Page 107 of The Alien in the Archive

“Let me start from the beginning,” I ask. “Please, it makes…so much more sense that way.”

I think Lyn is about to leave and go tell someone. I’m fucking terrified she will.

But to my surprise, she sits down on the couch.

“We’re listening,” she says.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “Okay…I started showing signs of this…this weird power, a little over a year ago. At first, it was light mind reading: I would catch little snippets of private thoughts, and it scared the hell out of me, but I didn’t have any way of figuring out what was going on. So I came here to research ancient humans’ connection to Elixir, and the Skoll Lost Expeditions. I thought maybe it was because I was exposed to a lot of Elixir when I was a kid, and I wondered if ancient humans had the same powers.”

“I’m really not seeing how this is all connected,” Orin says, raising an eyebrow.

I chew on my lip. “So I get here, and then the powers start getting stronger. And I’m in the Obscuary, doing research, and…there’s something there. A feeling. Aperson.”

“Him,” Thalara says, clearly riveted. “Your mystery guy.”

I nod. “Thorne.”

Saying his name out loud is fucking terrifying, but it also feels right to tell my friends about this.

I pray to God they listen.

Lyn’s jaw tightens, and she leans forward. “So you’ve been hanging out with a war criminal in the Obscuary. You know how bad that sounds, right?”

“He’s not a war criminal,” I shoot back, defensive. “He didn’t participate in the Convergence. He went into hiding.”

“Oh, well, as long as he’s aniceBorean,” Lyn snaps. “Because that worked out so well for my family.”

“Mine too,” Orin chimes in, surprising me. He lookedintrigued before, but now he’s stone-faced, arms crossed. “Those monsters?—”

“We promised we would hear her out.” Thalara steps closer to me like she’ll put herself between me and Lyn. “Please, let her finish.”

Lyn exhales sharply but stays quiet. Thalara takes over for her.

“So…Thorne, was it?” Thalara says. “He’s been tutoring you on how to use your powers? And…giving you historical information?”

I nod. “He’s been honest with me about the past, and he’s helped me so,somuch to try and get things under control. I promise, he’s not hiding anything.”

“Except himself,” Orin points out. “He’s been hiding in the Obscuary for…how long?”

“Centuries,” I admit, feeling a pang of guilt for exposing Thorne. I don’t think I have a choice though, and I’m desperate for allies in this. “He’s been in hiding since before the Convergence. He’s not trying to hurt anyone.”

“This sounds fucking insane,” Orin mutters.

“It’s not,” Thalara says thoughtfully. “It actually makes a lot of sense. The Obscuary is massive, and it intersects with the tunnels that wind through the whole library in certain places. It’s a perfect hiding spot?—”

“Great,” Lyn cuts in. “So now we’re justifying why he’s been hiding in plain sight, while the rest of us have to deal with the fallout of what his people did.”

“That’s not fair,” I say, my voice rising. “Thorne didn’t choose what happened. He’s been trying to atone for it.”

“Atone?” Lyn laughs bitterly, standing up. “Page, do you even know what Boreans did to people like us? Like Orin? They didn’t just conquer—they experimented. They twisted entire species to suit their needs.”

“Lyn’s right,” Orin says, his tone hardening. “My familywas transformed into lycans because of them. My ancestors were used as soldiers, enslaved, and then abandoned when they weren’t useful anymore. And now you’re telling me you’ve been cozying up to one of the people who did that?”

I flinch at the anger in his voice, but I hold my ground. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family, Orin. Really, I am. But Thorne isn’t like that. He’s spent his entire life trying to make up for the mistakes of his people.”

“Yeah? And what’s he actually done to make up for it?” Lyn asks.

“He’s been preserving knowledge,” I say. “Everything that was lost during the fall of Borealis, he’s trying to rewrite it. He’s trying to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

---