VILLAINS.

LIBRARY.

Traffic slowed me down on my way home. By the time I reached home, it was sunset and starting to rain.

I threw my bag on the bed and sat on the desk with my head in my hands. Arhaan was there. How could I not notice that? Stupid Kris.

Does Noah know him? I open my notebook and begin to write down the suspects when I heard a soft meow.

I turned my head around to face the tiny cat with beautiful indicolite coloured eyes. The frown on my face melted and Kayla came to me and meowed once more. The rain was still pouring down and I was stroking Kayla's back when I heard my mom from the kitchen. "Kris! Dinner's ready. Come downstairs quickly."

"I made your favourite today." Mom smiles widely as she hands me my plate. I grinned and left the kitchen to sit down on my sofa as I ate.

Mr. Charles, I think we should check her belongings. It might give us clues about the murder. I heard Mr. Smith say as I stuffed the fish and chips in my mouth. Belongings. Clues. Wait, why did I not think of this before? This could help in the Noah Mitchell Case! "Great!" I mumbled to myself with a wide grin which earned me a puzzled look from mom.

_______________

When I got off the bus after a long anxious night, it was 7 o'clock in the morning, and the sun was still rising. It's light filtering through the lush green trees; and to me, dazed with night and no sleep, it was like a country from a dream. I didn't expect such freshness in me even after a sleepless night.

Entering the corridor, I spotted Zuri's short figure and called out her name. She looked at me and waved as I walked towards her. She seemed sleepy to me, maybe she hadn't slept much last night, just like I had not. She stopped in front of me and beamed, handing a sketch to me. It was GORGEOUS. I wish I could draw too. "Zuri. This is just great! You're so good at this." "Oh, you know.. But thank you so much! You know what? It got selected for a workshop too!" She smiled genuinely and I told her how happy I was for her. "Okay, so, I had an idea last night. For the case." She nodded and I continued. "I think we should go to the library to check if his favourite books have some sort of clue or note in them." I dramatically moved my hands as I explained the rest of it to her and she held my shoulders. "You're starting to become a real detective, I see." We both grinned and walked to the library.

It was an old room, and when I said old, I actually meant it. It was recently renovated, but still smelled of the pages. The shelves were walnut brown with exquisite carvings which looked beautiful. Can I please have one for myself? A rusted golden chandelier, which looked like it was stolen from an ancient museum, was hanging down from the sage green ceiling. I saw a few paintings and recognized one of them from the day Zuri took me to an exhibition. It was Monet I guess. Wait, no. It's Matisse. Zuri noticed me and laughed. "It's Monet you idiot." I ran a hand through my hair and sheepishly smiled. I looked around the whole place, admiring it's beauty.

I remember the day Noah told me about his favourite books. It was a beautiful day. We were working on a project and flipping through the pages of the books, highlighted by the sunlight that made me think of dusty books and long hours in the library. His taste in books was literally so immaculate. Jane Eyre, Circe, Sappho, Dracula and The Secret History were his favourites. God, I wish I had the time and energy to read classics. They're just so damn boring!

We enter the 5th aisle and start rummaging through the books. "Hey I found one of them!" Zuri said. We sat down on the floor and started curiously examining each book in search of a note of some kind.

"Hi! Can I get this book once you're done?" I heard a male voice say. I looked up from the page and saw a tall male standing right in front of us. Arhaan. What is he doing here? Zuri must have had the same thing in her mind because she suddenly tightened her grip on the book and turned towards me. I examined him with confusion. He had a hint of nostalgia on his face, green eyes shining in the sun and dark caramel brown hair. He tilted his head, waiting for an answer when I finally calmed myself down and nodded.