Hey everybody! I know I should've updated sooner, but time isn't something that I control and well, it's hard to keep up with hobbies when it's so busy. Anyway, here's the second chapter.
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
….In the last chapter….
The mist seemed to lift and so did she. She began to blur. Her image was slowly coming undone, but I heard the last few words that managed to slip out of her mouth before she slipped out of view.
Her words rang in my head as the last strand of her hair faded away.
I will. You just watch me.
I swallowed. That was what I was afraid of…
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A dim bulb lit the surrounding of the room proving books, loose leaf, and miscellaneous items were scattered around it. A very frustrated and angry groan was heard throughout this place every so often. Truth be told, the room was a mess. Dark shadows were cast along the walls as the clock slowly ticked minutes off into the night.
"AUGH!"
Kitty screamed in frustration, and smacked the book she was holding in her hands upon her head… regretting it as soon as the action was committed. Rubbing her head slightly, a defeated sigh escaped her lips.
She didn't need Mr. Button's help to get into the library anymore; she was known well enough to be able to travel freely in and out of the library whenever she pleased.
Kitty rubbed her eyes. Oh how they were sore from all that reading! That dream – with Nathaniel – it had been so long ago, she couldn't even remember why she was trying to resurrect him. But she did know one thing, she had decided to do it and she wouldn't stop until she got her goal.
But at this instant, she needed a break.
She walked over to her window and with a grunt, opened it and felt the sudden rush of cold air sweep over her. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes in the process. Exhaling softly, she let her imagination wander.
Oh Nathaniel…
She walked over to her desk, leaving the window open. She tugged at one of the drawers underneath the desk and pulled out a picture. It was the same picture that she had thrown on the ground in Nathaniel's office.
She had taken it and it was now sitting in the palm of her hands. She looked at the picture carefully. At first, when she had brought it home, she had ripped it into pieces and tossed it in the garbage. But later on that night, she emptied the garbage on her desk and carefully taped it back together. When she had finished though, she just ripped it back up… then taped the picture together all over again. It was a mess. Torn, taped, some pieces were even missing!
But it was hers. And it was the only thing she had to remember him by.
She placed the picture delicately back in the drawer and leaned back in her chair. She had done enough research tonight. A nap would probably do her good anyway. She leaned back in her chair and let her eyelids flutter shut and soon only a slow breathing rate was heard throughout the room.
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Rays of sunlight hit the back of Kitty's head as she slowly stirred awake. Stretching out from her sleeping position, she sneezed abruptly. She reached for a tissue and looked around. She mentally hit herself as she remembered that she had forgotten to close the window last night. The drafts must have given her a cold! She cursed angrily underneath her breath at her stupidity and dragged herself to her feet and went to close the window.
"Great time to catch a cold…"
She sat herself back down at her desk and reached for another book. She flipped the book right side up and scanned the cover.
The History of Today's Magic by Karl Shlied
Kitty arched an eyebrow at the title. Someone was really original. She flipped to the table of contents and searched for anything to catch her eye.
Intro to Magic… Magic's History… Famous Magicians… Pentacles pt. 1… Alchemy… Pentacles pt. 2…
Kitty stopped reading and her eyes backtracked.
Alchemy?
Why was there a full chapter on alchemy in a "History of Today's Magic"? She frowned. That didn't seem right. Perhaps there was an error in the printing? Her curiosity forced her to look into it.
"Before you scream and yell at me saying alchemy and magic have nothing in common and should not be in a book about the history of today's magic, please hear me out."
Kitty smirked at the first line. The author sure was right about that.
"Now, let's begin shall we? We all know that we need to have pentacles in order to summon any type of demon. But did you know that pentacles were also used in alchemy? They were not used to summon anything but rather to change things such as metals. One example that many scientists or scholars have heard is: "changing lead into gold." But how can this be done? Modern day scientists have already figured how to do this nowadays and I am sure if you would like to find out you can look for books on alchemy in the library. However, that is not exactly the point. In some very old myths and tales, alchemy was to do many things as well! It could merge to creatures together in order to create something new. This is what we know to be called a chimera. But maybe, these tales were just trying to cover up for something bigger. My theory is these chimeras were actually demons!"
Kitty thought about this, it did make sense. She knew a bit on alchemy and all that the author was saying did seem to fit in place. Kitty massaged her temples as she explored this subject more deeply.
Kitty flipped to the back of the book. Maybe she could find this author and they could talk about his theory. She read over his biography quickly and a pout settled on her lips.
Born October 5th, 1967. (A/N: I don't know exactly when the Bartimaeus Trilogy took place but I guessed the future, so I'm going to pretend that 1967 is a long time ago for Kitty)
She did a few quick calculations in her mind and shook her head. He would be dead by now. She sighed.
"Well, that was my last resource. Nothing more I can do now then read…"
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Kitty's stomach grumbled, protesting its hunger to her. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet and it was almost noon. Kitty rubbed her stomach absentmindedly as she grabbed her keys and walked towards the door. She didn't feel like cooking – not that she ever did – on top of which, she was thirsty for some coffee.
Grabbing her coat, Kitty stepped outside and was greeted by the sun. She winced at the brightness and quickly put on her sunglasses from which she took out of her coat pocket.
Walking briskly, she entered a coffee shop, ordered her food, and sat down. Sitting on her tray was a glazed donut and a cup of dark coffee, no milk. Not much of a breakfast or lunch, but she wasn't a health nut. She took a slow sip of the coffee and let the hot liquid fill her mouth. There weren't many people in the shop, but not many people go for brunch on a Tuesday morning in a coffee shop. Her eyes wandered the area.
A smile tugged at her lips. This place came back to her with so many memories. This was where it all started. She had met so many of her friends here…so many of her dead friends here. She added grimly. She whipped her head around as a loud crash sounded throughout the shop. An embarrassed woman stood beside a man desperately trying to wipe the coffee off of him while apologizing for her carelessness. The man was smiling and kept on saying it was his fault and she didn't need to worry.
Kitty rolled her eyes at the scene. They would probably soon sit down together for coffee and try to apologize to each other and would get together very soon. Typical romance episode...
Just as Kitty was about to return to her coffee, when the man looked in her direction. For that instant, Kitty locked gazes with him.
Something seemed eerily familiar with that man and it creeped her out.
"Note to self, I really have to get out more."
She craned her ears to listen to the two peoples conversation.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to spill my coffee all over you, sir!" That was the lady.
"No problem. It was probably my fault, getting up like that so abruptly." The man.
"I feel so dreadful about your clothes though!" Lady again."Like I said before, no problem. Here, come. Take a seat. My name's Karl. Karl Shlied."
Kitty froze. That name. It seemed so familiar. Where was it from? She knew she had heard it before!
"Think Kitty. Think!"
Kitty racked her brain. Karl Shlied…Karl Shlied. She banged her head lightly with her fist. Where? When? Her eyes shot open.
That book!She looked back at the man. That couldn't be right though! This man, he was in his early twenties, there was no way he was the same man who wrote the book.
Maybe a relative?She needed to talk to him. She had to. Maybe he'd have some information. It was worth the shot. After all, she had nothing else left to loose…
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Good, bad? Sorry if this chapter sucked. I have to admit, this isn't the best work that I've ever written. While I was writing I kept on panicking about too much dialogue so I wrote basically none. And now when I read over it, it just well…sucks. Please be forgiving. You don't have to R&R, but it would be nice. Thanks.
