Hell Upside Down

Chapter 1

Point of view Alena

"Alena Underwood," Lilith calls my name.

I am not able to move my legs; afraid. Somehow, I knew that what I was about to learn wasn't something I wanted to hear.

She calls my name again, and I have no other choice but to move. I stand in front of her while her snakes attempt to come close to me. They don't. They hide against Lilith's back. I don't understand.

Lilith seems frightened, too, for a few seconds before all expression's fades. She looks towards the returners. I have no idea what she is doing, but it seems as if she's sending a message to someone in the crowd, a returner.

- "Shadow Cast." She finally says.

I didn't even get a second before someone grabbed my arm and led me towards the exit. I want to scream, but I can't. Two tall students pull me through the side door into dark hallways. The lights flicker on and off, radiating negativity. As the lights flash, I look up and see a girl. Part of her hair is red, and the other is black. She is wearing a very short skirt. Holding on to my other arm is a guy who doesn't seem that scary. Before I can learn more, I am thrown into a dark room. The door shuts behind me as I hear:

- "Get to know the newbies. You survive or die together."

"This is such a warm welcome. Thanks, guys." I think to myself. "So happy to finally be in university." I feel around the room before finally feeling a warm surface. I scream.

- "What the hell, dude!" I hear a masculine voice.

- "Are you Noah?" I ask before backing off.

I can't see him, but I feel like he is the person I saw earlier on stage. Luckily, not many people are chosen to be in this Cast. So, there weren't too many options to allow for me to mess up.

- "Yeah, that's me." He simply says. "There's also Emily and Thomas in here." He explains.

Four. Four out of hundreds were chosen to be in the Shadow Cast. A tear slowly falls onto my cheek. It is only now that the information is starting to be processed. I apart of a prophecy that could lead to chaos if I do nothing, but I know nothing.

- "What is this place? Why aren't we in the dorms?" I ask as I gain my composure.

Coming from the other side of the room, I hear a laugh. A sarcastic laugh that isn't pleasant.

- "You're probably going to be the first one to die." He murmurs from across the room. Guessing from his masculine voice, I assume that speaking was Thomas.

- "Don't say that, Tom." Noah responds. "For the first few months of being part of this Cast, you are going through a process before you are formally admitted here. If you don't fit the criteria, you're thrown out."

The silence grew into the room as Noah finished talking. Minutes pass. I start to feel very tired, and so I close my eyes. I have no idea how long I have been in this room nor how long I will be in this room might, so I might as well sleep. As I was about to doze off, the lights started flashing again. This time, flashing red. Finally, I see Emily across the room. She is seated with her knees pulled back against her chest. One of the doors in the room swings open. With red and black hair, the same girl comes back into the room. She emits a demonic laugh before turning towards Emily, who starts sobbing. She grabs her from the arm.

- "Aw, you're scared. Are you crying?" She asks with a voice that sends shivers down my spine.

Emily continues to cry. The returner bends down to pull her up. Emily has no other choice than to stand up.

-"You should look at me when I speak and answer." She commands.

Emily doesn't answer. She tries too, but her sobbing continues. The returner rolls her eyes before slapping Emily. Emily continues to cry without being able to stop. The returner starts looking around the room. Neither Thomas nor Noah does anything. As I glance at them, I start noticing the resemblance between them. Twins, or brothers? I guess. I want to stand up and protect Emily, but I am too scared to move. I feel powerless, useless.

- "Fine, Emily. You can go back home now."

Emily wipes down the tears off her face. "No... no. I can't." She begs.

The returner drags Emily by her arm with force and confidence. She opens a door and disappears behind it. A few seconds later, she comes back with a smile on her face.

- "I can't believe it. She couldn't wait long enough for me to register here." She says while playing with her hair. "Anyways, you three will be the class of 2026! Congrats, you have passed the first test. This room makes the weak cry. It's the first step of the sorting process."

She pauses for a second to open another door. "My name is Dysnomia. Follow me."

Noah stands up before offering me a helping hand. I take it. As I stand up, my legs feel weak, and I am on the verge of passing out. Noah helps me. As I followed Dysnomia out of that strange room, I looked toward the door where Emily had disappeared.

I never knew what had happened to her.