Quoted By:
''Augustine...'' Losing her husband, having to support her young son alone, no extended family to help, nothing left. Her circumstances are easy to understand; you can even rationalize the act: a drunken mistake born from the choking pressure of a newly widowed, single mother.
<span class="mu-i">Nothing excuses hitting your child.</span>
You look away from Olin's distress, wiping away the threat of tears tickling the corners of your eyes. The image this conjures is <span class="mu-s">unpleasant.</span> Everyone has their part of darkness. One day it can spill over, but to strike her own son...?
''Augustine...'' That putrid, exhausting emotional heat that has been plaguing you this evening is gone, replaced by an honest mixture of anger and worry.
Your pink friend wants you to <span class="mu-s">know</span> this. To <span class="mu-s">know</span> her relationship with her departed boy. You pause to look outside and breathe the fresh air of late autumn before returning to your atelier.
The next page is blank, and so is the one after that. A careful examination reveals the continuation after five more blanks.
--
I completely forgot this book. Journal? I think mom brought it when we left Elarm: we came a long, long way from that tiny village.
Three years, I think. I still can't spell this new city, so I won't bother. I still don't understand why I should keep writing; am I doing it for me or for someone like mom? Both?
Maybe I'll continue. I won't bother writing dates or my name. Maybe that'll confuse anyone nosy enough to read.
Remembered bad memories from reading back. It's true that mom...hit me. Awful to write, she's a good person. My good mom.
I need to become strong.
I wanna return to Elarm one day. Meet Sister Superior one last time.
--
Words restart on the next page.
--
Pushed that all the way back in my head. I knew it happened, did not want to remember.
Mom changed. Swore off alcohol forever, now learning medicine on top of herbs, she really wants to make people better. I need to be stronger so she can learn in the manor, I am holding her back.
Others are mean here, nothing changed. small chapel for school, only around 40 others like me...I think? learning is fine I guess, church folks are nice. When I tell them I wanna learn about the heroes, they like it.
Even met the bishop, and got permission to fetch books about that.
Belmont. Try to remember his name.
This place has monsters, it's cool seeing them outside their village. Never had them in Elarm, all girls, all fasci(?). I like talking with them, real interesting folks.
Got a bird-lady in our chapel. Helen, Oomusometihng. From Zipangu. She's cool and kind, though others treat her worse than me.
Dont like it at all.
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