does actually work for the school he should have identified himself. Since he’s not making me uncomfortable in the least, quite the opposite actually, I let it go.
“Not really, no. Kent, the person on duty tonight, has gone to find some research materials for one of my classes. I’m just browsing while I wait.” Why am I volunteering that I’m alone for chrissake? The first frisson of concern breaks through my happy little bubble. I know that feeling. “I think I’ll just go wait up front. Kent should be back any second now.”
I begin to edge away from the tall man, hopefully in the direction that leads to the few people in the library. Hoping like hell that I’m wrong, my gaze darts from one wrist to the other. There’s not a blue mark-- it’s silver. I blanch at the sight so fast, my head feels light. Refusing to stay near him for another second, my feet pick up the pace as I keep one eye on him and try to watch where I’m going out of the corner of the other.
“Wait, please!” The man holds his hands up in an attempt to appear non-threatening. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I only wanted to help. I should probably have led with that. Here,” he tips a slim, leatherbound book partially back so that it protrudes from the others around it. “Read it. Please.”
As if sensing that I’m not going anywhere near him, curious about the book or not, he backs away. He comes up against the wall at the end of the row-- and continues right though it, disappearing into dark wood paneling like it isn’t even there. “What the fuck, dude. Seriously. What. The. Fuck.” I’m shaking and talking to myself in the deserted stacks of a library on the grounds run by a freaky ass cult...where I just watched a man sink into a wall. I want to go home. It isn’t even that I want my mom. I want Kael, and I want to have never come to this place.
The panic attack is swift and grips my chest in a vise until I can’t breathe. I know what it is, and that it will pass. I just have to try to make my lungs work and calm down. You can do it Cora. Or Kent will find your unconscious body. The latter thought sends a spiral of disgust and fear through me strong enough to distract me from my freakout. It takes a few minutes, and a lot of measured breathing, but I finally get myself under control.
Kent isn’t back, and I don’t want to have to explain why I’ve barely moved, or have him think I’m waiting for him, so I start to backtrack to my nook. At the last second, before I round the corner, I dart back to grab the book. Something tells me if I deliberately leave it behind that I’ll never find it again. I keep it tucked under my arm all the way back to where I left my backpack, only taking one wrong turn before I find it.
I take my seat, but before I can tuck the book into my bag, Kent appears, arms full of books. He must have taken a different route back from the basement or he would have seen me. At least I know there’s more than one exit down there.
“Here you go. These cover quite a few years of classes.” He fans out a pile of yearbooks on the small table. “And these are memoirs from some of the founding members of the academy. Back before they changed it to a university.” So that’s why they call it Blackbrian Academy. I’d kinda thought they were just stuck up elitists.
“Are you sure it’s okay to check these out? They don’t have any barcodes on them.” The books are old by appearance alone, and I can’t imagine that the administration wants them leaving the library.
“There’s a special catalog for these kinds of checkouts. I’ll note them down and then you’ll be good to go.” Kent actually checks his watch, right there in front of me. It makes me wonder what happened while he was gone. His distinct lack of enthusiasm is a one-eighty that I’m perfectly fine with, but paired with his blatant glance at the timepiece on his wrist, it’s pining on my bullshit radar. Then I notice what I haven’t before. I can only attribute it to the longer way he wears his sleeves