Rewritten

Chapter 12: Collisions

Wanted List A list of altereds known to have committed crimes. Hunters are allowed to regulate these altereds as they see fit.

 I sat in the library of Chelsea University, knowing that this was the one place nobody was going to find me. It had been an hour since my threat from Marcus, and I had asked Nick to drop me off at the main gates before walking in without a word. Around me I could hear the sounds of students chatting, the click of fingers on keyboards and the occasional scratching of pen against paper. The scents of coffee and aged paper hung strongly in the air, and what I could see through the shelves was a blur of colour. Mostly from hoodies, though there was the occasional person who dressed like they were on a fashion show runway. I had no idea who they were trying to impress at a time like this.

    Not that I was looking. I had been here so many times that I knew that the corner I sat in was rarely ever ventured in. Apparently people didn't really read much about the history of film -not when it was accessible online. I had read a surprising amount of random facts in those books, but the history I was reading about was a different section entirely. In front of me and to my left I had Art's suspect notebook open to the page I had devoted to Nick whilst to my right I was reading a book on the history of London's transport system.

According to it, most of the bombings had originated in zone one (also known as central London) and spread out from there. Because of this, certain parts of the underground system remained intact whilst others were utterly destroyed. I got the idea that Nick and Marcus had met me in one of the more destroyed areas as an intimidation tactic -I doubted Marcus actually lived in those ruins.

    A part of me was reading because I was curious about Marcus. He was the first rewrite I'd ever had a direct encounter with, and in a way it was nice to feel like I wasn't so alone. An equally sized part of me had no idea why I was wasting my time reading this book- seeing Marcus in a decade would be seeing him too soon. The man was creepy with a capital C.

    "Why am I not surprised you're in here?" Lyann stood over me, arms folded. The scowl on her face said that she was not pleased. I glanced up at her. Something must have shown on my face because she went from peeved to alarmed in an instant. "What happened?"

    I hesitated. "What do you know of a man named Marcus?"

    Lyann stilled. For the first time in a long time I saw something that was rarely ever there -fear. "Marcus what?"

    I stared unblinkingly at her, refusing to back down. "I think you know exactly who I'm talking about Lee. He's a rewrite. The first I've ever met. And for some reason he thought it was a good idea to introduce himself to me today. I get the idea that the next time I see him won't be so pleasant."

    Lyann was pale. "Shit," she muttered. I watched as she paced back and forth.

  "Yeah," I drawled with a confidence I didn't feel. "Shit."

    Lee stopped pacing, then dropped down beside me. She looked freaked, and that was totally abnormal for her. "How... how did he know to come after you? He doesn't even know you! I did everything I can to -"

   "And what's that supposed to mean? Did everything you can? You didn't think to tell me there's a rewrite out there that's a complete psycho? I thought you didn't know any rewrites but me!"

    "For your own safety!" Our argument was attracting attention in the Library now, and Lee grabbed my arm and dragged me out the room before people realised what we were discussing. In the car park behind the library, and away from prying eyes, she continued. "If there's one guy you don't want to meet, it's Marcus. He's a maniac, constantly manipulating the past for his own benefit. And if that requires killing someone or hurting them then he doesn't care. There are few altereds around here that aren't under his thumb, whether it's due to blackmail or because some people plain straight adore him. So tell me now, Athena. How did you run into him?"