In By Sunset ✔️

Chapter Two: Jesse

 At the academy the next day I can't find Rhys. And if I can't spot him while knowing that he's around, that means he's hiding from me. I know for certain that I could spot him by any number of tiny features that I don't really note for others. His posture, his build, the way his blond hair is surprisingly dull, even with light on it... And surely I would hear his voice, if he were to speak. I've remembered that voice for years, and hearing it in a battle with a Viledeer last night threw me for a loop, I wasn't sure if it was him or a hallucination. (I get those sometimes. I don't sleep enough, I spend a lot of my nights in those woods, looking for Rhysander. He told me once he takes walks there at night.) And when it turned out to be him, I was too excited to notice the way he was furrowing his brow when he realized it was me.

He's mad, about what I'm not too sure. Only Rhysander Evans could hold a grudge for three years. Even as I think he's being ridiculous, I would do anything to make amends. I mean, he's been calling me Galloway! That isn't something that happens. I decide to leave class. It's pretty easy to walk out when your father owns the school, so stepping out of a class where I've already finished all the assigned reading isn't a problem.

Finding Rhys shouldn't be too incredibly hard, I know every space in this building, but it's going to be time consuming. I wonder if I should check the dorms. Oh, I doubt that Rhysander would be one to make nice with a Dormie. He could barely make nice with me when we first met. I decide to begin with the least obvious spot. The classrooms. It's not hard, I peek through a crack in the door and scan the heads. If I see a blond, I take a closer look, but I find that Rhys is definitely not in the classes.

I analyze the places I could find him, quietly murmuring locations under my breath. I decide to start at the first wing of the school and end at the library, which is on the other side. It's the most obvious hiding spot, but I know better than to underestimate Rhys. From my memory, he was smarter than me, and it's probably still the case. Now, the room furthest from the library is my father's office. I doubt Rhys would be in there, but I still poke around anyway. If Rhysander's grandfather wasn't so important in this town, I'm sure my father would have denied Rhys admission.

Rhys is definitely not there, so the next place to check is the mess hall. I swear, for a moment, my eyes zone in on him by the door, near the garbage bin, then whoever it is leaves quickly, turning out of my vision. I glance around, then make haste and follow. But as soon as I exit, there's no trace of him in the long, doorless corridor. It's like he vanished. Wonderful. I bite back an annoyed growl, thinking it best to stay silent so he can't hear me. I follow the hallway to the next place I need to check, the gymnasium. Nothing. He must be moving fast. I look into the counseling office, the financial office, and the workers' quarters, finding nothing. I search through the entire ground floor, excluding the library (I figure since the library spans all three floors, in it's the big tower, I should check it after all else.) and then I head to the second floor and begin that search, too. I catch another glimpse of him in one of the alcoves with a book, then he's on the move again. This time, I manage to keep him in my sight for a few moments before he disappears once more.

This feels like some sort of dance, but I don't know the steps. Everything with Rhys feels that way, like some mystery only he could understand. On the third floor, I spot him going into the library. Perfect. It'll be easy to catch up to him in the maze of shelves. I feel like I have the upper-hand, having roamed in the library since I was young.

I head in after him, glancing around and down the library stairwell. The second floor door is always locked, because they lost the key years ago. I tune my ears, knowing that I would hear if he was on the ground floor--the floors there are marble, everywhere else is carpeted in here. I don't hear anything, so I climb up on one of the ladders used to reach the highest books. Even with this, the wall shelves still have books too high to access, but from this vantage point, I can see over most shelves.