Discovery in the Library

Discovery in the Library
The morning sunlight streamed across the school parking lot, catching on the sleek black paint of Lucas and Liam’s car. 

Lily stepped out, straightening her skirt as she smoothed her hair with one hand. 

Her nerves buzzed. 

She hadn’t slept well after the chaos of the rooftop and Lena's text calling for help, and now she felt like everyone could see the dark circles under her eyes.

As she shut the car door, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Maya and Graham approaching the library steps, deep in conversation. 

Maya’s easy smile lit up her face when she saw Lily.

“Morning, Lily,” Graham greeted, his voice warm despite the early hour.

“Morning, Graham. Hi, Maya,” Lily replied, forcing a smile even as exhaustion pulled at her features.

Maya gave her a worried look. 

“You okay?”

“Just…long night,” Lily muttered.

Graham glanced between the girls, clearly sensing the code that they needed to gist. 

“Alright, I’ll catch you both later.” He planted a kiss on Maya’s head then her lips.

He got into the twins’ car, and moments later it pulled away with a low purr, leaving the girls standing in the brisk morning air.

Maya watched the car disappear around the corner, then turned to Lily with narrowed eyes. 

“So…do you want to talk about what happened last night? Everyone has been buzzing about it.”

Lily sighed heavily, feeling the weight of it all settling on her shoulders again. 

“Ethan showed up at the worse possible time last night. He came to the rooftop with two girls who were so drunk they could barely walk. He just…crashed everything.”

Maya’s mouth fell open. 

“On a privately booked rooftop? That’s insane! And during your date with the Alpha twins, no less?”

“Yes,” Lily snapped, the frustration in her voice matching the heat in her cheeks. “He made it about him. And it worked. He ruined the entire evening.”

Maya’s eyes glittered dangerously. 

“He needs to be taught a lesson. A big one. No one gets to pull that kind of stunt and walk away.”

Lily rubbed her temples, her voice weary. 

“I want to, trust me. But I think that’s exactly what he wants. He’s baiting us to overreact so he can play the victim and get more attention.”

They started up the wide library steps, the tall wooden doors looming ahead.

Inside, the warm scent of old paper and polished wood greeted them. Sunlight filtered through the high arched windows, painting golden stripes across rows of bookshelves.

Maya slowed as they entered, lowering her voice. 

“I haven’t heard from Lena since yesterday. Have you?”

Lily hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby. 

“She texted me late last night. She said she was in trouble and needed my help.”

Maya’s brows knitted together. 

“What do you mean, ‘trouble’? What kind of trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Lily admitted, the worry plain on her face. “I tried to call her, but it went straight to voicemail. I went to her dorm. She wasn’t there.”

Maya exhaled shakily, shifting her books in her arms. 

“I’ll ask Aiden if he has seen her. Maybe she went to him. I’ll also check with some of her course mates.”

They moved toward an empty study table tucked between shelves of encyclopedias. 

As they unpacked their laptops and stacks of reference books, the conversation lingered like a shadow over their heads.

Lily scanned the rows of people absently, chewing her lip. 

“Do you think Ethan had something to do with it?” she asked, her voice hushed as she leaned closer to Maya.

Maya looked grim. 

“I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s been acting more unhinged every week. And Lena…well, she’s too kind for her own good sometimes. She might have gotten caught up in something.”

A sudden commotion by the main entrance broke their tense focus. 

Eliza, her arms overloaded with books, collided with a group of students laughing and pushing each other. 

Her books fell to the floor in a loud, chaotic clatter.

The group barely paused, walking around Eliza and continuing down the hallway without so much as an apology. 

Lily and Maya both jumped up, rushing over.

“Hey, are you okay?” Maya asked, crouching to pick up the scattered textbooks.

Eliza’s eyes were wide and a bit glassy as she tried to gather her things. 

“Thanks… I’m fine. Just…ugh, people can be so rude.”

“Tell me about it,” Lily muttered, helping her set the stack upright.

As they stood, Eliza hesitated, glancing between them with a curious frown. 

“You two were talking about Lena, weren’t you?” she asked, almost nervously.

Lily and Maya shared a startled look. 

“Yeah,” Lily said slowly. “Why?”

Eliza shifted awkwardly, biting her lip. 

“I don’t know if it means anything, but… I saw her a few days ago, outside your dorm. She was just standing there, like she was listening at your door.”

Maya’s eyes widened. 

“Listening?”

Eliza nodded quickly. 

“She looked…weird. Like something was wrong. Then she just turned and walked away when she noticed me.”

A shiver ran through Lily. 

“Did she say anything to you?”

“No. Just glared and left,” Eliza said, her tone uncertain. “I thought maybe she was upset or something, but now… hearing you’re looking for her…”

Maya closed her eyes briefly, rubbing her forehead. 

“This doesn’t make sense. Do you think she was spying on us?” Maya asked, unable to keep the suspicion from her voice.

Lily shook her head firmly. 

“No. Lena is not like that.”

Eliza looked stricken. 

“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping. I just thought you should know.”

Lily offered a strained smile. 

“No, Eliza. Thank you. This helps more than you know.”

They stood in an uneasy silence, the library’s usual hush feeling suddenly oppressive around them. 

Somewhere above, the old pipes rattled quietly, and a clock ticked too loudly on the wall. 

A sudden gust of wind rattled the tall windows, making the ancient building seem to sigh.

Lily’s mind raced with a hundred possibilities, none of them comforting. Maya’s face was set, determined but troubled.

"Where are you, Lena?" Lily thought, staring blankly at the rows of dusty books.