Shadows Between Us
Chapter 1-- The Midnight Library
The campus library was supposed to close at 9
so why was light in the east wing still on?
Ethan Vale leaned against the cold marble wall, listening.
footsteps. Light. Careful. Almost to careful.
he should have walked away--but curiosity had a grip on him tonight. maybe it was boredom.
maybe it was the way Crescent University felt to perfect, like mask hiding something rotten.
when he rounded the corner, he froze.
A girl stood in the far aisle, facing the wall.
she wasn't reading, she was pushing a loose brick in.then sliding something small and black in
the sound of the brick clicking back into the place echoed in the silence.
she turned.
her eyes met his, sharp as glass.
for a moment, neither spoke.The air between them was to still,like they both were calculating the other's next move.
Ethan Vale ML
library's closed *Ethan said finally,his voice was calm*
she smiled--not sweetly, not kindly, but like she'd just been caught in a she was winning
Liana Cruz FL
So is this wing.Yet....here you are
Ethan didn't answer. he was to busy wondering what she'd hidden.... why It like she'd already guessed his secret.
Chapter 2--The Brick and the secret
The sound of that distant door faded into silence, but it left a shiver in its wake.Ethans eyes didn't leave hers.
Ethan Vale ML
your blocking the wall,*he said evenly*
Liana Cruz FL
That's the idea
Her tone was light,but there was nothing casual about the way she shifted her stance shoulders squared,ready to keep exactly where she wanted him.
A soft thud echoed somewhere in the stacks. neither of them looked away from the other, but both of them heard it.
Ethan Vale ML
"Ethan took another step forward,closing the gap until he could see faint reflection of the desk lamp in her eyes."whatever your hiding... it won't stay hidden forever.
Liana Cruz FL
Maybe *she murmured,* but the time it's found, it'll already be to late.
before he could response, the thud come again closer this time.
And it wasn't coming from hallway .
it was coming from inside the shelves.
The second sound was followed by a slow, dragging sound---like something heavy being pulled across the floor on the other side of the stacks.
Ethan Vale ML
*Ethan's gaze darted toward the sound.*someone else Is here.
Liana Cruz FL
*Liana didn't turn.she didn't even blink.* Don't
Liana Cruz FL
*Her voice dropped into whisper* Don't look
Another thud. closer. this time,the light above then flickerd. Ethan caught the faintest whiff of something metallic in the air--iron and damp paper.
He moved forward, but she moved with unnatural speed,her clamping around his wrist. Her grip was icy cold.
Liana Cruz FL
you think you want to see it.*she murmured*but you Don't.
from somewhere deep in the stacks come the faint sound of breathing. Long, slow,deliberate.
The light flickerd once...twice....and went out completely.
In the dark,something began moving towards them.
chapter 3--whispers in the dark
the silence that followed was heavier then the sound itself.Dust trembled down from the top shelf.settling over the spines of forgotten books like a thin veil of Ash. Ethan's muscles tensed, every instinct telling him to move, but his feet felt rooted to the wooden floor.
drag... thud.... drag....
The sound circled them, weaving through the rows of shelves as if whatever there was deliberately staying out of sight.
Ethan Vale ML
"Liana--" Ethan's whisper cracked, but she raised a hand sharply, silencing him before his voice could grow louder.
her expression was unreadable, through her eyes gleamed with something he couldn't quite place---fear....or recognition.
And then,faintly,like breath brushing against the of their neck,come a voice.low. hoarse. Almost too faint to catch.
Ethan Vale ML
"it was never hidden....only waiting."
Ethan spun,but the aisle behind them was empty. only shadows stretched long and restless under the dim desk lamp.
Liana finally spoke, her tone flat but her hands trembling at her sides.
Liana Cruz FL
we shouldn't have come here at night.
Ethan Vale ML
*Ethan swallowed hard* then tell me why you did.
for the first time, she looked at him---not away, not through him,but into him. but her next words were colder then the stone walls around them.
Liana Cruz FL
Because it's not looking for me,Ethan. it's looking for you.
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