AND SHE WAS NOT AN ADVENTURE I FLYNN CARSEN

The Contrariness Of Being

The Contrariness Of Being

Clara sat behind Flynn's desk, his tweed jacket draped across her shoulders. With some trepidation, she watched Flynn tear a strip out of the sullen Charlene and silent Library, berating the former for putting ideas in Clara's head, and the latter for letting her carry them out. His reaction to her escapade had surprised Clara. She'd been bracing herself for the inevitable storm, but he was treating her as if she was the wronged one, rather than the one that had done the wrong.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled up at the vaulted ceiling. "She could have died!"

The Library remained silent, still.

"Whatever point you're trying to prove," Flynn continued, not caring, "you can stop trying to prove it as of this moment!"

"The point is already proven, Flynn," Charlene pointed out with maddening calmness. "Clara's here, she came back alive."

"Because I was there," Flynn snarled, whirling on Charlene. "I'm the only reason she made it back in one piece."

"And that blonde woman," Clara interjected, "she helped a bit as well."

Flynn just glared at her.

"You can't claim all the laurels of glory for yourself," Clara said reasonably.

"I don't need anyone!" Flynn hollered up at the ceiling, ignoring her. "I'm doing just fine on my own, thank you very much!"

Charlene just rolled her eyes, before stalking out of the library wing, Judson wringing his hands nervously in the mirror. Clara caught the old man's eye, something in his face making her heart twist in her chest. She'd really set the cat amongst the pigeons by doing what she'd done, but she couldn't shake off the feeling she'd did the right thing. Alright, clinging to Flynn's leg in fear was hardly her finest hour, but she had to start somewhere. Stepping through a magic door into the unknown had been the first step in the right direction, even if it had led to a ruined dress and severe humiliation.

"I really think you should calm down now," Clara said coldly as Judson faded into thin air, "or you'll end up in that mirror, big boy."

"Just listen to her!" Flynn shouted at the wall. "She's talking like a Librarian!"

Clara just gawped at him.

"Don't you see?" Flynn said suddenly, stooping down and grabbing the arm-rests of her chair, his face inches from hers. "The Library's in your soul now. It won't let you go. It won't let you live."

Clara's face paled.

"See the way you were out there today?" Flynn said, straightening up. "I was like that once. Naive. Raw. Inexperienced. I nearly died more times than you had hot dinners. And I promised myself never again."

"Never again what?"

"Never again would I let the Library do that to someone else," Flynn whispered, "never again would I let it hurl somebody into the depths of hell with nothing but a book between them and the flames."

"How?"

"I learned. I lived."

"And you don't think I can do that as well?" Clara said, standing up, insulted.

"I don't want that for you," Flynn said quietly, looming over her, "I want you to leave the Library - to live your life as if the Library never existed. But until then, you have to stay here, and you have to stay out of the Library's sight. It let you through that door for a reason, but it's never going to happen again, do you hear me? Do you hear me?" he shouted up at the ceiling again.