Shadow's Little Flower

The well out side of the orphanage was always difficult to draw from, Reilla thought as she pulled the rope that brought the sloshing bucket to the surface. It was centered amongst the immense greenery that surrounded the stone building Reilla had called home for the majority of her childhood, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables all grew abundant in this little corner of their world.

Children ran underfoot, laughing and singing as Reilla hauled the bucket up, untying the rope and grabbing the handle. It was heavy as she gripped it with both hands and turned to carry it inside.

“Reilla!” One of the children cried hurrying to walk alongside her. “Mona used her powers and froze Kai again!” The water in the bucket came to standstill as Reilla looked behind her to see the boy who was indeed stopped in place like a statue.

“Mona!” The young woman called, narrowing her bright brown eyes at the girl who had her hand out with swirling gold dancing along her palm. “What has Miss Harken told you about using your time magic like that?” Mona, a girl of about eight with dark hair and eyes the colour of her magic, pouted indignantly before pointing at the boys hand.

“He stole my toy!” Reilla’s gaze moved to the boys hand and saw that he indeed had the small wooden horse that the man who delivered stock to the orphanage had made for her, as he did for all those who came to Harken Orphanage.

“Then take it back!” The young woman laughed. “You already froze him, what’s he going to be about it?” Mona’s eyes lit up and she quickly stepped forward to steal the toy before the limit of her magic dissolved and Kai abruptly came back to life.

“Hey!” He cried, turning on his fellow orphan. “I’ll get you for that!” The chase was on through the gardens, instantly full of the shouts and cries of other children who joined in just for the fun of it. Reilla picked up the bucket of water again and carefully carried it back into the orphanage’s kitchen where Miss Harken herself, the caretaker of the orphanage, was in the middle of preparing for tonights stew.

“Just down there, would you please, sweet girl.” The woman, who was about in her late fifties down with greying around her temples, gestured to the counter top beside where she was cutting up carrots.

Reilla knew there were other orphanages in the world that were as bad and dreary as the world seemed to expect, gods knew they got plenty of kids coming from places like that, but Harken Orphanage was not one of them.

Miss Harken had done her utmost to raise Reilla and the other children that had come to her with as much care and love as she could muster. Even when they came from such horrible situations that it sometimes took time for them to realise safety was a concept that was real.

Reilla had been lucky in that she’d simply been left on the orphanage’s stoop on evening in late spring almost eighteen years ago. No, the only life she knew was the Miss Harken and the orphanage and growing up hearing the harrowing tales of how her friends and companions had come to live with them as well.

Many times she had felt the pain of others when they’d arrived, eyes hollow and skin worn, sometimes knowing kindness and other times having no concept of it at all. She had grown up with warmth and had learned to share it. But that also meant her upcoming eighteenth birthday was a deadline that hung more and more over her head.

“Here, start on those potatoes, there’s a good girl.” Miss Harked pointed with her chin towards a pile of potatoes and Reilla set about washing and peeling them, just as she had done many times before. The companionable silence between caretaker and the young woman was one born of many days working together, once Reilla had been old enough to pick up a knife.

Chores were an everyday life in the orphanage but Reilla supposed they were like that for every child growing up. Or, they aught to be. It was good having skills like cooking, there’d been plenty of times new children had needed to watch every step of the cooking process before they’d felt safe enough to eat. And even then, only after Reilla ate first.

After some time, however, the steady clacks of the knives hitting the cutting boards were interrupted by Miss Harken as she looked up at the young woman who brown hair was streaked with soft pink strands, all braided over her shoulder as she cut the potatoes into manageable chunks.

“Have you thought more on what you will do after your eighteenth birthday?” The caretaker asked, watching her charge with a studious eye. Reilla’s knife stilled as well as she stared down at the potato she had just accidentally mangled.

“No.” The young woman admitted simply, looking up at the woman who’d raised her with a spark of defiance in her eyes. “Miss Harken, why won’t you simply let me stay on? The law states an orphan must leave their orphanage at the age of eighteen unless the caretaker formally take them on as apprentice. I know this place like the back of my hand! The children all love me, what better person could you choose to be your apprentice?” She pouted, glaring furiously at the potato like it was the problem.

“I don’t want to make plans to leave! This is my home!” Miss Harken sighed, putting down her knife and picked up the cloth beside her to wipe her hands with.

“Reilla, sweetheart, I doubt that you’re wrong.” Her tone held all the warmth and kindness a woman like her could muster. “But, we’ve talked about this. You grew up here, in a place a lot of the children who come here believe to be heaven. This is all you’ve known. Hearing the stories of the others and trying to help them through it is all well and good but if you are going to take over this place, you need real world experience, my darling. You can’t rely on others stories to get those children who only see threats where they look to open up to you.” She reached out to press her had softly to Reilla’s cheek, stroking it reassuringly.

“I need you to live, Reilla. See more of the world then our little garden. Grow and learn and if you come back, then I will take you on as an apprentice. But first, you need to work out what you’re doing after you’re eighteen.” At that moment, a hesitant knock came at the door and both women turned to see two boys, both barely teenager, looking at them apologetically. On their collars was a small flower, as was every child that came to Harken Orphanage, sitting pretty with their roots tangled into the fabric.

“Sorry, Miss Harken, Miss Reilla.” The boys said and Reilla recognised them as relative new comers who seemed to think Reilla was already an assistant and not one of them. “We was playing hide and seek with Riley and we can’t find him now, is all.”

The one who was speaking was running his thumbs so vigorously over the hem of his shirt, it was a wonder he wasn’t ripping the stitches clean off. She knew this as well, it was a habit of a boy who thought he would be punished for any small discrepancy, so she smiled soft and polite as Miss Harken chuckled.

Reilla closed her eyes and suddenly, the world went dark. Her lips twitched down into a frown because it was not normally dark when she did this, there was normally some kind of energy dancing in her vision.

But not now, which told her that Riley had likely hidden himself somewhere small and dark, which was a problem. Straining to listen, she finally heard the boy move amongst what it sounded to be like the wooden crates where they stored the root vegetables for eating.

Her eyes flew open with a relieved grin. “Oh, that silly boy.” She looked at the two worried teenagers. “Try looking in the cellar, around where we keep the potatoes and the carrots. He does this he’s clever though!” The two boys looked at her with wide eyes, full of confusion and disbelief, before Miss Harken waved her knife, which she’d picked up again in the meantime, at them in a non-threatening way.

“Well, you heard her! Off you trot, we’ve important things to discuss.” The two boys looked at each other, shrugged, then took off running towards the cellar door as Reilla turned. She’d barely opened her mouth before Miss Harken’s glare was levelled at her. “Don’t even think about it.” She scolded.

“I don’t understand that little trick you do with you flowers any more than you do and while it may be extremely helpful, I can run my orphanage without your summoned flowers, Reilla.” The young woman pouted again, picking up her knife to continue peeling and cutting the freshly washed potatoes.

“I just don’t understand what else I’m supposed to do.” She complained as her knife clacked against the cutting board in steady intervals. “Most jobs look for those who’s magic suits them best. What am I supposed to do as a flower summoner? There’s too many of us, we can’t all become florists. We can’t fight, or heal, or even make anything because our flowers die when we retract our magic. It’s useless magic, at least, everywhere that isn’t here. How many children have I made smile because of how beautiful my flowers are? Oh, Miss Harken, can’t you see that I’m best needed here?” Miss Harken looked up the sweet young woman with the pink streaks in her hair that marked her magic, unusual even for a flower summoner, and smiled sadly.

“Reilla, my dear, you think that because you have yet to properly experience what you might do for the outside world. This is why I want you to know more than just the orphanage. I can help you get a job in town and a place to stay, at least for a little while. I know Mr. Horne at the apothecary is looking for an apprentice and I’ve heard talk he’d like to experiment with your flowers.” Reilla frowned at that and Miss Harken chuckled.

“Yes, I know, they turn to dust when you remove your magic, but he still wants to try. And isn’t it a good option? You’ll go on errands, visit other towns, see more of the world than what you know now. There’s a life out there, Reilla. I just don’t want you to miss it.” Reilla put down her knife again, having finished her task with the potatoes, and grabbed a cloth to wipe her hands with like the woman had done before.

“I don’t know.” The young woman said, looking down at the cloth in her hands. “If you won’t let me stay on then I don’t know what I will do. An apothecary doesn’t seem half bad, I suppose, but where will I live? Who will I stay with? Normally when someone graduates from the orphanage, they have some apprenticeship lined up or some kind of plan for their magic. Or, if they’re extremely lucky, they find out they’re enrolled in Arcane Academy and go traipsing off to that fancy place to learn how to make their magic stronger.” Reilla tapped her finger on the cutting board, gazing out the window as she thought of all the others she’d watched age of the orphanage system before her, wondering how they were doing now.

“Arcane Academy.” Miss Harken sighed as she began to toss the vegetables into a pot of boiling water over the fire. “That place, I never understand how they enroll their students. The handful of times one of my charges has been enrolled, the invitation appearing as shocked me half to my bones. I wish they had more of warning to it, cause not a person I’ve heard attend has ever actually volunteered for it. It’s always sharply out of the blue. At least they have the decency to allow potential students to say no, imagine you got the news you were enrolled all the sudden and couldn’t even refuse.” She shook her head as she turned to add more things to the pot. “Not that should happen for you, Reilla. That college is focused building strong magic users and, unfortunately, the reality is a flower summoner just isn’t what-”

All conversation in the kitchen ceased the instant a swirling purple orb abruptly appeared between the two women, casting an eerie glow over the food and their faces. Both women dropped what they were holding, stumbling back and raising their arms to shield themselves as though to block an attack, which were reflexes well honed in an orphanage full of children with magic some were able to weaponize. But, the swirling purple orb did no such thing, instead it just hovered in the air between them before a smooth but oddly emotionless voice began to emanate from it.

“Greetings from Arcane Academy.” Reilla had to cover her ears with her hands because the voice seemed to vibrate inside her skull. An orb from Arcane Academy? She’d only seen it once before, several years ago when she was still small, and a strong lightning mage had received a notice of enrollment. That had happened in the middle of the dining hall then. Wasn’t it meant to happen in front of the person enrolled? Or, had it appeared to Miss Harken so she could inform the student in a more personal way? Certainly, it wasn’t there for Reilla, since her magic was too common and weak to-

“I am here to inform Reilla Harken that she is formally invited to attend Arcane Academy at the beginning to the new school year. All food and travel needs will be provided should you choose to attend and your provided token should be presented as you arrive. Uniforms and everything students need will also be provided by the school. If you do not wish to attend, simply tell your token and you enrolment will be cancelled. Thank you, and we hope to see you at Arcane Academy.” Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the purple orb abruptly popped like a soap bubble and a small metal token dropped down and landed with a clang on the kitchen counter.

Both women stood staring at it, completely dumb founded. The very last thing they had expected to happen had just occurred and neither of them knew how to process it until Reilla mumbled out. “They called me ‘Harken’.” Miss Harken nodded slowly.

“They use the name of the orphanage as an orphans last name. At least, they did the last two times I’ve seen this happen.” She reached for the token but didn’t touch it, seeing the fancy engraving across the front that spelled out ‘Reilla Harken’. “They enrolled you.” She breathed, like her understanding of the world had just been flipped on it’s head. “They actually enrolled you.” Reillas shaking hand reached out for the token, almost expecting something extravagantly magical to happen when she touched it, but all she felt was the cold of the metal against her skin as she brought it up to look at.

“Me?” She asked in complete disbelief. “They want me.” She blinked at it before looking up at Miss Harken.

“What could a common flower summoner ever do at Arcane Academy?”