Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Abby.
***
When she woke in the morning she was feeling much, much better. The sun was shining, and she could here birds shrieking as they fed their young. By the looks of it, it was only early, probably five o'clock in the morning, but she could already hear the household beneath her bustling.
She found clean clothes like the ones that the girls were wearing on the dressing table next to the window. With a sigh she drew the curtains and started getting dressed. While she was brushing her hair, there was a knock on her door.
"Hello? Are you awake in there?" a voice called.
"Yes," Abby called. "You can come in."
The brown skinned girl walked in and stood at the doorway. "Lark sent me up to see if you wanted to come down for breakfast, or else she can just send some up." She said, eyeing the girl warily.
"I'll come down," Abby replied quietly. Twisting her hair into a quick knot, she put the brush away and followed the girl downstairs.
"I'm Abby by the way." She said and held her hand out for the girl to shake.
"Daja," the girl said and shook her hand in return.
They made their way down to the dinner table where Abby introduced herself to Sandry and reintroduced herself to Tris.
"Just a question, Abby." Tris said. "Why don't you believe in magic?"
Abby sighed. She knew this question would come up. "You guys know I'm not from around here, right?" they all nodded.
"Well," Abby said. "I come from a society that isn't ready to believe in magic. Therefore, no one in that society believes in it. It's just the way it is." She sighed. She wished that her society could be more understanding of different things.
It's just like with the African American she thought. They were treated badly, just because they were different to the Europeans.
She brightened up. "But I'm different. Especially after that demonstration you gave me last night Tris. That was cool."
The redheaded girl grinned. "Thanks," she said. "I've been working on it a lot."
Abby grinned back at the girl, and a bond formed between them.
The girls chatted about innocent things until a loud thump was heard, followed closely by vulgar words and curses.
"What was that?" she asked, curious and worried at the same time.
The girls laughed. "Oh," Sandry said. "That was just Briar getting up."
The girls around the table burst into gales of laughter, then quietened down when Briar came down the stairs and glared at them.
"What's so funny?" he asked, scowling.
Sandry smiled innocently. "It's nothing Sleeping Beauty, oh, I mean, Briar."
He glared at the girls as they erupted in a fit of giggles again.
"I see you've made friends," he said to Abby. Abby smiled.
"You could say that." She said, and her smile grew.
"So, does one of you feel like showing me around this place?" she said to the four young mages.
***
Abby was amazed at all the magic that went on around the Winding Circle. Her company showed her each of their workshops, and Abby got reintroduced with Frostpine, Daja's teacher.
The real trouble started when Niko, Tris' teacher came to see them.
"Hello, Trisana, Sandry, Briar, Daja, Abadia." He said, smiling politely to Abby.
"How are you all today?" he asked.
They all answered 'fine' and he accompanied them on their tour. All the time they were walking, Niko was staring intently at Abadia. Finally, when they reached the Hub, he stopped in his tracks.
"You have ambient magic." He said out of the blue to Abby.
She looked at him confused. "What's ambient magic?"
"It's magic that's in things, not in you." Sandry said.
"It's like ours," briar took over. "My magic's in the plants, not in myself. I just have the ability to control the magic."
Abby nodded her understanding.
"So what's my magic in?" she asked Niko.
"What?" he asked, startled. "Oh, yes. Well that's the odd thing," he said. "I can't seem to figure out what it actually is in."
When the five teenagers looked even more confused, he went on. "You seem to have ambient magic in everything. Carpentry, metal work, plants, thread, weather, cooking, anything, you name it and you have it."
The four Emelan teenagers turned to look at the Earth one.
Then they all spoke at once.
"WHAT!?" (Tris)
"HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?" (Sandry)
"I'M CONFUSED." (Briar)
"ME TOO, THEIF BOY." (Daja)
"Calm down, calm down." Niko said.
"I can't be sure until I do some more experiments, but there is a high chance that Abby has an aptitude for ambient magic of every kind." He said.
"Is this a bad thing?" Abby asked, he voice quivering.
Niko looked at her kindly. "No, this is a gift. It's unusual, but a gift all the same."
Abby smiled, relieved. She was beginning to think she was a freak, even in this world.
Niko was thoughtful for a while.
"I have to go do some research." He said suddenly. Then he headed to the library, his face furrowed in thought.
Calling over his shoulder, he said, "Take Abby back to Discipline for lunch, I'll meet you there."
The tour pretty much winded up there. None of Abby's new friends felt like talking to her, they were too busy thinking of the implications of such a gift.
Who would be her teacher? She'd need teaching in just about anything. It would take up her life. And it might take up theirs, too. Briar had no doubt that they were going to be called up to teach their share of her gifts, and Briar wasn't looking forward to it. He already had his own student; he didn't need another one.
He sighed. Looks like he had another few full years ahead of him.
(A/N: sorry I haven't mentioned Evvy or any other students of theirs yet, I'll get around to it, really. Author looks around room for someone to do it for her, panics when she can't find anyone.)
***
When she woke in the morning she was feeling much, much better. The sun was shining, and she could here birds shrieking as they fed their young. By the looks of it, it was only early, probably five o'clock in the morning, but she could already hear the household beneath her bustling.
She found clean clothes like the ones that the girls were wearing on the dressing table next to the window. With a sigh she drew the curtains and started getting dressed. While she was brushing her hair, there was a knock on her door.
"Hello? Are you awake in there?" a voice called.
"Yes," Abby called. "You can come in."
The brown skinned girl walked in and stood at the doorway. "Lark sent me up to see if you wanted to come down for breakfast, or else she can just send some up." She said, eyeing the girl warily.
"I'll come down," Abby replied quietly. Twisting her hair into a quick knot, she put the brush away and followed the girl downstairs.
"I'm Abby by the way." She said and held her hand out for the girl to shake.
"Daja," the girl said and shook her hand in return.
They made their way down to the dinner table where Abby introduced herself to Sandry and reintroduced herself to Tris.
"Just a question, Abby." Tris said. "Why don't you believe in magic?"
Abby sighed. She knew this question would come up. "You guys know I'm not from around here, right?" they all nodded.
"Well," Abby said. "I come from a society that isn't ready to believe in magic. Therefore, no one in that society believes in it. It's just the way it is." She sighed. She wished that her society could be more understanding of different things.
It's just like with the African American she thought. They were treated badly, just because they were different to the Europeans.
She brightened up. "But I'm different. Especially after that demonstration you gave me last night Tris. That was cool."
The redheaded girl grinned. "Thanks," she said. "I've been working on it a lot."
Abby grinned back at the girl, and a bond formed between them.
The girls chatted about innocent things until a loud thump was heard, followed closely by vulgar words and curses.
"What was that?" she asked, curious and worried at the same time.
The girls laughed. "Oh," Sandry said. "That was just Briar getting up."
The girls around the table burst into gales of laughter, then quietened down when Briar came down the stairs and glared at them.
"What's so funny?" he asked, scowling.
Sandry smiled innocently. "It's nothing Sleeping Beauty, oh, I mean, Briar."
He glared at the girls as they erupted in a fit of giggles again.
"I see you've made friends," he said to Abby. Abby smiled.
"You could say that." She said, and her smile grew.
"So, does one of you feel like showing me around this place?" she said to the four young mages.
***
Abby was amazed at all the magic that went on around the Winding Circle. Her company showed her each of their workshops, and Abby got reintroduced with Frostpine, Daja's teacher.
The real trouble started when Niko, Tris' teacher came to see them.
"Hello, Trisana, Sandry, Briar, Daja, Abadia." He said, smiling politely to Abby.
"How are you all today?" he asked.
They all answered 'fine' and he accompanied them on their tour. All the time they were walking, Niko was staring intently at Abadia. Finally, when they reached the Hub, he stopped in his tracks.
"You have ambient magic." He said out of the blue to Abby.
She looked at him confused. "What's ambient magic?"
"It's magic that's in things, not in you." Sandry said.
"It's like ours," briar took over. "My magic's in the plants, not in myself. I just have the ability to control the magic."
Abby nodded her understanding.
"So what's my magic in?" she asked Niko.
"What?" he asked, startled. "Oh, yes. Well that's the odd thing," he said. "I can't seem to figure out what it actually is in."
When the five teenagers looked even more confused, he went on. "You seem to have ambient magic in everything. Carpentry, metal work, plants, thread, weather, cooking, anything, you name it and you have it."
The four Emelan teenagers turned to look at the Earth one.
Then they all spoke at once.
"WHAT!?" (Tris)
"HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?" (Sandry)
"I'M CONFUSED." (Briar)
"ME TOO, THEIF BOY." (Daja)
"Calm down, calm down." Niko said.
"I can't be sure until I do some more experiments, but there is a high chance that Abby has an aptitude for ambient magic of every kind." He said.
"Is this a bad thing?" Abby asked, he voice quivering.
Niko looked at her kindly. "No, this is a gift. It's unusual, but a gift all the same."
Abby smiled, relieved. She was beginning to think she was a freak, even in this world.
Niko was thoughtful for a while.
"I have to go do some research." He said suddenly. Then he headed to the library, his face furrowed in thought.
Calling over his shoulder, he said, "Take Abby back to Discipline for lunch, I'll meet you there."
The tour pretty much winded up there. None of Abby's new friends felt like talking to her, they were too busy thinking of the implications of such a gift.
Who would be her teacher? She'd need teaching in just about anything. It would take up her life. And it might take up theirs, too. Briar had no doubt that they were going to be called up to teach their share of her gifts, and Briar wasn't looking forward to it. He already had his own student; he didn't need another one.
He sighed. Looks like he had another few full years ahead of him.
(A/N: sorry I haven't mentioned Evvy or any other students of theirs yet, I'll get around to it, really. Author looks around room for someone to do it for her, panics when she can't find anyone.)