Chapter 2: Where Am I?

Charlotte found herself in a room that was not her house.

She sat up and quietly looked around her surrounding. Her eyes glanced at every nook and cranny.

She was lying on top of a small white bed with a brown wooden frame.

Opposite the bed lay a wooden wardrobe with an old-fashion and rustic look. A layer of dust could be seen, it remained untouched.

She turned to her side and saw a small bedside table with a small lamp on top of it. The lamp particularly did not have the usual modern look, making it more rustic and old-fashioned.

Next to the small table was a wooden chair that had a half-knitted wool hat. The strings dangled from the chair.

Diagonal to the bed was a tall mirror standing in the corner of the room. Although slim, Charlotte could briefly make out her figure on the bed.

The thing she took the most notice of was her window. Her window wasn't shut but the drapes were undone.

She opened the window to a small street outside. There were several houses opposite hers with people walking by.

She closely examined the people and saw their elegant attire. The women were in regal dresses and carrying an umbrella. The men were in suits with a briefcase in hand and an old-fashioned cane in the other.

'The clothes are from way back... 1800s?' she pondered.

She, however, decided not to question it further and closed the window.

'Wow... how dirty,' she exclaimed in her mind as she looked at the dust that have accumulated on the floor.

She then took a deep breath and flinched, 'It smells so bad! It's not the smell of rot, but something else... Not even the air is clean.'

She once again looked around her room and began to assess her situation.

'So, I opened the book. Then, I was magically transported into a weird room. The furniture and people look old and a bit drab. A terrible stench permeates the room and I have no idea where I am.'

'The style is definitely somewhere during the 1800s or possibly older...'

She then looked down at her clothing, 'Hah... The book even magically changed my clothes'

She appeared to be wearing a light yellow nightgown that flowed down to her knees.

She stood up from the bed, and much to her hesitance, walked over to the mirror. Charlotte could feel the dust stain her feet.

'Apparently, the book changed my clothing but not my appearance. What a shame, I could have used a makeover,' she joked, making light of the situation.

'Hm... I wonder why Teacher gave me the book. I'm not sure whether or not this was supposed to happen. But if he gave me the book, that means he must know this was supposed to happen, right?'

But the question is why?

'He told me to open this book when "you are in need of it", but for what purpose? How is this going to help?'

She turned to look at her room once more, 'There is also the question of where am I? Is this inside the book?'

'It's not a deduction off the mark. This... place, how does it work?'

She looked up and saw a clock. It was now 5:30 in the morning

'Wow, so early? I can't even normally get up at this time. This book is truly magical...'

She then glanced at the door to her room.

'I wonder if there are other people in this home?'

Charlotte gave herself one more look in the mirror before walking toward the door. She gently placed her hands on the handle and took another deep breath despite the smell, twisting the door knob.

The door opens.

On the other side was another room, bigger than the bedroom she was in.

She cautiously took a few steps outside the room and into what appeared to be the living room.

There seemed to be two white couches with floral patterns placed perpendicular to each other, a small round rug laid underneath, with an intricate design that she couldn't make out. On top of the rug was a rectangular table that was a similar height to the couches. There was nothing placed upon it. Opposite the table was a painting. A small label indicated it was a painting of the White Chapel in London.

She looked to the other side of the room and saw the kitchen area.

The kitchen had a big table in the center with different ingredients on top of it. The wood counters that surrounded the table also had other kitchen utensils laying around. There was a small stovetop and, the most notable of all, a small brick oven.

'What kind of world did I transport to? The late 1800s? No, I might be actually in the 1800s,' Charlotte silently thought.

She walked over to the kitchen and examine the brick oven.

'Wow... these look quite real. The design is maybe simple but it's something you don't see every day unless you walk into a pizza place.'

Her stomach started to rumble.

'Ah, it seems like I need food. Despite being magically transported into this place, I can still get hungry?' she questioned.

'Wait, that means I have to cook for myself, right? Does that mean... I have to light a fire?'

Charlotte hated fire for no particular reason why. "It's just human nature" she once explained.

'To starve or to cook? If I don't get used to this, I won't survive...' she sighs at her incompetence.

Thus, she looked around the cabinets under the counters and found a match.

'Here goes nothing. If I die, I die. If I don't... I'll make scrambled eggs.'

It wasn't as difficult as she made it to be and she served herself a small breakfast using what she found around the house.

While eating she decides to figure out what next to do.

'I should probably go outside to see this space myself. I might be able to figure something out when doing so.'

'Since Teacher gave me this book, I doubt he will intentionally want to harm me so I think it's safe to explore.'

'Judging by this home, the setting is probably the 1800s so I should probably behave like I am from this era.'

'I am going to guess I have an identity, so it gives me even more reason to go outside.'

'There are some other issues such as money but I think I should prioritize figuring out who I am first.'

After a couple of more bites, another thought came to her.

'It is quite strange that my character doesn't have a lover. Usually, women don't have a job in this kind of era. They depend on their family or spouse for money.'

'There is no way I actually have a job right? But if I am living alone with no sign of family, does that mean I do? What if I might not have the skill to do my job?'

'No, there must be other jobs I am required to do. Then again, I am banking on the fact Teacher knew this would happen if I managed to open the book. Ah, it's really frustrating, what kind of character am I? It's a shame the book does not give me clues whatsoever about my character backgorund.'

She hurriedly ate her breakfast.

'I should probably change my clothes and leave the house as soon as possible. What can I do in here anyways.'

She picked up her finished breakfast and washed the plate.

She went back into her room and changed her clothes. She used the clothes that were stored in the wardrobe, although, she wasn't sure whether or not her clothes fit the era.

'The wardrobe didn't have any type of fancy dress the women were wearing outside. This girl might be living the bare minimum.'

Charlotte also found a purse, checked the contents inside it, and walked to the front door.

She found a hat on the clothes hanger and decided to wear it.

Charlotte lifted her hands and gripped the doorknob.

'Here goes nothing,' she prepared herself.

Charlotte opens the door.