City of IF

[Seraphi]

Sorry I missed the dp AND poll for this chapter, Zan (bad, Seraphi, bad). Though, to be honest, I probably would have chosen the same thing as everyone else, haha. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the next chapter :3

By the way, I am loving Micah even more and more, his gestures and manner of speaking have me blushing and giggling like a school girl. How dare you (please don't stop).

[kkdestiny]

I know, right? :D

He gives me vampire vibes, but I still cant help loving him!

[themightyzan]

Chapter 4! It was going to be a lot longer before the next DP, but it was getting a little ridiculous, so you get one sooner! Yay?

~~

Bree watched as Micah headed to the harbor, each step bouncing as if he was only a moment away from breaking into some sort of dance. After the last hour with him, she wouldn’t be surprised if it actually happened.

When he finally disappeared around a building - the bait house if her study of harbors helped with anything - Bree forced herself to look away and towards the rows of salt faded building that made up the downtown area.

She had been to Charleston once when she was a teenager and on trip with friends who’d had far too much interest in history and ghosts, and Beck reminded her of there. Except that it was smaller. And didn’t look nearly as well kept up. Not that the smallness concerned her, she had always liked small towns after all, they always seemed so much more friendly.

Or wary of outsiders, but she had hope that that wasn’t going to be the case here since they also seemed to enjoy a steady tourist trade.

The streets were mostly bare, not surprising for the tail end of fall in the middle of a weekday. People were going back to work, and school, and she figured that this town would tuck into itself and wait till spring brought back the warmth and the people like most tourist towns did.

She started down the main road, deciding that while she should most definitely get back to work - seeing as it was only just after noon - there wouldn’t be anything actually wrong with stopping somewhere for food first. She did have to eat after all.

At least she assumed she did. Did librarians get actual lunch breaks? An image of the last librarian she worked for hunched over a stack of books while she distractedly nibbled on chips, flashed through Bree mind and had her grimacing. Surely, surely, that wasn’t going to be how it would go here.

Surely.

Shaking the thought away, since it would help nothing to worry about it, she entered the first building she found that had a sign out front of it that claimed food was sold there. The inside was painted cheerfully white, a nice contrast to the rather sad blue on the outside, and boasted nothing more than a few tables and long counter along the back. Looking up to the menu, Bree noted that she was in a deli, and that their soup of the day was some sort of shrimp stew, which didn’t surprise her at all.

“Oh! And here must be our newest resident. Getting a feel for everything?” The voice sounded from somewhere to the side of her, and Bree turned her head towards the cash register and still swinging door that stood behind it. A woman stood between them now with blonde hair traced through with grey pulled into a bun at the back of her head, and sturdy, older, clothing that put Bree in mind of a fisherman’s wife.
She was old, there was no way she couldn’t be old, the lines that carved their way over her face were testament enough to the long years the woman must have seen, and her thin hands, gnarled by arthritis - and so achingly similar to Bree’s grandmother that it made her homesick for a moment - made it obvious that she was late into her winter years. But despite all that, Bree could see that she had been beautiful once. Very Beautiful. Stunning even. The paper thinness of her overly white skin covered strong bones and put Bree in mind of flowers that had been dried at the peak of their bloom. They were brittle and wrinkled and faded, sure, but still pretty.

Maybe the analogy lost something in the translation, but she couldn’t seem to think of a better one.

Forcing the distraction from her mind, Bree walked towards the old woman and offered a friendly smile as buffer against the overly curious, and still amazingly bright, green eyes.

“I am. Starting with lunch. My mother always says nothing can really get done well on an empty stomach.”

“You’re mother must be a smart woman.”

Earlene, her mother, had succeeded at starting her own business when she was twenty, and still made it clear to Bree on a near daily basis that at twenty-eight and without a set and successful career - especially since academia wasn’t really ‘hard work’ - she was falling dangerously behind.

Smart seemed like an understatement for such a woman. Of course, kind and softhearted wouldn’t really describe her either.

“Yes, she is.”

“It never hurts to have a smart mother. Let’s see you were… Brighid, if I remember correctly. I’m Taffy.”

Did the whole town already know about her then? It would make sense with the size of it.

“Call me Bree. It’s nice to meet you, Taffy.”

“And it is very nice to meet you, Bree.” They studied each other a moment before Taffy lifted her hand, one finger pointing upward a moment before she waggled it at Bree and turned around. “I know just the thing for you to try for lunch.”

Bree started to stop her, the particulars of how she liked her food crowding her mouth before dying away as Taffy simply started chattering at her.

She learned about how Taffy had lived her whole life in Beck, and that her husband was a tourist that came to visit the summer right after she had turned eighteen. He had been on a vacation with his college friends and while they had left a week later, he stayed. They had gotten married three weeks later in the little chapel that stood near the water. They bought a small fishing boat and her husband made his living off of taking tourists out to try their hand at a fisherman’s life; when her sons moved out, she had bought this deli to keep herself busy in their absence.

The abundance of information was accompanied by Taffy moving back and forth behind the counter almost faster than Bree could keep up with, her hands surprisingly strong as they worked. When she was done, Bree was offered a white plastic bag that held what Taffy referred to as ‘their best sandwich’. And then she was being waved out the door and back into the street before she really knew what was happening.

Bree stood on the sidewalk and stared, unfocused, for at least a minute after that.

Glancing back through the glass door, Bree offered a halted wave to Taffy, who was still watching her intently, and set back off towards the library.

The walk back seemed longer than the walk to town had been, but than again she didn’t have Micah to pepper her with questions. Surprising, how much faster things went with someone to distract you.

Reaching the library again, she was surprised to see that the front door stood open and the sound of music was coming from inside. Stepping through, she was greeted with the sight of a small woman standing behind the main desk, a riot of dark curls bouncing around her widely smiling face as she sang about surviving. Bree cleared her throat and waited as brown eyes, made darker she was sure by the golden skin that surrounded them, turned to take her in before the woman reached out to turn the music down.

“Bree, right?”

“Um… yes?” Bree wasn’t entirely sure why it came out as a question.

“You’re not sure?” Humor, a great deal of it, came with the words that echoed her thoughts.

“Of course I am, but I am at a disadvantage. You are?”

The woman’s mouth made an ‘O’ and she waved her hands in front of her before coming around the desk so she could grip both of Bree’s. “I didn’t actually introduce myself. I’m Agnes, your assistant.”

So this was the woman Micah had mentioned in his long flow of conversation. If it worked the way it had in her previous jobs - and she couldn’t see why it wouldn’t - than that meant that Agnes should cover the days that she had off, as well as help with sorting and keeping all the books straight, among other things that she was sure they would work out along the way.

“It’s nice to meet you, Agnes.”

“Of course it is! I’m sure we will get along swimmingly, Bree. Now.” Agnes dropped her hands and took several steps back. “I am at your disposal Madam Librarian, what would you have me do.”

Bree felt her mouth twist at the title - she wasn’t really planning on calling her that was she? - and glanced around to the various doors and rooms that surrounded them. “Well, we need to start by making a list of all the titles in each room so we can better group them.”

“Excellent!” Agnes clapped her hands together in a gesture of excitement, and put Bree in mind of some sort of woodland creature as she scurried back around the desk to pull out notepads and pens. “Just point me where you want me to go, Madam Librarian.”

“You don’t plan on calling me that do you,” Bree asked as she pointed to the largest room on the right.

Agnes laughed, the sound strangely crashing against the walls around them and echoing off. “Of course I do,” she stated after it quieted, the reply winging back over her shoulder as she disappeared into the side room.

Bree blew out a long sigh and followed her.

~~

Bree and Agnes are going to work till closing. The question is, will Bree head to her house afterwards, stay late at the library, go back into town for dinner, etc, or something else entirely that you all think of. Hope you enjoy and let me know!:D

[Andolyn]

Agnes amuses me. Teehee!

I'm going to say we ask Agnes where we can find a grocery store. We can't exactly eat out for EVERY meal. Find a store, and stock up. =)

[Seraphi]

Two new characters! And I love them both (especially Taffy - I aspire to be a gung-ho old lady like that someday)

Since Andy stole my idea, I'm going to agree with her, lol. I'm also hoping that Agnes not only recommends a grocery store but tags along as well. It'll be like a girl's night out. Party in aisle 4, haha.

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Still enjoying this immensely! I like Taffy, but the more people we seem to meet the more I feel some sort of wool is being pulled over our eyes.

As for the dp, I'm thinking Bree will probably stay late at the library to make up for the distractions of the day.

[themightyzan]

Wool? Nooo. ^.^

[kkdestiny]

Agreeing with staying up late :)

I have a cute picture of a librarian passed out in a pile of books with a large, empty mug of coffee XD

[themightyzan]

Chapter 4 poll up! I'm excited about the next two chapters, so choose well! ^.~

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Hey Zan, just wondering how much longer the poll will be up for/ if you've started on the next chapter already. Cause I wanna bully- *cough*, persuade Sapph to read this.

[themightyzan]

Noni - I was going to take it down and I had written over a 1000 words for the next chapter...

And then I lost it.

It did not get uploaded (along with a few other stories I am working on) to google drive when I was getting a new operating system.

Needless to say I was unhappy... and threatened babies and computers alike... so now I am sulking and putting off writing it all again... I'm hoping to have it redone and the new chapter up by the weekend though.

*grumble grumble* stupid computer.

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Wow that's a huge bummer. I and Sapph both use google docs ourselves, though, and we know that pain. Good luck with rewriting! Maybe it'll give you a chance to improve it, that's what I try to do when tech messes with me.

[themightyzan]

Chapter 5! FINALLY! :D It's super long, so hopefully that makes up for the wait? (And hopefully my writing doesn't get deleted again ~.~) The poll choice that won was "Ask Agnes where a grocery store is and ask her to come with you?" with 66%!

~~

The windows were dark by the time Bree finally pulled herself, aching and hungry, from her work. At some point during the last few hours Agnes had apparently turned on the overhead lights, and the dull yellow flicker of them did little to help with the headache that she could feel forming behind her eyes.

She had been hunched over a small curio cabinet writing out the titles and descriptions of the old, cracked leather books that were on display behind the dusty glass.

Blinking a few times, she scrubbed a hand over her eyes then glanced back down at the list she had been making. Each book from the history room had been written down in a neat hand - pride in her penmanship allowing nothing less - and she ran her fingers over the titles and brief descriptions she had listed.

“Are we done yet? I can’t feel my hand.”

Looking up at the pleading words, Bree saw Agnes in the doorway, her hand held before her as if Bree could see the lack of feeling in it, and her dark eyes still half squinted from focusing.

“No, but I’d say we’ve done enough for today,” Bree offered pleasantly before moving her gaze to the papers in Agnes’ non-numb hand. “Fantasy?”

“Yes.”

Bree nodded and stood, taking a moment to arch her arms over her head and lean back until she heard her spine pop. “Maybe with the help tomorrow we can knock out most of the rest.”

“We’re having help tomorrow?” Agnes seemed to perk with the news, her eyes brightening as she stepped closer to take the list from Bree and add it to her own. “Who’s helping?”

“Well, if Micah is to be believed,” Bree started, and she still wasn’t sure that he was to be believed. Good intentions and all that. “Than him and his brother and sister, and a group called the sisters… I’m not sure who they are…”

“They work for the Oceanbreaker family,” Agnes offered “His sister? Ash will be here?”

Bree nodded, mind already wandering to what order they should work in the next day. Getting everyone to work in the biggest rooms might make it seem like it was going faster, but if they broke up and each did one of the smaller rooms, they would be able to cover more ground.

Her thoughts were cut off as Agnes gripped her hands and took them both spinning in a tight circle - because apparently that was something people did when they were excited, as Micah had also shown - and then stepped back to clap her hands together. “Oh! I’m so glad.”
“Yes, it’s apparently very exciting,” Bree stated under her breath then frowned as her stomach grumbled at her.

A look to the mantle clock that stood on the cabinet she had been working next to told her that she still had a few hours before she lost all hope of everything being closed, and she turned to look at the woman beside her, who had apparently remembered her hand hurt and had gone back to rubbing it.

“Is there a grocery store anywhere on this side of town?”

Agnes paused, her gaze going distant as she thought, finally she looked at Bree and smiled. “Yes, not to far from your house actually. About a mile or so.”

Bree wasn’t sure, at first, how the other woman knew where her house was, especially since she hadn’t been in town long enough for Agnes to have learned about her and formed some sort of obsession that would lead her to want to know where she lived, but then she realized that it made sense. She had been offered her house, with it’s colored windows, along with her job. A perk Mr. Hadlem had told her over the phone, that would be sitting empty anyway if she didn’t take it, and Bree was nothing if not practical about such a gift. So she had accepted it sight unseen, and was grateful to not have to hunt down her own lodging.

So of course, Agnes would know about the house. Seeing as both it and she came with the job.

“I’m guessing in the opposite direction of here then, since I didn’t see it on my way in.” Bree checked the clock again before making her way out of the room and into the main area. “I suppose it’s good I drove instead of walking here this morning.”

“Probably, but I hear it’s a very pretty walk.”

“Yes, I can see how it would be. I look forward to it when I am more sure of my way.”

Agnes nodded and smiled brightly as she took a few backwards steps towards the stairs. “I can handle the lights and locking everything if you want to go ahead and head out. Everything closes early here, and no one should ever miss out on food.”

Bree watched her turn to start up the steps and frowned as her sister’s voice snuck into her mind and reminded her that she needed to make friends. Alais had been adamant in her advice about being sociable. Bree was too good at keeping herself separate, and far too content watching from the side. Always studying, always filing things away and missing out on what was important. At least to Alais’ mind. Bree had an altogether different idea about what was important, but she could admit some merit in what her sister had said. It was a new town after all, one she planned on living in for a long time, and making friends would only help with the settling and being accepted.
Agnes was as good a start in that direction as any.

“Would you maybe want to come with me? It would help in finding it, and maybe you have things you need to pick up.”

Agnes paused and looked down at her, and when she spoke her voice was almost comically surprised. “You want me to come to the store with you?”

“If you want,” Bree replied, her shoulders lifting in a shrug. “It was just a thought.”

“Oh.” Agnes trailed off for a moment, confusion settling over her features before a laugh shot from her and rang around the high ceilinged room. “Oh, right of course. I forgot you don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

Her assistant was already shaking her head and taking another backwards step up the stairs. “Nothing important. I can’t go with you… well I mean, I could, but I can’t. It’s too far and I would likely die of worry before we even got there. Does that make sense?”

“Not really. Are you going to explain it?”

“No, well maybe later, but by then I doubt you’ll need an explanation. Now off with you, time’s running out.” The words were called over her shoulder, laughing and already distracted, as Agnes turned to take the stairs the correct way, and they gave Bree the distinct impression that they were meant for far more than just getting to the store in time. Not that she could even begin to guess what else it might have been for.

Shaking off the feeling, she waited until Agnes disappeared into one of the side rooms then left.

*

Bree was just pulling her hair back into a ponytail the next day when she heard the knocking.

The soft incessant sound of it continued as she stepped from the bathroom and looked through the painted glass in the front door. The vague figure of a woman stood there, details and colors muted through the barrier between them. Taking a moment to slip her feet into her shoes, Bree went to the door and pulled it open quickly enough that the woman’s fist froze mid motion.

She was gorgeous, because of course she was - Bree wondered if perhaps there was something in the water that made everyone she had met seem like they had just stepped out of a study of attractiveness - and tall enough that Bree had to tilt her head up to meet her eyes.

“You’re Micah’s sister.” She had to be. They shared similar features, the same high cheekbones and rounded, dimpled cheeks. She also assumed they must have similar coloring, though the woman had dyed her wavy, shoulder length hair a green so dark it was almost black in the shade of the house.

“I am,” she agreed, her hand dropping to her side as she smiled widely, her dark green gaze friendly. They matched was all Bree could think, her hair and eyes. Maybe she wanted to be a plant.

“I’m Asherah, though only my parents ever call me that. Or Alex when he’s annoyed. So, I guess I meant to say I’m Ash, and it’s lovely to meet you, Bree.”

Bree simply offered a polite smile and reached to tug at the hem of her shirt. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Can I help you with something?”

“No, I don’t think so. I came to walk with you to the library if that’s alright.”

“Of course.” Reaching to take her bag from a nearby table, Bree joined Ash outside, pulling her door shut behind her.

"Your name is Asherah? Like the mother goddess who was consort of, well, several gods," she asked as they started walking, the edges of Ash's white sundress hitting against Bree's slacks.

Ash scrunched her nose as she nodded. "Yes, my mother was apparently feeling sentimental."

"Sentimental?”

“Family roots and all that. I suppose I should be glad she went with that instead of one of the stranger forms of the name.”

“Athirat, Ashtoreth, Asherdu, Elat,” Bree said, naming a few. “I can see how those might be interesting, but your spelling would point to Semitic mythology. You have family roots in the ancient Near East?”

Ash studied her out of the corner of her eye a few moments before moving closer and hooking their arms together like they were two girls headed to school. “Somewhere back in our line I’m sure. Micah said you were smart. Not that it wasn’t obvious, you wouldn’t have been picked if you weren’t amazing.”

“For the job?”

“Yes, of course. What else would you have been picked for?”

Bree shrugged and let herself be tugged along by the woman’s near ground eating strides. It was obviously something she was going to have to get use to when it came to dealing with that whole family.

“I don’t know, but people keep mentioning things that make no sense and then refusing to explain them.”

“I’m guessing Micah would be one of those people.” A statement, Ash’s voice curling with held back humor as she said it.

“Him and others. I would probably ignore it if it had only been him.”

Ash shook her head and paused when they reached the crosswalk nearest the library. “He think’s he’s clever, a lot of people here do.”

“So they aren’t really?”

“Oh no, they are. Too clever. That’s part of the problem. They can’t ever just... “ she trailed off as they started down the driveway that lead to the front entrance of the library, watching as the door flew open and a laughing Agnes ran full tilt towards them before launching herself at Ash.

“Be cool about anything,” Ash finished in a deadpan over the top of the smaller woman’s head.

“You’re here! You’re back! It’s been forever!” Agnes nearly shouted the words as she disentangled herself from Ash and stepped back enough to beam at her. Bree noted that her expression was one close to hero worship. It was the same look her sister often got when talking about actors that she “loved”. It was a look that said reason had flown directly out the window and no logical arguments against someone would work.

“Well, I’m here now,” Ash offered reasonably. “And we are here to work, yes? So we best be at it. Is Micah back with the sisters yet?”

“Not yet.” Agnes lead them into the library, fingers laced with Ash’s as she tugged her along. “You’ll work with me won’t you, Ash? I’ll feel neglected otherwise.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Ash shot Bree and amused glance before focusing past Agnes. “Hello, brother. Are we in a good mood today?”

“I wasn’t in a bad mood before.” The words were rumbled out and Bree glance around the others to see that they came from Alex.

He was no less formidable today, and appeared no more happy about being there than he had the day before. He had set himself behind the desk, pale gaze focused on the computer screen even as he replied to his sister and a wrinkle was making it’s way between his eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure you were roses and sunshine to Bree.”

“He was rude, and abrupt, and dismissive,” Agnes offered helpfully, making Bree wonder how she could have known that in the first place.

“I was not rude,” Alex replied, his eyes finally moving up to them.

“You were a little rude,” Bree responded.

When his gaze shot to hers she brought up her hands in a vague gesture. “Well, you were.”

Alex pushed back from the desk and came around it, the almost scowl not quite leaving his face as he got closer. “I apologize, Miss Casen if I didn’t make you feel welcome enough.”

“I believe you.”

Bree watched his brows somehow furrow even further over his eyes at her words, his expression saying he couldn’t decide if she was being sarcastic or not, it was a common problem when people spoke to her. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by another voice before he could.

“I’m here, which means the work can begin.”

They all turned to see Micah standing just inside the door with what appeared to be a small gaggle of teenage girls around him. Bree assumed there were 6, though they all looked so similar, gleaming brown curls of hair and eyes she couldn’t quite decide the color of, that there was every chance there were more. They babbled amongst themselves, bouncing as they streamed past her to cluster around Alex instead.

What sort of family employed a bunch of teenage girls?

“What would you have of us, sir,” one of the taller ones asked, and Alex simply continued to look to Bree in answer.

“Yes, what would you have of us, oh lovely librarian mistress,” Micah echoed as he came to hook his arm over Bree’s shoulders. She’d had an Alice in Wonderland picture book when she was little, and the smile he sent her as he leaned down long enough to kiss her cheek resembled, a little too closely, the Cheshire cat she could still remember from it. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

Bree wondered what he was playing at, since playing at something was obviously what that smile meant, but if she had learned anything in the handful of hours she had known these people it was that they wouldn’t willing tell her what they constantly seemed to find so amusing.

She’d hated inside jokes since two of her friends in high school had delighted not only in having one, but in her frustration in not knowing it. The feeling was no better now.

“I thought we were here to work,” Bree stated briskly, pulling away from Micah. She saw his grin widen and she made herself focus instead on the almost rapt faces of the teenagers. There was differences in them once she paid attention, freckles and a slightly different angle to eyes or nose spattered throughout, but their wide eyed stares - the color, Bree decided, of angry clouds - were identical, and more than a little disconcerting.

“We can break off into groups or pairs, depending on the room size, and make lists of all the books in them, as well a brief descriptions of each so that I will know what group they belong to.” She went to the desk and picked up the pile of papers she and Agnes had completed the night before and held them up so everyone would have an idea of what was needed. “It will probably take few days just for this step, so you should all prepare to be writing a great deal. The two smaller side rooms on this main floor have been done, so it’s everything else that is left.”

The sisters looked from her to Alex, and Bree had to force herself not to scowl as they waited for his nod before they erupted into a flurry of movement, paper and pencils seeming to fly between them in some comical acrobatic act, and then they were gone, the lot of them disappearing into the largest of the downstairs rooms.

Bree and the others stared after them before Micah was linking his arm to hers again. “I choose Bree as my partner.”

“You do not,” Ash stated, cutting off Bree before she even knew what she was going to say. She walked towards them as she spoke and pulled Micah away from Bree with a deft tug. “I know what you’re about, and I’m not letting you play that game. No I don’t care how funny you think you are,” she added when he simply continued to grin, amusement radiating from him in almost palpable waves. “Bree is going to partner with Alex, and I’m going with Agnes, and you are going to go by yourself because I think you need to be without an audience for awhile.”

“Yes, sister,” Micah responded, sounding for all the world as if he were well and truly chastised. It would have been more believable, however, if he wasn’t still smiling. He bent to kiss his sister’s cheek and then grabbed paper from the desk before taking the stairs two at a time and disappearing around a corner.

There was a lull in conversation as Ash and Agnes took their own stacks of paper and then disappeared down the hall. Bree looked over to see that Alex was staring at her with a twisted frown, like he had eaten something that didn’t agree with him but didn’t want to complain.
“If you want to go off by yourself, it’s fine.” Bree forced herself to not give in to frowning back at him.

His expression didn’t change, but he gave a single shake of his head and reached for paper and two pencils. “It’s fine. Come on.”

He lead her upstairs to the “Other” room, the utter size of him seeming to take up too much space among the overly packed shelves and piles. Bree was surprised he didn’t knock anything over as he turned to sit against the window sill, blocking out most of the morning light with his shoulders.

“If you want, you can read off the titles and describe them and I will write them down. It will probably go faster that way.”

Bree stared at his down bent head as he wrote something along the top of the paper, but decided there wasn’t a reason not to do it his way and so reached for the closest book. It was the one she had been looking at the day before. “Icthological Invocations,” she said out loud, and watched as he started to write it before looking down again. “Author… unknown.” She leafed through a few pages and couldn’t help the smile that came to her face as she realized what she was holding. “It’s a spell book, mainly focused, it seems, on spells related to… controlling and summoning sea creatures, regular and mythological. Fascinating.”

“You don’t seem surprised to find a spell book in a library.” Bree looked up at the words, and found Alex staring at her She shrugged and set the book to the side before reaching for another.

“People invented stories about mythological creatures for all number of reasons. Explanations, hallucinations, etc. It’s not surprising at all that they would also have made spells that they believed would help them get the aid of such things.”

“So you have spent your life studying these things, but you don’t actually believe in any of them,” he stated, his voice more annoyed than she thought he had reason for. “What is even the point then? You’re just wasting your time.”

He was hardly the first to say so. Not many people understood the reason why she did what she did, well, not many meaning anyone who wasn’t her professors and fellow students, so she was used to it. But something rubbed her wrong about him specifically brushing off years of work so easily.

Especially since he had been doing the brushing off for two days now.

“Your father and Mr. Hadlem obviously don’t think it’s a waste of time, otherwise they wouldn’t have hired me. And since there was a job like this available, others must also see the point of ‘this’. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Every culture revolves around their stories and beliefs. How they explained bad things, or told cautionary tales, or even the gods that they worshipped and the creatures they made up speaks volumes about what they held important. It was how they made sense of the world, and I will be damned if all of that is simply forgotten because people like you don’t see the point.”

The space between them rang with her words before fading into silence. They stared at each other for longer than was comfortable before Alex tapped his pencil lightly against the paper in his hand.

“I stand corrected,” was all he said in way of a reply, his grey eyes shuttered and his face carefully blank even as Bree got the impression that he was smiling like she had the day before.

“Aren’t you a politician, aren’t they supposed to be charming? I think you need to work on that.” It was the only slightly rude thing Bree would let herself say, and she watched as Alex’s gaze turned curious.

“Who told you I was a politician?”

“Your brother. Aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer her, instead he stood in what she could only assume was some half planned out attempt to intimidate her. The assumption turned to certainty when he took a step closer and seemed to do his best to loom over her, his face still emotionless even as his eyes darkened. “Do you want me to charm you, Miss Casen?”

She took a step back, the book in her hand coming up to press against her chest as if it was a special shield that actually had some chance of keeping him away instead of The Guide to Ocean Incantations that she knew it to be.

“Absolutely not. Especially when you seem like the type who would excel more at bullying than getting people to like you.”

But he was no longer listening to her. He wasn’t even looking at her. When she followed his gaze she saw that he was staring just over her head at the bookshelf behind her, a line forming across his forehead as he did so.

Bree couldn’t see what it was that he was staring at, and couldn’t determine anything wrong with what she could see so she turned back to frown at him.

“You could at least look at me when I’m talking to you. It’s very rude not too.”

He didn’t answer her. Instead he simply continued to stare at the bookshelf, his eyes narrowing as if whatever he saw there was a problem. Bree opened her mouth to try and get his attention again, but ended up letting out a gasp instead as his hand closed around her arm and yanked her towards him.

The air rushed out of her as Bree’s back collided with the solid wall that seemed to make up his chest. She tried to cough out a protest as Alex curled an arm around her and spun them around, his shoulders hunching over her as she heard a groaning creak of wood.

She had a thought, a single out of place thought that made no sense in the actual moment that he smelled… strange, all heat and salt. It put her in mind of the beach and the specific smell one would have after a day of swimming in the ocean and then sun drying on the sand.

It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but she didn’t have much time to think on it before something hit them from behind and his arm tightened enough that she could barely breathe in order to keep her from falling away from him.

There was a clatter around them, and Bree realized, belatedly, that the bookshelf had fallen and the clatter was the books as they fell in heavy thuds to the floor. It shook her to realize she had been in the case’s path, and it did not escape her that Alex very well might have saved her from serious injury.

“Th-thank you,” she stuttered out, her breath still obstructed by his nearly too tight grip.

Alex didn’t reply, simply held her against him for another moment before setting her away with stiff arms. He then turned and shoved at the shelf, pushing it back against the wall where it sat looking surprisingly ashamed of itself.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Bree heard him mutter out the words, and started to ask him if he was alright when he reached out to take her wrist and tug her after him as he left the room.

“Asherah!” He bellowed his sister’s name as he lead Bree tripping down the stairs. She stumbled past him as he came to a stop near the front desk and released her, the momentum of being half dragged not stopping simply because he had.

By the time she had righted herself the others had joined them and Alex was nearly shouting orders at the group that had formed around him. Specifically he was aiming his ire at Ash and the sisters. He wanted to know how ‘they’ - though Bree didn’t know who ‘they’ were - had gotten in, and hadn’t it been their job to make sure that they couldn’t, and if he couldn’t even trust them to keep one single librarian safe how was he supposed to trust them in other things.

Bree stopped paying attention at that since Agnes had come up to her and began asking if she was alright and checking her over for injuries, of which she didn’t think she had any. Finally, she looked back as the sisters and Ash all practically scrambled in different directions and Alex headed out the front door after firmly pointing in Bree’s direction and telling her to stay put. Stay put and stay with Micah and Agnes, and so help him if either one of them let her out of their sight, but the threat wasn’t finished, and hadn’t been particularly thought out in the first place before he was out the door, and Bree was left to wonder what exactly had just happened.

~~

Decision point! Does Bree stay put, does she chase after Ash or Alex or one of the sisters? Or does she do something else entirely? You all tell me. ^.^

[kkdestiny]

I'd wanna stay put...maybe ask Micah what's going on. Demand the explanation if we have to.

There's a lot of weird things going on...if any of it is messing with us or the library, we should probably know.

[Seraphi]

Excellent chapter, zan! Well worth the wait :3

Something is definitely afoot, but I don't think either Micah or Agnes are going to readily reveal what that something is - I feel like the former would just speak in riddles and make the situation more confusing, and the latter laugh awkwardly and dismiss her like she did the night before.

I think Bree's best bet is to go after Ash and ask her. Agnes or Micah, or both of them probably, are sure to follow.

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Woah, that was quite the read. I'll be a bit tumblr for a moment here- at first I thought she and Micah would be cute, and now I think she and Alex would, and just overall, I think she got herself into a mess of trouble with this job. Who are the they that got in, I wonder? I can't wait to find out!

DP Wise, I'm gonna go with an unconventional option: Go back to that room and attempt to stack those books. Something may have fallen in a way that's damaging pages! Who knows how old those books are, she needs to make sure they're okay.

(Psst, is my love of books bleeding through too much? XD)

[Andolyn]

I love the crazy that is this chapter soooo much. XD The chaos is HILARIOUS to me, and the SISTERS!!! The Sisters are fantastic. XD

I'm going to say we stay put, I think. Alex was scary just then. hahaha!

[themightyzan]

Yay you all like it! :D

I was bracing myself for things like"What the actual hell are you writing?" ^.^

[kkdestiny]

yup, still a good chapter. i've voted too, bringing on a 3-way tie :)

[themightyzan]

"I can't even... go back to work" won with 50% ^.^

Hope you all enjoy!

~~

“You know,” Agnes said from beside her, causing Bree to nearly jump from the suddenness of the words. “I hadn’t noticed what pretty hair you have.”

Bree stared at her, couldn’t help but stare at her as if she had suddenly sprouted a second head. The statement caused a loud buzzing to start in Bree’s ears and she found herself able to only get out one word.

“What?”

The other woman smiled and lifted a hand to run her fingers through the stick straight fall of Bree’s ponytail. “It’s so shiny and smooth. I thought so yesterday too, but it was harder to tell when you had it fixed in that fancy twist.”

There was nothing Bree could say to that. At least nothing that ventured into the realm of winning conversation. She didn’t even bother to try. Instead, she looked from Agnes to Micah and back again.

“Neither of you plan on telling me what just happened are you.” It was said as a statement since she didn’t need their reply to know the answer. They both shook their heads anyway.

There was a very real instant when she wanted to yell at them. Wanted them to tell her what exactly had just happened in short, concise, easy to understand sentences. But then the moment past. Yelling wouldn’t help anything. She wasn’t a yeller, never had been, she had never been fond of the way it scratched the throat and cause the voice to go strange at the ends. So she gave a single nod, the word ‘right’ coming out under her breath like it had snuck out without her knowledge, and started up the stairs.

Bree entered the ‘Other’ room and stared down at the messy jumble of books that now littered the floor. She didn’t like yelling, she also didn’t much care for trying to pry information from people who did not want to offer it. But she did like work – because, according to Alais, she was boring - so she picked up the paper and pencil that Alex had discarded and settled cross-legged on the floor so that she could begin cataloging the books while straightening them and checking for damage.

She took a moment to rub at her wrist where it still tingled from Alex’ grip and didn’t bother looking up when she heard someone enter and settle across the pile from her. It was Micah, she could tell that easily enough from the sound of his boots – black today – on the wood floor, and she saw no point in trying to start a conversation.

Out of the edge of her vision she saw that he was also writing and stacking books, but his movements were restless, as if it took two extra steps to do something that would only take anyone else one. There was something comforting about it, about him and his busy presence. Bree found herself relaxing.

“So, what do you think happened?” Micah’s voice was curious and soft enough that it didn’t take her by surprise. “With the bookshelf,” he added when she simply looked up at him.

“It fell,” Bree answered, lifting a hand to make a vague gesture in the air. “I don’t understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it.”

Micah sent her an amused grin, the dark blue of his eyes sparkling with humor, obviously finding something about what she said funny. He pointed at the almost empty shelf. “Look at that, really look at it. Do you really think it just decided to fall over?”

They both looked up at the shelf, and Bree felt her brows lower over her eyes in thought. “I suppose something on it is faulty. We should probably replace it.”

“There isn’t anything wrong with the shelf, Bree.” Micah laughed as he said it, like it was ridiculous to even contemplate such a thing.

“Well there isn’t another explanation.”

“Isn’t there?”

“No.”

Micah set aside his paper and leaned back on his hands, his teeth very white as he smiled against the light that came through the window. “For all your studies you see the world in a very narrow way.”

It was a conversation she’d had before – most often with her sister and father since both had a habit of slipping into flights of fancy – and her usual argument came out almost unbidden. “The world is very narrow, at least in a sense. It’s why we need the myths and the stories, and all the creatures they talk about. People find all the actual answers ‘too boring’”. She made air quotes as she said the last part and Micah’s smile widened.

“I look forward to your mind changing.”

“Do you think you can make it?”

“I think we will try.” He pushed himself to his feet and leaned over to tug at the end of Bree’s hair. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Miss Casen.”

She stared up at him and thought about smiling, but changed her mind. “Is quoting Shakespeare supposed to help?”

Micah rolled an easy shrug as he straightened and glanced over his shoulder as Alex came in the room before focusing back on Bree. “It couldn’t hurt.” He turned back to Alex as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes.”

Micah nodded and tipped his head to Bree before stepping around his brother. “I will leave our lovely Bree in your ever capable hands then.”

Alex stared after Micah as he left then took the vacated spot on the floor across from Bree.

“There is something wrong with your brother.”

“I’ve been saying that for years.”

Bree couldn’t tell if it was a joke. He wasn’t smiling, and he didn’t have the same almost permanently amused expression that his brother did, but Bree didn’t think he was being mean either. She couldn’t say why she thought that, but there was something, affection if she had to put a name to it, in his words and it took away the sting of complaint.

“So are you going to tell me that you think it was something weird that tipped the bookshelf?”

“No.”

“Are you also not going to tell me what you yelled at everyone about?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Bree picked up another book, looking over the cover and the first few pages without actually seeing them. She stared at nothing, her fingers running over the textured fabric of the cover and the smooth gilded lettering of the title and author. There was a vague awareness of Alex working across from her. His movements less chaotic than Micah’s, each having the practiced ease of someone who never did anything restlessly. She was surprised that he could calm himself so quickly, but it was possible that he was simply good at pushing it aside after the first strong rush.

Maybe he was a politician.

“Thank you, again,” She offered and waited as he finished writing and looked up at her, his pale eyes almost white in the light. She had been wrong about his hair, she thought, seeing it for the first time in good light and compared to his eyes. It wasn’t nearly white, at least not in the sense she had originally thought when he had first been stalking around the yellow lit halls of the library. It was ash colored, that strange white blondish grey that she had only ever seen in boxes at the store. It was like he was the complete inverse of his siblings, all the coloring they had received washed out of him, leaving everything but his skin muted and pale.

“You must take after a different parent than Micah and Ash,” she said before he could reply to her thanks.

“They look like our mother,” was his reply, which Bree assumed meant he took after their father. He didn’t offer anything else.

“Sorry, I got distracted. I was thanking you. You didn’t have to help me, and it was very quick thinking, so thank you. I doubt I would be doing very well if that shelf had hit me, and it couldn’t have been comfortable for you.” She broke off and mouthed an ‘oh’ before speaking again. She had been talking about herself, but he was the one who had been hit and she couldn’t remember if anyone had actually checked on him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

He was doing the smile without smiling again, Bree could feel it. She could also feel the reluctance behind it, as if he didn’t want himself to have a reason for smiling.

“Are we going to work, or are we talking now,” Alex asked.

“Would we actually talk, or would you keep giving me the long stares and annoyed, short answers?”

She felt his non-smile widen.

“I would probably give annoyed, short answers.”

At least he was honest.

~~

Decision Point! Does she try talking with him, or go back to work, or try to do both? Or something else entirely? Let me know!

[Andolyn]

EEEEEEEK FINALLY!!!! :D

OMG I died when Agnes broke the awkward with more awkward by complimenting her hair. XD

Micah is precious...and a little bit evil... AND I love him. hahaha!

Alex is REEEEALLY growing on me. I like him a lot. He sounds really pretty and the "non-smile" was fantastic.

I'm going to say we try to do both. I want to watch her try to get conversation out of him because, let's face it, it's adorable. She also seems like the type who'd go back to working, though, so I think that should be included. Great chapter! Can't wait for more!!

[Seraphi]

Awesome new chapter, zan! My love for Micah has grown once again, hehe :3 And a new love for Alex is blossoming. (Dang it, zan, what are you doing to me?! XD)

I'm going to agree with Andy on the dp, Bree should do both. Working diligently seems to be what she does best, and this game of conversation tag with Alex is just too amusing to stop.

[TheSecondSeal]

I vote for both. Because he's adorable and annoyed short answers can tell us a lot, especially if we are busy enough that something more might slip out...

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Hmmm. I dunno. Sometimes, with people who expect you to pester them with questions, being quiet gets more out of them. It leaves an itchy feeling on their skin, like you're just sitting and plotting against them. I vote she remains silent, and sees how Alex reacts to that.

[kkdestiny]

and... I almost feel like she's more annoyed than looking into keeping up the charade of a conversation.

I'd be more inclined to just get back to focussing on work, I feel like we'd get more work done if we dont try to throw in a verbal game of tag, where we wouldnt get anything close to an answer. XP

[themightyzan]

Poll time! It should be an easy one since there are only two suggestions. ^.^

[themightyzan]

New chapter! "Talk and work" won, so we get to see how... friendly... Alex can be. ~.~

~~

“The good thing about those,” Bree responded. “Is that it’s easy to tell what the answer to something might be by how reluctant you are to talk about it.”

She picked up a new book and attempted to smooth the crinkled pages with her fingers before writing out the title on her paper. “So are you a politician?”

“If Micah said I am I suppose it must be true,” Alex said after a beat of hesitation, he had picked up his own book and was no longer looking at her as he wrote down its contents.

“What kind?”

Alex finished writing and picked up another book before he responded. “Let’s say deputy mayor.” The answer sounded like he had pulled it randomly from the air and was almost as vague as Micah’s had been but with none of the warmth or humor.

“Let’s say? That’s no answer, Mr. Oceanbreaker. Next you’ll be telling me that Micah really is nothing more than a younger brother and Ash gets by just fine talking about her equally vague job of working in alternative medicine.”

Bree wasn’t entirely sure Alex was going to answer her, he definitely didn’t look like he was going to, and the scratch of their pens was all that filled the room. Annoyance apparently got the better of him after a minute however and Bree nearly jumped at the sound of the book he had been holding getting set, much to hard in her opinion, on the floor beside him.

“I don’t believe I promised to give you any answers, Miss Casen, so if you don’t like the ones I do offer that isn’t really my problem. I’ve known you for a day, so forgive me not wanting to give you every detail of my life.”

Every detail? Bree hardly thought that asking someone what they did for a living was even remotely the same thing as asking for every detail - that would require asking him about his childhood, or his deepest seated fears, or a thousand other things that she had zero interest in knowing - but the man apparently liked to escalate things quickly and since she had no clue why he did she held back her commentary on it.

“I just thought it would be nice to know a little about each other, we are going to be working together after all, it only makes sense to know general things. You can ask me about myself if it helps to even things out.” Bree made sure she used her reasonable voice when she responded to him, it was the same voice she used on her mother when she was on a tear, or her father when he got long winded about the good old days, or her sister when she went on too long about… well… anything. It didn’t appear to work on Alex however, since his eyes were hard when he looked up at her.

“I know everything I need to know about you, and I don’t really care to know more. It’s not that I have anything against you as a person, but I just don’t see the point in digging in any deeper. I’m here because I was told to be, and I am helping because I was asked. Don’t mistake that for a desire to become friendly, and don’t mistake me for someone who will offer ready information. I have other things I could, no, should be doing instead of sitting here with you filing books. People seem to have forgotten that I have other responsibilities that are more important than making sure a librarian finishes her work, work she is being paid for, faster. If you want to know about Micah and Ash ask them, if you want to know about the town look it up. Otherwise can we just get back to working?”

Where did that come from, Bree thought, frowning at his expressionless face. She had thought that they had been having a halfway civil conversation, and nothing she could recall - besides asking him about his job - explained why he was so vehemently opposed to talking all of a sudden, or, rather, specifically talking to her. “If you don’t want to be here, don’t be. You’re an adult who isn’t employed by me so you are perfectly free to go and do the other very important things you need to do. One person would hardly make any difference in the work at this point.”

“You’re absolutely right,” he agreed and set his paper to the side so he could push himself to his feet. “Have a good day.” And then he was gone, the sound of his perfectly shined shoes disappearing down the hall.

She was still staring at the door when Ash appeared in it. She glanced around the room and managed a perfectly ‘put out’ frown when she saw only Bree. “Where’s Alex?”

“He had terribly important other things to do, so he’s doing those,” Bree answered and reached for a new book before continuing. “Your brother is an asshole.”

Even though it was said in complete seriousness, a quick laugh shot out of Ash before she managed to stop it. “That is usually not the word that people use for him. Demanding, overbearing, lacking of a general sense of humor, etc, sure, but never asshole. What did he do?”

It would probably be best to leave it alone, especially when the only other option was to complain to his family, but the curiosity in Ash’s tone seemed to draw it from Bree before she knew exactly what she was doing. So Bree told her, and she watched as Ash’s expression turned from amused curiosity to equally as amused sympathy. Bree thought back over what she had said and wondered what about it would be amusing but found nothing. Maybe it was a sibling thing - not that she could really think of a time that she had found something Alais had done amusing when no one else did. She didn’t think Alais would find much humorous about her either.

“Alex isn’t an asshole, well not really and not usually on purpose, but he is an idiot. That’s definitely the best way to describe him being dumb enough to say all that.”

“It doesn’t really matter why he said it, it’s that he did that makes him an asshole. Actually, no it doesn’t even matter that he said it. He doesn’t want to be here, and I don’t need him here, so it doesn’t matter. He can continue on with his life pretending I don’t exist.”

“Oh! No, he can’t do that.” Ash looked genuinely concerned at the idea, and she took a few steps further into the room. Bree noted that she had taken off her shoes at some point, and the bright magenta paint on her toenails practically screamed for Bree’s attention. She made herself to look up and at the other woman’s face.

“Why not?”

“Because… well, because he can’t. Even if he wanted to.”

“Of course he can.”

Ash’s lips twisted and she rocked back on her heels, a perfect mimic of the motion Micah had done the day before. She looked like she wanted to say something - or perhaps like she had eaten something sour and desperately wanted to spit it out - but couldn’t find the right words. If there were right words of course, and there very well might not have been.

“No, he can’t. He’ll be back around. Just… just don’t hold him being an idiot, or an asshole, or any other thing he will probably do to offend you against him. It’s not his fault he isn’t any good at this sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing,” Bree shot out, her voice wavering around the edges in frustration. “I wish people would just say what they mean instead of assuming that vague replies will continue to work. I’m getting very tired of it seeming like everyone else is in on one page while I’m on a different one entirely, in a completely different book, on the other side of the whole fucking planet.”

At the wide eyed look Ash sent her Bree drew in a careful breath. There was no point in taking anything out an Ash. The woman had been nothing but nice to her, and if Bree knew anything about manners, which thanks to her mother she did, yelling at perfectly nice people was not ok.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. It’s just been a very stressful couple of days.” Or weeks, or months, but that had nothing to do with right now.

The sympathy was back, along with a great deal of the amusement that Bree realized had never really left. “Things will probably get worse before they get better. That’s how change usually works. You know, I didn’t expect you to be the cursing type.”

She wasn’t usually, at least not out loud. Her mother had instilled in her children from an early age that using such language only made you seem less intelligent and like you were unable to get your point across in clearer ways. Alais had never agreed with the sentiment, but Bree had seen the logic in it and so usually tried to keep her less-than-polite words firmly in her mind. She was more affected than she had thought if they were slipping out.

“I’m full of all sorts of surprises,” Bree stated lamely, and then watched as Ash laughed in reply.

“I believe that.” Ash glanced around the room then took a few steps backwards until she was out in the hall. “I’ll leave you to work. I’m thinking the time alone might be good for you.” And then she was gone, and Bree was left with her sad pile of books.

*

Bree worked through lunch, and through the faint sound of everyone calling out their goodbyes until the only people she thought might be left were Agnes and herself. However, when she finally pulled herself from the room, her vision blurry from staring too long at all the small print, she couldn’t even find her small assistant anywhere.

Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only a shaded lamp by the front door to guide her out. She paused as she closed the door behind her and realized that she had never gotten a key. Disliking the idea of just leaving the building open, she reopened the door and reached around it to at least turn the bottom lock and then pulled it shut again.

The sky wasn’t quite to dusk yet as she started home, instead it was that strange gold glare that always came right before things went blue and hazy. Time enough, she thought, to relax and think about things other than book categories and her cramping hand before she went to bed. Food would probably be a heated up can of soup and a handful of chips - cooking had never been a strong point with anyone in her family - but that was something she was used to, and one of the new books that she had ordered right before she moved would help distract her from it.

Her house was just as pretty, Bree noticed, in the too bright gold of the light as it had been in the dark the night before. The faded teal of its paneling was darker, and the low sun breat bright against the greens and yellows and blues of the front windows. Not all of them were stained, and not even all the panels in the ones that were held color, but Bree could guess easily enough that even just the small parts that were would make the inside of the house look almost like the inside of a rainbow.

Bree didn’t go directly inside however, instead she turned her attention to the half glimpsed dock - or was it a pier? She had never thought to look up the difference - that she could see down at the edge of the water. She set her bag on the railing of the porch and followed the half buried step stones down to it. Bree took a tentative step onto the small wooden structure, it didn’t look particularly safe, and when it held her wait with relatively little dipping walked to the end and looked out over the water. She wasn’t any more sure what to call the small sliver of sea than she had been about what to call the thing she was standing on. It looked like a river, since she could see land along the far side of it, but she knew that couldn’t be right since the other land was an island like the one Beck sat on. An inlet? A passage? A channel?

Whatever the word, it was dark and murky blue, the calm top of it stretching out welcoming before her and making it seem like a very good idea to sit and stay till at least it was too dark to matter anymore.

As she took off her shoes and set them to the side so that she could more comfortably tuck her feet under her a splash caught her attention. She looked down to see the outline of a fish swimming below her, and then looked closer when she noted the needle like spikes that laid flat against it’s brown and cream splotched skin.

A blow fish, or was it puffer fish? She mentally reprimanded herself for not knowing enough about her new situation, and wondered why it would be so close to shore, or if they were even supposed to be in the region of the world, but then its whole body wiggled comically as it swam in a tight circle and Bree smiled, forgetting what she had been questioning in the first place.

“Hello, little friend,” she called out. She felt her smile, the first real one she had given since she got here, widen as she leaned closer to the water’s surface. “Are you here to listen to all my problems?”

The fish wiggled onto its side so that it could look up at her, as if telling her to go ahead, and Bree propped her elbows on her knees and her chin into her hands. “Well then. I moved to a new town after the first job offer I received because I was trying to prove-” Bree cut herself off and sighed into the empty air. “Something. I was trying to prove something to my mother. Because apparently even though I am damn near thirty I still need to do that. Of course I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what it was I was trying to prove since I’m not entirely sure myself, but I’m certain it was something very important.”

The fish spun in another circle, one of its blue sheened eyes staring up at her, seeming to wait for her to continue. Which she did, the dam opening for reasons she wouldn’t be able to explain to anyone if they asked her about it later.

“I came here thinking I would have to deal with one person and his factotum, and yes I know people probably don’t use that word anymore, but I’m not sure what else to call him. But now I have three bosses, or at least I think they’re bosses, who I can’t even begin to figure out. Two of them seem happy enough with me, but the third apparently wants nothing to do with anything I can offer, which shouldn’t bother me, but does, and I can’t figure out why. And on top of that there is something going on that no one will talk to me about even though it apparently has a great deal to do with me. I’ve only been working for two days and I’m already ready to throw in the towel and tell them that I want no part of whatever is going on here. Not that it would make much of a difference. I’m here now, you can’t really leave once you’ve said you’ll start and then actually did so.”

Bree thought that maybe the puffer nodded, it’s whole body taking over the movement before it dipped further into the water and out of her sight for a brief moment then returning. She noted that it held a perpetual grin, the corners of its mouth turned up as if everything that was said or done pleased it.

Happy, it looked happy, and Bree envied its certainty. “Do you think I should leave,” Bree asked, and the puffer shook its body in a negative before rolling on its side to stare at her one eyed again.

“Helpful,” Bree offered and it wiggled again before disappearing completely.

Talking to a fish. She should know better. She did know better, of course she did, but that didn’t stop her from staring down at the now empty water and wishing that the brown and cream body would show itself again.

Pushing the thought from her mind. Bree made herself stand and grab her shoes. Turning, she noted that the sun had set and night had settled around her. Scrunching her eyes in some vain attempt to see through the dark, Bree made it off the dock and onto the stone marked path, picking her way back to the house and searching out her bag before unlocking the door and stepping in to turn on the light.

“Excuse me?” The words, even softly spoken, caused Bree to jump and spin back out towards the porch fast enough that she banged her arm against the door jamb.

Righting herself, Bree looked out into the spill of her living room light and focused on the woman that stood there, her brown hair and eyes velvety in the shadow Bree cast over her. She was as gorgeous as everyone else Bree had met since moving here - but there was something severe in that beauty. Bree couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was since the woman’s straight hair fell loose around her. The no-makeup-and-comfy-jeans-and-hoodie look wouldn’t make anyone look severe, but it was almost like her beauty was a knife blade, sharp and wicked even through the friendly smile.

Bree laughed at herself for thinking something so fancifully strange and offered a polite smile of her own. “Yes?”

The woman stepped forward and pulled one of her hands from the pocket of her hoodie to offer it to Bree. “I’m Mitra. I was hoping I would catch you. I like to think of myself as the welcome wagon here in Beck, and you weren’t here earlier today so I thought maybe I’d try again on my way home.”

The smile stayed friendly, the words were as warm and welcoming as anyone’s had been, and her handshake was firm when Bree took it.

She made the hairs on the back of Bree’s neck stand on end.

Which, Bree conceded, wasn’t a fair thing to think about someone she had just met and she forced herself to relax. It was the dark, and everything that had happened today, that was all. “It’s nice to meet you, Mitra. I’m Bree.”

“I thought you might have questions,” Mitra stated. “About the town or the area and I like to think I’m a wealth of information since my family has been here since the town was founded.” She motioned to the open door behind them with her free hand, her smile turning inquisitive. “Can I come in?”

~~

So, DP... Can she?

[Andolyn]

He was definitely being an asshole. I can't help but like the guy, though. Haha! I think he's going to eventually get over whatever stick he's got shoved up his butt.

As for this new chick...I don't like her. She's awfully pretentious to just invite herself in, and I don't think Bree should ignore that feeling she had about her. Bree is a smart girl. She should trust her first instinct here. Besides...we've had quite a lot of conversation today, and none of it (besides the one to our puffer friend) led to anything good. Tell her we're too tired, and politely decline the invitation for conversation.

[kkdestiny]

Hm...definitely being an asshole...though I wonder what it is he has to do...and how the term politician plays into it.

(fish scene was cute)

Also, I do like the idea of going with my gut...she just got home, is tired, and doesnt have a good feeling about the girl. I think It's time to politely decline, reschedule if ts needed to be polite.

I feel for Bree, I probably would have cursed too. XP

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Personally, I would be all for shoving her flat on her face. But really, she should try to keep things civil here if she ever wants to figure out what's going on. Maybe don't invite her in, but invite her to sit on the porch? A good middle ground, I'd think.


Still loving the read! Can't wait to find out more! Also, I have my theories about that fish, but I shall be retaining them for now.

[kkdestiny]

ooo~

Maybe...Alex is a politician...but more of an ambassador type? And he and his family are immortal ambassadors to the human race, keeping neptune or something from destroying them all with a giant flood. *is offering the most insane but almost fitting hypothesis*

of course...that doesnt exactly explain the strange invisible forces knocking over bookshelves...

[themightyzan]

Didn't seem like anyone wanted her inside, so no poll. We'll just roll with that. ^.^

A side note, I have renamed Lexi to Mitra and changed her description. It makes super story sense I promise, so take that for what you will. Lol. The previous chapter was changed to reflect it, I just want to make sure no one is confused.

Enjoy this SUPER short chapter!

~~

“I’m really tired, maybe you can stop by the library tomorrow and we can talk then?” Bree forced herself to keep the polite smile in place as she pulled her hand away from Mitra. She probably should have felt bad about telling the woman no, she had come to welcome her after all, and she did feel bad about it - just not bad enough apparently to take the words back.

It was almost palpable how much Mitra didn’t like that answer and she continued to grip Bree’s hand a moment longer, her gaze suddenly intense. Bree fought down the urge to jerk away from her. It felt like she was in an old cartoon movie she had liked as a child, specifically the scene with the cobra cornering the family.

If you move I strike, and if you don’t move I strike.

And then the moment was over and Mitra leaned in, her breath warm against Bree’s ear as she spoke. “You can’t trust the Oceanbreakers. A pawn, that’s all you are to them. A means to an end. I’d be careful if I were you.” She stepped back before Bree could reply, her hand dropping away as she turned to watch a new figure come into view.

Bree saw Micah practically stumble up to them, his dark grey hat gripped in one hand and his hair a riot over his head. He stared at Bree a long time, gaze assessing as he braced his free hand against his leg and coughed out a breath as if he had ran the entire way there.

“Bree, wonderful. I was hoping I’d find you awake.”

“Are you alright?” Bree asked, looking from his, apparently ready to collapse, form to Mitra and back again when the other woman offered nothing more than what Bree guessed was perplexed annoyance.

“Yes. Yes. I took this with me by accident.” Micah coughed again before setting his hat crookedly on his head so that he could reach into his pocket and pull out a pen. He straightened and held it out to her as he continued. “I wanted to return it to you.”

“You came all the way over here to return a pen to me?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you coming back to the library tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“So couldn’t you have given it back to me then?”

Micah opened then closed his mouth before tilting his head side to side as he tried to come up with what to say. Finally, he shoved the pen back into his pocket and held his hands up palm out. “You right, I could have. I’ll do that then.”

Bree felt her brows lower as she halfheartedly lifted a hand to stop him. “Wait -”

But he wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, his eyes turning instead to Mitra. The look he sent her was bright and surprised and it seemed as if finding her there was the best thing that had happened all day. “Mitra, my love. I didn’t notice you there. It’s been too long.” Micah reached forward and took Mitra’s arms before leaning in to press one of those, as Bree had always seen them, snobbishly fake kisses to either side of her face.

“Were you about to head home? Please tell me that you’ll let me walk with you there.”

“I wasn’t,” Mitra began but Bree lifted her hand again, much more firmly this time, to stop her words.

“She was, how kind of you to offer.”

While Mitra frowned between them, Micah tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and offered Bree an almost imperceptible wink over the top of her head. “No kindness behind it at all. Alex would skewer me if I didn’t make sure she was taken care of.” He turned his attention to the woman on his arm. “You wouldn’t put me through that would you?”

“I doubt very much Alex cared what happens to me at all.”

“Nonsense. You all simply had one of your…” Micah trailed off and worked his mouth a moment as he tried to think of the word he wanted to use. “Disagreements. I’m sure you will be back together before we’ll even have a chance to mourn the relationship. That’s how it always works isn’t it?”

So Alex had been with Mitra, Bree thought. It seemed fitting, though she couldn’t have said why. Something about two beauties, one stoic and serious while the other was friendly and open being together. It worked.

Well, besides the part where the friendly one made her distinctly uncomfortable while the serious one, though an asshole, didn't strike her as particularly dangerous. That didn’t really work for a relationship, or at least it wouldn’t if it had anything to do with her. Which it didn’t. Which was the way it was supposed to be of course. And she wasn’t even sure why she was putting thought into it.

So she smiled her polite smile and waved to them as Micah all but tugged Mitra away, and then she turned back to the still-open door of her house and went inside.

~~

A simple DP this time. Would you all like to see what she does inside (read, eat, call her mother, etc, etc, your choice) or would you like me to go ahead and skip to the next day. Let me know! :D

[Andolyn]

Well, that was...weird. And precious. And Hilarious. HAHAHA!

I just love Micah so much. Him nearly killing himself just to bring her a pen...only to not give it to her...that was just awesome. I loved the phrase, "His hair was a riot on his head." I don't know why, but it was just a good descriptive word when dealing with Micah. I giggled.

Something else was happening there, it's easy to see. I still REEEALLY don't trust this chick, and I'm glad Micah came to the rescue.

For the DP, let's skip to tomorrow. =D

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Since it seems my true goal in life is to cause polls, I think I'd like to see a little bit more insight into her home.

I'm certainly wary of this chick, and wondering why she and Alex were together, what they argued about, why Micah is so insistent that they'll make up... It's all just causing more and yet more questions.

[kkdestiny]

Yup...definitely more questions, just like you promised. Alright, I'll hold out for a little longer. :P

Is it possible to strike a middle ground here? maybe a peek into her household before the time skip?

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

C'mon guys, lets get more reads on this and bully- I mean encourage another chapter outta Zan!

[themightyzan]

Skipping to the next day since I only had two votes, and so I went with the first one. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. (No bullying required, Noni ^.^)

~~

Bree stopped at the closest bakery she could find the next morning before heading into work. The place was run by a small, quick smiling man, that seemed almost reluctant to put down the violin he had been restringing to help her. He introduced himself - in a faint accent that Bree couldn’t quite place but thought might be northern european - as Victor, and stated that he was only there because his wife insisted she needed the day off since their little one was sick. Apparently, as much as she loved him, she didn’t trust Vic, as he quickly told Bree to call him, to not get distracted with his playing and miss when Jenny was calling for him.

“As if I’d ignore my own daughter,” Vic had told her sullenly. His mood improved immediately though, and Bree found herself smiling despite herself as he rambled on about how he supposed he could wait another day, but Nancy couldn’t blame him if he was distracted here. What with the new song in his head, and it really wasn’t his fault because who would rather be selling pastries and pies when they could be playing instead?

Bree hummed out what she assumed was the appropriate sounds of agreement, not that she had ever been a ‘let’s go dance and jump and sing’ sort of person, and ordered a dozen blueberry muffins.

She found Ash and Agnes already at the library, the former sitting leaned over a pile of paper, while the later clung to her side as if she had grown there, her chin pressed into Ash’s shoulder as she studied the papers also. Bree set the muffins beside them and Agnes let go of Ash with a clap of glee before grabbing one and eating it almost immediately.

“Best boss ever,” she managed through a mouthful of food as Bree went to boot on the computer. “The old man never brought me muffins ever.”

“‘The old man’,” Ash added in a strange mix of bland and amused, “was barely able to stand for long periods, let alone walk to town to get you food.”

“He wasn’t always so old,” Agnes replied smartly, and picked up another muffin. “So more of the same today, Madam Librarian?”

Bree rolled her eyes at the continued name before giving a nod. “That’s the plan. We should only have two more rooms, so hopefully it won’t take too long. After that we need to look over the lists and begin to separate them into new lists, which I can see Ash has started, thank you. I really do appreciate all your help. Once we have the new lists made up we will pull all the books off the shelves a room at a time and separate them into their different piles. From there we can label the shelves and place the books into their new places. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of days if we focus on it. Does that make sense?”

“Completely,” both of the women said at the same time in exactly the same amused tone. Bree stopped herself from scowling at them.

“So, I’ll start in the last upstairs room if you all want to start down here, and Micah and the sisters can split up however if they come in today.”

“Well, first, you need to go back to your office. Mr. Hadlem is waiting in there with paperwork,” Agnes told her as she finished her second muffin and latched back onto Ash.

Bree faintly remembered Alex pointing her office out to her, and after a mumbled thanks she went down the hall till she thought she had found the right door. She saw a dark haired man standing in the room on the other side of it, he was tall, though not nearly as tall as the Oceanbreaker brothers, and solidly built in a lean sort of way. From what she could see of his profile he was handsome but not achingly so, and wasn’t that a strange way to think of it. Bree had never met someone with equine features, though she had read the description often enough in books, but this man - Mr. Hadlem whom she had talked to on the phone at least five times - fit the bill perfectly. His face was long and thin, his chin narrow and his nose prominent, but not disconcertingly so, on his face.

His teeth, when he looked up at her entrance and smiled, were gleaming white and perfectly straight, and his eye were liquid dark and hard to look away from. “Miss Casen, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person.” His voice was cultured, clipped, smooth as sliding over silk as he stepped forward and took her hand.

Had she really thought he wasn’t bachingly handsome. She had been wrong. With his hand warm around hers, and his smile wide and direct, Bree realized that he was probably the most good looking person she had ever met.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Her voice sounded wistful, dreamy, not at all like herself, but Bree couldn’t seem to bring herself to care. She thought about pulling her hand away, but didn’t. The warmth of his was too pleasant.

She wondered if it would be odd for her to simply stand there with him forever.

“I have some things I need from you,” Mr. Hadlem continued, his head bending closer to hers, a piece of his hair to fall over his forehead. Bree wanted to reach up and fix it, to feel what she knew would be the softest hair in the world against her fingers. She curled her free hand into itself to stop herself.

“Whatever you need.” She was sure she would give him anything he asked for. When his smile widened, pleased, Bree smiled back and rocked towards him.

And then his hand was dropping away and Bree felt as if a fog was lifting from her, which was strange because she didn’t remember feeling like she was in a fog in the first place.

“Not her.” She heard a gravelly voice say.
“I’m just doing my job, you can’t fault me a bit of fun.”

Bree shook her head, the last wisps of fuzz disappearing, and focused again. Mr. Hadlem was back to how she had first seen him, handsome but not overly so - and why she had thought different for a few moments she didn’t know- and he was smiling easily at a frowning Alex who was currently gripping his shoulder.

“Not with her,” Alex said again and dropped his hand before moving to the side as if he expected the other man to leave.

Hadlem took the hint and waved a hand towards the files on the desk. “Your contract is there, Miss Casen, just look over it and sign when you have a chance. If you have any questions you know how to reach me.” And then he was gone before Bree could think of a reply.

Bree stood in awkward silence a moment before moving around the desk to take a seat and pull the papers closer. She eyed Alex as she hunted out a pen and when he offered no immediate response, she finally gave in and spoke herself.

“I didn’t expect you back today. What with all the important things you have to do.”

The man was oddly still, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his posture almost sullen - or would be if Bree that he was capable of sullen, which she doubted he actually was - He stared at her a long moment before speaking.

“It was brought to my attention that I may have been out of line yesterday.”

“Brought to your attention,” Bree echoed and gave a shake of her head. “I suppose that means that Ash told you I called you an asshole.”

“You called me an asshole?” He seemed genuinely confused for a moment, the impassiveness of his face crumpling into thought before it smoothed again and he was back to being his expressionless self.

Ash hadn’t told him then, and Bree had just stuck her foot in her mouth by outing herself for no reason at all. She felt a blush burn its way onto her cheeks and she stared hard at the papers before her before schooling her own features and looking up at him again.

“Well you were being one.” It came out just defensive enough that she reminded herself of her sister, and Bree forced herself to speak again less begrudgingly. “I shouldn’t have called you that. I’m sorry, it was uncalled for.”

“I’m starting to think you and what is called for aren’t very well acquainted.”

Bree felt a laugh bubble up at the statement, stopping just before it tumbled out. It sounded like a joke, an exasperated joke, but a joke none the less, but his face held no humor so she decided that perhaps she was mistaken.

“Maybe we just bring the worst out in each other,” she said instead.

Alex seemed to give his non smile for a brief moment then took his hands out of his pockets so he could cross his arms over his chest. “Perhaps, but it shouldn’t be an issue seeing as I don’t plan on being here often. I just wanted to come by and apologize for yesterday.”

Bree gave a nod and tapped her newly found pen on the desk. “You’re apology is accepted.”

Alex mirrored her nod and turned away. “Glad to know we are on the same page.”

Bree stared at his odd colored hair as he started to leave the room, and found herself talking without knowing she had planned to do so. “I met Mitra last night. Micah mentioned something about her being your girlfriend, or well your ex girlfriend.”

Bree had the stray thought that he didn’t seem the type who would have a girlfriend - a wife most definitely, a lover perhaps, but thinking of a girlfriend put into mind cuddling on a couch watching a movie or meeting up at a restaurant. Alex seemed more the type to sit in his office while a wife took care of the children, or the type to show up in the middle of the night and to be gone again before daylight.

But she had only known him two days, so maybe she was jumping to conclusions.

Alex paused, his shoulders tensing under his suit jacket before they very deliberately seemed to relax. He turned back to her slowly, his pale eyes shuttered and unreadable. “Mitra always did like getting in the middle of things.”

“She said not to trust you all.” Bree wasn’t sure why she told him that. It should have been something she kept to herself even if the only reason was because it was ridiculous that someone had told her to beware a whole family a day after meeting them.

“She isn’t very happy with the situation.”

“Most ex girlfriends aren’t.” Bree made herself smile with the words, as politely and distantly as possible. “Mr. Oceanbreaker, I don’t know what’s going on in your relationship, and I can’t seem to think of a reason I would want to know, but when people show up at my house telling me to watch my back I can’t help but notice.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

It wasn’t really the answer she was looking for, but Bree doubted she would get much better.

“Muffins!” The word was almost shouted, echoing down the hallway and bounding around them even as Micah appeared in the doorway, Ash close behind him. “I knew I loved you,” Micah continued, bringing himself to the desk so that he could reach over it and grip her hand. “You’re wonderful. If I asked you to marry me would you consider it?”

“No,” Bree answered evenly.

Micah made an exaggerated movement of pretending his heart was hurt before straightening and flashing her a grin. “I’ll wear you down eventually.”

Bree smiled at that and tapped her pen again. “Did you bring my pen this morning?”

“Pen,” Micah scowled down at her for a few seconds. “What pen?”

“The one you rushed to my house last night to return.”

Micah gave a shrug and took another bite of the muffin in his hand.

“He must have forgotten it, he does that,” Ash put in, shouldering past her brother and offering her own bright smile. “Are we ready to get to work?”

“Absolutely,” Bree replied. Her eyes strayed behind them as she stood, and she noted that Alex, true to his word, was gone.

~~

No DP for this one, because a few weeks are going to pass. I am interesting in your thoughts on everything though!

[Andolyn]

OMG this was fantastic. XD

Mr. Hadlem is delightfully creepy...that whole weird fog thing is...creepy...

Alex getting mildly defensive was precious. Not gonna lie. And he's funny! He's secretly funny! We need to talk to him more to hear more of the secret funny!

AND MICAH!!! He's so adorable. I just love him so much. Forgetting the pen was a nice touch.

Very awesome chapter! Can't wait for the next!

[Novelest_Ninjagirl]

Oh no, someone has kidnapped Alex and left an impersonator with a sense of humor! I kid, I kid. I like the gradual progression in his personality, and I admire the blunt honesty that we're growing used to from Bree. Go muffins! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[kkdestiny]

I haven't commened on this yet? o.o;

Huh, oh well. I love the obvious use of magic of some sort and how defensive of her that Alex got. -vigorous nodding- I'm also exremely curous about this upcoming chapter that I was told I'd love :3