The Blood of the Covenant

Chapter Thirty-Three: Matthew

The rest of Matthew's day had been miserable, to say the least. He had been spacey during lunch and an absolute zombie during training. He just couldn't stop thinking about that name.

Sarah Rivers.

It had embarrassed him in his second period when the teacher had called on him to answer one of the questions about a famous World War II battle and he had been zoned out thinking about it. And it had cost him a painful blow from Leo during training, which added to his bruises from Ben.

Even Mr. Grey had noticed how distracted he was. Matthew could tell because as he dismissed his students to go get changed in the locker rooms, his teacher had stopped and told him that the library was open until four o'clock. On different terms, Matthew probably would've thought this was odd, but today he took this as a hint. A clue that Mr. Grey knew something he didn't.

So, sweaty and dirty from training, Matthew hurried to the library, which was on the first floor in the center of the school. He pushed open the pair of wooden doors that guarded the labyrinth of books, tables, and computers, and instantly felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

The library at Pardus's estate had been his safe space, his escape. He had often crawled down there in the middle of the night to find books to read or just relish in the smell of musty wood and old pages. TAFAH's library, however different, sparked this feeling of coziness from within. And, to his excitement, he discovered that he had the place to himself.

Well, mostly.

The librarian, who sat reading at a great, round desk, looked up from her book and smiled at him. "Hello there," she said in a soft, soothing voice. "Do you need assistance? Are you looking to check out a book or use a computer?"

Matthew mustered a smile in return. "Uh, computer please."

"Okay." The librarian nodded and scooted a tablet onto the desk. "Sign in with your ID, please."

ID. Right. Matthew looked down at his hand, squinting to try to read the faded numbers that he had written in black ink. "One... seven... two... uh..." His face grew warm with embarrassment.

"It's okay, sweetie," The librarian said, noticing his struggles. "If you just give me your name, I'll look you up in the system."

"Sorry, thanks, yeah, I'm new." Not that it was very hard to tell.

"No worries, sweetie. Name?"

"Right, uh, Matthew. Matthew Rivers."

He felt a swarm of anxiety blossom in his stomach. Rivers. Sarah Rivers.

"Alright Matthew, I'm going to put you at computer twelve. Should you need any assistance, or would like to check out a book later, please feel free to ask."

Matthew nodded. "Thank you."

He pivoted away from the librarian and began looking around for the computer room. Thankfully, it didn't take him long, as it was visible through a large row of windows in the back corner.

He passed a lone girl studying at a table and a boy reading in a chair, but it seemed nobody really wanted to be in the library after school on a Friday, which he appreciated. It was finally a break from the chaos and some much-needed alone time.

As he stepped into the computer room, he found it empty as well. Then, he perused the rows of monitors until he stumbled across the one labeled twelve and sat down. With his backpack in the chair next to him, he reached for the mouse and woke up the computer from its sleeping state.

He didn't know what he was looking for, really. Or where to start for that matter. But he needed answers. He needed to figure out who his mother really was and what had happened to her. So he started by opening Google and typing in her name. Dozens upon dozens of "Sarah Rivers" were listed. It was a common name. So he narrowed it down.