i sailed seas of emotions to wander a forest of scars
i am a dance of light and darkness
It has reached a point where Amalia can no longer say she is a librarian, but still she loves the Atheneum, its dusty shelves and hallowed halls. There are still ghost here, memories of memories of those long lost, tomes and tales and legends and lore that make up worlds inside worlds. She could spend a lifetime pouring through them, had once planned to do just that, believing her life to consist of these walls and this hall, believing she would stay confined forever: by crumbling walls, by loss, by anxiety, by the barrier.
Now her presence is rarely felt in the Atheneum; she may be less real to it than the ghosts.
Amalia inhales as she steps through the door, breathing in familiar scents of musty parchment and ancient ink. Since the repairs finished she has been here a handful of times, helped with the construction, but still it catches the baker off guard to see the walls complete and whole, towering and secure. It, like her, has changed in a year.
Everything has changed.
Long slender fingers brush over the spines of books as Amalia wanders the hallowed halls, aimless, her bare feet brushing like whispers over the stone floor. Now and then she'll pause to extract an interesting work, perusing the pages until she grows bored, or realizes it is not the knowledge she needs. She is looking for information on the Spire Demon, on the Spark Bird, on the Spire, on the million problems that plague them ceaselessly, the things that have kept her bound outside of this haven.
By the time she finds another soul the girl carries three: Legends of Caido, Demons and Monsters, and the simply titled, Spire. None are particularly promising in terms of concrete information, but at least they are a start. She carries them against her chest as she rounds a corner in the stacks, stopping, sudden and surprised, when a man comes into view.
There is something familiar in the figure, a tickling memory she cannot place. Quietly the girl steps closer, long hair falling about her shoulders, a halo over her red scarf. "Hello," Amalia calls out softly, hoping not to startle the man. It would have been a different greeting, not very long ago- but no longer is it the girl's place to question those who walk through the books.
She is one of the strangers, now.
Now her presence is rarely felt in the Atheneum; she may be less real to it than the ghosts.
Amalia inhales as she steps through the door, breathing in familiar scents of musty parchment and ancient ink. Since the repairs finished she has been here a handful of times, helped with the construction, but still it catches the baker off guard to see the walls complete and whole, towering and secure. It, like her, has changed in a year.
Everything has changed.
Long slender fingers brush over the spines of books as Amalia wanders the hallowed halls, aimless, her bare feet brushing like whispers over the stone floor. Now and then she'll pause to extract an interesting work, perusing the pages until she grows bored, or realizes it is not the knowledge she needs. She is looking for information on the Spire Demon, on the Spark Bird, on the Spire, on the million problems that plague them ceaselessly, the things that have kept her bound outside of this haven.
By the time she finds another soul the girl carries three: Legends of Caido, Demons and Monsters, and the simply titled, Spire. None are particularly promising in terms of concrete information, but at least they are a start. She carries them against her chest as she rounds a corner in the stacks, stopping, sudden and surprised, when a man comes into view.
There is something familiar in the figure, a tickling memory she cannot place. Quietly the girl steps closer, long hair falling about her shoulders, a halo over her red scarf. "Hello," Amalia calls out softly, hoping not to startle the man. It would have been a different greeting, not very long ago- but no longer is it the girl's place to question those who walk through the books.
She is one of the strangers, now.
a galaxy of shadow and stars
AMALIA
