Alarming would be a vast understatement – not that anyone would truly know. When an unfamiliar owl has found her, Nell had been somewhat curious – but that curiosity had shriveled up and perished like a single droplet of water under the desert sun when she’d seen who it was from; what had she done to have the Professor of Astronomy reach out to her?
She’d fretted the whole way to Professor Lyra’s office, left with only her own thoughts on the matter.
(Was she in trouble for dropping Astronomy? Or because she only made an A in it? Had she down something wrong previous club meeting? Or had she not participated enough in the last book club meeting? Maybe she’d been seen loitering around the Astronomy tower too much, studying there instead of the library, and that was suspicious…)
Apprehension hung about her like an ill-fitting coat and this was blatantly obvious, she knew, as she knocked ever so softly and opened the door with great care, clutching the edge like a lifeline as she paused in the threshold. Even as the Professor welcomed her inside, with assurances everything was fine, Nell couldn’t shake the tension wrapped around her bones.
Professor Lyra was nice, kind even, she knew this – but the urge to make herself smaller and placate couldn’t be shaken; still, she offered a poor half-courtesy as she shuffled her way in and, with a visibly surprised stutter step, over to the plush chairs. She clasped her hands and played with her fingers to keep from chewing on them, glancing around as she tentatively sat.
“Um, yes,” her gaze darted briefly over to the professor, but did not linger before falling back to her lap: “Yes—please—th-thank you, Professor.”
She’d fretted the whole way to Professor Lyra’s office, left with only her own thoughts on the matter.
(Was she in trouble for dropping Astronomy? Or because she only made an A in it? Had she down something wrong previous club meeting? Or had she not participated enough in the last book club meeting? Maybe she’d been seen loitering around the Astronomy tower too much, studying there instead of the library, and that was suspicious…)
Apprehension hung about her like an ill-fitting coat and this was blatantly obvious, she knew, as she knocked ever so softly and opened the door with great care, clutching the edge like a lifeline as she paused in the threshold. Even as the Professor welcomed her inside, with assurances everything was fine, Nell couldn’t shake the tension wrapped around her bones.
Professor Lyra was nice, kind even, she knew this – but the urge to make herself smaller and placate couldn’t be shaken; still, she offered a poor half-courtesy as she shuffled her way in and, with a visibly surprised stutter step, over to the plush chairs. She clasped her hands and played with her fingers to keep from chewing on them, glancing around as she tentatively sat.
“Um, yes,” her gaze darted briefly over to the professor, but did not linger before falling back to her lap: “Yes—please—th-thank you, Professor.”