The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter SIX - Unwanted Attention

She rubbed her temple, her headache and eye twitch beginning to worsen. Emma closed the book, shoving it to the side while dragging another one off of the mountain beside her with a lifeless arm. She sighed, biting her damaged gums as she opened to the index page and ran her finger down the paper.

A groan from past the small pile before her interrupted her silence. Emma made a tutting sound as she opened her mouth and rolled her eyes, sitting up straight to see Blake with his arms behind his head kicking back and forth in his seat. She stared at him, his eyes and his flirtatious smile aimed elsewhere.

A small, curvy blonde stood reading a book, her eyes flitting up every so often to send a smile to Blake. She was twiddling a strand of hair between her fingers, giggles making their way through the library. Emma rolled her eyes, turning back around in her chair.

'How much have you actually read?' She accused, sending him an impatient and irritated look before he could give her his answer. His head snapped towards her; eyes wide as if he'd forgotten she was there. His chair fell back on all four legs and his arms landed on the table.

People turned their heads at the sound, annoyed by someone causing disruption in a library. 'A lot, actually.' Blake scorned, pursing his lips and staring her down in protest. 'I'm just bored now.' He whined, looking around at all the others studying quietly. 'We've been in here all day.'

Emma sighed, looking to the sunny outside beyond the window. She bit her gums, contemplating in her mind. 'Okay, why don't you go out for a bit?' She suggested hesitantly, unsure if she was making a mistake or helping herself. He shot out his chair, exhilaration sweeping across his face in seconds. Emma pulled her finger out, pointing it at his face. 'But, I want a coffee and a snack.' She debated, knowing that he would oblige.

Emma watched with a slight smile as he ran out, weaving between tables and causing disruption. She laughed to herself, looking around at all the angry eyes following him. The library was busy, full of students. Emma sat back for a moment, wondering if she could have been one of them. Her mind swept over all the things she could have studied, the things she could be learning and doing.

Emma shook her head, a strand of hair slipping out the loose bun and swaying by her temple. She lowered her head back to the book. After some time, she gave up. Blowing out a breath in defeat and slamming the useless book down on the pile. She jumped in her seat at the sound, sending apologetic winces at those that turned their head. As she slid another off the pile, she hunched over to hide behind the teetering wall.

The chair across the table slid out and a heavy body dropped into it. 'That was quick.' Emma announced, finishing the sentence as she slowly raised her head. 'Thought you'd drag it-' She stopped, her mouth open and her eyes glinting with humour. It wasn't Blake across from her, it was someone else.

A young man, around the same age as Emma, was sat smiling at her from Blake's seat. His eyes were misty blue, leaning towards grey and his hair was bright blonde, much lighter than Blake's. He was very big, muscles poking out through his top that looked as if it were a few sizes too small.

She smiled nervously, eyes darting to the door to see if there was any sign of Blake. 'Hi.' His voice was deep with a smooth German accent. 'Sorry to interrupt, but I just couldn't ignore you, especially after seeing your bright hair.' He let out a chuckle as he looked towards the locks of hair by Emma's face.

She could see the boring brown hair, forgetting for a second that he didn't see her, he saw someone else. She smiled at him, still unable to find her voice. She didn't feel very nervous, her heart did beat a little faster, but she felt fine.