The Librarian's Daughter The Story of Abi VanHaven

by M.M. Gavillet

The halfway house was a bustle of activity when I got back. Lou and Ella were cooking and arguing. Ella, who claimed she didn’t cook, was taking over telling her sister that she prepared things like a barbarian. Beannca was in the living room looking at a magazine. On the floor beside her was a whole stack of those celebrity gossip magazines that are full of what movie star wore what and if two of them had the same outfit and what one looked better in it. I decided to go upstairs to my borrowed bedroom and think of what to do next.

  I shut the bedroom door and went to the window that overlooked Roan’s garden. He of course was in it along with Kelan. I stepped back slightly to not be seen and watched them talk. Roan continued working at his weeding as Kelan stood discussing something I wished I could hear. I was still upset with what he said about Meg. Meg wouldn’t cheat on Nate, even though he is a jerk. She has better morals.

  I stepped away and sat on the bed throwing myself back­wards as my hair sprayed out behind me. I twirled a section of my red hair in my fingers and thought of what I should do. I certainly didn’t want to go with this Donavan even though Kelan seemed to trust him. I didn’t know what, but something inside of me felt wrong.

  “Abi,” Ella’s voice rang through my closed door. “Are you in there dear?”

  “Yeah, hold on.” I went to the door an opened it.

  Ella in all of her paleness smiled dressed in a lace dress that at one time may have been white, but was now tinged yellow. It had beading around the neckline and flared sleeves that graced her long fingers. Her hair was up with a rhinestone pin securing every strand of her white hair that had taken on a rosy hue. In fact as I looked at her, I could see the colors fluctuating, almost trying to break through the paleness.

  “Dinner is ready. Would you like to join us?” Her tone was pleasant and I smiled at her.

  I followed Ella downstairs and into the kitchen where eve­ryone was at the table now, including Kelan.

  “Here, Abi, won’t you sit by Kelan.” He smiled back at me pulling the chair out slightly.

  I hesitated and then sat down not wanting to sit by him and not wanting to insult everyone.

  “Perfect,” Ella said with a triumphant smile as she clapped her hands.

  The table was little and Kelan’s shoulder brushed against mine. I liked it at the same time I didn’t. I looked across the table at Beannca. She had brought a magazine to the table and was reading it passively turning the pages. Lou glared at her.

  “Really Beannca…” Lou motioned with her eyes.

  “We’re not family, just strangers eating together. I don’t see why you have to mother me.” She put the magazine down for a moment and then flipped it back in front of her face.

  “It isn’t about family, it’s about manners.” Lou replied calmly as Beannca continued to read and Lou sighed in de­feat.

  “I like to think we are family. Gnomes have extended families you know.” Roan scooped a pile of mashed potatoes onto his plate and then looked at me. “We used to invite each other over for dinners and help with crops and even harvest them together.”

  “Yeah and probably shove rainbows up each other’s butts.” Beannca added sarcastically. “I’m tired of hearing about your little gnome life…all that togetherness and…well, together­ness if nauseating.”

  “All that is nauseating is your manners or lack thereof.” Ella chimed in glaring at Beannca. “We do have guests.” Ella motioned with her eyes to Kelan and me.

  Beannca looked at us with a giddy expression of a drunken person. “What, a librarian and guardian that aren’t even ac­cepted? They’re just wannabes.’”

  “I did turn in my application to Donavan today.” Kelan ignored Beannca and looked over at Roan who smiled like a proud parent.

  “Good job! I bet they’ll be knocking on the door any second,” Roan said just as Kelan’s phone buzzed with some­one calling. “Or call you on the phone.”

  Kelan looked over at me and I nodded to answer it. He pulled it from his pocket and got up from his chair and went into the living room. I watched him as he nodded his head and said “yes” or “yes sir” a lot. Kelan then flipped his phone shut and returned to the table only to stuff a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

  “Well,” Roan leaned forward over the table. “What did they say?”

  “You’re looking at a guardian in training and my first assignment is to get Abigail VanHaven to Chicago.”

  “What?” I exclaimed.

  “Donavan wants you to go to Chicago—your mother’s last place of residency.” His blue eyes met mine. “He thinks she might have hidden the staff there, but first he wants me to use my Sight Premonition.”

  “No,” I said immediately and looked away from him. I could still hear my mother’s voice, see the blood and feel the fear soaked in sadness churn inside of me.

  “I know you don’t but…I can guide you away from any­thing painful.”

  “I thought you just ‘opened the door.’” I looked back at Kelan. By now everyone had gone silent and I could feel their gaze on us.

  “This is better than these trashy magazines,” Beannca said with newfound fascination throwing her magazine to the floor.

  “Hush!” Ella scolded in a low voice.

  “Can we take this elsewhere?” I didn’t even bother looking at them. Kelan nodded his head and we went outside.

  Lou, Ella, Beannca and the tall gnome, Roan, didn’t try to hide their eavesdropping. I looked at the kitchen window from outside at all of them huddled together and plastered to the window looking at us in eager silence.

  “I’m not going to Chicago. I don’t know Donavan and I’m not going to listen to someone I’m not sure of. You can’t expect me to just follow you blindly. I mean this is all new to me, I need time to sort things out.” I stood with my arms wrapped around me. “Kelan, do you understand?” My voice was soft as I looked into his blue eyes that reminded me of calm ocean waters.

  “I do understand your point of view, but,” he stepped closer, “there are things you don’t understand and Victoria isn’t one to mess with, I know.” Kelan’s voice filled with sadness mixing with hatred. I gazed at him steadily waiting for him to elaborate. “She’s the one that killed my grandpa, or I believe she had him killed. You remember that I told you he worked at the library in New York?” I shook my head. “Well, he was transporting several books to another library and he was ambushed in route to Chicago. The books were empty…they were new books to hold prisoners.”

  “And since books are so few in number, the less books, the less prisons.” I concluded.

  “Those books were meant to hold some of Victoria’s Circle members. We couldn’t house them so they went free…or actually on probation which for them was pretty much free.” Kelan gently took me by the arm and pulled me closer.

  “Stop elbowing me gnome!” Beannca’s voice was clear even through the window that was shut and locked.

  “Be quiet! At least be respectful to have silence while we watch!” Ella’s voice sounded like teacher scolding her class.

  Kelan and I smiled back at each other. I felt secure with Kelan and deep down, I trusted him even though it was blind. I’ve only known him for a short while, but a voice inside of me seemed to be in synch with my heart.

  “Maybe we should go talk elsewhere.” I suggested tilting my head towards the eavesdroppers.

  “They will just follow us.” Kelan shrugged his shoulders.

  I nodded my head and laughed when suddenly an engine roaring and dust flying came down the road and was headed in our direction.

  “Is that Donavan?” I asked following Kelan to the edge of the road.

  “I’ve never seen the car before…” Through the dust I could see it was a silver sports car, a Mustang, maybe. It came closer without losing speed. “Get…get back into the house!”

  “Who is it?” Kelan didn’t answer. Instead he grabbed my
arm and pulled me towards the house. I followed, running without looking back.

  I could hear the car engine rev and the rolling dust curled around the house like fog. The vehicle slowed slightly just as something zinged by me like bottle rockets kids would set off on the Fourth of July. They were like silver and gold flecks that flashed quickly and then were gone.

  Kelan, who was a faster sprinter made it to the house, while I was a few steps behind him. Lou had the door open and I ran in as she slammed it shut.

  “Who—who was that?” I asked between breaths. I leaned over starting to feel nauseated.

  “Members of the Circle, I’m guessing” Kelan said and looked out the window.

  My head suddenly began to spin and I felt like throwing up. I didn’t think I was that out of shape that a short sprint would make me ill. I could feel Lou and Ella’s cooking starting to come up, so I ran into the bathroom and vomited. I could hear Beannca complaining that she had just cleaned it and she hated cleaning the bathroom and she was off bathroom duty. Lou came in and gave me a glass of water and a wash rag.

  “Oh…oh my,” Lou said as she pulled something from the back of my right arm.

  I looked up at her holding a tiny needle with frayed silver feathers on the end.

  “What is that?” I asked hanging onto the toilet.

  Kelan came in and examined it. “It’s a dart.” He then gave me a grim look.

  “A dart…” I closed my eyes as the room began to spin slightly.

  “Help me get her into the truck.” Kelan’s voice sounded muffled, like I had covered my ears.

  “Tell me…” I started to demand, but only threw up in the bucket Lou held in front of me.

  My comprehension of everything was coming and going. The next thing I realized was sitting in Kelan’s truck speed­ing down the road.

  “Where are we going?” I wasn’t sure if he answered me or not because the next thing I saw was Nate. The time that had passed since we left the halfway house felt altered and disoriented.

  “What the hell…” I tried to sit up but the room spun too much and was forced back down.

  “I hate to say this, but I told you needed protection, and I mean experienced protection.” Nate’s tone was flat.

  “Yeah, you did, now where the hell am I?” I covered my eyes with my hand blocking out the bright lamp and Nate.

  “Here, have something to drink first.” Nate bumped me on the arm and I took the green glass.

  I shook my head handing him back the glass and covered my eyes again.

  “It isn’t a social drink VanHaven, it’s something Barnabus wanted you to have when you woke up.”

  I uncover my eyes and looked at Nate. “Barnabus, you mean Barnabus Wynters…the guy that came to your house for dinner?”

  “Yes, now take this. I’m tired of holding it.” I took it and looked at the clear liquid.

  “What is it?” I asked as Nate stood up.

  “It’s something to counteract the poison.” He looked at me motioning with his hand to drink. I only looked back at him. “Just drink it.”

  “Please do or I won’t be able to control the poison.” Nate stepped aside as a tall man dressed in black with salt and pepper hair gazed down at me. “Trust me, it’s in your best interest Abigail VanHaven.” His emerald green eyes flashed at me.

  I looked at the water-like liquid smelling it first, then closing my eyes I drank it in one tip of my head. I sat the glass down with the aftertaste of peppermint in my mouth.

  “There, like a good young lady.” The man smiled and came in sitting beside me. “By the way, my name is Barnabus Wynters and you are safe here at my home in Blackwell.”

  “Blackwell,” I said aloud. “My mother mentioned you in her letter.” I looked down at the glass as my vision blurred slightly. I blinked it away as my thoughts became slow and almost numb.

  “What did the letter say, Abigail?” Barnabus’s voice was smooth and calm like the still waters of a lake surrounded by snowcapped mountains.

  I looked at him steadily. My will was not my own and internally I screamed to stop. His questions I had to answer and I didn’t hold anything back. I couldn’t stop my mouth from telling him that my mother mentioned that I could trust him and that I was in danger and to top it off I told him about the safe and that my mother said I knew the combination to it very well.

  Finally and only after I spilled my guts, did the compulsion to tell everything wear off. Through my foggy head I could hear Barnabus and Nate talk among themselves.

  “She knows the combination, it’s in there somewhere.” Nate said inches from Barnabus.

  “Kelan will have to see if he can retrieve it.” Barnabus replied.

  I looked at the glass in my hand as my body still weak shook with not only weakness, but anger. I threw the glass towards the wall and it shattered into a spray glass fragments that scattered across the hardwood floor to the black shoes of Barnabus.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed refusing to let my body sway with the dizziness that still had a hold of me. I crossed my arms and glared at the both of them. Barnabus looked surprised, but Nate smirked at me like a spoiled brat.

  “What did you do to me?” I demanded.

  “That was something to make you a little more agreeable.” Nate’s voice slightly teased.

  “We only acted in your best interest Abigail.” Barnabus cut in sounding sincere. “There are many things you don’t even know exist that know you do. And they are after you, after what your mother took from Victoria.” Barnabus stepped over the pool of glass shards. “I know this is all new to you, but I have to be guaranteed the truth Abigail, any misinformation or lack of information could be disastrous.” He sat down beside me. I wanted to get up, but wasn’t sure if I could make it to the door. “I knew your mother very well and I can see a lot of her in you.” He looked to where the glass had hit the wall. “You have her temper unfortunately, but also you have her strength. You were struck with a highly toxic dart that would’ve killed a person much bigger than you.” I rubbed the back of my arm feeling the soft gauze that had been wrapped around it. “The Circle won’t stop. What you have in here,” he pointed to his head, “is locked up in your memories and is the only way to get the scepter back into the guardian’s hands.”

  “Is everything alright? I heard glass breaking.” Kelan’s voice came from behind Nate.

  Our eyes met and he smiled at me with relief.

  “—just the results of an overreaction…nothing to be alarmed about,” Nate kicked at a few pieces.

  “I was just informing Abigail here of our situation. And I think we need to let her rest a while.” Barnabus got up and went over to the door. “If there’s anything you need let me know and I’ll come back later.”

  My eyes shifted from Kelan to Barnabus. Nate had already gone leaving me alone with Kelan.

  “Not too long.” Barnabus said to Kelan before shutting the door slightly.

  I stood up and shut the door completely and looked at Kelan.

  “We have to get out of here,” I said pacing the floor. “They drugged me Kelan and made me tell them everything.” I stood with my feet on the plush rose pattered rug.

  “I know.” He gazed at me with his blue eyes. “It was truth serum. I made it for you.” Kelan confessed.

  I stood with a blank expression before looking away. I wasn’t sure if I was going to cry, yell or break something glass again.

  “I was ordered to Abi, I didn’t have a choice. And besides, it was to just relax you.” He tried to make it sound innocent.

  I shook my head. “Why didn’t they just talk to me and ask me? Didn’t they think of that?”

  “They had to be sure, Abi. It’s sort of…a protocol thing. It wasn’t meant to harm you.”

  It didn’t hurt me, not physically. It went deeper than that.

  “Please go Kelan, I’m tired.” I
didn’t even look at him.

  Kelan nodded his head and left with a quiet click of the door. I paced the floor, not sure of what to do. I liked Kelan and understood that he was just following orders, but he put me after that.

  I then went over to the door, it wasn’t locked. I opened it slightly to see a wood paneled hallway with light sconces glowing softly and illuminating the darkness. If Kelan was with the guardians and the guardians were secretive to me, then I decided I was going to sneak out somehow.

  I closed the door again and paced the richly decorated bedroom. The room was all burgundy, creamy white with porcelain knobs on the door and furniture. Crown molding graced the ceiling and the walls were painted an off white. It was a beautiful room and even though I haven’t seen the rest of the house, I could tell we were in a large home, if not a mansion of some sort.

  There was one large window that was tall and slender and covered in lace curtains. It was dark out, so the only thing I could see was Nate’s SUV and the trees and shrubs that marked the driveway and sidewalks. There were no other lights around, so we must be in the country or at least on the outskirts of Balckwell, which wasn’t very large town.

  I knew when I looked out the window; I was at least on a second level if not third and too high to jump out of the window. That only left one way. The door.

  I opened the door just enough to let myself out and crept along the wall until it opened to a staircase that led to another level. Several dark stained doors lined each side of the hallway, which was dark and reminded me of a hotel with the amount of rooms. I then noticed small gold plated plaques on each of the doors with numbers on them. I found it strange, but really didn’t care. I just wanted out. I didn’t trust Nate, I know my mother said to trust Barnabus, but I didn’t know who exactly he was. He wanted to be a guardian I know and he had to comply with what they wanted, but now I wasn’t sure if I could trust him and it pained me.

  I finally reach a grand staircase covered in plush burgundy carpeting that met with the marbled floors below. Everything was dim which made it easier to not get caught.

  I glided down the stairs and tiptoed across the hard floor with a set of large double doors in front of me.

  “I can’t believe it’s this easy.” I whispered to myself stretching my hand out to touch the knob when a large hand came from the shadows and latched onto my wrist.

  “It isn’t that easy, VanHaven. Guardians have been around for a while; we know all the tricks in the book.” Nate smiled at me as I kicked him in the shin with my foot.

  He let go of my wrist and with clenched fist I punched him as hard as I could in the throat. I looked at him in surprise at what I had done. I heard him gasp for air as I flung the door open and bee lined for his SUV.

  I couldn’t believe it; the keys were still in the ignition. Seriously, were they planning on me escaping or underestimated me? I turned the motor, put it in gear to back up and hit something with a thud. I didn’t care as I put it into drive and took out a few rose bushes as I left. I didn’t bother looking in the rearview mirror as I headed back to the halfway house.

  I wasn’t exactly sure how to get back to Minton, but with a little backtracking, I finally made it as the sun was coming up.