Lily Ferdinand

Chapter 1

Lemme take you back a little while. It was just a regular day. Probably a wednesday. Everything was on a wednesday. I'm from a little town in the middle of nowhere, really disconnected, and it was about 1870 something. Just stay with me on this.

I was over at a friends' house, and we had just finished up with a book he managed to swipe from the Dr.Williams' window when he wasn't looking. We didn't exactly have a library, and with the doctor having everything he wouldn't exactly "let kids like us" read anything.

"Foster, where did you initially hear about this alchemy stuff anyways?" I asked as I piled my things into my satchel to leave.

Foster shifted his weight seemingly uneasy, but I hadn't really paid it any mind at the time. "Oh it doesn't matter, flower. It's pretty fascinating, innit?"

I chuckled. "You betcha, well, I'll be on my way then" I closed my satchel "Same time tomorrow?" He only nodded, preoccupied with his notebook. I Called out goodbye to Mr.Miller in the back room, and started out the door. "Oh and by the way Foster, according to that star map we made-"

"Oh flower! I completely forgot. Come back inside, quick." He took my wrist and pulled me back in the house. Almost in a panic he started closing all the shutters, and locking all the doors. I had never seen Foster so panicked. He's a person with a very calm demeanor. Sometimes to a fault where I get frustrated about how calm he is. That friend that you need to work to get a rise out of.

But now as he hastily remembered something, he was worrying me. I started towards the door once more "Foster...I'm not sure what's wrong, but I've got to go. Mrs. Smith will lose her senses if I get back late, and you know it."

He started sifting through some drawers. "I know flower, I know. That devil woman" He murmured under his breath "This'll only take a second." Pausing, he lifted a small vine covered book out, gently placing it on the table. "Oh, did you snatch another book from Williams?" I asked.

"Well. Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

Placing the book in my hand he said "That's not important. I just need you to hold on to this until I see you again." I looked at him puzzled. We saw each other everyday. Why would this be any different? He caught onto my question. "Just promise, okay."

"Quite Alright, Foss. I promise." I tucked the small book in my bag, next to my drawing pad, and charcoals. "Will you at least tell me what's in it?" He took my arm and guided me back to the door. "All in good time." I walked out and at the corner by the baker's turned around to yell bye to Foss. "Bye Lily" he yelled back at me. Bye Lily? I don't think he's called me Lily in years.

Keeping to my usual schedule I kept walking. Past the corner by the bakers, down the street towards the blacksmith, and taking a sharp left to the orphanage. I never went through the front door, since that was where visitors would walk in. The pristine front doors, masking the squalor of this "home." The back door by the stable was the safest bet. Miss Smith wouldn't hear me over the sound of Barley bucking, and I could sneak up to my room with some of the other girls.

But just as I walked through the back door into the kitchen I heard the all too familiar sound of clicking boots against the stone floor. "Miss Ferdinand!" she called from just outside the room. Rushing up the staircase I got into our sleeping quarters before she came with the cane. Alice, my roommate was already there.

Alice was a slight thing. Very short and skinny with wild hair, poking out from under our uniform bonnet. Sweet kid, new to the house, but in the beginning, such a tattler.

"Lily" she said in her soft mouse like voice, feet swinging from the bed "You are going to get us into trouble with Missus Smith. Where were you today?"

"Al, just pretend like I was here, and I'll tell you later." She pouted, but 3 months in she knew the drill. She picked up her needlepoint sat on one edge of the bed, and intently concentrated. I took the god-awful bonnet throwing it over my hair, emptied my drawing supplies onto the bed, and kicked my satchel under it just before Mrs Smith burst through.

"Miss FER DI NAND"

"Yes Missus Smith" I said, trying to sound sweet and innocent. It wasn't really working.

She walked over to me slowly. I could hear the click of her boots, and drag of her cane scratching on the floor. She brought up the cane to the side of my leg, and looked me in the eyes. "Miss Ferdinand. Do you think I am a clodpate?"

"No Missus Smith" I responded. Uncomfortably rocking in the heels of my feet.

"Then tell me Lily....why do you...think that I would not know you were outside. IF I HEARD YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS!" In a flash she brought up the cane bringing it down at the sides of my knees causing me to double on the floor in pain.

"Don't let me catch you outside again."

I nodded. That wasn't good enough for her. Bringing the tip of the cane up to my face, lifting my chin she tells me "What do we say?"

I cough through "Yes Missus Smith." I stay on the floor until she leaves, and shuts the door.

"Are you-" Alice starts.

"I'm fine." I brush it off as no worse than the last few years, and I pull my satchel out from under the bed. "Well Al, do you want to see where I was. She gets down and sits next to me, and I start to pull things from my satchel. Little memories of things I do with Foster. We read Alchemy and Astrology books. Before that we would simply go around causing mischief. It's not like there was anything else to do in this mundane little town, but about a month or two ago something odd happened.

Dr. Williams, who usually had a surplus of medical textbooks, which he kept by his open windows at night for superstition, had a new shipment of books that weren't medical. Foss and I had seen the day they arrived in an unmarked crate. The good doctor looked completely bewildered. Nevertheless he brought the crate inside, and soon enough the texts were on the window at night.

We picked up one and were so enthralled we kept going back. We started constructing equipment, and drawing up star charts. No matter how many times we went back, there was always something else to grab. And recently we started keeping the books, since Williams didn't seem to be noticing. Every day was great. I would go see Foster, cause mischief, and spend hours making discoveries in the books with my friend. I don't need to get into why I didn't like coming back.

The next morning it was the same routine. I wasn't afraid of Mrs Smith. She couldn't hurt me anymore than she already has. I woke up as soon as the sun cast a light, even though it's not like I slept much anyway. I got up slowly, as not to wake up Alice. I swept all of my things into my satchel being careful not to make too much noise so as not to wake Mrs Smith. Slipped on my shoes and bonnet, and made my way down and out the back door.

It was a brisk morning with piling leaves, and a half risen sun. The wind was whistling through the trees, and I could hear the familiar crunch and click over the cobblestone road covered with leaves. I almost turned back to get a cloak, but decided against it since this fickle woman would surely realize if a piece of clothing was missing.

I looked up at the light sky, against a still shadowed town. This town was still sleepy this early, which made it perfect for me. No trivial interaction, no hiding, no worries. I could strut down the middle of the street barefoot and no one would be the wiser. I always got there before Foster woke up. Foster and Mr. Miller had given me permission to come in, in the early morning so that I wouldn't be stuck outside. So walking in and seeing all the lamps out it seemed normal.