Page 37 of The Alien in the Archive

Fuck, fuck, fuck…he saw that.

He saw that, and he has no idea what I’m capable of and?—

“Nothing,” I say quickly. “It was nothing. Probably just the wind.”

“The wind?” Lyn questions, and I realize she saw it too. “Page, I swear that glass just levitated?—”

Riley’s hand brushes my arm. "You sure you’re okay? That didn’t look like nothing."

I force a laugh, but all it does is make me sound even more insane. “It’s Mythara,” I say. “Weird stuff happens here all the time, right? Could’ve been some kind of energy field or…I don’t know, maybe something from the lift system…”

Am I really trying to explain engineering to two brilliant engineering students right now?

My stomach churns, panic rising as I realize I can’t explain what just happened. I grab my bag and stand up, looking around at Riley’s friends. “Sorry—I just remembered I need to get up to the Obscuary. I forgot some notes there and?—”

“Page, wait.” Riley’s getting up, looking me over. “If there’s something off with the lifts around here, you could get hurt?—”

“I’m fine, it was nothing,” I interrupt, my voice too high for anyone to believe it. My heart feels like it’s trying to claw its way out of my chest. I back away from the table, gripping the strap of my bag. “Thanks for the drink.”

Riley takes a step toward me, his hand half-extended as if to stop me. “Page, seriously?—”

“I’m fine!” The words burst out louder than I intended, cutting through the comfortable hum of the square. A few nearby tables glance our way, and my face burns with embarrassment. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

Before anyone can stop me, I turn on my heel and push into the crowd, weaving through the tables and stalls with my head down. My breaths come fast and shallow, my heart hammering in my ears.

The noise of the square feels overwhelming now—too many voices, too many thoughts pressing in at once. My bag bumps against my hip as I walk faster, my mind racing with every step.

First my thoughts, and now I can levitate things?

The memory flashes back to me unbidden: the glass hovering, trembling as if caught between two opposing forces…only to settle when I wanted it to. It wasn’t just a coincidence. It wasn’t an accident.

It’s getting stronger.

I can feel it, like a storm gathering inside me, growing more chaotic by the second. My fingers tighten on the strap of my bag, knuckles white.

I need to talk to Thorne.

My pace quickens, almost a jog now, as I aim for the nearest library entrance. The thought of him calms and unnerves me all at once. He’ll know what’s happening—or at least, he’ll understand it better than I do. Even if he was an asshole today, I need him.

Right now, he’s the only one who might have answers.

15

THORNE

Page’s fear is incredibly loud.

I know she’s on her way before she even reaches the Obscuary gate, her energy frantic. It’s later than usual, and she shouldn’t be here—it could attract suspicion—but I can feel how much she needs me, the sensation filling my chest, my throat.

I wait for her, unwilling to risk being caught if she was followed. But no one seems to be on her trail…and then she’s pulling open the bookcase, appearing on the other side.

Her hair is disheveled, clothes casual—a white t-shirt and jeans, plain and unassuming. She comes in without asking, brushing past where I’m sitting in my chair. Ashlan jumps out of my lap and follows her to a stack of books where she’s already running her fingers over the spines.

“You know, Page,” I say, rising and following her. “There’s a reason most people avoid the Obscuary after dark. Showing up here at this hour looks suspicious.”

“Suspicious to who?” she shoots back, her voice strained. I haven’t seen her like this before, not since she lost control in the Labyrinth. “There’s no one else here but you.”

I arch an eyebrow. “And how do you think that looks, spending so much time with me? Late at night, in secluded corners of the archives? If Davina suspects?—”

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