The next day found Liza perusing the library aisles. She had just put a hand on a book named, "Witchcraft 101" when she heard someone cough delicately behind her. Whirling around, she found Quinn standing there, with a faint smile on his face.
"Witchcraft?"
Embarrassed, Liza left the book on the shelf.
"Um, yeah...I'm doing a report on witchcraft amongst teenage girls."
Quinn raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Wow, I'm amazed they let this book be on the shelves of a school library."
He leaned forward, past Liza and close enough for her to smell his amazingly light cologne and soap, and pulled the book off the shelf. Thumbing through it, he stopped on a certain chapter.
"Controlling Spirits for Your Own Personal Use. Interesting. What would somebody want to do with a dead guy?"
Liza perked up when he read the chapter and had to control her excitement before Quinn became even more curious.
"I know, right?" She chuckled nervously. "I mean, leave the dead alone. They already lived their lives, let them rest in peace."
Quinn smiled his crooked smile and stared intensely at her. He closed the book and held it out, offering it to her.
"I think this would be an excellent book for your research. If you'd like, I can maybe help you out a little. My dad was a bit of an occultist. He found it fascinating. Especially out of body experiences."
"Did he ever succeed?"
Quinn moved his intense gaze to the books, where it softened.
"I don't know. He died when I was younger. Mostly, I know about him through his books and notes and journals. That's all I have left of him."
Instinctively, Liza reached out a hand and placed it on Quinn's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry. My father is...not here either."
Quinn's eyes were intense again as he took in the fact that Liza was touching his shoulder. He put his hand over hers and squeezed it before removing it. He didn't let go of her hand right away, though, which made Liza a little uncomfortable. She didn't mean to touch him like that; she was just very emotional lately. She didn't want to lead him on.
Quinn's crooked smile replaced the intense expression and he released her hand.
"I should be going. I have a class. You should check out that book, and give me a call sometime."
After Quinn was out of the library door, Liza sunk into the nearest chair and breathed deeply. What an incredibly intense moment. Her heart thudded in her chest. Putting the books she was holding on the table, she looked at the one on top. "Witchcraft 101." It certainly did look like an interesting book. She looked out the door that Quinn had exited through and thought that the witchcraft book wasn't the only book that was interesting and could use some reading.
Later in Geometry, Shara prattled on about the previous night as Liza was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't get the feeling of Quinn's hand on hers out of her mind. His hand had been so hot, but dry, not nasty and sweaty. It was as if he radiated volcanic heat. She had chanced to tuck her hair behind her ear and smelled his cologne faintly on her hand. She sat with her chin on her hand so she could continue to breathe in Quinn's scent while ignoring Shara's endless chatter.
