LUCK'S DIARY: A Change in Fortune

CHAPTER 10

"Alright guys, I have a plan," he started, "Well, sort of."

Derion cocked a brow. "Why sort of?"

"I figured since all this happened because of the weird old bookstore, we needed to find it again. The only problem is we have no idea if it's at the same place, if it moved, or where it could be now." he explained.

"What do mean by that exactly? Are you suggesting the bookstore is some sort of magic?" Alyssia asked.

Vincent quickly explained to them that he first saw the bookstore in Greece and then Keone saw it in Massachusetts. Even the old lady, the description of the building - if you could call it that - and the books on the inside are all the same. 

"Well I can see now how that would be a major problem," Derion said, scratching his chin. "It would be incredibly difficult to locate a magic bookstore."

Keone, who's been silent for some time, finally spoke up.

"I suppose we would just have to start where I last saw it. There could be a very slim chance that it's still there," she commented, "But we won't know until we check." 

"Keone's right," Alyssia said, and Keone flushed from the comment. "It's a reasonable idea considering we have nothing more to go off of. She and I can go have a look when Vince is finished."

"Alright." Vincent continued, "While they're doing that, I'll continue deciphering the rest of this entry. Maybe we could find a clue somewhere in there. In the meantime Grady, you'll do some research, and find anything you can on Ethereal Beings, Circonsas, and anything in between. Don't leave anything out, no matter how insignificant it seems. We need all the help and information we can get."

After he finished, everyone immediately got to work. Grady got the laptop, Vincent wheeled back over to the dining table, and Keone and Alyssia set out to find the bookstore.

Keone was dizzy. She wasn't sure if it the cause was the headache she had, or how close Alyssia is to her. Probably both. One thing is for sure, her flushed face is definitely Alyssia's doing. Before they drove off, Alyssia leaned over Keone to buckle her seatbelt while staring into the depths of her soul. The gaze was so intense, Keone was frozen in place and didn't even dare to blink or take a breath for fear of disturbing whatever moment they were having. 

When she finally drew back, Keone's heart was in a frenzy, her heart was rapidly pacing, and her lungs were screaming at her to take a breath. She stole a glance at Alyssia, and saw the smug smirk on her face then turned towards the window. 

She was still thinking back to what happened, when Alyssia cleared her throat. Keone looked over to show she was listening.

"So Keone, tell me about yourself." She started.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Everything."

"There's not much to know. I'm quite boring." Keone grumbled.

Alyssia threw her head back and laughed out loud. Keone was startled by the unexpected, but pleasant and welcoming sound, and she cracked a smile, then she frowned.

"Could you please pay attention to the road? I don't wanna die before I try bubble-gum ice cream."

Keone was dead serious, but apparently Alyssia didn't think so because she started laughing again, even louder this time. Keone didn't find anything funny about what she said, so she waited for her to stop laughing.

When she finally did, she wiped the tears from her eyes and took a well needed breath.

" Gosh gorgeous, you are hilarious. You are, in no way, boring. Is bubblegum ice cream even a real thing?" She asked.

Keone's heart skipped a few beats, and her face flushed for the umpteenth time since the day started as she ignored the fact that Alyssia just called her gorgeous.

"It so is, I've just never had the opportunity to try it." she pouted and crossed her arms.

Letting out a final chuckle, Alyssia glanced at Keone and smiled. She couldn't help thinking that she was just the cutest. When she pouted, her cheeks puffed up and it reminded her of a chipmunk. A really, really adorable chipmunk. She certainly didn't miss the blush on her cheeks when she called her gorgeous - or any of the other times she blushed - that was still clearly visible despite her dark skin tone, it was more of an orange tint than red. Alyssia liked it a lot. 

Still wanting to know more about Keone, Alyssia asked her once more to tell her about herself.

"And don't say that you're boring this time because I highly doubt it." she added.

"Fine, fine. I'm twenty-six, I love going on adventures, I love food, walks, long rides on my bike, reading, ice cream, and my favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry cheesecake." She took a breathe, then added, "See, not much to know."

"On the contrary, I think that's a whole lot to know." Alyssia replied.

"What about you? Tell me something about Alyssia Abelli."

Alyssia's heart started beating a little faster when Keone said her name. She was very aware of the heat creeping up her neck. She gripped the wheel a little tighter and tried to calm her erratic heartbeat by taking deep, slow breaths. After she calmed down, she cleared her throat and prepared to answer Keone. The whole lasted no more than a few seconds.

"I'm thirty, I love traveling and I do it a lot, I love animals, but cats are my favorite, the beach is my favorite place to go, I love baking, and cheese." she finished.

"Hmm, what's your favorite country that you've been to?" Keone asked.

"I would probably say my home country, Greece. It's beautiful, the people are lovely, and the food is to die for."

"You're from Greece?" Keone balked, "Why don't you have an accent?"

"I spent most of my childhood in the US, but it does come out every now and then, or when I get too excited or worked up."

Keone was in a chokehold from the information. This beautiful creature is from Greece. It makes more sense now to think that she's a goddess. Just look at her. She tried to reel her thoughts back in and not get lost in the beauty of the driver, but she couldn't help stealing another look at her then turning towards the road.

Keone then realized she never gave any directions as to where she saw the bookstore, but Alyssia seemed to know. She thought it was odd, but decided to ask about it when they got back. For now, she just focused on the road and continued the journey in silence.