LIFE AND DEATH (edythe's pov)

Chapter 20 Carine

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Solar Midnight: Midnight Sun Reimagined (Life and Death, Book I) by beyondthedawn

 Books » Twilight Rated: T, English, Supernatural & Romance, Beau S., Edythe C., Words: 224k+, Favs: 59, Follows: 36, Published: Dec 26, 2020 15Chapter 20: CARINE

We walked back along the hall to Carine's office. I paused at the door, waiting for her invitation.

"Come in," Carine said.

I led him inside and watched him animatedly examine this new room. It was darker than the rest of the house; the deep mahogany wood reminded Carine of her earliest home. Beau's eyes ran across the rows and rows of books. I knew him well enough to see that the sight of so many books in one room was something of a dream to him.

Carine marked the page in the one she was reading and then stood to welcome us.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

Of course, she'd heard all our conversation in the hall, and she knew we were here for the next installment. She wasn't bothered by my sharing her story; she didn't seem surprised that I would tell him everything.

"I wanted to show Beau some of our history. Well, your history, actually."

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Beau said quietly.

"Not at all," Carine assured him. "Where are you going to start?"

"The Waggoner," I said.

I put one hand on his shoulder and turned him gently to face the wall behind us. I heard his heartbeat react to my touch, and then Carine's almost silent laugh at his reaction.

Interesting, she thought.

I watched Beau's eyes widen as he took in the gallery wall of Carine's office. I could imagine the way it might disorient a person seeing it for the first time. There were seventy-three works, in all sizes, mediums, and colors, crammed together like a wall-sized puzzle with only rectangular pieces. His gaze couldn't find anywhere to settle.

I took his hand and led him to the beginning. Carine followed. As on the page of a book, the story began at the far left. It was not a showy piece, monochromatic and map-like. In fact, it was part of a map, hand-painted by an amateur cartographer, one of the very few originals that had survived the centuries.

His brows furrowed.

"London in the sixteen-fifties," I explained.

"The London of my youth," Carine added from a few feet behind us. Beau flinched, surprised by her closeness. Of course he wouldn't have heard her movements. I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him. This house was a strange place for him to be, but nothing here would hurt him.

"Will you tell the story?" I asked her, and Beau turned to see what she would say.

I'm sorry, I wish I could.

She smiled at Beau and spoke aloud to him. "I would, but I'm actually running a bit late. The hospital called this morning—Dr. Snow is taking a sick day. But Beau won't miss anything"—she looked to me—"you know the stories as well as I do."

Carine smiled warmly at Beau as she exited. Once she had gone, he turned back to examine the small painting again.

"What came next?" he asked after a moment. "When she knew what had happened to her?"