Adventure Two: Acceptance & New Friend
October 15, 1908
*this is almost three weeks after Isabella's birthday*
After that fateful day Magnus had told me that I was a warlock, I stayed in the room I had originally woken up in and mourned the life I had once known. I missed Mother, Father, and my dear cat, Kirby. I missed my room which overlooked the gardens and the River Vartry. I missed my aunts who doted on me and bought (to my displeasure) colorful silk and calico dresses with vibrantly colored petticoats. I missed my Uncle Liam who brought chocolates for me every time he came to visit me. And so I cried. Barely moving from fetal position on the floor (only moving when Catarina bathed me and I had to use the chamber pot.) It was an endless cycle of crying and fasting...Until I woke up.
After feeling nothing but pain, self-pity, anger, and sadness for nearly three weeks, I found that I was tired of crying. It wasn't Magnus's fault or my Mother's fault. Nor was it mine or was it anyone else's'. I cannot change the past. I couldn't stop that Eidolon demon from raping my mother anymore than I could stop the Black Plague from happening. All I could do, I figured, was move forward. That didn't mean I would stop loving my family or missing home because I always would. All I could do was adjust to this new life and live. If I wasn't meant to be here, alive and healthy (besides a few emotional and traumatic scars) , I would have died when Mother stabbed me. I could learn to become an excellent warlock with the help of Magnus, Ragnor, and Catarina. And if the Fates deem it so, I'll be a Shadowhunter once more. Maybe I could even be like Tessa Gray.
I rose from the floor and stretched. As I was stretching, I spotted a folded set of clothes on top of the bed. Catarina must have laid them out for me, hoping that I would leave the room. I wrinkles my nose in disgust. The clothes turned out to be a dress, a very horrid one too. The plaid dress was apple green and forest green. The sleeves were tiny and puffy and all over it was a series of tiny apple green bows. Eww. I tossed it on the bed in disgust. I was not wearing that. I looked in the wardrobe, hoping for something better to wear. And I was in luck! Towards the very back of the wardrobe, I found a pair of brown trousers, a plain white shirt, and brown suspenders. The clothing was simple and practical and more my style. When Mother and Father weren't parading me around and forcing me to attend tea parties, I wore trousers. Father often joked and said I was the son he'd always wanted but never had. I combined Mother's fiery and adventurous spirit with Father's quiet and sweet temperament.
Anyway I put on the clothes and folded up the white nightgown I had been wearing. I found my treasured kid boots, slipped them on, and left the room. I decided to explore. When I had opened a good amount of doors, I stumbled across a library.
"Wow." I whispered in awe. The library was huge, almost rivaling the library at the Institute. It had towering shelves that soared way over my head and touched the ceiling. There were plenty of comfy armchairs, couches, and footrests. They're even was a few tables. In my euphoria, I ran throughout the library and let my fingers skim the velvet-covered spines of the books. (Well the ones I could reach anyway.) When I was tired of this, I set on picking a book to read. Some time had passed before my eye had settled on Moby Dick. I carefully pried the book off the shelf and settled into a comfy armchair by the fire. I then began to read. I had finished the first three chapters (I was an avid reader) when I heard a brass voice say, "What are you doing?"
I looked up and I saw a handsome boy with beautiful chocolate colored skin who looked to be somewhat older than me. He had a face that was losing the roundness of childhood. Surrounding his face was a mop of messy black hair. Even from where I sat, I could see that he was a tall for a boy of his age. His lithe body wore clothes similar to mine: black trousers, a white shirt, and black suspenders.
"I'm reading Moby Dick." I held the cover up for him.
"What's it about," he asked, his big hazel eyes gazing down at me curiously.
"A man named Ishmael joins a whalerboat called the Pequot. The ship is under the command of Captain Ahab, a strict man, who forces his crew to find a giant great white whale called Moby Dick."
"Why does Captain want them to find Moby Dick?" He asked after my short speech.
"He lost his leg to the whale and wants revenge." I said simply, as if this was your everyday discussion over tea. Yes, haven't you heard Elizabeth? Captain Arab is trying to kill a giant whale because he lost his leg. Oh really? Yes indeed, quite scandalous. I smiled a tiny smile as I imagined the scene in my head.
"Sounds interesting. Could you read it to me?"
"Of course," I said and I moved over so he could sit next to me. After all, it was plenty of room for both of us. When he had made himself comfortable, I flipped to beginning of the book and began to read. "Call me Ishmael..."
Magnus's Point of View
"Isa! Breakfast is ready," he called through the door. He was expecting no answer because she has been nearly silent besides a few whimpers and sobbing. "Its your favorite!" Magnus's cook, Mary, went all out when she discovered that his new ward was Irish. To make her feel more comfortable, Mary made Isa Irish dishes. Today was no exception. There was bangers, a small bit of rashers, Irish brown bread, fried eggs with Dubliner cheese, and blood pudding. (It actually tasted better than how it sounded.) "Isabella?"
There was no answer. He pressed his ear to the oak door, hoping to hear a muffled cry or a sob. There was nothing. He frowned (an odd expression on the ever-so-smiling and amused face of Magnus Bane) and shifted the heavy laden tray to his other arm. When it was perfectly balanced, he turned the door knob and went inside. The bed was made perfectly except for the rumpled plaid monstrosity that looked as if it was thrown carelessly on the bed. (He knew Isabella wouldn't want to wear that ugly green disaster that Catarina picked out.) The nightgown Bella had been wearing to sleep was neatly folded on top of the pillow.
He placed the tray on the bedside table and went around the bed. "Isa?" He expected to find her curled up into a ball on the floor, fast asleep. But she wasn't there. Neither were boots that Ragnor had put under the bed for her. Where was she? He picked up the tray and left the room. Where could she have possibly gone? On the way to the kitchens to return the tray, he checked every closed door. She wasn't in the music room or the bath-room. Then he suddenly he heard two childlike voice. One was male and the voice was slightly deep but brass...That was Freddie. The other was clear and sweet like a bell. That was Isabella's voice. The voices were coming from the library. He inched towards the half opened door and peeked inside. Bella and Freddie sat in an armchair together. In Bella's lap sat a book and she was reading it to Freddie, who seemed to be listening attentively. Suddenly he interrupted her and told her a silly joke that made Bella throw her head back and laugh. The scene made Magnus smile. It seems Isa had found herself a new friend and Freddie, although a little rambunctious, was an excellent boy. She was going to do well here. Quite well indeed. He moved away from the door, quietly, and made his way to the kitchens. Whistling a jaunty tune all the way. She was going to do quite well here...
Bella's Point of View
"That was a good story. I'm going to ask Papa if he can read it to me when he gets back." The boy said when I had stopped reading (my throats was hoarse.)
"Where is he?"
"He's in Springfield, taking care of some business for Magnus."
"Oh." I said. "It's quite lovely in Springfield. I especially loved seeing the castle."
"Castle? There is no castle in Springfield." I stared at him like he grew two heads.
"Yes there is. My parents took me there once during spring."
"In Springfield," he said doubtfully, "Illinois?"
"Wait, Illinois? Are we in the United States?"
"Yes? Wait, did you believe we were in Ireland?" I nodded, rather thoughtfully.
"Where are we now?"
"Chicago, Illinois." I begin calculating. Chicago was roughly 5900 kilometers away from Warwick County, Ireland. It takes days to travel to Dublin from Warwick County by carriage...Traveling to Chicago from Ireland would take weeks, if not a month but I got here on my birthday...That means Magnus or someone made a Portal...
"Oh."
"Are you hungry? Mama makes great waffles."
"Yes but will there be potatoes?"
"Potatoes?"
"In Ireland, we eat potatoes with every meal."
"Every meal?" He said, disbelieving.
"Potatoes are a starch. Don't you Americans consume bread on a daily basis?" I raise an unimpressed eyebrow.
"No," he said in a flustered tone. I rolled my eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, the kind Mother gave whenever Father and I came indoors with muddy boots. "Well, come on!"
I had enough time to gingerly place the book down on of the small tables before he was grabbing at my hand and pulling me through the door. The boy was taller than me and his longer stride made me have to break into a light run to keep up with him. I was quite fortuitous to find those trousers this morning, I thought, and then he was tugging me down a flight of stairs and through a swinging side door.
The swinging door, I found out later, connected the dining area to the kitchen. A tall, willowy woman with dark hair was standing at the stove.
"Mum!" The woman turned on her heel, rather suddenly, at the sound of my companion's voice."Guess what I-"
"Frederic Jonathon Prince Junior, where have you been? I've been worried sick since dawn! Imagine my surprise when you didn't turn up for breakfast? I cooked up your favorites and you had the audacity to not show up..." Her tirade went on a while longer and when she finally taken notice of me cowering by the swinging door, she stopped and eyed me closely. "Freddie, dear, who is this?"
"This is my friend-" He turned to me, gazing at me questioningly.
"Isabella Marie Swan O'Connell." I beamed, happy to make my very first friend in a few hours. He grinned back , his smile a little lopsided.
"That's kind of a mouthful. I'll call you Bella instead." Bella. I mouthed the word thoughtfully, letting each letter roll on my tongue. Bella. A name so simple but lovely. A name that no one has ever called me. A name that could finally signify a brand new start for me.
"Bella it is," his mother said, agreeably. "It's very to nice to meet you, Miss Bella."
"It's very nice to meet you too, Mrs. Prince."
"No, no. Call me Mary, dear. Mrs. Prince makes feel really old and besides Mrs. Prince is my mother-in-law." Miss Mary laughed, "Are you hungry?"
"Yes, I'm famished."
A little while later, sitting a small table with Miss Mary and Freddie, I felt extremely happy. I was happier than I was since I woke up this morning. Maybe, just maybe, I'll do just fine in Chicago.
"Pass the syrup, will you?" Freddie demanded and I laughed.
********Adventure Complete*******