They Deal in Pieces

Ch. 3

Something soft and damp tickled my nose, leaving a moist trail across my face and startling me awake.
"Ugh!" I sat up as the noise of disgust escaped my throat. Reaching up gingerly with my half-asleep muscles protesting, I wiped a hand across my face to find a small caterpillar venturing across my cheek.
"Oh! Hey little guy... You really scared me there," I said, watching the caterpillar inch along the length of my finger. "I half expected you to be a huge wolf licking his chops at the thought of eating me. Now you run along and stay away from sleeping people."
I shook my head softly as I lowered my hand to allow the confused insect to creep onto a grass blade, wondering if I was crazy for talking to a bug. My eyes followed his journey down to the earth until he disappeared in the grass, dazedly shifting in and out of focus as the fog of sleep slowly slipped from my mind.
"What time is it?" I grumbled, standing up and stretching, my joints creaking in protest of spending the night on the ground, again. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon and the glade around me was decorated with dew. Dawn. I was not yet late to work and surmised that my parents were still fast asleep.
I shook off the thin layer of dew that had accumulated on my clothing and set off at a jog in the direction I knew my house lay. The world around me still had a sleepy feel about it, the trees seeming almost drowsy as their leaves brushed against my arms in passing. Unlike night, I loved the morning. I felt fresh, new, and the weight and hollowness of the day hadn't settled in yet. I let out a shout, pushing my legs faster through the underbrush. The forest soared past and the smile broke across my face as my legs grew sore.
The trees vanished from around me as I slid to a stop on the outskirts of my parent's property. Panting, I dragged my eyes across the landscape and, as I suspected, no one was awake. The lights were all off in the small wooden cottage I called home and I could see our mule sleeping soundly in its pasture. A soft wind muffled my movements as it blew through the fields of green grain just behind the cottage while I carefully crept towards the cottage door, making sure to keep my panting silent, and snuck inside. Falling about my normal routine after a night in the woods, I ambled away out of the small entry room that housed a large stone fireplace and a few cushioned chairs towards the kitchen with a carefully crafted drowsy demeanor as though I had just gotten out of bed. The sun was just beginning to pour through the windows as I pulled pots and pans clumsily from their hooks, making an attempt to start breakfast. I knew my noise would wake my parents and my mother would bluster into the kitchen complaining about the clanging and incompetence. It was a carefully crafted dance that I performed to a tee.
"BLYTHE!"
Right on time.
"Blythe, sweetheart, how many times have I told you that if you insist on waking up before the sun, don't immediately start ruining my kitchen!" My mother's plump frame shoved past me to repair the supposed damage I had done with her pots.
"I'm sorry mom... I just wanted to make breakfast." I yawned as I sat demurely at the table. I watched as my mother moved gracefully around the kitchen, her gift making her cooking seem like a dance. My chin rested in the palm of my hand and I let my eyelids droop sleepily. The hustle and bustle in the kitchen died down slightly as my mother smiled at my drowsy state. She moved gently over to me to kiss my forehead and set a warm plate of fried tomatoes and eggs in front of me.
"Make sure to eat it all Blythe. You have a long day in the Archive today."
I groaned and sat up straighter, "Don't remind me, mother."
"What's wrong?" She placed her hands on her hips, "You love the Archive. Why the attitude today?"
"I'm sorry mother... It's just the new guy gets on my nerves a small bit." I mumbled, forcing a smile onto my lips. My mother shook her head and goes back to cooking as I scarfed down my meal. My chair scraped the floor as I stood up, wandering over to put my soiled dish in the sink and plant a kiss on my mothers flushed cheek.
"Tell Daddy to have a good morning in the field!" I called over my shoulder hoisting my bag of book repair supplies onto my back and jogging out the door. The sun shone over the horizon as I vaulted over the small fence surrounding our house and I turned my face toward the warmth, silently promising myself to enjoy the day no matter what.
The road was clear and the air clean as I strode into town. The people of this little village had grown into a habit of laziness as each person claimed their "gift". I mean, why not sleep a little later and slack off at work when you have everything your little heart ever dreamed of? I scoffed to myself and stooped to pick up a pebble in my tracks. Tossing it in the air and letting it fall back into the palm of my hand I continued my journey. I slowed my walk to gaze at the deserted storefronts around me when I began to near the town hall. My focus narrowed in on the tailors lightly sleeping, and very loud, dog, his black and white patterning making him stand out against the brown of the road. My lips parted in a small grin as I muttered to myself, "I wonder what would happen..."
The pebble left my hand before I had made the conscious decision to throw it. It clattered loudly against the wall of the bakery, sending the dog into a ballistic rage.
"Oh no... an intruder!" I giggled as the dog started to run up and down the streets, barking for all it was worth. "Good morning everyone! Up and at 'em!" I laughed and broke into a run towards the archive, hoping that the town wouldn't hate me too much for disturbing their beauty rest.
The heavy oaken door of the Archive creaked on its hinges as I pushed it open with my hip, still panting with from my little sprint down the stairs. As I moved to pass through the doorway, still giggling about my antics in town, the rough grain of the door snagged on my cotton shirt, yanking me back towards the entrance of the Archive. My feet tangled together and I let out a yelp, recalling all the times that I had gotten caught in this exact same position and landed face first on the floor. The thought flashed through my head that I should really learn to open this damn door with hands only.
I thrust out my arms to try and steady myself on the nearest object, sighing in relief when my palm came into contact with something solid and allowed my weight to be supported as I righted myself. Dropping my hand, I straightened my shirt and tried to calm my racing heart. I survived, right? No need to worry. I allowed a nervous snicker to leave my mouth as I began to stride into the archive, but froze at the sound of a throat being cleared behind me.
"What? No, 'Thank you?' No, 'You saved my life! I am in your debt!' No, 'Andras, I am so sorry for touching you without permission.'"
My heart dropped and my shoulders hunched as I slowly turned to face the source of the voice. Andras was standing near the door, wrinkles marring his shirt on his chest where I had apparently used him to prevent my faceplant. Lifting my chin, my gaze hardened at his imperious, annoying smirk and I attempted to hold my ground.
I was so screwed.
"I would apologize, or even thank you, but I've come to the realization that you are a jerk who is much more useful with his mouth shut," I bit out.
Why was I making this worse?
"Well, if you're ungrateful..." His voice turned contemplative and his sentence trailed off as I turned my back to him in an attempt to stride away. But, before I could take one step forward, I felt my feet leave the ground. A shriek escaped my mouth as I flung my arms out a second too slow to prevent my impact with the floor. Pain blossomed up my right shoulder and hip from where they made contact with the cobblestone beneath me and I rolled onto my stomach to see that my small bag of supplies had burst open and scattered its contents across the floor. He tripped me. That absolute asshole tripped me!
I jumped to my feet with a growl and whirled around to tear into him, stopping short when I noticed that no one was there. I let out a huff of frustration and bent down to pile my supplies back into my bag. As I moved to close it, I noticed a long, jagged tear down the front of my bag and my blood boiled. This bag had been given to me by father when I advanced out of school, repurposed from a saddle bag made of dark brown leather and tightly woven cloth to carry all my supplies for my apprenticeship, it was handmade, irreplaceable, and my most prized possession and he had destroyed it. I guess he finally decided to show his true colors.
I kicked the bag towards the door, the thud of it hitting the wall fueling my anger. Storming off towards the book repair counter to find Andras, that heaping pile of horse shit, I recalled all the polite comments and respect he had given me yesterday. Was that all a ruse to get me to trust him? It must have been. The sound of my boots hitting the floor reverberated in my ears and my pace quickened as I rounded the corner.
"You are the vilest and most worthless creature to ever walk this earth and you-" I choked on my words as the balding head of Mr. Gilkens came sharply into focus.
"Ms. Daniels. I would suggest not addressing your superior in such a manner," He calmly stated, his furrowed brows the only sign of his agitation.
"I am so very sorry Sir..." The color drained out of my face just as quickly as my anger fled.
He laid his hand on my shoulder and smiled serenely, "All is forgiven, Ms. Daniels. I am not sure what exactly is happening but... He's in the back room. Do try and keep it down and no physical altercations in the Archive, am I clear?"
I pulled my arms in to hug my torso tightly as I looked down at the floor, "It's alright, Mr. Gilkens... It wasn't important." I turned away and shuffled to my workstation before he could say anything else, eyes burning with poorly suppressed tears. The day could still go well right? My supplies for the day lay strewn across the floor where they had landed after my fall. I retrieved them before starting in on the bookbinding I needed to complete for the day, my mind whirling with emotion.