Ytherielle: Order of the Veil

Ytherielle: Order of the Veil

High in the mountain country, the single spire of Davenport Academy stood like an extension of the mountains acting like a giant beacon that overshadowed the community.

Many people of the town in the lowlands wished to send their children to the prestigious school, but most could not afford the tuition for the vaulted institution, even though the town was filled with billboard signs, commercials and even visits from alumni all tauting the legacy and values that it espoused.

Only the very few or the well connected ever found themselves in the hallowed halls of Davenport. One such student was Jennifer Hayden.

She was an average high school student and often worked with her adoptive mother at a local diner after school hours. Most of those nights were spent taking orders, cleaning tables, doing homework and doing her best to ignore the lecherous grins and longing stares at her retreating form.

When she was in school, she studied her lessons, but had very few extracurriculars and she rarely participated in any of those. Most of the other students looked at her and rolled their eyes when she passed and some let the phrase “trailer trash” escape their lips.

Jennifer had become an expert at keeping her head down so that she would not get noticed. So she was astounded when she went to the mailbox and received an acceptance letter along with a full scholarship to Davenport Academy.

She looked it over, turning it over on her hand, noting the seal from the House of Umber. Frowning, she looked up at her home, a ramshackle, double wide that had seen better times. Shaking her head, she went inside intent on talking to her mother. When she got to the kitchen, she saw a small note on the fridge

“Have to pull a double at the diner.

See you when your shift starts.”

She sighed as she put her backpack down on the little table, books and papers protruding from the half opened zipper. She was about to grab a light snack when she saw something even more peculiar from the pile of mail.

She picked up the small, parchment yellow envelope and turned it over. The front had her name and address written in the most exquisite handwriting she had ever seen and on the back, was a wax seal with an insignia of some kind, with words written in Latin, arranged in a circle.

She adjusted her large, round, wire rimmed glasses, shaking her head, her eyes growing wider.

“Some kind of ad, maybe?” she whispered to herself; however her hands trembled slightly as she continued to examine the envelope as if looking for a hidden explosive.

Finally, she decided to open the envelope and examine its contents. Inside was a neatly folded piece of parchment with more handwritten calligraphy.

“Jennifer Hayden,

Your work in school and outside of it has come to the attention of our organization and as such, we feel that you will be a great addition to the group. We are awarding you this full scholarship to the hallowed halls of Davenport.

With our help, you can open doors that are perpetually closed to most except the very elite. All you need to do is accept our gift.

We look forward to welcoming you in person once the term begins and guiding you to get the respect you deserve.

One final note; the administration office knows that you have a scholarship, but they must not know from whence it comes. Do not show this note to anyone, not even your mother.”

Order of the Veil

“What on earth? Order of the Veil?”

As soon as she said the words, a chill ran down her spine as if it was a warning of some kind.

She put the note in the deep recesses of her backpack along with the acceptance letter and made a small snack before changing into her waitress uniform which was a yellowish top with some brown slacks.

Hours later, Jennifer was in the little diner with her mother. The cook was in the back and the smell of grease soaked the atmosphere so much, that it was a wonder that anyone ever came here.

She sighed while taking orders from the regular patrons and doing her best to ignore the leers and smirks.

Her mother looked at her and shook her head sadly, her once dark hair now turned gray with age and her face lined with worry and resignation, her small nose twitching with the irritating smell of grease.

At almost closing time, Jennifer delivered one last cup of coffee to a middle aged man with a grubby appearance and the smell of alcohol on his clothes. He smiled at her as she delivered the coffee then looked back at the hot drink in front of him. As she turned, she felt his hand lightly brush against her backside. She shivered, her eyes wide, looking to her mother, pleadingly.

Her mother walked over to the man and stood over him, her eyes baring down like a tigress protecting her cubs.

“Alright, Mitch. Closing time”, she said evenly.

“But, my coffee…” he protested.

Without another word, she produced a stryrofoam cup, poured his coffee into it then placed a plastic lid securely on top.

“There you go, Mitch. Good night!”, the last words spoken with emphasis.

That night, Mother and daughter walked home, surrounded by dark streets only lit by sparsely placed street lamps. The lights from the little diner had already gone dark and the truck stop down the road was empty.

About a half an hour later, they had reached their home and it was only then that Jennifer saw her mother’s tears.

“Mom?!”, she exclaimed.

Of course, it didn't take a genius to figure out why she had been crying.

She collapsed in a heap at the kitchen table, her head in her face obscured by both hands, while strands of gray covered her fingers. Jennifer sat down at the little kitchen table, her own lips trembling in the circle of dim light.

“Mom, its okay..”, she whispered..”I’m okay…”

Her mother lifted her head, her make up streaking down her face . “Oh Jen,” she managed to eke out. “You take all of this crap like a real trooper!”

Jennifer nodded her head solemnly.

“But….this is not what I wanted for you. Not for you..Never for you!”

Her mother stood up slowly, looking like she wanted to scream, to throw something, to hit something…until Jennifer held her mother in her arms, in hopes of easing their mutual torment.

For a time that seemed like an eternity, they stood there holding each other until at last they sat back down and her mother noticed the acceptance letter sitting on the table between them.

Jennifer gaped, eyes wide in shock. “How….how?!?”

Her mother took the letter and held it as a smile slowly appeared on her lined features and her eyes alight with glee. “This is your golden ticket, Jen! Don’t ignore it!”

Jennifer gulped…”Mom….that letter, I just got that today..and I stuffed it in my backpack……”

“And now its on the kitchen table, lookin all pristine, right?”

Jennifer nodded.

“Yeah, they want you bad, hon. Best not to ignore ‘em. They’ll only get more persistent.”

Jennifer shook her head in disbelief. “Does this school do magic tricks or something?”

For once this long night, her mother cracked a wry smile and laughed. “Well, they can be a little…theatrical.”

“Regardless, tomorrow morning, we’re going to get you to the Academy. There’ll be a cable car waiting for us at the foot of the mountain. Get some rest tonight and we’ll go in the morning.”

Jennifer watched her mother get up from the table and leave the room, leaving Jennifer in the kitchen, looking at the letter, her head filled with a jumble of confusing questions and an enormous weight of decision