Planets: Chapter Five: Confusion (Part one)

Since you guys are so impatient, not to mention any names (Kat?e!) I'm posting PART of a chapter, since I don't have the whole thing typed up. Enjoy! (And comment/speculate, PLEASE!:>)

Chapter Five: Confusion

The sun hit Kelsi’s eyelids and they began to flutter, fighting to stay closed in the warmth.
Warmth? Kelsi sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Amazed at the sight before her, she slowly folded the plush quilt back and stood upon the gleaming oak floor. Sunshine streamed into a welcoming room that was perfect in every possible way. Kelsi’s feet treaded over the luxurious rugs that overlapped each other, made of a fine, sturdy material that was brightly colored. She reached out the window and began to close the ebony shutters but stopped when she was the emerald sea that was the outside world. Plants seemed to grow before her eyes, she could have sworn she watched a rose open it’s velvet blood red petals. Tearing her eyes back to the glorious room, Kelsi stared at the shimmering draperies. Designs full of life danced across them, obviously made by someone who was handy with a needle and some embroidery thread. Even the bedspread glittered, though the superb flowers were not made of thread but sparkling jewels. Examining the fabulous room could have taken hours but Kelsi felt she should move on.
She could feel her muscles strain as the pushed the heavy ebony door open. A hallway with lots of doors was in front of her.
“Wait, where’s Lorna?” Kelsi remembered her best friend for the first time since she had woken up, ten minutes ago. “Is she in one of these rooms?” Her voice oddly echoed, as if the whole house was empty. Her voice sounded misplaced, as if the silence shouldn’t be disturbed so she kept the rest of her thoughts exactly that, thoughts.
That’s strange, shouldn’t the draperies on the walls keep it from echoing? Just like in the room she had woken up in, the walls glittered with elegant tapestries, though unlike the bedroom these seemed to tell a story. On one wall hanging there was three identical planets that were connected by golden bridges. The puzzled look that had become increasingly more familiar to Kelsi’s features inhabited them once more.
What does it mean? Reaching forward, she touched the hanging with her fingertips then spun around. She needed to go through the door behind her, she felt she needed to. Walking to the nearest doorway she pushed it forward. Inside was a bathroom of sorts. Steam engulfed her, warming her through and through. Self-consciously she reached up, realizing that she was a wreck. Pine needles were stuck in her hair and dirt covered every visible square inch of skin. There was a deep tub that was halfway filled with hot water. Not thinking twice, Kelsi stripped down and carefully settled into the basin, avoiding the fancy bottles along the side. She held her breath and dunked herself all the way under, watching her hair gracefully float. It was eerie, the way she could let go and forget everything. Her mind was blank, she stopped caring. She was just there. After a couple seconds, her lungs threatened to give out. Resurfacing, she drew in a deep breath then gasped when she realized what she saw. Several bottles floated up and poured themselves into the constant stream of water that flowed into the tub. The water foamed and bubbled, then started to change colors. Some other bottles levitated and rubbed themselves into Kelsi’s hair and skin. Fragrant smells harmonized as she sat there, enjoying the most wonderful bath she had ever had. The pleasurable bath abruptly ended as the basin quickly drained itself and a pitcher filed with water repeatedly dumped itself over her head.
Kelsi coughed and sputtered, some of the water had gone down the wrong tube, and pushed her sopping hair out of her eyes. A fluffy towel was hanging on a jeweled hook so she grabbed it and wrapped herself in it.
Her dirty, old clothes had been replaced by a new, extravagant dress. She slipped it over her head, the cloth feeling as light and soft as cloud vapor. The gown was a soft orange, a color that Kelsi herself would have never picked, and studded with golden brown topaz and deep orange embroidery. It hugged her body, fitting like a glove so she turned around and around, feeling the soft fabric swirl around her legs. Kelsi had precious few dresses as the orphanage and none had come even close to fitting as well as this one did. As she spun she caught a glimpse of a girl, so she stopped. She looked closer and found that it was a looking glass infront of her. She gasped. The girl in the mirror gasped back.
Is that really me? Kelsi put her fingers forward and touched the mirror. For once Kelsi looked . . . elegant. Instead of looking like the frightened, lost, unloved orphan that she really was, Kelsi could have been mistaken for a young woman with happiness, wealth and suitors. Her hair began to twist together, strands intertwining with gold stars to create a sophisticated coiffure. Kelsi slipped on a pair of golden slippers that had materialized in front of her and quietly left the room.
“Can I help you?”
Kelsi let out a high pitched scream then quickly regained her composure. “Oh, I’m so sorry! You startled me. I was beginning to think that this place was deserted,” the words tumbled out of her mouth. It was such a relief to know that she wasn’t alone.
The boy smiled, but it didn’t reach his sad, bright green eyes. “I’m sorry for startling you. My name is Caleb, I was sent her to fetch you and bring you to the mistress of this estate.” He led Kelsi through many confusing twists and turns. Even with her experience of the orphanage’s puzzling set up Kelsi was lost after walking through the second corridor.
“What is this place?” Kelsi asked.
“Mtudeuh. It is owned by a powerful sorceress. She is the mistress that I am taking you to.”
“How did I get here? Where is my friend?” Kelsi’s voice grew more urgent as she asked about Lorna.
Caleb’s eyes flashed. “I can tell you no more. Please, don’t ask me anything else, I may say something that will cause trouble for both of us.” His voice was soft and sincere.
I trust him. The thought surprised her. Kelsi’s trust was hard to attain. The only other people that she truly trusted was Lorna, her best friend who knew Kelsi better than she did herself and Matron, who had cared for Kelsi since she had been a baby.
Kelsi quietly studied him as they walked along the endless hallways. He was tall with sandy blonde hair that was short and tousled. Kelsi supposed he was around 18 or 19, he looked about as old as the Seniors that roamed Dilworth High’s campus. It seemed wrong to compare him to the cocky Seniors at her high school. Intelligence seemed to emit from him but he acted like his heart had been broken.
Caleb finally stopped in front of a golden door. He closed his eyes, said several strange words, then pulled the door open with a crystal door knob.
“Here,” he said in a whisper full of respect and fear, “is the mistress’s room.”
“Are you coming with me?” Kelsi didn’t want to enter the ominous room alone.
“I can’t,” Caleb replied. “You must go alone. I’m not wanted.”
Kelsi looked distressed. “Alone?” Her voice wavered.
He solumnly nodded, doing nothing to help the increasing fear that Kelsi felt growing inside her. She looked forward, dreading walking down the darkened chamber.
“Goodbye. Thank you,” she looked back to where he had been standing only to find that he had vanished. Her eyes grew wide. Strange. Taking a big breath, she mustered all her strength and stepped into the room. Immediately the room erupted with light, color, and life. Rainbows from crystals that hung from the ceiling brightened the room, gold paved the floor, diamonds encrusted the extravagant furniture and the furnishings were made of luscious black and red silk.
“Welcome Kelsi,” a soft feminine voice spoke. The voice wasn’t soft because it was timid, it was soft because it was so powerful, so commanding, that it didn’t need to be any louder. Silence ensued. Kelsi had head that you shouldn’t speak unless you had been asked a question. Though she hadn’t ever lived by this rule it seemed fitting under these circumstances.
“You may walk in closer, you have nothing to fear,” the voice came from behind a large chair that was covered in scarlet crushed velvet.
Kelsi took several steps closer, still trembling despite the voice’s attempts to calm her. She crept closer until she reached the back of the armchair.
“Face me,” the voice commanded.
Kelsi walked around the chair then stopped in front of it.
“My name is Odyssomai,” the beautiful woman said, “though you may call me Mistress. Most people do.”