Swirl!

Even before the arrow left her bow, she was ready to depart. Consecutive plops sounded, but the most catching sound was the peeling of her armguard’s strap. Instead of watching the target, some eyes keenly followed her.

Despite the circumstances, her followers only grew.

“Estelle,” the only courageous soul to speak her name, did. “Can you really not make it before 9 p.m.?” Hazel asked.

The two girls walked out from the Archery Range and headed towards the locker room.

Estelle put out her hand for Hazel to place a phone on it. After scrolling through the calendar, her already flat lips dropped a little.

“I am sorry Haze, but I can skip school tomorrow,” Estelle said.

That was the only time both girls saw eye to eye.

Estelle flung her chest guard open and pulled the shirt over her head. Her clothes were brought out of the locker by Hazel. She sat down on a bench and removed her pants, eyed Hazel, and only then put on her garter belt. Quickly, a pale turquoise-colored cape top was put on, followed by a double-layered skirt.

“Haze, it’s alright if you don’t want to skip. We will still have dinner,” Estelle spoke. She rolled black stockings over her pale legs and attached them to the garter belt. It was truly unfortunate, so she got up and wrapped her arms around Hazel. But before the plight could warm up, the two bodies split.

“Wait, I will drop you there,” Hazel called out when she noticed Estelle was already on her way.

Estelle, however, did not stop. But soon enough, she felt someone lightly grabbing her sleeves. Despite that, the two figures kept walking.

“Estelle, I will bring the car quick. You don’t have to take the bus, it’s not safe for you,” Hazel appealed. “Just come with me to the parking,” a hesitance pause. “ You can drive.”

A light sigh left Estelle’s lips, and she led her follower towards the parking.

Swiftly a white car moved out of the gate. After navigating through the busy streets, it stopped at the side.

“You want to drive?” Hazel asked.

Estelle did not speak. Her eyes were navigating over a black-and-white screen. The car started again and slithered onto the highway.

“Are you reading that book?” Hazel peeked at Estelle’s phone. “Este!” She poked Estelle until the latter replied.

“Yes, there are still a lot of chapters left.”

“You only smile when you read now,” Hazel looked into the distance and continued after some time. “Why don’t you leave your dad and live with me?”

“Did you dump another guy?” Estelle said, still not looking away from her phone.

“He tried to touch me and I accidentally punched him,” Hazel pouted. “My dad laughed at it, but my mom was pretty mad. She cut my allowance, too.”

“Hmm,” Estelle only made a sound.

“Say something Este, you are so mean when you read that stupid book,” Hazel sounded the car’s horn multiple times. She lightly snorted when the car in front gave her a pass. “My dad is nice, unlike yours, who’s gonna kill her daughter,” Hazel’s voice turned serious towards the end.

“What are you saying?” Estelle looked away from her phone for a moment.

“Hmph, you think acting all cool will hide it?” Hazel put one of her fingers in her mouth. After licking it enough, she looked at Estelle, who now resumed reading again. Stealthy, she rubbed the wet finger below Estelle’s eyes.

“Haze what the hell, what are you-“

“Just look at those eye bags! Do you think makeup is enough to hide it? Your eyes seem dead for over two months. At first, I thought it’s you reading stupid books but now I am clear. You go to your dad’s office every day-“ Hazel said.

“I am just helping him with work.” Estelle raised her voice.

“You are breaking Este and you still act cool? Did you even see where your arrows go?” Hazel also raised her voice.

“I hit it every single time…”

“NO, you don’t! Your arrows have stopped hitting the target since last month. The teachers say nothing. Do you know why?” Hazel’s voice boomed in the car. “You don’t know anything Este…”

No more words were exchanged between the friends until the car stopped in front of a sizable glass building. The giant mirror reflected the surroundings.

“Tomorrow, don’t forget,” Hazel managed to say.

***

Frown emerged on Estelle’s face when she walked inside a small office. Two people in shirts were running about carrying cardboard boxes. A middle-aged man sitting in the corner was rummaging through one such box.

“Dad, what happened?” Estelle walked towards the middle-aged man.

“I can’t have you working in the office anymore. Take this,” the man hurriedly said.

He handed Estelle a car key and resumed looking in the box. The man was wearing a clean, pressed suit but his facial hair was uneven. And the hairstyle was a mess.

“What is happening, dad?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions. Go home fast. Make sure to carry everything in the car inside.”

That was the last time she heard from her dad.

***

The sky shrouded in darkness swiftly.

Inside a room that seemed small because of the pile of cardboard boxes. Estelle scrolled through the laptop screen. Letters and numbers were reflected in her eyes.

The table in front was littered with various papers and a calculator. Estelle quickly scribbled something on a paper, and her nimble hands danced on the calculator - the result replaced a number on the screen.

The process repeated. Estelle’s eyes turned heavier and closed!

The dead eyes regained life after an unknown amount of time. Estelle quickly checked the time.

2:04 A.M.

‘For how long did I sleep?’ Estelle hurriedly checked at what time the last-entry was made on the laptop.

2:01 A.M.

A sigh of relief left her mouth. She picked up a can of juice from the floor and took a sip. She rubbed her eyes and rechecked the last entry time.

2:01 A.M.

‘I only slept for 3 minutes. I can do it.’ She resumed her work again.

Before dawn, she tallied the last entry with the current time in multiple instances. Every time a horror would grip her and then she would sigh in relief.

The alarm clock rang at 6 in the morning. Estelle did not recall falling asleep over and over again. Unknown to what was happening to her, she stopped the alarm clock and headed towards the bathroom.

‘Time to sleep at last’. She brushed her teeth while looking in the mirror. Annoyed that she was still wearing the pale tortoise top, she removed it. Slowly, her hands moved up and down her teeth.

Suddenly, her head jerked down. When she opened her eyes, she saw blue linen that was lifted only a few centimeters from the base. She squinted her eyes and looked into the mirror again.

She washed her face and makeup flushed down the basin. The sight swirled in her eyes until everything turned dark.

Estelle shook her head slowly and looked straight into the mirror. The pale face with lifeless eyes made her jump back. But she forgot about it the moment she turned away from the mirror.

Steadily, she made her way to the bedroom. The air conditioner buzzed as if calling for someone, something.

Brightness from the hallway was enough for her to see the bed. Slowly, she walked forward, but the scene did not move.

She rubbed her eyes and took another big step forward, but nothing changed!

The clock ticked soundlessly. Estelle made another effort to get closer to the bed. But no matter how much she walked, the distance did not lessen.

All her thoughts slowly burnt away, along with her life. The world drowned in ethereal dark but a sound echoed inside her lifeless body.

“Uncountable worlds, unending lives, for your wish to be true, where do I send you?”

***

Estelle’s vision cleared, her mind and body felt lighter than ever. The room had a window, which filled her eyes with dim light of the night.

‘What’s in my hand?’. Estelle thought after pausing for long. She lifted the object in her hand. A birdcage like object was wrapped inside a thick cloth. She lifted the cover and a blinding light entered her eyes. It was as if a mini sun blasted in the small room.

Hurriedly, she wrapped up the lamp. But again, she lifted the cover. This time only so a ray of light would brighten up the space in front of her to see.

The room felt very unfamiliar. A bed with a pile of quilts was in front of her. Near the window was an empty bedside table. She turned back and saw a door. No, it was pieces of wood held together with iron bands.

“A medieval style door…”

Estelle pushed the door open. It led to a hallway that stretched in both directions. One by one, she shined the torch like light both ways. At one end, she saw a bigger door and moved towards it. After she removed an iron lock, the door sung outwards with a creak.

Cold breeze mixed with the smell of dirt and flowers greeted her face. Estelle had never been to a place so pure. Her memory of city air, compared to the present, could only be described as choking.

‘Am I dreaming? What is this place…’

Estelle walked out with the lamp. Sounds of flowing water entered her ears. She followed the sound to a wooden bridge made of red. A thought crossed her mind, and she quickly crossed it.

On the other side stood a tree, just as she expected! She ran towards the enormous tree and touched it. Coldness entered her hands.

‘No, no, no, no…’

‘Do I need prescriptions to sleep okay now?’

‘This must be a lucid dream.’

Estelle crossed the bridge back and looked at the space around. The building she started from was a dormitory. At its side were a few glowing flowers.

“Garden of Chambers,” she turned around. “The Redberry Bridge. This is the place where King Nicolas lace von Deque found the body of his fiancée, Isabelle!”

Estelle jumped and ran towards the bridge again. ‘If I am really here, then...’. She followed the path around the tree, which led upwards a small hill.

The scene beyond made her take the longest breath of her life.

In the distance, light swayed like butterflies. A giant castle was faintly illuminated, along with the surrounding settlements.

“Lanceworth Castle, no way!!”

Excitement churned from her chest and expanded in all directions. Her body shuddered. Everything here was much clearer than she could ever imagine.

Estelle focused on herself rather than on the surroundings. She removed the cloth covering the lamp to observe more clearly. A long black frock, a white apron with short frilled sleeves.

Surely, this was not the style which maids wore in medieval times, but that’s how the writer wrote that story.

“This must be the Maid Training Camp,” Estelle looked back.

‘This dream is so real.’ A sharp pain emerged in her head that made her fall down on her knees. ‘Uncountable worlds, unending lives. For your wish to be true, where do I send you?’ The voice reverberated louder and louder, followed by complete silence.

‘Am I dead?’ Estelle recalled the scene where she kept walking lifelessly. At the end, a voice asked her what would an ideal world to live in.

‘I feel like I am missing something.’ She closed her and recollected her thoughts around the more pressing matter.

She was inside the world of her favourite light novel as a random character!

‘Who am I?’

Estelle tried to guess by her body proportions, but it remained unclear. She walked back towards the room she came from.

‘The writer did not describe the trainee maid chambers, but they exist!’

‘What’s the date today… the writer didn’t mention any dates…’

‘I need to know who I am and how much the story has progressed.’

Estelle entered the building and walked through the hallway. The bright lamp helped her see the environment clearly.

‘These are the private rooms for the maids,’ she thought. Her eyes observed the details of the world.

“Who is there!” a raspy voice of an old woman sounded through the hallway.

‘Holy, it’s the witch of chambers!’ Estelle covered the lamp and took big strides forward. Her one hand held the lamp while the other extended forward. She moved along the wall and soon her hand touched the open door.

Estelle quickly entered and pulled the door.

Clang!

Just as the door locked, another opened. The witch of chambers brought out her own lamp into the hallway.

Inside a room, Estelle inserted her hand through the cloth and turned off the lamp. Now the only source of light was the window.

Estelle felt the bed with her hands and went around it. She kept the lamp on the small table at the side and hid the cloth under her pillow.

‘But why did I wake up with a lamp in my hand? And a cloth covering the lamp…’

‘It seems the character I turned into was sneaking back into the room.’ Estelle concluded after sometime. ‘But there was no character like that in the book.’

Estelle pulled the blanket and shut her eyes. The sound of footsteps stopped in front of the door before moving towards the next.

‘I am safe for now, but in the morning I need to find a mirror.’ Thinking about her situation, she quietly turned towards the side.

Eventually, the sound of footsteps was heard again, and then completely vanished. Estelle breathed a sigh of relief. She opened her eyes again and looked at the distance. Unknown to how much time had passed, she felt her blanket being dragged.

Quickly, Estelle shut her eyes. Her heartbeat increased, but she did not utter a sound. When nothing more happened, she pretended to turn while sleeping.

Slowly, she extended her one hand forward on the bed. Bit by bit, her hand moved until it touched something warm. She properly felt the warm object.

‘It’s a person… I am sleeping with someone!’

The realization hit her hard like a truck. Hopefully, she could have transmigrated into the body of King Nicolas, or luckily, in one of his concubines, or perhaps the princess. Honestly, she felt at peace after finding herself inside her favorite novel.

BUT!

‘But my lord! I am the maids who is openly in love with a fellow maid, Isabelle!

‘And on top of it, later into the story. I disappear!

‘After few chapters the king sees Isabelle and falls in love at first sight. Soon after, Isabelle is murdered at the Redberry Bridge!

‘The novel is ongoing and I have not caught up yet. I don’t know the reasons behind Isabelle’s death, nor my disappearance...’

Many thoughts stormed Estelle’s head. They visualized as sweat beads on her forehead. It was the first night, no! Only a few hours, but she was already plagued by her own demise.

‘I couldn’t save myself from the sad ending in previous life. But this time I have to change my story. This is my only chance at living a free life!’