This city was a stain and Ellie's hatred for it knew no bounds. She sighed as she stared down the dark alleyway. She hated her job but it paid the bills at the expense of late nights. It had been three years since her mother died and she had never felt more alone than she did tonight.
The city blared with lights in the distance, but that was not the case for the less developed parts of it.
She hated the endless noise, the concrete death trap that surrounded her but this was only temporary. Or at least that was the lie she would always tell herself.
She willed herself to put one foot in front of the other, narrowly avoiding a pothole filled with rain water.
The moon hung behind her, illuminating the night as she continued to walk.
Taking this shortcut was a really dumb idea and even though she knew it, she did not have a choice. It was late and her entire body ached. The thought of walking another five blocks was beyond what she could bear so this seemed like the logical conclusion.
The illumination of the moon was cut short by the two buildings she had chosen to walk through. But even as she continued, she could feel eyes on her. She bit down on her lip as she quickened her pace.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and before she could move, she heard a low, rough voice that sounded too close for comfort.
"What's the rush little lady?"
The voice came from behind her and without a single thought, she bolted.
Her bag slammed against her sides as she dashed through the alley, the cold air biting as her lungs burned from the exhaustion. She was not athletic at all and she had never claimed to be. The sound of the footsteps continued after her as she ran, her blood drumming in her ears. She burst onto an open street, still gasping as she continued to run with all her might until she reached her apartment building.
Charles, the doorman, was a man in his fifties. He took one look at her and opened the door as quickly as his aging body could take him.
"Miss Hawthorn. Are you okay?" He asked.
Ellie's lungs burned as she nodded, letting her breath come to her, hands on her hips as she was bent over, taking in all the air she could afford without choking.
"Yes. I'm fine Charlie." She finally said amidst small gasps of air. "Remind me never to walk past dark alleys again."
Charlie's eyes widened as he was about to scold her.
She raised her hands, stopping him in his tracks. She knew what he would say and she also knew he was right.
"I know, I know." Ellie told him, still a little out of breath as he eyed her for signs of injury.
Charlie was a sweet man and she would know. His wife Rosetta was just as sweet as he was, always sending her a cake whenever she had the chance.
"Good night Ellie." He finally told her, satisfied with his investigation.
Ellie walked for a minute before finally getting to her apartment. She was on the ground floor so it had not taken her that long.
Her apartment door had never looked more beautiful. She quickly fished for her keys, her hands still shaking as she opened the door. The door clicked behind her as she stood at the doorway, letting the rush settle for a moment.
Finally, she lazily dragged herself towards her sofa, tossing her bag before collapsing face-first into the bed.
The sofa squirmed beneath her due to the impact. She should wash away the chaos from today, do anything other than stay face first on this sofa but somehow, she preferred to stay there.
She turned around, catching a view of the water stained ceiling as she sensed the rattle of the city outside her window. She really hated it here.
"Protect it Ellie. Promise me you'll protect our legacy."
Her mother's words filtered back into her mind as tears began to form at the corner of her eyes.
She had been so confused, she still was even as she thought about it now. She rambled a lot in her final days. If only she could understand what her mother was trying so hard to tell her. But she only looked at her with a distant look. The same look she would have whenever she told her those wonderful stories. Stories of magic, fairytales and creatures beyond this world.
Ellie's stomach pinched at her, pulling her back to the present. She reluctantly dragged herself from the sofa, slowly making her way to the kitchen, opening the freezer. Just as she thought, she was almost out of supplies.
She peeled the plastic off the plate of half eaten food she had stored for a key occasion like this and placed it in the microwave.
A small smile crossed her lips as she once again became lost in the rotation of the food in the microwave. Her mother would have been scolding her by now. She would explain why real food was crucial towards keeping the soul alive.
If Ellie had learnt anything, she just might be right. She felt more detached than she had ever had in her whole life. The microwave beeped and she quickly went towards it to retrieve her food.
With only hunger on her mind, she grabbed the hot container without thinking.
The plastic sent white hot pain shooting through her palms as she juggled it, trying to maintain its contents. She stumbled sideways, as her hip collided with the counter, reacting with pain. The container flew from her hands, tumbling through the air for longer than it actually was. Ellie lunged for it, both her arms spread open to catch it when she collided with the door to her closet. The door shifted in a way she had never seen before as her food went crashing on the floor but she was not worried about that right now.
She gently stood up, dusting her bottom as she shifted the closet, half expecting it to be a trick of the light or something. She carefully shifted the closet door to reveal a dark stairway behind it. The air felt different, like it was drawing her closer, dancing around her skin like tiny tingles.
She slowly reached forward into the darkness and as soon as her hand crossed the threshold, a torch she had not noticed before came to life. She jumped back, startled by this flame that was natural and for the first time, she could see a glimpse of what this place looked like. It was made with stone, like the ones from medieval times and as far as she could see, the stairway was going down in spirals.
One instinct was telling her to head back and pretend like she had not seen this, but another egged her to move forward. The torch burned blue and white at its hottest center. She turned back at her apartment, giving the food that had now painted her living room a once over. There was no turning back now because her mind was already made. She took the first step, watching another torch come alive but this time, she was no longer surprised. She continued to descend down the steps, taking in the sight as she continued. The stone was well made and it looked like it had survived centuries. How was something like this in her basement all along. She had a few thoughts but she would not let herself believe it.
The stairs seemed endless before she finally saw an end in sight. She continued as she came into the opening at the base of the stairs. Ellie must have stopped breathing and did not realize it because suddenly, she felt her body's protective instincts remind her to breathe. The space that lay before her was not meant to be possible. It was beyond anything she had ever seen in her twenty four years. The space stretched upwards far beyond what her eyes could see.
It was a circular chamber that housed more books than she had seen in her entire life. The floor was made from polished marble stones that faintly echoed every footstep. There were rows of bookshelves that circled upwards in a well tiered arrangement. Stairs that led to small interconnecting bridges were made in a way that allowed access to books that would otherwise be beyond reach.
It was a grand library. More than she had ever seen anywhere in the world.
The circular effect left a dizzying sensation when she tried to make sense of it all.
It was overwhelming without a doubt and she stood there, gazing as she took it all in. Who could build something like this?
There were more books than she had ever seen, she thought as she allowed herself to take a step into the open space. Books in languages she could not read, leather bound covers, some with fur bound covers and tiles she had no idea what they meant.
She watched as dust motes danced around the lights that had come on. This time, they were bulbs. The air smelled of old leather and paper. Ellie willed herself to walk forward, still in a daze as her footsteps softly echoed on the floor. She had lived here for years and had no idea something like this existed behind her closet.
She continued to wander, walking past shelves and checking out the titles as she went. She finally found a corner that had a large table, its surface covered with dust except for the middle.
In the middle lay a heavy book, bound very tightly. But what caught her attention was the tiny brown envelope that was placed on it. She gently picked up the heavy book, assessing it for a few seconds before she dropped it.
Ellie turned the envelope around to reveal a name. Her name — "Ellie Hawthorne."