guarded.

I click my tongue impatiently at his reply. What sort of an answer is that--'just a dreamer'. I purse my lips and meet his eyes, thinking of what approach I should take with such a person, if I could even call him that. Somehow, I sense a wildness within his soul that almost frightens me.

"I'm Kate." I say, a little more calmly. I wonder if I should hold out my hand out of politeness, but decide against it. Something tells me decorum isn't exactly what I need at this particular moment.

I bring a hand up to my neck, tiredly massaging it as I take another helpless glance around the room. There is a depression in the wall, and I walk towards it, desperately praying that it be a door.

It is.

I push, but it does not move. I try sliding it, but that does nothing either. On the right side of it, I see a panel made of silver, with buttons engraved with the numbers one through nine. A peculiar red light blinks above a small piece of glass that fits a finger. Out of sheer intuition, I press my index finger against it.

I jump back as a beeping sound fills the room.

The door slides open, and instead of the light I expected, I see only an endless darkness.

I look back at The Dreamer questioningly. "Do you know where this leads out to?"