When the new week began, Pearl acted on her decision that it was not right for her to have left the library unattended for so long, she picked up her letter of appointment which Amber had given her all those weeks ago and decided to show up to the library first thing after classes that day.
The day passed without event and Pearl decided to go visit Mrs. Rose who still held her temporary position in the school as the substitute biology lecturer before going to the library. On getting to the office, Mrs. Rose seemed a bit excited.
'I'm resuming work in the library today' she announced, immediately proclaiming the purpose of her visit.
'Are you?' Mrs Rose asked, suppressing a smile.
'What's so funny?' Pearl still distrusted this lady, just a bit.
'What makes you think old Ann would need your help? You're leaving in no time'.
'I know that, but still, before I go, I have a responsibility to show up for the job I applied to.' At this, Pearl raised up the letter she had gotten from Amber and showed Mrs Rose. The statuesque lady took the outstretched letter and read it with a smile that widened as she progressed.
'Have you read this letter?' she asked, chuckling.
'No, why? I assumed-' As she spoke, her voice died away as curiosity and embarrassment prompted her to swipe her letter back. As she read, Mrs Rose got the pleasure of seeing bewilderment blossom on Pearl's face when she discovered that she had not qualified for the job after all. 'What!' she exclaimed when she came to the section that contained Mrs. Harry's condolences.
'You didn't qualify' Mrs Rose quipped, with a large smile still plastered on her face. 'Can you blame her? You'll be leaving in a few weeks so there's no point hiring you'.
'Still, she could have told me that in person.' Pearl's face fell as she considered the fact that she had failed to qualify for a voluntary job.
'Is that all?' Mrs Rose asked, glancing at the time on her watch.
I'm unwanted here too, Pearl thought. Suddenly, her schedule had cleared up and she had nothing to do with herself, even Ophelia was busy that day.
'No, I wanted to ask you about my mother.' The door opened and Ophelia walked in. Pearl immediately stopped talking.
'Pearl, we'll talk later' Mrs. Rose ended the conversation on that note.
'Of course ma. Good day.' Pearl replied, trying to act more formal in the presence of Ophelia. She turned to leave, but as she faced the door and Ophelia, she noticed Ophelia's excitement on seeing Mrs. Rose. Pearl felt mixed feelings at Ophelia's ease in moving on without her companionship. Maybe it was a good thing that Ophelia was so quick at adapting, it would make the short period of time between when Pearl left and when Ophelia joined her tolerable for Ophelia.
Pearl worked diligently on her book. Her training sessions with Mrs. Rose got fewer and fewer. The time she had bargained for herself was quickly coming to an end and she was less frequent in the library. Mrs. Rose had started making preparations for Pearl to join her in the ancient city but there was only one problem. Pearl did not want to go. She absolutely hated the idea of leaving her home, where she had grown up and all she knew. She was baffled by the tales of those who had left before, how they were begged to stay but chose to go. If she had a choice she would never leave, she would forget all about these strange tales and ancient cities. This city was enough for her, she would stay right where she was. She would pursue her ambitious dreams of building a business and owning half the town. She would write novels, draw, paint, anything! But she would never leave.
These thoughts filled her mind. Her every waking moment was consumed with strategies and plans, all to one end, staying. Her eyes became vacant, her mood even more distant as she could see the dark day looming when she would have to bid farewell to all she knew and loved. Her family noticed the change and tried to get her out of her dim moods but they could not. How could they? They didn't understand.
Pearl's strategies came to a head one day in the library. That fateful day, she was in charge of the front desk in Benjamin's stead. Although she didn't have a job at the library, she was still welcome and from time to time assumed some responsibility. She was not obligated to show up but her fondness of the place, and her attempt to escape the loneliness of home without Ophelia left her with nowhere else to go.
A package had come for the librarian. It was an envelope. Purple, with beautiful floral embroidery and sealed with no way of opening it. Pearl called out as much to Benjamin. Benjamin, in his experience, knew the only thing to do with that periodic package was to present it to its rightful recipient, Mrs. Harry, but Pearl had other ideas. She took the letter to the librarian and gained entrance into the elder's room.
Her plan was to withhold it from old Ann until she could pass her point across. Plead for a chance to choose not to leave. That was all Pearl wanted, her right to choose.
'Place the letter on the bed' Mrs. Harry called from beside the bed, where she sat engrossed in a scroll.
'May I have a word with you?' Pearl asked. Mrs. Harry put down the scroll and hid a vial which hung on her neck underneath her clothes. She then got up and walked with a stately gait to where Pearl stood.
'Yes, you may. Sit' She gestured elegantly at the bed. Pearl sat feeling a bit queasy, she was unsure she would be able to follow through with her plan.
'Mrs. Harry, what is the primary purpose of the council of Portal lords?'
The question was an unusual one but the elder answered with poise, 'Protection of mortals from the interference of higher beings'
'And the preservation of free will?' Pearl inquired.
'Yes. The preservation of the will' Mrs. Harry answered suspiciously
'Then why wasn't mine taken into account' Pearl began the onslaught.
'Pearl'
'No. Please, listen. I don't want to leave. That is my choice. My will. You can take my choice into consideration or the council or whoever ordered that I have to leave. I don't want to go. I like it here. Please' Pearl was nearing her breaking point. Her articulate points left her, in the face of an overwhelming reality, all she could do was beg. She was aware of the selfishness of her decision but she still had to try, maybe there was a way to stay and protect her family, maybe she could have the best of both worlds.
'You realise the implications of this decision'
'I'll never use my ability, I don't even have an ability.' Pearl quickly defended her position, pledging to follow the rules of the portal lords to those who decide to stay behind in the mortal realm.
'I meant on your family,' Mrs. Harry clarified. Pearl was silent for a moment and Mrs. Harry used the opportunity to grab the letter from her. She retrieved the vial on her neck and opened it, smelling the content, she touched the letter and it budded like a flower. All this happened before Pearl was even aware that she had lost the letter. Mrs. Harry then turned to Pearl and declared its contents, namely confirmation that she was indeed the one they were looking for.
'And if we know, they know too. You'll endanger yourself and everyone around you.' Mrs. Harry continued. 'Are you willing to do that?'
Hearing it spelt out for her disarmed Pearl of her arguments. The truth was that she wasn't ready for the repercussions of her actions. She left the room defeated, got home and cried into her pillow until she fell asleep.
Time kept moving on, whether Pearl was ready to accept the inevitable or not, whether she could discover her gift or not. Her wings had grown out and now they were a beautiful shade of gold, stretching out from her back, almost translucent with a glow like the sun. They were of course invisible to the eyes of normal humans and didn't cause her any pain or discomfort. The appearance of wings on her back would have frightened or at least excited Pearl in the past but all Pearl could feel at the moment was a sense of foreboding. The time for her departure was drawing ever nearer.
Mrs. Rose stopped coming to train her, signifying to her that her preparation was complete, Pearl was completely paralyzed, unable to take any action. She theorized and fantasized about possibilities, 'what ifs'. It was crude escapism.
In the end, she came to see that she had no options. Realization dawned on her in a most unexpected way, when one day Ophelia came home, a distant look on her face and told her in a cool, sober voice,
'I think that was the last time I will see Mrs Rose'
Pearl understood what that meant for her. She picked herself up and decided to accept her fate. The date and timing of her departure, she felt ought to be up to her, so she went to the library intent on going to the other realm without saying anything to anyone. She felt the goodbyes would be too painful. On getting there, the place was empty, though it was early evening. She went up the creaking stairs and found her way to the room. The empty, quiet room where her world was about to end or begin.
Pearl turned the door knob and the portal opened, beyond the door was darkness. This was it, she prepared to take the first step in then heard a creaking noise and stopped. The sound also stopped shortly after. Someone was following her, making their way as quietly as they could up the stairs, but the noisy stairs creaked under their weight giving them away. Pearl acted on impulse. She leapt into the room and shut the door behind her. 'It is forbidden to take a human with you', Mrs Harry's warning rang in her ears. Pearl was in no way ready to start tackling 'judgment from the portal lords'. The danger was abated, and the realm was closed to the average man.
Pearl was first stunned by the depth of the darkness, but as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she found that the room was not completely dark but had a dull blue hue. There was a spot of bright light but it was so faint and distant that it had nearly been swallowed up by the surrounding darkness. She felt like she was in a tunnel and the light source was its opening, and the only way out, she moved in the only direction which seemed to present itself, towards the light. Pearl had barely taken ten steps in the direction of the light when she heard, amplified by the stillness of the hall, the door open and shut. She wasn't alone.
'Mrs. Harry?' She called out trying to ascertain the identity of the newcomer.
But there was no response.
'Mrs. Rose?' She tried again, still silence was her response. Then she heard footsteps, quick and determined, her pursuer was running towards her at top speed. They had used Pearl's voice to ascertain her position. The darkness made the situation all the more frightful. She immediately turned and dashed in the direction of the light. There was no way to tell how close her pursuer was or even how many they were.
'Who could it be?' Her mind went over everyone that could be behind her then settled on Premonition with an unshakable certainty. Pearl knew it was her and no other on her tail, with this knowledge came the recollection that Premonition had a partner or boss, and there was a possibility he was also here. Pearl listened intently to hear the heavier footfalls of her male captor but was surprised to hear only her own. Had Premonition stopped the chase? Pearl's pace slowed to a brisk walk, she looked around panicked, trying to make out a figure in the dark as her eyes adjusted. In the silence, she could feel a faint breeze. She frantically scanned her surroundings, to no avail. Pearl's puzzlement lasted only for a moment before a gust of wind enlightened her, her pursuer had taken flight. Pearl did not waste any time. Though she was more naturally inclined to walk, she had practised flying a few times, applying all she learnt from Mrs. Rose, she took flight and fled to the light at top speed. She could feel her pursuer getting closer and closer and knew she was outmatched, she dared not slow down for a second.
'You can't escape' Premonition hissed behind her, her hand, barely missing Pearl's ankle.
The light was getting closer, larger and brighter. Pearl kept her eyes on that, on the exit and ignored everything else, she did not even consider looking back to see the face of Premonition, which would now be visible in the approaching brightness. Pearl had to fly longer and faster than she ever had and she could only barely escape Premonition's grasp. Every time Premonition lunged for her felt like the last but she had somehow found it within herself to keep going, to escape and persevere. But now, the chase was about to come to an end, Pearl was almost there, almost at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel, nearly enveloped in the light when she heard a loud whirring sound. In seconds, something hit her with so much force that she crumbled on the floor, her body crouched over in pain. She looked up to see not one but two hostiles, her previous captors she was sure, standing above her. They stood with their backs to the light, their faces hidden.
'I win!' Premonition shouted with glee. Pearl immediately understood. Premonition with her ability had checked to see Pearl's future direction and had predicted her position at this instant in time. All the other had to do was wait for the precise moment and then attack at full force. It was a simple plan, bait her into position then strike, Premonition was never meant to deal the finishing blow, she was just a distraction.
Pearl knew she had no choice but to fight, and to fight with no chance of winning. As she struggled to get up, blood dripped down her face and she realized she had suffered a head wound. The world spun and she fell again. Something felt broken in her abdominal region but she didn't have the time to consider that now. Pearl stood up once again, this time she didn't fall but she was still wobbly.
'I'll take this one' Premonition stopped her partner from advancing towards Pearl. Pearl staggered to face her, only to be knocked back by a hard kick to the side. She recovered from this quickly and approached again with more determination. Pearl struck, aiming for Premonition's side with a blow but Premonition saw it coming and dodged it, countering immediately with a blow of hers to Pearl's face. Pearl blocked, opening her torso to a smashing kick from Premonition, Pearl wheezed as she felt the air leave her lungs. In this state of daze, Premonition launched a flurry of attacks on her, there was no use dodging with the state of her body, she couldn't react fast enough, instead, she tried to block most of the attacks, looking for openings to strike back. The blows kept coming and Premonition quickly overwhelmed her, causing her to take flight in an attempt to avoid the assault, that was a mistake, they were immediately in Premonition's element and the attacks took on a new dimension as she struck from all sides.
Pearl crumbled back to the floor in a heap, more bruised and broken than before. She struggled to rise again while Premonition watched her with amusement. Her face must have been a mess, she could barely see and the pain was excruciating. She couldn't win and she knew it. Even if by some miracle, she managed to subdue Premonition, there was still the other one, with the ability to create those gateways to deal with. But still, Pearl struggled, she had just a glimpse of hope. If she could fight for long enough, maybe, just maybe Mrs. Harry would be able to sense the presence of the intruders in her portal, then help would come. With these thoughts in her head, she strived to get on her feet once more.
Pearl dragged herself, practically crawling to where Premonition stood and lunged in desperation. Premonition dodged Pearl easily, but Pearl's attack was a success, for she had aimed not for Premonition but for the little trinket she wore around her neck, hidden beneath her clothes. Pearl dangled her prize before Premonition and her eyes widened in shock. Fear overcame her features as Premonition, startled, subconsciously felt her neck feverishly for the necklace. It wasn't there, of course, the reality was before her, she had indeed lost it. Pearl knew that with this little piece out of place, Premonition would crumble like a pack of cards.