It took a while for Eleora to convince herself to go back. Reality had finally sunk in, and she was left alone in the middle of the road, soaking wet and shivering. It's not like she had anywhere to go, or somewhere to seek shelter. She couldn't just run away now, she had to plan it carefully. And plan it fast, because time was running out. If she wanted to get out of this forced marriage, she had to vanish completely. Not just run away from the orphanage, but from this city. Maybe even move states that way it would be hard to track her down. There was no way Mrs. Mayner was going to let her money bag go so easily.
For now, she had to go back and act ignorant of these new developments. Just for a few days, until she can find a way out. Even if it mean stealing from the place that considered itself as her home. For survival, Eleora was willing to do anything.
The rain had slowed down but didn't come to a stop. The sky was grey, and the lights on the street were dim, covered by a light fog. Not a single soul in sight, this town looked as empty as ever. And on the side of the cold, rocky ground laid something flat that seemed to stand out among this lifeless world. Eleora's eyes followed it and widened in realization, it looked like a book. She slowly walked towards it, picking it up with one hand. Indeed it was a book, with a brown cover and a large title scribbled in a dark shade of red in an unrecognizable language.
"Are you abandoned too?" She asked the book a silly question. The author read 'Agnes Sagora' but the rest was unreadable. The title seemed to merge with the drawing in the background, with some more scribbles she couldn't make out as she tried to wipe the leather cover with her semi-wet sleeve. It was no use, she opened the book hoping to find the pages sullied and the words smudged but instead, they seemed dry, that is until a water dropplet rolled from Eleora's nose and fell into the middle of the pages. She quickly closed the book, not wanting to stain it.
It was a nice book, and might even be worth something if she was to sell it. The cover was made of real leather, a book like that must have great value for the contents inside. Maybe this was God's way of showing mercy to her, even though she was far from a believer. She shoved the book underneath her dirty shirt, hoping it would shelter it from the rain. Clenching it with both hands, she broke into a run back to the orphanage. Her hopes of sneaking back inside without getting detected were crushed. It seemed God's mercy came as a one-use coupon because Mrs. Hudson stood at the entrance, putting on her shoes, and was quick to spot the drenched orphan.
"What on earth happened to you?" She asked in disbelief. "Never mind that, you look like a wet dog. Go clean yourself up before supper."
"Yes, ma'am." Eleora was more than happy to excuse herself.
She hurried up the stairs into her room, closing the door behind her. She quickly hid the book underneath her bed, where she had placed her torn pillow and any remaining feathers in an attempt to hide the damage. Little droplets began to form on the floor from her drenched clothes and hair and for a second she admired their perfect circular shape. To be a droplet with purpose seemed like a silly thought but anything would have been better than this life.
Quickly changing out of her wet clothes, Eleora took out her dry pajamas and put them on. One by one, she laid her wet garments across the table and the chair in hopes for them to be dry by tomorrow morning. The girl did not have a spare pair of shoes, so she had to go downstairs with her soaked ones. They made squeaking noises, following her to the dining table and leaving behind a snail trail. The children were already there, sitting around the table and eating what looked like mashed potatoes but Eleora knew better.
"Heavens, what happened to you?"
"She looks like a wet dog," the same boy from before said. Another one barked following the remark. Eleora furrowed her eyebrows, these childish remarks still got to her even though she knew better than to pay them any mind. She sat down at her designated seat but made no move to grab the fork in front of her. Her stomach felt sick and twisted, and staring at the grinded leftovers made her feel even worse. She reached out for a loaf of bread but only to find it hard as a rock. And then her mind drifted elsewhere among the chatter of the other kids.
How does bread taste when it is soft and fresh out of the oven?
It helped her in a way. Getting lost in her own little world, hoping that if her mind was distracted then her stomach would forget the meaning of hunger. It worked sometimes. But this little thought disappeared as soon as she felt her head get pushed towards the food on her plate. She coughed up mashed potatoes out of her nose, her blood boiling. She was hanging by a thread the entire day and it seemed like that thread had just snapped.
Lifting her fists, she swung first. Despite the food in her eyes, nose, and mouth, she landed a good punch on the boy next to her. Hitting him right in the nose, and then she proceeded by launching at him, her body weight tipping both of them over. The red in her eyes wasn't the reflection of her hair, but instead, it was the anger that she felt. The rage within her boiling like a volcano about to erupt. She hit him again, and again, and again, until blood was gushing out of his nose and until the caretakers grabbed her underneath her armpits and pulled her away. She kicked and screamed for them to let her go, throwing a tantrum.
"Let me go, I'll kill him, I swear!" She yelled out.
Much to her surprise, Mrs. Mayner did not punish her. She had mercy on the girl and Eleora knew exactly why, she was to wed in a few days. A product of such value should not have a single scratch on it. Eleora scoffed, she would rather spend the rest of her life with the rats downstairs than live with a pervert. She couldn't even think of the things that the old man would do to her if they were alone in the house. The thought itself made her shiver in fear.
Mrs. Mayner sent Eleora back to her room, forbidding her from coming out until supper the following day, to which Eleora was more than happy to oblige. It gave her more than enough time to decide exactly what to do. And for once she felt satisfied, the other party had it worse. The boy had a broken nose and black and blue puffy eyes. It was hard for her to stop herself once she lost control like that. There also was no use to, in her head, they all deserved a good beating.
After washing up, she immediately went to bed, hoping to get an early rest so she could wake up and plan her escape. Falling asleep was harder than she expected, she kept thinking about Doctor Tobbs and that thought of a nightmare was enough to keep her awake until midnight. She found herself finally dozing off but that too didn't last long enough.
Thud.
She ignored it, thinking it was in her head.
Thud.
No, she didn't imagine it. She heard it loud and clear.
Thud.
Yet again. But this time, she felt it come from underneath her bed. She sat up, looking around her room. It must be a mouse or something. What else could make such a loud noise?
Thud.
This time she had to look. Whatever it was, she had to put a stop to it otherwise it would wake up half the orphanage, and then there was no way they wouldn't drag her down to the basement. She grabbed the edge of her bed and kneeled forward, her fuzzy hair falling on the ground below her. She looked underneath, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Her book lay flat on the ground and her pillow was exactly where she left it.
Suddenly, the book charged towards her in the blink of an eye causing her to jump backwards. Her back was pressed against the cold wall but her eyes stared at the edge of her bed, somehow thinking the book was going to start climbing from underneath.
Eleora did not believe what she was seeing.
The book. It was moving. By itself!
She watched it drag itself on the floor and hit the wall. It stopped with another thud. She quietly breathed, waiting for it to start moving again, and just when she began to think that she had imagined it all, it turned around and began moving towards her. She yelped in fright, but then realized it went underneath her bed. Now this was a first. Moving books? What's next, flying pigs? Not knowing what to do, Eleora got up and stood on the bed. Using the high ground to look from different angles, wondering where it would come out of next.
Then the unimaginable happened. The feathers from her torn pillow began to move, but not in a way the book was moving. They were levitating, floating upwards from underneath the bed. Eleora was left in shock, there was no doubt about it, she was dreaming. It wasn't flying pigs like she was expecting, but it wasn't that far off either.
Oh, how wonderful! She had thought, as her finger reached out to touch one of the white feathers. Soon enough the entire room was covered with them. It seemed almost magical and out of place. She seemed almost too happy to be experiencing this livid dream after a few hours of absolute hell and torture.
Then the book began to move again, Eleora pushed her way through the feathers, moving them to the side. She bent down on the ground, looking underneath the bed. With one hand, she reached out and grabbed the book, dragging it towards her. It protested as if it didn't like to be held against its will. She held on to it as hard as she could but it seemed to have enough strength to drag her with it, and not just in any direction but towards the door. She closed her eyes, getting ready for the contact but it never came.
The door opened by itself with a little creek.
When she glanced back, all the feathers that were once floating began to fall gracefully towards the ground and her bedroom door closed itself. In disbelief, she allowed the book to drag her away, all the way until she reached outside the orphanage. Her bare feet made contact with the rocky ground causing her to wince and let go of the book on instinct. It fell on the ground in front of her. It didn't move, and neither did she. For some reason, the pain she felt in the soles of her feet was too painful to ignore. Was this perhaps real? Or was she imagining everything?
Eleora watched the book curiously, taking one single step towards it. It moved a few inches and then stopped, almost as if it wanted to be followed. And she gladly did. The book dragged itself on the rocky ground, it must have hurt just as much as her stepping on pebbles.
"At least, let me carry you," She offered it, and it listened. The book stopped moving and allowed for it to be picked up by the girl. They walked together, straying further away from the civilization before they reached a destination. It was a forest and Eleora came to a halt, glancing through the darkness.
"If it leads to my demise, then so be it." She said out loud, trying to fake her confidence. What's the worst that could happen in a dark creepy forest? Eaten by an animal, abducted by a kidnapper, or starved to death without finding a way out? The book tugged her one more time as if urging her to go.
"Okay, okay, geez," She said to herself and slowly made her way toward the forest. In the heart of the night, the air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and fresh foliage. The only source of light was the visible full moon that lit up the path. With each step took them deeper into the forest, a creepy feeling manifested itself within her stomach making her feel as if she was venturing into the unknown. The trees grew bigger, their leaves thicker almost as if it was ready to swallow up the imposter.
Walking on the ground was much easier than on the rocky roads, however, stepping on a stick every now and then hurt more. They soon arrived at their destination, or at least that's what Eleora assumed. The book, with all of its force, completely slipped through her small hands and fell on the ground, almost tugging her with it. In front of it was a small oval-shaped pond.
"Okay...is that it?" Eleora asked, expecting something mundane and magical to happen.
But there was nothing. The book didn't reply, and it did not move either when she walked towards it, picking it up. It seemed as if all the magic had vanished into the thin cold air. Eleora felt a pang of disappointment in her heart, in a way she hoped for something, anything, to help her get out of her situation. But what exactly was she looking for?
Just something. Anything.
She turned to walk away but the book began to glow a bright red. The symbol was a circle with other scribbles inside it.
Eleora hadn't noticed it, it was too small to make out exactly what it was before. But now that it was glowing a bright red, there was no doubt about it, it must be some kind of circular symbol. She turned it around, flipping the book upside down, hoping to find some kind of meaning to it.
Just like that a loud splash was heard behind her, she froze in fear before mustering up the courage to turn around. Her eyes widened in realization that what stood in front of her was a large body of water, floating up in the air right in front of the pond. She hugged the book tightly against her chest and stepped backward. With this sudden movement, the water charged at her. Eleora turned around to run but the book pulled her backward. Seconds later, she collided with the water. Unable to breathe, she let go of the book in an attempt to swim against the current that was pulling her into the pond.
Splash.
She was floating, her body giving up control and losing the fight against this mysterious phenomenon. It was indescribable. One second the girl was standing there, and the next she was inside this mysterious pond, getting dragged deeper and deeper into the dark abyss.
Her eyes squinted, trying to look for a solution but there was nothing to help her. Losing the fight, her body relaxed for the first time in what felt like years. A feeling of peace and solitude came over her as she let her numb body be pulled into the darkness.