Chapter Three

Did she even want to stay in 2019?

Nothing mattered anyway, right now she would do anything to not be stuck in the same place as her stepfather.

Her mortal enemy.

He would come after her soon enough, she was wise enough to know that. Thalia didn't want to be so scared of her stepfather but she couldn't help it.

He was a truly sick man.

Without looking back, Thalia stepped into the portal. For a moment, everything went black, and she felt like she was falling through space. She entered a dream-like condition, and she felt herself slip in and out of consciousness.

When she opened her eyes which she had shut tightly out of fear, she saw that she was floating somewhere that felt and looked like it was a realm between life and death. It was beautiful. A silent purple lightning strike designed the place. It was lathered with thick smoke in some areas and it was empty, with no sign of any living things.

She tried standing from her awkward floating position and it worked. So she started to walk around slowly and cautiously. Suddenly a passage appeared in front of her. Maybe she hadn't seen it before because the smoke altered her sight a little.

Thalia gasped.

The door was beautiful!

It was crafted with exquisite artistry. Being an avid fan of fantasy novels this door looked like something from the books she read. Thalia traced the door with her fingers, it felt cool to her touch. The door was an embodiment of artistic mastery, adorned with intricate carvings that depict scenes of mythical creatures, celestial bodies, and ethereal landscapes. Delicate filigree patterns intertwine with ancient symbols, and carvings Thalia didn't understand. Golden hinges, etched with even more delicate engravings, hold the door firmly in place.

The surface of the door was polished to a lustrous sheen as if it were reflecting the secrets of the universe. Its wood, aged to a deep mahogany hue, emanated a warm, inviting aura as if whispering ancient tales of heroes and legends. Thalia exhaled with a satisfied smile. She felt like if she died now, she wouldn't have any complaints. That's how beautiful it was.

She stepped into the passage and turned to take one last lingering look at the door. Then she started to walk down the hall towards a door. Two doors.

The two doors had plates with numbers hanging on them. She deduced it to be doors to the different worlds because 2019 was written on one, while 1780 was written on one.

Her heart, which had been palpitating wildly in her chest, started to beat even harder if that was possible. She clutched her chest and tried to take deep breaths, she felt like she was going to have a heart attack anytime soon.

Thalia was tempted to open the door to 2019 and go back to her normal life pretending none of this ever happened. Forgetting everything like time travel didn't exist. But her stepfather's dirty smirk passed through her mind. He was definitely going to come after her now he was out, so she would be stupid to willingly be a prey, or a victim of his bloodthirstiness when she had a way to escape him.

She felt ashamed for a moment that she was running away, but only she and her mother, who was a victim, knew how brutal her stepfather was. She knew from his letters the way she would die if he found her. He had described it to her in concrete detail. She didn't have anyone to help her and she couldn't fight alone. Maybe she would come back when she felt like she was strong enough to face him.

So without thinking any further, she turned the doorknob to the door with the year 1780 and walked through. She walked through a dark passage that seemed neverending for a while before she saw another door.

She extended her hand in a gesture to open the door.

Thalia hesitated. What would she find behind this door? She was curious, but she was scared at the same time. She raised her hand to turn the knob but her heart protested so much that she had to pause.

The method to remain calm instilled by her mother suddenly came to mind. Counting. It was a simple method but a very effective one. So she started to count.

She counted to a hundred before she felt like she was now ready.

Thalia finally turned the knob

“What is this place?” Thalia muttered under her breath.

She dropped her bag in shock, heart pounding hard. She felt like she was in a fantasy fairytale book.

Was this a dream? She wondered. After pinching herself on her arm very hard, an action she was starting to regret, she confirmed that it was indeed real.

Her ears were still ringing from going through the portal and the motions her body just went through. The itching behind her ear had stopped the moment she appeared here.

So time travel was real?

Because she knew this room definitely didn't belong to someone in the 21st century. It looked very ancient and magnificent.

Thalia started to panic. What year did she travel to again? She’d forgotten.

Whatever year it was, it sure went all the way back. She definitely wasn’t in the 21st century, that, she knew.

"Oh, 1780 right?" She muttered under her breath.

The room looked like it belonged in a palace. It was huge. She could fit her room back in her place at least fifteen times. That's how big the place was. If this room didn't belong to a prince or princess then it definitely belonged to a very rich person.

She started to look around her fantasy loving and adventurous side coming out.

Before she could explore the place though, she heard footsteps that made her pause in her tracks. It was followed by a deep voice that made her heart stop. Thalia's heart rate sped up as the voices got closer.

She needed to hide immediately!