Ephemeral

Empty Christmas Part 2

I crept into the library, placing a hand on the doorway to peer into the large spacious area. There was a specific smell that associated with a library that not even Aidan could cover up. I stared into the room before glancing to the left. The section that I had looked at the day before had disappeared seemingly overnight.

Why?

Didn't Aidan want to bring me as much misery as he could?

Furrowing my eyebrows in mild confusion, I searched the large space that was devoid of a bookshelf. All books about guns and weapons were gone -- and so my eyes panned over to the next section...the education section.

Steadily, I walked over to it, being cautious to not put too much weight on the leg that was still recovering.

Placing my finger up, I skimmed the spines of the old, hardcover books. Some had advanced mathematics books that I didn't both to pull out – I wouldn't have understood anything in those anyways. There was a Calculus book and then a book about differential equations.

My finger bumped into one book to another before it stopped on one that was slightly pulled out of the shelf. It had the title of 'Electro-Mechanical Systems & Devices'. I tapped my finger on the spine of the book once...it looked relatively new, there wasn't a speck of dust on it compared to some of the other books on the shelf I was at.

I titled my head to the side lightly as I pulled it out.

My eyes went from the title of the orange and black book, seeing pictures of devices that I had no idea on what they were. With an eyebrow raised, I took the book in my hands as I hobbled over to a nearby wooden table. Opening up the book, there was a soft crinkle as the hardcover part was slowly flipped over.

I tugged my fingers into a good wad of pages as I flipped to a random page. There were equations and diagrams that looked like Chinese to me. Some Greek letters I understood while others were completely new to me.

Staring at the page that I landed on for a few seconds, I bit my lower lip in thought.

There was an electrical locking mechanism as an example in the book. Narrowing my eyes, I placed my finger on top of the page, attempting to identify any keywords that would help me understand the locks. The one in this book...It looked almost identical to the handprint scanner lock that was on the door of the bedroom that Aidan and I shared.

I flipped another page in a hurried rush, nearly tearing the thin page in my haste. My eyes once more flickered from the top of the page down to another example. It showed the interlocking of the complex device, once more revealing diagrams and formulas that I didn't comprehend.

A headache started to form from confusion and annoyance that was steadily building up inside of me. Releasing a small huff, I closed the book and stepped away from the table. I ran a hand through my styled hair that I didn't have a say in. My fingers got caught in some of the waves and I tugged my fingers out roughly, causing some strands to fall out of my head.

I raised my head to see the bookcase that I had gotten that book from while shaking out my hand to allow the locks to fall to the ground from my hand.

There has to be something that I can understand in here...!

"Vienna!" Aidan's raised voice echoed down the hallway. My heart dropped into my stomach as I quickly turned back around. I could hear his heavy, malicious footsteps echoing from the hall. They were coming closer, and I could practically feel my pulse in the back of my throat from how fast my heart was pounding.

"Shit...!" I raised my hands up to my head for a second, lightly tugging at some of the strands that were in front of my shoulders. I spun back around, quickly grabbing the book, before shoving it in the bookcase that was closest to me.