"This is our kitchen. Carl is the chef and our butler. We don't usually have many guests, so we only need Carl do to the cooking." She smiled. The kitchen was steaming and brewing with all kinds of commotion. I had wondered what Carl was cooking for, with so much food being prepared. "He is currently making our lunch."

I didn't see Carl anywhere in sight, but I decided he probably knew what he was doing and that the kitchen being abandoned for the time being was probably not a worry.

We walked past more rooms, and I saw Carl rushing towards Beatrice, looking rather worried. "My Lady! I must ask you for a private audience, if you would let me!"

Her eyebrow rose, and she sighed. "Carl, do you not see I am busy opening the Manor to my guest?"

"He's..." He sighed, his hands grasping each other, and his thumbs twirled around one another.

"He's...what, Carl?" She murmured. She turned to me, and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Dear. Would you mind terribly if I had a word with Carl?"

"No, I wouldn't mind. Please." I smiled. She and Carl walked away from me, all the way down the other side of the hallway. It was huge and there were far away, but it could still hear whispering despite the distance.

It seemed urgent, whatever they were saying. And Beatrice was starting to look upset. I didn't want to intrude, however, so I tried not to tune in.

Behind me, I heard a door creak open. I turned around to find that room, the one I had been in earlier, that I wasn't supposed to be in. There, in the room, the rose was there, right where it had been. I had to step in, I had to see again.

As I stepped closer and closer, the more I wanted to hold the rose, to grasp it in my palms. There, the little rose stood in the vase, still glowing from the light of the morning sun. My hand began to reach for it. I wouldn't grab it, no of course not. I would just touch it. I wanted to feel the soft skin of the petals. It was just the most perfect, simple rose.

"Stop."

I turned around and...

"You can't be in here." He continued.

I didn't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, or if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. "I'm sorry." I gulped. I didn't want to stare, but if was. I hope I didn't look frightened, even though I was.

What I saw was definitely not human. She breathed calmly through her nose, in and out, each breath slower than the next. Maybe he had some kind of condition that made him look that way? She shouldn't stare, she should be respectful. "I'm sorry, I knew I wasn't supposed to be in here..." She frowned.

"It's okay..." He sighed, and his entire huge figure seemed to get bigger as he let air into his lungs. "But you must go; Lord Bastillion would not want you to be here."

I nodded. "Of course, I'm so sorry."

"Rose!" Beatrice ran into the room. "I told you, you must not be here!" And then she turned to the beast, and stared. But she did not say anything else. She didn't seem surprised, so I had decided that she had already met him. But...she was oddly quiet, as if she was not sure what to do or say next, like she was waiting for him to give her permission.

"I'm sorry, Lady Bastillion," he bowed to her. "I didn't meant to disrupt you and Lord Bastillion's guest." Then the beast turned to me. I didn't stare at him, but his eyes. "I apologize if I had frightened you, Madam." He bowed again, and then left the room.

His eyes. They were blue.

"Rose, really, I must insist you do not wander in here again." Beatrice frowned. "That wasn't wise of you."

"Who...?" I began.

"I need to do some explaining, Rose. A lot of explaining. I'm afraid my world is very different from yours."

World?

"Come, let's sit in my study." She insisted, leading the way. I followed.

She stared at me from across her desk. Her study was small, yet comforting. There were books piled up on a shelf behind her, hundreds of classics, many of which I had read.

"What happened before you were taken by your brother's clan?"

I looked down at my lap, and thought for a moment. "I was leaving my friend's house. She and I usually hang out a lot at her house because of my brother...and his clan."

"So you have prior knowledge of the clan?"

I shook my head. "No, I just thought they were his friends, his gang. All I knew was that they were suspicious and rude, and I was pretty sure they were getting him to do drugs. He was always acting really weird after hanging out with them, especially that night. That night, he was really weird..."

Beatrice nodded. "Well...do you remember them taking you down an alleyway?"

I nodded.

"That is one of the many entrances from your world to mine, and vice versa; they are hidden, as many of my fellow people and yours are not supposed to know about each other. Our worlds were supposed to be kept hidden from one another. Your world, the city, is one of logic and 'reality', as you all like to call it. My world, the world you're in, is one of magic and tradition."

"Magic?"

She nodded. "Our worlds, unfortunately, are starting to collide. The clan leader, from long ago who stole my ancestor's parallel plate, was the first person to open one of the pathways in, my goodness, centuries since it was closed offs ever since the war between my clan and your brother's has started, people here have been starting to learn of the other world, to demand explanation and are protesting to reopen the closed pathways." She looked to me. "But that will be catastrophic. Your brother's clan only knows where that specific entrance is, the one where you crossed through. Lord Bastillion is the only reason why they have not found other pathways. You see, my ancestor had entrusted our family to protect the closed pathways, and to make sure no outsiders come into our world. Your brother's clan, however, continues to try to get through."

"What happens if they get through?" I asked.

"Well, they have the parallel plate...if they get through...our world would be doomed under their reign. Your brother is involved with terrible people, Rose." She took out a map, hand drawn on old, ancient paper. "This represents the transition of your world to mine. She pointed to a specific spot on the paper. "This alleyway is the entrance you came through. There are other entrances, but I cannot speak of them out loud. Don't ever assume people cannot spy on you when you are in this world, Rose."

I didn't know exactly what that meant, but I nodded. I looked to the map and marveled at the fact that I lived in front of an entirely different world my entire life and I didn't even know.

"This can all end if your brother's clan would just return the parallel plate to our family. That is the only reason why this pathway is remained open. My son's clan tries desperately to hold them off from getting into our realm and also try to invade theirs in order to retrieve the plate. Unfortunately, it always results in draw, with many injured men. Some have died to protect our world from this invasion. And you, Dear...you are here because those men were going to kill you."

"What?" I gasped. "No! Oscar...maybe he's not the best person, but he would never let that happen!"

"You said that you suspected that they were giving him drugs, correct?" I nodded, and she continued. "They hadn't given him drugs, but magic; a magic in our world so powerful and pure that it is almost deadly. Because its origin is not light or dark magic, it can go either way depending on what the effected person's heart is. I'm afraid your brother's entire clan had used it for dark purposes, and it's only safe to assume by the way your brother acted that night that he had decided to use it for the darkness in his heart. This drug turns them into savage, wolf creatures. They are terrorizing and deadly."

My thoughts went back to the beast I had just met, but, as if she could read my mind, Beatrice shook her head. "I'm afraid the man you had met earlier has suffered a fate worse than what your brother is experiencing. Unlike the clan from your world, the beast did not turn into that on purpose. Your brother, and all his clan members, had chose to do that to themselves." She sighed. "They wanted your brother to kill you, using that power from the magic. Thankfully, my son and I and our clan were there before you got hurt. I saw you hit your head, Dear. Your brother's heart is in danger."

"Why...would he want to kill me?" I gasped trying not to burst into sobs.

"It's not that he wanted to, Dear..." She grabbed my hand gently. "In your world, you may call them fairy tales, but in our world, they are prophecies. Here, every person has a prophecy, and so do you, despite being from the other world. But do not fret, Dear, you are only safe here, and if you display actions you think are right-" she smiled gently, "-then all will turn out alright in the end. You'll see."

I knew it was crazy, but I believed her for some reason. I didn't question anything she was saying, because it was all making sense. I did feel all the information take a toll on me, as if draining me body and soul.

His eyes. They were blue. Just like that night, right before I had closed my own.