A twenty-four hour affair. Students would sometimes stay the whole night sitting at the tables talking, studying, and generally doing whatever they wanted. There was no lights-out time at Aurora Boreal. You could stay up as long as you pleased. However, missing class without a prescribed excuse from a ministrant never went unnoticed. A test of personal responsibility that many students failed in their first years at the school. And punishment was never far behind those who broke the rules.
Corinth tried his best to steer clear of Lindle. He didn't want to have to go about explaining his collapse the other day. They weren't there to chat. They just needed a place to wait out the light of day. They would have waited out the clocks while at the library, but Andy’s stomach was doing back flips. He tried to play it off, so that they wouldn’t have to uproot themselves. But Corinth knew he had practice earlier today. His early lunch wouldn't be enough to hold him over, so the Refectory was the place to be.
"I'll grab us some chow,” Anvard said quickly,“you know what you want?" he tempered his tone with a patient smile, but he really wanted Corinth to make up his mind and not idle, like usual.
Corinth slammed his backpack onto the second row of circular marble tables. He shoved The Fate Forgery in there after the checkout librarian stiffly informed him that the book couldn't be removed from the library. His explanation was that they didn't have any copies, so it was too valuable to be removed. The man wondered why it was even on the floor to begin with. It should have been behind the booth, under lock and key. Only available upon request and supervised -use. He tried to take the book, but Corinth pleaded, begging to be allowed to read it some more inside of the library. The guy reluctantly approved, on account of Corinth’s delicate eyes that swooned many people. Especially ones afraid of losing their jobs if word reached Sena. Hendrix that they crossed the little pampered bugger with the turquoise colored eyes. He snuck it out, just barely secured inside his bulging backpack, when the guy left the checkout station for a short break.
"Um," Corinth took his time sitting down. He put a finger to his mouth and looked to the high ceilings. "Maybe ... uh, I don't know." Anvard thought he'd pass out if he didn't just pick something. "Uh, surprise me!" Corinth lit up as he spoke. Excited at the thought of him bringing back something truly sumptuous of quality. Anvard was satisfied with that answer. He galloped away without delay, so that Corinth couldn't try to make any changes to his decision-less order.
Corinth pulled the book from his bag. A golden clasp closed over its cream cover. A golden plaque at the center, bearing the title. The book was so large he had to hold it with both hands. They gathered a lot of info on the temple's possible whereabouts. But they knew for sure that the only way to be certain was to take the Northern Coaster beyond the North Lake. There were only the mountains out there. But maybe somewhere between them lay the temple. That's where Corinth’s dream had him headed. But in every differing scenario, he never reaches his intended destination. He always wakes up before then. He wondered if that meant that he shouldn't be going in the first place?
Anvard came back with more food than Corinth expected. Soda, pizza, fries, and a meatball sub. Andy’s personal favorites. He sat down beside Corinth at the table.
"Dig in!" He slapped his hands together ready to eat.
"Which is mine?" Corinth asked with a grim look on his face.
"Well, you can have a piece of my sub or something, if you don't want the pizza."
"Oh," was all Corinth said.
"What? What's wrong?" Anvard looked to Corinth with a concerned stare in his shiny pink eyes.
"It's nothing," Corinth said, sounding like there was definitely something wrong, "it's just that I thought you knew how I felt about pizza."
Anvard closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I've seen you eat it before. Like, a lot of times."
"Yeah,” Corinth started off already annoyed,“but it didn't have any pepperoni on it, did it?"
Anvard's head dropped low and hit the tabletop. With his forehead against the table he asked, "do you want my sub?" He truly didn’t want to give him any of it. Still, he figured it was a heck of a lot easier than Corinth accusing him of only caring about himself.
"If I can have half that's fine." Corinth squinted as Anvard looked away. He was trying to gauge the exact amount of reluctance in Anvard’s body language as he used a knife to turn the uncut foot-long meatball sub into two half-foot sandwiches.
Anvard handed off half of his favorite sandwich to Corinth with a tinge of regret in his eyes. He looked at it with a savory glint as Corinth picked through the contents, discarding some of the cheese and sauce. He couldn't believe he was wasting perfectly awesome salty-good-condiments, like they were scrap metals. He wanted to take it back, and shove it down his throat without a word. But he figured that'd be pretty rude, considering he offered it and all.
From the row of circular tables at their backs and below them, someone inched closer. He watched them interacting with one another so openly. He wished he had friends like that. He kept changing from side to side, trying to get a little closer with each maneuver. Eventually making his way to one of four staircases, spaced evenly apart from one another around the ascending structure. There, he climbed the ranks of circling tables, now sitting on the same level as Corinth and Anvard.
Corinth flipped through the big book, looking for more information on the temple. "So it’s supposed to be pretty cold out there. We should—"
"That's not what it says here," Anvard interrupted Corinth. He chewed vigorously on his food, so Corinth barely understood him. He noticed that Corinth had only taken a nibble off his half. He thought that maybe he could snatch it up without Cory being any the wiser, even though they were facing one another while sitting on the same side of the wide table. He knew that wouldn’t work without employing some magik, so he decided to finish his thought instead of Corinth’s sandwich. "It says that the firebirds roam as far as the snow capped mountains, though not as high."
"That doesn't make sense, though. I mean, it is a book of myths, so it could be wrong," Corinth suggested.
Anvard put down the last bite of his sandwich in a fit. "Then why are you even doing this! If you don't believe in the myths then go hang out with the girls. I'm sure they'd love to see you." Anvard was adamant about understanding the truth behind mythology. Corinth’s attitude wasn’t making him anymore certain that they had a good reason to be doing any of this.
"I'm doing this because Walker has my uncle," Corinth retorted. "He was a part of my dream. He tried to attack me ... I think?"
"Yeah," Anvard spat quickly, "but the dragon thing took him out, then it attacked you. Your uncle wasn't even a part of the dream, was he?" Anvard seemed to be putting the pieces together. He realized now why the girls had opted out so abruptly. There wasn't much clarity to this plan. He thought maybe Corinth was holding back vital information. Something that would put all of this in perspective. "What aren't you telling me?" suspicion laced with agitation crept through his deliberate harsh tone.
"I thought you didn't need to know?" Corinth countered rhetorically.
Anvard answered anyway. Not knowing that someone other than Corinth was closely monitoring his response. "I was trying to be supportive, but obviously I need to know what's really going on here to make this work."
Slowly, someone reached around their backs with a purposeful finger headed for the pages of the Fate Forgery. Anvard quickly grabbed the hand that the finger was attached to, flipping its owner onto the table. Likewise, onto the book, ripping the page they were just reading from.
"The book! Watch it, Anvard." Corinth had grown just as impatient with Anvard, as Anvard had with Corinth.
"Well, I'm trying to keep us from getting attacked!" the super jockish Levantarse champ shot back.
They drew some attention, but neither of them cared much about that. There was so much noise in the Refectory that people would soon be distracted by another rambunctious series of sounds coming
from somewhere else in the huge domain. Meanwhile, the book on top of the marble table begged for mercy. The guy squirming on top of that book also begged and pleaded.
"Corinth, Corinth I'm sorry! I was just going to point out something that I thought was relevant to your conversation," Lindle sounded sincere, but Anvard didn't release him from the death grip he held him in.
"Why were you listening to us in the first place?" Andy said through his teeth, leaning inward.
"I wanted to help! Corinth you know me. Tell him, please!" Lindle didn't know why Corinth was just standing there watching this go down.
"Look," Corinth started evenly, "I understand that your personality comes off awkward, but isn’t totally warped and everything. But you can't just throw yourself into people’s laps like that. You scared us, and you weren't supposed to hear what we were talking about. That's why we're sitting so far away from everyone else. You obviously knew that. That's why you gradually slinked your way over. I saw you sitting the level below this one when we walked in," Corinth amply informed him.
"Oh, you did?" Lindle asked, with his head virtually up-side-down, as Anvard finally released him.
"Yeah, I did," Cory stated plainly.
Lindle righted himself on the table carefully. He didn't want to further damage the book. "You saw me, but you didn't want to come over and say hi?" His tone made both their hearts ache for him. He sounded so alone. They both knew what it felt like to be an outcast in one way or another.
Corinth chose his next words carefully. "No, it’s just that we're kind of going through something. We didn't really want to pester you with our problems. You looked deep enough in thought as it was while your head was buried in those books."
Lindle could see right through him. "Yeah sure, whatever." He hopped off the table and walked away. Then he did an about face. "Oh yeah!" He walked back over and flipped a few pages in the book. "I've read this one before. I'm surprised they let you leave with it. They never let anyone leave with the ones from behind the booth."
"The whole thing?"
"What?" Lindle asked without taking his eyes off the book.
"You read this entire thing?" Anvard asked again. "It's huge, and the prints kind of small."
"Yeah," Lindle huffed out, "when you spend a lot of time alone semester after semester, you either get acquainted with books, or find yourself dangling from the ledges of insanity."
Anvard wasn’t prepared for that dark response. He just met the kid, and he was already pouring his heart out. He figured he'd let the coming night breeze clear the air, instead of conjuring up some bright rebuttal for the melancholy boy to view as a patronizing remark. He wasn't in the mood for talking someone down anyway.
Lindle found the chapter he was looking for. "Eureka! That should help clarify a few things." With that, he turned and walked back to his area. He scooped up all of his books and snacks, then came right back over to them after a few minutes. Anvard rolled his eyes when he saw him on his way -back over. They hadn’t bothered to look at the book just yet, because they were still arguing about the merits of their journey. Corinth did not intend to let Anvard deter him in any way imaginable.
Lindle walked around the table, instead of coming up behind them. Standing in front of them both, the despairing boy said, "chocolate?" He held out a canary yellow carton that resembled a cigar box. Inside were flat little coin like chocolates wrapped in gold pixie dusk foil. Against the lights on the ceiling, the little chocolates shined & shimmered brightly.
"Look, dude, we're not trying to be mean, but we've got a lot going on. So, if you could just—"
"I'll have one," Corinth shut Anvard down on purpose. He noticed that the chocolates were Smoldering Golds. The best brand in all the Worlds. He thought about how he used to share them with his dad almost every night a few years back. He wished he could go back to those days. He peeled the wrapper off, popped it in his mouth and his taste buds were inundated with joy. "Yum, thanks!" Corinth said with chocolate stains on his teeth.
"It's no problem. I'll see you at Deaves, Corinth. Bye guys." He waved goodbye, put the lid back on and shoved the chocolates in his backpack.
Smoldering Golds were a staple in Hyperborean. They were about the only thing Lindle didn't hate about leaving home every year. Being away from Arco took a huge toll on his spirit. His family had been in a raging battle that he wanted to help them fight. But school’s more important, his mom always said. He walked away feeling more alone than ever. Every time he thought he made a friend, he was bitterly informed otherwise by sudden circumstance. Oh, how that witch named circumstance -had his number. She’d always call him up without warning. Corinth seemed like a sure bet, but Lindle was apparently mistaken once again. He didn't like taking the risk anymore. He contemplated forever sticking to himself, as he sullenly exited the Refectory.
"Good riddance!" Anvard chirped, as the boys finally sat back down.
"You don't have to be a jerk about it." Corinth knew Lindle came off slightly strange, but he seemed fairly cool underneath it all. "He's just a nice kid, trapped in a weirdo’s body."
"He should, at the very least, trim those curls. They’re so long that they make him look like a girl," Anvard asserted himself in an unusually macho manner.
"And you act like one sometimes, but no one's complaining about it." Corinth eagerly took a stance against Andy's jug-head disposition.
Anvard ignored it effortlessly. Then he turned to the book with a feeling of déjà vu. The feeling forced him to his feet. The page that Lindle left the book on was one he'd read before. But not in this book. He had never heard of the Fate Forgery before today. It's an Aurora Boreal book that supposedly has never left the grounds. Yet he knew each symbol from the last, while bewilderedly staring at the large size print on the page to the right. The one on the left spoke of an ominous thing called the Secretists. He was astonished. Corinth kept saying that the book had never before been copied, but it obviously had. And apparently it wasn't that hard to steal either, because here they are with it in the Refectory. He didn't know how to start. But he figured anywhere was good, because closing this gap of information was going to be harder than achieving Thunder in Levantarse.
"Where exactly did you and Emmy find this book in the library?" he suspiciously asked Corinth.
"It was in the back. All the way in the back, mind you. It was sort of, out of sight out of mind. Somewhat difficult to find, because the numbers Walker gave weren't in sequence with the library labels. But at least it was labeled. It was just stuffed back there in between a couple of smaller books."
"This is bad," he said, sitting back down nervously.
"What ... why? What do you even mean," Corinth asked frantically.
"Something much bigger is going on here. Don't you see that? I knew it was too easy. Too seamless. You're being programmed. You don't even know why you want to follow these urges to go to the far North. You just do! You didn't even feel that way until after you ate that fruit, right?
"Well, yeah, sort of," Corinth said reluctantly. He could hear in Anvard's voice a hesitance about visiting the Angora Mts. The search for the Shattered Temple was already beginning to falter. But he wouldn't be denied his answers. He felt like he needed them for his sanity’s sake. "Before I passed out, I heard Sen. Huntzmen myths speech, true. But you can't fake dreams. Walker or no one else can be in my subconscious like that. Can they?" he asked as if he weren't psychic himself. He still didn't know how to get those sort of details out of himself, but he figured finding that temple was what the voice in his head wanted. Why else would the recurring dream continue haunting him so?
"Look here!" Anvard slapped his index finger down on the page. It read; the -Seeds of Deceit. A fruit extract used by the Majestic Thieves to plant or harvest information from another's mind. "Was that the first time he ever gave you something to eat? He probably figured it was perfect timing, because you'd hear about the Shattered Temple at the assembly!" Anvard could barely contain himse
lf.
"No, the night I met him he gave me a piece of fruit. We always shared fruit together." Corinth's eyes darted around. He was confused and upset. He didn't actually believe that Walker could have poisoned him until now. But it was there in plain sight. On a document even older than Sena. Hendrix. "But ... but he always ate it too. So it can't be true."
"That means nothing," Anvard said with finality. "He put that book there. Gave you those numbers in hopes you'd go looking for it. He's been coercing you into a trap this whole time. But why? What could he want with you?"
Corinth was surprised. People didn't seem to watch the news very much. Or maybe the news reported the facts wrong. No one seemed to know about his kidnapping. He figured one of the few mixed kids in all the Worlds gone missing would be a big story. No one ever talked about the fact that his mom created a new World. No one at school even mentioned why the raid on the Pavilion happened. They talked about how scared they were that night, but never did anyone seem to care about the motive behind it. They were looking for a fugitive Squadron member, who's married to the lady that did the impossible. And they both just so happen to be his parents. Do they even know any of this?
Original Souls (A World Apart #1) Page 39
