Page 23 of After Darkness Falls

Chloe relaxed a little, glad to know she wasn't the only one out of her depth.

“Hey, you know this place, right?” the fox asked the huntsman. “This map sucks. Can you give us a tour? Maybe show us the fastest way to the cafeteria or something.”

Easton was done smiling now.

"Listen, no offense, but I'm not here to play around. I need a degree to get a promotion, so I'm getting one, but I have a job outside of this. Good luck, rookies."

On that note, he walked away as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving them behind.

Chloe stared at her feet awkwardly.

“What a dick,” said Gwen. “I say we stick together.”

The fox nodded, and they went exploring together, opening each door on the ground floor to find classes on the right and study rooms with computers on the left. The first floor was filled with laboratories: biology on the right wing, chemistry on the left, and something that looked suspiciously like magic in the southern tower.

As they'd been warned not to, they didn't open the door leading to the north tower.

Chloe paused in front of it. The door was painted red, making it stand out in the white stone building. Everything else seemed to be either white or dark wood.

Something in Chloe desperately wanted to open that door, but the red paint also felt like a warning. A "do not enter" sign.

“Hey, regular! Coming?” called Gwen.

She nodded, and after a last glance toward the red door, rejoined the rest of the group.

The second floor was filled with amphitheaters. The lessons seemed to be focused on science on the right-hand side and arts on the left. Chloe would undoubtedly spend the bulk of her time on this floor, she guessed.

Again, there was a red door shutting the north tower away from the rest of the building. As they explored the Institute, Chloe found herself both expecting and looking forward to seeing that closed red door.

The entire last floor was an open-plan library. Standing at the middle of it, Chloe found herself in awe of the sheer number of books in the place. Millions. Hell, there could be billions. Thousands upon thousands of square feet filled with rows of books, and each high wall, up to the ceiling, was covered with them.

“Holy shit. I'm having aBeauty and the Beastmoment,” Gwen mused. “Belle would have a damn heart attack.”

“I just need a torch, a tent, and a duvet,” said the boy. “Come find me in a decade.”

Chloe wasn't much of an academic reader. She'd been one to do her homework, but when it came to reading for pleasure, she preferred a good romance over a memoir pondering the meaning of life. She guessed that the library would be full of such boring tomes, but as they walked past a few shelves, she discovered a humongous section dedicated to fiction—sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal romance, some graphic novels, manga.

Okay. She was totally up for camping up here with Adam the fox.

She zeroed in on a shelf with a few recently released books she'd been looking forward to reading, and greedily piled them up in her arms. She'd have to check the library’s terms, but now was as good a time as any to start a membership.

Chloe was lost in her little world, carrying seven books and eyeing an eighth on the wall, when a breath made her turn her head left.

Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

There was another red door here, but this one was open.

Her feet moved of their own volition, and before she knew it, she'd crossed the threshold and walked right inside the north tower.

She bit her lip. Dammit. That was the only thing they'd been told not to do, and here she was, going against the rules on day one. That wasn't like her. She couldn't afford to piss off the administration here—not when she'd been accepted as a fluke.

Step back. Go now.

She ignored the voice of reason and remained where she stood.

Chloe looked down, and her eyes widened.

There was nothing; just an endless gray curved staircase as far as her eyes could see. Which wasn't very far. There was no light except for the one coming from the library behind her.

---