I was lost in a world where I didn't belong. My footsteps echoed off the high ceiling of the corridor as I ran. I was tempted to look behind me to see if I was being followed, but I knew I couldn't. I had to keep going forward. I couldn't get distracted; my life literally depended on it.

Surely they knew I had broken out of my prison cell; the guards must already be pursuing me. Were they gaining on me? My heart thudded in my chest and I ran on until the hall reached its end, branching off into two doorways.

I didn't have time to stand there and mull over which door to take, so I quickly threw open the one on the left and barreled through. The passage I had entered was ominously dark, lit only by an occasional torch. Strange shadows rose on the walls, created by torchlight, and I couldn't help the chill that ran down my spine.

I think I chose wrong. There were no doors down this hall, just endless stone walls. I cursed my luck; there was no way I could get out of here now. I stopped and contemplated turning back to try the other door, but a noise to my right caught my attention.

"You thought you could escape, hm?" The man asked as he stepped out of the shadows, a mocking smirk on his lips.

I was momentarily taken aback by his good looks; tall, with just the right amount of muscle, high cheekbones and a strong jaw. He had wavy hair the color of warm honey, and eyes that were a strange mixture of brown, gold, and orange. Like a burning coal. To put it simply, he was really, really hot.

"Yes, actually, I did," I replied, shaking my head to clear my mind. I glared at the man as I took a step back. I reached for the sword I kept at my hip, but felt only air. They took my sword and my shoes when they brought me here, apparently thinking I wouldn't run if they did that. I had no weapon to defend myself. Fear gripped my chest, but I tried not to let it show on my face, struggling to keep my expression steady and relaxed.

The man lurched forward, his smirk spreading into a mischievous smile as I jumped back in fear. Okay, so my poker-face sucks. "You're a jumpy one, aren't you?" he teased, the smile still bright on his face.

"Stop these games." I took another step back in an attempt to put a greater distance between us. I didn't trust that smile.

"Hm..." he mused. "No more games?" His smile widened further, if that was even possible, looking as though it was about to split his face in two.

"That's not creepy or anything..." I muttered under my breath.

"Alright then. The game ends here!"

Before I had time to blink, he charged forward and grabbed me around the waist, almost like an embrace, if not for the searing pain of the dagger he rammed firmly into my rib cage. My eyes widened in shock and agony as my breath locked in my throat. He pulled the knife out and my legs collapsed beneath me. I fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for air. One wouldn't expect their heart to beat faster at the moment of their imminent death, but mine definitely did. My vision blurred with red until I could no longer see.

I couldn't believe it-- that jerk just killed me!

Dramatic music began to play in my ear and the camera panned out to show my corpse at different angles as the words "GAME OVER" appeared in bold lettering across the screen.

I sighed angrily and leaned back in the bean-bag chair I had been occupying all afternoon.

"Dang, and you were so close to reaching the final boss too!" Estelle grumbled, standing up off the hard-wood floor with a groan. She walked to the other side of the room and flipped the light switch. We both recoiled from the bright light that assaulted our eyes.

"Hey Elle, guess what?" I reached over and turned the Xbox off, then tossed the controller. It slid across the floor until it hit the TV stand.

"What?" she questioned, prancing back over to where I sat.

"I forgot to save before breaking out of the dungeon." I laughed ruefully.

Elle groaned, throwing herself onto her bed. "Ugh, that sucks!" She rolled to the edge of her bed and looked down at me, her expression brighter. "That means you get to see Kindle again." She winked playfully.

I shook my head, "Nope. I'm taking the other door next time." I stood up from the chair and sat on the bed next to her.

Elle put her head in my lap, pouting like an injured puppy, "But Maggie! He's soooo cute!"

"I'm offended, really." I stood back up and stretched my back. "That guy kills me, your best friend, and he becomes your favorite character?"

"Nothing personal, he's just super hot!" she replied, hopping off the bed to join me in stretching.

"Be that as it may, it's still a major betrayal! And anyway, how do you know his name is Kindle?" I questioned.

Elle smiled innocently. "I saw it on the Wiki." She bit her lip and ducked to the side when I tried to smack her.

"Elle! I told you to stop looking on the Wiki whenever we play a new video game, it ruins the surprise of the story line!"

"That's why I didn't tell you," she pointed out.

"Yeah whatever. We need to get outside now, your parents already think we're hermits," I grumbled, still upset that she looked up spoilers. She told me she would stop that.

"We basically are hermits." Elle laughed. "Tell me, Maggie, how many seventeen year old girls spend their Saturdays cooped up in a dark bedroom, living only on Doritos and Mountain Dew, playing RPG video games until four o'clock the next morning?"

"Um... Two?"

"Yeah. Two," Elle repeated dryly. "Me and you. Because we have no life."

We made our way out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the stairs.

"We should be out there in the world! You have a license for crying out loud! We should be going to wild parties, and dating hot guys!" she exclaimed, throwing in a few dramatic hand gestures for good measure. "I mean, it's not like we're ugly! You're a little on the pale side, and well, you could take care of your hair a bit better... but you are pretty. Then look at me! I'm stunning-- flawless! --I could be a freaking supermodel!"

"And you're humility is astounding!" I chirped, running my fingers through my hair. My hair was fine. It was the color of sunshine and I liked it, that meanie.

"Hey, sarcasm isn't necessary, Mags."

We went to the kitchen and grabbed some bottled water out of the fridge.

"Where are you girls headed?" Elle's father looked up from the newspaper he was reading at the table to question us.

"The woods," Elle shrugged. "We need to get some fresh air."

"Alright," he nodded. "Just be back before it gets dark."

"We will, Mr. Carter," I smiled. "Thanks again for letting me stay over-- again."

"You're welcome any time, Maggie, you're practically family."

Elle and I waved to her dad then ran out the back door. Elle was lucky. She had a decent sized house with a huge backyard, just on the outskirts of town. She lived within walking distance of the movie theater and the park, but without all the hustle and bustle of living in town like I did.

I spent most of my time at Elle's house not only because she was my best friend, but also because I couldn't stand to be at home. Elle's family was my family, and Elle's home was my home. That's how it's been for years, and I didn't plan on that changing any time soon.

We wandered through Elle's backyard until we reached the edge of the forest. It was an eerie looking place, the thickly leaved trees obscured the sunlight, casting everything below it in shadows. However, the forest wasn't scary to us. We grew up in there. Exploring nearly every tree and rock, battling each other with fallen branches; we knew where every blackberry bush was, and how to avoid all of the poison ivy. This beautiful forest was our home until we discovered and were ensnared by the world of video games.

It's sad, really, but we can't give up our games. Especially the Shadows of Light series. It was the second game in that series that had occupied our day, the game where Kindle killed me. I was still angry about that. I was angry that I forgot to save, angry that I went through the wrong door, angry that he killed me, and most importantly: I was angry that he was so hot! Bad guys should be ugly, the good guys should be the attractive ones. I didn't understand why, in no matter what RPG we chose to play, the bad guys were always good looking.

Elle stopped walking and I almost crashed into her. "Woah! Mags, check that out!" she gasped.

I followed her gaze to a strange sight. A door, just standing there, in the middle of a forest we had been in a million times. There were no walls to hint that any kind of building had ever been there. Just a glossy, white door, hinged to its frame. What the heck?

Why had we never seen it before? We couldn't have simply missed it, it was impossible to miss!

"Freaky..." Elle sang, then she ran up to it to get a better look. "It looks brand new!" she called to me.

Cautiously, I joined her in examining the strange find. "Why would someone put a random door in the woods?" I questioned.

"Oh my gosh, Mags!" Elle gasped suddenly, turning wide-eyed to face me. "What if it leads to another world!?" She hopped up and down, grabbing my arm. Her short, brown pigtails, just a few shades darker than her mocha skin, flailed around her face, giving the illusion that they were just as excited as she was. "C'mon, Maggie! Let's go to another world! Please, please pleeeaase?" she whined.

"Estelle Marie Carter, we are seventeen years old and quite too mature to believe in such nonsensical fantasies as a door to another world!" I scoffed, tilting my nose up and fluffing my blonde hair in an attempt to look snobby, before burst out laughing. "Yay! Another world! Let's go!" I cheered.

"Yay!" Elle clapped. She held out her elbow and we linked arms.

"Shall we?" I asked. I twisted the shiny handle and opened the door, then gestured grandly at the opening.

"Yes, we shall." She nodded, smiling brightly. Together, we crossed the threshold.