The Overnight Librarian

Five

I jolt awake in bed and feel overwhelming with anxiety and fear, trying to catch my breath and stop the tears from forming. Everything is okay. Your mom and dad are fine. "You're trapped in a book," I whisper, but even as I say it, I know I sound crazy. "You're trapped in a book and you fucked a fictional character last night. Oh, my God."

No more wine for me at dinner.

Quickly getting dressed, I no longer feel the urge to peek underneath the cardboard coverings. Infact, I avoid the windows and as I stare at the clock on the wall, I realize it's a little past 3 A.M. I should try to go back to bed. But with nightmares of the Ancient One fresh in my mind, I know I'm too wired to sleep.

The castle is bare and quiet at night. An occasional servant roams past, not rushing and running like they normally do during the daytime. I sneak past a pillar where Layla is making out with someone who isn't her soon-to-be-husband. I go past the theater and the library and find myself hesitating as I see Dresden still in the gym by himself.

His gray muscle shirt is coated in sweat, and he stops his workout as he sees me in the doorway.

The gym floor is covered in blue mats, and the ceiling is made of mirrors. There are state of the art weight sets, punching bags and a boxing ring on the other side of the gym. Dresden is in an open area, and he takes a big gulp from his water bottle nearby. "Are you coming in sweetheart, or are you just going to swoon over how big my muscle are?"

I smile and come to sit down next to him. There was faint music playing from the speakers, and I like how soft it sounds. "I might just swoon a little longer."

"Is there something bothering you?" He asks.

I frown, "Elias said working out is a coping mechanism for you. Is something bothering you?"

The corners of his lips inch up in a smile, "Don't project onto me," he grins. "Tell me what's wrong?"

The memory of his body in the Ancient One's mouth makes me look away. "It was nothing, really," I nring my knees up to my chest. "Just a nightmare. And I miss being at home in my own bed."

"You wouldn't have me at home in your own bed," he points out. "I tried to warn you. The Ancient One is also known as The Devourer. It's powerful enough to get inside your mind from a million miles away, but that's all it can do. It's going to be scared of you, and it feels threatened that you're training here in the palace. After all, you have me to protect you, and I won't let it get anywhere near you, yet. Don't dwell on your nightmares and fears. The road ahead isn't easy, Tilly, but it'll be worth it."

I didn't want to tell him about the blood and the caves and the bodies of my friends and family. But I lean back against the wall, and work up the courage to say: "I think there's a hut by this things cave."

His face darkens. "How did you know that?"

"I told you . . . Nightmare."

"That hut belongs to another librarian. It's not as close as you'd think. She almost never leaves the woods. She's been here in Nethilor for over one hundred and twenty years."

I stare, not really believing him. "Did you just say one hundred and twenty?"

He nods. "That's the drawback if you stay here. Sometimes you have to watch us grow older and move on, but you never really age much. Most librarians become stuck at whatever age they came in at."

"How do you know about their hut?"

"I have the same dream sometimes, too. Except that I'm not choosing to go towards the hut, but the caves." He shivers. "I was waiting for you to come with me into battle and you never showed up. So, I went in alone."