The Girl From Above [Ground: Zero, Book 1]

20: Demonic Cows, What Else is New?

Ryan rubbed her arms. Her whole life was starting to feel like one endless fever dream.

The library held none of its previous comfort to Ryan. The once warm and comforting light of the library now held her in a cold grip. The smell of old books now stale and stark. The beanbags turned their backs to her, the curtain frowning.

She sat next to Liam and Zack. Their focus locked onto a book splayed out in front of them.

Ryan caught Zack's gaze.

Zack blushed and teleported away, much to the surprise of Liam.

She sighed. Three days had passed since her arms glowed. She made a silent agreement with Zack and Dominic not to speak on the topic, or anything regarding that day. Every time they mentioned it, she would shut them down. In all fairness, she wasn't sure if she could explain what happened to them if she tried. It was better to shove the topic under the rug, at least until she could tell someone who might be able to figure what was going on.

Ryan looked to her palms. They hadn't glowed since then, but she couldn't help but feel wary with everything she touched.

Why did it all seem so familiar?

She tugged at her mind to try and find any past memory explaining her hands and eyes glowing, but came up blank. It was as if someone had stolen a crucial file in the folders of her brain.

Liam snapped his fingers in her face.

"Little omen, are you there?"

She blinked and fumbled with her charm bracelet.

"Sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. His ears perked and he reached his arm out to her hands.

"What an interesting bracelet you have, may I see?"

Ryan held her arm up and let the bracelet hang. The chain caught the light of the morning, shining back in her eyes.

"Be careful, it's silver..."

"Of course."

Liam smiled. He pointed to the "A" charm.

"How quaint, what's that stand for?"

She squinted.

"I think the other charms fell off."

I think?

Ryan scratched the back of her head. When she reached to find the reasoning of her charm, her mind seemed to block her off. Was it important? She knew the charms once spelled her name, but something else tugged at the back of her mind.

She sighed. For a moment she considered removing the charm, but she decided against it. Something in the core of her gut screamed curses at her for even considering it.

Her mind stirred. She tried to recount what led her to Novis Pass in the first place, but once again her mind stood blank.

Panic clawed at the back of her mind, looming over her thoughts like a wave about to crash into an unsuspecting ship.

She shook her head and pulled her arm away from Liam. No, this was a normal mental thing, she probably subconsciously blocked the memories out of trauma or something similar. Nothing else was going on.

He eyed her suspiciously, and then made a dismissive motion with his hand.

"Well, no matter, let's get onto business." He said.

Liam pulled his journal from his bag and plopped it on the table.

Its faded red binding bathed in the sun. Its pages and binding patchy and mismatched, as if someone was replacing the book but forgot to finish the job. In the center of the journal sat a symbol of two dragons roaring, their tails curled together as a sword cut between them.