SWNOVELS Chapter 3~The wind of change
It was a normal monday... Up to a point. In the morning Ivelle woke up, then went to university where she had boring lessons, just like any other day.
At 2 in the afternoon she headed to the library where she was supposed to meet Dr. McKenna. Dr. McKenna was the head linguist in the university. She stepped in the library. The smell of old books and dust filled the air. It was quiet, only the sound of the turning overs could be heard. She looked around and noticed the tall aged man sitting at a table, reading a large book. She approached him.
"Umn...Dr. McKenna?"
"Yes. Ms. Preston. You wanted to meet me?" He looked up at her, from behind his oval glasses.
"Yes, Professor."
"Very well then. Please, take a seat." He aimed at the seat across the table. Ivelle sat down and waited. "Well, Ms. Preston, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well it's more like a question."
"Go on."
"My mother gave me some...umn...well these are like journals. They look really old and filled with strange writings. I was wondering if you could help me with them." She looked at him. The professor was calm and motionless. For a while, which felt like forever, they sat in silence. Then the professor took a deep breath.
"I can try to help you. Could you show me one of these journals?" He looked at her with searching eyes.
"Sure." She rummaged in her sack and felt the professor's gaze on herself. "Here it is."
Dr. McKenna took the journal from her. He examined it for a while. He turned page after page and sometimes hummed.
"It indeed looks really old. You should ask one of my colleuges to take a look at it. About the language. It's latin, but some words are spelled differently. And there are some sentence, where the grammar looks incorrect, although it reappears again and again. My conclusion is that it is something like a dialect, although I have never seen it before." He took another look at it than handed it back to Ivelle."Where did your mother get it?"
" I don't know. It must be some kind of heirloom I guess. I've never seen them before."
"I see." He looked at the table. ."Well it could be very valuable. Take great care of it."
"I will. I am grateful for your help."
"Don't be. It's my pleasure to help my students." He stood up. "I'm afraid I need to leave. Have a nice afternoon Ms. Preston."
"Thank you professor, you too." The old man nodded and walked away. Ivelle sat there for a few more minutes, staring at the journal, then put it away and left the library.
She stepped out the old building. The sun was already setting, and its glow filled the sky with the different shades of red. It was beautiful. She made her way to the bus stop, still admiring the sky.
Half an hour later she arrived home. She stepped into the small flat, hearing voices from the dining room.
"Granny, I'm home."
"I...I...I'm in the dining room, Darling." she snobbed. Ivelle rushed to the room, but froze when she stepped in. Two police officer was sitting at the table with her crying grand-mother. She froze. She felt like she was paralysed. She couldn't move nor think. She knew that something very-very bad had happened.
"Are you Ivelle Preston?" The officer asked her.
"Yes..." Her voice was timide.
"Ms. Preston, I regret to say, but your mother was murdered last night." Symphaty appeared in his eyes.
"Wh...what?" She still couldn't move. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.
"She was found this morning in her house. No signs of grappling. We believe that it began as a robbery. Your mother was in the wrong place, at the wrong time." The other officer said. She was younger, around 25. "You have my sympathy. We would like to ask you some question. Please, take a seat."
Ivelle went to the table with shaky legs and sat down. "That can't be true. She can't be dead."
"Ms. Preston, when did you last see your mother?"
"Umn... In August, before I came here."
"Wasn't she acting strange, did you notice anything strange about her?"
"N...no, I don't think so."
"Is there anyone who would want to hurt her?"
" No, not at all. She doesn't...didn't really know anyone."
"I see..." she wrote something in her notebook.
"Then, I think, we're finished here." the man said. And motioned the woman to follow him. "Thank you for your patience and cooperation." They left the house. Leaving Ivelle and her grand-mother in silence. Ivelle stood up and went to her room. She laid down on her bed and cried. And fell asleep.
She woke up in a dense forest. It was surprisingly light in there. She heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around.
"Thanith. I was looking for you." A man looked down at her. She knew him from somewhere. He was tall with brown eyes and hair.
"I..." She wanted to answer but an arrow stood in the tree behind her.
"Come! Run!" They ran away. And then...
Ivelle woke up. "Another stupid dream. " She sat up and looked out the window. It was late night or early in the morning. The stars were shining on the sky. Her gaze wandered to the journal on her desk. She opened the one she believed to be the last one. A letter fell out of it. "Where did it came from?" she thought. The letter wasn't in the journal last time she saw it. Her name was written on it with her mothers handwriting. She opened it up an started to read it.
"Dear Ivelle,
I'm writing you because I'm in great danger. Some of my enemies found me. They will try to kill me. I know it. I'll try to hide, and you have to do the same. I have a friend in Naunton. Her name is Margareth Lloyd. Go, find her and show her my letter. She'll explain everything to you.
I love you,
Mom"
Ivelle couldn't move. "Enemies? What is she talking about?" Tears appeared in her eyes. She laid back and fell asleep again.
Her dreams were confusing. She woke up every 30 minutes covered in sweat. She thought that it had been the worst day of her life. But she didn't know that her life will soon change forever.