SHADOW

The Book

Sha lay on the cool marble floor, finding solace in the scent of the old stone, dust, and humidity that provided comfort on this summer day. Her bruises had started to improve, and the tingling sensation had subsided. She attempted to roll onto her side and stand up, but a sharp pain shot through her ribs. "I wonder if that damn bully girl broke a rib or something. I hope not," thought Sha, letting out a sigh. She strained her ears, but there were no footsteps to be heard, no one to help her stand up or call a nurse. Echoes of students bustling on the first floor reverberated through the staircases, making Sha hesitant to call out for assistance. 

She couldn't be certain if someone would genuinely offer help or take advantage of her vulnerable state. The girls at The Thorny Rose School were truly thorny roses themselves. 

The competition was intense among the aspiring rich merchant daughters who sought to marry a lord and be chosen at The Annual Presentation Ball, which was only two days away. Remaining at the school instead of going home to prepare turned the campus into a perilous ground. Girls would harm their potential competition in their desperate struggle to be perceived as the most perfect and beautiful, all in the hopes of being chosen.                                                                                                It was an absurd situation, but the consequences of not being chosen were equally troublesome. Many were sent to monasteries, as their wealthy parents saw no value in forming alliances with noble houses if their daughters were deemed unworthy. The school fees were steep, reflecting the ambitions of Sha's parents, who were more driven than anyone she had ever seen. 

They had sold her grandparents' farm to finance her education, without considering her desires to be a lord's wife or simply keep her inheritance—the farm left by her grandmother and the life of a farmer. Sha often daydreamed about spending her days in the breeze, enjoying a jar of cool sweet drinks infused with herbs and engrossed in a book. 

She had very few books, hidden beneath the creaky floor of the old barn. She had discovered them in an old burned mansion in the nearby forest when she was little. The smell of burned wood still lingered in her memory as she wandered through the roofless rooms, envisioning the lords and ladies who once inhabited them. She imagined their grand gatherings and graceful dances in the now ruined grand ballroom, where only crows now perched on the tall walls and statues. The floor, despite its state, retained its beauty, with black and white tiles still shining under layers of dirt. Beneath one loose tile, she had discovered a beautiful book with metal-embellished covers that exuded ethereal charm. 

Although she couldn't read back then, she held onto the hope that one day she would return home, retrieve the metal box that protected the books, and unravel the mysteries they held. Sha would gaze at the intricate diagrams of humans, teeth, stones, and hieroglyphs, imagining the stories and secrets they might contain. She would spend hours fixated on the dragon-shaped creature embossed on the cover of one book, even dreaming of majestic beasts soaring through the sky, carrying her toward a purple horizon. 

That particular book remained locked, its metallic mechanism defying her attempts to open it. She had even dared to push a metal form into the lock, leaving a few scratches on its shiny silver surface before abandoning her futile attempts for fear of damaging the precious contents. Sha held onto the belief that one day, when she had the means and knowledge, she would unlock its secrets. Those were her thoughts back then, and now she was filled with excitement at the prospect of finally getting her hands on those cherished volumes. 

"I wonder if I get chosen, would I be able to leave the lord's mansion? Or would I become a prisoner there? Would I be able to retrieve my books?" pondered Sha, gathering her strength to get up. The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, causing her to freeze in place. 

"There should not be anyone on this level now," she murmured, a strange unease welling up inside her as fear compelled her to stand and seek refuge in a nearby alcove.