Henri Beck & the Hidden Library | 📖

19

Whenever possible, Henri wandered the streets of London aimlessly during his time attending Westminster School. Often accompanied only by grey skies and the mysteriously putrid smells wafting up from the River Thames, he ventured through the city to discover every nook and cranny. He often sat in old parks with an old book and a cup of tea, simply watching as people passed him by.

Those were the good memories he had during his time there.

The others...he'd rather not talk about.

But as that taxi cruised through the crowded streets with him sandwiched between his sister and his new crush, he couldn't help but fall back into those unfond times he sought to escape. They wrapped their wretched fingers around his arms and legs, pulling and clawing and tugging away at him. They threatened to throw him back into the darkness.

Gritting his teeth, he called upon every ounce of willpower in his thin body and forced them back. He wouldn't let those thoughts take hold of him. He might've been back in London, but things were different now. His parents needed him to stay focused so he could rescue them. There would be time to wallow in his self-pity later.

Or perhaps there wouldn't be.

Either way, now wasn't the time to get distracted.

The sound of brakes squealing snatched Henri out of his head. He glanced out the window and immediately frowned. Walls of beige and brown bricks shrouded in yellow light from the streetlamps met his eye. Unkempt shrubs and flowerpots wrapped around the front. A rusted, metal gate wrapped around the front. Hanging above the door by a chain on its last legs was a sign reading 'The Enigma'.

"Here you go," grumbled their taxi driver. Without looking back at them, he held his hand out. Thea quickly rummaged through her pockets. She retrieved a few crumpled green bills and dropped them into the man's hand.

"Keep the change."

The driver wrinkled his nose at the currency in his palm. "Thanks..."

With that settled, the trio exited the taxi.

Henri reluctantly took another look at the building in front of them. Cigarette smoke lingered in the night air; his nostrils burned as the scent tickled the back of his throat. In a nearby alley, he caught a whiff of what could only be a dumpster filled with ungodly amounts of trash. As for the building itself, he couldn't fathom how it hadn't been shut down by Parliament itself.

It was ghastly, archaic, and not fit to call itself a hotel. If this was the outside, he couldn't imagine what the inside must've been like. He shuddered at the thought.

Henri shook his head in exasperation. "Seriously?" He turned to his sister. "We're staying here?"

"Unless you've got money for The Ritz, I suggest you stop complaining."

"How many stars does this place even have?"

"I doubt it has any," Malik suggested with a laugh.

"This isn't funny." He buried his face into his hands.

The boy draped an arm around his shoulders, which made him feel slightly better. "Relax. I'm sure it looks better inside. Besides, we're just sleeping here."

Thea nodded. "He's right. Tomorrow we're meeting with Tinfoilhat99."

"That reminds me," Henri started, "did you set up the meeting with them yet?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she made her way up the weathered and paint-chipped stairs leading into the hotel before them. Shrugging, Malik went up behind her. Henri grumbled curses under his breath before joining them inside.