Chapter 4: Chapter 4

 

In Lily's dark bedroom, the clock's display rolled over to "4:00 a.m." It rang but the sound didn't last long as she shot up to meet the morning. The nerves of starting a new job made sleep almost impossible the night before. What sleep she did get was uneasy, full of tossing and turning. Thorne's first act of the morning was getting her feet tangled in her blanket and falling out of bed, landing on her face. Her next move was angrily grumbling profanities into her bedroom floor. After fighting out of the tangled sheets, Lily continued the string of expletives while hurrying to the bathroom. Clearly, Lily was not concerned about waking up her bedmate. Well, she would be if Kisa had bothered to show up, once again breaking his promise to come home. 

 

Though he flaked, it barely registered in her mind. Instead, Lily had spent the forty-eight hours since the interview brushing up on as much magical information as possible. Well, that was the original plan. Shame to say that everything she found was too dry to hold onto her already short attention span. So, what was meant to be an intense cramming session became binge-watching her favorite show for the millionth time. Now, while staring into the mirror, the sandy blonde-furred rabbit tried her best to recall any scrap of arcane knowledge hiding in her head.  Regrettably, there was none to be found. 

 

"How did I waste the entire weekend?" Lily reprimanded her reflection with worry evident in her voice. After letting out a heavy sigh and giving her short black locks a quick run-through with her brush, Lily gave her mirror a look of resignation. "Well, Goddess bless me, I suppose."

 

The morning train ride was uneventful though it felt shorter than it had the past two weeks. While she sat in the train car, Lily flipped through as many pages of magical information as she could load on her phone. Unfortunately, possibly due to the rabbit’s panicked stats, very little took hold.  As quickly as her eyes took in the information on a website, it almost immediately fell out of her head. Upon hearing the train conductor read off South Aldcrest station, Lily gave up and stuffed the device back in her pocket.    

 

The air was humid and carried a wisp of salt from the ocean. The sound of far-off boat horns and the caws of seagulls played alongside trucks rolling down old cobblestone streets, bringing goods to the businesses of Aldcrest. Lily darted and slid past her fellow commuters as she tried to get to Starlight on time. Though there was plenty of time, Lily wanted to do everything she could to make an excellent first-day impression. 

 

As Lily rounded the corner onto Gropple Lane, the rabbit was greeted by the sight of Danniel in front of Starlight. The wolf was unlocking the door as she called a greeting to him. Danny returned the greeting with a nod. 

 

Starlight Magical and Literature Supply sat nestled between two other, unconnected buildings. It stood out as compared to its bland-looking neighbors. The front sported two large windows with the store’s name etched onto them. Dark purple wood encased the glass and formed the frame around Starlight’s front doors. The doors were made of the same material aside from the center of frosted glass. Above the doorway hung a twelve-piece tin wind chime. While it swayed and sang in the morning breeze, a pair of metal orbs orbited the trinket. One was made of gold and about the size of a baseball while the other sphere, roughly the size of a golfball, was made of silver.

 

"So, are you ready for your first day?" Danniel asked while stepping inside the store, the new girl following close behind.  

 

"No, actually," Lily answered while catching her breath.

 

"Oh? Is everything okay?" 

 

"I have to be honest with you, Dreads. Magic isn't something I know much about."  It was never really a subject Lily ever took much interest in. Growing up, no one in Emera Va messed with magic; those who did were primarily farmers and laborers. Her time in school was no help, but that was due to Lily’s love of goofing off in anything other than music classes. 

 

"And?" Danniel continued. 

 

"Seems like that would be important. You know plenty about magic, right?" Lily stayed close behind Danniel as he walked deeper into Starlight. 

 

"Well, no, you don’t need to know much about magic to work here. Isabella is pretty knowledgeable, though. Either way, customers usually know what they are looking for so I doubt you’ll get many questions. It's a great place to learn if you're interested." Danniel answered as he stopped behind the front desk. "One sec, I need to unbind the store."

 

"Huh?" 

 

"Just watch." Danny lifted his right hand over the wooden countertop. Once over the center, the wolf spoke a string of words in a language Lily didn't recognize. The words echoed as they left his mouth. The set of golden rings, one on each of his fingers, began to emit white light. As Danniel continued, an intricate design spread from end to end across the countertop. The markings gave off the same white light as the rings. When the complete design was revealed, he clenched his fist and the store sprung to life. Every light in the store simultaneously switched on while the various closed shutters flung open. The symphony of clicks caused by Starlight's many doors unlocking was nearly drowned out by the smooth jazz that began to play through the store's sound system. As he pulled his hand away, the glowing from Starlight’s front desk and Danniel’s rings faded in unison. 

 

"Whoa," Lily whispered in wonder as the mage stirred the sleeping Starlight. 

 

"That is unbinding the store. Extra layer of security. As for your question, yes, I know a lot about magic. Proud Alumni of Moonris Academy." 

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"Any chance you could teach me some spells?" Lily asked as she resumed following Danniel further into the store.

 

"Sorry, but teaching isn’t my strong suit. Though I can point you in the right direction. Do you know what your element is?" Danniel stopped walking at a pair of elevator doors. 

 

"Hold on, why does this place have an elevator? It's like a single story." 

 

Danniel chuckled as he pressed a button on the panel beside the elevator. "Starlight has five floors, six if you count the basement. Why wouldn't we have an elevator?"

 

"No fucking way," Lily remarked, her voice slightly louder than it should be. 

 

"What? Also, language." 

 

"I've been past this place countless times, and there is no way in hell this place is five stories tall."

 

"You are overthinking it. We can talk about it later. I need to start my patrol." 

 

"Oh no, you don't," Lily spoke as she grabbed hold of the security guard's tail. The wolf let out a yelp as he was led back through the store and out the front door. As two cleared the threshold, they barely missed the arriving Isabella. Stopping on the sidewalk, the rabbit finally released Danniel before facing and pointing at Starlight. "Alright, how in the name of the Goddess do you explain five floors inside that?" 

 

"Okay, first of all, don't touch my tail," Danny snapped at Lily while turning to face her. "Secondly, it has six stories, and third-" 

 

"It's, like, a pocket dimension." Isabella interrupted Danniel before taking a sip of her coffee. 

 

"Come again?" Lily turned her attention to the bat. 

 

"Pocket dimension. Like, it's kind of trippy." 

 

"What she said," Danny motioned toward Isabella as she strolled into Starlight. " Is there anything else you want to know, or can I go now?" the wolf continued, a hint of frustration clear in his voice.  

 

"I guess not. Isabella seems more helpful, anyway." Lily answered while heading back inside. 

 

Danniel stared at Lily as she joined Isabella, mouth hanging slightly agape. The wolf tried to find a response but lost his train of thought as Sandra arrived. The pair shared a greeting while he continued the door open. As Sandra followed the others, Danniel headed back towards the elevators. He paused for a moment to glance back at Lily. Giving a shrug, Danniel returned to the elevators so he could finally get back to his patrol. 

 

"I hope she doesn't make grabbing my tail a thing," Danniel muttered while he stepped onto the elevator. He rested his back against the wall with arms crossed. "I get enough of that will Azela." 

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