The library is breathtaking, even the second time around. The sounds, the smells, the people, I was never really much of a reader, but I must confess, this place makes me question that fact.
"Adhira!" Killian calls, waving me over to his table where Manisha was sitting as well.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" she sighs, shocking me by pulling me into a hug as I near the table.
"I was gonna say the same to you," I laugh, returning her embrace before pulling out a chair as we both sit down at the table.
"How bored are you to have come to the library?" she laughs earning a short grunt from her brother.
"Very," I smile. "I'm honestly not much of a reader, but there's not exactly much else for me to do, so."
"Trust me, me neither," she responds.
"You aren't a Savant, too?" I ask, gesturing to Killian.
"Ancestors, above no!" she chuckles. "That much knowledge is dangerous, especially for a woman in this world. You start filling your head with facts and you begin to realize how wrong everyone else is, and that attitude starts wars." She's not wrong.
"I hope she'll be a fool— that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool," Killian recites, his eyes distant. "Gatsby."
"Fascinating," Manisha rolls her eyes. "Adhira, surely you would rather come out with me than stay here in the library?"
"I don't think my babysitter would approve," I shrug.
"Cato?" she quirks and I nod in agreement. "So I take it you two aren't getting along?"
"Understatement of the century," I scoff. Getting along... is that what we're doing?
"Well... if you ever get off of your leash," she begins, standing up. "Let Killian know."
"Do I look like your messenger-boy?" he asks. Manisha ignores him.
"Gotta go, see you later!" she skips off. I turn back towards Killian who just shrugs and returns to his book. With nothing better to do, I get up from the table and make my way to the stairs. I climb up and up, looking at each level of books as I pass. Finally, I reach the top, looking down over the balcony. I feel so high up. Well hey, if I don't find a book, at least I can throw myself off the top.
"You aren't seriously considering that?" I hear him ask.
"You aren't seriously reading my mind again?" I respond, holding onto the railing of the balcony. "Don't you have some sort of princely duty to fulfill?" I turn around to meet his eyes, my back pressing into the railing.
"Funny you should mention that," he laughs. "I was in my study, doing my," he quotes, "'Princely duties,' when I felt the overwhelming wave of boredom wash over me, and I immediately knew I had to rescue you from your own undoing."
"Is that how your powers work?" I ask, only half joking as I push away from the railing and walk into the shelves of books. Cato follows me.
"Somewhat," he responds, clasping his hands behind his back as we walk. "My empath traits are pretty much always active." I stop at that, reaching for his arm.
"You mean you always know what others are feeling," I swallow, suddenly understanding how he could know just how my body felt last night without reading my mind.
"Yes," he smirks, no doubt feeling my embarrassment. "However, it depends on how strong the emotion is for me to truly recognize it." I have no doubt my emotions are always raging at him. We begin walking again. "My telekinetic powers are of my own control, mainly. I choose when to read someone's mind for the most part, but there are sometimes when a person's thoughts are especially passionate. There's not much I can do to stop those from filtering in. It feels almost as if you are dangling the most decadent food in front of a starving man," he explains.
"Wow!"
"What about you?" he asks.
"What about me?"
"How do your powers work?"
"I—I don't know," I shrug. "They just do. I don't really think about it."
"Maybe you should?" he suggests, reminding me of our previous argument.
"Anyways," he says, changing the subject after he no doubt felt my shift in feelings. "You don't like the library?"
"I love it!" I exclaim, confused at his choice of topic. "It's breathtaking!"
"Not the structure," he laughs. "The library. The books, the idea behind it...,"
"Oh."
"That sounds promising," he chuckles.
"I'm not much of a reader," I confess. "I'm too antsy."
"Why does that not surprise me."
We make it through the labyrinth of bookshelves. There's no one up this high, at least no one I can see. We stop at a shelf so far in, I don't know where we came from. I lean against the bookshelf as Cato asks "So what do you prefer?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're not a reader, I get that, but what would you rather do instead?"
"I... still don't understand the question."
"If you weren't a Princess," he starts, leaning against the bookshelf across from me. "And you could do anything else, what would you do?"
I've never even considered what else I would do. "Baker," I respond, after thinking it over.
"Really?" he puzzles.
"Yeah," I start. "My mom and I used to love to bake. We would do it all the time, for no reason at all, just because we felt like it," I smile at the memory. "Our chefs weren't exactly pleased," I laugh.
"What was your favorite thing to bake?" Cato asks.
"Chocolate chip cookies of course!" I practically yell, blushing when I remember we're in a library. Cato chuckles quietly.
"So why are you here instead of the kitchen?"
"Um... I didn't realize I was allowed in the kitchen."
"Adhi, you're allowed everywhere in my palace... especially in my bedroom," he winks.
"Dammit, Cato, you were doing so well!" I sigh dramatically. "An entire hour without an innuendo. What is that, a new record?"
"I can't help it Princess, you make me think all sorts of naughty things," he chuckles deeply before grabbing my hand and pulling me with him as he walks back through the labyrinth of books.
"Um... where are we going?" I ask, struggling to keep up with him.
"To bake some cookies, of course!"
________________________________________________________________________________
Before you ask... YES OF COURSE WE WILL GET A CUTE (and possibly spicy) COOKIE BAKING SCENE! What do you take me for, an amateur? (Pause to reflect the truth in that statement.) But ew they're being cute... I kinda like it... I'm the author so obvi... but I want to know what you guys think. Are you guys a no go for the cutesie, you're only here for the spicy (hey I get it, it's Wattpad), or are you into the cutesie as well? Let me know
xoxo, Gossip Girl
Whoops wrong one...
- Nicole Winters
YOU ARE READING
Viridian
FantasyLong ago, In the Kingdom of Heimweh, I am told there was peace. I am told that we once lived in a time where the sky not only held the sun, but the stars as well, with an ability to shift light and dark as it felt. I am told that the light shone eve...
