Angel Wings

Chapter 8

Izzy arrived on campus early on Monday morning. Will wasn't going to be there for another hour or so, so Izzy had found herself a small corner of the library to study in.

A pile of books sat in front of her face, blocking her view of some of the library rows. Her hand was tightly gripping a ballpoint pen and a sheet of scribbled ideas sat below her.

The titles before her on the desk were a range of literature analysis texts and she had one of them held open by her other hand. She had to squint slightly to make out some of the words as the book was quite old and used a typewriter sort of font that blended together some of the letters.

It covered the history of folktale telling in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries; something that Izzy wanted to go over again before her presentation. She remembered the key information but wanted to be able to explain her findings in more depth.

As a whole, the library itself was one of Izzy's favourite places. With talking being forbidden on the top floor, it was one of the only places on campus that was almost completely silent. The smell of old books was also something which she found strangely calming.

The book before her was almost 100 years old – she had checked the publishing date upon picking it out; 1928.

She dropped the pen and rubbed her eyes. They felt heavy and she saw colourful blobs floating in the air for several seconds as she blinked.

"Hey."

The sudden noise made Izzy jump.

Will peered over the pile of books and gave a goofy smile.

"I checked on snapmaps and saw the library and figured you'd be here."

"Am I that predictable?" Izzy smiled back at him and closed the book that was sitting open.

Will walked round to where Izzy was sitting and sat on the desk. She swatted at him.

"Don't." She whispered.

"I'm sorry, am I taking up your space?"

"Cameras. And be quiet, there's no talking up here."

Izzy capped her pen and dropped it into her open bag; Will watched as she packed up and widened his eyes at her when she went to pick up the pile.

He gestured at it and Izzy shook her head.

"I'll put them on the trolley." She told him and then stood up to tuck her chair back in.

Will made a mock hush sign with a finger over his lips.

Izzy just rolled her eyes.

After putting the books on the trolley, they walked through the double doors into the stairwell and Will sighed loudly.

"Haven't really heard from you since Friday, you know." He said at normal volume. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Never been better." Izzy replied.

"I was a bit worried after what happened."

"I was just tired. You'll be glad to know that I don't think it's contagious."

"You sure?" Will raised his hand and paused on the steps to let out a yawn.

Izzy raised an eyebrow at him and muttered, "Well, not for normal people anyway."

The pair of them walked down the rest of the stairs and out into the main lobby of the library. They passed through the barriers to leave and stepped out into sunlight.

"That's so strange." Will muttered as he shielded his eyes with his hand.

"What is?" Izzy asked.

"It's so bright but I'm literally freezing. Global warming can't come fast enough, honestly."