*Author's Note*

Thank you for those who have been checking in! To answer some questions, yes! Tiffany is British. I actually kind of picture almost everyone but Simon with an accent. I don't know! Hear their voices how you want :) Thank you again.

3

Brittany Miller was on the run, that much was true. On the run from what? Well, even she was still trying to figure out exactly what that was. She scurried through the dark streets, avoiding eye contact with anyone who passed by her. The woman was on her way to meet an old friend, someone who owed her a favor.

She pulled her dark coat closer to her shoulders, hoping he would be exactly where he said he would be in the letter he sent by crow. The man was a jokester. He, for some reason Brittany could not figure out, found humor in annoying her. In front of Brittany was a tall, brick building, a ladder clinging to the side of it. "Here goes nothing…" She let her hands grip the cool metal of the ladder and her feet began to climb.

Though traditional ladders may take you up, this ladder took you down. She was climbing up, but her visual view was changing from the outdoors of a cold Reigndom to the inside of a small basement. Brittany had never grown used to the feeling. It was a tactic used to stay hidden, no one would attempt to climb the whole side of a brick building.

The basement was cozy, a cork board with strings attaching pictures of people and places decorated one of the walls. A single, grey couch with a coffee table was off to the side. Dark, red pillows were added for an attempt at decorating. She rolled her eyes, the mess from the last time she was here only appeared to be worse.

"I know," a man's voice said from behind her, "I still haven't cleaned up." She could hear the smirk on his words, the sound tugging the corner of her lips into a smile she wanted so badly to fight. "I guess some of us never change," she shot back playfully, a small jab at a reason the two don't mingle as often. The man chuckled, Brittany turned to see him, cursing her heart as it skipped a beat.

Alvin Seville was a known bounty hunter in Reigndom. He protected those who paid him by eliminating those who dared to challenge. His tall build and broad shoulders made him the perfect size for the job. Though he tried to intimidate his customers into paying more, he had a soft spot for Brittany. Her and his family go way back and he had been waiting for her to come and claim her favor, though he would never admit his want was from his need to see her.

"What do you need, Britt?" He asked, letting his eyes take in the familiar sight of the woman in front of him. "Protection," she said. Alvin's eyes widened a bit, worried. Brittany nervously messed with her nails, hoping the man didn't push for more. "From what? Did someone hurt you?" Concern coated his words. She shook her head, "Not yet. I'm trying to prevent my inevitable death." She cracked a smile, hoping to lift the mood.

Alvin rubbed his eyes, sighing loudly, "I have other jobs to complete, Brittany. I can't just stop…" His eyes met her pleading ones. She wasn't a woman who asked for help often, "It's that bad?" His voice was just above a whisper.

"I mean I didn't come all of the way here to talk to you for fun," she smirked at him. He raised an eyebrow in response, "Really? You used to come here to do more than just talk…" He winked at her, earning himself a smack to the shoulder, "Alvin." He held his hands up defensively, "Okay okay, I'll help." A big smile spread across her face, the woman letting out an excited squeal, "Oh yes! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Alvin pulled her closer, sighing as he closed his eyes and relaxed in the familiar scent of vanilla and roses. What did I just get myself into, he thought to himself.

"Alright, princess," he pried her off of him, "Where do we start." Brittany was silent, taking a moment to think, "Well, I need… To go back… My father left something behind." He scratched the back of his neck, nodding as he began to pack a small bag of necessities. "It's been awhile since I've been to the Door's… Let's go."

—

"So you're telling me… I'm crossing this bridge?" Simon cleared his throat. In front of him and Eleanor was a long, dark bridge, made visible by the oil lamps that burned along the edges. The short blonde nodded, "Mhm! Just be warned, the bridge will pull and tug…" Her words grew silent at the end, making Simon think she was second guessing her decision, "You'll be just fine."

"Crossing?" A man joined Eleanor and Simon, a big smile on his face. "Theo!" Eleanor squealed, her arms wrapping around the new addition to their duo. "Are you crossing? It's been how long?" Eleanor tapped her chin. "Three years almost exactly. I haven't lost count," the man named Theo smiled sheepishly, earning a blush from the blonde.

"O-Oh! This is Simon. He's searching for the Lady Brittany. I guess she has dragged yet another person into her mess," Eleanor rolled her eyes. Theodore chuckled, shaking his head, "I'd love to hear the details, but let's cross first… Nice to meet you." Simon just nodded. As the three began to walk across the bridge, Simon understood what Eleanor had meant about the pulling.

The darkness of the bridge tugged at his mind, pushing through his ears and filling his mouth. He stopped being able to see so he just shut his eyes tightly. Simon found himself reaching for Eleanor's hand, her fingers grasping his to let him know he was going to be okay. He fought against the tug, his mind feeling as though it was losing the battle.

Just when he thought he had lost himself, he heard Eleanor pulling him through, "Simon? You did it." He opened his eyes slowly, the bight light of a market piercing his vision. "Well would you look at that…"

A woman was in tears to the left of the trio, sobbing about how she lost her child to the bridge. "He didn't make it," Theodore said as he noticed Simon's confusion, "The bridge takes what it wants. It's testing you with each step, almost like it is asking you to come with it." Simon felt bad for the woman, "Is the child dead?"

Eleanore shrugged, "Who knows. Sometimes they return, other times they stay in the silence." The answer left Simon a bit uneasy. "Don't worry. Worry doesn't get you far in the Reigndom." That left Simon even uneasier. Theodore laughed a bit at his discomfort, saying something about otherworlders to Eleanor. The two hit it off, "Theo and I are going to check out a few of the food booths, will you be fine alone? I'm not sure when we'll cross paths again…" Simon gave her his best 'I'm-okay-but I-am-falling-apart-but-everything-is-fine' smile. It seemed to be enough for Eleanor.

Simon walked through the market, listening to what the vendors were shouting and selling, "Used parts! Frog legs! Rats!" Anything he never found himself wanting was on sale. His stomach reminded him that he was hungry. The man settled for some type of sandwich and a juice. The woman at the booth had no interest in his money, but more interest in trading. That must be how the market works, he gave her the pen he found in his back pocket. The small vendor chuckled, almost as if she thought she got off better than Simon.

"What a strange place," he said to no one in particular. As if luck finally decided to be on his side, a vendor next to him was yelling, "Information!"

Simon walked to the man, putting on his best smile, "Information? What type exactly…" The man stopped yelling. Simon held back a cringe as he noticed a crow clinging to the man's shoulder.

"Information? On whatever you want of course!" Simon tapped his chin. The man noticed his hesitation. He wore dark brown rags, his big toe peaking from the edge of his shoes, "And anyone? Someone catch your interest, otherworlder?" His voice hissed the end of the sentence.

Simon sucked on his teeth, digging in his pocket for something to trade. He pulled out a few loose coins. The man's face lit up, his dirty fingers reaching for the silver. "Nuh uh uh," Simon said, trying to play the game, "Wh-What can you tell me about Brittany Miller?"

The man slouched back, his dark eyes darting around the market, "The Lady Brittany has caught your interest? Three coins… Might need more…" He smiled. Simon rolled his eyes, adding a fourth. "Ah yes yes… I know of the Lady Brittany…"

Simon tried to hid his excitement. He pulled a wooden box up, sitting across from the man to listen. The man was too distracted to see the pair of men crouching on the roof above, listening for free.

"I though we had all of the information we needed on the girl," mumbled Lloyd as he picked the rat he had just eaten from his teeth. "What's the harm in listening for more, hm?" Replied Varnet, a bit annoyed of his partners lack of patience.

—

Alvin walked behind Brittany, keeping his distance to to avoid suspicion of others. His eyes studied her, noting the small changes. Over the years Brittany had thinned out from the stress the Doors had gone through, but she was still the Brittany he would always adore.

"Here we are…" He was snapped out of his thoughts by her voice. She had brought him to her old home. The building was a dark brown. To the average onlooker it would be just a bland wall, but to Brittany and Alvin, it was a maze of doorless walls that held memories. Brittany glanced at Alvin, giving him a weak smile.

"You can do it…" He said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She nodded as she took a deep breath and pressed her hand to the wall.

The two seemed to melt into the wall. Alvin gritted his teeth. He had forgotten the feeling of being pulled through and he didn't miss it. As the two were pulled into the main room, a memory began to flash on the walls.

"Brittany you don't have to watch…" She shook her head, her crystal eyes glued to the scene in front of her.

"Ah… So beautiful… My daughter is so beautiful…" Brittany's mother, Alice, was tucking a strand of hair behind Laura's ear. Laura was the youngest of the Doors. She smiled softly. "Mommy? Why did daddy say we need to be careful about where we go?"

Alice shook her head, "Shhh mi amor… You'll learn on day…"

Two dark figures flashed behind Brittany's mother, yellow and jagged teeth formed smiled. "Ah the Doors… How perfect." Before Alice could react, the teller figure was running a knife across her throat. The young girl went to scream, the shorter of the two smothering her mouth before she met the same fate of her mother.

Brittany blinked, trying to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. The walls held memories of the last events that happened in the room, but only if the event were emotionally worth it. In this case, the emotions of the events were fear and sadness. Brittany let out a shaky breath, "Alright… Let's just… Let's get exploring…"

Alvin wasn't sure how to react. He knew the Doors met a terrible fate, but he wasn't sure of how violent. Brittany had found the corpses later that night. He followed the girl to another wall, her hand already on it before he felt the pull.

Brittany's father was frantically digging through his drawers, cursing as a piece of paper cut his thumb. Ramiro was looking for a journal, something to pass a secret. A loud bang was heard from the wall next to him, the man looking to the sound. He shook his head, "H-How did you two get in here?"

The two intruders laughed. Ramiro turned towards a wall, seeming to talk to whoever was next to see the memory, "Brittany… My dear girl. Though you may not have been a Door, you are connected to our family. We love you like a daughter. You must keep looking for us, for Reigndom. Gather the others, you'll know what to do. You were always clever." He smiled weekly, a knife digging into his chest as the memory faded to his old study.

"How did you find the Doors?" Alvin asked, keeping his distance from Brittany as he wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "No… They found me in London. Alice always said I had a gift that she was drawn to," Brittany shrugged, "Turns out I can open Doors just like they could… She just kept me hidden."

Alvin nodded, "That's why you go by Miller." She gave him a small wink, "Congrats on finally catching on, Alvin. You always were the smart one." He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "So what are we looking for, Britt?"

Brittany was already digging through the drawers, "My father's journal… It's… We need it." She closed her eyes, "I can feel it, but I didn't find it on the night he died…" Alvin clapped his hands to break up the silence that fell. He leaned against the wall, "Well I- Ah!" The wall next to him slipped open, revealing a spherical object that was Ramiro's journal.

"Alvin!" Brittany said. He reached for her hand, letting out an annoyed sigh as she reached past him and grabbed the object. "Thanks for the help up…" He muttered as he stood, stretching and rolling his shoulder.

"Hm?" Brittany said, not listening to him. She rolled the gold sphere in her hand, stuffing it into the pocket of her dark coat. "Okay… Let's get out of here before more memories flash across the walls… I can't take it."

Alvin quickly agreed, realizing he had gotten himself into something much deeper than needed. He joined Brittany by the wall, his hand resting on her shoulder as she pulled them into another room.

"Shit… I thought this wall was the way out…" Alvin opened his eyes as Brittany annoyingly cursed in front of him. The two had ended up in Brittany's old room, somewhere Alvin used to be lucky enough to visit. "Man… It looks the same," Alvin chuckled. He went to add more, but movement on the walls interrupted him.

"No! Alvin… You don't understand…" Brittany said, her fingers rubbing the bridge of her nose out of annoyance before she continued to stuff a few clothes into a small bag. "Understand what Brittany? I'm trying! It's hard when you aren't telling me everything. I can't protect you if you don't tell me what I'm protecting you from," an angry Alvin yelled, his arms spread out.

Brittany spun to face him, "There is someone… Something… After my family! I can't just stay here and wait for them to murder me too!" Tears were running down her cheeks, her face red from her emotions.

"You aren't even a real Door! This isn't your family. No one is out to kill you," Alvin grabbed her bag, trying to unpack it. "This is my family," Brittany said through gritted teeth. "Then why are you making their deaths about you? You aren't special enough to kill!"

The second the words left his lips, Alvin regretted them. He was unaware of her ability, taking her as just an ordinary girl. The hurt was evident on Brittany's face. She let out a shake breath, pushing him towards the makeshift door. "Get out… I only want to see on my terms… Do NOT come looking for me…" The memory faded.

Alvin awkwardly cleared his throat, "Uh… So sorry about that…" Brittany waved off his apology, "I just… I didn't realize that people were really after your family and…" His words faded as he saw her face. Brittany was angry, that much was obvious, but her expression changed as she let out a long breath, "It's honestly way too late for apologies, Alvin. Let's get out of here… I've had enough of this place."

She grabbed his hand, guilt and shame settling into the pit of Alvin's stomach as she dragged him to the far wall and to the outdoors.