Dedicated to Burningbrightfire for the amazing cover she made on my request. Thank you so much! Make sure to check out her books as they are awesome, just like her! My favourite book is Artificial Light. And she also has a cover shop where she makes fabulous covers on request. So make sure to check that as well!

Chapter 10

Ryan's POV

A feeling of apprehension fills me as I step inside the study. The loud thud of my feet on the carpet announces my arrival, as the sounds inside the room quieten and everyone turns to look at the source of the noise. Then, seeing who it is, they get back to their conversation. That's when I notice that almost all are present in the room. All but two.

"Where's..." I trail off, still looking around to locate them. When I'm sure they are not in the room, I turn to my dad.

"... Tristan? And Mr LaGray?" Dad had mind-linked me a few minutes ago saying that Tristan's father has arrived. He heaves a sigh before answering my question.

"Tristan wanted to talk to Alby. In private." This time I'm the one who heaves a sigh. 

"Why?" I whisper, confused. 

What could be so wrong in Verba Atramento? What could be so wrong, that Tristan froze at the library with fear and shock? Why can't he tell everything to all of us right now?

Dad just offers a sad smile while shrugging. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it as if unsure of what to say. Or how to say.

He does this a few more times. After a few attempts, he sighs in defeat and turns back. A beeping sound stops him mid-turn. Turning back, he removes his phone from his pocket. His eyes go through something on the screen, like he's reading something.

After some time, he puts the phone back with a sigh and looks at me before looking at everyone.

"Everyone, I just got a text message from Mr Albion LaGray." Dad gives Uncle Seb and Aunt Cora a meaningful look. 

"He has left the palace to take a look at the situation in hand.... in Verba Atramento. And he has taken his son as well. So," He glances my way, "So Tristan would not be going to Ridgeview High today. Inform the others."

• •• • •• •

My mind is still buzzing with several unanswered questions. But I remind myself to stay calm. And wait.

With so much going inside my head, concentrating in the high school is hardly possible. But I give it a try anyway, anything to take my mind off of everything. I'm completely aware of the curious glances that Iris and Caleb keep throwing my way, but choose to ignore their stares.

By the time lunch rolls in, I'm frustrated beyond imagination. I need to talk to Tristan. Now.

But he won't pick up my call. Genius!

"What's up? Where's Tristan?" Is the first thing Iris asks as she takes a seat at our table, also stealing one of the fries from my tray and popping it into her mouth. Shooting a glare at her as she gives me a not-so-apologetic smile, I glance at Bennett and Meredith. An understanding passes between us, as I turn to her to regard her question.

"It's nothing," Her eyes gaze at me with unsurely, "It's just, he..... his father. He's in town, and Tristan just wanted to spend some time with him."

I offer her a small smile and start thinking of ways to elaborate this pathetic excuse, but a wave of dizziness hits me. Her emotions. I look at Iris in a questioning manner. She just has this faraway look, like she knows exactly what my words mean.

"I understand...." She trails off, her voice thick with emotions. I stare at her with confusion.

"I mean, these past few months Papa has been going out of town so frequently, it just.... it's sad. I miss him. So very much." Arms wrap around her neck from behind, and I look up to see Caleb standing there, resting his chin on the top of her head and giving her a hug from behind.

"It's okay 'Ris, Uncle Chris will be back soon," She just smiles and puts a hand on his still wrapped arms, leaning back into him. 

"Wait, now that just rhymed!" Caleb says in an overenthusiastic tone, making everyone chuckle and shake our heads at his silliness, including Iris. Oh, how I love her smile.

Caleb smiles down at her and kisses the crown of her head before taking a seat next to her. Shifting his chair closer to hers, he puts an arm around her, and she leans her head on his shoulder. Something tugs at my heart, as an odd sensation fills me. But the feeling is gone before I can comprehend what it was.

Everyone soon engages in some conversation. As Meredith and Iris rattle on about some teacher, Mr Pratters I think, my mind drifts back to the severity of the situation at hand.

Someone has burned down Verba Atramento.

And Tristan thinks something is wrong with that library.

A deep sigh escapes me. We expected things to turn out bad, but not this soon.

We'll have to increase and strengthen the security around Ridgeview, especially around the Enchanted Forests. We will do every bit on our part to prevent the foreboding done by the Éminence Grises a few weeks ago from coming true. 

The scraping of chairs on the floor from around me snaps me out of my thoughts. I look up to see Iris swinging her bag over her shoulder. She turns to look at me and raises her eyebrows expectedly. I guess I must've been lost deep in my thoughts to even register the bell ringing at the end of the break. I get up and pick the bag from the floor. Walking up to her, I bow my head and make a sweeping gesture with my hands telling her to walk first. She laughs at my actions but starts walking nonetheless. She still wears a soft smile on her lips, and I wear one of my own. And together, we walk towards our next class.

• •• • •• •

"Shut up!" Iris yells over the hustle and bustle in the hallway. But her yelling only causes me to clutch my stomach and laugh harder. I can, without a doubt, feel her anger flowing through my veins, but that does nothing in making me stop. 

She just stomps her foot on the floor in frustration. And when she realised I am not stopping, she resorts to only one thing: violence.

"Ow!" I get multiple hits from Iris' copy of History textbook, which is currently being held by her. I bring my hands up to defend myself from her attacks.

"Okay, okay! I'll stop!" She ceases her attempt to hit me after a few more seconds of attacking me. I drop my arms to my sides, and just give her a very, very sweet smile. A smile extra loaded with any and every sweet to ever exist and not exist in this world. She just groans and covers her face with the palms of her hands in embarrassment, and I hear her mumble an 'I'm so stupid' into her hands.

We stop walking, and people bump at us and send glares our way for stopping in the middle of the hallway over flocked by students. I walk in front of her, and remove her hands from her face and hold it in my own. Her small hands grip my own with firmness in return, and my heart flutters at the warmth of her skin. My eyes lock on her amethyst-like violet eyes and I gaze deep into them, trying to figure her out.

"You're not stupid," I mutter and she tries to take her hands from my grip and cover her face again, but I don't let go of them. People continue to bump into us, but then who cares? She breaks our eye contact and looks at her shoes with new found interest. Then she speaks in a small voice.

"I'm so stupid. I mean, I am in AP English for some reason. And I completely made a fool out of myself. I-"

"Iris,"

"-mean, how could I mess up with the publishing dates of Hamlet and Othello? I would have read both the bo-"

"Iris.."

"-oks a considerable amount of times, but I still get it wrong. I am such an idiot...." She keeps mumbling in a low voice, and I fight the urge to shut her up by.... Instead, I remove my left hand from hers and use it to lift her chin and meet her eyes. She stops talking and looks at me with wide, shock filled eyes.

"It's okay. It's human tendency to make mistakes. There's nothing wrong with it. So stop bothering yourself, okay?" I make sure to look deep into her eyes while saying so, and after a while, I feel her bob her head as my hand is still holding her chin. Suddenly realising how close we are standing, I pull away from her, leaving her hand in the process. My hand is immediately hit by cold air, and I shove both my hands into my pockets to hide their slight tremble. Someone shoves me hard and I almost lose my balance but manage to regain my posture. Looking around, I realise we must keep moving to stop getting hit by everyone moving here and there in the corridor.

"Let's just keep walking. People are bumping into us continuously and that's starting to annoy me now." I'm not the one to say this. Saying so, Iris starts walking ahead, and I fall in step with her after a moment. We walk in comfortable silence, as I look around to see less and fewer people walking around. I look at Iris, whose face is scrunched up in some thought, and I'm sure she is still thinking about it.

I start chuckling just to rile her up. She gives me a sharp look, and my chuckles instead of slowing down, turn into a full blown laughter. I hear her mumble 'Why am I even friends with him' and 'Oh, why do I even know about his existence'. And for the second time today, I start laughing harder than ever. And it also helps me take my mind off of the entire matter with Tristan. And that's when it happens.

One second I'm laughing my head off, and the next I'm falling. As my back hits the ground, I lose every bit of consciousness and feel myself falling deep into a dark abyss.

• ☆ • ☆ •

PLEASE READ

Oh no. What just happened?

Well, I guess you will have to read on to find out! Also an IMPORTANT NOTE guys --> I have decided to change a bit of the storyline. Luckily nothing major will be changed. I will only be making some minor changes in the first chapter whenever I get time and I will be sure to notify y'all when I do make those changes.

Thanks for reading!

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