The Girl With Bad Luck

Reading Pals

Loki stares at his book, but no matter how hard he tries to focus he can't pay attention to the printed words. He has read the same page over and over again, yet nothing sticks to his memory. He looks down at Persephone. Her tiny form lays peacefully, her thin chest moving with the gentle ins and outs of her breathing. He aches to know what she was thinking of earlier before she flinched from his touch. Better yet, why did she flinch from his touch? He is aware that he possesses the skill to know what she was thinking of by simple use of his magic, but he knows that it isn't right. Even for him. Persephone's slightly shaking body lures him out of his thoughts, she's shivering. It makes sense that it would be much colder to her than it is to him with the obvious size difference. He conjures a blanket of her size, that doesn't even begin to span the expanse of his palm. But as it settles atop her cold body it swallows her entirely. He has the sudden urge to scoop her up and hold her delicate form in his hands. His fingers twitch in anticipation but he controls his urges and lets her sleep peacefully.

Later on, Persephone stares at the book Loki holds in his hands. She loved to read as a child and before the man had kidnapped her. She can't remember the last time she held a book.

"Little one."

Loki's smooth voice draws her out of her thoughts.

Persephone looks up at him, to find him craning his neck down to look upon her. "Care to explain what your gaze is set on? Or rather your mind?"

Persephone looks down at her fidgeting hands, her cheeks flushing red. "I was only looking at your book." She sneaks a glance up at Loki, his eyebrows are knit together, and his lips are pursed in concentration. She smooths a hand over the silky surface of the pillow. He stays silent knowing there are more words unsaid.

 "I remember reading as a child. I didn't have many friends growing up and kept to myself mostly. Usually, my nose was buried in a book."

 The lonely days of her childhood come back to her. She remembers trying to make friends at her school. No one ever sat with her at lunch or asked her to come over to their house. She felt like an outcast and it seemed no one would ever bother to talk with her. So she found books as her friend, someone she could relate to and could never hurt or mock her.

Loki sets his book down on the cover of the bed. "How about a trip to the library?" Persephone jerks her head up to his question.

"I'd love to! Though I worry that the books will be a little too large for my pleasure?"

"I think I have a solution to that problem."

Loki walks down the hallway, Persephone in hand. He feels her shift in his palm. He sneaks a glance down at her form. With her knees delicately pressed into his palm, she looks positively minuscule, his hand dwarfs her. Her head looks around curiously at the passing surroundings. He curls his fingers around her protectively. He would hate to see her fall. His ears perk up as he hears a pair of footsteps approaching. He quickly glances down at himself and curses under his breath as he realizes he has no pockets to store her in. And he doesn't want to trap her in his fiat again. He suddenly stops and tries to think of where to place her. He barely registers Persephone grab onto the pad of his middle finger for support from the unexpected stop. He doesn't bother with an apology but does remember to be slower with his movements as he raises her to his eyes. As he looks closer at her form he can see the fright in her expression. "I need you to trust me." Is all he offers before he raises her higher to the top of his head. He flattens his palm out and waits for her to step off. After a few seconds, she is still seated so he slightly tilts his palm and feels her tumble onto his head. He feels her scrambling around in his hair unsure of what to do. He can feel her frightened heart pumping furiously through the top of his head. He is about to snatch her up when the footsteps come closer and the person is in sight. He knows he has only one option if he doesn't want anyone to find out about the girl. He just hopes Persephone doesn't get too frightened.