Well here's the second chapter :). Now, I'm pretty proud of this one so I hope it will be to your liking. Before I get on with this, I'd like to thank you for your subscriptions, reviews and all that stuff. You guys are dolls :D.
Now on with the chapter in which we have a strange lord, a long monologue and a cliffhanger.
Enjoy :)!
Alice through the Mirrorshades
Chapter 2 – Mysterious intentions
'Alice, I forbid you to go visit this man!' Lord Ascot warned her.
But the young woman's mind was already made up. She was much too curious for her own good. This Lord, Mr. Youngblood, intrigued her with his mysterious ways. Alice was waiting for her carriage to get to the Youngblood manor and Mr. Ascot was determined to still try and talk her out of her decision. She just smiled at her friend's vain attempts.
'We do not even know of his intentions! He might do vile things to you, my dear. Kidnap you, keep you for hostage…' the old man continued his rambling.
'Mr. Ascot, I assure you I'll be fine.' She said taking his hand affectionately. 'I'm sure he's no danger to me and you know it.'
Her business partner sighed. He knew he wouldn't win this fight.
'Anyway, Alice went on, who are the Youngblood's?'
Lord Ascot fell quit for a few moments as though he was trying to remember. Finding the answer, he turned to Alice.
'They are a rich English family known to be particularly interested in anything that concerns history, mathematics, science. Most of them have moved out of England to travel around the globe as the one you are going to meet, I presume.'
'Have they ever caused a scandal or whatsoever?' Alice questioned.
'No, or at least none I've ever heard of. They are pretty interesting people, actually.' Ascot answered suddenly feeling foolish for overreacting.
'You see? I'm sure the man's just looking for a witty conversation,' she assured him. 'And really, I don't think some kind of archeologist can actually harm me.'
'When your mind's made up you really are impossible, my dear.' he joked. 'But please, Alice, still be careful.'
Alice was touched by her friend's concern for her. She smiled warmly at him.
'Do not be so worried about me. You have to take care of that heart of yours.' She said punching him playfully in the arm in a very unladylike manner.
Her carriage had finally arrived in front of the majestic hotel's entrance. Alice gave Lord Ascot a final smile and waved goodbye to him. The old man just nodded, still trying to hide his concern for her. The young woman still wondered when he'll admit to himself that she has become an adult. She climbed into the carriage and gently smoothed her dress.
'To the Youngblood manor, please.'
The Youngblood's summer mansion was really a thing. The house could be spotted from miles away. The family clearly wanted to show their fortune through their household. The building was situated on a cliff, just above the sea. Its walls were completely white and Alice wondered if it was legal to have so many wide windows. The roof was quit low and was a burgundy color. A true beauty that manor.
Alice felt completely out of place in front of the house's iron gate. The mansion was just so majestic, it felt as though it had came from another world. And the site didn't help either.A few moments later, an old man approached the gate. His posture was straight and his walk assured. When he finally reached Alice he looked her from head to toes and wrinkled his nose. How impolite!
'Good morning, miss. My name is Albert Folkstone. You must be, Mrs. Kingsleigh.' The old man said. He was speaking with an exaggerated English accent. Alice had to try to hide her urge to laugh.
'Yes, sir. I'm here to…' but the young girl was cut off.
'Yes, yes, I know why you're here. The master is expecting you on the veranda. Follow me.'
Alice frowned at his impoliteness. Who does he think he was anyway? But she decided not to argue and did as he said. They passed the iron gates but did not enter the house. They took a small path around the mansion through the beautiful gardens. Various Roman and Greek statues decorated the yard. Seeing that the Youngblood's were such a wealthy family, Alice wondered if they were reproduction or actually the real things. The young woman felt as though she was walking through an extravagant outdoor museum.
They finally reached the veranda. It was small and on the highest part of the cliff. Somebody who was afraid of heights would have scurried away from the place. Only a small stone wall surrounded it and Alice couldn't help thinking how easy a person could trip over it and fall in depths of the sea…
In the centre of the veranda, was a large round iron table. Cups and plates as well as a kettle and a few cakes had been prepared. A man, maybe a bit older than Alice, was sited at the table. At her arrival he stood up. He was tall, well fit but was wearing a horrible baby-blue shirt. The young man had long dark-blond hair that he had styled in a well-kept ponytail. He had small piercing blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. Although he was smiling, his expression was cold and unwelcoming. The man gave shivers down her spine.
'Mrs. Kingsleigh, he finally spoke walking towards her, what a joy to meet you at last.'
The man seemed very enthusiastic to see her. He bowed and kissed her hand. Alice hid the urge to wipe her hand on her dress.
'You must be Mr. Youngblood…'
'Well guessed. Now please do sit down.' he said gesturing towards an empty chair.
Alice did as mentioned. She couldn't look the man in the eyes. She found him extremely intimidating, but why?
'Tea, Mrs. Kinglseigh?' he asked pointing towards an empty cup.
'Yes, please.' Maybe a nice cup of tea could calm her nervousness.
Without being asked, the butler took hold of the kettle and served the both people some tea. Alice started stirring her tea. Lord Youngblood was analyzing her every moves, it was pretty creepy.
The young woman finally broke the silence.
'Mr. Youngblood, now may I ask you why you seemed so keen on meeting me?'
'Ah yes, my dear, you can. I was wondering… have you ever heard of Atlantis my dear?'
Alice was surprised: she wasn't expecting at all this kind of question. She shrugged.
'The name seems familiar, but I do not recall from where…' she answered simply.
Mr. Youngblood lifted his cup slowly and took a sip before continuing. Why did it seem that his every movement was calculated?
'Atlantis, he started, is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias.'
He waited to see Alice's reaction who was listening to him attentively.
'Plato was a Greek philosopher, he added. It was described as a utopian society and it was also said that is technologically advanced. It is told that the Atlantians invented gunpowder and the compass thousands of years before the rest of the world even invented written language. By the legend, they even possessed aircraft. During Antiquity! Incredible isn't it?'
He let out a small bizarre giggle. Alice simply nodded. She didn't quite understand the reason of this story.
'But how did only one civilization be this advanced so early in history, you may ask yourself? Many scientists, historians and archeologists have thought about the same thing. Now it is said that maybe their technology, science…came from another world.'
This, strangely, caught the young woman's attention. She seemed to tense up slightly. Lord Youngblood smiled at this.
'Atlantians communicated with another world, a world much more advanced than ours. It is said that they even could go to their strange magical world. Well the Atlantians, you see, created a lot of jealousy at their time. The Greeks, in particular, despised their power. At first, they tried to become their ally, but Atlantis didn't seem to be interested in their resources…they didn't need the help of the weak. This caused a war of course, but the Atlantians didn't seem t worry: they were much more advanced.
Yet, the other world didn't want to help the Atlantians: they didn't want to use their power for violence and destruction.'
Another pause from the young lord. Alice waited patiently for him to carry on.
'So they cut off the communication with this other world, telling them that if they refused to help them, than they shall never help anybody else. The Atlantians were much too confident, you see. They thought that without that other dimensions help, they would still win the war. Fools, they were!
The Greeks won of course and instead of trying to learn more of the Atlantian's advanced science they killed every one of them and Atlantis sank into the ocean… in a single day and night of misfortune.'
The butler applauded greatly and the end of his tale. Alice had found all of that very intriguing yet she still didn't understand the man's intentions.
'Sir, that story is very interesting indeed…but I'm confused, she started. Why tell me all this?'
'Ha, he grinned, now here's the most captivating part of the legend. It is said that the Atlantians communicated with this other world… through an enormous magical mirror. A great mirror which was shattered to pieces and lost to the sea…as so we thought.'
Alice looked at her pendant and started fiddling with it. He didn't mean…
'By some magical way, the pieces didn't disappear into the depths of the sea, but flew everywhere across the globe. And you see, these pieces of mirror are magical. Some of them, buried in the earth might have even created portals to the other world!'
Lord Youngblood became more and more enthusiastic.
'Yet, being only small pieces of mirror, they are picky and do not let anybody enter the other world. Mrs. Kinglseigh, have you ever wondered why sometimes people disappear mysteriously?'
Alice didn't answer and continued to stare. Lord Youngblood carried on.
'Now it is said…that if you can find all the pieces of the mirror and put them back together, it is possible to travel back to that other world. Can you imagine, Mrs. Kinglseigh? We could make out of our poor little England a utopian society! The most advanced of Europe…even of the whole world!'
By the end of his monologue, the young man was pacing in circles around the table.
'And my dear, I have gone looking for these pieces of mirror and to tell you I have almost completed it! I have recently gone back to England to retrieve one of the pieces that was buried deep in the ground at the back of your friend's Ascot garden.'
Alice looked at him in utter shock. A flash of the rabbit hole appeared in her mind.
'I do not think he is aware of this, so please give him my apologies if he doesn't appreciate the new big hole…'
Lord Youngblood grinned almost evilly.
'And I think, Mrs. Kingsleigh, that you may have one of these pieces I am looking for.'
A long moment of silence followed the lord's words. Alice couldn't believe this young man. Another world, what nonsense! The idea would be wonderful though, a utopian society just a piece of mirror away.
No, Alice…
Where did that voice come from? It was a beautiful, deep voice and it seemed strangely familiar to the young woman. She gazed down at necklace and gripped it tightly.
No, she felt it: she couldn't trust this man. Although he might be telling the truth, she wouldn't give him her pendant. His intentions didn't seem as noble as he was trying to me make them seem.
'Mrs. Kingsleigh, I assure you, if you give that pretty necklace of yours, I will make my possible to turn Kingsleigh&Cie into the richest company throughout the seven seas, he said getting uncomfortably close to Alice.'
The businesswoman forgot about the nervousness she felt before and looked boldly into man's eyes. She was protecting her pendant no matter what.
'Mr. Youngblood, you story has been extremely interesting and enlightening yet, it is still a legend, a child's story. And as you can see, Alice said standing up and not leaving the man's gaze, I am no longer a child. I have no intention in giving you my necklace and I think I can take care Kinglseigh&Cie myself.'
The lord looked up at her surprised.
'Please my dear, think about the possibilities, the…'
'No, Alice cut him off, I don't want any of it. I would like to leave, sir.'
At her last words, the young man smiled. He stood up and approached the woman slowly. He had now long passed the limit of her comfort zone. Alice tried to not lose her composure. Look strong… she told herself. Mr. Youngblood whispered, insisting on every word…
'Somehow…I knew you wouldn't go without a fight, Alice…'
The young woman hadn't the time to react that a pair of strong arms took hold of her.
And that's when she told herself that maybe Ascot had been right...
