She was unhappy.
It had been 4 months since she had moved from her hometown to start her new job. She had hoped the job would complete her, fill the void in her unhappy life. After realising that her job was giving her no fulfillment, she tried dating. She frequented bars and clubs, meet a few reasonably guys and went on some dates. She even took one or two home. The sex has uninspiring, and terrible, but at least it was some form of release. She started seeing the least bad option regularly, he simply started coming by regularly and it became routine. Routine became "relationship", but she felt unfulfilled.
One day, he was away on business, she stumbled upon an old book shop whilst she was out shopping. She had never been in a peculiar bookshop like it: there were old and expensive looking books everywhere, nowhere could she see any pop literature. Even the old man behind the counter looked like from another era. After some fascinated browsing a particular book caught her interest. As if drawn to it, she grasped it from the shelf and flipped open the leather cover.
"Beware! Do not continue to read this book if you want to continue with your way of life. If you are happy with your mediocrity and leading a quaint life, put down this book. You have been warned."
Although part of her mind dismissed the paragraph as nonsense and a joke, a more primal part of her trembled slightly. For the first time in ages she was excited, shaken to the bone. She looked around the shop. The attendant was nowhere to be seen. She found a comfy old leather chair hidden away in a corner. She took a deep breath. She was nervous. She pressed on.
"Chapter 1. The rules.
Hello Patricia. Welcome to the start of your transformation."
WHAT THE FUCK!! she almost screamed. How did the book know her name!?!?
"Compose yourself, young lady. Right now. You decided to continue and now you must process down the rabbit hole. Do not worry, it won't hurt. Not too much at least..."
She suddenly felt a tingle in her palm, the one clasping the book. Before realising what was happening the tingle turned into a hot jolt of pain. She shrieked and dropped the book. It tumbled onto the ground. What the fuck?! Her hand hurt, as if she had put it onto a hot surface. She looked at her palm. There was a small red symbol branded onto it. It looked like a square with a heart inside it. She was perplexed. How? What? How?!??
She glared down at the book. The book! ITT had the same symbol on its back cover. But how has it branded her? This is some twisted joke, she thought.
Before she could fully process what was going on, the attendant appeared as if from nowhere.
"Who are you he bellowed? We closed an hour ago, were you hiding here? Hoping to steal my books after I left!? Get Out!!!"
She leapt up from the chair. WHAT IS GOING ON?! She banged her knee on the arm rest and fell to the floor. The attendant continued to shout, he was running towards his counter, most likely wanting to call the police. She scrambled to her feet, she had to get out. She spotted the book beside her bag, without thinking clearly she grabbed it together with her belongings and sprinted for the door.
"Get Out you thief!!" Was the last thing she heard as she sprinted outside. She ran without looking back. She sprinted down an alleyway, then down a narrow lane. Her lungs burned by the time she felt she could stop.
She looked around. It was dark. How long has she been in the shop? She searched her bag for her phone. 2113. She had been in the shop for over 5 hours? She must have nodded off. She hurried off home.
After a few paces she remembered the pain in her hand. She hoped it had been a dream as she slowly opened her palm to examine herself. It was still there, staring her on the eye. The heart within a square. It seemed to be less painful now though and didn't look quite as swollen and red.
She was confused. WHAT IS GOING ON!? I need to get home! She hurried. By the time she arrived in her small flat she was sweating and panicking. Nothing made sense.
She threw her bag into the corner of her bedroom. The book tumbled out and fell open in to show the middle pages. She could see that they were blank.
Curious from what she saw, she approached the book. Not wanting to get burned again, she took a letter opener to flip the pages. They were all blank. She flipped back to the first page she had read.
"Patricia, this is your story. You cannot skip forward. I apologise for the inconvenience you experienced, I'm afraid it was necessary."
SHIT, IT'S TALKING TO ME!
"Yes, I'm talking to you, now listen. The mark on your hand gives you a gift. It allows you to experience your true desires. It allows you to know yourself and taste life."
She hesitated. This is crazy, she thought. Taste life? She had everything! A job, a flat, a boyfriend. Life was fine... She felt a knot in her stomach. What did the book mean? She had to continue.