Some number of years ago - circa 2015, Bell McMahon was a real up and coming actress. After a lifetime of being a true theatre Prima Donna, she had finally begun to find fame in film, and after some hard scouting, auditions, and fancy dinners with questionable people in the industry, was spirited away to LA.
She landed roles in a few movie-versions of obscure plays that found some measure of fame in their own circles, and was set to take on another in late 2017 until one day --

Headlines ran about the sudden disappearance of the young actress, and conspiracy theories abound. It seemed to be a real hot topic for a month or so, but then like most things, and with no leads to go on, the news ran cold. Even years later, there has been nothing to go on. The young actress had simply vanished.

The truth would sound so much stranger than fiction if the reporters knew.

I can hear you but I won't
Some look for trouble while others don't
There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day
And ignore your whispers which I wish would go away, oh


Many nights Bell would be restless, unable to sleep, a nagging in her subconsciousness that she could almost hear, like a ringing of bells in her ear. It would come and go, sometimes for weeks at a time, but always came back. The longer and harder she tried to ignore it, the 'louder' it became, upping in frequency as well. It wasn't just at night - during the day she'd find herself distracted, as if daydreaming, but it was always louder at night. She'd be almost swept away into slumber when the ringing would shake her out of it.

You're not a voice, you're just a ringing in my ear
And if I heard you, which I don't, I'm spoken for I fear
Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls
I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls
I've had my adventure, I don't need something new
I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you...


She was getting less and less sleep, and it was starting to show as her temper and frustration took form. Bell was going through her things, searching for something, not knowing really what it was she was looking for, when at last, out of the corner of her eye she saw it, sitting neatly on top of a box. Cornflower blue and warm gold, to anyone else it would have seemed to be no more than a fancy pen.

What do you want? 'Cause you've been keeping me awake
Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake?


Bell, who sat amidst a mess of her belongings, got up and walked almost robotically to the object that seemed to almost shimmer and glow in her eyes. (It wasn't, but sleep deprivation was a helluva thing...) Deftly, she picked up the pen. Years. It has been years since she had left Destiny City, left behind her other self, cut off a whole other half of who she was.

Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me?
Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be?
Every day's a little harder as I feel your power grow
Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go...


The bells chimed in her ear again, softer, but demanding. She knew what she had to do. She told herself she was going to do it to put a stop to this torment. Every day was getting harder as the feeling in her grew, but deep down there was....excitement? No... Trepidation?

Pen in hand, she walked over to her bed in the same robotic manner as she had when she went to get said pen. She reached for her phone on the mahogany bedside table and within moments, as as if in a daze, booked a flight to Destiny City, on the whole other side of the States.... To do what exactly?

To go into the unknown.