Nightingale[PAUSED]

Chapter 3

Okay guys, I know that it's been a while, but it's finally here!
We hope you enjoy chapter 3 and anticipate what is to come.
Also, any mistakes should be expected because this has not been edited. Thank you!
-waIT_____

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Chapter 3

It wouldn't seem strange if someone from my class knew my name. Well, maybe it would but the thing is, I have never seen, met or spoken to this boy before in my life until now. Strange.

"So what's your real reason for moping around over here?" He speaks with an understanding tone, the colour of his eyes ever so frequently flickering from deep blue to a dark shade of green.

Smiling through my tears, I reply, "I'm telling you, it's nothing."

He gives me an unsure look.

"Well, are you gonna give me the water or let me die of dehydration?" I inquire with a light laugh.

Passing me the cup of water, he takes a seat beside me.

After a few minutes of sitting, occasionally sipping some of the water and staring into open space, the awkward silence is finally broken.

"Where are you from?" The words hang in the air for a moment. A shocked expression displays across my face as I realize those words belong to me.

He hangs his head forward. "Not here." His words are accompanied by a sigh.

"If that's suppose to be some cool line to make some girl think you're mysterious, it's-"

Shaking his head, he stops me from finishing my sentence.

"It isn't." he says finally, a burgundy strand of hair making its way in front of his forehead.

"Well, maybe you should-"

"Quint," mystery guy signals to Quint from the other side of the room, "come check this out."

Getting off the bench, Quint turns around to me, extending his arm. "You coming or what?"

"I don't think so." I say shyly. "You go ahead. I'll wait over here."

"Phoenix," he laughs at me again, "I guess that shouldn't have been a question. What I mean is: you're coming."

He grabs my hand and I follow him over to a table with a large map laid out across it. Mystery guy removes the pencil that was hitched behind his ears and begins to draw arrows from one location to another, scribbling little notes beside each of them.

"Got any idea what these mean?" Mystery guy inquires while pointing at a bunch of cursive foreign language beside most of the locations.

Qui staret occulte post arcana notis ad ignota.

"Secrets hide behind..." Quint squints as he analyises each word in the sentence.

Tapping his chin in a thinking gesture, he says the sentence aloud, "Qui staret occulte post arcana notis ad ignota."

"Secrets hide behind.." his forehead wrinkles at the rest of the words.

"Secrets hide behind what?" Taylor jumps in impatiently.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I haven't seen Latin in a while; I'm a little rusty." Quint brushes off her impatience with a knowing smile.

"Phoenix." my heart skips a beat as Quint says my name. My mind had walked off for a while so I'm taken aback when my name is called and I have no idea what is going on.

"Phoenix." Quint snaps his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.

When he has realized I'm out of my state of goneness, he rests a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" The words hit me like a heart attack.

I nod. "Yeah, I just got a little dizzy." I reply motioning to my head.

"Can you read this?"

I stare at the words and my mind automatically translates it to english. Quint is close but I know the correct answer.

Qui staret occulte post arcana notis ad ignota.

Struggling to free myself from the bonds of fear, I translate the foreign words, "Secrets are hidden behind the unknown."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Jake says walking over to the table.

He takes a look at the text and furrows his brow, " The [insert expletive] is this?"

"It's Latin, stupid." Mystery guy replies in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, it's Latin. Oooh." He says mockingly, waving his arms around. "Look at me. Do I really look like I care?" He inquires, cocking his head.

"You know, you're the one who asked." Quint informs him in an annoyed tone.

Static noises distract me from the ongoing arguement. I wander off in the direction of the noise, moving towards one of the doors. It's bolted shut and refuses to even budge when I push against it. Scoping out my surroundings and ensuring that no one is watching, I take a bobby pin from my hair and pick the lock. I slowly turn the knob and step inside. I push the door up behind me and stand in the dimly lit room. The sound of the static has grown louder now. Continuing to inch further into the room and stop infront of a wall, I knock on the wall to find that it is hollow. Putting my ear on the wall I now know that the sound comes from behind it. I lean more on the wall and I hear a cracking sound. I jump back as the wall crumbles to dust. I cough, waving away the rising grey dust. As soon as the air is breathable and a little cleared up, I stare at the misshapen hole in the wall.

I touch one of the edges and more pieces crack and raises more dust. I brush plaster of Paris and dry wall from my shoulders and cough as I inhale some dust and possibly dried leaded paint. Holding up the sleeve of my blouse to my nose, I go through the hole to find an office desk and an old chair barely balancing on its last wheel in a corner. A surprisingly untouched mahogany bookshelf acquires my attention immediately. Its shelves are filled with thick books that appear to have never been opened. I run my fingers along the edges of each shelf as I admire each book in my presence. The book with the roughest texture pulls my captivation towards it. Removing the book from its place, I caress its cover and it reminds me of my sufferings for the past years. Rough and painful.

I glance to the corner of the room, and there is a darkened empty space but I can still hear the sound. Moving towards the corner, I notice a shadow hiding a small door,barely large enough for a medium sized human to fit through it. I pull on the handle and it takes a while before it finally flies open. The others - better yet - Quint must be wondering where I am by now but if I turn back now, empty-handed, they'll think I'm crazy, and none of them would agree to enter a dark room with me.

I gather my resolve and plunge into the darkness.

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Well, that was Chapter 3, we hope you enjoyed! Also, don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT. It will be much appreciated!
-waIT_____