The Beginning 2

"What took you so long?" Aunty asked me immediately while seeing how I walked towards her direction.

"Do you know how stinky Uncle is?" I let her know what I just went through just by greeting her husband.

Aunty laughed at what I told her. "That's why I didn't go with you because I know he won't take a bath again for a few days."

I frowned at what she told me. "You knew all along that Uncle stinks and you didn't even do anything about it?" this Aunty of mine is as cunning as ever.

She approached me and took my hand. "You know your Uncle. When he's too curious he won't stop until he's satisfied with the answer he gets."

"I can't believe you."

"Anyways, why don't you look around. The things you'll need are ready."

I took the pouch she prepared for me and I started walking around. As I walked into the once towering mansion of the Wangs I was amazed at how much property is. Regarding what I read back then, it is said that in their Era the Wang are considered Emperors. But due to an unknown incident the Family went to seclusion and from there the Wang Family were no where to be found. Not even in the books of olds would they document what happened next.

As I was walking, something catch my eyes, causing me to get close to it, thinking that I would hit a jackpot with in just a minute I came. I immediately approached the buried box and took out my belongings, I even tried to start digging up the thing that caught my attention looks like a box. I don't know why but I'm wondering why there's a box here that doesn't really match the spacious place. I finished digging and I was right in my suspicion it was not a box but a jewelry box the length of a shoe box.

I shook it to see if it was full or if it has actually anything worth on it. So out of curiosity I broke her little lock and opened the jewelry box. "Oh My Gosh." I sighed because it was full of jewelry and jades. Just by scanning you can already tell that this kind of piece are delicately crafted. On top of that they are well preserve over time, no damages or even rust while they were burried underground.

Because I am a woman myself and they say 'Diamonds are Woman's Bestfriends' I went ahead and simply check each and every one of the content on the box. While making my eyes full of what I am seeing. I saw a small hidden compartment that is set beneath the jewelry box and as curiosity struck me, I casually went ahead and study on how to open it with out damaging the box itself. As if luck is beside me the compartment opened by just a little bit of twist and turn. I suddenly think of what would be inside of the hidden compartment. The outside have already full of jades then what could be possibly more extravagant than this that is hidden inside.

As I opened it a pair of bracelet and earings where inside. And thinking about these kind of jewelries they are not even made at this Era. What took me by surprise is that the longer I look at the jewelries the familiar they are. Suddenly, I happen to look at my own bracelet and they look exactly the same. As in identical at all. Shivers started crawling in my spines. "What the ????"

The bracelet I saw in the hidden compartment matches the bracelet I am using now. Which is unbelievable because the bracelet I am using now is my own design, I created this as a memorabilia, it's one of a kind bracelet. I was very scared of the bracelet I found. I quickly took the things on the compartment as well as the earings looked at them hard and like before I was surprised again. I removed the earing I was using and compared it to the earring I found and once again they were the same.

I quickly got up from my seat and almost became the flush with the way I run looking for my Aunt. Finally with a struggle I saw my Aunt running as well going to a specific tent.

"Aunty.. .Aunty... Aunty..." I called her name.

I was chasing her and as I get on the tent I immediately pulled the curtains. To my shock I dropped the bracelets and earrings I was holding. "A-Aunty." I called my Aunt.

She turned around when he heard my voice and was even more shocked when she saw me. "Zoraya!!! How...."

I approached Aunty. "What the...." I was once more in shock of what's happening.

'How come there's a city behind this tent?' I looked back at the door I entered and now it was no where to be found. I don't see nothing of the site I was in back earlier. The things that I am seeing in my back now is a hall full of chairs and tables.

"What's going on?" I asked her in question.

"How... How did you get in?" I could see the astonishment in my Aunt's eyes. If she's wondering why I'm here. I'm more on the confused part.

"What do you mean?"

She quickly approached the place where I had entered. When she opened it for a second it glowed but after that the light immediately disappeared.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" I was able to raise my voice in the cunfusion because I didn't know what was going on and Aunty here is not even talking at me.

"Zoraya." She calls me.

Aunty approached me and shook me as if I was very guilty. "How did you get in here? You shouldn't be here."

Now, I'm really confused even my head is spinning. I just came in here to ask questions but why do I feel like I did a terrible crime by being asked why I'm even here. "Aunty, what's going on?" I managed to ask her.

With out saying a word, Aunty was so depressed that she just sat on the side.

"Aunty." I call into her. Since I think she went into trance.

After a moment of hesitation like she has already decided into something. She clasped her hands and asked me. "Do you know why all our Family Members are Archeologists?"

I looked her in the eyes. "Why the sudden question?" She didn't answer and just like a person waiting for an answer she waited patiently to what I will say next.

"Isn't it because we love history?" I answered her in surprise. Actually I don't really know the answer at all. All I know is that we take history really seriously.

She sighed to the answer that I made up. "No, no. It's not that we love history it self but because we have a special gift."

I frowned at her. "What gift?"

"In every generation of our family there is this one person who has the ability to travel in time."

"Is that a joke?" I laughed questioning her.

"Congratulation, Welcome to Ancient China. Yeheeeeeyyy." She welcomes me with sarcastisity and lifeless cheers. Which made me just become more confuse. Is she really toying with me while I am still in trance of asking her as well about the jewelry I found.

As if she read my mind and looked at me. "Do you still think I'm joking?"

I looked around, suddenly a realization struck at me a lot of people wearing Hanfu. "It's impossible. This." Once focused on the ground where I was standing. "It's impossible."

"Our families started having this Gift when one of a Sect Leader fell in love with a woman he just saw on the forest while night hunting. He can't forget its face and he searched high and lows for that maiden." I listen diligently to what my Aunty is talking. Even though I knew I wouldn't believe it in the end.

I mean, dude I am already living in the 21st century. Witchcraft, magic and cultivations are only for novel, movies and TV shows.

"Though he tried so hard to look for her, he never found her. Devastated by it, he took a lot of concubines in the palace to entertain him. For a long time he forgot that lady, then one day, when he was in another night hunting. He once more saw the young maiden. When he saw the young maiden he always dreamed of night after night. He wasted no time and he kidnapped the lady and brought her to the palace grounds."

"And?" I asked her.

"The Sect Leader didn't know the young maiden was the wife of another Sect Leader. When her husband found out what that she was kidnapped by a Sect. The battle broke out between the two powerful Sect. One wanted to take what's rightfully his and the other wanted to own what's he stole."

"Who won?" A person can say I am engrossed in the story that Aunty says that I even sat next to her just to hear her story.

"The Maiden's husband won." She told me.

"What does your story have to do with what's happening to us now?" I fumed to her.

"After the death of the Sect Leader, one of the concubine who is said to be the most favored of the Sect Leader harbors a dark secret."

"What is it?"

"She was a maiden witch in her home town. And the strongest to them. She was devastated of the death of her beloved lover that she cursed the Young Maiden. As her beauty brought two Sect to downfall she is cursed to guard the portal of time to relived every devastating moments in history. "

"Again, what do we have to do with what happened to them? Don't tell me you're the Young Maiden Aunty huh." I gave her sarcastic look.

She raised a brow to her niece. It felt like she became stupid while travelling in time. "She was our ancestor."

Zoraya's face turned into an emoji at what a revalation is being unfold to her. "What?"

"Well, eventually when the Young Maiden died. The curse didn't stop on her but it was inherited by her descendants. And that is us, Zoraya."

"Impossible. Your telling me that this is a curse?" Zoraya's face became paler and paler. A hint of disbelief is being written on her face. But with the explanation and the scenario of what's happening today is still running in her head. All the information is being shoved in her head that it ended up giving her a severe headache.

"Yes."

While trying to massage her temple she asked a question once more. "How come I never knew about this?" I asked her hysterically with a low voice. In this kind of situation there is nothing you can do to get lost and raise your voice.

"I thought I stopped the curse when I saved the kin of that woman." Aunty's face was emotionless as she spoke to me.

"You mean the concubine?" When I conclude.

"Yeah." She laughed when she excused herself from the answer. "Back then when I saved him and got back on our own time. No more incidents like this happened for almost 5 years, that's why we thought the curse really got lifted and the concubine have already forgave our ancestor for what had happened. But I was wrong really wrong since I am back and the worst part you got to tag along."

'Oh My Gosh. Don't tell me. ' Zoraya's heart skipped a beat. Her breath shortened and her mind in full of questions.

"Don't tell me, I'm part of the curse?" Even though my cold sweat is already dripping. I still asked the question that is really a common sense, right now.

"Sadly, Yes." she answered me.

"Oh God. Oh God. Aunty how did this happen? Why me? Why?" I asked her a hysterical question. Like, I'm not just the offspring of my parents. I still have my siblings even Aunty have a 2 kids. Why on earth was I choosen when? Is their like a criteria for this.

"Calm down, Zoraya." She calmly stopped me.

I inhaled and exhaled about I don't know how many. "How can I calm down, when I don't know if I should believe you or not?"

She looked at me and she looked annoyed. "Do you have any other choice? The tunnel is closed. You're already in this era. What else do you have to believe?"

"What are we going to do now? I mean, how can we get back?"

"It usually takes a week or two before the tunnel reopens and by....."

I put my index finger in her mouth. "What did you just say? A week or two?"

She lowered my index finger. "The longest is a month." It's as if she's teasing me even more.

My mouth opened jaw again. "A-a Month?"

"Yeah"

"Aunty, that's not possible. I only have a month off."

She didn't look at me and just stood up. "Aunty." I still call her. I can't believe this woman. I know she might have already been an expert about time travelling but I'm not. I'm like newbie and a lot more questions are needed to be asked.

"It's up to you. Who told you anyway to follow me on the tent."

I pointed myself and looked at her. It feels like she is blaming me why I was in this situation. I just simply want to ask her question. I did not signed up for this.

"Aunty." I call her.

"You better stand there. Let's find a new set of clothes to change with. Especially your clothes needs to be changed. People might gather around you and would think that your crazy."

I looked at myself. I was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt along with my rubber shoes. This is how I always get up when I go to an archeological site. So what's the problem here?

"What's wrong with my clothes?" I innocently asked my Aunty.

Yeah. My niece became stupider by the minute. She concluded on herself. "Zoraya." She sighed deeply on her nieces question. "Women back in this Era does not show much skin to this extent. Showing this much of legs are prohibited unless your trying to kill yourself or your one of this people who is asking to be hooked up. You have to be as conservative as you can. And in your clothes now." she looked at me from head to toe. "It's a disturbing site."

"Wait for me here." she instructed to Zoraya to stay and not cause scene. Since they still don't know what situation they are in.

While waiting for her Aunt she tried to grasped all the revelation that she was told as much as she can. She felt light headed but she needs to focus. She does not usually believe in this kind of scenarios but what can she say. She is already experiencing it first hand.

I waited for almost half an hour. Yet Aunty was not yet here. I already started to panic. If she leaves me behind this will be a big disaster and I would not even know what I would do.

Just like a savior I saw my Aunt walking back with a change of cloth. I hid my happiness and looked at her annoyed. "How long have you been gone? I've been waiting for you for a while?" I asked her in question. People come and go in the room I'm hiding and thankfully no one has seen me yet. It would be a big disaster if someone found out about me while my Aunt is away.

"It's hard to look for clothes, okay" She answered me.

"Where'd you get that?" I quested her since she does not even have money to pay for clothes on boutique.

She handed me a Hanfu in a purple color. The clothing it self is simple yet they are exaggerated. "Just put it on first. Before you ask" she replied to me.

Aunty was in a look out while I'm changing clothes. I even have the time to do a small complaint to her. "The dress is a bit tight on the upper part."

My Aunt snorted at me. "It's not tight. You only have big boobs." She frankly told me.

My eyes narrowed at what she said. "My boobs are innocent. The woman you stole this hanfu just have a small breast."

Just as my eyes narrowed, so did my Aunty's eyes. "It wasn't stolen." she clasped back at me.

"Smells like wine... You sure you didn't steal it..." I complain to her. The strength of the alcohol lingers on the clothes.

"It's not stolen...J-just borrowed." Finally she told the truth to her niece. I mean, who would even give them cloth if she did not took it to tger people. They don't have money and on top of it they don't even know what Era of Ancient China they are in. She only knew that it part of Ancient China beacuse of the clothing and style.

"Borrowed without no one knowing."

She grabbed my arm and started pushing me out. "Don't be choosy because we don't have money here."

"Where are we going now?" A puzzled question. We don't know anyone here. And trying to roam with out money is not even a solid plan.

"Find money and find a place to live temporarily." she answered my question without even looking.

"Where are we going to find money?" questions after questions are being thrown to her to the extent that her patience is wearing thin. When did her niece become a questioning machine.

I irritatedly placed my index finger on her lips just to shut her up for a while. "I'll answer every questions you have when we are already settled. The amount of questions you have, I'm not used to being with someone when I travel to another era. So you can hush for now because I can't think."

She lowered my index finger and angrily closed her mouth. I understand that she has a lot of questions. The first time they revealed about this to me and my sister. I thought they were joking around. But when I experienced it questions as well flood my parents.

"Do you think it was just you? Hello! This is also my first time landing in this situation. And if you want me to learn things I have to understand what's happening. But you are too mean to provide information." Zoraya could no longer held her words.

Aunty looked at me and the reaction she gave is as bad as the situation we are in. I saw her taking a deep breath. "Just hush for now. Like I said I will tell you and teach you everything you need to learn. Once we are settled down."