Chapter 46 CHAPTER 46
My neck burned with irritation.
“What do you mean by tha– where did he go?”
It's like he'd disappeared into thin air, as I'd imagined him.
But I knew I hadn't, his presence was unmistakable, his imprint on the spot where he'd held me from falling still sizzling.
‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ I thought as I looked at the pile of books I'd carried to go through.
Then I decided to stop searching for that one book, it was clear it wasn't on some random shelf here, and was definitely very important for every magical book to reference it so I'm sure it was hidden away from sight.
I climbed back on the ladder and began looking for a way out of the bowels of the library where I'd gone in search of the book.
“Oh well, look who's truly and completely lost,” I whispered to myself as I meandered through shelves, following the general direction of the door.
The lights were too bright for my eyes and I was feeling a bit sleepy but I couldn't do that on the floor.
But as though some goddess heard my voice, I came across a small reading cave, chair, table, and reading lamp curated in a corner with shelves behind it.
The light above was even off, perfect.
“Well, I'm not sure it's a good idea to take these back to the hostel anyway,” I told myself as I climbed down from the ladder, packed my books, and settled down on the soft plush chair. “When I'm done, I'll search for the exit again.”
So I sat down and focused on going through every book, and then noting whatever part of the book was lifted from the book of the beginning in a jotter I'd found on the reading table.
I have no idea when I'd slept off and when I jerked awake, I was sure I must have been imagining things because there was a blanket spread across my body, like someone had gently tucked me in.
“Weird,” I whispered as I stood up, wringing sleep out of my eyes.
Then my eyes lifted to the giant clock on the wall and panic wrapped its frail fingers around my throat.
I had just fifteen minutes to get back to the hostel before questions would begin flying about
Not that they don't already have too much to ask as it is already.
Packing up the books, I placed them on a corner of the table but I took the jotter with me. I don't want my handsome stranger to get a hold of it.
With that, my attention was back on finding my way out of here, I followed my left-hand side, going left and then forward over and over again until I found that same lane I'd used as a starting point.
“Finally,” I whispered as I broke off into a sprint towards the library door.
I pushed it open and ran into the misty morning, running towards the hostel.
A strange sound from behind me kicked my legs to go faster, I didn't want to find out what the sound was about, I just needed to get the hell away from this quiet place.
Later on, I would come to regret that decision.
The day brightened with me trying to avoid everyone because I felt they were going to interrogate me but the moment I couldn't escape it anymore, it was about something else entirely.
“Asher dropped a box for you,” Erin said to me as she scrubbed her body clean opposite me. “Have you checked what's inside?”
“I have told him I'm not interested in whatever it is he's looking for,” I grumbled.
As far as relationships were concerned, I had given up on that quest and even if I were to ever change my mind and be with somebody in this place I'd space-travelled into, I had my eyes on a different type of man.
Men I won't be able to touch with a pole stick until I am done with this training.
And even then, I couldn't figure out which I would hope would like me back.
Last night brought the number to a startling three and it took Momma's indoctrination still ringing in my head for me not to think of myself as a slut because that dream I had while sleeping in that library…
Nope, I'm not thinking about it right now.
“Well, you'll have to tell him that. He's only going to keep increasing his efforts the more you resist indirectly.”
“Indir– I clearly told him the other day that I'm not interested. Does he want me to scream it from the top of the Admin building?!”
“Jeez, lower your voice Ma'am, we don't want the boys running in here thinking something is wrong.”
“Good morning Kassandra,” I said to her, coming out of the bathing pool as she took her eyes on a journey across the women in the room.
It felt like a heavy secret on my head knowing how overstimulated every bathing day was for her but it also prompted me to get my clothes on quickly.
I didn't want to be a part of her imagination.
“I'll help you talk to him again,” Erin told me, “it's best for you to choose him now if you can though. If it becomes a public spectacle…”
“You guys are weird over here,” I grumbled as I took my stuff and headed outside. “But don't worry, even if he puts a knife to my throat, I won't say yes to him.”
My ex did way worse than that and yet, here I was, still not my happily ever after but I was clearly not his puppet anymore.
Besides, I wasn't going to stay here for some boy to become obsessive and try to force me to be with him.
The day proceeded smoothly, I only got one injury from Kovar which, compared to the beginning of my sojourn here, was considerably a good thing.
“Are you coming for the Bonfire after your training today?” Mira asked me as we sat down for brunch.
“There's a bonfire?”
“Well, you'd know these things if you paid attention to your surroundings instead of staring up and blinking every time you're not looking at Principal Draco,” Akua ranted.
“You wouldn't blink if you were looking at him either,” Mira giggled, “the male is a fine, unreachable specimen. If he ever touched me, I'd melt into a poodle.”
“Weakling,” Akua laughed at her but Mira's words took me down memory lane
But I only allowed it to stick for a few seconds, the feeling of my back against his chest…
“Are you coming though?” Erin pressed.
“If I finish with Healer's pool early enough, I'll be there. There's nothing to do tomorrow right?”
“Nope. For two days, we get to just rest. It's mandatory so make sure no one catches you running or reading or whatever.”
They won't catch me; they never come to the library after all.
“I'll be at the bonfire then.”