The Unusual Befallings of Cypress Clara Paige

Introduction: The Shopkeeper that Specialized in Peculiarities

Ravenna appeared to everyone outside the Veil as just an aging women, arthritis starting to take hold of her knees and hips, hair grey and white, back starting to hunch from osteoporosis, and one eye milky from a cataract. But hidden beneath her surface was a women with many more years lived then what her body showed, for the Veil had kept her life force going for longer then the Naïve. The women ran a small hidden shop adjacent to a busy street that specialized in peculiarities, in fact the shop was so peculiar that those who did not seek peculiarities did not even notice the crumbling façade of the shop just off of the boisterous street. Once in a while Ravenna would happen to collect a customer that accidently wandered in but they would soon forget why they were there and leave without much recollection of the small shop, which was what Ravenna sough; To protect the Veil from the Naïve and the Naïve from the Veil.

But it just so happened that on a brisk March morning a peculiar Naïve happened to wonder into her shop and set off a wave of unpredictability through the Veil...

Cypress Clara Paige was walking down the busy street in Grand Rapids Michigan, her goldenrod yellow pea coat jacket left open to display a band t-shirt courtesy to the 60 degree warm spell. Her long wavy brunette hair was tied back into a bouncy pony tail and her hazel eyes skimmed the street for something new and exciting. Beside Cypress, her friends Emery Katinski and Marisa Maska chatted back and forth with unwavering girl-power enthusiasm. Emery's shoulder length blond hair matched her pale skin and bright blue eyes while Marisa was the total opposite with long black hair, olive skin, and dark chocolate eyes.

Cypress came upon the old shop, it's faded sign reading "The Secret BookShelf." Despite walking this street on many other occassions and being vaguely aware that the old shop had to of been there, Cypress felt as if she was taking in the stores grimy windows and neglected exterior with a new appreciation, like putting on a new pair of glasses after outgrowing the old prescription. It was almost as if, despite the shops underwhelming presentation, there was something bright and alluring hidden somewhere just waiting to be found.

Sharply Cypress moved to cross the street just as the crosswalk sign begain to flash with the orange warning hand. Emery and Marisa noticed their friend and scurried quickly behind her before they needed to play chicken with oncomming traffic.

"Cypress!" Emery puffed dramatically once she made it to the other side safely. "A little heads up before you try to get us ran over!"

Cypress took her eyes off of The Hidden BookShelf shop sign to look at her friends apologetically. "Sorry! This shop just really caught my eye and I clearly wasn't paying attention to where I was walking per usual."

"It surprises me how you haven't accidentally walked off a bridge or something to your dimise yet." Marisa acknowledged.

Cypress looked guilty with an embarassed smile, breathing through her teeth as she glanced back in forth between her friends. She was fully aware of the truth to their words, but that didn't stop her from be aware of how unaware she could be with basic laws of safety. Shooting Emery and Marisa another apologetic smile she turned her head back towards the shop. But it was almost as if it had tucked itself inbetween the stores on either side of it and disappeared. For a few seconds she blinked in confusion and finally The Hidden BookSelf was as clear as day infront her her again. Cypress shook her head as pressure like a small headache found its way between her eyes. Walking towards the front door she called to her friends "This store just looks really interesting, I've seen it every time we've been down here, but its like I forgot about wanting to stop into it or something."

Behind her, Marisa and Emery looked from the back of thier friend to the front of the store in confusion as they followed Cypress inside the old squeaky door.