BLACKOUT; JR [1]

10.3

Andy and I joined Felix on his trip to the library, knowing that we didn't really have anything better to do. Besides, now seemed like a good enough time to do some research. I strolled the aisles, blindly looking for books on magic, or anything that looked remotely supernatural. Andy had thrown too many theories at me, and I felt I had to occupy myself with written theories instead of spoken ones.

"Oh, hey." I turned sharply upon hearing the surprised voice, my eyes landing on my older brother. A smile graces his lips as he stepped deeper into the aisle.

"Hey, Blake." I greeted him, not able to stop smiling if I tried, although it stung to say his name. The happiness overshadowed the pain in my chest, and I took a deep breath to help rid the slight stabbing feeling in my lungs. We made general small talk for a few minutes, the he hit me with the slightly harder questions.

"So, do you live here now?" He asked me, taking a book from the shelf. He examined it closely, like he was trying to find a mistake in the wording. I paused, also turning my attention toward the full shelves. I ran my finger along the spine of an astronomy novel, removing some dust that resided on the plastic.

"Kind of." I replied, a little unsure of how to answer his question. "It's complicated, I guess." He looked at me then, pursing his lips as he stared.

"Yeah, there's a bit of that in my life, too." He said, his voice a low mumble as his eyes drifted down. I felt sad for him, it was just an emotional reflex for me. I refrained from comment, another strange reflex I had gained since my arrival in this world. When Blake looked up again, there was amusement on his face. "I told Anna I loved her last night." He said, and the sudden change of topic visibly startled me. My mouth fell open in utter shock, suddenly acquiring a mind of its own. He chuckled, his very croaky laugh flooding the aisle in a pleasant way.

"That's... um..." I mumbled, once again stumped for words. "Wow." I finally said, nodding my head quickly. There was a smile on my face, not just because I was pleased for him, but because he was telling me. Even though I already knew he loved her, I pretended like I wasn't aware.

"It's big, I know." He let out another small, slightly nervous laugh. "She didn't even say it back, but I have a feeling that she will. If not, I'll wait." He put the book back where it belonged and turned to lean on the shelf it sat on, a strange look crossing his face. "I don't know why I told you that, but I just wanted you to know." He said, sounding a little unsure of himself while he tried to explain. "I don't even know you that well, but I just got this strong urge to tell you about it." A small smile found his lips, and that lightened the mood in more ways than one. I said nothing, as the distinct pinching feeling in my chest changed from bad to good. He was so mature here, and the difference was kind of shocking.

"Well, she is your world, isn't she?" I said, although I knew the answer. His face changed from the slight pasty texture to a pink blush, and that was rare. He gave me a slow nod, like he was realising it himself.

"Yeah, she's my world." He stood upright then, no longer leaning on the sturdy shelves. "I'm glad I ran into you, Edith." He said. "And I'm glad that you can endure my crazy rambling, because you might be the only one." He laughed again, but I physically couldn't. He didn't notice, and kept speaking. "This might sound lame, but I think that you're really cool." Finally, I laughed. His choice of wording had triggered me to giggle, and he smiled at, happily abashed. Blake was the only person I knew who could use the words lame and cool in the same sentence, and I loved that about him.

"I think you're really cool, too, Blake."