Chapter 1
The Stranger
Lyra looked up from her books, feeling eyes on her. Standing in front of her was a tall, dark haired man wearing a gray anorak over a red t-shirt. She sighed, closed her books, and put them on the floor. This man was probably like the rest of them. The only people that came to see Lyra were men and women that needed to know something from her Alethiometer. She figured that this man was no different.
"How may I help you today sir?" she asked in a very business-like way. The man shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable. Lyra glanced him up and down quickly; she had never seen any of her customers look uncomfortable. His eyes were dark, and they were not quite looking at her. The shape of his face was familiar, though Lyra could have sworn that she had never seen him before. He had a muscular build, and his hands were in his pockets.
"I.I." he spluttered. At last, he whispered, "Are you, perchance, Lyra Silvertongue?"
Lyra looked up, startled. No one knew about her other, special last name except for herself and three other people. One of them was living in the Arctic, and two of them lived in another world all together. Her heart gave a pang when she thought about Will Parry. He was one of the ones who knew her last name. He was dark and handsome; or at least he had been on their last meeting, almost twelve years ago. She felt her eyes fill with sudden tears, and she looked away from the stranger, who reminded her so much of Will.
"Yes," she said, though it was barely audible. "I am."
The man nodded. His face relaxed as soon as she had said yes, and now he was looking directly at her out of his incredibly deep brown eyes. Their eyes met for a brief instant, then he nodded again, as if reminding himself that he was determined to do something. He held their gaze for a moment longer before he looked away. Without saying a word, he turned, his anorak slightly swirling behind him, and left the office. As the door opened, Lyra felt the rush of cold air from the outside, where it had begun to snow. Snowflakes whirled around the hustle and bustle outside, and covered everything with a swirling whiteness. Cars and roofs glistened with snow while carolers sang Christmas tunes. Lyra never really celebrated Christmas, and so hadn't realized that today was Christmas Eve. 'A day of wishes', that was what Mary had called it. But now, the snow reminded her of Iorek Byrinson, her friend that she had left in the Arctic, and left her wishing for him, and for so much else she had lost. Slowly, she picked up her books and put them back on the desk. Then, she stood up and hesitantly picked up the Alethiometer off of the side desk. She lay it down on her table, and unwrapped the velvet red covering. Just as she was unwrapping it, her dæmon, Pantalaimon, jumped down from the chandelier.
'Do you think it was him Lyra?' Pantalaimon asked mentally.
Lyra looked at the golden cat-like creature above her. "I don't think so," she answered uncertainly. "But I'd like to check. So I'm going to." Her dæmon sighed, and Lyra began to twist the dials around the Alethiometer.
"Oh Pan, don't you remember when I could do this without books? When I could find out things so fast you were amazed? Remember?" she asked, almost frantically. Her dæmon nodded, and Lyra continued. She let her mind go into a kind of trance, and all that was in her consciousness was the Alethiometer. She asked the question by turning four dials in a certain order: 'Was that Will Parry that was in here today?' She then watched the Alethiometer's hands swing. At last, she figured out the answer.
She stared at it for a moment, then grabbed one of her books, titled 'The Alethiometer and the Many Ways to Interpret it', and flipped to the back page. She ran her finger down the various columns. The answer was still the same. She shut the book with a snap, and grabbed her coat.
"Come on Pan. We're going home."
Pan saw her face, and realized that she didn't want to share what she had found out with the Alethiometer. So, without saying a word, he followed her. Outside, it had stopped snowing, and everything was still.
Author's note:
So sorry this was such a short chapter! The next one is going to be much longer, but I had to get this out here before I forgot (! *hugs*
~*Green Eyes*~
Lyra looked up from her books, feeling eyes on her. Standing in front of her was a tall, dark haired man wearing a gray anorak over a red t-shirt. She sighed, closed her books, and put them on the floor. This man was probably like the rest of them. The only people that came to see Lyra were men and women that needed to know something from her Alethiometer. She figured that this man was no different.
"How may I help you today sir?" she asked in a very business-like way. The man shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable. Lyra glanced him up and down quickly; she had never seen any of her customers look uncomfortable. His eyes were dark, and they were not quite looking at her. The shape of his face was familiar, though Lyra could have sworn that she had never seen him before. He had a muscular build, and his hands were in his pockets.
"I.I." he spluttered. At last, he whispered, "Are you, perchance, Lyra Silvertongue?"
Lyra looked up, startled. No one knew about her other, special last name except for herself and three other people. One of them was living in the Arctic, and two of them lived in another world all together. Her heart gave a pang when she thought about Will Parry. He was one of the ones who knew her last name. He was dark and handsome; or at least he had been on their last meeting, almost twelve years ago. She felt her eyes fill with sudden tears, and she looked away from the stranger, who reminded her so much of Will.
"Yes," she said, though it was barely audible. "I am."
The man nodded. His face relaxed as soon as she had said yes, and now he was looking directly at her out of his incredibly deep brown eyes. Their eyes met for a brief instant, then he nodded again, as if reminding himself that he was determined to do something. He held their gaze for a moment longer before he looked away. Without saying a word, he turned, his anorak slightly swirling behind him, and left the office. As the door opened, Lyra felt the rush of cold air from the outside, where it had begun to snow. Snowflakes whirled around the hustle and bustle outside, and covered everything with a swirling whiteness. Cars and roofs glistened with snow while carolers sang Christmas tunes. Lyra never really celebrated Christmas, and so hadn't realized that today was Christmas Eve. 'A day of wishes', that was what Mary had called it. But now, the snow reminded her of Iorek Byrinson, her friend that she had left in the Arctic, and left her wishing for him, and for so much else she had lost. Slowly, she picked up her books and put them back on the desk. Then, she stood up and hesitantly picked up the Alethiometer off of the side desk. She lay it down on her table, and unwrapped the velvet red covering. Just as she was unwrapping it, her dæmon, Pantalaimon, jumped down from the chandelier.
'Do you think it was him Lyra?' Pantalaimon asked mentally.
Lyra looked at the golden cat-like creature above her. "I don't think so," she answered uncertainly. "But I'd like to check. So I'm going to." Her dæmon sighed, and Lyra began to twist the dials around the Alethiometer.
"Oh Pan, don't you remember when I could do this without books? When I could find out things so fast you were amazed? Remember?" she asked, almost frantically. Her dæmon nodded, and Lyra continued. She let her mind go into a kind of trance, and all that was in her consciousness was the Alethiometer. She asked the question by turning four dials in a certain order: 'Was that Will Parry that was in here today?' She then watched the Alethiometer's hands swing. At last, she figured out the answer.
She stared at it for a moment, then grabbed one of her books, titled 'The Alethiometer and the Many Ways to Interpret it', and flipped to the back page. She ran her finger down the various columns. The answer was still the same. She shut the book with a snap, and grabbed her coat.
"Come on Pan. We're going home."
Pan saw her face, and realized that she didn't want to share what she had found out with the Alethiometer. So, without saying a word, he followed her. Outside, it had stopped snowing, and everything was still.
Author's note:
So sorry this was such a short chapter! The next one is going to be much longer, but I had to get this out here before I forgot (! *hugs*
~*Green Eyes*~