Chapter Twenty-Five

Of stupid classics and new mentors.

Library.

A sanctuary.

A place to escape the outside world.

It was one of Bree's favorite places in the world.

Always quiet.

Always peaceful.

And no one could take that away from her.

Except, apparently, for Eli.

"We can't read Harry Potter! I'd take forever to finish the first book!"

Her eye twitched and she fought the urge to strangle him. Then bring him back to life. And then torture him to death.

it was possible, she knew it.

She just had to figure out how first.

Ignoring him, she took the entire series before realizing the fourth book was missing. So she put all of them back onto the shelf.

"Why are you putting them back?"

Again, the urge to murder the boy returned.

"Because," Bree ground out,"all of the books aren't there."

"So?"

Was there any liquid nitrogen lying around? That'd be really helpful.

"I'm not getting all the books if I can't sit down and read them all weekend."

"You can't read that fast."

And a wood chipper. Disposal of the body would make it so much easier if she had one of those.

"Yes, I can."

"No you can't."

Then she'd need to make a trip to the ocean. No one would find the body there.

"Yes, I can."

"No."

"Yes. I. Can."

"Nuh-uh!"

"If you don't shutthefuckup, I'm. Going. To. F*****g. END. You. Got me?" Bree growled, more demon then human.

"I'd like to see you---"

Bree grabbed the giant book on Kanji characters out of her bag, and slammed it squarely into his chest.

"Don't make me use it somewhere else," she told him darkly, before putting the book away and starting to walk off.

"Wait...A...Minute," he wheezed, using the book shelves for support.

"Why?" she asked, not bothering to turn around.

"Must...Pick out...Acceptable...Book..."

"...No thanks."

Bree walked off, leaving Eli struggling to catch his breath.

Now she could enjoy herself.

The school library was nothing compared to the public schools she'd been to. In fact, calling it a school library would be insulting.

The term museum of books described the tower much better.

It was multiple levels of books, books, and more books.

Of the four stories, the first two were non-fiction, while the highest two were fiction. The first levels were broken up into languages, biographies, how-to's, and research stuff. All organized by and amazingly accurate catalog that identifies the exact location, if it's available, and when it's due.

The fiction levels were divided up by romance, comedy, mystery, comics, adventures, teen, juvenile, sci-fy, and even the five page picture books.

And the design was beautiful.

There was an elevator (which Bree was extremely thankful for), as well as spiral stairs that winded around the walls of the building. The book shelves also curved around the library, making it like a maze of books and beech colored book cases. The walls were painted a light green with cream swirls.

In the center of each floor were a few tables of computers, coffee tables, a couch or two, and some vending machines.

On the walls, and the tops of book cases, the genre was displayed so it was easy to find a certain section.

Bree wandered down the steps, and walked around the classical section. It was insane how hard it was to find something remotely interesting. And something that wasn't turned into a play.

"Read it. Play. Boring. Stupid. Is there nothing good here?" Bree muttered to herself, sliding her fingers over the spines of books.

"Why did she tell me this at the last possible minute?" a voice groaned somewhere behind her. "Stupid friends..."

Bree adjusted the hold on her bag and walked towards the grumbling voice.

A girl was seated with a cello situated comfortably between her thighs, and an open book of sheet music on her right. She was scribbling furiously, writing out a string of notes.

She took a step towards her, and the unknown girl broke the pencil in her hand with a snap.

"What?" she snapped. "I told you time and time again that I wouldn't be finished the set until this weekend. What could you possibly---"

The girl cut off her rant as she looked behind her. Her scowl faded away and morphed into a less stressed, but still not relaxed, expression.

"My apologies," she sighed. "Though you were someone else. A friend's been bugging me to finish this." She tucked a piece of red streaked hair behind her ear, and pushed her black bangs out of her face. "Got a minute?"

Her almond shaped green eyes were begging, and she wasn't exactly eager to search the classics.

"...I suppose I can help you...?" She left her sentence as a question, not sure what to call her.

"Raven."

"Raven." Bree nodded as the girl tied up her hair into a sloppy ponytail.

"All you need to do is tell me how this sounds so far. A second opinion would be amazing right now."

"...Meh. Why not?"

"Wicked. Don't be too nice. I need you to tell me what needs to be fixed."

"...Won't someone be kinda bothered by the cello?"

"Tch. Do you see anyone in the classics? No, no one'll care."

Raven sat hunched over her cello, and ran her bow over each string. After being positive they were in tune, she began to play.

To make a long story short, it was amazing. Until about a minute in.

"Stop, stop, STOP. For the love of God, just stop," Bree ordered shaking her head furiously.

"What's wrong?"

Raven asked the question like she knew something was wrong. She just didn't know what.

"It's way too high. There should be a melody. It sounded fine up until that last part."

"Great. Thanks. I'll have her write another part in...If I give it to her soon..."

"Uh...Can I get a favor?" Bree asked, seeing a stack of classics next to open textbooks.

"Huh? Oh, why not?"

"Can you help me pick out a book for my English class?"

"...What genre?"

"Classical."

"Let me educate you in the ways of the classics."

XxoxX

"Holy f**k. You weren't kidding."

I take my book choices very seriously."

Seth stared at the pile of books. Mountain would be more accurate.

"Jesus, how many did you check out?"

"...Eh...Hundred...I think..."

Seth shook his head and placed his hands on the wall. He closed them for a few seconds, and opened them only to hesitate and glance at Bree.

"You owe me for this," he told her, sliding his fingertips outwards.

The portal seemed to seep pout of his fingers, and stretched to his will.

Now help me get these in your room. I'm not doing it all by myself, y'know."

Bree picked up a large stack and entered the purple passageway. She was extremely surprised to find it was only a few steps.

"What's with the length? Does it always change like that?"

"It depends on where the portal's opened, and where the desired location is. Now where do you want these? Books are f*****g heavy as s**t."

XxoxX

"Council wants to see you."

"Why?"

"Something about your new mentor."

"I actually get one?"

"Apparently."

"I'm shocked."

"Joshua's not exactly fond of you."

"I could tell. What's that have to do with anything?"

"He handles matching up people with apprentices and mentors. Teresa assists, but she can only do so much."

"I see. When do I have to leave?"

"Now."

Bree glared at her ceiling and put down her book reluctantly.

"I'm going, I'm going," Bree muttered. She rose from the bed and stepped around the piles of books Seth and her put in her room.

"I'm going, Alice."

XxoxX

"Raven?"

"Bree?"

"You know each other?"

"Oh, that's good."

"Stop talking, please."

"It's not my fault your hungover, Teresa."

"Jesus, not this again," Alice sighed, walking towards the door. "I'm leaving.

"Can it, Tasha."

"Joshua. it's Joshua."

"Sure it is, John."

"JOSHUA. My name. Is JOSHUA."

"Shut up..."

"No! I will not---!"

"Enough!"

The two Council members hushed, and settled for quietly glaring at each other.

Farah sighed and took a deep breath before smiling pleasantly at the students.

"Well, Bree, Raven, it's great that you already know each other. That should make things easier." She looked at Bree. "After some thought, we've given the task of mentoring you to Raven."

"I dun' feel so good..." Teresa's head hit the table, and she moaned uncomfortably.

"Serves you right for drinking so much," Joshua said snobbishly. "Maybe if you didn't behave like a drunkard, then you'd---"

"Shut up, wierdo."

"You think I'm---"

Teresa had risen from her chair and stumbled down the isle. Joshua, on the other hand, couldn't just let her leave.

"Where do you think you're---"

The woman tripping over her own feet and fell onto him.

"Get off of me this instant---!"

Although none of the students could see it, from the noise that came from Teresa, and the wails from Joshua, they could tell that she'd puked up her guts.

"Oh for the love of...Ace, get them both out of here. I'm running low on Advil as it is," Farah sighed, resting her head in her hands.

They al waited until Ace had hauled them both over his shoulder and out of sight to continue.

"Teresa has a bit of a drinking problem," Lenobia explained.

"...Kinda figured," Bree said more to herself then anyone else.

"Anyway," Farah continued,"Raven will oversee your training."

"Not that I'm complaining or anything," Raven interrupted,"but can I ask why?"

"You seemed..." Lenobia glanced at Farah before continuing,"most fit. Your personalities seemed to match."

"But her powers---"

"She may not have them," Farah agreed. "But, in case she does..." She shrugged. "Teresa's seen her soul. And her Guardian's. The possibilities are there..." Farah glanced at Bree before quickly redirecting her gaze. "But again, she may not have any. We could be wrong."

"Wait, so Raven has powers?" Bree questioned.

"Yeah...Care to see?" Raven asked, grinning.

"Duh."

"Raven, that's not the best idea---"

Raven frowned at Lenobia. "But she wanted to see," she protested.

The woman rose from her chair as if to do something, but Farah yanked her back into her seat.

"Leave it be."

"You know what could happen---"

"I know. If it gets to serious, I can stop it."

"...But you won't. She knows that."

Farah just stayed silent and looked towards Raven and Bree.

"Are the spectators done yet? You know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're preforming," Raven chastised.

"I swear on my mother's grave, if you do something---"

"You have my consent," Farah announced, cutting Lenobia off. "But if you do something out of line, know the consequences."

Raven smiled in a sickly sweet way. "Of course." She walked towards Bree until they were only few feet away. "Still wanna know?"

"...Get it on with. I'm starting to think you're all talk and no bite," Bree laughed.

"Okay then!" Raven sang. "But you've been warned," she added darkly.

"What do you---"

Bree's question was ended by her own curiosity.

Raven's closed eyes opened to reveal her once brown pupils had been changed to a bright red, with dark brown flecks. "I won't hurt you...Or rather, nothing life threatening."

Before Bree could ask anything, Raven's skin seemed to pulse, and in a flash, streaks of black colored her body. They seemed to move down her arm, although the color was still in it's place. Her black nails elongated and sharpened into razor sharp tips.

She waited, but nothing else seemed to happen.

"So...Super nail growth?" Bree snorted. "Wow, that's just the best power in the world. Who wouldn't wanna had that? It come in handy if I ever snapped a nail off."

Raven's eyes narrowed, before a dark sort of amusement was evident on her face.

"I guarantee you, the show's not over yet," she laughed, stepping forward until her fingertips touched her arms.

The streaks shot down her arm, making Bree look up in confusion.

"Wha---?"

Just as suddenly, Raven's hand retracted, creating a black string. Bree reached out to touch it, but it dodged her fingers.

"...What is it?" she asked, watching wearily as it danced in the air.

"Shadows," Raven said simply.

"...Shadows?" she repeated.

"Shadows."

"...Are they gonna---"

Bree winced as they constricted around her arm. Raven tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow in question. She felt the shadows move on her arm, followed by a stinging sensation.

She looked down to see blood dripping down her forearm.

"...Damn," Bree whispered. "What else can it---"

Bree chocked on a scream as a flash of pain raced through her.

All over her, everywhere, on every inch of her skin, to the very core of her bones, a shocking cold pierced her.

"Ng..."

She wanted to collapse on the floor, curl into a ball, scream at the top of her lungs. But she couldn't. It was like her nerves were locking in place...

"RAVEN!" Lenobia's voice boomed through the room, and with it, Bree could move again.

She fell to the floor, breathing shakily, and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt something liquid, something warm.

Bree inspected her hands, and found them coated in...Blood.

She looked up at Raven, not sure whether to be afraid for her life, or in awe.

She settled for being stunned out of her wits.

Lenobia raced over to her, and and inspected her arms.

Raven just looked at her with a bit of confusion on her face.

"Why isn't..." She shook her head and crouched on the floor next to her.

"You've done enough, Raven," Lenobia warned.

Ignoring the healer, she placed her hands on either side of Bree's face.

Bree watched as the shadows slowly left her skin, and sighed as the stinging slowly went away.

"...Interesting," Raven muttered, rising to her feet. "You need to rest for awhile," she said, turning and walking towards the doors. She hesitated before opening them.

Raven moved her gaze to Bree and smiled, clearly amused. "I like you. Sorry for any...Damage I did to your sanity. You have my sincerest apologizes. ...I'll see you tomorrow in class."

her eyes slid to Lenobia. "You won't find any poison. And the marks shouldn't take long to heal with your abilities, should they?"

And then Raven was gone before anyone could say anything else.

Author's Note

Okayyy...I kinda changed Raven's personality towards the end.
But we can pretend that her behavior in the library is similar to the Council Room.
Yes, Teresa is a drunkard. Yes, Joshua is a pansy. Yes, Raven is a bit twisted.
But I love all of them anyway.
x3

Reviews

[halflives]

Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but wasn't the previous chapter twenty-four? Shouldn't this be twenty-five? Huh.

AHEM.

SQUEESQUEESQUEESQUEESQUEESQU-- *isshawt*

I luff Joshua. "JOSHUA. My name is JOSHUA." "Sure it is, John."

I FREAKING DIED.

This chapter was epic. EPIC I TELL YOU. I luffed it. YOU MUST WRITE MORE, SO YOU CAN INTRODUCE DYLAN~