Eleutheria

Chapter Two: Gabriel

        A yawn tumbles out of my mouth. I roll my eyes up to see the clock hanging on the pale green wall in the front of the library. 11:45. I need to go home. This thought sends to my legs and they slowly lift me out of the wooden chair. I throw my backpack on top of the table making a loud thud sound that rings through the silent library. My head flips side to side checking if anyone is even here. Besides the mass amount of old ladies that work here there is no one. I shrug and toss the straps of my backpack around me. Dragging my feet, I walk to the sterling woman’s room door. I hear whispered voices coming from around the corner so I sneak a peek. Ezra is standing by the front desk turning off the computers. The blue light fades into the screen and he moves onto the next one. A small robust little woman is talking him through the process. He nods every once in a while with his head of curls dancing as he does. I turn back to the door and push on the cool metal slab.

        “Hello?” I ask when inside. No voice responds to my question, but I check under the stalls just to be sure. The smells in here are indescribably terrible. If there had to be a way to describe it, the description would be: it smells like the color puke yellow would smell. After thoroughly checking every last stall I go to find the portal. I kneel to the ground and almost instantly the floor piece sticks out to me. In the diamond shaped pattern on the floor, there is one black tile out of place. I press my hand on top of the slick stone to get me out of this place.

        I flow through the portal and end up at the gateway. Custos is standing there in the same position leaning against the side of the arch. I quickly shuffle off my shoes and feel the smooth clay against my feet. I flutter my eyes shut and exhale. My breath feels cool compared to the mild humidity surrounding me. The smell of cinnamon and ginger floats through my hair surrounding my face.

        “Welcome back Lex, it is quite late.” Custos states staring straight ahead. His short gray hair stands on point facing the city. I poke my head out around the gateway and laugh.

        “What? Are you going to go tell May on me?” I ask chuckling and walking away.

        “I might! Tell May I said hello!” He projects to me while I walk down the hill back to civilization. Children’s laughter surrounds me as I walk the streets. A soccer ball bounces off their feet and bumps into the different materials around me. I turn into my street and trail through the houses until I see mine. It stands humbly at the very end. Its hay roof is falling a bit and its clay windows are seeping down. The faint smell of home spreads around me.

        “Hello May!” I cheer seeing her in her bed by the door. Her body is barely visible under the piles of blankets. The medical equipment on the side beeps and drips steadily to its own beat. May shifts her pale, bald head forward so she can view me fully. Her decaying teeth shine through her chapped lips.

        “Hello honey. Why are you so late?” She trembles reaching out to me. I quickly push myself towards her and place a kiss on her forehead.

        “Sorry, I lost track of time. The gang and Custos says hi.” She giggles lightly because that is all her lungs can take. Her sickness reminds me of my own mortality. Not even we, with fairy blood, can escape human diseases. Even the incurable ones, like cancer.

        “It’s alright, but if you do it again without telling me, you are grounded.” She pats my hand and my face falls. She mirrors my face mockingly. I spend all my energy trying not to crack a smile.

        “Ok.” I reply solemnly. I pat her hand back. My fingers run through the white scars of her charred, black fingers. I pull myself up and turn off the bedside lamp. My feet take me into my room and I plop head first onto my white cushiony sheets. I stare at the tall thin lamp across from my bed. I wish I was a conductor like May so that I could conduct electricity through the floor to turn on that lamp. It is too far away and my feet are sore. I grunt as I pull myself up and yank down on the lamp cord. I place my backpack gently next to the stack of books by my bed. The light outside dims more and more until it is almost out. Out the window, the fake stars of electricity shine on the top of Eleutheria’s clay ceiling. This is when I wish I lived in the real world. Out there they can wish on stars and sing to the moon, but down here it is all fake.