A storefront stood before Kimberly, directly across from where she was standing. A rough-hewn but sturdy looking wooden door that was flanked by two pairs of ornate windows. The windows were dark and dusty, betraying nothing of the store’s contents. Above it all was a sign that was covered in strange symbols Kim had never seen before. Everything about the front seemed…off. The place seemed to shimmer, as if it wasn’t totally here.
How the hell could I miss this place? Kimberly thought to herself.
It didn’t seem likely that a store such as this would have something fun for four college girls on break. However, Kimberly found she couldn’t pull her gaze away. Something about the place was…calling to her.
Before she knew what was happening, her canvas shoes were striding confidently across the mall floor, heading towards the store. Kimberly twisted the handle of the wooden door and strode into the shop.
If she had thought the outside of the shop was strange, the inside was even more so. She walked among the softly lit shelves; shelves which were covered by all sorts of...artifacts. There was no better word to describe the store's wares, they were littered with books, knick-knacks, gizmos, clothing, vials of roiling liquids, and other strange things. She even spied a jewel encrusted sword hanging above a nearby table.
Stopping at an intersection of aisles, Kimberly peered around. The store seemed a lot larger than its outside would have suggested. Shelves went on and on, becoming more indistinct the farther into the dim light they went.
Kimberly continued onward, glancing at artifacts as she moved towards where she assumed the counter must be. As she pushed towards the back of the store, she stopped to examine a dark blue crystal ball on one of the shelves.
At first glance it seemed quite opaque but as she stared at it, tiny bright blue lights seemed to blossom in its murky depths. Her gaze lingered on the orb as the pattern of lights grew brighter and more complex. They almost looked like synapses firing in the brain, pulsing in a pattern she realized was matched to that of her own heart's beating. Kimberly moved closer to the ball and the images inside seemed to grow larger than the sphere could contain, filling her entire vision with its wondrous light-show. She felt a desire that was not wholly her own to fling herself into these images and join...something. Unconsciously, she lifted her arm and reached out towards the orb, her fingers almost touching the smooth surface...
"I wouldn’t if I were you."
"Wha...!?" Pulled sharply from her trance, Kimberly spun around in surprise to face the store's counter and the source of the noise.
It was…