Hidden Before Their Eyes

Chapter 6: A Tome and A Sword

I have not slept for two days now and I am beginning to fray at the seams. Keeping together this sleep deprived is near impossible. Then again I should have prepared myself for the possibility that my place would be replaced while I was gone. Although he has yet to accept it, his parents have found someone they find as a suitable replacement.

I really need to get my shit together. I am doomed if I fall apart from this. Then again it is to be expected. I grew up under the notion that I was made to live him. I violently shake my head side to side and then slap either side of my face. I blink and curse. That hurts more than it could ever possibly be helpful.

Erphi constricts slightly around my neck, not in a hurtful manner but more to get my attention. I roll my eyes at the attention lover and pry him away from my neck. It is only a few hours past midnight to I might as well try and sleep away the rest of the night.

In the morning I am awoken by shrill shrieking from the hallway. I jump up and down in excitement over the sleep I did get but then clamber over to my door and throw it open. This yelling needs to stop.

"Can you quiet the hell down?" I yell at them. They both go silent and look at me wide eyed. It is some girl I do not recall and I think it was Kyle. He looks at me sheepishly while she looks perturbed at my interruption. "Some of us actually enjoy sleep," I snarl at them before slamming my door and plopping back into bed.

It has been a few days since my fight and to my luck the rumors and whispers have completely died out. I grab the book I have been reading since I have been sleepless and prop it open. It seems to be a textbook on growing plants in a greenhouse, but it has been dumbed down for some reason. Like obviously you have to water plants, otherwise they die. The book did not need to waste an entire fourteen page chapter on that.

The next time I hear movement outside in the hallway I get up and bring the book with me. I finished it a bit ago and would appreciated something better to waste my time on. I peek out into the hallway and notice Ronan ascending the stairs. I follow after him quietly. I watch him from afar as he slips into one of the other stairwells that leads to another group of humans. He is probably up to no good, but I leave it be. Instead I head towards the library, intent on returning the waste of paper book I spent a few too many hours on.

I make sure to keep it down as I slip into the library. The lady who is typically behind the desk is missing so I leave the book on top of it and then delve into the vast shelves. The room smells of book dust and parchment. It is a calming scent compared to the earthly stench that hangs over the rest of the place.

I run my fingers over the titles of the books and let the tranquil set over me. I am deep in the library when I see a dramatic shift in topic. The books in this section look to be about the various species instead of the mundane everyday life that I had been stuck in for the longest time.

Looking around I zone in on one book that sparks my fancy. The red binding with strong black type for the title catches my eye. A book on demons. I pull it from the shelf and carefully crack it open. Inside the pages are pristine. Almost as though the book had yet to be opened. I blink harshly at the inner cover of the book. It is written in my mother tongue. It could be dangerous to be caught reading this. However, I am too intrigued by the subject matter to resist.

I hurry out of the library, holding the tome tightly to my chest. I hurry to my room and fiddle with my door lock for a few moments longer that I would have liked. I hear Ronan coming down behind me and shove my way into my room quickly. I throw the book down, covering it with my blanket and then go to the chest of my things to get properly dressed for the day.

When I comeback out Ronan is sitting at the foot of the stairs. "What were ya doing out so early?" He asks looking up at me.

"I could ask you the same," I counter, challenging him.