Blue Side

Chapter 2

Riley's POV

I smiled brightly, roaming the halls of my grandparents' house. Grams and Pop-Pop were very wealthy, they've had long and successful careers. Grams used to be an excellent Heart Surgeon, she was the best at her hospital and retired just about three years ago as she had gotten tired of going into the hospital. Pop Pop is a well-known and well-rounded author, which was what I was aspiring to be. I had a large fondness for books growing up thanks to Pop Pop reading to me every night before bed and telling me the stories that he wrote. I was always fascinated with books and writing, Dad always said that I had a very big imagination as a child. When I got into the library, I couldn't believe just how big his book collection has gotten. I chuckled to myself, thinking back to when I was much younger. It was the first time I spent the night at Pop Pop and Gram's house, my three older brothers were out and my parents were working late. So they dropped me off at their house to have someone watch over me, though I was only seven at the time, I thought I didn't need to be babysat.

Flashback...

"Alright, Riles. Time for bed." Grams said, she grabbed the remote off the couch which had been sitting next to me. She turned the TV off, looking at me with a stern smile as I groaned. I was already dressed in my pajamas, ready for bed. "Listen, if you promise to be a good girl and go get in the bed then I'll get Pop Pop to read to you." I happily jumped off the couch, running as fast as I could towards my room. Since my grandparents had such a large house, they had separate rooms for all four of us. I threw open my bedroom door, jumping into bed and immediately settled under the covers. I heard a chuckle as I looked over at the doorway, where Pop Pop was standing. He had a large smile on his face and couldn't help but chuckle at my excitement, "Pop Pop, you came to read to me?!" I gasped, spotting the thick story book in his hands. "Of course I have, little Bug. Your Grams couldn't go back on her part of the deal." He chuckled, walking over towards the bed. I let out a giggle, getting comfortable under the sheets and grabbed my favorite stuffed bear. Pop Pop grabbed the rocking chair that was in the left hand corner of the room and brought it over to the left side of my bed, he smiled at me as he took a seat and scooted closer to me. "Alright, Little Bug. Tonight's story will be about a young girl who travels between two realms and is the last hope of the Ebonrealm." He explained, opening the book as I gasped. "You're reading the story of the Traveler?!!" I shouted, Pop Pop only chuckled at my shout and began to read.

Flashback over...

I smiled softly to myself, thinking back to when things had been so much simpler for me. With me being 19, I am considered an adult and I was starting my first semester of college next year. I decided to do a gap year since everything at home had been slightly chaotic. I ran my fingers through the rows of books, feeling the book covers which ranged from hard to soft to paperback. It always amazed me how big Pop Pop's collection would be every time I came here, it seemed that even more books had been bought since the last time I was staying here. I stopped when I spotted one of Pop Pop's books, which had been a limited edition copy in good condition. My smile seemed to only get bigger as I pulled the book out, this book, happened to be the same one that Pop Pop read to me every night when I was eleven years old. Feeling the nostalgia of those times, I opened the book and chuckled as I spotted the small Polaroid picture that had been taken of me and my brothers. I decided to keep the picture, so I tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans. I flipped through the pages, reading over every word in the first chapter. But as I was reading, I felt something strange with my emotions. It was like something was calling out to me but I had no clue as to what it was, which was really making me nervous. I heard a thud to my right, causing me to snap out of my thoughts and look over. I tilted my head in confusion as I saw a book on the floor, it was odd that it had fallen since nobody else was in the library with me. I closed the book in my hands, slid it back into its place on the shelf, and looked back over at the book on the floor. As I stared at it, I felt a strange urge for me to pick it up and read it. I decided that following that urge was somewhat of a sign, so I headed over to it. I bent down, picking it up gently, nearly dropping the book as I felt how heavy it weighed in my hand. It was so odd seeing as the book didn't look that thick when I first saw it, I stared at it in confusion. I looked back up at the shelf, wondering where it had fallen from but couldn't find it. "What the hell?" I muttered to myself, I looked back down at the book taking notice of the hard black cover the book had. There was a weird symbol embedded in the hardcover, which was outlined and traced in gold lettering but I couldn't make out what language it was in. I looked around the cover, trying to find an author's name or even the title of the book but it had neither of those things. I turned the book over, still not finding either of those things nor did I even see a barcode or ISBN number.

"What the hell? All books have ISBN numbers.. And author's names.. And even the title! But this book, it doesn't have any of those things. Just where did Pop-Pop get this book?" I muttered to myself, I was completely confused with this whole thing. "Riley!" I heard fast footsteps and looked up from the book, as I saw Grams enter the room.

"Hey Grams, what's up?" She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going to the book and I could see the change in her expression. She not only looked frightened by the appearance of the book in my hands, but I could see a hint of anger. "Riley, why do you have that book?" I looked down at the book in my hands, before looking up at her. "It fell off the shelf while I was reading, so I went to put it back but I can't find where it goes nor the last name of the author. Why is that? Did Pop Pop write this book?" I asked, Grams didn't answer and instead walked closer to me. "No, he didn't. And you should have never found this book, Pop-Pop would be furious if he saw you with it. That is why you need to stay away from it." She snatched the book out of my hands, leaving me slightly stunned as she wasn't the type to be aggressive. She then walked over to the desk that sat at the far end of the library, placed it in a bottom drawer, and walked back over to me. "Riley, sweetheart." She started, placing her hands on my shoulders. She looked deadly serious which meant that there was something about that book she didn't want me to find out about. "Promise me, please, promise me that you will not read or even open that book." She stared into my eyes, I thought for a moment just taking in the tense situation, and nodded. "I promise, Grams. There's no need to worry." I said, "Good. Now, neither of us will speak about this with your Pop-Pop, do you understand? This is something that seriously affects him and his past." She stated, "I understand. I'll keep my lips sealed." I smiled at her, and she let out a sigh of relief and smiled at me. "Come on, I made your favorite for dinner." She and I headed out of the library, I lagged behind a little and looked at the desk she had placed the book in. She called my name again, causing me to snap out of my daze and follow her downstairs to the dining room.

Sorry, Grams... But that book has now caught my attention and I need to know why it's so important to Pop Pop's past and why it's being hidden.