Tasteful Darkness

Chapter 12

Balendin - Now

By the time the sun begins lowering towards the horizon, I'm nearly halfway through Peter's book

As I read, I find myself getting lost in Peter's words. Through only a handful of them, he captivates something I can't put into words. I pay attention to every word he underlines, every small marking he makes in the margins.

His annotations are one of the things keeping me engulfed in the story, but I fell in love with the characters by the first page.

The story follows a girl—Lili—who has not uttered a single word in her twenty years of living. Over the years, she has found ways to communicate, but people often don't waste their time bothering to understand.

Even though she's human, I find myself empathizing with her. With the inability to truly leave an impact on anyone because they always end up leaving.

Or dying.

I close the book as a yawn escapes my lips. I look around for Amelie, but she left hours ago and is no doubt sleeping on some bookshelf.

I stand, stretching my arms above me. The book is still heavy in my hands, and I debate what to do. I could leave it here since Peter will no doubt return at some point, but I itch to finish reading. Not just to find out what happens to Lili when she is visited by a childhood friend, but because I want to see the story through Peter's eyes.

Once, I silently argued with him on his reaction to Lili's inner monologue about how she wanted love. Not because she was desperate for someone else's attention, but because she wanted to find someone who would understand her for everything she is.

In the margins, he wrote, Love isn't permanent—neither is understanding.

My initial reaction was thinking that Peter is a lot more pessimistic than I had thought when I first met him. But then I reminded myself I have yet to unravel the complexity of him.

I walk out of the bookstore, A Silent Life tucked underneath my elbow. I might as well finish reading before returning it, whenever that may be.

The streets are cold as I make my way back home. Thick clouds have started descending, creating a thick fog that makes it difficult to see the buildings around me. My pace slows as I note the assorted labels of the different streets.

I freeze in front of the closest one.

Somewhere, somehow, I must have made a wrong turn. I'm on Peter's street.

Of course.

I keep walking and in mere moments I'm standing in front of his building. Something inside me quickens, and I hate the feeling of it. Without my powers, my emotions are the one thing I have control over, and I intend to keep it that way.

Maybe I should check in on him. He is human, afterall, and I can't have him dying on me.

With a sigh, my form shifts to that of Vincent. I've gotten comfortable in this body, which is a relief because it appears I will be spending a lot of time in it in the coming days.

I knock on the door only once since I'm still hesitant about whether or not to see him at all. I wait a few long moments and eventually decide this was a waste of my time. I turn, trying to figure out the fastest way home.

A door opens behind me. I freeze.

"Hello?" Peter says.

I turn, watching him as he steps further out onto the street. Once his eyes find me, he tilts his head.