Star Crossed In Time - Chapter 198

The sound of dripping slowly pulls me out of my sleep but when I suddenly hear “Nova…” I open my eyes and find myself laying on cold, wet dirt. I quickly sit up and look around in confusion but when I see tombstones, my heart begins to race.

Was I in a freaking graveyard!? I wipe the dirt off my hands and face as I slowly stand, looking around the makeshift, crude graveyard. I hear nothing, not even a soft breeze, adding to the creepiness of the whole thing.

Was my mother trying to show me something again? But… where was she? No, something was different… I look up at the dark night sky only to see that it was completely empty. No stars, not even the moon can be seen in the dark black sky.

Suddenly, a loud “Caw” is heard from behind me, making me jump. I spin around to see a large, solid black crow standing on a broken, wooden stake, marking one of the many graves surrounding me. It stares at me with its solid black eyes but doesn’t move or make any other noises.

Where the hell did it come from? I didn’t hear it fly over… I swallow hard and pat my chest as I mumble “Nice bird…” I hear something move behind me, making me jump yet again but when I turn around, nothing’s there.

Why? Why is it always creepy!? I turn back to look at the crow and say “Um… is there something you want to show me?” The crow blinks its solid black eyes but just silently watches me. Was this really just a normal crow? Was I just standing here, talking to a normal crow like an idiot?

I feel a sudden chill down my spine that has me turning around again but this time I suck in and curse as I jump back in fright “Shit! f….” I stop myself short and force myself to calm down. A small child stands in front of me with a white, dirty gown.

Was it a boy or a girl? I stare at the child as the child stares back at me in silence. I’ve seen too many scary movies for this shit… I look around but everything is still the same, except for the creepy-ass child. Its complexion is entirely too white and the dark marks around its eyes and mouth tell me this child isn’t a normal child.

I look down at the child’s bare feet, seeing them covered in the same black mud I was standing in. I take a deep breath and say “Hello… hi, are you lost?” I try my best to smile but even I can feel how stiff it is on my face.

The child doesn’t say anything but when it starts to lift its arm, I internally scream ‘Don’t do it! Don’t you dare point at me in silence!!’ Sure enough, the child slowly shakes its head and then points to me as if saying ‘Not me, you.’

Then the child moves its arm to the left and points. When I turn to the left, I’m shocked to see a broken-down house that wasn’t there moments ago. The child slowly turns and starts walking to the broken house but stops and turns to look at me when I don’t follow.

Of course… I have to follow the creepy-ass kid to the creepy-ass house that appeared out of nowhere! I try to chicken out and think about Bai Lei, willing myself to disappear but luck was not on my side… I give in with a sigh and slowly begin following the child.

What bothers me, even more, is that I’m barefoot, walking over graves as the wet cold mud squishes through my toes in an unpleasant manner. I mentally do my best to block it out, grateful that I at least have a white gown on.

I follow the creepy child as I chant ‘Don’t think about it, Don’t think about it’ over and over in my head but when we reach the broken-down house, the large wooden door slowly opens in a typically creepy fashion. Loud creak and all…

I want to yell out ‘OH COME ON!!’ but instead, I bite my lip and follow the child through the dark entrance. I hold my breath but when my foot crosses over the threshold, everything changes. My clean foot suddenly lands on a plushy red carpet as music like a creepy music box starts to play.

The child is suddenly gone but when I look around the large room, I’m left in shock. It’s huge! And the walls are covered in large mirrors! I quickly look up to where the broken ceiling should be, nothing but hundreds of floating red candles greet me, casting everything in a warm glow. The ceiling looks like it goes up for several floors… how was this even possible?

The creepy music box music echos around the large and otherwise empty room, but when I turn to look for the door, my shocked expression greets me. It was gone! And in its place was a large mirror! I reach out with a shaky hand and touch the cold, hard mirror. It was real…

When I look back to my reflection, I look down at my dress in shock. I was now wearing a red dress! My long silver hair flows down my back, left untouched. I turn back around and slowly walk into the large room with unease. My own reflection in the surrounding mirrors keeps making me think there’s someone else here but every time I turn to look, it’s just my own reflection staring back at me.

I grit my teeth and keep walking but when I reach the end of a long hallway, there’s no way out. I feel a headache coming on as I try to figure a way out of the creepy maze of mirrors but everywhere I look, I see my reflection staring back at me with the other mirrors and their reflections. It makes me think of the house of mirrors you can go through at state carnivals and fairs.

As a kid, running into a mirror or running into a dead-end was fun but in this… it was unnerving and panic-inducing. I use a trick I learned as a kid and keep my hand on the wall of mirrors as I start walking again. When I feel the wall moving away from my hand, I step closer and continue walking.

The change was so subtle, I would have missed it if I hadn’t had my hand on it. I continue walking until I round a corner. It opens up to a large, round room with large mirrors all around, even on the floor! The only place that didn’t have a mirror was the ceiling. The red candles continue to silently float as I hesitate to step onto the mirrored floor.

The creepy music box song continues as I take a deep breath and step onto the cold mirror. I hold my breath and wait but when nothing happens, I let out my breath and take another step. As I reach the middle, the floor starts to move!

I jump and lift my hands out to catch myself but it’s moving so slowly, I don’t need to. I lower my arms and slowly look around with confusion. I try to leave once again using my powers but nothing happens. “Hello?” I softly call out and cringe when I hear my voice echo around the room several times before finally coming to a stop.

Suddenly the floor stops and so does the creepy music box song. Thunder is heard rolling in the distance as a male voice is suddenly heard “Well well, what do we have here? So this is the one he wants? Hmmm… you… are… different.”

The voice echos around the room, making it impossible to tell where it’s actually coming from. I turn around and begin looking all around but when I don’t see anyone, I come to a stop and grit my teeth. “Who are you?” I ask, listening to my own voice echoing again.

Suddenly, there’s a man standing before me in all red with a solid white mask. Why did this man seem so familiar? I narrow my eyes at the man and ask “You remind me of someone…” The man hums as he says “You’ve met my brother, Swiwang, master of death and decease.”

It suddenly clicks and I slowly nod my head as I ask “And you are?” He cocks his head to the side before saying “I am Hundun, master of confusion and chaos but the better question is, who are you?” My mind races with confusion as I try to piece everything together.

“My name is Nova… What did you mean when you said ‘The one he wants’? Who is ‘he’?” I ask standing my ground. He slowly lifts his hand and with a snap of his fingers, the mirrored floor begins to spin again as the creepy music box song comes back to life.