Welcome to my World - Chapter One

Chapter One – The Black Widow

Ren yawned and stretched her arms above her head before checking her watch. The smiley face with X-eyes told her it was 11.45 in the afternoon. Fifteen more minutes and Kylo would take her shift.
Since March, Ren was currently working in a clothing shop that sold mainly steampunk/gothic clothes. She has three co-workers and her boss would help out every now and then. Ren worked in ‘The Black Widow’ on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and almost everyday during holidays, if she wasn’t away.

The five of them managed to run the shop efficiently; Julius worked full-time behind the scenes, so to speak; he kept track of the stocks and could find anything within a minute. If necessary, he would help out in the front. Peter worked in the shop on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and Kylo would come in at Saturday afternoon; he had about three different jobs, all part-time. Ren worked together with Peter and Kylo in the front and sometimes Charlotte, their boss, would come in and check or help out.

Ren was currently alone in the store; Julius was in the back, Peter was sick and Charlotte was having a coffee break at a coffee shop nearby. Kylo would arrive in another ten minutes, just before Ren would leave.
The store usually didn’t get a lot of costumers, but now it was deserted. Then the bell above the door tingled, announcing the entrance of either Charlotte, Kylo, or a random customer. It was the latter.

Ren glanced up to see who entered and when she didn’t particularly recognized this person, she went back to the book she had placed next to the counter and had been reading; if they needed her, the customer could always call for her. Like now.

‘Excuse me?’, the visitor said and Ren pushed her book away, looking up with a bright smile. ‘Yes, do you need help with something?’, she asked, while casting a quick glance at the customers appearance; black, partly combed back hair, grey eyes, leather jacket, black shirt, skinny jeans, tall boots and a purple bracelet. Nothing unlike the usual people who came here.

‘Yes, I’d like to try something, but it isn’t the right size.’, the teen said. Ren guessed him 18, or 19. She lifted a brow at that; Julius always made sure there was at least one piece of every size hanging on the racks. ‘Are you sure? Have you checked the other racks?’, Ren asked as she walked around the counter to stand next to the customer; sometimes people would hang the clothes they had tried on the wrong rack.

The boy nodded. ‘I was looking for an ‘M’, but it isn’t there.’, he said. Ren frowned. ‘That’s weird… I could’ve sworn Jules just hung a few of those up…’, she said and quickly searched the rack. Not an ‘M’ to be found. ‘Odd… I’ll go ask Julius. Be back in a second~!’, Ren said in a cheerful voice and made for the back.

‘Jules! Get here! I need your help!’, Ren yelled. No response. ‘Jules?’, Ren repeated as she took a few steps forward. The back of ‘The Black Widow’ was a true maze; only Julius and Charlotte knew their way in there. ‘Jules! Get over here! I’m not in the mood for your games!’, Ren yelled as she walked futher. Still nothing.

‘Julius Hofner, this is not funny!!’, the girl exclaimed; she didn’t like it back here. The space was only dimly lit and stocked full with boxes mainly from China that looked like they could create an avalanche at any minute. Then her eye fell on a box in the middle of the path. It was open, and the lid was lying face-up next to it. The box itself appeared to be full of crumpled papers, the contents unrecognizably deformed. The lid was painted gold with something akin to hieratic writings on it and there also was a simplified picture of the Eye of Horus.

Ren felt dizzy. There was something written on the lid, the name of a game appearently. It looked like as if it was done with black pencil.

It said; ‘THE SHADOW GAME’.

--

Ren walked back into the front of the store, trying to act as normal as possible, but she was pale. The customer noticed. ‘Are you alright?’, he asked and Ren smiled. ‘Yes, I’m fine. I just saw a spider, that’s all.’ The boy snickered. ‘Not surprising, seeing this shop’s name.’, he said and Ren grinned. ‘But it would seem my colleague took a break without notifying me. And he’s the only one who knows his way back there, besides my boss.’, Ren explained.

The boy shrugged. ‘It’s alright, it happens.’, he waived it. ‘I’ll just come back some other time.’, he said and made for the door. ‘Wait one more thing!’, Ren said and the boy turned around. ‘Yes?’

‘If my colleague comes back, I can tell him to put your order aside. Then you can pick it up later.’, Ren said. This idea was courtesy of Charlotte, who was determined to never disappoint a client, no matter how demanding they were. The boy nodded and came over to the counter, where Ren was looking for paper and a pen. ‘Okay, if you would just write down your name, then we can give it to you next time.’, she said and handed him the pen.

The boy scribbled down his name and Ren added the order. The girl couldn’t help but read the name out loud. ‘Shayden Genma… Cool name.’, she said. The boy named Shayden smiled. ‘‘Sakura’ is a cool name too.’, he said. ‘What?’, Ren said before glancing at her nametag that said ‘Sakura Rakuen’. ‘Ah, right. Sorry, I’m used to everyone calling me ‘Ren’.’, she explained herself.

Shayden smiled again. ‘Hey, I’m everyone. Can I call you Ren too?’, he asked. Ren suddenly felt as if she was having a déjà vu. In the back of her mind, alarm bells started to ring – someone had said that before, and it hadn’t ended wel… She shrugged off the feeling; probably just her paranoia mind.
She smiled at Shayden. ‘Course you can.’, she said.

And then stuff went wrong.

The door burst open and Charlotte came running in, her ultramarine hair like a comet’s tail behind her. She was panting and had a cut on her cheek. ‘Char!’, Ren exclaimed. ‘What happened?’ Charlotte’s bright eyes focused on the girl. ‘Ren, have you been in the back?’, she asked with an urgent tone. Ren blinked; how could Char know that? She nodded.

Char sighed. ‘I thought so… Did you see the box?’, she said, not bothering to explain which exact box; Ren had a certain gut feeling that told her which box her boss meant. She nodded again. ‘Then you have to leave, right now. Before—‘ Black Widow’s owner stopped when she saw Shayden standing next to the counter, hands in his pockets, smile in place. Ren had never seen the woman’s eyes go that wide. Shayden waved. ‘Hello Charlotte.’, he said. Charlotte cursed.

‘For the love of the four hundred Southerlings, I’m too late…’, she murmured. ‘Huh?’, Ren said, getting more and more confused with every passing second. ‘No time to explain. Go to the station, Ren. The others are there too.’, Charlotte said and started pushing Ren towards the door. ‘Wait, Char! What’s going on?! Why do I have to leave, and happened to your face?’, Ren asked; she didn’t like being kept in the dark like this.

‘Everything will be explained to you if you go to the station. Now go!’, Charlotte said and gave Ren one final push before slamming the door shut. ‘Char!!’, Ren yelled, pounding on the door. When she realized her boss wasn’t going to let her back in, she just turned around and started to run towards the station.

She had made ten meters when ‘The Black Widow’ exploded. Ren spun around and screamed: ‘Char!!’ Around her, people were screaming and pointing, while others quickly grabbed their mobile phone to call the alarm number. Instead of following their example, Ren followed Charlotte’s last order; go to the station, all will be explained there.

Ren sure hoped so.

--

‘I should have known you wouldn’t be contained that long.’, Charlotte said while fires raged around her. The other smiled. ‘Of course. God of sorcery he may be, but not even Tezcatlipoca’s magic can contain the six of us.’, he said. Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. ‘Six?’, she echoed. ‘Last time I counted, you were with only three, Raviel.’

Raviel’s smile widened. ‘We gained on allies, just like you. How many more of you are there, beside you? Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca for sure… Who else?’, he asked. Charlotte remained silent. Realizing he wasn’t going to get an answer, Raviel smirked. ‘O well, all in good time, I guess. I take it your companions have gathered the other players at the station, am I right?’, he said. Still Charlotte said nothing, but her eyes spoke for her.

Raviel sighed. ‘Not that it matters when they hear it; Ren has already found out. By the way; don’t you think it’s strange? I come in at the exact moment you were having a break, one co-worker is sick at home, another wouldn’t be coming in another fifteen minutes, and the third was mysteriously absent. Coincidence?’, he asked with an evil glint in his now grey eyes.

Charlotte’s eyes went wide with realization. Raviel smirked. ‘I didn’t think so.’
‘You mean Jules, Pete and Kylo are on your side?! They’re Shadow Men!!?’, Charlotte cried and Raviel laughed. ‘Even if they are, would it matter? You won’t be there to help them anyway, Lady of the Serpent.’, he grinned.

Charlotte took a sturdy battle stance. The flames were coming closer, but she paid them no attention; they couldn’t do much harm to her. And indeed; they sizzled, hissed and spat like angry snakes, but none touched her, let alone hurt her. ‘What makes you think that?’, she said, eyes narrowing threateningly.

Then something slammed into her for behind, robbing her of air and having her fall on the ground with a loud ‘thud’. She saw a flicker of light red hair and a childish grin before a hand was outstretched and pain engulfed her. Then her vision went black.

--

‘Think I went overboard?’, the newcomer said. Raviel looked uncaringly at Charlotte’s still form. ‘Doubt it. She’s survived much worse than this. Her daughter once cut off her head, but she recovered.’, he said. ‘Mother of God!’, the stranger said. Raviel grinned. ‘Exactly.’

Then he looked into the direction of the station. ‘You’ve become entangled in a dangerous game this time, Ren, and I doubt you’ll make it through. Midgard is your world, but games are mine.’

‘Welcome to my world, Ren.’

-/-

Yuzu: FUCK YEAAAAAAAHHH!!! *pounds fists in the air*

Zack: What the heck?! 0.0

Yuzu: I nailed it! This is exactly what I had in my head! I’m happeeehhh!!

Cloud: …I think you need to calm down…

Yuzu: You’re right… *breathes deeply* Okay, I’m calm. It’s just that I’m so happy! Because if you knew what I have in my head… It’s gonna be so epic!! ^^

Sephiroth: Doubt it.

Yuzu: Why are you doubting me??

Sephiroth: That’s what you thought during Childsplay. I don’t call that epic.

Yuzu: Shut up! At least I finished it!

Zack: Gotta give her that, Sephiroth.

Sephiroth: *rolls eyes* Whatever.

Yuzu: Anyway, this was a fun chapter to write. And there’s even more characters being added to the plot, omigosh!! X3 Get ready for a bumpy ride, bros!