, which means that when you return there, it could be the next day or a few hours that you've been missing – you'll basically look exactly how you did before you left."
"Um, when you said that if I stay here long enough it will turn into a permanent thing . . . Exactly how long is that?"
A pondering look crossed Maria's face. "Well, you look to be thirteen or fourteen –"
"I'm fifteen," I cut off.
"Oh my, you have such a young, youthful, baby face, I first thought that you were twelve, until I noticed your height is taller than the average twelve year old girl and that you're voice sounds so much deeper and mature than that of a young child. You're quite the lucky one, having a gorgeous baby face, I'm so jealous!" Maria winked.
I felt a warm blush creep along my cheeks. O-'Kay?
Maria chortled softly. "Any who, you're going to be here for three to five years. But you've going to be starting out as a freshman for Universae Potestates Divinitatis Academy, so maybe four years. Basically enough time to make the time-age thing turn into something permanent. Congrats, you'll be like a vampire when you get back to your world!"
I frowned again.
I wasn't into vampires, so the thought didn't seem very appealing to me. However, I did like the fact that I would be able to stay looking young as I get older when I return to my world.
Aging, growing old, looking old . . . That was in one of the top five things that I feared, I'd rather die young than be old. After accomplishing living a fun life filled with risks and laughs of course. So if I do die young, people would at least know that I did a bunch of fun things in my life, instead of leading a safe, boring one.
I sighed throughout my nose.
"School doesn't start for a month," Maria said, "so, with that much time you'll be able to know the customs, the ins and outs of this place."
"Oh, um . . . W – Where am I supposed to stay though?" I asked, my eyes nervously shifting to different directions before they made contact with Maria's deep forest green eyes. I began to play with my fingers.
"Over here of course!" Maria said brightly, flashing me a toothy smile which showed off a perfect set of straight white teeth.
"Um, I don't want to trouble you though."
"I don't think that you know anyone from here that will help you out."
I frowned.
She was right. But her words brought me to reality.
I was supposedly in the Underworld, a giant sex club filled with horny people who think that taking someone's V card is a huge honor. Not to mention that the aging here supposedly slows down so everyone looks young.
I mentally sighed.
Everything Maria told me right now better be the truth because I'm starting to believe her.
God, I always was a gullible person.
"So," Maria said clasping her hands together, the ear-to-ear grin still on her face. "Now that I've gotten that out of the way, do you have any other questions?"
AN:
It's boring, I know. But it'll get better, I promise. This was basically a filler chapter, and the next chapter – probably the next two chapters – might also be filler chapters. But I'll do my best to make them as fun and exciting as possible! Also I hope that I managed to make this as realistic as possible – or as realistic as it could get.
Thanks for reading, lovelies!