Traveler (3 page)

Desperate to get away, Aislin scooped up the remnants of the new books they had just ruined and fled to the only place she felt comfortable--the library.  She waited until the librarian was off doing something else before she snuck in, hiding in the back of the library to see if she could fix any of the damage.  God, how mad was this new librarian going to be?  The first day of school, and she had already ruined his new merchandise.  Trembling, her fingers touched the binding of the book lightly.  She needed to calm down first.  

She froze, though, like a rabbit about to be jumped, when the library doors opened and she recognized the voices of the two girls who walked in.  She couldn’t see them, hidden as she was in the back of the library, but she could hear everything they said.  

“Did you see her face?”  a black-haired girl with bright blue eyes laughed, holding her textbook like a talisman in front of her, her heels clicking on the floor as she moved.  

“Oh, Bonnie, it was too good,” her friend laughed, her blonde locks bouncing on her back.  “I thought she was going to cry right there.”

“And when the book got torn up?  Did you see the way she acted, Lottie?”  Bonnie laughed, her eyes glittering coldly.  “What a baby...it’s just a stupid book.”  

Aislin looked out from her bookshelf, creeping up the aisle towards the center of the library, keeping close to the other shelves so no one could see her.  She wanted to be able to hear them as they walked...but she still didn’t want to be seen.

Alexander had been finishing with the latest shipment of new books when he heard the doors to the library open, and yet he didn’t bother to stop what he was doing.  So far he was not very impressed with the caliber of students at this school, and he saw no reason to interrupt what he enjoyed to follow them around like a lost puppy.   Still, upon hearing the shrill tones of two teenage girls, the man sighed in annoyance before something they said caused him to pause for a moment and listen to their ramblings about another girl and a book torn to pieces.  A book? One of his books?  Icy blue eyes narrowed in cold anger as he straightened to his full height, setting down the books he was cataloguing.  His strides were swift and silent as he crossed the vast library to end up before the two girls, his voice deadly calm.  “Did I just hear the two of you laughing about one of my books being ruined?”

Bonnie was caught up short, her eyes widening as the librarian stopped in front of them.  Her heart fluttered a little in her chest as she saw his features, but the look on his face stopped her cold.  “Um....no, Mr....Librarian sir, you must have been mistaken.  We didn’t say anything like that.”  He was cute....but the expression on his face was something scary.

Lottie chimed in, her eyes wide like a doe’s, “Yeah, you must have heard us wrong.”

A malicious smirk twisted his lips, the cold look in his eyes only intensifying with each word the girls uttered.  He crossed his arms over his muscled chest, glaring at the two girls, his voice deceptively calm and low.  “Come now, children, I heard every word you uttered once you stepped through my library doors.  It does you no good to lie about them now.  You two were laughing about the willful destruction of school property.  Whether it was on accident or on purpose, which, given your lies and gloating session, I am quite certain it was deliberate...however, I digress.  Regardless of circumstances, you came into my library with the audacity to malign a person because they were upset that a book they borrowed from my library was destroyed.  I will give you one chance to explain yourselves before I punish you...and make it good, girls.”

Aislin heard the lashing that the girls were being given by the librarian, and she couldn’t help a small smile crossing her face.  Maybe he was a good guy after all... She leaned forward a little more, so that she could actually see what was going on, her face peering out from behind the bookshelf.  

Bonnie stood up straighter, matching his gaze.  Her father was on the school board, after all.  She would not be bullied.  “She’s a freak,” she answered.  “She deserved to be put into her place.”  Lottie made a sound in agreement.  “We were only doing what was best for her in the long run.  It does her no good to get her hopes up.  Now, excuse me, Mr. Librarian....let us by before my father gives you a call and takes your job faster than you can blink.”

Aislin’s eyes widened.  She had the audacity to talk to a librarian, a teacher, that way?  She trembled herself.  She would be deathly afraid, if it was her.

Alexander stared at the foolish girl for a moment before bursting into amused laughter.  “Oh, little girl, you have absolutely no clue, do you?  Did you know that one of the new safety features in this library involves recording every little sound that happens here?  If you even think that you can use your father to get out of your justified punishment, you are surely mistaken.  And before you start sputtering about your rights being violated, this library is recorded and monitored for student safety as agreed to by the school board.  Oh...and for your information, your father is one of the ones who reviews the footage.”

Aislin laughed silently, her shoulders shaking as she attempted to control the sounds from coming out of her mouth.  She was laughing so hard against the structure she was leaning on a book fell from the top shelf and hit her in the head.  She let out a yelp as it did, which gave the girls opportunity to flee the scene, hearing the sound and bolting before the librarian could say anything more to them.  She winced and rubbed the top of her head.  
Ouch, that hurt.
 The book fell on the floor and landed on the white fabric of her skirt.  She stared at it for a moment, fascinated.  This was an...old looking book.  Interesting.

She stood, gingerly.  The book was heavier than she had expected it to be, and she picked that one up, the ruined one still in her arms.  The librarian knew she was here, now.  She was sure of that.  She may as well go meet her fate.  Her head held down and her red hair falling over her face, she walked up to the counter and placed both books on it.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, seeing the tattered pages sticking out of the destroyed book.  “I can pay for it if you need me to...and I’d like to check this one out...please.”

The pained yelp had taken him by surprise, even if it hadn’t shown on his face.  The moment he glanced away, he knew the two girls would flee, but they would still be punished.  Shaking his head in annoyance, he moved behind the counter to find the appropriate paperwork.  Those two girls would be properly disciplined, even if he had to take care of it outside of the school.  Perhaps he would ban them from the wondrous world of books...or perhaps he would just scare them silly.  Who in the world did they think they were to decide that someone needed to learn to have no hopes?

The sound of movement pulled him out of his dark thoughts, his head lifting to catch sight of the girl from this morning, the ruined remains of a book in her arms along with a book that was supposed to be under lock and key.  Fortunately the girl was not looking and so did not see his shocked expression before he quickly shook his head and cleared his face.  “Do not worry about the book.  I know it wasn’t your fault.  Those two made that perfectly obvious, and as such, the cost of the book will be covered by them.  As for that particular book, I’m afraid that it isn’t supposed to be out in circulation yet.  I still need to catalogue it properly.  Perhaps when I am done, you will be able to check it out.”  Of course...Alexander didn’t really mean that.  The book would never be truly ready, as it would be locked away again, hopefully never to be discovered by any of the students here.

Aislin wasn’t quite able to completely cover her crestfallen look when he gave his answer.  “Oh....all right,” she said softly.  “It just looked like such a good book....would you please let me know when it is available to be checked out?”  She looked up at him then, her green eyes curious and inquisitive.

The look in her eyes made him feel badly for lying about the book, but it was a necessary evil.  Too much havoc could be wrecked with the old tome, havoc that he couldn’t possibly hope to fix all by himself.  He gave her a reassuring smile, nodding lightly.  “Of course, I will.  Now, I believe the bell will be ringing shortly.”

Aislin smiled a little and ducked her head, running out of the library towards her next class.  The rest of the day flew by uneventfully, thankfully.  The last bell didn’t ring fast enough for her.  All she could think about though was how nice the librarian had been to her over the book incident, when he could’ve been much more strict.  She was grateful for that.  She slung her backpack over her shoulder and then frowned.  It felt heavier than it had an hour before.  She stopped for a moment, opening the bag to see what the difference was, and her eyes widened.  The book was there.  How did it get there?  She shook her head and stuffed it back in.  She would return it, first thing in the morning.  Now, though, she had to go to swim practice.

Chapter 5

In the locker room, Aislin was about to change into her bathing suit when she felt a compelling urge to pick up the book, and to read it.  After all, it wouldn’t hurt to just look at the first few pages, right?  She would return it, just as she had promised.  But, she wanted to read it a little, first. She pulled it out and caressed the cover.  It was leather, red with age, with creases beginning to appear on the binding it was so old.  The pages felt like pages should, with a texture and a musty smell, beginning to yellow.  She opened the cover, and perused the first page.  

In the rich open gardens of the Capital in Avaldiir, a small girl had wandered off from the nanny that was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.  No more than three or four years old, she was a tiny girl with wide innocent eyes the color of the sea and shining black curls.  Soft giggles escaped the child as she toddled through the gardens, chasing after a flying butterfly.  Unaware of her surroundings, the child suddenly tripped over a rock on the ground.  She blinked in confusion before bursting into tears, her knee bleeding and hurting.  She wanted her mommy!

                Rahim Vaelyn had been walking in the gardens with his mother, the twelve-year old offering her his arm so she could walk on it.  The queen had been sick, lately, a flu the physicians thought, but it didn’t help his peace of mind to see her ill.  His messy black hair fell where it wanted to on his head, and his dark eyes watched her every move.  A frown crossed his features as he heard a child’s cry in the distance.  “Mother, sit,” he urged softly.  “I need to see what the matter is.”  He gently led her to a bench and sat her down on it, moving through the gardens on his doeskin boots and breeches.  He found a little girl on the ground there lost within the bushes, no more than a few years old, crying over a skinned knee.  

                “There, there,” he murmured, picking her up and sitting down with her on his lap.  “Let’s take a look, hmm?”  He lifted her skirts a little so he could see her knee.  “Oh dear, you’ve got an owwie,” he said sympathetically.  Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, he pressed it against her knee.  “There...all better now, hmm?”

                Sniffling, she looked up at the older boy with wide tear-filled eyes.  “...thank you...” she mumbled with a bit of a lisp before sticking her thumb in her mouth.  Her ther hand grasped his shirt as she leaned against his chest, taking some comfort from him.  He was much nicer than her mommy or Nene.

                He smiled and patted her head softly.  “Shall we take you back to your mommy so we can properly clean you up?” he asked, picking her up easily.  Even at twelve, he had been trained in the ways of fighting and how to defend himself, making him strong.  And she was so little, it was easy.  “Do you remember where your mommy went?” he asked.

                Cerulean eyes blinked before beginning to fill with tears again.  Dark curls bounced lightly as she shook her head.  “Mommy not here...Nene...”  She whimpered softly before burying her face against his shoulder.  She didn’t know where her nanny had gone...just the pretty butterfly.

                Rahim held her to his chest, rocking her gently back and forth.  “Hush, little one,” he murmured.  “We’ll find your nanny.”  He began to walk back further into the gardens, looking for a woman frantically looking for a child.  “What’s your name, little bird?” he asked.  

                “Mommy calls me bird too...” She mumbled softly against his shoulder, tiny arms wrapped around his neck.  Curious eyes stared at him, her earlier distress forgotten for the moment.  “Who you?”  

                “A friend,” he said with a soft smile.  “One that will protect you.”  He smiled and walked her further, a frown crossing his features.  Where could that damn nanny have gone to?  The little girl couldn’t have gotten far by herself.  He would have words with his mother about women letting their children run amuck in the gardens like this.  It wasn’t safe!

                Small fingers gently pushed the corners of his mouth up as she whispered cutely.  “You gotsa smile...pleaseeeeeeeeeeee....”  The last word was drawn out as she gave him an innocent pout.

                Rahim laughed in surprise, his eyes crinkling up his unscarred face into a grin.  “There, bird,” he murmured.  “How is that?  Better?” he looked down at her affectionately.  She was a cute child, and Rahim missed his sisters.  They were out on some female reforming mission in the south, and wouldn’t be back for a long while.  

                Bri nodded emphatically, her curls bouncing lightly. She giggled softly, winding her arms around his neck to hug him.  “Thank you!”

                He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head softly.  “I’m glad you got over your scrape, bird,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to be sad.  You should always be smiling.”  He caught sight of a woman in the distance, waving a hand to hail her.  Maybe this was the girl’s nanny.