✓ | Silent Shadows ⋆ Will Herondale [1]

CHAPTER SEVEN: BALANCE

◤I believe every person has both light and darkness in themselves. When it's their light side that dominates ⎼ they are bright and pleasant to be around. Their mind is filled with rich colors and each day they wake up ⎼ they emit the generosity and understanding. Almost like the sun. It makes people around them like them, they want to be around them. However, when their dark side wins, it's almost like a cold winter suddenly came. Snow substituted their sun and they were ready to do whatever it took to send people home, away from them.◢

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CHAPTER SEVEN: BALANCE

MARIE wasn't sure just how long she had been wandering from one street of London to the other in hopes of finding a perfect place to settle and divert thoughts of her father to a happier memory. She didn't want to be found by other residents of the Institute and perhaps that was the reason behind her sudden decision to leave London Institute's ground and search for her new safe haven.

She kept on moving instead of choosing to face the problem and solve it. Her legs agreed with her mind, taking her straight to the Tower of London.

In no time, the girl had found herself in St. John's Chapel.

Marie immediately recognized a semi⎼circular arch, symbol of the Romanesque style. The chapel itself was built from stones that were imported from France and had a tunnel that introduced its unique interior. Inside the building, there were thick, round piers that supported characteristic Romanesque arches, notable for their simplicity; present were only very simple and clean carvings in several places, usually of scallop and leaf designs as only decoration. Rows of wooden aisles were filling the space of the chapel that dated all the way back to the late 11th century.

Marie remembered reading everything about the Romanesque style in one of Institute's many books, but no description in any book could ever come close to seeing the magnificent building in person.

She felt her heart beginning to race. Somehow, standing alone in such a grandiose chapel made her feel small and irrelevant.

It made her think about how stupid it was of her to let an argument make such an impact on her. Quarreling with Jessamine wasn't something Marie was fond of ⎼ even though it was something that took place more often than not ⎼ but it did remind her of her old self, just a little.

It awoke the girl who had been asleep for past few months, reminding her that it was again the time to be awake and fulfill her destiny. It was again the time for the brave soldier to stand up for herself, to fight and represent her thinking with pride.

Even if that meant fighting with those who were dear to her heart.

Deep down, Marie knew it was wrong to argue with friends. It was unnecessary to invoke fights, but it was stronger than Marie. In her honest opinion, Jessamine was asking for it. The blonde girl couldn't pass on a single opportunity to annoy someone. She didn't even pay attention to whether her words hurt someone or not.

"So, you enjoy visiting old churches now?"

Marie turned around, watching her intruder with a frown on her face. "And you couldn't have resisted following me, could you?"