Veilborn: Into the Magic World

Ellie Vaughn squinted her eyes against the pale morning sunlight slicing through her blinds. The shrill sound of the alarm clock, by her bedside, pulled her out from a dream she couldn't quite remember. With a groan, she slapped at the snooze button, missing the first time and finally silencing it on the second.

For a few seconds, she stayed still lying straight, her eyes blank, staring at the ceiling of her room, trying to draw out the scenes of her dream.

The city of Aeryn was already awake beyond her window, the muffled sounds of honking cars and distant conversations drifting in. A faint hum of life, constant and unyielding.

She rolled over, whining as she spotted the time. "Great," she muttered to herself. "Another late start."

Throwing away the blanket, she dragged herself upright, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet meeting the cool wooden floor. It was a small room in the three roomed apartment where she lived with her roommate.

The sketchbook she was drawing on the last night, sat open on the nightstand, a pencil resting in its spiral binding. The half-finished sketch caught her eye, a twisting, gnarled tree that seemed to shimmer with an unnatural glow, even on paper.

Ellie picked up the pencil without thinking, her hand moving almost of its own accord to add fine lines and delicate shading to the bark. The sunlight filtering through her blinds painted fragmented patterns across the page, and she traced them absently, weaving them into the tree's intricate design.

A knock at her door startled her. She dropped the pencil and snapped the sketchbook shut, as though caught in the act of something illicit.

"Ellie!" her roommate Sophia appeared opening the door, trying to put her heels. She wore a grey skirt with a white blouse. "You're gonna be late. Again."

Ellie sighed, shoving the sketchbook under a pile of worn paperbacks. "I'm up, I'm up," she called, though her body protested the very idea of moving.

-----

The café smelled of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries when Ellie arrived, breathless and slightly frazzled. The familiar din of conversation and clinking ceramic mugs filled the space, a comforting sort of chaos she'd grown used to.

"Cutting it close, Vaughn," her coworker Vamie quipped from behind the counter. He was elbow-deep in a tub of coffee beans, his curly hair tied back with a bandana.

Ellie shot him a sheepish smile, tying her apron on as she hurried to join him. "It's called making an entrance," she said, brushing past him to grab the order list.

Vamie snorted. "Yeah, well, your 'entrances' are gonna get you fired one of these days." And that is something she didn't want.

She shrugged, already pulling shots of espresso for the next order. The motions were second nature to her now—fill, tamp, pull, repeat. Her hands moved with mechanical precision, but her mind wandered.

The café was busy for a Tuesday morning, a mix of regulars and the occasional new faces. Ellie plastered on her customer-service smile, handing out lattes and cappuccinos while making small talk she barely registered.

"Another day in paradise," she muttered under her breath as she set down a steaming cup on the counter. With the weather getting colder as Autumn passed by, she liked the warmth of coffee and the hushed murmurs of the cafe. Not too loud nor silence, just perfect.

The hours went by. The clock above the pastry case seemed to move in slow motion, unlike Ellie's thoughts which were rushing. As much as she enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the coffee shop, Ellie found herself glancing at the clock every minute, willing it to speed up. Her sketchbook waited for her, and the thought of diving back into its pages was the only thing that was on her mind.

"You okay there?" Vamie asked, raising an eyebrow as he handed her a fresh stack of cups.

"Fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

"You're always tired," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe you should take a day off. Get some sun or something."

"Yeah, sure," Ellie said, though they both knew she wouldn't.

By mid-morning, the rush had died down, leaving Ellie a brief moment of respite. She leaned against the counter, absently doodling on the chalkboard menu with a piece of white chalk. The swirls and shapes she drew were aimless at first, but they soon formed a pattern, a winding vine with tiny blossoms.

"Beautiful," came a voice behind her, startling her.

She turned to see Mr. Harrow, one of the café's regulars, standing with his usual cup of black coffee in hand. He was an older man, with silver hair neatly combed back and a pair of thick-framed glasses perched on his nose.

"Thanks," Ellie said, stepping aside to let him get a better look at the chalkboard.

Harrow tilted his head, studying her work with a critical eye. "There's something... unusual about your style," he said after a moment. "Almost like it doesn't belong in this world."

Ellie laughed nervously, brushing chalk dust from her fingers. "It's just doodles," she said. "Something to pass the time."

He raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Is that what you think?"

Her cheeks flushed under his scrutiny. "I mean, I guess I do some art on the side," she admitted. "Nothing serious."

Harrow took a sip of his coffee, his gaze never leaving her. "Well, you should reconsider. There's a depth to your work that's rare. A kind of... otherworldliness."

Ellie's heart skipped a beat at the word, "Otherworldly". It wasn't the first time someone had used it to describe her art, but it always struck a chord she couldn't quite name.

She shrugged, trying to play it off. "I just draw what comes to mind," she said, her voice light.

"Hmm." Harrow placed his cup down and straightened his jacket. "Whatever it is, don't let it go to waste."

Ellie nodded, unsure of what to say. She watched him leave, the little bell above the door jingling as he went out.

Her fingers twitched with the urge to grab a pen, to capture the spiraling feeling his words had stirred in her. But the clock struck noon, and another wave of customers flooded in, pulling her back into the grind.