Lady of Letters

Chapter 2

"She's Black. Dark as the night. How could he?"
The room got quiet, none of the men were talking, their heads down like they were broken.

The one talking wore big glasses that reflected the sky in them. Nobody could see his eyes.
It clearly hid his watery eyes that followed from his anger.
Fists clenched, he stood still in front of the window, his eyes staring out, at the place where she stood.

The Black woman.

"Doesn't he know the value of our pride!"

"Robert, calm yourself down. You cannot change it...so take it like a man."

He turned around with his furious face and aggressively took down his glasses.

"Has ever been a Black Nigger in our circle, James? Tell me. Somebody TELL ME!"

"Enough, Rob. Be quiet, they will hear us." He looked up as the only one and met his eyes fearless.

"Dean Winchester, for once you should really stop trying defending that old man! 100 years...a hundred years we exist and never a coloured person dared to call himself a man of Letters!" He spoke violently, "And all of a sudden, a black, inexperienced Girl appears, asking once like an angel, and she's in the LEGACY!"

"This is not the place nor the time to let your xenophobia out, Robert. She is like everybody else here, and she will be treated that way." He disproved, his tone now louder.
"I will assure that, in case someone dares to question it! My Grandfather knows what he's doing. He never brought us any danger, neither has he ever brought shame over us. So trust him.Robert."

________

"What led you here, Cassie?"

"Nothing, I decided to go myself, Sir. There was nothing I wanted to do more than this."

"This?" Henry asked, turning towards her with a weak smile on his lips.

"Learning about the things men doesn't understand, be a guardian of this knowledge. Hunting the evil, too." Cassie looked to the floor "And revenge people, including myself. A long time ago it took something from me..." she finished, her voice bitter.

"The evil always has to do something to you, before you hate it, before the evil we see as justice gives us injustice." Henry spoke, his footsteps echoing in the dark hallway they were both walking in.

"See, it took something from us, too. Every Man lost something to the darkness, this is why they came to fight it, to understand it."

Cassie felt her heartbeat get faster as he said the Men. It hit her again, like an arrow straight into the chest. Unconsciously, she lifted her head in shock, her eyes taking a distance from Henry and stopping at her hands. Her dark, black hands.
If she only had thought twice, she would have run back into the car and driven home with Charles. She felt like her skin turned into unbearable weight, trying to slamm her to the ground and let her stay there, beat and broken.

"Do I really belong here, Mr.Winchester?" she turned around, looking him straight in the eyes, the suitcase in her hands shaking.
"I'm afraid I won't be accepted"
Her voice echoed into the further darkness, further and further like in her head, making her feel darker and darker with every word. She stood still and looked into his eyes, desperately searching, begging for
Something that would take the fear from her.

Henry watched her, confused...But comprehensive. He smiled trough the sadness he suddenly felt as the words hit his ears.

"I don't know if you do...And I don't know if they will see you as one of them." Henry answered "But you won't find your place, unless you don't look for it. So...choose what you want to do, Ms.Robinson."

Dean sat next to his grandfather's seet, concentrated on keeping the room calm. James was looking in his direction from time to time, seeking his attention. Dean replied a few times, nervously, his hands playing with each other.
His anger was still present, but he was good enough at hiding his feelings.
Robert wasn't. He looked over to him, who sat in the middle of his friends, who tried to calm him. It was unwatchable, the way he got away with it.

He loudly exhaled the air in his lungs which were under pressure. The ticking watch above his grandfather's seat sounded like bangs of a hammer in his ears. He'd never thought waiting could be this difficult.

Time never seemed to pass. His eyes started to wander across the whole room and focusing wasn't possible anymore. He knew, when she would step trough that door, when she would take her first step into the legacy, that nothing would ever be the same again. There was an unpredictable change they were standing in front of. And the longer he thought about it, the more his fear won. Though from the beginning, the believed in it, he fought for this change, and he promised not to let Old Henry down.
It was a promise he told himself to hold.

The clicking of the lock shook him out of his thoughts and his eyes widened as he heard the heavy door open loudly. He didn't realize that he had stood up like everybody else, his eyes were glued to the open door.
Seconds passed, before he saw his grandfather come in, followed by her.

"Sonofawhore..." Dean whispered to himself. He didn't see her face, it was covered by a Bordeaux hat that she pulled deep in her face. But from his place, he saw her big curls jumping up while she took staircase after staircase. And her caramel skin, that stood out. His heartbeat got faster.
She must be made of milk, honey and chocolate so pure, whoever bit her would keep the taste if her existence. She must have have the beauty of something he hasn't seen before.

"Gentlemen" Henry's imposing voice echoed trough the room ,and silence followed. She stood calmly next to him, her head still not lifted.

Dean looked in her direction not longer than a second, his courage wasn't enough to keep him looking, it was like she knew, that he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"I want to present you our new member. Her name is Cassie Robinson, she is from Missouri, the city not far away from here. I expect you to take her with friendly greetings and a warm welcome. When occasion is, you will show her the necessary things she needs to know. For now, this is all I have to say.
Welcome Ms.Robinson, May you stay long with us and keep the knowledge you will have with pride."

"I feel very pleased to have been accepted here, Sir Winchester." She looked up, straight into his grandson's eyes, her dark red lips forming a gentle smile.

The young man responded smiling back at her.

"Dean." "Yes?" He asked. "Show the young woman her room, she must be exhausted from the voyage."

"But where is her room grandfather?"
"It is on the third floor" the old man said.
"One door from yours." He added, slowly walking to his seat, to then sit down.

"I nearly forgot, I give her into your responsibility. Whenever she needs something, you are there to help her."

"Of course." Dean answered, not looking at Cassie.

"Who is her partner?" the question came out out the crowd of men, who stood behind her.

"As Sam has left us, Dean will be by her side."