Her eyes slowly peered open as light streamed from the open cracks of the sealed window. She pushed her pencil aside, then shot up, slapping her face with her palm.
"Shit".
I was supposed to lock up.
Elizabeth stood up, cracking her back against the open door. Overnight, snow had crept into the library, and with her luck, enough had melted to begin rotting.
"Better get out of here while I still have the chance".
She looked toward the sky and, to no surprise, the hole remained stationary in the sky. By now Elizabeth had almost entirely detached herself away from the events of yesterday, but with a giant hole as a reminder.
"Wonder what's going to happen".
Putting the notebook into her coat pocket, she scurried away from the library and headed towards the dining area.
Snow crunched against the boots of the crowds march. Each trudged to wherever their God must have guided them, too. With a shrewd eye burned into their flesh, they brandished their mark of allegiance on the back of their hand. And yet, with their heads hung to the ground, no one acknowledged the gargantuan hole that remained above.
The people carried on with days as if a hundred-odd people didn't just erase from their lives. For better or worse, Diedmons Roue's people were tough in every way possible, which inevitably made it difficult to distinguish what anyone was thinking. Dull, plain expressions, really, all of them detached from one another. Perhaps they were feeling something. She'd never know, but there was always the odd one out, the one who stands out from the crowd of mysticism. Here, it was a girl named Marie, the daughter of the only barber-surgeon in Diedmons Roue. Holding a sign that pointed toward their shop,
Doomsday haircut, look good in your coffin
⇐ 20% on all styles, we do them all
"Really? Now of all times?".
Marie was a young girl part of the Truc family, a long line of men and women who dedicated their lives to carrying each generation's skills. As far as she knew, the Truc family had spent most of their lives around this sector of the Island, and from her one experience inside the salon, they made everyone fully aware of their longevity. Drawings of each passed family member aligned their walls and, if asked, would begin a never-ending tirade of information that no one had asked for.
They had a distinct brand of colors, a white gown with green trims that made them stand out in the eyes of a dreadfully gray population. Not to mention her shrieking voice that blared the salon's discount.
After mistakenly looking in her direction for too long, Marie eventually made eye contact with Elizabeth and waved.
"Hi, Liz!". Regretfully, she waved back; her fate was sealed.
With no choice but to talk to her Elizabeth dragged her feet to Marie. She could never ignore her.
"Where you heading off to, Liz?".
"Dining-"
'Can I come?". At least wait for me to finish.
"Well, what about the sign, don't you–".
Marie shoved the sign into the ground and smiled.
"You had this planned from the start, didn't you?".
Her smile grew as confirmation.
Elizabeth sighed, "Alright, let's go then".
Marie was one of the first people Elizabeth knew when she first arrived at Diedmons Roue. Being the same age, twenty-five years old, it was only natural that they'd interact. However, there was one problem.
Elizabeth glanced at Marie's shoulder; glimpses of a healed burn leaked from beneath. From the beginning, the Truct were devoted members of the Eye of Rendition. Their strong ties to the capital, coupled with the fact that they were a family so closely connected in a year when the masses yearned for even a glimpse of the city, made them famous. Call it Diedmons Roue's celebrity family. A family that no one wanted to be involved with.
"Say, you saw the sign, didn't you?", Marie said, nudging Elizabeth's side. "What do you say you change that hair of yours".
"Not happening".
"Come on, 20%, can't beat that".
"Nope".
Marie's arms drooped; she knew it was a fruitless endeavor.
"So what do you think about what happened yesterday?" Marie asked.
"That's not like you".
"Just curious". Marie said
"I think it'd be better if we drop that".
"Sensitive?".
"Little bit".
"Hm. That's not like you either. ".
"Yeah, yeah, let's just hurry up."
"Okay".
The dining hall was in a separate section of Diedmons Roue, which was inconvenient since it required traveling to the far east of town, where you would find a long gravel road. There, you would be under a strike of extreme hunger and withstand a mile until you reach your destination. A cruel tactic; by the time you ended up there you'd already be pleading for sustenance. They were successful.
A growing darkness looming over the ocean tainted their otherwise pristine scenery. As they went along the road, Elizabeth couldn't help but gravitate toward the large cover of darkness on top of the water. She could have sworn that it grew.
Even with the sun, the tall grass surrounding the road became a shade of gray; everything seemed to have. Even the occasional gust of wind felt more uncomfortable than cold. She couldn't explain what it was, but all she felt was an inkling to take cover and hide. Weird.
Diedmons Roue wasn't known for its vibrant colors, but something seemed to have sucked the life out of the place.
She brushed her hand across the stalks of grass and was surprised that minimal force broke off a piece. It was dry, with tints of Gray beginning to take over. Right when it broke off, something took over, as if the process of decay had streamlined itself.
Was this because of the hole?
Marie broke her concentration a moment later.
"You know, everybody's been acting weird today".
"Are they?". Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah, I think so, at least. I mean, we've gone through worse, haven't we?".
"You know this is different".
"Maybe," Marie said. "But wouldn't it be better if we just forget about this? I never understood why the Visitor was so important".
"You're loose-lipped today. Should you be saying that?".
"I said it, didn't I? Nothing happened".
"That's not the point. You never know who's listening".
"Heh, you sound like your dad".
"Like dad, huh".
They arrived at the courtyard of the Dining hall.
A soaring gate separated the courtyard from the tall grass. Made from crimson wood, the result of wounds punctured into the bark of trees, bleeding out the moisture inside until the inside became a dark red. It was an old tradition among the people of the southern extremity; red symbolized power and unity; in the end, we all bled the same shade of red. In the dining hall, at least Schnee and humans alike ate together. At least that was the intended purpose.
As Elizabeth and Marie approached the Dining hall doors, two guards stopped them. Clad in dark wooden armor, the reverend specifically blessed them to be stronger than metal, finished by sigils that only a select few could understand.
Now that I think about it, they sort of look like the lettering on those books.
Black masks hid the faces of both guards; under the Eye of Rendition, protectors were sworn to secrecy. It wasn't a favored occupation. Requiring each member to mend themselves of all other worldly possessions, giving themselves to the flames. It was the ultimate sacrifice; if it ended there, Elizabeth could safely say she respected them. However, the protectors had to meet parameters, and they also considered people's possessions.
After handing sufficient funds to enter, three wooden coins, Elizabeth and Marie went inside. The two of them turned their heads away as a gush of hot wind blew towards them. Tingles of admonishment flowed through the air into Elizabeth's nostril, an all too familiar enemy was the main course for breakfast. It was the only course. With a dreadful splat, she trudged away into one of the open seats and wept.
It was a platter of steamed Grau, a long, dull-colored fish with pure white eyes. The people of Diedmons Roue localized the Grau fish. Neighboring towns rarely traded with them, making it a crucial part of their diet. However, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel sick when looking at the slab of white meat in front of her. They had filed it, but she could picture the strange fish it was. Out of the water, it seemed like an amalgamation of other things, strangely enough, the most recognizable was its human-like teeth. So much so that whenever someone lost a tooth, they used teeth from the Grau fish as replacements. However, the practice had become so disturbing that anyone seen with the large buck teeth of the Grau fish would rather pull it out than live with the shame.
She wished she hadn't learned that.
"How exciting…" Elizabeth said.
At the very least, the slices of bread and spoonful of veggies made it palpable. She ate it in sorrow, the image of the fish wouldn't leave.
Grotesque.
As united as the dining hall wanted to appear to be, there wasn't ever much diversity inside. Truth be told, some of it had to do with the disagreements many had with the ways the Schnee held themselves. Most of their grievances would end there, as a majority had never even interacted with one. Diedmons Roue, as welcoming Shane might have attempted to make it, had never convinced the Schnee who sought refuge inside Gray Wood to leave. As long as they stayed inside, there'd be no reason for either to interact, they'd rather it stay that way. Therefore, the appearance of a silver-haired woman caught her by surprise. Quickly, as she registered who that woman was, she dropped everything.
She shot up and excused herself, rushing over to her side, making Rúm jump.
"Who do you—" Rum's eyes lit up as she saw Elizabeth.
"Oh, Elizabeth, where have you been? I was looking for you".
"I'm sorry, a lot happened last night".
"Are you okay?" Rùm asked.
Elizabeth debated whether she should answer truthfully. She didn't yet understand the depths of what being the Visitor's guide meant; there weren't many people around, but she felt anxious. Excluding some information might be the correct course of action. So, Elizabeth began explaining everything between Jim Beckman and her, changing some details specifically about the Visitor's guide. From her mannerisms, however, she knew something was off. Elizabeth never considered herself someone in tune with others' emotions but felt like Rum saw right through her. She felt guilty for it but continued the lies.
"Hm, Jim Beckman, huh," she sipped her drink. "I've been around for a long time, you know that, right?".
Elizabeth nodded.
"Which means I know a lot, more than these plebeian fools who believe they know something just because they've read about it".
That could be directed towards me, you know.
"That also means I have experience with the one called Jim Beckman. He's strange, but I've never considered him to harbor any ill will; I don't think you should think much about it; he was curious about you, that's all".
A stark difference from Luka's reaction. Perhaps that's because of the added detail of the Visitor's guide; she was apprehensive about mentioning it before, but maybe it was a good idea.
"There's something I left out".
Rum sighed and pressed her palm into her cheek.
"Yes, what of it, then?".
Elizabeth leaned in closer; Rum drew back, but followed suit a second after.
"He mentioned something about a Visitors Guide".
Rum looked at her with half-lidded eyes, saying, "You can't be serious." She knew what it was, but didn't take it seriously. Maybe Luka was making it seem worse than it was. That sentiment didn't last long.
"Why would I joke about something like that?"
Rum held a finger to her mouth, "Because no one would speak openly about that".
"So you know about it".
"Of course I do". A shadow loomed over Rum's face as she faced forward, "But why do you?".
"I did a bit of research on it".
"Oh, you did?" Rum asked.
Elizabeth turned away briefly, even though she wasn't technically lying, she felt guilty about leaving out talking to Luka about it. She didn't need to know, she thought. However, there wasn't much someone of Rum's caliber of age that she couldn't sniff out.
"So what'd you find out about it?".
Elizabeth looked around, for whatever reason, she felt inclined to make sure there weren't any wandering eyes. Since their settled argument, this part of the dining hall was bare. Lanterns strung from chains dangled in the middle of the corridor and shadowed them in rhythmic darkness. There must have been a draft nearby as it swung in a circular motion; the wind must have picked up.
Marie had already left, and everybody else inside had fanned out. People preferred the darker corners; they liked to be alone, such were the teachings of the church. Keep to yourselves. Yet, that made identifying anyone's gaze harder to find.
Elizabeth leaned in and whispered, "Should I really say it here?".
Rum smirked. She stood up and threw her hood over her head. " I know this seems abrupt, but would you follow me somewhere?".
Elizabeth stood up with her, and without acknowledgment from either, she trailed behind her. Without a second thought, she'd follow her along the grand road, toward Gray Wood.