by Keary Taylor
Even though it felt like there would never be enough time, I reminded myself that we were still young. I was only just now nineteen, Nathaniel not even quite twenty-two. We had our entire lives, if necessary.
I blushed at the thought, at how easily I’d lumped us together for the rest of our lives.
I turned on my heel and headed off down the hall, to search for my father.
I thought I was a fairly good actress. Despite being overwhelmed and disappointed at my realization earlier, I thought I put on a good face and pulled myself back to my earlier excited mood. Once I’d found Dad, we headed out of the library and aimed for our favorite place to get clam chowder and Boston cream pie.
We’d eaten and all the employees came to sing to me when Dad told them what day it was. And then we’d walked slowly back toward the car, enjoying the lights of the city at night.
It had been a pretty great day, a great birthday, and a good way to embark upon my new life.
My tiredness hit me on our drive back down to Harrington. I sat in my seat with my head against the cool glass window. My father listened to the radio. I wondered if he went to bed mentally exhausted every single night. He was always filling his mind with endless information, history, facts, current events, fiction. I didn’t know how he could fit it all in his head.
I hoped I could be like him someday. That I never, ever stopped being thirsty for knowledge.
We pulled up to the house just a few minutes before midnight. We parked in the driveway and my father wrapped his arms around my shoulders as we walked up to the door.
“Was it an okay birthday?” my dad asked, keeping his voice quiet so we didn’t wake up the neighboring professors.
“It was great,” I said, smiling up at him. “Thank you for a wonderful day.”
He smiled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Nineteen. You’re making me an old man, Margot.”
I laughed, happy and sleepy.
Dad reached forward with the keys to unlock the door when he stopped. I leaned to the side to see what he was looking at.
There was something on the front steps. As I got closer, I saw that it was a stack of four books. They’d been tied together with a piece of twine, in a neat bow on top. And there was a single pink flower, the stem slipped under the twine.
There was a folded piece of paper under the bow.
“I believe this is for you,” my father said as he picked it up and handed it to me with a little smile.
To Margot, from Nathaniel. Happy Birthday.
The words were written in neat, loopy handwriting that fit him in a way that was almost cliché.
A little smile pulled on my lips.
My father just smirked as he unlocked the door and turned the knob to let us in.
We stepped inside and it was all I could do to not run up the stairs and tear into the note.
“Thank you, again, for a wonderful day. And for the journal,” I said, wrapping an arm around my father’s waist. “I really do love it.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, kissing me on top of the head. “Night, Margot.”
“Goodnight,” I said, smiling appreciatively as I walked to the stairs.
I closed my bedroom door when I stepped inside and turned on the lamp next to my bed. I sat down on the bed, holding Nathaniel’s carefully prepared package on my lap. I hated to disturb it, but I untied the twine and it fell to a pile around the books. Smiling, I took the flower and laid it on my nightstand.
The paper crinkled as I unfolded it, and I remembered how I’d watched him fold the crane. This one had been folded into a star.
Happy Birthday, Margot. I hope you had a wonderful day with your father. While I don’t have much money to spare, I wanted to get you something. Each of these books is a favorite of mine, from my personal collection. I think you will understand what a sacrifice this is. I hope you will read them and share your thoughts. I quite enjoyed “losing time talking about books.”
I smiled and a little laugh bubbled up from my lungs. I brought my fingers to my lips, brushing over them.
Yours truly,
Nathaniel
Carefully, I folded the piece of paper back into its star shape. I pulled the drawer of my nightstand open and carefully set the note inside.
I looked at each of the titles. They were all old, all books I’d never even heard of. Two of them sounded dangerously like love stories.
But I did understand the sacrifice Nathaniel had made in giving them to me. I understood that he’d given me a little piece of himself by giving me his favorite books.
I laid back in the bed and opened the cover of the first one and started reading.
Chapter Eight
Latin was very long the next day. I knew everything, so the material wasn’t enough to hold my attention. I tapped my pen on my notebook over and over, wishing time would go faster. My writing class was marginally better. We got a big assignment and the last thirty minutes was devoted to starting the project.
I had no idea if what I wrote was any good, but there were words on the page at the end of the class.
I darted from my class out into the hall, looking up and down, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nathaniel. But he was nowhere to be seen.
I’d never resented a class so much as I did Social Studies. I felt myself glaring at the professor the entire time, wishing he would talk faster. It wasn’t his fault I was anxious, but it was his fault for giving such a boring lecture that I had no interest in listening to a single word he said.
The moment the class was over I yanked my bag over my shoulder and headed out into the hall.
I realized then I should have taken the time to ask about Nathaniel’s class schedule. I didn’t know any of his classes. I didn’t know what professors he had, so I couldn’t even take any guesses.
But most of the history classes were on the far end of the building, so I started making my way there.
I was halfway there, cutting through the common room, when I spotted Nathaniel across the space.
I couldn’t help it when a girlish smile pulled on my lips and I quickened my pace.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.
But my smile immediately died when he turned around and I got a good look at his face.
There was a bruise forming around his right eye and his upper lip was split.
Nathaniel’s eyes darted away from me, looking out over the crowd.
“Oh my gosh,” I breathed. On instinct, both my hands came to either side of his face and I guided his gaze back to me as I looked at the black eye. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” he replied automatically as his eyes wandered away from me again. “Just a run in with the Society Boys. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“No big deal?” I said, my tone rising, drawing a few looks from those around us. “Look at you! Why did they do this?”
Nathaniel’s eyes flicked to meet mine again for just a brief moment. But it was just long enough that I understood everything.
They’d gone after Nathaniel because of what I’d said on the beach.
“Which one was it?” I asked. I didn’t let go of Nathaniel’s face. The distance between our bodies grew smaller and smaller. “David? James? Borden?”
Nathaniel reached up and wrapped his hands around my wrists, which instantly sent a wave of goosebumps over my skin. “It was nothing, Margot. Please, just leave it alone.”
My jaw clenched and loosened, and I could see it in his eyes when he realized his request was never going to happen.
I turned away from him, but he kept one hand wrapped around my wrist. My eyes scanned the crowd as they all walked to and from classes, going every direction.
And there, across the way, I spotted them. David Sinclair and Borden Stewart.
“You two,” I said loudly. Nathaniel’s grip on my wrist tightened, a plea to not do this. But I yanked out of his grasp and stepped forward. I could swear I could see red as I stormed between the crow
d that had paused to stare.
David and Borden both stopped, their eyes looking for me in the crowd. It didn’t take long for them to find me.
A smug smile took shape on David’s face. Borden’s lips thinned out and he swallowed once.
I walked right up to the two of them. I got within two feet of their faces.
“Are your egos really that tender?” I asked, my heated gaze sliding from Borden to David. “That a few words of opposition spoken on a sunny day at the beach made you retaliate against one man, alone? How many of your Boys did you take with you, huh? Did you feel like the big man when you all went up against him by himself? Do you feel better now?”
David opened his mouth to speak, but I took another step closer, getting right up in his face.
“If you have a problem with me and my mouth, you can come to me and deal with your insecurity,” I said, my voice dropping lower, because I knew that the entire room was listening. “But if you ever touch him again because of something you didn’t like coming from my mouth, I’ll go to Dean Lowell and tell him about that time you slid a hand up my skirt in the library, and you’ll be gone before morning, shame on the name Sinclair forever.”
“I never—” David began to say, but I cut him off.
“But Dean Lowell is a very old family friend,” I said, letting a wicked smile begin to curl on my lips. “He’s known me since I was born. And who do you think he’s going to believe? Someone who’s practically family, or the rich boy who has to buy good grades to keep his family proud?”
David glared at me, but I saw the fear in his eyes.
Something in me liked that I could make someone like him feel that way.
“Don’t ever touch Nathaniel again,” I said, glaring at him with venom. My eyes slid to Borden, who stood there silent with an unreadable expression. I glared at him, looking him up and down, trying to get a read on him. When I couldn’t, I looked back to David.
He was scared. But I also saw a promise in his eyes, that somehow he would try and find a way to make me pay.
I made a deal with myself then. I’d be ready when he came after me.
But I meant it. If he went after Nathaniel again, I’d get him kicked out of Alderidge for good.
I turned and walked away from the leaders of the Society Boys. The entire room was dead silent now, every pair of eyes on me. I let my hips sway just a little. I held my chin high.
I wasn’t this kind of person.
I was a good girl who was a good daughter and a good student.
I’d never even been tardy to a class.
But something protective and fierce had woken in me since that day on the beach.
Nathaniel fixed his eyes on me as I walked to him. I couldn’t quite read his expression.
But I didn’t hesitate as I reached for his hand. I made sure everyone could see. I leaned into him just a little, and I flaunted my boldness in their faces.
I pulled Nathaniel after me, in the direction of the library.
“So, let me get this straight,” he said as soon as we were out of ear shot of the crowd erupting with gossip and opinions behind us. “I’m not allowed to try to protect you from the Society Boys, but you can publicly stand up to them, in front of a large portion of the school, defending me?”
A little smirk formed on my lips and two emotions warred in me. Amusement, but also a little bit of regret for my words before. I’d meant them. But maybe I’d been a little too sharp.
“David can’t do anything to me,” I said as I laced my fingers through Nathaniel’s and continued at a quick clip toward the library. “I have too many connections here. And it was kind of fun, stepping up to battle.”
“You’re certainly no damsel in distress, Margot.” I looked back to see a smile pulling on Nathaniel’s lips. “More like a damsel with a dagger.”
I smiled too, my heart fluttering in my chest.
We walked through the main doors of the library, and while I might not have known his class schedule yet, I did know he worked today. But we had a little bit of time. So, I cut down an aisle of books and set off down a hallway, toward the very back, the most remote corner of the library.
The Eidem Room was one of the least occupied rooms. It was more of an overflow room. The room where they put the difficult-to-define books, the books no one wanted to read, the ones that had been forgotten about.
But it was a bit larger than the others. There were two couches in the center of the room, pointed at each other, a coffee table in between them. A fireplace was against the far wall and this was one of the two that were still used. But not today. The weather was still nice.
The shelves wrapped around the outside walls. They weren’t full. Not like the other rooms. They were only maybe a third filled.
I kind of felt bad for the Eidem family. All the rooms were named after families who had donated money or significant contributions to the school. It should have been prestigious. But this room was practically forgotten about.
As we stepped into the room, I closed the double glass doors behind us. I knew no one would be coming to interrupt us, but still, I liked the feeling of privacy it provided.
“I hope you had a good birthday yesterday,” Nathaniel said. He walked into the room and automatically he started making his way around the room. He grabbed random books and opened them, studying them for a moment, before putting them back on the shelf and moving on to another.
“I did,” I said with a smile. I knew I should be helping in the search, but instead I went to the couch and sat down, stretching my legs out along it. “Dad and I have gone up to Boston for my birthday the last few years.”
“You like the city?” Nathaniel asked. He didn’t look back at me, though. He kept looking through books, searching desperately for something beyond words.
“I love Boston,” I said. With his back turned to me, I got the opportunity to observe him without him knowing. His shoulders were broad enough to impress. His arms were lean and strong. His waist was narrow. His legs were long and looked capable. He had a nice figure, and I wasn’t embarrassed to be looking at him. “You don’t?”
“It’s not that,” he said as he set another book back on the shelf. He reached for another. “I just prefer the slower lifestyle. Everyone is in a rush in the city.”
He was right. Everyone was in a rush. Which was exciting and I kind of liked it. But it had been a relief when we got home last night, and I could take a deep breath without bumping into someone.
“Thank you for the gift,” I said. My words got lower then, quieter. “I wasn’t planning on it, but I was awake all night reading Death of the Crows.”
Nathaniel looked over his shoulder then, a smirk pulling on his lips. He put the book in his hands back on the shelf and crossed over to the middle of the room. He took a seat on the opposite couch. He rested one arm along the back of it and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee.
He looked absolutely at home here. Like the gate keeper to all the world’s knowledge.
“You liked it, then?” he asked.
I couldn’t help it. A silly smile broke out on my face. I looked away, shaking my head. “I absolutely loved it,” I confessed. “It twisted my heart and shattered it and put it back together, but not in the same shape.”
I fell in love with it a little bit right then. The smile on Nathaniel’s face. It was hesitant but genuine. It touched his eyes, bringing out the light in them.
I took a mental picture and I stored it away in my heart.
“And what about the ending?” he asked. “Who was right? The witch or the widow?”
I knew he would ask, and I knew it was going to trigger a strong response in me. I launched into my opinion. He responded with his own. And back and forth we argued and discussed. And it was incredible and beautiful.
Then Nathaniel looked at his watch and swore, bolting to his feet.
He was late for his shift at the library.
“I’ll walk with you,” I said, s
tepping to his side. “I have a paper I need to work on. Maybe you could walk me home after your shift?”
Nathaniel met my eyes and a little smile started growing on his face.
“I’d be honored,” he responded simply.
And side by side, we made our way back into the main area, our shoulders brushing as we walked.
I felt my face blush as he stepped up to the desk and I let my eyes linger a little too long as I turned and took my place at one of the study tables. I picked a spot where I could face the desk, yet a few rows back far enough to not be creepy. I set my bag down and pulled out my assignment.
I did work. The words formed in my brain and they traveled down through my arm to my hand and out my pencil onto the paper. I was smart. School had never been a struggle for me. I’d always gotten good grades, and even if my parents hadn’t been professors, I most likely could have gotten a scholarship here to Alderidge.
So, I got my work done.
But I was distracted.
I kept looking up at Nathaniel. I found myself pausing, my pencil hovering over the paper, as I watched him work. He helped students find their books. He organized returns onto the cart. He made repairs to volumes that had been haphazardly tossed into bags.
I knew I was falling for him. I considered myself a somewhat self-aware person. So, I asked myself, why?
Was it simply because we both had these supernatural abilities?
I didn’t think it had anything to do with that, actually.
I thought it had everything to do with his old ways, which matched my own. The way he spoke. His careful appearance. I thought it had to do with his quiet strength and independence. His calm nature in the face of horrible people. I thought it might have been his respect to my father and the way he had opened up to me the more I had gotten to know him.
Nathaniel had everything that had been missing for me in every other boy.
He was a rare find.
I tipped my head back down, smiling to my homework.
My pencil started scratching at the paper again.
A minute later, I startled when something slid across my page and landed right under my nose.