Author's Note- I've been able to write a chapter a day for a while now. But
I'm beginning to slow down. The updates will probably be coming in slower
than before in the next few days. I'm sorry if you think the italicized
phrases are corny but its how I see things.
Review time!!
Ceres Wunderkind- Sorry about Chapter 3, I didn't write it like that, something must've gotten messed up. But I worked on it for a few hours and used the replace chapter thingy. So it should be fine by the time this is posted. (Wow he's almost famous, and he wrote me review!)
Chapter 5
The Garden of Tears
"Happiness is a fickle thing, for one day it blesses you with illusions of
eternal bliss, the next it leaves you as an empty shell."
(The story of Will and Lyra.)
-Craig Schwarz- from 'My Attempts at Being Deep'
"Through the pages of the untold story of life I wander, heart and soul in the fingers clicking on the keyboard. I write as I see fit, and no one can
take that from me."
(Independent)
-Craig Schwarz- from 'My Attempts at Being Deep'
Lyra was leaning back against the wall of the hallway, Pantalaimon still curled around her neck. Her English teacher came out shortly, and Lyra straightened up as she closed the door.
The teacher sighed, "Lyra, I would let you leave, but St. Sophia's is your only home now. Jordan College can not keep track of the escapades of a growing girl, it seems that your uncle has simply disappeared, and obviously you can't just roam the streets like a beggar." It was the first time in her school life that a teacher addressed her as simply Lyra and none of the Ms., or last name titles.
"You let me leave, staying alive is my own job." Lyra said this coldly and as shortly as possibly.
The teacher realized with a shudder that the girl was dead serious, and couldn't help but respect her determination. "I'm sorry, Lyra, but Dame Hannah would not allow it."
Lyra had almost forgotten the Dame, and remembered her promises to begin teaching Lyra how to read the alethiometer. Once she learned how to read it, she could use it to see how Will was doing, even if it wasn't until she was much older. But she would never be with him, to never see him, never kiss him again. She began to feel miserable again.
"No... she wouldn't like it much." Her voice wasn't as steady now and began to falter when she thought about Will again.
The teacher caught the tone of depression in her voice, "I'm so sorry, Lyra, I can't allow you to leave." She sounded sympathetic.
"No, it's..." Lyra was going to say that she wasn't depressed at the fact that she couldn't leave. But then she'd have to explain why she was depressed, and she couldn't tell the teacher about Will, the teacher would just think that she was delirious, so she'd have to lie even more. She was tired of lying, every time she did she had to keep track of it, too many things to remember and she knew that one day it would all come crashing down on her, something like Pan being away from her when someone came up to her in a hall or in her sleeping room.
"What is it, then?"
The women sounded so nice, Lyra felt that she could tell her everything, but how could she, she hadn't even told Emily everything, and even if she did tell the teacher, how could she believe her... She'd have to lie, again. But that didn't feel like it should be an answer to all of her problems.
"Would you believe me?"
The teacher paused for a second, wondering what Lyra knew that she wouldn't believe, "Yes."
Lyra took a deep breath, but before she could start her narration the bell signifying the end of the morning classes rang.
"Over lunch?" The teacher asked.
"Tomorrow, I'm going into Oxford today."
The teacher flashed a brief, friendly smile at Lyra before the doors opened again and the rest of the class walked out of the room, daemons following behind them, on shoulders or in pockets, to either join the mobs moving towards the lunch room, or to walk out into the streets of Oxford to go home, or to a café to get their lunches.
Lyra smiled back and joined the smaller group going into Oxford. She checked the clock tower when she got into the school's courtyard. It was nearly mid-day but she could make it if she hurried.
"Lyra!" Emily and her terrier daemon ran up besides Lyra. "My parents came to pick me up for lunch, they said you could come too!"
Lyra cursed her luck, "I'm so sorry... I have to go into Oxford today."
Emily's chipper attitude subsided somewhat, "For what?"
"For..." Lyra hated lying, especially to her friends, but she would tell Emily why sometime tonight, but now she had to go quickly, "Rodger..."
"Oh..." Emily sounded disappointed. "I know! I could go with you, and my parents can pick us up!"
"No, this is something I have to do alone..."
"Ok, I see... well I'll see you tonight."
Lyra waved to Emily, and then to her parents parked a block away, before quickly walking down the street in the direction of the botanical garden.
Lyra was crying and her head tilted to where it would've been resting on Will's shoulder if he was there beside her. She pretended he was sitting beside her and had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Well, she thought, he might be, for all I know.
Pantalaimon was lying on his belly keeping a steady eye on the entrance to the garden. He felt Lyra's misery, but watered down some because he didn't love Will as she did. He looked up as a young girl dressed in a St. Sophia school uniform looked into the garden. He recognized her as the other girl in Lyra's sleeping room. And she recognized him.
"Lyra?" The girl's voice was soft and quiet against the racking sobs coming from inside the garden.
Pan ran back to the bench, "That girl... Michelle was it? From the school. She's outside."
Lyra drew a handkerchief from a pocket in the breast pocket of her blouse, and rubbed it roughly across her moist face. Lyra muttered something of an apology to the imaginary Will sitting on the bench, which she only a few seconds later felt foolish for doing, stood up and walked over to where Michelle was standing by the entrance to the botanic garden.
"Is... anything wrong?" The girl, who mainly kept to herself, showed a side of compassion that Lyra had never seen, and her butterfly daemon mirrored it by landing gently on Pantalaimon.
Lyra was about to tell her to go away, but the girl seemed so sincere that she couldn't bring herself to it. So she nodded. "What are you doing in this part of Oxford, Michelle?"
"I always come around here to think."
"About what?" Lyra inquired.
"Anything that's been bothering me that day."
Lyra thought it sounded familiar to someone she knew, but couldn't put her finger on it.
"Do you come here everyday? I don't think I've ever seen you around here."
"No, just today its... special."
"It reminds you of someone?"
Lyra was shocked. "Yes."
"Someone, who... passed away?" Lyra knew that it took some bravery to ask, and it proved her sincerity even more.
"In a way, gone forever."
"You want to talk about it?" In fact, she did want to, and the girl seemed to be able to read Lyra like an open book, but she could hear the clock tower tolling out three-quart. "Oh, we better go back to the school." Michelle began to walk away.
"Hey, how about tonight?" Lyra called after her.
Michelle turned around, and could see that Lyra was no longer crying, knowing that she had helped, she smiled and nodded. She then ran off going back to the school.
It was then that Lyra realized that she had skipped lunch, so she walked over to a sidewalk café and ordered a cup of coffee and a few tea biscuits. She walked slowly back to the school and made it just in time for her next class. And just as she reached did she realize that she had made a new friend.
That night, two girls were enlightened to the events beyond Oxford. Lyra didn't hesitate to tell them everything that had happened, but she made them promise to not tell anyone else. Whether or not they believed her was not Lyra's concern, but now that she had told someone, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Review time!!
Ceres Wunderkind- Sorry about Chapter 3, I didn't write it like that, something must've gotten messed up. But I worked on it for a few hours and used the replace chapter thingy. So it should be fine by the time this is posted. (Wow he's almost famous, and he wrote me review!)
Chapter 5
The Garden of Tears
"Happiness is a fickle thing, for one day it blesses you with illusions of
eternal bliss, the next it leaves you as an empty shell."
(The story of Will and Lyra.)
-Craig Schwarz- from 'My Attempts at Being Deep'
"Through the pages of the untold story of life I wander, heart and soul in the fingers clicking on the keyboard. I write as I see fit, and no one can
take that from me."
(Independent)
-Craig Schwarz- from 'My Attempts at Being Deep'
Lyra was leaning back against the wall of the hallway, Pantalaimon still curled around her neck. Her English teacher came out shortly, and Lyra straightened up as she closed the door.
The teacher sighed, "Lyra, I would let you leave, but St. Sophia's is your only home now. Jordan College can not keep track of the escapades of a growing girl, it seems that your uncle has simply disappeared, and obviously you can't just roam the streets like a beggar." It was the first time in her school life that a teacher addressed her as simply Lyra and none of the Ms., or last name titles.
"You let me leave, staying alive is my own job." Lyra said this coldly and as shortly as possibly.
The teacher realized with a shudder that the girl was dead serious, and couldn't help but respect her determination. "I'm sorry, Lyra, but Dame Hannah would not allow it."
Lyra had almost forgotten the Dame, and remembered her promises to begin teaching Lyra how to read the alethiometer. Once she learned how to read it, she could use it to see how Will was doing, even if it wasn't until she was much older. But she would never be with him, to never see him, never kiss him again. She began to feel miserable again.
"No... she wouldn't like it much." Her voice wasn't as steady now and began to falter when she thought about Will again.
The teacher caught the tone of depression in her voice, "I'm so sorry, Lyra, I can't allow you to leave." She sounded sympathetic.
"No, it's..." Lyra was going to say that she wasn't depressed at the fact that she couldn't leave. But then she'd have to explain why she was depressed, and she couldn't tell the teacher about Will, the teacher would just think that she was delirious, so she'd have to lie even more. She was tired of lying, every time she did she had to keep track of it, too many things to remember and she knew that one day it would all come crashing down on her, something like Pan being away from her when someone came up to her in a hall or in her sleeping room.
"What is it, then?"
The women sounded so nice, Lyra felt that she could tell her everything, but how could she, she hadn't even told Emily everything, and even if she did tell the teacher, how could she believe her... She'd have to lie, again. But that didn't feel like it should be an answer to all of her problems.
"Would you believe me?"
The teacher paused for a second, wondering what Lyra knew that she wouldn't believe, "Yes."
Lyra took a deep breath, but before she could start her narration the bell signifying the end of the morning classes rang.
"Over lunch?" The teacher asked.
"Tomorrow, I'm going into Oxford today."
The teacher flashed a brief, friendly smile at Lyra before the doors opened again and the rest of the class walked out of the room, daemons following behind them, on shoulders or in pockets, to either join the mobs moving towards the lunch room, or to walk out into the streets of Oxford to go home, or to a café to get their lunches.
Lyra smiled back and joined the smaller group going into Oxford. She checked the clock tower when she got into the school's courtyard. It was nearly mid-day but she could make it if she hurried.
"Lyra!" Emily and her terrier daemon ran up besides Lyra. "My parents came to pick me up for lunch, they said you could come too!"
Lyra cursed her luck, "I'm so sorry... I have to go into Oxford today."
Emily's chipper attitude subsided somewhat, "For what?"
"For..." Lyra hated lying, especially to her friends, but she would tell Emily why sometime tonight, but now she had to go quickly, "Rodger..."
"Oh..." Emily sounded disappointed. "I know! I could go with you, and my parents can pick us up!"
"No, this is something I have to do alone..."
"Ok, I see... well I'll see you tonight."
Lyra waved to Emily, and then to her parents parked a block away, before quickly walking down the street in the direction of the botanical garden.
Lyra was crying and her head tilted to where it would've been resting on Will's shoulder if he was there beside her. She pretended he was sitting beside her and had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Well, she thought, he might be, for all I know.
Pantalaimon was lying on his belly keeping a steady eye on the entrance to the garden. He felt Lyra's misery, but watered down some because he didn't love Will as she did. He looked up as a young girl dressed in a St. Sophia school uniform looked into the garden. He recognized her as the other girl in Lyra's sleeping room. And she recognized him.
"Lyra?" The girl's voice was soft and quiet against the racking sobs coming from inside the garden.
Pan ran back to the bench, "That girl... Michelle was it? From the school. She's outside."
Lyra drew a handkerchief from a pocket in the breast pocket of her blouse, and rubbed it roughly across her moist face. Lyra muttered something of an apology to the imaginary Will sitting on the bench, which she only a few seconds later felt foolish for doing, stood up and walked over to where Michelle was standing by the entrance to the botanic garden.
"Is... anything wrong?" The girl, who mainly kept to herself, showed a side of compassion that Lyra had never seen, and her butterfly daemon mirrored it by landing gently on Pantalaimon.
Lyra was about to tell her to go away, but the girl seemed so sincere that she couldn't bring herself to it. So she nodded. "What are you doing in this part of Oxford, Michelle?"
"I always come around here to think."
"About what?" Lyra inquired.
"Anything that's been bothering me that day."
Lyra thought it sounded familiar to someone she knew, but couldn't put her finger on it.
"Do you come here everyday? I don't think I've ever seen you around here."
"No, just today its... special."
"It reminds you of someone?"
Lyra was shocked. "Yes."
"Someone, who... passed away?" Lyra knew that it took some bravery to ask, and it proved her sincerity even more.
"In a way, gone forever."
"You want to talk about it?" In fact, she did want to, and the girl seemed to be able to read Lyra like an open book, but she could hear the clock tower tolling out three-quart. "Oh, we better go back to the school." Michelle began to walk away.
"Hey, how about tonight?" Lyra called after her.
Michelle turned around, and could see that Lyra was no longer crying, knowing that she had helped, she smiled and nodded. She then ran off going back to the school.
It was then that Lyra realized that she had skipped lunch, so she walked over to a sidewalk café and ordered a cup of coffee and a few tea biscuits. She walked slowly back to the school and made it just in time for her next class. And just as she reached did she realize that she had made a new friend.
That night, two girls were enlightened to the events beyond Oxford. Lyra didn't hesitate to tell them everything that had happened, but she made them promise to not tell anyone else. Whether or not they believed her was not Lyra's concern, but now that she had told someone, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.