Shortly after arriving overseas, the students were taken out to eat before being put on a bus heading toward the countryside. Since it had been such a long flight, the chaperones had decided that the major inner-city sightseeing, which would require much walking, would wait until tomorrow. After about an hour of driving, they took a turn that Blythe did not notice immediately. It was well-concealed by tall trees, and difficult to see from the main road; however, once they were steady on it, it turned into a full, wide path, which was simple to drive on.
The path winded through the colorful forest for twenty or thirty minutes more before meeting a bridge, which led shortly to a tall, wooden gate. Their guide instructed everyone to exit the bus and explained that, although the owner of the castle that they were visiting sometimes allowed school groups inside the grounds, this was not one of those times. He then launched into a history of the castle itself while the students huddled around shivering in the brisk autumn air.
Blythe was content to stand at the back of the group while she listened to their guide and took in the scenery at the same time. She noticed that, although this castle was on their itinerary, there were no signs posted that identified it, no informative plaques mounted about the history of such a place. Also, from what she could see of the castle, it was not well-maintained, unlike any historical landmarks she had seen before. Where exactly were they? From what she gleaned from the guide's lecture, the family that owned the premises had done so for centuries and always been a very secluded and mysterious bunch who liked their privacy. She smirked quietly to herself and mused about a certain video game.
Gradually, she noticed herself paying less attention to the lecture. Her eyelids became heavy; her vision became hazy, and she was suddenly very aware that someone was standing behind her. There was a flash before she blacked out. She was unsure whether the next few moments were actually moments, minutes, or hours. During this undetermined period of time, she faded in and out of awareness: there was darkness, a passageway, voices, lights, coldness, a door, hardness, and finally, bars.
Load game.