The Weavling

Chapter 5

Three days had passed since Eleanor had sent Abby off to her class. Abby had happily bounced into school on the first day, the heartfelt conversation from the night before largely forgotten.

Eleanor lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and tracing patterns on her mattress with one finger. It didn't feel right, going about her day without her little sister there, smiling at everything and practicing with her powers.

"She'll be fine," she whispered to herself.

Eventually, Eleanor found herself waking up to another bright morning. Her sleep had been dreamless--a rare occurrence for a Weavling caretaker. It should have been a welcome respite from the long nights that came with living through dreams, but somehow, it only left Eleanor feeling hollow.

She went through the motions of her day halfheartedly. She couldn't give school her full attention; her mind kept wandering, imagining worse and worse situations that could happen to Abby. That classmate of hers, Dominic, could bully her. She could accidentally hurt herself. She could get sick!

Eleanor forced herself to think of other things as she walked home. She scrutinized the cobblestone roads, counting the ones that had moss growing over them, as she maneuvered around a group of noblewomen who were walking in the opposite direction. They eyed her, taking in her plain blue dress and troubled expression. Eleanor averted her eyes and continued to count.

Three, four, five, six, seven... OH!

Eleanor gasped as a wave of vertigo hit her. The world began to spin lethargically, and she lost her balance. She tried her best to fall gracefully, so as not to stain her clothes or scratch up her knees. Even so, her left knee and both of her hands scraped the ground, and she winced as daggers of gravel dug into her skin. She blinked as hard as she could, trying to stop the spinning. It helped a little bit--enough for her to stand carefully and brush the debris off of her hands.

Eleanor looked around to see if anyone had seen her fall. The ladies were long gone, leaving her alone on the road. This pathway was never very busy.

She began to walk towards her house once more, then realized that she had yet to check in with Alicia. Hoping that she would be able to stay on her feet, and, wondering what had caused that episode, turned left, towards the north, and made her way to Alicia's house.

Eleanor knocked on the red wooden door of Alicia's house.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice called from inside.

"It's Eleanor," Eleanor responded. Footsteps could be heard, then the door swung open.

"Eleanor, come in!" Alicia said with a smile that deepened the crow's feet at the edges of her eyes. Alicia was only around 40 years old, but stress and hard work gave her the illusion of being older.

Eleanor followed Alicia into the house, closing the door behind her.

"What brings you here?" Alicia asked. "Do you want some tea?"

"Um, that would be nice, thank you. Abby started Extended class three days ago."

"Did she now? That's odd," Alicia replied, as she rummaged in her kitchen cabinets. "Please, feel free to sit down."

"I thought so, too," Eleanor replied. She pulled a wooden chair out from the kitchen table and sat down sideways on the chair so she faced Alicia. "Ms. Alton was adamant that she was ready."

"I suppose she'd have a fair idea of whether or not the children are ready."

"She certainly thinks so," Eleanor muttered. Alicia walked over to the table with two sets of teacups and saucers, bringing the earthy smell of the tea with her. Eleanor swiveled in her chair so her legs were under the table and smiled gratefully at Alicia as she set down the ceramics. Alicia sat down in the seat to Eleanor's right.