Gina's POV
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, my mouth hung open in disbelief and utter shock. Underneath the ugly dome was a whole new world.
“Welcome to the Underworld,” said the man who had led me down here. I was too enthralled, however, to speak a word in return.
I was standing opposite a massive building whose height I could not estimate; the building seemed to tower so high that it appeared to extend far into the sky.
Sky?
That was odd. I had been led beneath the ground, so how could a sky exist underground? But there was a sky alright. There were clouds and stars, but I saw no moon or sun. The sky above me had a weird colour; it was not blue but a purplish sort of grey. It appeared very old, as though it had been there before the beginning of the very universe. The building, which was a mansion, really seemed to stretch out for miles upon miles. I could not make out where it began or where it ended. The exotic structure that stood before me was also very old-looking. The exterior had no real colour; it was very close to grey but not quite. It looked as though it had been quoted with a colour that did not exist outside of this world. The air of this place was soothingly cool. It was chilly but not moist and was always howling by. I swear I could hear people whispering in the wind.
“You will walk up to the door where you will explain the purpose of your visit, understood?” the man quipped and I nodded. When I turned the next second to ask him what way I was to go, I found that he had disappeared and so had the stairs.
I tried to stop the fear that began to brew within my chest. What if this was it? What if no one ever heard of me again? What if I had been swallowed already by this world and my existence was wiped out from the world above? What was to happen to my children now?
I was stuck here now and the only thing I could do was to discover if this place was any good. I began to walk towards the large building, but it felt like an ever-ending journey. The distance had seemed so short when I had arrived, but with each step forward I took, the distance did not seem to shrink in size.
*_You will keep waking in vain. You have to see the place with your mind._* Raven said.
*_How?_* came my response.
*_Close your eyes._*
When I closed my eyes, something happened. It was as though I was now entrapped in my own mind. I could see clearly for myself where the building stood. It was still very far away, and I could only spot it because it was very tall. Instead, I found that I was in the middle of a village where the inhabitants all had hunchbacks and grey hair. At the same time, one could not mistake them for old people because their faces were extremely youthful in appearance.
I walked up to one and asked what time of the day it was.
“Time of the day? Sean? Will you come here? What meanest this stranger by time?” the lady I had posed the question to had her eyebrows matted in confusion by what I had asked her.
“You are clearly a stranger. There is no concept of time here,” a man said and laughed at my ignorance.
I looked at the sky again. There was no moon or sun and it was neither day nor night. There were only stars twinkling in the sky. I had a feeling I had been here for hours and yet the sky had not changed. Was there really no concept of time under here? What then did that mean for me? Was I still alive? Or had I voluntarily walked into hell?
“She does look sweet. It's been a while since they sent any meat our way. She would make a fine meal,” the lady said and opened her mouth wide, revealing very long and sharp-looking teeth. All the people surrounding us turned to look at me and their eyes became red with hunger. They began to surround me and as one of them grabbed my arm I screamed.
*_Open your eyes_* Raven's voice came to my rescue.
I opened my eyes to discover that it had all been in my mind. What the fuck had just happened? Would they have eaten me alive while I had been stuck in my own mind?
*_Imagine the city now with your eyes open._* said Raven.
I did just like she instructed and was surprised to see that I could picture the village with its small houses and crooked-looking people. The only difference was that this time the people did not seem to notice me at all. Some even walked right through me as though I was some sort of ghost.
Once I had made my way out of the village, I saw nothing ahead save the tall building. However, this time the distance was significantly shorter.
*_Do I close my eyes again?_* I asked my wolf for guidance. When this was all over, I would have to ask her how she knew what to do when she had never been here before.
*_Yes._*
I did so and this time I was in a village with people that were extremely short. The tallest of them seemed to reach a little above my knee.
I studied the place very well and then proceeded to open my eyes. Owing to what had happened to me the last time, I figured it was not a good idea to ask the villagers any questions.
But alas! When I opened my eyes, there was nothing.
*_You have to talk to them._*