Time's Tragedies- The Books Of Beginning [2]

57. Melancholy Piano

You can do this, Eternity, the pink haired teenager told herself, trying to steady her trembling hands. You need to talk to her. 

"Eternity, are you okay?" Abby inquired of the older girl.

Eternity nodded, "yeah, I'm just gonna go see Lili, check on her."

Lili had eaten dinner in her room that night, with Rafe for company, while Eternity, Abby, and Jake ate downstairs. Now Rafe had made his way to join them and was cleaning up from the meal, with Jake's assistance, while Abby looked through a book about the Rose Citadel, taking notes on the place they would need to retrieve the next piece of the Scroll of Souls from. 

"Tell her hi for us, and tell her we aren't mad," Jake requested, accidentally spraying his father's shirt with water from the sink as he spoke. 

Eternity's lips quirked upward as she watched Rafe wipe at the damp cloth, "will do."

"And tell her we love her," Abby added.

Eternity mock saluted, "aye aye, detective Wibberly."

The dark haired girl giggled as Eternity made her way up the stairs, each step feeling like a weight dragging her down. She didn't want to be having this conversation. She had never wanted to be wrong about something as much as she did this. She didn't want to see the look on Rafe's face, the looks on Abby's and Jake's and Lili's, when she explained her theory. She had nearly broken down and confessed her thoughts to Rafe in the car, but she just couldn't bring herself to trouble him with it, not when she didn't know for sure if those thoughts were truth. Still, the idea had taken hold of Eternity's mind; she could not let it go. And there was only one person who could offer a horrible confirmation or a blessed reprieve in the form of her own experiences and information.

There was a pit of dread inside Eternity's gut, a creature curled in her stomach and made of anticipation. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide. She did neither of those things. Instead, she opened the door to her room and called softly, "mi amor?"

No response. The room was empty.

Eternity began to panic. Was this a repeat of the early afternoon? Was Lili trapped in that dreamlike state again? Was she lost forever, this time? No - Eternity realized with a sigh of relief - there was a note in her handwriting in full view on the bed.

'I made a portal to Cambridge Falls Manor so I could play the piano there. I just needed some music to calm me down. Love, Lili.'

Eternity collapsed on the bed, crushing the paper in her fists. One, two, three minutes passed, punctuated only by the sound of air rushing in and out of her lungs. Finally, on wobbly legs she forced herself to stand and walk back downstairs. 

"D- Rafe," she corrected herself before something she could regret saying slipped out, "I need your help."

"Has Lili locked herself in?" Rafe asked with evident worry. 

Eternity shook her head, "no, she made a portal for herself and went to go play the piano. I want to go check on her so she's not there all by herself, only, y'know, I can't create portals."

"Right, I've got you," the man replied. Magic of green and shadow stretched between his hands, forming a doorway across the lake, to the manor where the faint sounds of keys being pressed upon by skinny fingers could be heard. Eternity swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

As soon as the adolescent stepped through the softly glowing portal, the music's volume increased, to the point where Eternity could barely hear the magical door snap shut behind her. Her heart pounded along with the keys of the piano, as she rounded the corner, seeing a head of rippling blonde hair, and hands frantically dancing across the checkered service of black and white.