Hard Light (NaNoWriMo15)

Chapter 9 - Secrets

She was trying to recall her lessons with her father about Hilt techniques when soft footsteps behind her frightened her right out her crystals.

Her dropped pencil was picked up by Kieran as he crouched beside her and handed it back.

"Just checking in," he said slowly. "Leah, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Leah, buring her head back in her sketch. "Just didn't, um, sleep well last night. Little overtired. I'm good."

Kieran remained beside her, silent, for several moments.

"Leah," he said quietly. "If something's wrong or you need to tell me something, it's my job as leader to ensure the welfare of my team. We may have got off on the wrong foot, but that doesn't mean you need to deal with your own problems, especially if it's within the team."

"I know," said Leah. She wanted to tell him. He seemed capable, like he could handle a lone intruder--but she couldn't lose her reference journal. The intruder had been watching their team, and she couldn't help but feel that he'd know if she told someone. Maybe she'd give it away herself. "Can I get back to my drawings now?"

As Kieran walked off, she was cursing herself in two dialects for not making a copy of her reference journal, and for leaving that damned window open--even if she doubted it would have made a difference open or not.

Kieran continued to watch her as they broke for lunch, gathering in the sun above so the others could recharge their Light store. Even when one of Sef's friends commented on how much easier her technique made recording the murals, Leah couldn't bring herself to accept the praise.

There was no sign of the stranger on the edges of the dunes as they climbed back into the ruins to finish off the day.

*+*+*+*

Night came way too quickly.

With the last rays of sunlight soaked into the heart, Leah had no idea how she was supposed to get out of the building without someone noticing her. She'd found herself telling Sef at dinner that she wasn't going to do any documenting tonight and instead catch up on her sleep. She made sure Kieran was well within range of that statement, banking on the fact that he was still watching her like a hawk.

Now, sitting alone in her room with the light shut off and the window open, Leah couldn't make herself climb out.

She's stuffed her bed with pillows in case Kieran checked in on her. She had her bag packed. Her Hilt didn't entirely fit and stuck out through the top, but she wasn't leaving it behind in a million years. Even if she was pretty sure she couldn't scare the stranger with it, she could at least make him think twice if she swung it around wildly or fired off a few shots at him.

It came down to one fact: How badly did she want her reference journal back?

The answer was that she'd spent too much time on it to not at least try. Even if the Displacer hadn't been in the equation, Leah would have gone after her reference journal. After Kieran's reaction to her theory about the symbols, she was starting to think she should have focused more of her efforts on getting her hands on things to decode.

With a deep breath, Leah swung one leg out of the window.

It was too high to simply drop. With no Light to harden on the spot, Leah pulled Light from her heart and hardened it into a narrow staircase, increasing its length until its bottom touched the ground. When she was safely outside, she pulled the still-gleaming Light from the staircase shell and laid it down on its side, hoping no one would question its presence until she came back. She knew her way to the town's gates by now and attempted to not look suspicious as she made her way through.