Reminiscence

Chapter 6

 I'm just as confused as she is. Apparently after I went to lunch Matteo had called and told her that Victorie wasn't at the apartment. We run up the stairs and towards the front door of the complex, Merra taking the keys out of her pocket. Matteo greets us at the door to their room. "Even Louise said they were here. I knocked, and I got no answer. I even searched the rest of the place." Matteo pauses to look at me. "Hey you said that they hadn't left when I ran into you. So, they have to be here right?" He looks at me, as if questioning my answer. I nod simply and open the door, stepping inside. Again, I feel him watching me, his sable eyes drilling holes into my skull.

The bathroom is empty, just the usual things that anyone would have, nothing special. It smells like their soap, quite strongly actually like they had just turned off the water, yet there was no water anywhere to be seen. Clothes are organized, better than I remember, the closet cleared up for once. I move into the hall to try and trace where I saw them watching me. The landing! That's the most prominent area that I can remember. "Matteo, you come with me. Merra, do you mind waiting in case they turn up?" I ask and Merra sits down on the bed. Matto gets up and follows me. Past my room, up another flight of stairs is the landing where they were watching me. "This is the last place I saw them. Do they have a phone, Matteo?" I ask and he nods. "Got it for Vic on the twelfth of last September." He says and all I can do is nod. No signs of a struggle. That's good, except that I see their hair tie on the ground. I reach down to pick it up, and I pocket it before we move on to the library. Victorie spends time here according to Merra. Books leer at us from all angles, spines shining in the light like a fine glitter. Gold, copper and silver titles peer out like a hidden secret, the rows and shelves seem endless to me. "Hey, wait did we check the mythology section?" Matteo pipes up as we pass another row of worn leather and gold backings. I shake my head no but move towards it anyways. As soon as we reach it it begins to feel different. Fake even, like the books are just some sort of joke, as if it'll be a "Ha! You've been pranked!" note inside each cover instead of facts and knowledge. Some look too thin to be books, the pages looking like printer paper and feeling like tissue paper. Not actual writing paper.

It's been almost an hour since I've been with Matteo in this library and we're no closer to finding any trace of Victorie. "This sucks, man! I mean what are we even looking for here!" Matteo and I sigh in unison and I drop the book on the floor with a loud thunk. I tap the floorboard with my foot and the sound echoes throughout the room. It sounds loose to me and I begin to notice a warp in the flooring that obviously wasn't there when I first came here. "Matteo, put that down and help me move these will you?" I ask and he sighs in annoyance, hiding it terribly. "We're gonna ruin this floor. I know it and I'll have to pay for it." He's reluctant but caves in when I mention Vic. Sure it's a pain, but if we find them it'll be worth it. I'm heaving with the mortal strength I have, as is Matteo but it's not working. We need more heavy lifting than what we have so far. One more budge and I accidentally let slip some of my more inhuman strength. A loud crack and a groan lifts a set of five boards on hidden hinges, the smell of an old set of stone and, is that moss? fills my nose. I cough slightly and we peer into the darkness. It's a long way down it seems.

Matteo pushes me forwards and a sense of dread fills me as I take a shaky step towards the old stairs. I raise a hand to the wall, stone of old seems to whisper to me, as if it's calling my name. I nod and Matteo follows me as I press onwards. "Did you know it was here?" I ask and he shakes his head in awe. This is interesting to say the least. I reach the end of the staircase after a few moments.

A sign seems to glow in the darkened cavern, written in an old language. Commonly spoken before my time actually, it was almost a universal language, with diverse dialects and phrases many understood. It begins to be apparent this wasn't just a playplace. I step down, the last step sets something off in Matteo and he shoves me again, hard enough for me to trip. I turn and give him a wtf look. He only tosses me a flashlight. My breath echoes through the cavern louder than before, my footsteps far weaker than who would walk before me in this very room. I swing the light around.

Tables collapsed in the corners, benches smashed to splinters. I begin picking up the pace and see a story. A battle? No no, a raid. Yes, that's it! Someone must have raised a raid here. I raise my gaze, the ceiling has a depiction and image of a man with a spear, a crown nestled in his hair. Who are these people? Matteo hangs by the entrance. I don't care. The rest of the painting shows more people like him, his sons? A woman sits to his right. She has high cheekbones, a warm expression painted on her rosy lips. My hands fall to my side, I move my feet feeling unreal. I turn and shoot Matteo a thumbs up. He starts back up the way we came. I hear the secret door shut. Time to work some magic on this place I think and get to work. I snap my fingers, torchlight blazing in the sconces on the wall. I drag over the tables, or whatever tables are left and begin to piece together a room. A dining hall? Meeting room? Something that involved heavy fire. The hallways blaze with fire in front of me. Time to move on.