Slowly opening her eyes, Aislene felt a sense of dread and weariness plague her. Amnesia clouded her from an explanation, the room she was in was not her own, and she didn't recognize anything. She began to breathe heavily in a panic. The door across the room slowly began to creek open. Fear, everything was fear. Where was she, how did she get here, what's happening? Thoughts of death, blood, mutilation, and horror flash before her eyes instantly. The door opened more and more. The suspense was so crushing she struggled to breathe. Eembee popped out from the doorway, revealing a bright, cheery smile. Memories from the previous day come crashing back, and her anxiety slowly dissipates. "Good morning!" Eembee crossed the room in one stride and yanked Aislene out of bed. Pulled out of her room, Eembee led her through the halls to a grand staircase. They descended, reappearing in the dining hall where a bountiful feast was laid out on an impressively large table. Eembee let go of her and stood there smiling, waiting for a response. Aislene was out of breath. She was so flustered she couldn't say anything, so she just stared at the food laid out. "What is this?" She asks hesitantly. Eembee smiles widely, showing her perfect white teeth. "This is breakfast. The cooks didn't have much time to prepare a lot for dinner last night because they weren't expecting company. But this time, we've got a proper meal!" Eyeing the food greedily, Aislene waited for some signal to eat. She just stared at Eembee and then food repeatedly. Eventually, Eembee sat down and began gorging ravenously. Very different from how she had eaten the night before. Sitting, Aislene began to eat as well, perhaps not as undignified as Eembee but still quick. Halfway through the meal, Owyn was appeared and sat down with them. "So, how did you two meet?" Aislene asked. They both stopped eating abruptly and looked at one another. There was a short pause."I found him on the street." Eembee replied. She said so calmly, as though she was commenting about the weather or noticing something. Owyn continued staring, but to no response, Eembee resumed eating despite her onlookers. When the food was gone, Aislene stood up to get their attention. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I think I should get going." Saying goodbye, Aislene left. Outside on the stone steps, she heard Eembee call out her name. Coming up behind her, Eembee panted slightly as she handed Aislene a small piece of paper the size of her palm. "What's this?" She asked. Taking the card, Aislene turned it over in her hand. On the opposite side was a small gold text reading her permitted entrance into the palace. It was permission to come back. Staring at it, she smiled. "Thank you. I'll visit soon." Grinning, Eembee put a hand on her hip and snickered, "I'm counting on it." Later, Aislene was on her way home from the library. Exhausted, she entered her dark house, where she was once again alone. Inside was a small table next to a kitchen counter. Her bedroom was at the end of the hallway near the other end of the house, so she made her way towards it. After collapsing into bed, she felt an eerie chill crawl up her spine. Looking around the room, she could barely see. In the corner, she could make out the silhouette of a dark figure sitting huddled, patiently waiting for her. A short scream escaped her, and the creature pounced, pinning her to the bed. Closer up, she could see the face of a man, holding his hand to her mouth and glaring daggers at her. Tears began to run down her face while the man pulled a knife from beneath his cloak. It was an elegant little knife, a thin but comfortable hilt, and a sharp gleaming edge. Slowly digging the knife in, the man began to whisper something. "Scream, and I'll kill you." She almost didn't hear him, but she obeyed when he let his hand off her mouth. The next few moments go by in silence. Waiting for him to hurt her, Aislene sat tied to a chair with a bag over her head. She heard him ruffling around her room, and she could see his faint outline despite the bag. Scared, she let tears run down her cheek while stifling her sobs. A sharp needle-like pain throbbed on her forearm just before a wave of sleepiness overcame her. The next thing she knew was the familiar euphoric nausea that followed the feeling of weightlessness. The bag off her head, she could see the black night sky void of any light or beauty except that in its emptiness. She felt calm and scared at the same time, but no viable thoughts had time to form. Hitting the cold hard surface of calm water brought with it pain and discomfort. The sky above grew muddled beneath the glaze, and a suffocating tightness constricted her lungs. Struggling, she first attempted to move her arms to swim upward, but they were still bound by rope. Kicking with her legs, she slowly made her agonizing trip to the surface. Upon reaching it, she greedily gulped down as much air as she could before panting. Looking around, she searched for the shore. Farther away was a sandy beach hidden by a thick forest. Using her legs, she tried to keep her head above the surface while desperately moving towards the land. When just a few feet away, she felt the soft cushion of mud between her toes. Dragging herself further, she collapsed onto the shore, gasping. Tired, she decided to rest for a little bit before moving. Cold, wet, and nearly dead, Aislene fell asleep in a dangerous, unknown land despite her ordeal. Waking up to a biting wind mercilessly stinging her cold and tender flesh, Aislene was at first confused before remembering the events of the night. The man in her home, the bag over her head, the night sky just before hitting the water. Tears began to rise at the unpleasant memories, but she wiped them away. Standing, perhaps a little unsteady, she looks around at her surroundings, taking in the beautiful scenery. A forest of needle trees lays waiting, while a freezing lake was behind. In the center of the dark lake was a tall dock reaching at least twenty feet in the air. Below it was an even darker, deeper depth. In the murky waters, something had missed its opportunity to eat. Feeling grateful, Aislene began walking barefoot away from the lake. Disorientated, she went straight without any real goal in mind. Consoling her thoughts, she recounted her list of problems. She's lost, she doesn't know where home is, a man, presumably the Ripper, dumped her in a chilling lake, cold, damp, and getting lost in a forest was dangerous. From the looks of it, the night was quickly veiling the world in darkness. She didn't know when or where she could find food, drinking water, and shelter. All thinking did was make her sad and despairing. She concluded her thoughts by picking one problem and choosing to handle that first. Looking around, she searched for anything flammable. Kindling at the bottom of a tree lay waiting to be torched. So after digging a hole and filling it with various stones and rocks, she built a small fire from the kindling. Taking longer than expected, she finally had the flame going by late dusk. Sitting by the warmth, she got as close as she dared to heat up. Luckily the wind had ceased, and the moon and its starry companions appeared in the sky above. The image brought a feeling of awe and fear. It looked exactly like what it did when she plunged into the water, the last thing she saw before her taxing journey back to shore. Thinking back to her capture, a few things didn't make sense. If the Ripper is a serial killer, then why didn't he finish the job? Also, why did he bring her here? None of it made sense, but she thought to question it later. Laying down by the fire, she closed her eyes, only to find them opening once again to the shriek of a monster deep within the forest. Startled, Aislene sat up quickly and leaned against a tree next to the fire. She kept her eyes on it and made sure that a small stick was poking her in the side. The uncomfortably made her remain awake throughout the night, along with the terrifying noises. Remaining with her eyes open, she waited for morning to come, when she could find her way home and hopefully see her friend again.

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