You walk to the door on your right, glancing nervously back at the headmistress. She hands you an extra flashlight, gives what you can only assume is intended to be a reassuring look, and gestures you on. Your hand shakes as you take it, but keep a steady expression, telling yourself repeatedly that the sub-basement only looks this spooky, and that there's nothing really to be afraid of down here. You click the flashlight on and pry the ancient rusted the door open, its hinges screaming in protest. The inky darkness within is palpable, your small light barely piercing the gloom at all. Beyond the doorway appears to be a narrow hallway of roughly cut stone. Headmistress Jade sighs at your hesitance and chides you for your cowardice, "I can't have the boys of my academy being afraid of the dark, young man! You will march yourself in there right now and get yourself a new uniform." Well, that decides it. You shut your eyes and step beyond the threshold.
The instant you're through, the metal door slams shut behind you. You turn to protest, but feel an icy chill run down your spine as you recognize the sound of a key bolting the door shut from the other side. Hammering your hands against the grimy iron, you plead to be let out, "P-p-please Headmistress Jade! I'm s-s-sorry for what I've done, just let me out of here!!! You can't do this!"
After a moment of silence, you hear the Headmistresses melodic voice from the other side of the door. "I'm sorry about this, truly I am. I'd really rather not draw the kind of attention that your disappearance will inevitably bring, but I'm afraid I haven't a choice. You see, I can't have boys wandering around telling people the truth about the Faybrook Woods. No, it wouldn't do. Not when I'm so close to achieving my goal." You listen in utter confusion. Her goal? The truth about the woods? The Headmistress is clearly hiding something that you've come a little too close to discovering. "Let's see, what shall I tell your parents about your sudden disappearance? Oh yes, a sob story about a youthful renegade run amok should do nicely. They'll hear all about how I expelled you for your perverted little antics, and you ran away rather than face their scorn. Simple. Believable. Yes, it will do." A quiet whimper escapes your lips as you lean against the door shaking.
"Are you j-j-just going to leave me down here... alone?!"
You can hear the amusement in Headmistress Jade's voice even through the door, "Alone, dear boy? I think not." With that, you listen to her turn and walk away into the darkness, her heels clicking rhythmically against the stone floor. Your lip quivering, you turn to face the darkness beyond. If the way out is blocked, then the only way forward is onward.
