Page 42 of The Alien in the Archive

“Not the same amount,” I shake my head. “Remember…they found me near the lab, covered in it? You were closer to the edge of the explosion, so I guess…I guess it was just the amount.”

He’s quiet for a long moment, his jaw tightening as he processes this. “So, let me get this straight. The thing that ruined our lives, that took everything from us, also gave you…superpowers?”

“Basically,” I say, my arms dropping to my sides.

Riley lets out a short, bitter laugh. “That’s just great. I mean…not exactly fair though, is it?”

I frown. “Meaning?”

“We could have been a superhero team,” he says. “Seems obvious. Like,yourparents die and you get superpowers, I just get a great sense of humor.”

I blow out a breath, smiling in shock. “Man…you can really just handle anything, can’t you?”

He shrugs. “I guess so.”

We go silent, Riley fidgeting with his septum ring, his work forgotten. After a moment, he stands, pacing a few steps before turning back to me. “Alright. So you’re psychic, you can move stuff with your mind, and it’s all because of the Elixir. Fine. But shouldn’t you be, like, getting help from a doctor anyway?”

“No,” I say. “Somebody’s been helping me.”

“Who?”

And there it is. The hardest question to answer.

“His name is Thorne,” I say quietly. “And he um…he lives in the Obscuary.”

He blinks, clearly trying to place the name. “Thorne? Is that…a professor? An archivist? And—hold up. Helivesin the Obscuary?”

“Yeah. He’s…” I trail off, searching for the right words. “He’s not officially part of the library. He’s more like…well, I don’t know. The Obscuary is his home.”

Riley stares at me. “Are you telling me you’ve been hanging out with some kind of…ghost librarian? Wait, holy shit, the archive ghost was real?!”

“He’s not a ghost,” I sigh.

“Then what is he?”

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose—this is going to be the hardest part to explain.

“He’s Borean,” I admit. “Maybe one of the last alive.”

If I thought Riley looked surprised before, now he’s on some other level. He stares at me, blinking slowly.

I wince. “Did I break you?”

“Just give me a second to process.”

He gets up and strides toward the kitchen, then pulls a bottle of tequila from underneath the counter. I have no idea where he got it—shipping has got to be crazy for liquor from Earth—but he pours two generous shots, sliding one over to me. He doesn’t wait for me to drink to down his and then pour another one.

“Okay,” he rasps, cringing at the taste. “Now you can keep going.”

“Cool,” I say, though I don’t touch my booze. “Like I said, he’s Borean. He’s been alive for centuries. He knows things—about Elixir, about telepaths, about me. He’s helping me control my abilities.”

Riley’s jaw drops. “Page, are you hearing yourself right now? You’ve been spending time alone with some ancient alien guy who isn’t even supposed to exist? And you didn’t think to mention this before?”

“I knew how you’d react,” I shoot back. “I mean, look at you! I don’t want you to drink yourself to death over me. You’re obviously freaking out?—”

“Of course I’m freaking out!” he exclaims. He downs another shot, puts the glass down with a thud, pours another. “This sounds like the beginning of every horror story ever. ‘Oh, hey, let me trust the mysterious, immortal alien living in the spooky library. I’m sure nothing could go wrong’.”

“It’s not like that,” I insist. “Thorne’s been nothing but helpful. He’s teaching me to control my powers, to understand them. He’s the only one who can.”

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