Chapter 1: The Barrier is Planned
(A/N Don't own anyone but Sarika, her daemon, and Emily. And all the unnamed daemons' names. I meant to post this about a week ago, but.I didn't. This chapter also really sucks and was much better when I made it up a week ago, but I forgot it. It's all dialogue and not much happens, but it's kind of crucial.)
At about four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in late May, if one living on Rosebud Avenue, Oxford, had chanced to glance out their window at the left-hand side of the street, they would have seen a man in his early twenties walking down the sidewalk. He was wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a blue denim work shirt, and slung over his right shoulder was a leather jacket. If the person looking out the window had X-ray vision and could see right through the man to his left hand, they'd have seen that his ring and little finger were both missing. At his side, unseen to anyone, was a large cat in all shades of black and purple.
The man walked into the building and bounded up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the elevator. As he approached Flat 508, he reached into his pocket for his key ring, searching for a specific one. He unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, looking around for Mary.
Dr. Mary Malone walked out of the kitchen, her Alpine chough daemon, Temiral, fluttering behind her. "Will! This is certainly a surprise! I didn't expect you to visit until tomorrow."
"Something came up," Will replied with a shrug. "Is this a bad time?"
"Oh, no, not at all. I was just making tea. Do you want some?"
Will nodded and sat down on the sofa, looking around. He'd only moved out a few months ago, and the flat hadn't changed at all. The TV was still in an awkward position to the couch, the stereo was still in the kitchen, and the tops of tables and shelves were dusty. He smiled at that - he always had to remind Mary to dust the place. The flat was laid out simply - the living room/dining room was what you entered into when you came in. The kitchen was just behind the dining room, and the only things separating it from the living room were two rows of counters set at a 90-degree angle to each other. Past the kitchen was the hall, which opened onto the bathroom, Mary's bedroom, and the room that had been Will's.
Mary returned with a tray carrying two cups and saucers, a bowl of sugar and a little jug of milk, as well as a teapot. She set it down and sat across from him.
"So have you and Emily set a date yet?"
Will shook his head. "No. We're trying, but everything that one of us suggests isn't good for the other. June is a bad month to marry in, but Emily has wanted a June wedding for years."
Mary was about to say something when the phone in the kitchen rang loudly. Jumping up to get it, Mary nearly spilled her tea, and Will had to dive across the table to catch it.
"Hello? Yes - just a moment, please.Will, it's for you!" Mary whispered, covering the mouthpiece.
Will frowned and stood up, walking into the kitchen and taking the phone from Mary. Who could it be? Everyone knew he'd moved out, and Mary hadn't mentioned any other calls for him before. "Hello?"
"Hi, Will! It's me! I have the perfect date!" The cheery voice on the other end of the phone belonged to his fiancée, Emily McArthur.
"Date? What da - oh, for the wedding! What is it?"
"June twenty-first! You know, what old-fashioned people call Midsummer's Day! Don't you think that would be neat? So romantic!"
Will's heart began to sink. That was his day to go to the Botanic Garden! What would Lyra think if he wasn't there? He knew from experience that if you concentrated really hard, you could feel the faintest presence of the other person, and if Lyra couldn't feel that presence, she'd think he'd ditched her. He couldn't do that to her, even though he hadn't seen her in ten years. She was still his first, and strongest, love, and not even Emily knew about her. He'd tried to tell her once, when she asked why he was missing two fingers, but when he'd started, she'd laughed and told him to quit making things up.
"Will? You there?" Emily asked, sounded worried.
"Oh.yeah, I'm here."
"Don't you like that? It's perfect!"
"Oh.well, can't we have it the day after?"
"Why would we do that? Midsummer's Day is good, and the day after would just.I don't know, be wrong! Besides, you know we won't come up with anything else that works out."
"Well.all right." Will said, thinking that perhaps he could make it so that the wedding was after noon, after his hour with Lyra.
"I was thinking that we could have the wedding in the morning, then make the reception a luncheon! The guests would have lunch and then.do whatever you do at a reception, be sociable, I guess. It's all working out so perfectly! I can't believe we never thought of it before!"
Will's heart hit rock bottom.
(A/N Don't own anyone but Sarika, her daemon, and Emily. And all the unnamed daemons' names. I meant to post this about a week ago, but.I didn't. This chapter also really sucks and was much better when I made it up a week ago, but I forgot it. It's all dialogue and not much happens, but it's kind of crucial.)
At about four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in late May, if one living on Rosebud Avenue, Oxford, had chanced to glance out their window at the left-hand side of the street, they would have seen a man in his early twenties walking down the sidewalk. He was wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a blue denim work shirt, and slung over his right shoulder was a leather jacket. If the person looking out the window had X-ray vision and could see right through the man to his left hand, they'd have seen that his ring and little finger were both missing. At his side, unseen to anyone, was a large cat in all shades of black and purple.
The man walked into the building and bounded up the stairs two at a time, ignoring the elevator. As he approached Flat 508, he reached into his pocket for his key ring, searching for a specific one. He unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, looking around for Mary.
Dr. Mary Malone walked out of the kitchen, her Alpine chough daemon, Temiral, fluttering behind her. "Will! This is certainly a surprise! I didn't expect you to visit until tomorrow."
"Something came up," Will replied with a shrug. "Is this a bad time?"
"Oh, no, not at all. I was just making tea. Do you want some?"
Will nodded and sat down on the sofa, looking around. He'd only moved out a few months ago, and the flat hadn't changed at all. The TV was still in an awkward position to the couch, the stereo was still in the kitchen, and the tops of tables and shelves were dusty. He smiled at that - he always had to remind Mary to dust the place. The flat was laid out simply - the living room/dining room was what you entered into when you came in. The kitchen was just behind the dining room, and the only things separating it from the living room were two rows of counters set at a 90-degree angle to each other. Past the kitchen was the hall, which opened onto the bathroom, Mary's bedroom, and the room that had been Will's.
Mary returned with a tray carrying two cups and saucers, a bowl of sugar and a little jug of milk, as well as a teapot. She set it down and sat across from him.
"So have you and Emily set a date yet?"
Will shook his head. "No. We're trying, but everything that one of us suggests isn't good for the other. June is a bad month to marry in, but Emily has wanted a June wedding for years."
Mary was about to say something when the phone in the kitchen rang loudly. Jumping up to get it, Mary nearly spilled her tea, and Will had to dive across the table to catch it.
"Hello? Yes - just a moment, please.Will, it's for you!" Mary whispered, covering the mouthpiece.
Will frowned and stood up, walking into the kitchen and taking the phone from Mary. Who could it be? Everyone knew he'd moved out, and Mary hadn't mentioned any other calls for him before. "Hello?"
"Hi, Will! It's me! I have the perfect date!" The cheery voice on the other end of the phone belonged to his fiancée, Emily McArthur.
"Date? What da - oh, for the wedding! What is it?"
"June twenty-first! You know, what old-fashioned people call Midsummer's Day! Don't you think that would be neat? So romantic!"
Will's heart began to sink. That was his day to go to the Botanic Garden! What would Lyra think if he wasn't there? He knew from experience that if you concentrated really hard, you could feel the faintest presence of the other person, and if Lyra couldn't feel that presence, she'd think he'd ditched her. He couldn't do that to her, even though he hadn't seen her in ten years. She was still his first, and strongest, love, and not even Emily knew about her. He'd tried to tell her once, when she asked why he was missing two fingers, but when he'd started, she'd laughed and told him to quit making things up.
"Will? You there?" Emily asked, sounded worried.
"Oh.yeah, I'm here."
"Don't you like that? It's perfect!"
"Oh.well, can't we have it the day after?"
"Why would we do that? Midsummer's Day is good, and the day after would just.I don't know, be wrong! Besides, you know we won't come up with anything else that works out."
"Well.all right." Will said, thinking that perhaps he could make it so that the wedding was after noon, after his hour with Lyra.
"I was thinking that we could have the wedding in the morning, then make the reception a luncheon! The guests would have lunch and then.do whatever you do at a reception, be sociable, I guess. It's all working out so perfectly! I can't believe we never thought of it before!"
Will's heart hit rock bottom.