Literature Quotes:
"I dream of you, to wake: would that I might Dream of you and not wake but slumber on; Nor find with dreams the dear companion gone, As, Summer ended, Summer birds take flight."	Monna Innominata by Christina Rossetti
More Quotes / Submit Quote from your writings

I didn't like the beginning I wrote yesterday... it just wasn't revealing my main character's true nature... she was too much of a good girl so I wrote a new beginning today. I like the addition of Quant... he was an unplanned character and will definitely be the reason behind her future actions and explain her attitude as an adult which will be seen at the end of the story. He's actually inspired by a guy I met on a train ride!

She hated walking through town. Today again, the townsfolk avoided her like the plague. They would suddenly walk faster and the maidens would shriek if she caught them off guard. She knew her darker skin and red eyes were disgusting to them but she had never caused any trouble and she secretly wished that they would accept her and perhaps talk to her. The priestesses at the temple were nice but they never talked to her for pleasure only for her studies or to reprimand her except of Ael’lys of course that had been like a mother to her. She often wondered if it was because the head priestess had ordered her to. Was Ael’lys’ comforting smile a fake one, that smile that cheered her up after her errands into town to fetch the daily bread and eggs for the temple could it really be real? She was the enemy, after all! Half of her belongs to the underground world, to those who were said to drink blood at breakfast. She frowned, the mere thought of drinking that kind of thing for breakfast brought a knot to her stomach. “Gross,” she accidentally spurted.
“Pardon me,” replied Mr. Jorgon as he raised and a brow half offended and half surprised. He had never heard her speak before. He had expected her voice to be like painful shrieks … something from the depths of hell but it was soft and sensual exactly like his own daughter, which is about the same age.
Unsure of himself, he cleared his voice before speaking: “ A problem with my goods missy?”
Bea bent low in apology, scared. It was the first time she spoke to someone outside the temple and to top it off she had offended him. “No, I am sorry, my mind was elsewhere, the usual please. Sir,” she added quickly trying to be has polite as possible.
“Didn’t the mothers up on their hill teach you any manners,” he added with his booming voice teasing her but Bea was frightened. She bent even lower repeatedly excusing herself.
The next customer patiently waiting behind Bea walked forward interposing himself between Bea and Mr Jorgon. He was a traveller judging from his dusty clothes and backpack. “Have you no shame frightening a young girl like that, Sir. Is that how you sell your goods?”
“Umm,” stumbled Mr. Jorgon as he hid his hand in his dirty apron pocket, “I was simply teasing the little missy here. That’s all! Right, Missy? No harm done! ”
The traveller placed a hand on Bea’s shoulder to help her stand up. She shivered. No one had ever touched her other than Ael’lys. She rapidly brushed his hand off with her own. His touch had felt warm and gentle but it had also scared her. She worried about why he was nice to her. No one in town had ever bothered to help her not even when their own kids threw rocks at her. Was it because he was a traveller that he was nice to her? Maybe, he didn’t know. It was best if he didn’t talk to her if he was going to spend some time in town. It would only cause him issues with the residents, she convinced herself as she handed silver coins to Mr. Jorgon and ran off with her basket.

“This will be tricky,” thought Quant as he watched Bea run away. He knew where she was going to the little pond hidden by the Saul trees outside of town. The traveller had watched all her movements for the past week and knew her schedule quite well.
“Good traveller, some eggs or some bread for 10 copper maybe,” offered Mr. Jorgon.
Quant laughed and disappeared in broad daylight right before a stunned Mr. Jorgon. He did not notice the 3 apples missing from his stand till later that day!

Bea sat by the pond looking at her reflection in the water. She hated her red eyes. It was entirely their fault if people treated her differently. She pictured herself in a fancy pink dress walking down the street laughing merrily with boys flocking to her side, bringing her flowers and candied apples as gifts. That’s how it would have been if she had normal blue eyes like all the other girls, she thought as she broke the water’s surface with her hand blurring her image.
And the temple priestesses tormenting her everyday by making her run errands into town. How could they not know how she was being treated? What was the point of it all, she sighed looking at the bread loafs and eggs in her wicker basket. She was late, the chef would yell at her again. Last time, some of the eggs had broken and she was thoroughly chewed out by the chef. It hadn’t been her fault some of the town boy had pushed her down. She had tried to explain, she even showed the bruises but it didn’t matter she received a couple more for her troubles.
Bea bit her lip hard till blood ran down her chin. Remembering those whip lashes made her mad. It was just plain wrong to treat children like that. Was she the only to realize this? She stood up and kicked the tree she had been lounging by. A few golden leaves fell gently to the ground ignoring her rage. She yelled offended that even nature rejected her. She held out her hand to the tree and barely brushed the rouged bark of the tree. The bark began darken and crumble. Bea watched as all the leaves fell to the ground all at once. Maybe it was the half breed in her but at that moment she had been very pleased at killing the tree and laughed giddily wishing all those around would just up and disappear.
The first time she had been thought the touch of death in her lessons at the temple, she had been scared; to be able to kill so easily was evil but now she rather enjoyed the power. She sworn among the ashes of the tree that one day those townsfolk and the priestesses would receive proper justice and she’d be there to deliver it.
Ael’lys’ face popped into Bea’s mind. Ael’lys was also a priestess but she had been different she had cared for her, cheered her on and calmed her cries when she had been picked on. Guilt crept into Bea violently like a sudden storm. She bent over and heaved. How could she wish her death? What was inside her? A demon? Tears ran down her cheeks she really didn’t want to be half Dark One. It frightened her to have these weird urges. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve to remove the rest of her breakfast from her mouth. She kneeled among the ashes and prayed. Gently a small green sprout came forth. It grew bigger and bigger till all the ash had gone in it stead stood a new tree nearly identical to the first.
Solemnly, she picked up her basket and directed her feet towards the temple kitchens. This time she wanted the beating.

From a far, Quant was impressed at the display of power Bea had shown him. He really didn’t want to be on her bad side. Taking her by force was out of the question. It would get him killed and Quant would rather avoid that a second time. Being brought back to life was a painful process, he thought as he looked at the gemstone adorning his middle finger.