Excerpt: Mercy Falls / A City of Grey

Alice stood in the darkened corridor, alone and afraid. Torches were lit at random intervals along the hallway, casting an eerie glow on the various statues that cluttered around the place. It all seemed familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Haunting music filtered down the hallway and she followed the sound but most of the doorways were closed. With each step she got closer to the sound, her pale feet a stark contrast against the crimson carpet.

Her pajamas transformed into a beautiful black dress, lace grew out from the corset bust down her arms and ended in a triangular shape against her hands. A string of pearls weaved its way around her neck and a pair of black ballet style shoes wrapped around her feet and up her calves.

She could see an open door up ahead and she broke into a run, trying to get closer to the source of music. She skidded to a stop and peered into the room. It was a huge room, in the very center stood a mahogany grand piano. A beautiful redhead sat on the bench wearing a long sleeved gown similar to the one Alice had on.

A brunette boy sat at the redhead’s side. She could only see them from behind but it was obvious that he was wearing a suit. There was another boy, leaning up against the piano, but then, he was more of a man than he was a boy. He was facing Alice but he kept his head down, it was hard to see his face but she could tell he was attractive at once and had perhaps a few scars, but the only place he was looking was the keys, he was mesmerized. None of them noticed Alice, not the redhead girl in the beautiful gown, not the brunette boy who sat by her side and definitely not the man with the scarred face.

Alice tried to enter the room, but found she could not. An invisible force prevented her from taking another step, she was forced to only watch but she longed to enter the room, to join them. She felt as if she belonged in there with them. She turned away, unable to watch any longer, to find her sister and Maria standing on the other side of the hallway where there once was an unopened door. They were frozen solid, ice sculptures. They were enchanting, so lifelike.

Alice reached out to touch the statues but they shattered at her fingertips. Her cheeks felt wet and she reached up to touch them. When she pulled away she discovered the liquid running down cheeks was tears. She had been crying and she hadn’t even realized it.

She turned down the hallway towards the exit. Her sister and Maria stood there as well, but they were not ice sculptures anymore. Maria was dressed in a silvery ball gown, her hair piled high on her head. Andie’s dress looked as if it had once been a wedding dress, except it was blue. What once had been elegant was now torn and ripped and still strangely beautiful.

Alice ran towards her friends but with every step they just got further and further away. The hallway just got longer and longer until Alice couldn’t run anymore and she collapsed on the carpet, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She covered her eyes with her hands and cried as the song went on…