• The Demon's Curse •

1: In Which Lily Falls

In this day and age, nothing is without Knowledge. The ever-growing cycle of learning is never ending. And that is no different for Lily Mason. After finishing her first year of College, she had gotten a job at he local University as a book mender. It wasn't much but it lowered her tuition a substantial amount. Today was her first day and she was running late.

Her black hair swished behind her as she ran for the main doors of the University. She held her books and pushed up her glasses as she weaved through the students. The final bell rang and Lily burst through the office doors, where her boss stood waiting. Lily immediately began to apologize to the woman, who only kinked a brow.
The woman was tall and had a very distinct look about her. Black tribal tattoos covered her arms and shoulders, (and possibly her back) and her hair was braided with long dreads. Each strand braided with strings of gold. Her skin was free of any scarring and had a toffee color to it. On each finger shined a golden ring, completed with bangles around her wrists.
"You must be Miss Mason. I've been expecting you. I'm Madam Calypso, The head Librarian. Your work shop is right next door." She said, beckoning the girl over. Lily followed the voodoo queen to the small shop that flickered to life once the switch was flipped.
"I set a few books aside that needed some mending. Poor things have seen better days." She came over the the work desk and held a thin book in her hand. The spine had been badly damaged and it seemed some pages were falling out.
"This one was one of my favorites. I had any friends in this book. Some just felt alive to me." Madam Calypso had set the book down, noticing Lily felt awkward in the presence of such a woman.
"I see." she finally said, "I feel that way about some books too."
At the top of the stack was the sad broken book of Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wayne Jones. That had been one of Lily's favorites since she was young. A tale of a Wizard who blackens his name so it becomes easier to be a coward. That is until the antagonist turns the main heroine into an old woman who has to find a way to free the cowardly wizard from his bargain with a demon.
"I can't stay long love, I have to meet up with a shipping partner and pick up some leather bindings. I should be back soon." She said casually walking back toward the exit office. "Oh and one more thing, "If you need anything, ask call me on my Cell phone. The number is written on the desk."
Lily nodded in thanks and gave a small wave goodbye. It wasn't until she was completely alone that she managed to sit down.
As foretold by the golden bangle Woman, the sticky note with an order of numbers. Lily took off her coat and adjusted her glasses. She added the number to her contacts and decided to get straight to work.
She reached for the first book, evaluating the damages. Just as she had suspected.
Opening the book was a mistake.
Pages upon pages flittered out and scattered all over her desk and floor. Lily let out a string of curses only to indicate her frustration. She picked up a page and looked for a page number. Unfortunately for the small book mender, there was none.
"How am I supposed to put them back together now?"
For a moment her hand reached for her phone inside her pocket but halted a moment later. This was nothing major and nothing to worry Madam Calypso about. Lily had been a dull girl all her life, living her life in the comfort of her books. A practical girl who would turn twenty within a few days. Nothing would ever really be different for her until she picks up those pages anyway- but You'll learn that soon enough.
Picking up a few sheets, Lily squinted at them.
"Why are off these blank?"
Surely this was a joke? They had words on them a second ago but now each page was blank. Perhaps disappearing ink. Flustered by he new found prank, she threw the pages and grabbed the book cover. Also blank but steadily growing hot.
The heat intensity had grown, causing Lily to cry out and drop the cover. The cover felt like fire and Lily was concerned, someone had it out for her.
Then all of the blank pages began to glow a golden color, frightening Lily to the fullest. She ran for the office door, trying her damnedest to pry it open but it was stuck. Just her luck. The glowing was now blinding and soon too bright to see anything.
However the book mender suddenly felt the floor fall from under her, making her scream a long echoing screaming.

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