Rayven smiled as Alec made his way out the door and as soon as it shut, she rushed into his room to see what was finally behind this mysterious door. She slowly and softly drug her feet across the white carpeted floor. The fibers felt different this time than they had before. They were softer and when she looked down they seemed brighter too. Slowly she made her way to the door, stopping just as the bottom of it came into her view.

Slowly she tilted her head up, taking in every crack and crevice she could now perfectly see in the door. She took in the fine detail work of the six panels, each one different yet oddly the same.

Rayven shook her head. She didn't have time to admire the oddity that was the door panels. Who knew when Alec would be back. With that magic changing trick he did, for all she knew it could be mere seconds. She took a deep breath and slowly reached out for the fuzzy handle. Her fingers where just centimeters from it now and—

WHAT do you think you're doing?

Rayven jumped as a voice shrieked. She looked around quickly, trying to see where Alec was. A few seconds later she realized that it had been her voice in her head; her conscience. Rayven giggled at her silliness and reached for the handle again.

Only to have herself yell at her again. This time she sighed and closed her eyes.

What does it look like I'm doing? she asked herself, sitting back on her hip and crossing her arms over her chest.

It looks like you're trying to get yourself killed, or worse, scarred for life.

How can being scarred for life be worse than getting killed? She gave a confused look to her inner voice which she was sure she could have seen on her face itself if she were to open her eyes.

Trust me, it just could. Her inner voice said.

Boy, that sure wasn't cryptic at all, Rayven thought more to herself than…well herself. It's like seeing me all over again.

I heard that young lady.

Who ARE you? Rayven asked the voice, starting to get very annoyed at the fact that she could've opened the door and have been in and out of the room or whatever by now.

In your grandmother, of course, the voice said like it was plainly written for everyone or everything in Rayven's mind to see.

My what?!

Your grandmother, sweetheart. Do I have to spell it out for you?

Yeah! Kinda!

Rayven's grandmother's voice chuckled in her head, creating what felt like reverberations in her skull.

So you're really my grandma? Rayven asked slowly, her eyes fluttering open.

Mhm. The one and only, my love.

Rayven studied the door, dimly thinking that that's what Alec called her. Slowly she turned and drug her feet back towards the bed and sat down, pulling a spare blanket off the chest at the front of the bed and wrapping it around her.

Hi, grandma.

Hello dear, it's so wonderful to finally hear your voice.

I've heard a lot about you, Grandma. From Alec.

From who dear? Suddenly her grandmother's voice became full of shock with an undertone of fear.

Alec. I don't recall his last name. But he said he knew you, and that you never used the Gift that I now have.

Her grandmother didn't reply. Rayven sat on Alec's bed, listening to the silence in her head for what felt like forever. She had finally given up on a response, pawning it off as a dream, though she knew she had been awake, when her grandmother replied.

Don't you dare trust a word that fowl snake spits through his disgusting fangs and what ever you do, don't you dare open that door!

There was a loud popping sound like someone had fired a gun in her head and there was true silence in her head again. Rayven realized that her grandmother had truly gone this time and she felt oddly empty. With a sigh she thought back on the last thing her grandmother had said and fury built up in her chest like she had never imagined before. She thrust herself off of Alec's bed, mentally making a note to ask Alec his last name later and marched straight for that stupid white door. She grabbed the handle, twisted it as hard as she could, and—

Nothing happened. The door was locked tight. Rayven pulled at the fuzzy handle with all of her might, but it wouldn't budge. Rayven was about to give up when she remembered the Gift. She turned back to the door. She pressed her hand to the cold white wood in the very center. She took a deep breath. Held it. And pictured herself behind the door. With every essence of her being she told herself that's what she wanted more than anything. After about ten seconds she opened her eyes and found that she was still in Alec's room.

Why had it not worked? Then it occurred to her that she hadn't squeezed her eyes shut she had just closed them. Rayven hadn't thought it was that literal, but maybe it was. She tried again.

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and held it, concentrated as hard as possible, and pictured herself behind the door. After about ten seconds she opened her eyes and there she was. Behind the door. And the only thing in there was a small round, white table. And on that table was a small rectangular, tarnished-looking chest-like box.

This was it? This was the entire reason why she couldn't come in here? Well that was insanely ludicrous. It was a box for God's sake. Rayven slowly stepped up to the box, sort of reminiscing over the thought of Pandora and her box thing. She wondered if this was the same box. That if she opened it she would be the cause of the end of the world. She laughed out loud at the stupidity of it. Slowly and softly she ran her finger tips over the lid of the small chest. It was smooth and the only thing that adorned it was symbol carved deep into the wood. She figured the symbols must have been Russian. She reached her other hand out and pressed her fingers softly to the sides of the lid, lifting it as slowly as she possibly could without straining her wrists. As soon as the lid was up Rayven gasped. Inside of this small box with the small symbols on the small table was a key. A brass key that looked to be centuries old. She reached down and curled her fingers around the key—

Before falling limp into Alec's arms.