Enjoy!

The history of Keepers was only known by the Reader. The Readers haven't been seen or heard from in EONS. It was right around the time I was given these… gifts. I remember running through a maze, it was dense and dark and the maze shifted every five seconds. My breath was heavy and my feet were cut and bleeding.

I remember tripping. The ground felt like I was laying on a bed of nails but I didn't scream I didn't dare to scream. Instead, I sobbed.

"Take me! I will do whatever." I pleaded.

I could hear the steady thunderous footsteps slowly approaching and I knew he was looking for me.

"Take me, please." I begged again.

"STAND UP."

I blinked, slowly raising my head. "I can not."

"STAND UP OR STAY HERE FOREVER."

The rumble grew louder as he grew closer.

THUMP.

THUMP.

THUMP.

"STAND OR STAY."

I looked up seeing a blue glow. Shakily, I stood stepping forward. "Please… I can't stay here any longer."

"DO YOU WANT TO BE FREE OR AWAY FROM HIM?"

THUMP!

"I want both!" I shouted. I looked up, seeing the most beautiful being above me. She was ethereal, her face was unreal- she was unreal, her stoney brown eyes were laser trained on me. Her lips were in a hard line and she looked… calm.

"YOU CAN ONLY CHOOSE ONE."

THUMP!

"I choose-"

"KEEPER!"

I blinked, gasping as I shot up, looking around frantically before I realized that I wasn't home. I was in a hotel, the room felt sterile but the bed I was in was soft and… I stopped, pulling the covers up. I was half-naked, I blinked again, my eyes adjusting to the harsh sunlight shining through the slightly opened blinds.

I saw my dress laying almost delicately across the chaise lounge, my shoes were neatly placed by the door and then my eyes landed on the man sitting in the chair directly across from the bed. His eyes were closed but I couldn't tell if he was sleeping.

It was him. Sam, that's the name he'd given me. His crisp white button down was slightly unbuttoned and his hair seemed to be tousled from my view point, he looked beautiful.

My moma used to say never call a man beautiful, but he was. I felt the urge to pee and started to move before remembering I only had on my underwear. I attempted to pull the sheet from the bed but it didn't budge.

"Shit." I swore.

"I've already seen you, Keeper. Don't torture yourself."

I looked up and saw his green eyes looking at me amused. "I don't know what you did to me but it was illegal!"

The amusement grew on his perfectly chiseled face. "You sound like the Keeper."

I furrowed my brows. "I don't know why you kidnapped me but-"

The door to the room opened and Courtney waltz in, talking on her phone. "Yes, baby. I will make sure to be back in less than fifteen minutes. I promise to make it worth your while but listen, I have to go okay?" She looked over at me, frowning before looking over to Sam.

They exchanged a few glances before he stood, sighing loudly, grabbing his jacket and walking out of the room. I watched him leave before looking back at Courtney questionably, she looked back before tossing something on the bed.

"Eat." She instructed but I only kept looking at her. Sighing, she opened the wrapping revealing a biscuit that had bacon and egg on it. "You need substance." she urged, pushing the breakfast sandwich closer.

I looked at it before returning my attention back to her. "How do you know him?"

She shot me a look before frowning. "If I answer the question, will you eat?"

I shrugged, taking a bite out of the sandwich.

Courtney smirked, shaking her head. "I am like him, Sam… that's the name he told you, correct?"

I nod. "Is that not his name?"

"No and yes… to you, he is Sam. He's always Sam to you." She answered, walking over to the window.

I take another bite, enjoying the comfort that comes with a good breakfast biscuit. "I don't understand."

"Look," Courtney began, dropping the facade of indifference she had worn thus far, "There are things at play here that you cannot fathom. Realities beyond this one."

I stopped chewing mid-bite. "Are you saying there are multiple dimensions?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, her gaze fixated on a pigeon perched on the ledge outside. "Dimensions, realities, worlds, whatever you call it… they all exist. Not just in theory, but in fact."

"But what does that have to do with me? Why am I here?"

Courtney turned to face me and for the first time since I met her, she seemed sincere and a hint of concern shone in her eyes. "You're a Keeper, remember? That's what the voice said when you were running through the maze."

"That was a dream… how could you know about that?" I found my voice barely a whisper.

She didn't respond for a while before finally saying, "I know because I was there when she chose you. I know because I have always been there watching over you."

Blinking I looked at her before shaking my head. "This has to be a mistake, I'm not this Keeper person. I'm just Mercedes, I've only ever been Mercedes."

Courtney looked at me for a moment, her eyes softening. "Mercedes," she said slowly, "in all my years as a Reader, I never expected that the Keeper would be trapped in someone... ordinary."

"I'm not sure if I should say thank you or be offended," I shot back, feeling my brows furrow. She chuckled softly.

"You have to understand, Mercedes," she started, her tone growing serious again. "You are indeed the Keeper we have been waiting for, and you're far from ordinary."

"Why should I believe anything you say?" I spat out.

Courtney shrugged nonchalantly again. "You don't have to. You'll believe when it's time."

Just as those words left her mouth, the room suddenly darkened, and everything seemed to slow down. It felt like the earth beneath us subtly shifted.

"Time is a funny thing," Courtney murmured. She stood up abruptly and moved towards the window where she stood still for a moment, her gaze riveted to the fluctuating sky. "It can be bent, broken, slowed...and it seems time is playing its tricks again." She muttered.

I watched as the world outside began to twist in ways that defied nature, colors shifting and swirling together like a dream. It was beautiful yet unsettling, and I couldn't help but feel vertigo creeping in. The room spun around me, making me dizzy.

"Is this happening because of me?" I asked, my voice barely audible against the subtle hum that filled the room.

"It's not happening because of you." Courtney corrected, turning towards me. "It's happening for you." She stepped closer. "He's looking for you."

With a final gulp of half-eaten biscuit stuck in my throat, I stood up and walked towards the window. Staring at this strange phenomenon unfold right before my eyes, I felt a knot form in my stomach.

"What happens now?" I asked. "Who is looking for me?"

"What happens now is that, that we have to prepare you." she said, ignoring my second question.

"Prepare me? For what?" My voice trembled slightly as I asked the question.

"For everything and anything that comes your way," she replied. She moved towards me and for the very first time since I woke up in this strange place, she held my hand. Her touch was cool and comforting.

"I know it's a lot to take in and it's frightening, but you're not alone in this," she reassured me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"But I don't even know what I'm supposed to do!" I exclaimed, my mind racing with fear and confusion.

"Mercedes," Courtney began, her voice soothing, "you were chosen for a reason, even though it may not seem like it. You have something inside of you that's extraordinary, that's capable of traversing dimensions."

"But I am just a regular girl! I am not a superhero or someone skilled in...dimensional travel. This is all nonsense," my voice faltered. My eyes started watering and I could feel my heart beating at an alarming rate.

Courtney released my hand and moved to the end of the room. She opened a drawer and retrieved a small, antique-looking box. As she opened it, the room lit up with an ethereal glow and she walked back towards me holding what looked like an old compass.

"This," she began as she held it out to me, "is the Astral Dial. It's an artifact passed from Keeper to Keeper for generations."

I reached out took the dial from her. It was cool to touch and felt extremely light. The needle spun wildly before settling in a direction that, if the room had windows, would have pointed to the west.

"What does this do?" I asked, my fingers tracing over the intricate designs that adorned the compass's rim.

"It's supposed to guide you," Courtney said simply. "To help you navigate through dimensions and time."

I looked at her incredulously. "How is this even possible?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her gaze fixed on the dial. "I only know that it works. It has never failed any Keeper before."

"And how many Keepers have there been?" I questioned, a mix of curiosity and anxiety bubbling within me.

"Countless," she replied. "But not all of them survived the journey."

The fear was back, creeping its cold fingers down my spine. The word 'survived' echoed in my mind and I felt myself freeze.

"You're saying...this could kill me?" I stammered, my fingers clutching the

Astral Dial tighter.

Courtney didn't look at me right away. She stared at the floor, her hands clenched. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer than before. "Yes, it's possible. But not inevitable. Your journey is unique to you, as every Keeper's journey is unique to them."

I felt a lump in my throat, my heart pounded in my chest. I swallowed hard and looked down at the dial in my hands. It was quiet, serene even, as if mocking my inner turmoil.

"And if I don't do this," I asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it out loud. "What happens then?"

She glanced at me and sighed deeply. "Then… well, there are things worse than death, Mercedes."

The words hung heavy in the room. I rubbed my thumb over the smooth surface of the dial and took a deep breath, letting it out shakily.

"What do you mean 'worse than death'?" I asked, right as Sam came back into the room.

"We don't have time to go down memory lane." He said, his eyes glowing like Courtney's. "He's breaking the veil."

"Who is?" I question.

"Arcastor."

Question:

If i made a site where you see how these stories are really written would you guys come?