Barbara's Book of Fire

Chapter 19

The hallway was bleak and tensed as the dry air was stirred by the suffocating silence. The peace had long gone from the place where tranquility was once upheld high. There, on the front of the door where chaos quietly brewed, stood a wavy-haired girl—almost curly even—snatching our very breath away.

"So, you both...You'll come, right?" A stringent tone rang out, inviting our young minds that were full of fantasies and gullible dreams. Anya snagged us away from the front of our dorm room just when we were about to go in and made an offer too hard for us to refuse.

The girl studied our expression after she, as they said, laid the bait. Lia's eyes were twinkling without end, betraying her usual timid demeanor that she tried hard to maintain. Undoubtedly, when we heard the word hidden library come out of Anya's mouth, Lia was startled. At that moment, I could already guess what went through her mind. Surely, it must be something along the lines of I wonder what kinds of books there? Or are there stories of the old legends there?

As for me, though different than how Lia was tempted, the prospect of us out exploring the academy at night had left me at Anya's beck and call. Not too ashamed to admit it, but I was there simply for the fun part.

"Um...but you know—" Lia's eyes bobbed up and down, unable to maintain proper eye contact with Anya. It was so apparent that she was terrible with someone like Anya, who would go at their own pace.

"C'mon now, I won't bite." She cut off Lia while the person in question herself was still reluctant to speak her mind. If nothing else, she seemed more afraid than ever after Anya threatened her softly. "...I might if you keep mumbling like this, though."

Lia was shocked by Anya's blatant threat. She looked at me, asking for a lifeline to escape from the strange barbarian that straight out glared at her without even blinking once. To that, I shrugged my shoulder helplessly.

'You can do it, girl.' I prayed for my dear friend to not get bitten.

"Rebecca...How about her?" Figuring that she had no more leeway, Lia managed to squeeze out her voice. "If we're going to do it, that means she'll know about it, and if it's as you said, then-then it will be after curfew. Madam Grisella is one thing, but Rebecca will surely know if all three of us are not in the room."

Anya scoffed and gave us a cheeky smirk as if to reassure our murky hearts that she would get things done. "You girls might not know this...but I know her weakness."

"You sure about this weakness?" I shot in doubt. "As far as I know, or at least to the extent that she has shown so far, Rebecca is a tough nut to crack...I doubt forcing her would yield any result whatsoever."

"Oh, I won't force her...She'll come around—" Anya winked with a bemused smile arched on her lips, then she turned back and entered our dorm room. "Follow me."

We figured that we had nothing to lose, so we placed our trust in her and followed Anya into the room. There, Rebecca was silently enjoying her time, writing in her books as she did the night before. Very precisely and smoothly, Filtiarn jumped with a leap to my bed with me climbing suit shortly after. Lia, on the other hand, was busying herself by sorting something out in the closet.

Suppose it was not for how awkwardly she acted by throwing a curious peek at Anya and Rebecca; one might think she really was looking for something in there.

"Rebecca," Called Anya out casually. "Tonight, we'll sneak into the library after the curfew, and you'll come with us."

'Damn! talk about being direct.' I was surprised at how brazen the girl was. 'Respect, girl...respect...'