NightHare

Year 0 & Beginnings (1.2)

Afternoon classes started in half an hour, so Lexi decided to learn a little about herbalism.

She headed back towards the library. It was quiet. Most townspeople were still working at this time, so barely anyone was there. As she scanned the shelves, Lexi saw three other kids crowding around a fairy tale book together, an older child reading a novel in the corner, and two people scribbling down circles at a table. Is that Nun Lena and Priestess Frea?

Eventually, Lexi found two books with plants on their spines. They might be herbalism books.

She stood on her tiptoes and stretched towards the books. She swiped at their covers, but her fingertips just brushed over. They were out of reach.

Lexi backed down to look for a stool when an arm reached out. She watched as it snatched the books.

"Hi. Lexi, right?" When she looked at the voice, Lexi saw a human with dirty blonde hair in a messy bun. It was Nun Lena.

She passed the books to Lexi. "Here you go."

"Oh." Lexi fiddled with the books. her eyes darted around. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lena glanced at the covers and started searching through the bookshelves.

"Hmm." She grabbed two more books off the shelf. "Since you're starting herbalism classes, these would probably be better."

"Ah, thanks," stammered Lexi. She took the books, and her body shrunk down.

Lena watched as Lexi tried to hide herself. "Well. If you ever need help, you can come find me. Don't worry or be shy. Okay?"

"Okay,"

Lena patted her shoulder and walked away. Lexi rushed towards the other direction, clutching four books and her journal. The conversation made her stomach squirm. She wasn't particularly close with Lena, but June had told stories.

Lena was the main magic instructor, and she was a stern teacher. But more importantly, she was a researcher. Many of the children were afraid of her punishments, research, and experiments. Lexi heard that someone had been turned into a frog once.

After leaving the non-fiction section, Lexi found a table in the corner of the library and huddled down. She took a deep breath. Hopefully, no one comes here.

Lexi opened one of the herbalism books... ? What is this?

She flipped through a few pages but couldn't understand anything. The pages were blocks of text, and they made her head spin. So she quickly closed that book and opened the next.

It wasn't any better. She couldn't understand half the words on the page. What are bitters?

Lexi groaned and eyed the books Lena recommended. They had plain covers that looked like they were about to fall apart. She stared at them for a few seconds before opening one. What could be worse than not understanding anything?

A Field Guide to Herbs by Renee Lamina. It was more of a journal than a book. Each herb was hand-drawn with its descriptions and details underneath. The author also wrote short stories on the side, and they were pretty interesting. She had found a moonlight lily in the Cobalt Mountains. A traveling companion got lost, rolled down the mountain, and landed in a field of moonlight lilies. She described it as an ocean in the sky with waves washing over the stars. I wanna see that.

Lexi was entranced by the journal's illustrations and stories. She wanted to sit and read the rest but couldn't. Lessons started soon, and she couldn't be late for her first one.

She grabbed the books and walked to the librarian's desk. Priestess Frea was on duty. She set the four books on the desk.

"Umm... can I return these books," she pointed towards the first two books she picked up, "and check out the rest?"