InsomniacArtists

Tabika's head was bent low as she worked, mixing multicolored liquids between jars. Her slightly curled, mousy brown hair fell in waves down her slim back. Her jade green eyes gave a small twinkle of excitement as she selected a small stirring rod from the old canister beside her, mixing the watery ingredients into a sludgy brown solution in a cup. A sudden gust of cold wind forced the canister over, spilling the solution and soaking the parchment that Tabika was scribbling the steps onto. In a haste, she yanked the information out of the way before the sogginess spread to her chicken-scratch handwriting. She let out a small sigh, realizing

Tabika, the potions master. That was what the young woman of fifteen working the potions stand was called. True, her name was Tabika but she was no master. More of a prodigy. To the elders of the village, she was a smart girl with a good future.  To her peers, however, she was an outcast that didn't even deserve to sit with them.  She was often ignored during breaks. The only time she was consoled for anything was when one of the villagers needed a potion of some kind. She didn't mind though. She was accustomed to this sort of treatment, as she had been subdued to it much longer that she ought to have been. She never knew