Hello all, this is the Aurum half of Aurum-Animi, and I'm bringing you what I hope to be a fairly entertaining story! For the record though, I do not own any of Tamora Pierce's work. That includes Tortall and it's neighbouring countries, Keladry of Mindelan, Nealan of Queenscove, Irnai, the Chamber of the Ordeal... none of it. It is not mine. Aisleen, on the other hand, is my character and my character alone. So please don't sue me. I have no money. Also, reviews motivate me. A lot.
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Again she came home in tears. Again she felt humiliated, stupid, and weak. And again she threw herself into the world of fantastic heroines, dreaming that she might one day be like them.
Aisleen, age seventeen, was used to this routine, but it was still painful. Every day she'd go to school, and get bullied because she was a gangly, geeky girl. And what could she do about it? Anything she tried saying was twisted and thrown back in her face, and physical fighting was out of the question. She was simply too weak.
So, every day when she got home, she would lock herself in her room and read. She would read of heroines, strong-willed girls who did great things, in the name of justice. But of course, not just any story would do. No, Aisleen was a dedicated fan of Tamora Pierce, namely a fan of the works done in the fantastical realm of Tortall and it's neighbouring countries. She simply couldn't get enough of them, and admired the heroines that Tamora Pierce crafted.
Today she reverted to her favorite heroine for comfort, Keladry of Mindelan. Her story had been the first to pull Aisleen into Tortall, and had remained her favorite above all others. Aisleen loved how determined and thoughtful Keladry was; not only that, but she was hard-working too. Aisleen wanted to be like that, one day.
A knock on her door distracted her from her adventure through the palace in Corus.
She went to answer it. It was her mother's maid.
"Your mother would like to see you," she said stiffly.
"Okay," Aisleen responded quietly.
She trudged up the stairs, wondering what her mother would have to say to her this time. She never talked to her eldest daughter unless it was to criticize her. She reached the landing of the stairs, turned right, and softly knocked on the door of her mother's room.
"Come in," came in the sharp reply.
Aisleen entered, and, closing the door behind her, tried to stand straight and flatten the flyaway strands of hair on her head.
"You wanted to see me, Mother?" Aisleen asked timidly.
Her mother looked at her in such a way that Aisleen felt she was being looked down upon. "I'm sure that I didn't teach you to dress that way, Aisleen Leighann."
Aisleen cringed at the sound of her middle name. She hated it, and she thanked the heavens that her mother hadn't had her way and made it her first name. Otherwise she remained silent, knowing that if she said anything in her own defense it would end badly for her.
"I hope you plan to dress better this Saturday," her mother continued, sitting in front of her vanity and powdering her face for some reason or another.
"This Saturday, Mother?" Aisleen questioned. She wasn't aware of anything happening this Saturday.
"Yes, Aisleen Leighann. This Saturday I'm taking you to a business lunch, since you are my eldest daughter. I know a few people who are bringing their sons, of course, and other's their own daughters, but I won't have my daughter shown up by a bunch of hussies," her mother explained crisply.
"Mother," Aisleen said in a tone that bordered on whining. "This is the twenty-first century, why are you trying to marry me off like a medieval bride?"
Her mother's attention snapped to the girl before her. "Because, Aisleen Leighann, you're not going to amount to much in life, and while there's nothing I can do about that, I can at least make sure you get taken care of. I won't have people saying that I don't take care of my children."
Her words stung, but not as badly as the first time they'd been shot at Aisleen. She was in tears for days, not to mention grounded because she'd spoken against them.
This time, she just looked down and said, "I understand, Mother."
"Good. Now leave me, I have important business to attend to," her mother commanded.
Aisleen did as she was told. She knew that her mother's "important business" was going to see yet another lover behind her father's back. It wasn't hard for her to do so; her father was almost always away on business, and only Aisleen was old enough (Or smart enough) to understand what was happening. Why her father remained with that woman was a mystery to her, but she never bothered to ask him. Love, she knew, was a delicate subject, and one she did not understand, so she did not bother to talk about it.
She returned to her room, and, looking through her closet, found something appropriate to wear for Saturday and set it aside. That done, she went to her desk to return to her homework. She really couldn't understand why her mother said she would never amount to anything. She got straight A's in school, and always had. Aisleen guessed her mother was judging by her lack of social skills, which Aisleen could totally see, but there were plenty of ways to make it in life without social skills. Weren't there?
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The day of reckoning had come. Aisleen stood next to her mother, not too close, not too far, and tried to look confident. She had a feeling that she was failing at it. It was a summer luncheon, so it was held outdoors on nicely polished glass tables under flowery-looking umbrellas. It was the perfect day for the sort of thing. Sunny, with just a slight breeze, so that the white dress that Aisleen had chosen for the event fluttered around her legs pleasantly.
Aisleen was rather proud of her attire. For all that she resented her mother, Aisleen could not help but hope that one boy here might be special, and so pulled her unruly, red hair back into a braid, letting a few strands frame her face, which was pale and set with dark green eyes that were the only feature of hers that Aisleen liked. Hopefully it was enough to attract a boy with an interest in books and the like.
"Aisleen, stand straight and smile," her mother hissed.
She gave it her best effort, but could not bring herself to smile. It felt too fake. Her mother made a tutting noise quickly before exhuberantly greeting a co-worker who she probably hated. Aisleen was introduced to the co-worker's son, Peter, and they were quickly sent to the table meant for teenagers.
"So, Aisleen, was it? That's a lovely name," Peter commented on their way to the table.
"Thank you," Aisleen replied. "Peter is a good name. It's like Peter the Great."
"Peter the Great? I'm afraid I'm not good at history," he said, with a half-smile.
"Oh, not history, fantasy. Haven't you ever read the Chronicles of Narnia?"
"I haven't, no. Sorry," he said quickly, his smile now gone completely.
Aisleen decided she should shut up now. "No, I'm sorry... I'm being silly."
"Hey, cheer up, it's not so bad to like fantasy novels. You're lucky you even get to read them." he said, his smile returning. Aisleen had to admit, his smile was fairly attractive.
"What, are your parents the kind that force you to read only the books of 'educational value'?" Aisleen asked, for all that she had told herself to shut up.
Peter laughed; the sound of it made Aisleen happy. "Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. How'd you get so lucky?"
"My father encourages me to read any sort of book I enjoy, as long as I have a wide variety of titles," Aisleen explained.
"Oh? Sounds like your father is a wonderful man. So then, with such freedom, how do you do in school?" he inquired.
"My grades are well enough," Aisleen replied modestly.
"How well?" Peter prodded.
"Straight-A well," Aisleen admitted bluntly.
"Wow, you really are lucky! Your parents must adore you!"
Aisleen looked down at this. "Sure... Yeah,"
The luncheon continued in a similar fashion. Peter introduced Aisleen to the other teens attending, all who seemed very pleasant to Aisleen. She was almost surprised at herself for thinking that she had no social skills. This was easy!
However, all good things had to come to and end. Aisleen had merely gone to the bathroom, and when she came out, she was apprehended by her mother.
"Aisleen Leighann, what is this I'm hearing about you being a complete braggart?" her mother demanded furiously.
Aisleen was at a loss for words. Where had this come from?
"Oh don't give me that look, you stupid girl. I heard the other teens talking-they didn't realize I was nearby-and they were talking about how you were just going on and on about your good grades, how spoiled rotten you are!" her mother spat, gripping Aisleen's arm tightly.
"I-I wasn't bragging!" Aisleen insisted. "They were asking me questions and I tried my best to be modest but-"
"Oh, just shut up you simpering idiot!" her mother screeched. "God, why do I have to have such a daughter? I've done everything I could for you, everything, and this is how you repay me?"
Aisleen let her mother go on. It was all lines from a book to her, but they were really starting to get on her nerves. She was sick and tired of it. She just wanted to run. Run and hide and start her own life without her mother.
Her mother finished, and allowed her daughter to escape her presence. Aisleen was quiet for the rest of the luncheon. She tried to identify any wicked gleam, any false smiles upon the faces of those around her, but she could not sense any. Was it all of them, or just a few? Was Peter one of them? She hoped not, but at the same time, she didn't care. She wanted to get away from all of them, from everyone who thought she wasn't good enough.
It was not a moment later when she realized she could. Aisleen was surprised at herself for forgetting her birthday. After all, it was her eighteenth. Regardless, it was tomorrow. By the time the police were notified (If her mother even cared enough to do that) she'd not only be long gone, but legally on her own. They could not bring her back.
Upon her arrival home, she did not wait for her mother to chew her out. She hurried to her room and locked herself in. She hurriedly changed from her dress to jeans and a t-shirt and sweater. She grabbed a good-sized duffel bag and began to pack. For now she should only take the necessities: Clothes, hygenic necessities, her ID and all the money she had. She looked at her books with a pang of regret. Surely it would not hurt to at least bring a few, would it? She shook her head, and instead placed several journals and a few pens and pencils in the bag. Taking her books would not be a good idea. Once she had a job and a place to live, she could get them back, whether she came her and got them or bought brand new copies (Probably the latter; once she realized Aisleen was gone her mother would probably burn everything she left behind).
Aisleen waited until all was silent throughout the house. She crept out of her room and downstairs. Carefully, so as to not wake anyone, she took her bike from the garage and through the living room, out the front door. She locked the door, hid her key in a potted plant, and rode away.
In her heart, Aisleen felt the first stirrings of an adventure. Rarely had she been allowed out on her own, and never at night. The feeling of freedom, true freedom, was wonderful. Still, she was aware that if she ran into trouble she would have a slim chance of escaping. But just in case she had brought a flashlight, pepper spray, and a tazer. The tazer she had actually stolen from her mother, but she was sure that her mother wouldn't miss it; it was one of many.
Riding downtown, Aisleen checked the time. It was two hours until she was eighteen. She decided she would hang out in various restaraunts until she could legally check into a cheap motel on her own.
She was in the middle of formulating plans for her new future when suddenly someone jumped out in front of her. She almost ran into the guy, she was so deep in thought, but thankfully her reflexes were rather good.
"Hello," said the man pleasantly.
"Hello..." Aisleen replied quietly.
"What's a young lady like yourself doing out at this time of night?" he asked.
'Trying to avoid people like you,' she thought, but did not have the courage to say such a thing. "On my way to a cheap motel," she told him. It was the truth... in a couple hours.
"Nah, you don't need to go to a cheap motel." he stepped closer to her, and Aisleen caught a whiff of alcohol and another, more pungent scent that she assumed was drugs. "At least, unless we're goin' together, or somethin' like that."
Aisleen scooted her bike backwards as the man advanced closer to her. She was hoping to get just enough space to take off on her bike around him. Once she got that chance, she would be long gone before the man could even take another step.
Unfortunately, he was more capable than he smelled. He lunged forward and grabbed the handlebars of her bike with one hand and reached for her with the other. Aisleen yelped and lost her balance, bringing the bike down as she fell. The man, who seemed to be grasping the handlebars very tightly, was also brought down. Aisleen scrambled off her bike and bolted away from the man, not really paying attention to where she was going.
As she ran, Aisleen fished out the tazer and pepper spray from her backpack. Who knew how fast the man could run (If he could run at all), and what if there were others like him around? It was best to be prepared. She stopped for a minute to catch her breath, and to her dismay heard the man stumbling after her, calling out as he did so. She had to keep running.
At some point Aisleen realized that she had run off the road and into a wooded area. She could barely see anything, and was continuously tripping and running into thorny bushes. Still the man was pursuing her. As she was beginning to truly despair, Aisleen saw a light. It was barely a flicker, but it was enough to give her hope.
She ran towards it with all her might. She didn't know what it was, but she was running blindly; she didn't need to know. But it was just one thing after another for Aisleen. She didn't see a large root in front of her feet, causing her to trip and tumble down a thorny hill. She dropped the tazer and the pepper spray, and realized that the light was getting bigger, brighter, and most definitely closer.
It was then that something interesting happened. Aisleen wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow, she fell into the light.