Unfamiliar (Unfamiliar Series #1)

Chapter 44

The sun has yet to rise as I march across campus early the next morning with Astrid, Tessa, and Indigo in tow, the world around us a dusky blue as the sky slowly lightens into faint shades of gray. The air is cool and crisp and there is a thick layer of frost coating everything, which makes the world glitter in a way that almost makes it look like it has snowed as the frost collects on my shoes.

At this point, I don't care if I'm caught, I have something that I need to figure out for myself and no one is going to get in my way now.

I make it to a side door on the lecture hall and try the handle, only to find that it's locked. Astrid steps past me without a word, her hand hovering over the lock as there's a rattling click and I reach forward to tug the door open. The hallways are abandoned and cold as I walk for the gallery, the door on it being unlocked as I nudge my way inside.

I've yet to visit the gallery for myself, though I only pause for a moment to look around before I spot a glass case toward the back of the room. I can almost feel that the wand is there before I even see it as I pause beside the case and look up.

On the wall above the case is a massive, oil painting of Lilith sitting on a chair, her hands folded in her lap as her eyes gleam in such a way that it almost looks like she's alive as she looks out of the painting, her posture regal yet relaxed. I could almost imagine that if I watch the painting long enough, she would blink as I look down at the case and shake my head.

Inside of the case is a wooden wand that has been carved in such a way that it is coiled like a horn. The wand is a reddish shade, like cherry wood and it instantly feels familiar even though I've never seen it.

I touch the glass and, to my surprise, the lock on the case clicks as it unlocks itself. I glance at the others, who are now staring at me in shock.

"Did you-?" Indigo starts to say, but I interrupt her.

"No," I shake my head a few times as her face pales.

"Well, touch it then," Astrid says in a low voice and Indigo shoots her an irritated glance.

I ignore them and open the case before I hesitate for a second longer and grab for the wand.

Though I don't even think that I feel the wood before everything abruptly disappears.

                                                              ****

I can smell smoke, the heavy, overbearing odor filling my lungs to the point that I feel suffocated. I would cough, but at the same time, the smoke doesn't feel like it's quite there either. I open my eyes to find myself in the alchemy lab once again, like I hadn't even left the memory from before as the cauldron continues to billow smoke, the book still burning.

Lilith is still standing by her cauldron, the flames rising from it as she turns and looks directly at me.

"If you've come this far then I trust that you are helping, rather than harming the Unfamiliars," she smiles sadly and I notice then that the door to the alchemy lab is open.

A man is in the doorway but he isn't moving, almost like he's been paused in time as his eyes are locked onto Lilith. She glances at him for a brief second before she looks back to me.

"Time is running out, I know that it may sound morbid, but this wand is connected to my energy and will be able to show you where my final resting place is, wherever that may be. Once you are close, you will see the rest of my memories and whatever happened to me," Lilith's voice strains at the end as she blinks, "please be careful, for what you see will not...it will likely not be pleasant."