Paige and the Quest for Truth: Book 2 in the series

14

Chapter 14

Paige stood in front of the imposing building. Tall white columns, reminiscent of the Atlantis Library, stood stoic in the sun. She followed them up with her gaze, shielding her eyes with one of her hands. Her other hand was curled into a fist at her side, betraying the tension and anxiety coursing through her veins.

Maude stood on her left, a gentle hand rested on Paige's shoulder. Her eyes held a look of grim determination, her mouth set in a hard line. Kyle wrapped his hand around her fist, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go again.

She looked at each of her companions in turn. She smiled at their small, ragtag group. It reminded her of standing on another set of stairs, with another group of unlikely but loving companions. For the first time since losing Billie, she felt a little less alone.

Paige took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come. "Ok, let's do this. Now is as good of a time as any."

Her friends followed her up the stairs, following her through the double doors. Air conditioning hit them, like an industrial force field. Paige was hit with a powerful wave of nostalgia, as she observed the library for the first time in what felt like ages. They must have found some better help because the shelves were not dusty, and there was actually a bored attendant sitting behind the desk.

She had been worried about having to sneak into the employees-only section of the building, but the person at the front desk, after greeting them warmly, went back to what she was working on.

They snuck down the long hallway to where the supply closet was, thankfully, unlocked. Her vision swam in front of her as she placed her hand on the door handle. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and a soft, muffled voice, drowned out the rushing noise in her ears. She nodded, hoping that was the appropriate response to whatever had been said.

Twisting the handle, she pushed the door open slowly. Her friends followed her inside, Maude closing the door behind them. Kyle waved his hands over the door, a locking noise rang audibly through the room.

Paige reached for the light switch, hearing a 'click click' noise, but the light was not working. A laugh burst out of her mouth, she clamped a hand over her face to try and control herself.

Kyle was looking at her like she might need some help. Like the kind of help, he and Maude couldn't provide. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do you...want to explain the joke to the rest of the class?" As he spoke, he waved his hands in the air, a small but powerful light appearing to hover just above them. Magic flashlight, that is awesome. Paige decided not to mention that, afraid that Kyle would take offense.

Slowly, Paige tried to get a hold of herself. "Yeah...sorry. The clue, the stupid riddle. The first part of it. "In the darkness, there is light. I didn't realize it would be so literal. I completely forgot about the light switch in here being broken."

This place holds so many memories. Her outburst of laughter was riding dangerously close to a breakdown. She tried to clear her throat, and blink away the unshed tears in her eyes.

She sat down on an overturned crate, scrubbing her hands over her face. "So we're here, I am pretty sure this is the right place. How do we go about this, exactly?"

Kyle tilted his head to the side, looking right at her as if trying to decide whether to answer his friend or acknowledge the emotions she was fighting. Eventually, it seemed, practicality won out.

He looked away, clearing his throat. "Well, I think we have the first part of the riddle figured out. 'In the darkness, there is light, we end at the start, try as we might'. This is where the story begins, isn't it Paige?" She nodded at him, not quite trusting her voice just yet.

"Ok". He continued. "That just leaves the second half for us to figure out. 'Whisper words, sweet like thunder, the place of sorrow, is a place of wonder.'" He paced back and forth, suddenly lost in thought, trying to figure out the words.

Maude pulled up a crate of her own, sitting down next to Paige. She groaned audibly as she sat down, chuckling at Paige's concerned glance. "I am quite alright, my dear. These old bones just ain't what they used to be. I'm going to take a load off while we try to solve this riddle."

Paige put her head in her hands, running the second half of the riddle on repeat through her mind. It seemed the riddle was composed of opposites. Dark and light, sorrow, and wonder. What words were sweet, but powerful? What caused her sorrow and wonder at the same time. Billie. Of course, the answer was Billie. Everything came back to the girl who stole her heart. Stole it and disappeared with it. She swiped at the tears in her eyes, angry at their appearance.

"It's Billie" She whispered to her friends. "Sorrow and wonder, the only thing that could cause me so much simultaneous joy and pain. The only thing more tragic than my freaking back story. Billie." She gripped her hair in her fists, pulling just enough to feel something other than the tide threatening to overwhelm her.

Maude, ever so gently grabbed Paige's hands, forcing her to relax her fists. She held them in hers, looking directly at Paige. "I think, to open this door, you're going to have to look at it, Paige. The pain, the sorrow, everything you keep locked away."

Paige shook her head softly. "I can't. I..." She swallowed hard before continuing. "If I have any hope of saving her, I have to keep myself held together."

Maude looked at Kyle knowingly, before returning her gaze to Paige. "I am going to say something you don't want to hear. You have to face it. That ocean you are barely holding back. To find out what really happened to her, to Billie. You have to be brave, Paige."

Paige felt heavy. The weight of the world sat on her chest and she was tired. Just so very tired. She had held herself together for so long. Knowing that if she let herself shatter, there wasn't anyone there to help piece her back together. But she was so tired of pretending she wasn't broken. She suspected she wasn't a great actress anyway, with the way her friends kept looking at her like she was a kicked puppy. Part of her, part of her longed to just let herself shatter.

Maude grabbed her chin, forcing their eyes to meet once again. "Paige, my dear, you are safe here. We are your friends, Kyle has spelled the door, we can take as much time as we need. It is safe for you to let go. In fact, I think to open the door, you have to let yourself go. You have to let yourself feel."

Maude embraced her, hugging her tightly, and whispering in her ear. "It's ok if you feel broken, my dear, that's how the light gets in."

Those words seemed to break something loose in Paige. Try as she might, her body gave in to the wave crashing over her. She shook in Maude's embrace, loud, painful sobs escaping her. She felt Kyle's hand on her back, and it grounded her. She may not have Billie, and that thought ripped her very heart from her chest. She had to admit, however, that she wasn't completely alone. She gave in to the embrace of her friends, too tired to fight it. For now, for this moment at least, she let herself break. To grieve, for herself, and for Billie.