Chapter 4

“And here we are Mesdames”

The masked man presented his arm with a slight bow, inviting the girls to step forward. A black walnut double door stood before them. An onyx emblem matching the man’s mask rested above the handles. The same gold lettering as on their placards was inscribed onto the onyx plate. The gold shimmered, seeming to move with the fluidity of a viscous metal. Rippling waves moved about the gold, in mesmerizing ebbs a trance began to descend upon them.

A silence fell over the girls, as if a void had enveloped them. The muted sounds of the casino floor faded as the space around them seemed to warp. The doors, once meters away, displaced themselves through the warped space, appearing before them. The handles were merely centimeters away, one only needed to reach out…

Marie’s ears were filled with the beckoning calls of women, their honeyed whispers gave rise to a wave of ecstatic pleasure that washed over her. The air around her grew heavy with perfume; the scent of roses and jasmine filled her nostrils.

Her hand grasped the gilded door handle, drawn towards it by an unseen force. It had a latent warmth beneath its cool metal, as if it was waiting for her touch. A feeling of serenity washed over Marie as she mindlessly opened the door, crossing past it’s threshold into seemingly infinite void of darkness.

The door closed silently behind her, snapping Chloe and Sara from their trance. The room had returned to its original state. The girls exchanged a private glance at one another, trying to comprehend the incomprehensible urges that just befell upon them. With a look of trepidation Chloe looked to the walnut door. Was it just her eyes, or had the emblem begun to illuminate with a soft glow.

“Please, right this way,” the onyx-masked man insisted. His gloved hand outstretched far above his head as he formed a palmed gesture.

“Just a minute! Where is…”

*SNAP*

Chloe’s voice drifted off as her eyes became glazed with a thin pink aura. The bag of chips fell to the floor with a forceful clack. She stepped forward, her hand reaching out to touch the smooth surface of the black walnut. As her fingers touched the handle, a surge of energy coursed through her body. She felt a strange sensation from within her mind, her thoughts suddenly became clearer and more focused.

It took only a moment before Chloe too had disappeared past the threshold. The gold emblem once more flashed with a gold illumination before silently dimming.

Sara had been conscious of what was happening, but was helpless to intervene. A strange force from within held her back, stifling any attempts to intercede. In fact, she too had begun to hear the alluring calls from behind the door.

The onyx-masked man held his hand up. With a single wave two suited staff appeared, taking away the bag of chips.

“Hey that’s…!”

“Not to worry madame, you will be reimbursed within the lounge. Regardless, we do not allow floor chips in lounge games they…sully the games”

Sara's attention remained momentarily diverted to the suited staff, before her gaze returned to the emblemed door. A unexplainable pull dwelled within her. Alluring whispers from beyond grew louder and more insistent in her mind, beckoning her to step forward and join her friends.

Her devotion to her friends managed to momentarily triumph, allowing her to shake off the trance in order to speak.

“What’s…what’s going on?” she managed.

Behind the mask, the masked man was stunned. “Resistant? I see…” the man drew a pocket watch from his inner jacket, briefly inspecting it’s contents. “Well nevertheless, I must return. You’re free to do as you wish, but between us, I’ve skimmed through your file. Should you decide to join your friends, you may find they better fit your tastes.”

“What do you mean by that?” Sara asked, her voice teeming with apprehensive curiosity.

His head politely tilted to the side. “Why madame, that’s for you to decide”

The man smiled from behind his mask. Drawing an onyx chip from his pocket, he flicked it high into the air towards Sara.

“For your troubles”

Sara caught the rotating chip in her palm. The magnetic, black colour slowly moved beyond its crystalline surface. Flipping the chip over in her hands, she noted a haloed bunny inscribed in gold on both sides.

The man turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows as if he had never been there.

Sara’s mind raced as she stared at the onyx chip. Sighing, she placed it inside her placard, folding it carefully before slipping it into her pocket. The alluring calls had all but vanished from her mind, leaving her alone in still contemplation.

Sara reached for the handle with a gnawing apprehension. She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before pulling the door open. With a fateful step, she crossed the Rubicon.

The masked man watched on privately as the walnut doors shut a final time, illuminating the emblem once more in a pristine glow.

From the shadows he whispered into a hidden microphone, "Ilia iacta est"

«The die has been cast»