The Aeronaut's Daughter

Mrs. Coulter

Y/N Point of View

For the rest day I was focused to go under more tests before I was finally allowed to leave and go to my dorm. I sat on my bed with Aster sat next down to my lap. He leaped into my arms and I hugged him tight. 

"I'm so afraid Aster,"

"I am too. But we must be strong for your father,"

"I wish we could find a way to release that poor bear. It could be our escape goat,"

"But we don't even know how to get in,"

"There's a way to...somehow,"

"Look!" a girl named Annie screamed. I stopped hugging Aster and saw a group of girls running to the upper windows. 

"She's here!"

"Who's here?" I asked. 

"The woman with the golden monkey. The one who abducted us!" another screamed. 

"She's very scary," another said. 

I gulped. Was this Mrs. Coulter, Lyra's mother that they were talking about? 

"I know what she's doing," I said out loud. 

The kids all turned their faces to me. 

"What are you talking about?" Annie questioned, closing in on me. 

"She's severing kids from their daemons,"

"What?"

"No. That can't be true!" another screamed. 

"How could you know that?" another protested. 

"I've seen it! I saw Billy Costa! His daemon was cut from him! And he died,"

The girls were shocked. 

"There is help coming. But we need to find a way to break out,"

"This place is guarded by Tartars. And out there, there's nothing but layouts of ice!"

"Would you rather stay here and have your daemon separated from you?" I challenged. 

Annie looked uncertain. 

"She's coming!" a girl screamed from the door. 

"Positions!" Annie ordered. 

Quickly we all lined up in front of our beds just as the door opened. She entered. 

Lyra's mother was a cruel built woman with a strong build. Her golden monkey looked beautiful but behind his snarling I sensed such savagery. 

"How lovely to see your bright shining faces smiling at me," she spoke out arrogantly. "You know I do care for you very much," She cupped one girl's chin. 

The girl was nervous. 

Mrs. Coulter noticed me flinching. She swerved in front of me. "Mmm. You're new. What's your name?"

"Milly Surrey," I lied. 

She gave me a strong glance that made me feel giddy. "Where did you get this?" she gripped the pendent of my necklace and held it up, but she made no force to rip it off. 

"This was my mother's," I said. 

"Such a lovely winged creature,"

She gave me another glance that made me gulp. She let go. 

"How did you end up here?"

"I..was found. I was lost in the snow, separated from my family,"

"You're lucky to be found. Well, you girls could do with a lovely sleep tonight. It will make your smiles enlighten even more and that will make me all the more happier," she walked out through the door.