Bending Light

17~The Library and the Loop

   (Y/N) searched the halls for the library, hoping it was on the upper level, because if it wasn't she would have a very hard time getting down, and an even harder time being quiet, as the wooden staircase was extremely prone to random squeaking, which she knew from listening to the strange, albeit friendly, children running up them during the day. The sounds of the dinner table being set drifted up from downstairs and she tried to avoid the patch of light coming from the stairwell although nobody was upstairs. She held her breath and turned another doorknob as slowly and as quietly as possible. She hoped there weren't any other children she didn't know about, because it would be pretty hard to explain why she was walking about in the dark, especially with multiple injuries. Also, they kind of creeped her out.

  After a bit of a struggle, the door opened into a thankfully empty room. Well, empty of people. The room was filled with neatly arranged desks, a chalkboard, and... bookshelves! She had found the library! She stepped in and cautiously checked the floor for more squeaky boards as she turned to close the door. She left it open a crack though, so she could hear if someone happened to come up. Plus, she couldn't quite make a stealthy getaway while trying to quickly open the door with the sticky latch. She laughed quietly as she heard the Headmistress scolding someone about eating supper in the nude. It was most certainly the boy...

  A beautiful-and very large-book sat open on a desk, and (Y/N) couldn't resist peering at the pages. It looked like a very thick atlas, but the displayed locations had dates and bird-y names like Miss P.'s written next to them, how...peculiar. The word that now carried a new meaning snapped her back to the task at hand. Stop distracting yourself, she admonished. Refocused, she quietly searched the shelves, which were fortunately well-dusted (obviously she wanted to leave without a trace), and tried to remember what her grandfather had told her. She needed to remember. She furrowed her brow, concentrating. She vaguely remembered a children's home with "special" children, and a very important book, one that could change everything-

  Her search was interrupted as she heard footsteps grudgingly ascending the stairs. She hid in the corner next to a bookcase, but all she heard was some kid walking past mumbling something about "stupid clothes..."

  "(Y/N)?" Millard's voice tore her from her thoughts.

  "What?" she asked, trying not to seem as if she zoned out. She failed miserably, as she hadn't touched her food for over two minutes, and that was kind of hard to hide. Fortunately for her, Millard was the only one who noticed, for the others were busy questioning Jacob on the future. Unfortunately for her, Millard seemed (reasonably) unconvinced.

   "What were you thinking of?" When (Y/N) opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "-And don't even try to tell me nothing because you haven't finished your dinner and you have been staring at that exact spot for minutes," he said, pointing at some painting of an altogether unremarkable tea set. "And I'm pretty sure a tea set isn't that interesting. Also, you didn't exactly look happy when you were staring."

  "Um, it was... my parents." she said, working with the only good non-complete lie that she could. "They left before I came here, but they lied to me about the reason." She realized that she should go confront them. She took another bite of baked potato, then moved to get up from her chair.

  "And what was this other reason?" he asked, grabbing her arm so she couldn't walk away. "(Y/N)?" She shook herself, realizing she had been staring at his hand, enjoying the warmth it brought to her cold skin. Also, the relaxed grip that he was holding her arm with. She could shrug it off and walk away if she wanted, but she realized with surprise, that despite the awkward conversation, she didn't want to.

  "Uhh. Uh- um..." she spluttered, both distracted and in the middle of realizing she had dug herself into another hole. "I can't...tell you that." She tried to move on before he questioned her. "And anyway, I really must speak to them, so if you wouldn't mind..." she nodded toward her arm, trying not to flicker out of visibility or blush.

  "Fine," he grumbled. "But you will have some explaining to do when you return."

  "I'm not sure I will be able to return. Not with my parents here." she pursed her lips. "I guess I should be saying my goodbyes, but I need to leave rather quickly."

  She took Millard's shocked (and horrified) state as her chance to get away.

  "No," he cried. "But, you just-" (Y/N) was already walking purposefully out the door. She would miss watching Jacob's reaction to the bomb after dinner, but she really needed to get to the Priest Hole.

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  A few minutes had passed and (Y/N) was in the middle of the woods, having walked through the gardens confusedly staring at her arm, wondering why she hadn't walked away at her first chance or why someone touching her arm could be so...comfortably uncomfortable. Walking while staring at her arm was about as safe as texting while driving. That being said, it wasn't a surprise when she walked into a tree.

   "Ow!" she exclaimed. She looked around, realizing she had no idea where she was. "Hey!" she exclaimed again, realizing it wasn't a tree she had run into. It was Millard.

  "Seriously? Invisiboy?"

  "What!?! That's the least sophisticated name I've ever heard! Who would ever actually use it?" Millard shouted indignantly.

   "Now that I know it bothers you-me." (Y/N) smiled evilly. "And anyway, who stalks somebody around an island, and then several days later stalks them again? Only one person-Invisiboy!" She held up her first finger to emphasize the one.

   "Ugh!" he shouted, causing (Y/N) to cackle. "Don't call me that!"

  "Okay, then tell me why you were stalking me."

   "I wasn't-" he groaned, realizing he was only encouraging her. He sighed and then his eyes lit up mischievously. "Because," he paused. "You don't know where you're going. You can't get out of this loop by yourself."

   (Y/N)'s jaw dropped. "I-I know exactly where I'm going. In fact, I'll show you!"

   "Okay, please do."

(Y/N) started walking forward in a random direction. "Actually, I don't need you walking behind me, I can get home myself. I thought we already talked about your stalking addiction."

Millard smirked and began to lead the way.

"And I don't need you walking in front of me either!"

  "How else would I escort you back to your era?" he asked, choosing to afterward ingore her and keep walking until they reached a cairn. When he walked inside, (Y/N) stopped. "Do we have to go in there?" she asked. When Millard didn't reply, she sighed and walked in too.

   "Walk back outside," he said when (Y/N) reached him. "Then you'll be back in your time."

  Before (Y/N) could walk away, he took her hand and before kissing it, whispered, barely audible "I do hope this isn't a goodbye, m'lady."

  (Y/N) turned around, astonished, before walking back out into a rainy Cairnholm, her Cairnholm.