It was 10:00 in the morning. She rushed down the hallway and sped around
the corner and scampered down the third corridor. Racing down the hallway
she turned the corner only a couple yards away from the door to the
classroom.
"Dammit, I'm going to be late" Kirel yelled to herself "That sending can't
tell 9am from 9pm."
Kirel was a girl of only 16 years. She was tall, brave and pretty like her
mother, Lirael, thought she never seemed to care very much about the
prettiness. She had dark, smooth, long silky black hair just like her
mother. She was attending Wyverly College in Anclesteir while Lirael was
of with Sabriel, studying to be the Abhorsen. Sabriel, the Abhorsen and
her 'aunt'. It was still hard for Kirel to get that through her head.
Kirel kept on running down the hall, heart beating at an alarming rate.
She skidded to a halt in front of her classroom door to find her English
teacher, Mrs. Ungle standing in the doorway, a fierce scowl on her face,
as she seemed to tower six feet over Kirel.
"If I seem to recall class begins at 10:00 sharp. It is now 10:13, Kirel.
This is the third time this month and you know what that means. You'd
better hurry down because the headmistress is waiting for you." Sighed
Mrs. Ungle.
"B...but it wasn't my fault," cried Kirel as she started to sit down next
to her best friend Jerael,"The stupid sending didn't wake me up until
9:53."
Half of the class burst into laughter, some even falling of their chairs
and into a chuckling heap. The other half stared at her sadly, as if there
was no hope for her here.
"What, what's so funny? My sending woke me up late. I can't help it. Is
that funny in some weird way?" Kirel inquired with a puzzled look on her
face.
"Kirel, just shuddup before everyone dies of laughter." Jerael said
watching more girls fall out of their chairs.
"What's so funny" she asked again.
Jerael grabbed Kirel's arm and pulled her out the door and down the
corridor.
"But I want to know what's so funny!"
They turned the corner and ran into their shared dormitory, room 22.
Jerael flopped onto Kirel's fluffy armchair and noted the little golden
ball floating above the chair. Bunches of tiny Charter Marks formed to
make a makeshift lamp. Jirael sighed; she missed the feeling of casting
them about. But knowing that she was in Wyverly College, miles away from
Old Kingdom and the Wall; all she could do was pretend to finger the
marks.
Kirel lay down on her bed scowling. She wished she were back in Old Kingdom with her mother, learning all the charter spells and reading the Book of the Dead, and not having to do all of this stupid unnecessary work. Who needed to know what the square root of 841 is, or what makes up an atom, or even who wrote the Iliad? She wanted to go home, not have to worry. Nothing but her mother and her. But know that mother was training to be the Abhorsen; she had to stay here in this stupid place. She was the next Abhorsen-in-waiting, why wasn't she training? "So why was everyone laughing at me! I didn't say anything in there that I didn't know, you know, um... slang right?" "No, no. They were laughing because you mentioned a sending." Jerael said quietly. "So, everyone knows about sendings." Kirel said, "They're just beings created by" "Charter Marks." Jerael interrupted" You have to understand, people here don't believe in the Charter. It's just a story to them to scare children. Everything that happened in the past 40 years is just a scary fable to them." Jerael stared at the gaping Kirel sadly. Kirel curled up into a ball on her bed an uttered a small sob. Jerael quietly took a book of the small bookshelf and put it in front of Kirel. The book had a shiny oilskin cover. "Here, I hope this makes you feel better." Jerael offered. Kirel took the book. The Book of the Dead. She started sobbing. "I'm so sorry!" Jerael cried. "Iwannagohome" Kirel muffled through her pillow "What, I can't hear you unless you speak louder and clearer." Jerael said motherly, trying to comfort her. "I WANT TO GO HOME!" Kirel bawled, "I HATE THIS PLACE, I MISS MY MOTHER, I MISS MY FAMILY AND I MISS THE CHARTER!" "But there's nothing we can do." Jerael said. "Yes there is." Kirel's face lit up, "We're going to escape."
Kirel lay down on her bed scowling. She wished she were back in Old Kingdom with her mother, learning all the charter spells and reading the Book of the Dead, and not having to do all of this stupid unnecessary work. Who needed to know what the square root of 841 is, or what makes up an atom, or even who wrote the Iliad? She wanted to go home, not have to worry. Nothing but her mother and her. But know that mother was training to be the Abhorsen; she had to stay here in this stupid place. She was the next Abhorsen-in-waiting, why wasn't she training? "So why was everyone laughing at me! I didn't say anything in there that I didn't know, you know, um... slang right?" "No, no. They were laughing because you mentioned a sending." Jerael said quietly. "So, everyone knows about sendings." Kirel said, "They're just beings created by" "Charter Marks." Jerael interrupted" You have to understand, people here don't believe in the Charter. It's just a story to them to scare children. Everything that happened in the past 40 years is just a scary fable to them." Jerael stared at the gaping Kirel sadly. Kirel curled up into a ball on her bed an uttered a small sob. Jerael quietly took a book of the small bookshelf and put it in front of Kirel. The book had a shiny oilskin cover. "Here, I hope this makes you feel better." Jerael offered. Kirel took the book. The Book of the Dead. She started sobbing. "I'm so sorry!" Jerael cried. "Iwannagohome" Kirel muffled through her pillow "What, I can't hear you unless you speak louder and clearer." Jerael said motherly, trying to comfort her. "I WANT TO GO HOME!" Kirel bawled, "I HATE THIS PLACE, I MISS MY MOTHER, I MISS MY FAMILY AND I MISS THE CHARTER!" "But there's nothing we can do." Jerael said. "Yes there is." Kirel's face lit up, "We're going to escape."