chapter three
a note between
pages.

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I had decided to play hooky for the next hour, choosing instead to immerse myself in An Enchantment of Ravens in the courtyards.

Although each time I would get invested in a book my mind would never wander, I found myself with a new mystery this time.

It kept going back to the boy. His presence was strangely familiar, as if I'd known him for years. But I couldn't place a finger on the déjà vu. It was as if the memory was slipping through my fingertips.

Midway through chapter one, I realized he smelled faintly of vanilla.

And most importantly, I had no clue about his name. What sort of ill-mannered girl had I turned into all of a sudden? Why?

A soft breeze rustled my clothes, bringing in a waft of blueberries. A pair of sneakers came into view. Fixing my hair, I looked up into icy blue eyes.

Dawn sat down on the stony slabs beside me, fixing her skirt. For a moment, silence reigned. I found myself staring holes into a single word in the book, finding it more interesting than anything else-even the bluette beside me. Art parlour.

"Hey, Ser." She broke the silence, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, then closed just as quickly.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" I tried, in desperate need of a conversation to break this provocative silence.

Dawn hummed. "So should you."

"I just wanted to... finish this book."

Dawn didn't move a muscle. "But you're in chapter one of what seems like a three-hundred-page book, Ser."

I gulped, chewing at my lip. How could I bluntly say that I wanted time off alone without hurting her and the others?

"You're mad at us. At me, aren't you?"

I winced, putting on a smile that might've actually looked like a grimace. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

Dawn sighed, straightening and tucking her hands under her knees. "I felt it. I can."

I opened my mouth to reply, but Dawn cut me short, placing a hand on my shoulder, her grip warm and grounding. "I'm sorry, Serena. I really don't know the game, or I'd love to actually discuss it with you-for real!"

"That's okay, Dawn," I said, almost too quickly. I felt blood rush to my face when she grinned warmly. She stuck her hand out.

"Friends again?"

I smiled, warmth blossoming in my chest. There was something sincere about her approach that had me gripping her hand back.
"Friends!"

We returned to class the next hour, the books I wished to read mostly untouched because of the chatterbox that Dawn was. To my surprise, Misty and Lillie apologized for their behaviour as well, warming my heart and earning a sanguine smile from me.

The rest of the classes were uneventful, with the girls plotting to get May together with her crush for the scavenger hunt. As a hopeless romantic myself, I had to give some opinions.

"And what of us?" Misty raised once we had finalized our devious plan for a very red May.

"Uh, I'll prob ask the hottie in the next section," Dawn quipped, throwing her hair behind her shoulder with an exaggerated flourish. In a cliché moment, Misty and I exchanged glances when the hair twirl piqued the interest of the male population of our class.

"That leaves us three," Lillie pointed out, her pale cheeks showing a hint of colour.

"Two of us could go since the minimum and maximum is two," Misty proposed. "But what of another?"

"Oh, come on," May dragged, shaking the orange-haired girl. "Snap out of it. I'm one hundred percent sure Drew won't accept me. That'll make us four!"

I rolled my eyes, frowning. If she couldn't realize how beautiful she was, how would anybody else?

"Nah-uh! You wait and watch. And if we can't form a group of three, I'll back down. It's not like I love looking for lost things on a huge campus."

"B-but you'll miss out on campus orientation!" Lillie sputtered, now a full-fledged tomato. "And that's not even the best part."

"None of us are interested, T-B-H," Misty added with a scratch of her head. "Maybe except Dawn, who's already gone somewhere."

She was indeed right. The bluette was nowhere in sight. Concluding that she was probably already midway through a makeout session with some random dude, we shrugged it off.

"But Serena," May started, eyebrows knitted together. Her blue eyes shone with guilt. "Maybe you could ask some random guy too. I don't want you to not attend the event because of me."

"I don't know anyone. Besides, it's not because of you. Just get together with your high school crush, and the debt is paid." I waved my hand nonchalantly. It was the truth, after all. I'd much rather stick to Pokémon Unite and Theia Sky Ruins to hunt Pokémons.

That evening, I visited the library again, totally not expecting to find a note float out of the racks where An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns were supposed to go.

In an absurdly neat cursive was a penmanship I associated with the black-haired boy from before.

How were the books? I'd love to hear. Same place, same time.

Why would he want to hear from me? Why does he feel so familiar? Who is he?

"Anything wrong, dear?"

I froze, crumpling the note in my hand. The kind librarian, Missus Relia, stood behind me, hands outstretched. "Want me to put them back?"

I nodded quickly, pushing the books into her awaiting hands. With a bow of the head and a mumbled, "Thank you," I was about to turn on my heel and make a run for it, but she spoke again in her wispy, dreamy voice.

"Sometimes, books lead us to unexpected places."

Something about her knowing smile told me there was more to this boy than I was told.

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Good news. I finished writing this book so I'll be posting daily!

Next up, Serena heeds the note. Does she find the person she waits for?

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x