Dovesso: When We Were Young

Her

Past
Lesso's POV

I don't understand why I am here. I was told that it was for a good reason, but I feel as if that was a lie. But according to everyone, there are no mistakes.

Though they keep us Nevers separate from Evers most of the time, they allow us to have meals together. However, it is the same here as it was in Gavaldon. I'm me, and I will always be... Leonora, the sad and lonely outcast reader.

The Evers whispers about me, and the Nevers laugh. No one likes me here. Why bother trying?

"Do you mind if I join?" A voice says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up to see a beautiful Ever girl. This has to be a prank.

"Me? Seriously? You want to sit with me?" I ask her.

"Yes, I do! I know what it is like to be treated as an outcast."

"Okay. You can join me, I guess."

"Excellent. I'm Clarissa, Clarissa Dovey." She beams as she sits down.

"I'm... Leonora, Leonora Lesso." I say.

"It's nice to meet you, Leonora! I am part fairy. Everyone just assumes I will be like the rest of the fairies at the school."

"I'm what they call a reader. I wanted more than Gavaldon, but I'm not sure that I wanted this."

"Well, at least now you have a friend. They keep me in a private dorm because I'm different. Students are afraid of me for some reason. So it is nice to have someone to talk to and to have a friend finally." Clarissa says.

"They do the same to me. They don't like what they don't understand. They are afraid of anything or anyone different. Though I guess it's easier to send messenger pigeons."

"I have a dove, not a pigeon."

"I have a raven," I tell her. We both laugh. Her laugh was almost enchanting. Something about her made me feel safe and comfortable. Like I was exactly where I belonged. That was a feeling I had never experienced before, and I didn't want to lose it. I didn't want to lose her.

Clarissa's POV

The girl before me had to be the most stunning I'd ever seen. I had finally made a friend here. Her red hair was long, her eyes were bluer than the ocean, and her smile was soft and shy.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tonight at dinner," I said.

"Yes, you will."

"Bye, Leonora!"

"Bye, Clarissa!"

The rest of the day, I was too caught up in my thoughts. Thoughts of her. I was an Ever. I was meant to be with a prince. Not a witch. So why did my heart long for what I could never have?

After dinner that evening, I was up with thoughts of her. I wrote her a note.

Dear Leonora,
This is an odd time to write you. However, I cannot get my mind off of you. Call me crazy, but I felt something between you and me. I know Evers are supposed to believe in soulmates, but in all honesty, I never did until I met you.
Sincerely,
Clarissa

I tied the note to the dove and sent it to Leonora's dorm. I sat at the window, hoping for a response. When I hadn't yet received one, I returned to bed and cried. For I had just lost the one friend I had, and we were only friends for one day. Before I drifted off to sleep, I heard the fluttering of my dove's wings. There was a note from Leonora.

Clarissa,
My apologies for the late response. I was surprised by your note, in a good way. I feel the same towards you. The truth is, my whole life, I have been alone. No one understood me or cared for me. My parents told me I was useless trash. My entire life, I had been drowning, and I didn't even know it. When I met you yesterday, it was as though you pulled me to the surface, and I could breathe again. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. I felt safe because of you. I'm not supposed to believe in soulmates, but how can I not believe something when I feel it every time I see or think of you?
Yours truly,
Leonora

I smiled and placed the note in a safe place. I went to bed.

"Good night Leonora," I whispered, mainly to the empty air. However, some of me hoped she somehow managed to hear the impossibly far whisper. I drifted to sleep and thought of only one thing. Her.