The Door of Truth

Three years prior

Stephanie felt trapped.

She's lived on this Island for her entire life, and has grown up believing that it's all there ever was for her and for everyone else. Stephanie knows there's more out there, so much more out there. There's countries, and cities and places she can only see inside her dreams. She knows there's more of a life out there than this. Daydreaming on the daily and researching in the island library she has always attempted to find evidence to what else life could have to offer; and it's always gotten her in some sort of trouble. She dreams of so much more than what she's been given. In all her history lessons at the school-house, the teachers all say the same thing, 'we are the only human kind on this earth, the earth is ours and belongs to only us. Our fate is sealed in stone and our lives will be lived out on the island.'

Stephanie believes this to be complete and utter bulshit.

"Grandmother, do you think there's more to life than this Island?" Sixteen year old Stephanie asks as she stuffs her face with chicken and carrots. Her grandmother puts down her food and stares at Stephanie in shock. The flames from the fire flicker at the touch of the wind flowing by it.

"Stephanie, you know better than to ask such foolish questions." Stephanie hangs her head in disappointment, she just wanted to have another opinion of what she was feeling. After living her whole life on this same island, she couldn't help but wonder what else was out there.

"I was just curious." She states, finishing up her dinner on her plate and getting up off the stump she sat at around the fire. "Aren't you ever curious?"

"Years ago, your mother asked the same questions; and look what happened to her. It's best you keep these things to yourself, now get up, wash the dishes and get to bed, I don't want to hear another word about it tonight." Stephanie does as she's told and brings the dishes to the riverside to be washed, the memory of her mother's passing comes back to her in waves. She asked the wrong questions, and tried to go about leaving the island that had been their home for decades, but it had gone all wrong and she had been punished by the coast guards. Tortured actually, and never seen again. There was a funeral, but no body; just an empty grave that Stephanie visited whenever she could.

Stephanie stares out into the ocean, nothing to be seen for miles, not another island or other forms of life. The island is all she knows, all she will ever know. The topic hadn't just shown up uninvited inside her mind out of nowhere, it had been there since she was a young child only to grow with more curiosity the older she got. The passing of her mother only made her more curious of life beyond the island and why she couldn't leave when she wanted. Stephanie hoped that maybe, just maybe, her grandmother would be just as curious as she was. Seeing the anger in her response meant clearly she was to be of no help, and if Stephanie wanted to leave she was going to have to do it on her own.

"I can help you leave." A voice from behind her suddenly whispers, she turns around to see a boy about six years older than her standing there. "You'll have your choice about where you end up, you'll get to see that there is so much more than just this Island."

"Who are you, I've never seen you anywhere on the Island before." She asks the boy suspiciously. She knew everyone on the island, as there was only five-hundred other residences on the Island and she's met nearly all of them. Except for him.

"Does that really matter? Or do you not want to leave?" He asks, almost impatient and annoyed. Stephanie presses further, full of curiosity.

"Well I'm not going to head off with some stranger, only to be given the same fate as my mother." She crosses her arms and tries to figure out how the boy even knew she'd been wanting to leave the island.

"You'll be safe with us, we leave tonight after nightfall. Meet me by the old oak tree at the church." He says, turning to leave.

"Wait!" She calls out to the boy, wanting more answers; he turns and cocks his head at her curiously. "Whose us?"

"You'll find out if you leave with us at nightfall." He says, suddenly disappearing into the evening. Stephanie confusingly turns around and grabs the dishes still soaking in the water, she heads back up to her camp where her grandmother sits.

"What on earth took you so long, and who on earth where you talking to?" Stephanie points to where she stood talking to him, but lowers her hand. Her grandmother mustn't know about him or her possibly leaving the island at nightfall. She doesn't say anything and just tears open the door to the camper and storms inside to her small little room. She ponders the whole situation being laid out before her, there is an opportunity to get off the island, and according to the strange boy no one will ever know that she's gone. But who is she to trust a mysterious stranger. She hears her grandmother getting in from the outside and retreating to her own bed inside the trailer, she waits a few moments before getting back up and heading out the front door.

Hand on the door in fear and anticipation, she hears a noise behind her and takes her cold hand off the door. Once she realizes that it wasn't her grandmother and that the coast was clear, Stephanie proceeds to open the door into the cold evening air.

She had never been out on her own after nightfall before, she was always prohibited by her grandmother and was too scared to go on ahead. Yet, here she was walking down the beach she's always called home all these years in the dead of night. Stephanie breaks from her thoughts and remembers that they are meeting by the old oak tree by the church. She turns down the road that the church is on and proceeds down. The moon lights the way for her, but yet she still has a tough time seeing ahead of her.

"Over here." A voice whispers to her, the same voice she heard earlier when she met the strange boy who gave her this option. "I guess you chose to leave with us, you better hurry we only leave twice a year."

She turns around to see the boy from earlier standing there, he also has three other individuals that she knows from around the Island; Cassandra and Leena and her best friend Adrian. He runs up to her and embraces her in a hug, then pulls away and stares in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

"Clearly getting off the Island." She says, wondering the same about him; since whenever the subject was brought up about leaving the Island he always had the same reaction as her grandmother did. "I thought you despised the very thought of leaving the Island."

"This guy changed my mind." He says, turning to the boy watching them. "His name is Eli and he can help get us out of here, without the consequences your mother faced."

"How?" Stephanie asks crossing her arms over her chest, and Eli smiles but says nothing and turns and hints at the two follow him down a path leading into the forest.

"Hurry!" He insists.

Adrian and Stephanie follow him down the dark path in the forest, her mind wondering what the hell it is she's getting into. They end up at a clearing and there are mysterious men in dark cloaks surrounding a firepit; the bad feeling inside Stephanie's chest grows as they walk closer to the men.

"Enter the circle." Eli says to the four of them as they all get closer to the firepit. And as they do the trees around them begin to twist and turn with the help of the growing wind. The fire gets larger and Stephanie can feel the hot flames on her face. The strange men begin chanting to themselves, quietly at first but only getting louder and louder. Suddenly the world around them begins to change, and Stephanie holds on tight to Adrian's hand as they spin in whatever trance the strange men have them in.

After about what feels like hours later they are inside a large room surrounded by three doors, the men and Eli are gone. All that's left is Adrian, Stephanie, Cassandra and Leena.

"Where are we?" Stephanie asks looking around at the room trying to figure out what's going on, she takes a step forward and walks towards a door. Adrian quickly catches up to her and grasps her hand to keep her from going forth.

"I don't think we should open that yet." He says, and the girl named Cassandra struts straight up to the door and opens it anyway despite his pleas. A dark blanket is all that can be seen from the door, she turns and looks at the group.

"What's the worst that can happen?" She asks, stepping forth and then being immediately swept away into the abyss.

"Nothing good apparently." Stephanie says backing up away from the door and bumping into Adrian.

"She chose the wrong door." They hear Eli say from behind them, "There are two other doors to choose from, this chooses the fate you are to live for the rest of your life. She choose a world that's basically hell, nothing good is beyond that door. You can choose the light world; filled with everything you could ever desire. That's usually what everyone goes for, or you can choose the alternate door; this one is a surprise based on your personality, and you can basically end up in any type of scenario, the catch is that no two people end up together in the same world."

"That's an easy choice, I choose the light world." Adrian says, turning and heading towards that door on the other side of the room.

"There is a catch to choosing this world." Eli says to him before he can open the door. "You will age twice as fast and die quicker than average."

"Then why do people choose it?" Adrian asks backing up. "Why choose a fate that speeds up your life-span?"

"That I don't know, but your best bet is to choose the alternate world; I'm not telling you what to choose but that's just what I would choose." He explains, Stephanie contemplates on where she wants to go.

"But you said that no two people end up in the same world if they choose the alternate world." Stephanie remembers, wanting to choose that one just for her sense of adventure, but also not wanting to be away from Adrian.

"This is true, but you will eventually meet back up again later on in life if you successfully complete all tasks given to you upon arrival." Eli explains, and Stephanie thinks more into it; her decision swirling around in the depths of her mind.

"So now there's tasks?" Adrian inquires, slightly irritated at all the never ending scenarios.

"Yes, you will find out upon your arrival to this world. The tasks are unpredictable and switch up every time. So, which door will you choose from? Tick tock, you have five minutes to decide or I decide for you."

"Please don't do that, I don't want to end up in hell." Adrian pleads.

"So hurry up and decide then." Eli persists. "Stephanie, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know, I want to take the alternate door but I don't want to be without Adrian, and I have no idea where I'll end up." She says, considering the light door but also not wanting to age twice as fast. Moments go by and the other two in the room have made their decision and walk towards the light world door, opening it and are met by a bright light upon opening the door.

"Guess I'm picking for you." Eli says, getting raising his hand to send Adrian to a world of his choice.

"Wait!" Stephanie says and walks towards the back of the room, noticing another door that was never mentioned; it's hidden in the wall but Stephanie can see it clearly, "What's this?"

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asks, not seeing the door that Stephanie can so clearly see. Stephanie looks at him with confusion and points to the wall where the door is, he still has no reaction.

"You can see the door?" Eli asks with excitement, and almost a slight fear. "No one has been able to see this door in centuries."

"What's so special about this particular door?" Stephanie wonders out loud, and then feels a buzzing sound in the back of her mind that pulls her in even closer to wanting to explore the contents of the door.

"This place will test you, worse than you ever been tested before. Imagine your worst nightmare, and times it by ten...the things you see, and hear, and endure in this world will change you. But this world, it's fulfilling; you'll come out stronger and more powerful than how you were before you went inside." Eli explains, talking to Stephanie as if she's some sort of goddess for being able to see said door.

Stephanie stares at the door in anticipation, just wanting to go forth and jump into whatever world is given to her; but before she can make a decision she glances at Adrian who is vibrating in fear. "Can he come with me to this world?"

"Unfortunately not." Eli says, shaking his head. "I can't even get into this world, and I'm the one whose able to bounce between all of them."

"Why am I able to see this door then! Whats so special about me?" Stephanie demands to know, the growing anticipation of the situation growing in on her.

"It's been said the ones able to see this door have been there before in a past life, that the mission given before was never filled and there is unfinished business; I know you don't want to proceed without your friend but it is your clear destiny to go beyond the door and do what your life has intended you to do." Eli says. "Go forth and experience what you are supposed to."

"But Adrian..."

"Forget Adrian, this is your fate." Eli growls out.

"Fuck fate." Stephanie bursts out, grabbing Adrian hand and storming towards the light world door.

Even if they age twice as fast, at least they'll have each other and can have everything they've ever wanted. This is what Stephanie tells herself. Just as Adrian starts opening the door to that world, Stephanie can feel a rush of energy from behind her. It forces her away from the light door and drags her towards the fourth door. It opens and sucks her inside of it with such force.

"Adrian!" She calls out as she falls inside to the mysterious world she's forced to go to.

"I'll find you again someday!" She hears Adrian call out as the door slams shut behind her. The world around her is dark and she believes that she has truly been brought to the world that Cassandra accidentally went into.

Stephanie lands on the ground. She gets up and looks around at the place she's arrived in, everything is dark and she is unable to see anything in any direction. Suddenly a figure dressed in white steps forth to greet her.

"Welcome to forever."