The Arcane Ones

Elai

Few can say they've known the terror that is falling asleep alone and waking to a stranger in the bed with them. Nothing feels familiar and the panic sets in faster than you can even open your eyes, like the world went sideways.

Elai had seen a girl before, of course. They lived in the right-wing dorms on the other side of the Home. They dined in the same room, across from the boys at the long table every morn and eve. They looked the same to Elai, with the same white uniform and hair cut short above their chin, just covering their ears. Sometimes they'd laugh behind their hands or look at each other with glances that seemed to be secret conversations in their own right. Other boys would often sneak into their side of the dorms at night, and there was a regular group of girls that would show up in the boy's dorms, but Elai sat aside with mild curiosity.

This girl beside him was unlike any of the ones he's seen before. Her skin was just as pale as any Ilnathin, but on her it was like polished porcelain. Her hair was long, sprawled out in messy swirls over the sheets and the pillow like water over rocks. He imagined it sweeping the floor when she walked. Elai was mesmerized by her closeness; he must have laid there for an hour or more before the golden morning sunlight illuminated her face, stirring her awake. Paralyzed, Elai thought to feign sleep but it was too late, their eyes met and he held his breath. Her eyes were the bluest he'd ever seen.

"Shall I fetch mornmeal first?" it was more of a statement the way she said it, in a voice small and whispered, as if she was just getting used to speaking for the first time. He nodded wordlessly and she rose, her hair waterfalling over her shoulders. He watched her pad barefooted to the door and open it without even undoing a lock, and after only a few moments she reappeared with a tray of food. She gracefully kneeled, placed the tray in the center of the woven rug and looked up at him expectantly.

The food in the Home had always been delicious, if boring and plain. The porridge served for mornmeal nearly every morn was honestly nothing worth waking for, and Elai's dread for life itself had only been exacerbated by its dullness. But the porridge-like meal the girl brought to him was like the same porridge received an upgrade worthy of the king's own kitchen, Elai would swear it to be the truth. It was topped with fresh berries, the spices were stronger and a clear, golden sauce was drizzled on top. If it was made like this in the dining hall, Elai couldn't see himself ever tiring of it. In his hunger, he cleared his bowl before the girl finished hers and sat in silence, trying to find the words. He had so many questions. Where are they, who is she, and why are they here together like this? Why is her hair long? But the girl was the image of calm, as if nothing was amiss, and this was just another day. At the very least, Elai was new here, so something had to be explained.

Asreth might have sensed that the boy was uncomfortable, but that didn't fit her expectations so she banished the thought. He was surely just waiting. For what, she couldn't begin to imagine, but she sure wished he'd just get on with it. Yet, she took her time eating, hoping he would prove to her something she dared not hope for. He looked a deal younger than her night visitor, but perhaps Ilnathin boys just looked young, since that man had dark skin and was no doubt Ma'ilna. Not arcane. The silence between them was deafening. Asreth concentrated on her slow movements to keep herself calm.

Finally Elai found his voice.

"So, this is the Ilnathin Children's Home, right? Is this a punishment, or are we going from here to the city?" The girl had the bowl in both her hands, draining the last of the soup as delicately as a doll might, posed for a shop window. She took her time finishing, setting the bowl down gently and raising her eyes to his with an air of caution.

"You mean, you do not know why you are here?" Her heart beat faster and she could feel her legs grow weak even as she sat on the floor. The fear of being wrong, of being caught unaware and being harmed by this stranger. By every stranger after him. Surely, just as the Ma'ilna had all those nights as her visitor, this boy would hurt her. It was just a part of being a Pure Mother, apparently. The boy stammered.