The Necronomicon

Chapter Nine

Eleanor had always wondered if she would find love. Most, if not all, of her friends were already married, and some of them had been for years. Even Audrey had a partner now... but she tried not to dwell on that.

She worried that she would be left behind.

Every day, she got a little bit older. And getting older meant becoming less attractive. In The Elder's society, you needed to be attractive — especially if you were a woman.

The air rushed through her already quite tangled hair, and she smiled through the breeze as it pulled at her delicate features. Perhaps her friends had grown up too quickly. Eleanor had a dream — a dream that she wouldn't tell anyone. Her dream was of a new world, a world where women didn't have to get married.

Eleanor shook away the memories of her youth. She needed to be present, here, right now, in this moment. The Elders were gone, most of them dead — including her own husband. The others were in hiding. She needed to find, lead, organise.

But most of all, she needed to find Audrey.

For now, though, she had to focus on The Elders. She needed to get as much information out of the remaining ones as she could, for she had no idea where Meredith had gone. Despite Meredith's spoilt nature, Eleanor loved her dearly, as much as she would if Meredith was her own daughter. And her only lead for Meredith's whereabouts resided with those old men.

She had managed to track Elder Watford down — she knew of his hideouts from her husband — and she knew that it was him who had spoken to Meredith last. She stood outside his room — he was staying in an inn just down the road from the brewery, which had been deserted — and, without thinking about it any longer, burst into it. As she strode in, he looked at her, startled. Without any formalities, without even nodding her head courteously to him, she spoke. "Where is my daughter." It wasn't a question — more of a statement.

Elder Watford looked at her with scrutiny in his eyes. "How did you find me?"

Eleanor roared in anger. "That doesn't matter. You don't need to look so angered — no-one followed me here. You know that I regret what I did. Believe me, I'm trying to help you. But I can't do that unless you tell me where my stepdaughter is."

"I'm not quite sure where Meredith is now. She left for the woods a few days ago," He offered, shrugging as he turned away from her.

Eleanor struggled not to lean over and throttle him, her eyes flashing. "The book's gone from the shelf. Did you give it to her?" When Elder Watford didn't reply, she repeated her words, barely controlling herself, trying not to spit with the speed at which she spoke.

Elder Watford nodded at her in answer, drawing away from her.

"Why her? It's dangerous!" Eleanor asked, her voice rising almost to a shout — a tidal wave of pure hate.

"Eleanor, surely you understand — she was our only choice." Elder Watford explained, and Eleanor couldn't help herself — she spat on him and his expensive tunic. He stared at her in surprise, and she inhaled sharply.

"There is always another choice." Eleanor said in an uncharacteristically low voice, turning and leaving for the woods.

Eleanor had, in society's eyes, rotted. Though her brain was fresh and ripe, her body was not — she knew that. She was too old to be wanted by almost anyone now. Nobody in their right mind would marry her. . . apart from Elder Hawthorne. There was a massive age gap, but Eleanor knew it was marry him or be cast away from society.

And despite herself, she knew that she needed a husband — if only to escape society, and for her own security in life. Even though she penned her thoughts about The Elders every night, even though she didn't agree with them... Eleanor was going to marry Elder Hawthorne. She knew it in her head. She knew it in her heart.

She had to. Or jeopardize her situation.

It was a cold, almost wintry day, despite it being summer, when he had proposed to her. As she'd looked into his eyes, she'd felt overcome with emotion — and it wasn't love. It had been shame. She was marrying into a society she didn't believe in, being forced to do it, and she was going to have a stepdaughter to teach. Nevertheless, Eleanor had accepted, even after considering what her life would be like. Elder Hawthorne already had a toddler, a two—year—old named Meredith. Eleanor worried that when Meredith grew up, she'd be ignorant, and just follow the instructions of her father. But the one time Eleanor had tried to teach Meredith free will, her husband had come in.

That was the first time Eleanor had been hit by someone, but she'd stood strong throughout it. She hadn't let a tear slip down her face. She wouldn't give him the power.

And after that, he never touched her in that way again. She never gave him a reason to.

Eleanor had learnt to distance herself from her stepdaughter, lest her husband do some snooping and discover her diary. When Meredith was older, Eleanor would teach her. She'd give her her diary.

As Meredith grew older, Eleanor became more and more worried. It was clear Meredith knew absolutely nothing about the world they lived in. She didn't know what The Elders stood for, but Eleanor knew that if The Elders should ever fall, it would be Meredith who would get hurt. She didn't know how she knew this, but she felt it deep within her.

Even in her marriage, she had to address her husband as 'Elder Hawthorne', and he called her 'wife'. Not the most appealing pet name, but it was only what she'd expected from an Elder.

And now, here she was, about to save Meredith, a girl she loved as much as if she were her own daughter, just like she should have saved herself years ago.