Page 48 of Florescentia

“What did you come to experience?” She rested her chin on the pillow, her arms wrapping it to her chest.

I hesitated to say; it might have been too premature to proclaim. Or maybe it was because my goals would become real and an end would be on the horizon, if I decided on it firmly.

“Something new” was the answer I gave her.

There was a pleasant silence between us. The candles were burning short, the wax collecting into the holders.

“Dorian and I met when we were children,” she said suddenly, an answer to my first question. This may have been the first freely offered answer from her. “We were not well off, grew up on the same block. We married for convenience, for more benefits when he joined the army, hopefully to keep him from the draft. But he has never done me wrong; he was my best friend. There is not another soul like him”—her eyes flicked to look at me one more time—“not even the ones who mimic him.”

The way she spoke of him was like spiced sugar, a refined sweetness that could only come from carefully curated layers of memories. An extract of every laughter shared, the nights of comfort in each other’s arms, the trauma that held them together like armor.

Then there was the faintest tinge of animosity.

“What was the first miracle you asked for?” We had come this far; I thought to try one more time.

“I asked them to bring him home,” she whispered. “They had lost contact with his unit. They said they didn’t want to keep up our hopes of finding them.”

“And you got him back?”

“That time, yes.” Her eyes were shining, then she rubbed her hands over them.

With every word, I could feel the effects on every tendon, every nerve. My muscles unwound, the organs inside me operated with a bit more ease; even the tension in my jaw loosened.

“May I retire now?”

I blinked a few times, forgetting where I was.

“Of course,” I said, clearing my throat.

“Good night.” Her voice was but a whisper, but she did not leave in any rush. If anything, she lingered.

For someone stricken by loneliness, she seemed to seclude herself quite often. But it made me wonder about the next time I would see her, or the next.

Small rewards, like earning the trust of some delicate thing that could ruin itself at the slight stress of being cornered. I sensed that type of desperation on her. Not the hopeless type, but the fight in her. She was just tired.

Until next time, I suppose.

Chapter Fourteen

The Nova

“What are you looking for?” A voice in my ear.

I swatted, as if the shadowy beast were a mosquito.

“You’re quite rude for a lady.” A small, doll-size version of the shadow appeared on my other shoulder, using my ear to stabilize.

“Keep pestering, and I may forget what I’m looking for altogether.” I plucked and pulled different books from the shelves, returning some and swapping others.

The Treasury was barren today, as most of the population had to punch into their shifts by nine and wouldn’t get their first break until noon. That was no time at all to indulge in personal curiosities. So many worked so hard they did not read, not even one book within the year. Though, not many wanted to spend their recess at the Treasury or any of the surrounding offices. The perfect time for my personal uninterrupted browsing.

“If you just use your words, I could be of some service,” the shadow said directly into my ear, tugging on my lobe as he balanced on my shoulder.

Almost uninterrupted browsing, I should have said.

“I think it may help to find out why I am the way that I am,” I told him.

The shadow evaporated, then as I pulled a book, the glowing eyes appeared behind the shelf.