I. The Rumleys

Adrian peered through the peephole, heart hammering. The hallway was quiet. Once he was confident his landlord was nowhere in sight, he ran out of his building and into the open world. He fled , short of breath, like a man drowning in water, his pajamas flopping around his knees as he made his way onwards.

He looked around to find that everything was exactly the same as he had left it. The same movies were showing at the theatre , the same billboards were posted on the highways, the same spilled coffee stain was on the pavement from yesterday and the same new flavour of cola was being promoted at the grocery. The city had not moved an inch. To him, who had lived a lifetime in the other place, the world felt stubbornly unchanged.

How did I get back to my room ..?

He thought. The last memory of this world gnawing at him; the antique store. Soon he was jogging towards the block, where the air had smelled like old wood and iron. To his surprise, he arrived to find the store had disappeared without a trace. He could've sworn it was next to the laundromat! Instead, a barber’s window glinted where the shop should have been. Sharp scissors and plastic capes filled the display. The mysterious store that had transported him to the other realm was nowhere in sight.

Where did it go..?

He thought, stumbling into the laundromat next door for information. There stood a young lad behind the counter, chewing gum as he scrolled on his phone.

"Excuse me... but wasn't there a store that sold antiques next door?" Adrian asked.

The young lad barely peered up from his scrolling and looked over at Adrian, only for a brief moment, before recoiling his stare back towards the gadget in his hands.

"An antique store? Never heard of it. You must be in the wrong neighborhood, dude." He responded lackadaisically, chewing his gum in a loud, obnoxious fashion.

"My name is Adrian " the king replied, draped in the husk of a peasant

"Whatever " The young boy responded flatly, his attention never leaving the sight of the screen in front of him.

"That Antique store hasn't been here for ages..." An old voice called out from the back rooms. They folded open as a narrow old man shuffled out, cane clicking. He looked at Adrian as if sizing up a strange coin. 

"My grandson is too young to know but there used to be an antique store where that barber shop is now. You’re a day late for the era, young man. It's been 20 years since that store closed down. The owner was an old friend of mine. She sold clocks and brass doohickeys, amongst other items like spiritual healing talismans. Her collection was impressive to say the least, it really is a shame what happened to her..." 

The old man paused pensively before continuing 

"That family lives up on Harley Street now. Who told you about Lucy's Antiques anyways?" 

Adrian’s stomach dropped.

Twenty years? The weight of the time sat in his mind. He was positive he could still taste the iron from Lucy's Antiques on his lips. 

"20 years ago?? It was just there yesterday!"

"Yesterday? You must be confused son. If you're looking to buy Antiques, I'm pretty sure the Rumleys still have an unparalleled collection at their estate. Even if they don't sell anymore, they could point you in the right direction." 

Adrian paused. The old man had no reason to lie, so what exactly did he experience? Was the antiques store an illusion? A place conjured to fit him and his longing? Understanding should have steadied him. Instead it made his head swim.

This thought caused him to rush out of the store. Concurrently, the old man cracked his cane against the young cashiers skull, beating a firm lesson on proper etiquette into his grandson.

Looking down at his Spiderman print pajamas, Adrian felt he was under dressed for a visit to a mansion. Thus, he halted his charge, shifting directions as he sprinted back to his capsule room, a shout from the stairwell alerting him. 

He entered his flat only to find that his landlord was throwing his luggage out into the hallway. Max, face flushing red, was barking orders at two of his employees as they emptied the room of its contents. Adrian had lurched back only to find the corridor turned into chaos. A battered duffel bag lay in the hall, clothes spilling like a weak confession. The landlord heaved the remainder into the stairwell with disgust, wasting no time and sparing no sympathy for his tenant.

"HEY!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY STUFF?!"

Adrian lunged, voice cracking. His flatmates creaked their doors open to peer out at the commotion, the drama providing some semblance of entertainment, pulling them away from the monotony of their dull lives.

In the midst of everything, Adrian saw his moment, diving past Max and his lackeys for the bedside table. He withdrew a box from within that seemed to be carrying the items most important to him.

"Give me that box!!"

Max tried yanking it away resulting in a tug of war that caused the box to slip loose and drop on the floor. The contents spilled out on the ground causing Adrian to flare up.

"Stop it!" he shouted hysterically as pictures of his family and his journal, amongst other personal items, scattered about. The pain in Adrian's voice made Max step back reflexively.

The poor, defeated young man quickly gathered everything and made sure it was secure before running back outside. He did not pause for dignity, cursing his landlord under his breath.

I don't need this world anymore. I'm done being unlucky!

Adrian spouted as he made his way towards Harley street. He emptied the contents of the box in a backpack along with some clothes he'd picked up from his apartment. Soon, he was huffing and puffing down the street, his bag pack bouncing up and down as he blocked out the sun with his hand, doused in sweat, wishing he could still teleport.

After running intermittently for nearly an hour, he was exhausted, no water on hand to quench his thirst. By the time he reached the edge of town, the sky had bruised toward evening. 

The huge Mansion was now peering over the horizon. It was the finish line for his journey, but the starting point for something he did not comprehend at that time. It rose out of the countryside boasting a strange geometry. The roofs were like folded knives, porticoes that leaned in conspiratorial curves. Its paint was an impossible palette of light purple washed through with a dusky maroon; brown stone anchoring its structural bones. It seemed like a painting you were not meant to stare at too long.

Adrian could make out a Giant 'R' shaped from metal and painted in maroon hues, soldered on top of a giant, long piece of metal that stretched some hundred metres above the highest peak of the estate. As he marched forward, the full scope of the estate began to appear to him. There was a seemingly endless boundary wall that stretched in front of him for miles, cordoning off the expansive perimeter of the estate. 

Most of the infrastructure was hidden behind the ten foot tall wall, lined with barbed wire and security cameras.

Adrian kept walking without thought and soon he was in front of the premises, looking up at a set of giant gates reinforced with tons of metal for maximum security. He slowed at the wrought iron gates. Two winged gargoyles watched from the posts, stone eyes wet with moss.

Adrian looked around until his eyes met with the sight of a man in a muted coat. He was posted near the gate, leaning on a railing stitched to the wall. When he saw Adrian, his head tilted with careless charm. 

His deep, husky voice called out 

"You seem like you just walked out of a nightmare." 

He was young, maybe twenty-five, his hair the color of wet sand, catching the light at odd angles. His eyes were the kind the world didn’t often give out: a pale, almost poisoned green flecked with purple. They were akin to a glass marred by lightning. He moved with a slow, studied grace, arms relaxed, but hands that had obviously learned to make things happen.

" Um... I know this out of the blue but.. would you happen to know anything about the Antique store down on 13th street? Lucy's Antiques?" Adrian asked , breathless and tired. 

Upon hearing the question, the man unfurled a smile, as if it had been trained for guests. He straightened up and started walking towards Adrian slowly. His incredible, large frame began to impose itself the closer he got, dwarfing Adrian who was a respectable 6 feet tall.
"Antique store ?" The mysterious figure asked curiously, slowly approaching Adrian.

"Yeah... " Adrian responded, subconsciously on guard under the weight of the threatening aura that emanated from the mysterious figures vessel. 

“I’m Oz. You must be the one who’s been asking questions downtown. Let me bring you inside. It’s charity, nothing more.” He paused as if to read Adrian’s face. “Come on. You can’t be seen wandering around like that.”

Oz stepped back, and the gate sighed open.

"That Antique store belonged to my late mother Lucy Rumley. It's been out of business for more than 20 years now." 

"Rumley?" Adrian scratched his head 

" It's not surprising you haven't heard the name. The Rumleys have chosen to stay out of the public's eye. To the world, our family is but a shadow that exists only when light is shined in our direction " 
Oz turned around, facing away from Adrian. 

"You've piqued my interest. After all, this matter relates to my late mother. It's only fair I divulge the history of our family. Follow quickly now."  

Oz grinned as he entered the impenetrable fortress.

"I'm Adrian" he introduced himself. No response. Same as the cashier. A grim reminder that in this life, he had no respect. No honour. Nothing.

The Earth trembled, rumbling due to the vibrations of heavy machinery that was engaged in opening the hefty gates. 

Oz walked with slow measured steps, each stride meaningful and without any wasted movement. Adrian followed suit as they made their way inside.