The bottom was dimly lit and crowded with people. She should have left when the first crazy woman started screaming about broken cages and killing people, but Kell would never forgive herself the chance to hear the end of the story, let alone be part of it. Yet another female figure spoke of fixing rifts and the mess these others had made. When? Who? Why them if they had already failed? So many questions were posed and unanswered. Watching several people make their way to the door, Kell approached it as well. She was determined to make her name known in Ashdown and saving the day seemed like a good start.
It was bright and snowy on the other side. Kell immediately knew something was amiss. Finding a discarded paper in a bin, she gleams the front page. 1922, Oh boy. She tried her hardest not to panic. Glancing down at her tie dye shirt and camo shorts, she quickly ran to a group of houses. There were several children playing in the yard. Two of the boys seemed roughly her size. Their mother was folding laundry quietly in the side yard. Approaching cautiously, Kell asked the woman where a shelter was, and if she had a shirt she could spare. Overcome with emotion, the woman called her son to run inside and grab several of his shirts. Most of them had holes, but Kell thanked her profusely and asked if there was something she could give in return. About that time, a boy about Kell's age came from inside the house.
"Mother! I need help with my math!" the teen yelled. Looking sheepishly at Kell, she replied "Your father will be home soon, you know I can't help with that."
Kell quickly offered to help him. Politely inquiring which level of math he was taking, she didn't notice the weird looks they were all giving her. Finally, after several moments silence, she asked what was wrong. They were surprised she could even read! Completely taken aback by this, and more than a little angry, she took the boys book and began to read it aloud. After several paragraphs, she asked the boy what he needed help with, and he was eager for the instruction. He explained that neither parent had much schooling, and he was hoping to become a doctor. When his father returned home, Kell was invited to stay for dinner, and an agreement was reached. Kell would tutor the children, and in return she was allowed to rent the guest room. They did not have much money, so Kell agreed to start paying rent the following week after finding some work.
The next morning, Kell sought work in town. She was resting in the park with a pencil and her sketch book when a shadow passed over her art.
"Interesting angle on that crow's neck. You can almost see the intelligence in it's eyes."
The voice startled Kell. It was deep, smooth, almost hypnotizing. Hurriedly hiding the sketch, she rose from the bench. Pushing her bangs from her eyes she glared at the man. "Of course you can, they are smarter than most humans." she quipped.
Laughing the gentleman apologized for the critique. Instead he offered her his hand and a job. He runs a local newspaper and would love someone to illustrate a few items each days. The pay sounded good, and she loved to draw, so why not? Jotting down his information, she agreed to meet him in the morning to settle the details.
azuredreams
