Author Note: The next few posts here are actually all part of the same long chapter, but I'll be uploading them in segments -- thus the 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 chapter titles.

The reason for this has absolutely nothing to do with the story flow itself -- when I go back and get to the editing phase of this story, all these fractional chaplets will be put together to make a whole chapter 14.

The reason I'm breaking this down in segments is for my own personal ease of editing, elaborating, altering, and enhancing in the future. The whole scene for chapter 14 is Rebecca exploring a new area for the first time, and is one of those times where deeper levels of detail are used to help the reader enjoy the experience of this new environment with her. The mini-scenes are each little area as she moves throughout this new environment, and are broken up at this point in case I realize later that I left out important details in each area and need to add or alter something for the final version of this story.

Kindly remember all, what you're reading here on RRL is the first draft of 'Game On', in its unedited, unpolished state, and is subject to alterations, edits, and enhancements as necessary before the final version is published. The mini-chapters here are all part of the creation process at work. (At least the way my creation process for a story works.)

If you're one who doesn't like mini-chapters, feel free to wait until you see Chapter 15: in the title, and then you can go and read all the Chapter 14.x in one full go. ;)

Hazy dreams lingered and wisped through her thoughts like fog clearing in the morning sun, leaving Rebecca feeling lightheaded and confused as she stretched and tried to open her eyes. Yawning wide, she stretched and arched catlike in the plush, cushiony bed, before finally managing to crack open her tired lids and glance around.

After a brief second for her mind to take in the images that her still-sleeping eyes were send it was all it took for her to sit bolt upright, all traces of morning grogginess instantly washed away. She wasn’t in her room like she’d dreamt or imagined; she wasn’t in any room the least bit like any she’d ever seen before in her life! The bed she was sprawled out in was a massive canopy bed with long silken curtains pulled back and tied up at each of the massive corner posts, and was larger than her whole room back home! Dozens of thick, plush pillows lined the top of the bed, wrapped in fine silken pillowcases trimmed in what appeared to be gold and silver lace.

Glancing left, past the far edge of the bed, the wall was covered with an elaborate tapestry that seemed to depict a scene of the great hunt, with an armored female leading a pack of angry wolves to chase a wild eyes dear through a small clearing in a majestic forest, with the midnight moon shining bright and full over the whole scene. Below the tapestry was a massive wardrobe of elaborately carved and etched mahogany, with golden rungs attached as the handles on each of the massive doors shut tightly in front of it.

Looking slowly to the right of the wardrobe was one of the corners of the room, where a massive bookshelf with hundreds of ancient and weathered books sat and gathered dust. Left of the wardrobe was the other corner of the room, where a tall silver candelabrum stood over six-foot tall and held dozens of candles in its tree like branches of elaborate silverwork.

Mouth agape, Rebecca slowly sat up further in the bed, letting the exquisite silken sheets slide unnoticed off her bare flesh, as she continued to drift her gaze further left to the center wall opposite the bed she was in, to stare at the midnight black door which seemed to almost fade into the shadows of the cool stone wall which seamlessly held it tightly shut. For several long moments, she stared and searched the door up and down with her eyes, but she couldn’t see any sign of hinge or handle which might be used to open it.

Nervous, worried that she might be trapped where she was, Rebecca slowly slid out of the bed and felt the cool gentle caress of the well-polished stone against her bare feet. Glancing down at the ground, her mind finally registered the fact to her that she wasn’t just in a strange, unknown place, but she was completely naked in this strange new environment.

Blushing slightly at her own embarrassment – after all, there wasn’t anything to be ashamed of since there wasn’t anyone there with her, she reasoned – she nevertheless picked up the nearest pillow and clutched it tightly in front of her chest to help conceal herself as much as possible. Glancing over to the left, past the door was the third corner of the room, which held another candelabrum, which was a mirror image of its twin.

Slowly working her way around the edge of the bed, Rebecca finally turned her attention to the far corner on the left side of the room, where a massive folded screen frame arced semicircular in the corner, with her tattered and torn clothes draped casually on top. Calling out to her like the light from a lighthouse beacons to ships lost in a dense fog, Rebecca dropped the pillow back on the bed and rushed to move behind the screen and pull her clothes down off it.

Much to her surprise, the backside of the screen was laminated by two tall standing silver candelabra, each holding a single thick candle, and the walls and inside of the screen were the shiniest silver that she’d ever seen in her life, mirroring the view of her body from every angle perfectly. Glancing down, the stone floor was covered in the same pure silver, and looking up the ceiling was covered the same above her. No matter where she looked inside the small enclosed corner, there was simply the embarrassed reflection of herself looking back at her.

Blushing, and dressing in the tattered rags that she had quickly, Rebecca hurried rushed from the corner, uncomfortable at seeing herself naked from so many angles at once. Taking a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, she slapped herself lightly on each side of her cheeks once to make certain she wasn’t dreaming, and then she slowly worked her way over towards the strange black door.

“I don’t know where this is,” she whispered quietly to herself, “but one things for certain – I won’t find out where I am just by sitting here and twiddling my thumbs or sleeping the day away.” Biting her lower lip slightly to give her courage, she forced her trembling hand to reach out and lightly tough the mysterious black door.

Effortlessly, smoothly, the door swung outwards in a silent arc, revealing a large hallway stretching out in either direction in front of her.