Ariadne wandered.
She wasn't sure what led her left instead of right, or why she avoided the main street altogether. Her feet moved on instinct, weaving through alleys and forgotten sidewalks like something unseen was tugging at her spine.
She passed a bookstore she'd never noticed before. Its window was fogged and crowded with old books —nothing digital, nothing modern.
A crooked "OPEN" card hung by a thread.
She paused.
Stepped closer.
And for just a moment,less than a breath—her own reflection wasn't the only one in the glass.
She spun, heart leaping.
Nothing.
Just the street. A man walking a dog and a kid on a scooter.
She pushed the glass door open, stepping inside.
Inside, the woman behind the counter looked up from a thick leather-bound book, as if she'd been expecting her.
"You found it," she said, voice soft but certain.
Ariadne hesitated. "Found what?"
The woman tilted her head. Her hair was streaked with gray, but her face was young—ageless, maybe. Her eyes were pale, the kind that unsettled without ever blinking. "The threshold."
Ariadne glanced back at the door, hand still on the knob. "I think you're mistaking me for someone else."
"No," the woman said gently. "You stepped through. That's all it takes."
Ariadne didn't answer. Her pulse was louder now, louder than it should've been in a place so silent. She looked around again, slower this time. The shop felt paused.
"Threshold to what?" she asked finally.
But the woman didn't reply. Instead, she returned to her book, the sound of the pages turning too loud in the silence. It was as if Ariadne had already stopped being relevant the moment she asked.
She backed away, inch by inch. "Right. I… must've taken a wrong turn."
The woman gave a faint smile that never reached her eyes. "Most do."
She didn't stop Ariadne as she slipped out the door. Didn't ask her to stay. Didn't offer a warning.
Outside, the air was colder than it had been. The street looked the same, but somehow didn't feel the same. Cars passed by, but she couldn't hear the engines. A man walked past her, and for a second, she swore he had no shadow.
Ariadne shoved her hands deeper into her coat pockets. Her heart beat faster without reason, like something inside her had just been reprogrammed and was trying to catch up.
She walked faster. Turned corners.
She kept looking behind her every minute, it felt like she was being watched.