And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

ii

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Alissa ran to the imposing gate, the darkness of the night providing the cover that she needed. She was almost free! At the last moment, a booming voice behind her stopped Alissa before she could make her escape.

"If you step through that gate, you're dead to me, daughter."

Alissa slowly turned to face her father, and, for the first time in her life, his imperial figure did not scare her. In fact, he seemed almost weak, as if frightened by the strength of will emanating from his own flesh and blood.

"You were willing to sell me into a loveless marriage simply for the financial prosperity of the kingdom. Father, I am already dead to you." Staring him squarely in the eye, she knew what she had to do.

In the dead of the night, the creak of the gate was nearly deafening as Alissa stepped through it and left everything she'd ever known behind.

---

It wasn't until weeks later that Lisa finally made her way to Biblio again. A sudden, three-week job at a nearby construction site had kept her busy, and all the remaining free time she'd spent reading and rereading her new favorite book series. She was absolutely enamored with it, not even completely able to put into words why she felt so completely connected with it. It was an intricate story of self-discovery, the words on the pages so full of realism, despite the setting, that Lisa nearly forgot to breath every now and again. And when, at times, the words hit just a little too close to home, hurting almost more than Lisa could bear, the simple beauty of the writing kept her reading. With undivided attention, she followed Alissa through kingdoms and unfamiliar lands, experienced exciting adventures and watched the princess forge a friendship with a female bandit on the way. It was all, simply, exquisite.

Lisa had finished a reread of the second volume the previous night and she was still reeling from the sense of loss it'd stirred in her. A quick Google search later, she found out that the next book in the series wouldn't be published until the end of the year, which nearly infuriated her. It was only March! She was like an addict who was suddenly forced into rehab against her will.

Reaching the bookshop, deep in thought, Lisa grabbed the handle on the door and pushed, but, surprisingly, it wouldn't budge. Instead, she nearly slammed her face against it by accident. Frowning, she peered through the window, but the shop was dark and obviously closed. Hoping that everything was all right, she walked away confused, only to return a few days later to find the shop in very much the same state.

"What a...," she muttered, again trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything, through the window which might explain the desolate shop.

"Oh, it probably won't open anymore," a voice said a little farther away, startling Lisa.

She turned to look where the voice had come from, and her eyes landed on an elderly woman who was turning a key in the door of a flower shop next door.

"I'm sorry?" Lisa said, perplexed.

"I said that the shop probably won't open anytime soon," the woman repeated, finally managing to unlock the door. "The owner had a stroke."

"What?" Lisa asked, utterly shocked. "When?"

"A few weeks ago." Only now the woman turned to fully look at her. "Arrived to open my shop in the morning and happened to see the poor man through the window. Called 911 right away, but, unfortunately, there was nothing they could do."

"He..." Lisa swallowed hard, struggling to grasp what she was hearing. "He died?"

"Yes." The woman gave a small nod. "I'm sorry," she added, seemingly just realizing that the younger woman's reaction was stronger than that of a random customer.