The wind rushed past her ears, her mind was blank. Her screams pierced the night air but seemed miles away to her. The wind carried her tears. It was exactly as she had feared. Ophelia knew Pearl's teaching technique would boil down to something like this. Growing up, Pearl had always been fascinated with the way young eaglets learn to fly, today, Ophelia was her eaglet. Ophelia felt her heart beating, the cold wind running past her, and knew the ground was racing up to meet her, she looked up in her moment of desperation, saw Pearl's proud 'mother-eagle' smile, and in that moment, resented her.
Pearl dived down and caught her but before the breath could get into the lungs of a panting Ophelia, she was pushing it out again, screaming, crying, falling, wishing the nightmare would end. And again, before she could reach the ground, Pearl swooped down, picked her up, and dropped her again, all before she knew what was happening. This time as she fell, she knew she would not hit the ground, she looked up and saw Pearl's confident smirk. She trusted her captor. She understood that she was safe, that 'mama eagle' wouldn't let her fall to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly and felt herself in Pearl's arms again, then in the arms of the winds again. This time she opened her eyes, looking upwards, her eyes caught sight of something golden against the moonlight, just behind Pearl, and as she was caught in Pearl's arms, she reached out and touched her wings. Pearl knew she had done enough. Odd as it may seem, given all the psychological trauma she had just put Ophelia through, Pearl actually cared about Ophlelia's mental well-being and knew she was very nearly reaching her limits. This time, instead of letting Ophelia fall, she carried a quiet and tired Ophelia back to her room and laid her to rest on her bed. Ophelia fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed and Pearl left.
Ophelia woke up the next day to the sound of knocking. Her thoughts of the events of the previous day were a mess but she couldn't remember bolting her door. She struggled half-asleep, trying to get up until something met her groggy gaze, forcing her to sit up in an instant. It was the blueback journal. She had to hide it, for all she knew Mrs. Julia could be at the door. She quickly buried the journal underneath her clothes and rushed to open the door. Amber came through the door and Ophelia subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief, it was a false alarm. Amber sat on the bed and tried to fix her eyes on a spot in the wall. She didn't want to look around. The room was still as it had always been, all Pearl's personal effects, down to her clothes were still there but Pearl was gone. To Amber, the room felt so empty although, in physical content, it was much the same as before. Amber was entering the room for the first time since Pearl left.
'I'm sorry for how I acted earlier', Amber's apology immediately softened Ophelia's heart. Amber had always been good-natured. Her character was much better than Pearl's, in Ophelia's opinion. It may be worthy of note, however, that Ophelia's opinions were currently being influenced by Pearl's most recent manhandling.
'I forgive you. It wasn't your fault', Ophelia immediately accepted the apology.
'That day, you caught me off guard', Amber continued, going on to explain the implication of the dreams to the best of her knowledge. The conclusion was exactly as Ophelia had surmised, the 'dreams' weren't dreams, Pearl had come to see her.
'And I see she has come to see you again, just yesterday too', Amber concluded, leaving Ophelia dazed.
'How did you know?' she asked, surprised.
'Pearl is my sister, I can tell', Amber answered. There was also the fact that Pearl had locked the door, Ophelia would never lock her door. 'Also, your reply confirmed my hypothesis', she added with a smirk. Ophelia remembered what a smart-ass Amber could be sometimes, she hadn't seen her coy side in a while. 'So, that day, when you went out, where did you go?' Amber was referring to the day she had spent the night in the library. What was the right course of action for Ophelia to take in this situation? Was she to withhold this vital information from Pearl's sister? Wrinkles formed on her forehead as she contemplated this. Amber, who was always best at reading the room, understood the difficulty and dropped the question.
'It's alright if you don't want to tell me', she suddenly said, much to Ophelia's relief. 'Well, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am. I will be on my way now', With that, Amber left the room.
Ophelia collapsed on her bed again with a thud. Was it right to keep all this from Amber too? What was Pearl's plan for her sister? She said she would take her family with her, so why hadn't she visited Amber and explained things to her? Why had Pearl left her with this burden? Ophelia grunted as the gravity of these questions crushed her. She took a deep breath and decided to just play her part, there was no point bothering about stuff she couldn't change. She got up, freshened up, and got ready in front of the dressing mirror that was across the bed. A faint golden glow caught her eye as she looked to ensure she was presentable, the same hue the mirror had as she spoke with Amber. She grabbed the blue back and stalked out of the house without telling anyone.
In the sunlight, the path to the library looked very different. Ophelia was so clear-headed now that she saw and noticed every detail of her trek. Nature looked so beautiful today, as though she had come alive and smiled directly at Ophelia. There was also a feeling of lightness in her heart that she could not describe or understand. As Ophelia walked, she saw a single green leaf fall into a river beside the path she walked on and turned aside to look at it.The river glowed golden in the sunlight and it was so clear that she could see the smooth stones at the bottom, clean and clear, smoothed by nature's soft but steady flow. A stone gleamed in the midst of the blue and gold and Ophelia bent over to have a closer look. Just then, something very unexpected happened. Although the water was so clear that Ophelia could see its bottom, and there was no one in the river, a hand came out of the water's surface and pulled her under. In the last moments before she plunged, she had the sense to toss the blueback to prevent getting it soaked in the water. It landed a few meters away, at the feet of someone who, unknown to Ophelia, had been tailing her.
Amber was shocked to see a book land at her feet. She recognized it as the book that Ophelia had with her when she sneaked out of the house. She quickly ran forward to see what had befallen Ophelia that caused her to fling the book she had taken pains to hide but when she ran forward, instead of seeing Ophelia, she saw no one. She glanced down at the water and saw nothing. Cool and clear, its gentle ripples betrayed not a trace of what had transpired there only moments ago. Puzzled, Amber went back, picked up the book and began to read.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The water surface rushed up and Ophelia held her breath and shut her eyes. She expected a splash but instead, she slipped through the water's surface and emerged on the other side completely dry, still standing. She let go of the breath in her lungs. Pearl's hand was completely recognizable to her now.
'Where's the journal you had?', Pearl asked suddenly. Ophelia who was still processing the events that had just transpired stood transfixed, unable to utter a word. She tried to get her bearings. Pearl walked past her and looked out through what seemed to be a full-length glass window that showed the bank of the river.
'How did I get here?', Ophelia was finally able to manage.
'I brought you', While Pearl's curt answer did not suffice to satisfy Ophelia's question, it did suffice to annoy her but she held her tongue and kept her cool. She ventured to gain cognizance of her surroundings. It seemed like a pale blue hall with glass windows arranged in a kaleidoscope all around her, some at odd angles, each looking out to a different view.
'Where are we?', Ophelia surmised that this couldn't be the glorious country that so many had given all to obtain.
'This is the portal hall', Pearl replied, turning to face Ophelia. 'This is where I have to come to meet you'. She pointed down the hall to the right. 'Down there is a portal leading to our bedroom'.
'The mirror', Ophelia replied, 'That was you'.
'I saw when Amber walked in, and I saw her tail you. That's why I need to know where you put the book, the journal I mean', Pearl said impatiently.
'I threw it. I couldn't risk it getting soaked', Ophelia returned quickly and harshly.
'Alright then, you have to get it and come back here.'
'It's too late for that', Ophelia replied. The glass above her showed Amber reading a book, the very book in question. Pearl glanced at Ophelia and her eyes flashed with anger.
'You were careless', she replied.
'What do we do now?', Ophelia asked, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. It wouldn't take long for Amber to get to the pages that held actual information, and she would understand everything. But, Ophelia thought, was that really so bad? It would be an immense relief to stop trying to hide everything and to have Amber as an ally rather than whatever the relationship they currently possess could be called. Pearl wouldn't understand how hard it was to hide all this from her sister, but the weight of the secret was crushing Ophelia. No one had more right to know than Amber, right?
'I'll take you to the library', Pearl replied. Ophelia agreed although she couldn't see the value of this suggestion. It didn't stop Amber from reading the journal. In fact, now Ophelia might have to explain the disappearance of two books instead of one, in the space of a single day, to the librarian. The only book left was Pearl's.
Pearl looped her arms underneath Ophelia's and carried her up to a silver window that showed the library on the other side. When she came out, she found herself in the very room where she had breakfast just the day before, and for the first time, she noticed a dusty mirror to the side. She lay hold of Pearl's book, still waiting for her where she left it, and tried to call Pearl through the mirror to take her back when to her dismay, the door to the room opened and there stood old Mrs. Harry, the librarian. Ophelia's reaction to the librarian's arrival must have been comical because it earned her a smile on the weathered face. Mrs. Harry's quizzical smile seemed to ask, 'Shouldn't I, not you, be in shock?'. Ophelia had gotten in by no orthodox means yet the librarian was composed when she saw her meanwhile Ophelia was shocked to see the librarian in the library.
'I'm sorry if I startled you', Mrs. Harry's smile remained.
'Not at all', Ophelia struggled not to look directly at the elderly woman.
'Do you have any questions concerning the books you took?', Mrs Harry asked, a knowing look on her face. Just then the realization that the old librarian was Ann, Guilever's wife hit Ophelia and she dared to ask.
'Do you know where Mr. Harry went?', This question saddened the librarian. She shook her head no.
'But I'm sure you know someone who does', she added. 'Well, if that's all you wanted to ask, I'll take my leave', and with that, she excused herself from the room.
Pearl's hand came through the dusty mirror as soon as the door closed, holding onto her hand, Ophelia stepped through this portal back to the glass room. Pearl held one of her hands as they both glided down, Ophelia clasping onto Pearl's book in her other hand. They landed on the blue glassy ground beneath.
'Ophelia, next, you have to go back to the bank of the river. We don't have much time, due to the time difference, Amber would have finished the book by now', Pearl stopped and looked at her own diary in Ophelia's hand. She reached for it.
'You have to give it to me. Amber would recognize it', she explained. Ophelia agreed and handed Pearl her journal but not before considering that all three of the journals she was given had been taken by members of Pearl's family.
'What this means is that you can only read this when it is most secure. I will keep it when you're not using it. There can be no mistakes', Ophelia said nothing. The idea that Pearl would go to such lengths to keep things from her sister didn't sit right with Ophelia.
'Alright, I'll take you back now, you have to get the blue journal back', without another word, Pearl pushed Ophelia back to the riverbank. Ophelia caught sight of Amber, a few paces away, leaning on a tree, a small puddle at her feet which they had looked through in the portal hall to see her. Amber sat reading the book and Ophelia walked up to her quickly. She was too late, as Pearl had predicted, Amber was done, she was looking at the family portrait at the back of the book.
'Amber', Ophelia called out to her. Amber looked up at Ophelia and her stomach turned, she was afraid of the emotions she might find in Amber's eyes, disgust? Anger? Hatred? But instead, Amber wore a smile and there was a calm about her. She got up, dusted herself, and handed Ophelia back her book. Ophelia was too afraid to ask Amber any questions. Confronting Amber about her stalking Ophelia might lead to other matters that were better left unsaid. Ophelia was non-confrontational by nature, but her silence was also birthed by the opinion she nursed deep within her, that Amber, of all people, had a right to know, perhaps even more of a right than herself. They walked home together in silence but later that day, Ophelia saw Amber leave the house again and knew with certainty that she was headed to the library.