LABYRINTHINE - RUBY ALLURE
Copyright Ruby Allure
CHAPTER 1
When an eye shows
clarity and light, a connection to the soul is revealed.
When an eye is
devoid of the celestial blueprint, the soul is lost...
It becomes Retina
Blue
The moment of awakening came
from the most unexpected source, at the most inconvenient time. It plunged a
person’s life into complete disarray - that was how it was supposed to be.
Olivia squinted in pain, rays of light
shone directly into her eyes from the window. Her apartment looked bleary. She
lifted her face from the floor and peeled some sketches from her cheek.
Instinctively she checked the back of her head for blood. Nothing. Her black,
curled hair was matted but there was no wound. Through the blur, something
darted across the room. She froze. An androgynous figure wearing black was
moving closer.
Inhaling hard, she
shook her head. What the..?
The silence bristled.
A dark shape in the intruder’s
hand caught her attention. ‘It’ intended to kill her.
Quiet.
“When you’re good
and ready we will talk,” it said.
Its voice was deep and
confident - mysterious. “That’s once you stop bloody fidgeting!”
Olivia stared. It did
not return the glance, instead its eyes, behind dark glasses, remained fixed on
an ornate, shimmering hourglass. It appeared to be counting something down.
“What have I done?
Who are you? Who sent you?”
“Shhh! I’m
waiting,” said the figure.
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for the
precise moment.”
CHAPTER 2
In the exhibition hall of an
exclusive art gallery, a plump, fuming, fifty-something art agent paced up and
down muttering under his breath. As he loosened his tie, his shifty eyes darted
about in agitation. Hunching his shoulders, he grew increasingly rigid.
“That
girl’s always late! It’s her last bloody chance!”
He scraped his chubby fingers
over his balding head.
“Complete and utter
disrespect! What does she think I am?”
He paused by a white framed
window and stared out. For a moment, he just shook his head and checked his
watch. I’m sick of it! If she doesn’t get here soon, I’ll have her bloody
killed, that way her work might be worth something!
The agent’s face grew
increasingly crimson, “this is her last bloody chance!” he spat.
CHAPTER 3
In a luxurious hotel,
overlooking Bournemouth’s sandy beaches, Max laid on his king-size bed, smiling
at the naked woman before him. He admired her curves as he traced his finger
across her tanned, lean stomach. She smiled a coy smile, removed his hand from
her hip, and slipped on her black, satin dress. “Time for me to go,” she said.
He sighed, “you don’t really
have to go, do you?”
“You know I do.”
She gazed at him, bent over
and kissed him on the forehead. Max gazed at her breasts and then into her
eyes.
She shook her head, turned,
and glanced over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.
He watched the elegant woman
leave the room and adjusted himself. He would never see her again.
“Damn, I have to
call Olivia!”
Max yawned, rolled over and
reached for his mobile. He resented having to call Olivia. She had an exhibition
looming and would be at her wits end. Did he really need to deal with all that
stress? He huffed; what he put himself through just to be with her was ridiculous.
Max smiled wryly; he had his reasons and it was nearly time.
CHAPTER 4
At that precise moment, a
ragged, jaded old woman with a plume of matted, white hair clung to a trolley
as it careered down a steep hill. She laughed hysterically to herself whilst
muttering to the three dolls perched on the wire mesh. Each doll was dressed as
an angel and gazed into the distance with crooked doll eyes. Onlookers gazed at
the eccentric old woman.
“You haven’t seen me, you’ll forget… I
forgot... So will you.”
The time had come. She had been
called. She had a role to play; she just wished she knew the source of the
knowledge.
CHAPTER 5
Olivia pulled her knees into
her chest and sat with her back against the white wall. Whenever she moved, she
winced. Had she been beaten? Drugged?
“What do you want
from me?” she asked again.
The intruder made a sideways
glance, “I don’t want anything from you in particular.”
“Look - stop
playing games. I know you’re here to…” Olivia gestured at the dark shape.
The intruder waved the object
like a toy. “Oh this... No, you have it all wrong. It’s not so much that I’m
here to kill you - it’s a mere warning. There are powers at work of which you
have no understanding. And it’s far better you know of such things now, before
you make any discoveries.”
Olivia gazed suspiciously
at the person before her: had someone sent it? Chewing her lip, she frowned.
Why warn an artist trying to make a comeback? Olivia glanced at the door. Could
she get past?
“I know what you’re
thinking and I wouldn’t try it if I were you,” it said.
CHAPTER 6
Max grabbed a white towel from
the rack and admired his perfectly sculpted physique in the mirror. He spent
hours at the gym pounding the machines for that very reason; he was attractive
and knew it. He could have anyone, but he had become ‘stuck’ with Olivia. She
was the deal, and he was attached to her until the exhibition was complete.
He glanced at his mobile and
huffed; he had to call her. Reluctantly he dialled and waited. After three rings,
Olivia’s answering machine clicked on.
“Good morning, darling.
I hope everything is okay with the exhibition. I wish I could be there to
support you but you know how these conferences go. Work, work, work! Anyway,
good luck with the hanging – you know it will look fantastic. Anyway lo…ve you
and see you when I get back.”
He checked his watch seven-thirty
am and frowned. He called her mobile. No answer.
“Where are you
Olivia? You hardly sleep so what are you doing? Get that bloody work up and get
me my money!”
CHAPTER 7
The answer phone beeped. Olivia
listened to the message and glanced at the intruder; it stood with its arms
folded shaking its head. “Don’t trust him. His tone reveals he’s a liar.”
Olivia ignored the comment as
she grappled to sit upright. “You know what? I don’t get this... What are you
doing here? What do you want from me? If it’s money...”
“Why does it always
have to be about money? Do I look as though I have the slightest interest in
shinny pieces of metal?”
What did that mean? “Then…?”
“As I said... I’m
waiting.” The person in black paused and glanced out of the window and back to
the hourglass in front of it.
“Are you some kind
of weird stalker of ex-child prodigies?” asked Olivia.
“God, no!” The intruder leant against the wall and sighed. “Do you
understand the concept of timing?”
“In relation to
what?” asked Olivia glancing at the door.
“Don’t bother
thinking about escape. There isn’t time... And the timing is in relation to the
universe,” it responded.
What did it mean? How could
she get out? She squinted and touched the back of her head. It was still
painful. Olivia frowned; the intruder was real, wasn’t it?
CHAPTER 8
The art agent clenched his
fists and gritted his teeth. “She’s done it again! How many times do I have to
endure this behaviour?”
Richard, the agent, attacked
his mobile phone and pressed re-dial.
“She’d better be on
her way! Or... or I’ll...” he muttered. Unconsciously he stamped on the black
and white patterned marble floor of the gallery. The phone rang.
“This is Olivia,
please leave a message,” said the answering machine clicking on.
“Where the bloody hell
are you? Get your pathetic arse over here now! I will not take this shit
anymore! You will get here and put this exhibition together or we both lose
everything!” he yelled. When he was finished, he snapped the phone shut. Smack!
It collided with the floor. The agent loosened his collar; beads of sweat
caressed his forehead and dribbled down his nose. Clasping his chest, he
groaned and swayed.
CHAPTER 9
Olivia’s instinctive response
was to recoil while the verbal darts flew from the answer machine.
The intruder appeared
entertained by her response.
Silence.
Smiling, the intruder watched
the last few golden grains trickle through the timer.
“That’s it, my
timing’s done,” it said calmly.
“No! What? You held
me at gunpoint so my bloody arsehole of an agent could have a go at me? What
kind of weirdo are you?” she demanded.
The intruder turned its back
on her and shook the hourglass.
“Yep, the timing is
perfect. Time to go. We did well. Er… Thank you.”
Olivia flushed red. “Wait! What
are you and who are you working for? Why did you do this?”
With its back to her, the
intruder removed its dark glasses. For a moment, it paused and blinked a couple
of times.
Olivia recoiled, “what
the...?” She dug her fingers into the carpet and jammed her feet into the
floor. Her instinct was to escape but all she could manage was to shake her
head.
“I work for someone
higher. I am known as the Connector and the timing is falling out,” it said
casually. “It’s all got a bit chaotic, usually I wouldn’t take such measures…”
“You’re mad!”
The Connector’s thin lips curled.
“Believe what you wish.”
Olivia shifted to kneeling. “What
on earth are you?” asked Olivia, tears trickling down her cheeks.
The Connector waited, it
expected the inevitable.
Urgently, she grabbed her
stomach and suppressed a wave of nausea. Goosebumps prickled all over her body.
The Connector glanced back at
the hourglass, “I have overstayed my ‘time’ and witnessing my eyes will help
you in the future - we will meet again.”
“But I don’t want
to meet again!”
“The conscious
choice is not yours and it will be a much nicer experience next time. I won’t
bring the weapon.”
Olivia hugged herself; the
Connector’s eyes were large and clear. They were so beautiful, so turquoise. Yet
there was something missing.
The Connector gestured, “by
seeing my eyes you will know what you are looking for - what is extra in you
and what I am missing. You are now on a search for Retina Blue: it will be the
genius behind your work. Think of it as a divine gift.”
It paused and gazed into her
eyes, “you are very lucky- if luck exists,” it smirked.
“Retina Blue? What
on earth does that mean?” she asked in a dazed tone.
“I said our time is
up! The rest is up to you.” The Connector turned towards the window, paused for
a second and glanced back.
“Olivia, consider
the people you have in your life. A lot of them are arseholes. Time to clear
them out! Transformation is coming!” It grinned, waved, ran and then jumped.
Olivia scrambled urgently to
standing and sprinted towards the window. Her glance navigated one hundred and
eighty degrees. Nothing. It had disappeared... How was that possible?
The space between the ground
and the window was empty. There was no evidence and nowhere for it to go.
Nothing. The only other visible living entity was a squawking raven perched on
a chimney of the apartment block across the street.
“Go to routine
Olivia,” she whispered to herself.
CHAPTER 10
The old woman glanced at her
watch; she had two miles to walk to the designated position. She felt tired and
weary, just old. Admittedly, there were other ways to travel, it was just she should
not influence anything and definitely not talk to anyone. “This one will be
perfect,” she croaked.
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