Faer • Mattheo Riddle

10.0

It was well past 2 AM, and the room felt suffocating with the mounting frustration between us. The dim light from the candle flickered ominously, casting long shadows on the stone walls of the dorm room.

 Mattheo sat across from me, flipping through pages of the old, worn-out book with the kind of determination that only came when we were both desperate. 

We'd been at it for hours, getting nowhere, and the longer we searched, the angrier I became.

I leaned back in my chair, glaring at the pages in front of me like they'd personally wronged me. "This is useless," I muttered under my breath, tapping my nails on the wooden desk. 

"We're going in circles, and you're not even helping."

Mattheo barely glanced up, his jaw tight as he continued scanning the text. "Maybe if you stopped complaining for five seconds, we'd actually get somewhere."

I rolled my eyes, feeling my temper flare. "Complaining? You're the one sitting there doing nothing useful."

His eyes flicked up to meet mine, irritation flashing in them. "Yeah? And throwing insults is how you think we'll solve this? Brilliant strategy, Faer."

The tension in the room was unbearable, like a rubber band pulled too tight, ready to snap. I'd had enough. With a growl of frustration, I grabbed the book from the table and flung it at him.

 "If you think you're so smart, then you figure it out!"

Mattheo caught the book mid-air, his reflexes quick, and in one swift movement, he pushed back from the desk and slammed the book down in front of me.

 Before I could even react, he grabbed my arm and shoved me back against the cold stone wall, trapping me there. 

The suddenness of his actions sent a jolt of adrenaline through my veins, and my heart pounded as we stood there, inches apart.

The book was held open between us, his hand pressed against the page as he stared me down, his chest heaving with restrained anger. 

"You're the one who threw it, Faer. Now you deal with it."

I glared back at him, not backing down, but something in his eyes caught my attention. There was a flicker—something beyond the anger. 

My gaze dropped to the book, and suddenly, everything stopped. My breath hitched as I realized what page we were on.

The Vanishing Cabinet.

My eyes widened, and Mattheo's gaze followed mine. His grip on my arm loosened, and for the first time all night, there was silence—true, heavy silence.

 We both stared at the words on the page, the realization slowly sinking in.

"This... this is it," I whispered, barely believing it myself.

Mattheo's eyes darted from the book to me, his expression shifting from frustration to something else entirely.

 It was as if we both understood, without having to say it out loud. This was the key.