Pendulum || TAENNIE FF

⚔Chapter 21: For a minute

A U T H O R

Class ended, finally.

Heather left the room with her thoughts a bit cloudy. What Ms. Lee told her about having this "potential" got stuck in her head. "She believes that I have powers and she said I have potential... What am I gonna do? I can't disappoint her. I can't disappoint anyone." She let her shoulders fall and continued walking with her head hanging low.

It was a compliment, a compliment that is caused by her sparkling lies. Heather sighed loudly and went to the main hall to wait for Firo to take her to the dorms. She sat there for a few seconds until she remembered what she told Loo. 

"I said I'll come back." She told herself and quickly left the school. She went south and kept going south until she reached the river again. "Loo?! Are you still here?!" She called.  Her voice echoed and unusual-looking birds from the far trees flew away. "How overly-dramatic. I wasn't that loud."

"What are you doing here?" A voice coming from behind her asked. Out of shock, she lost balance and fell on the shallow river. She looked at the person who came and quickly returned to the ground. 

"None of your business. What...What are you doing here?" She wanted to sound tough too. The water was freezing her but Heather managed to carry out her strong act. "On your way to do something suspicious, I believe? Bury bodies? Turn someone into stone? Suck someone's blood out?"

Flake looked at her shivering state. Heather was hugging herself while trying so hard not to  tremble. "If you want to be better than me, you should try harder." Heather furrowed her brows. "Go back and dry yourself inside. You look too pitiful to argue with right now." She was about to defend herself but Flake suddenly turned to a bat and flew away.

"That stubborn, obnoxious punk! If I could just--" She picked a rock from the ground and was about to throw it at him. "No... No, I shouldn't stoop this low." She dropped it and went back to hugging herself. "He thinks he's above everyone. Not this time. Not when I'm still around." She looked into the water again and waited for Loo to come out. But, the water-rabbien is still nowhere to be found. "Very well, Loo. I'll see you when I see you." She dipped her hand in the water then stood up. "Now, where was I? Right. The dorms."

She returned to the school and waited for Firo. He probably looked for her minutes ago but because she had to meet a friend, he could be very puzzled, thinking she got lost. The main hall was left empty and she had no choice but to look for him as well. 

There were four halls going in different directions. She went to the northern part and started her search. It was leading to the library-- which she only found out just now. The room is wide and spacious with shelves on the right side and tables on the left. She wowed in her head, feeling very giddy seeing a library like that. Books are her friends, after all. She looked up and found out that the ceiling is made of glass, making it possible to look at the moon and stars at night. "Will the teachers be mad if I stay here for the whole night? I'm here for a good reason so maybe they could give me a few hours." She talked to herself and went further.

She got herself surrounded by the shelves and the pleasing scent of books. It was another paradise for her and she felt enchanted. She stopped in front of one shelf and traced her finger on the bottom parts of the books, reading their titles. Her finger stopped on one and it read, "In Ruins" by Wail Karren. It's the one Eva Lee told them about. 

Heather took the book from the shelf and read the cover. "This is making me so curious." She opened it and scanned through the pages. "Can I borrow this for a moment?"