It was a nice, sunny day with a light breeze. However, today was not a good day. You failed your math test, accidentally set fire in the science lab, got punched in the face by some guy who thought you were sleeping with his girl (who you didn’t even know!!), and got detention for fighting even though you didn’t even do anything!!! The school had called your parents, who had angrily texted you, so you knew once you got home there would be hell to pay. The worst part is, you knew that they wouldn’t even listen to your side of the story. They never did, so why would this time be any different? As you slowly walked back home, wishing you could just disappear, you passed by a bookshop you’ve never seen before. It was called A New Chapter. Cute. Knowing that you were already in trouble anyway, you decided to go in and explore. Who knows, they might be a good distraction for a while.
The outside had been a small, one story building squashed between a rather nice-looking pub and a store that sold glasses. However, as soon as you entered, you saw bookshelves lining the walls and a two staircases that lead upwards. There didn’t seem to be anyone there, but you did find what looked to be a map of the store. According to the piece of paper, there were eight floors. The first was for babies, the second toddlers, third early childhood (4-8), then middle childhood (8-13), an adolescence/teen area, adult books, a floor for middle aged adults, and finally seniors. Shrugging, you went up to the floor for your age group.
Everywhere you looked, there were books, with signs hanging above them that revealed what genre they belonged to. They had hardcovers, paperbacks, fiction, nonfiction, large print, travel sized, different languages, everything you could ever dream of! They even had a large selection for comic books and manga! Looking at everything with interest, you saw a familiar book which instantly caught your attention. It was from a series you used to love. Smiling, you reached out towards it with the intention to reread the series once more. However, as soon as you opened the book, the words jumped from the pages and swirled around you until everything was black.
You felt yourself falling…
And falling…
Deeper and deeper into the darkness…
You screamed, but heard no sound.
You were alone.
What had you gotten yourself into?