The Scribe

Chapter Seven

Sadie had lost track of time. She knew she had been in the Room of Destiny for quite some time, but she wasn't sure exactly how long. Surely, Jake and even her teachers were wondering where she was. Yet, Sadie didn't feel as though she could leave the room just yet.

She had let go of her quill and it was working hard for her. Professor Hobbs had explained that her magic was running through her and the quill. As long as Sadie was present and aware, the quill would do the work for her so she didn't have her nose stuck in her notebook for the rest of eternity.

Sadie took that explanation with a grain of salt. She believed in everything now. She had truly seen it all. However, she was uneasy. According to the quills, Meredith was reincarnated from someone else's death. Meredith had never changed and she had never left. How was that possible?

After a while, Meredith stood up from the floor and decided she had to get back to class. She left the Room of Destiny without so much of a glance to Sadie. As soon as she was out of earshot, Sadie turned her attention to Professor Hobbs. Surely she was able to trust him.

"Meredith was the one who died. She was reincarnated," Sadie blurted.

Professor Hobbs fixated a blank gaze on her.

"How is that possible?" she whispered knowing well Meredith was long gone.

Her professor continued to stare at her unblinking.

"Meredith should be dead or she should be a baby or something, right?"

Professor Hobbs remained silent.

Sadie narrowed her eyes. "There's something you're not telling me... and I have a feeling Meredith is in on it."

More silence.

"You know," Sadie said standing up from her chair, "you never did answer my question about what your title is here. How come you know about all of this stuff?"

Professor Hobbs turned his back to her. His shoulders shook and Sadie couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying. She slowly walked around the side of her desk keeping a careful watch on him.

"Professor Hobbs? What are you doing here?" she asked again her tone meek and cautious.

"Do you know your purpose, Scribe?" he said, but his voice was higher pitched now.

Sadie stiffened.

He peeked over his shoulder and Sadie could see a sly grin on his face. His eyes were dark, nothing like the clear blue they used to be. His shoulders were hunched and his neck sticking forward like an old hag.

"I said," he turned around, "do you know your purpose, Scribe?"

Sadie gasped and stumbled backward knocking into her desk. Professor Hobbs was gone. In his place stood what Sadie could only describe as a witch. His eyes were black, his skin had wrinkled, and he was much taller than he used to be.

When Sadie said nothing, the new Professor chuckled and took a bow. "My name is Clotho, one of the three Sisters of Fate. You may have heard of me."

Sadie opened her mouth to reply but she was unsure of what to say. How was Professor Hobbs an old woman this whole time? Did he ever exist?

Clotho threw her head back and laughed. "You're in shock, I can see that much. Your dear professor has been long gone. He's been quite the vessel."

Sadie's mouth went dry. How was any of this possible? She wasn't dreaming before but now she must have definitely been dreaming, right?

"My sisters aren't going to be too happy with me that I've revealed myself, but I just can't help it..." Clotho grinned. She took a step closer to Sadie. Sadie tried to move back but there was no place for her to go.

"We've been waiting years for you and now I finally have you to myself... how can I not take advantage of it?"

"What are you talking about?" Sadie asked. She realized it was a stupid question but she had to buy herself some time.

"Scribes have been a pain to us for generations now. My sisters and I should be the only worthy ones of killing the humans." Clotho spat.

"I'm not killing humans, though. I'm saving them," Sadie corrected.

Clotho glared at her. "Exactly."

Clotho raised a hand above her head and charged at Sadie. Sadie ducked under her desk and crawled out to the other side.

"Oh, very clever..." Clotho said sarcastically. "Let's not play hide and seek from your fate now, shall we?"

Sadie continued to crawl through the various desks in the room. She peeked over her shoulder once as Clotho continued to wait by the big desk up front. Either Clotho was clueless or she was letting Sadie get away.

She managed to make it to the back of the room. She stood up and remained in the doorway for a hot minute. Sadie cast a quick side glance to Clotho, who was now staring at her from the front of the room. Sadie felt her face flush and she raced out of the room.

She pushed open the door leaping out into the library. Sadie breathed heavily as she dashed through bookshelves twisting her head this way and that. She needed someone – anyone – to help her. While she wasn't sure how she was going to explain Clotho's existence, Sadie knew she needed to be around people. She needed witnesses in case something happened to her.

Sadie stood in the middle of the library, the room seemingly spinning around her. There weren't many people there and it was in that moment Sadie had no idea what day it was. Was it a weekday or still the weekend? One librarian was on duty and a few students trickled around, but it was still hard to tell.

Then Sadie noticed a familiar face sitting at one of the computers. She gasped and smiled, relieved to see her boyfriend. She ran across the room and over to Jake.

"Jake!" she called in a whisper. "Jake, I need your help."

Sadie stood behind Jake's chair. He didn't budge. His gaze remained on the computer screen as he pointed and clicked on some game. Sadie swallowed pursing her lips together.

"Jake?" she said.

He sighed in response turning around. He propped his elbow on the back of his chair and gazed around the room as though looking for something.

"Jake, it's me. Hello?" Sadie stretched out her arm to tap him on the shoulder, but he stood up before she could reach him.

Sadie watched him as he pushed in his chair and walked away. She didn't know where he was going or why he was ignoring her, but Sadie was determined to find out. She chased after him and stood directly in front of him.

"Are you giving me the cold shoulder because I fell off the map for a day? Maybe two? I don't really know," Sadie said her voice fading at the end.

Jake kept walking as Sadie walked backward but he still didn't reply. In fact, it seemed as though he were looking right through her. Sadie fumed.

She stopped stomping her foot on the ground. "Talk to me!"

Jake didn't stop. Instead, he walked right through her as though she weren't there. Sadie stiffened touching various parts of her body. Had she imagined him walking right through her? If she didn't that would have made her a ghost.

Sadie turned around and Jake was just making it to the door exiting the library. Her eyes filled up. "Jake!" she screamed as loud as she could. She looked over at the librarian and the other students but no one heard her. She sniffled wrapping her arms around herself. How was this possible?

"Sadie?"

Sadie quickly wiped the tears from her face upon hearing Meredith's voice.

"Are you okay?" Meredith asked placing a hand on Sadie's shoulder.

Sadie slouched her shoulder away and turned around to face her old friend. "How can you see me? How can you touch me? Did you know Professor Hobbs isn't... well, Professor Hobbs?"

Meredith froze for a minute but the more Sadie spoke the more twisted Meredith's face got.

"I know you died, Meredith. Are you one of them? One of Clotho's sisters?" Sadie demanded.

Meredith put her hands on her hips cocking an eyebrow. "So. Clotho told you."