Author's Note: Thank you so much for your reviews on the first chapter! Woohoo! :D And as suggested by Lone Reaper-068, I will keep Booker and Elizabeth unrelated, so expect some lemony goodness in future chapters! ;) Please leave a review and any ideas for later chapters! Thank you again and enjoy! :)
P.S. I think having Elizabeth treat Rosalind as if she were her aunt gives Rosalind some humanity and care for Elizabeth's well-being, even though she's treated like a human lab rat as part of some sick and twisted science experiment.
Chapter Two: One Tear at a Time
"Do you see those, Elizabeth?" Aunt Rose pointed to one of the cargo ships flying pass my tower window, clutching me by my sides as I attempted to reach out for it, "How many are there?"
My tongue glued itself to the roof of my mouth as I pondered her question. I glanced down at the fingers of my right hand, counting each one until I stopped at my pinkie, "Four and a half, Aunt Rose!" She giggled at my response.
"Four and a half?" I simply nodded and brought her attention to the cargo ship that floated gracefully through the cloudless skies of Columbia. She let out a small gasp and raised a brow as she noticed that only half of the ship was visible from behind one of the others.
I laughed and said, "Where's the other half?"
She fell silent.
A chorus of sudden screams and cries for help then followed, but I didn't understand why. I attempted to reach out once more, wriggling out of Aunt Rose's lazy grasp. I peeked out a moment and saw the cargo ship falling in flames from the sky and into the abyss below.
I screamed and cried, running back into her arms. She shielded me, placing her shaking hands over my ears, protecting me from the terror that was unraveling just outside my tower window.
A week soon passed since the accident. I inquired Aunt Rose of what happened that day, but she would quickly shy away from the topic and divert my attention to the phonograph that played the most peculiar tunes. I hopped off of her lap and walked to the book shelf, picking up The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, one of her published works, as well as one of my personal reads. I returned to where she sat as she quietly watched me with steady but worried eyes. I then smiled shyly and said, "Read to me, Aunt Rose." She reciprocated the warm expression, but I could see in her eyes that only fear and concern filled her thoughts at that moment. The night seemed to have whirled by so fast! I suppose I was two engrossed in her reading to pay any attention to the blaring horns of the air boats that flew by at regular intervals right outside my tower window.
Exactly a month after the accident, which many suspected was an air raid from the Vox Populi, Aunt Rose took me to her study, which I had never seen and was located next door to my room. She showed me everything. Her works, her projects, her experiments, her paintings, and even her music! Aunt Rose called it her personal playground, and she would laugh at the way my face lit up with joy every time she brought me there. I called it my castle, my world, my personal wonderland. I was Alice and this was my wonderland.
"Elizabeth, dear," Aunt Rose began, taking my hand and leading me to the back corner of the study. There was a window, but it was closed and appeared to have been boarded up; bits of dust and dirt were evident across its surface, "Can you see that?" She gestured her finger to a small, glistening sliver of light that danced under the window sill.
"Elizabeth, listen," she said, "Do you see that little slit up against the wall?" She lead my attention to where she pointed. My eyes widened and I gasped, extending my fingers outward toward the opening. She stopped me and took my hand in hers, whispering and looking deep into my eyes, making sure I was still in reality, "Open it. Open it, Elizabeth." I raised a brow in confusion, not sure what she meant.
"Open what?" I asked.
"Open that. Open the tear."
"Tear? What do you mean, Aunt Rose?"
"Exactly what I mean." Her serious expression beckoned me to listen.
I turned to the small tear, extending both my hands out in front of me. I stood straight and closed my eyes, taking a quick breath and feeling the upbeat pace of my heart. I could feel the blood rush to the tips of my fingers as I opened my arms outward, like a bird spreading its wings and getting ready to fly away freely into the sky.
"Oh, Elizabeth!" I could hear the smile on Aunt Rose's voice. My arms began to shake but she held them still carefully, "Open your eyes, dear. Slowly, now. Come on." Once I did, I wish I could have kept them close. Her expression was that of surprise, shock, and triumph. She was elated.
I was in Columbia.
Author's Note: This concludes chapter two of "The Girl in the Tower." Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D Please stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't forget to leave me your thoughts, and favorite and follow if you want to read more! :) Thanks so much again! I'll see you all again soon!