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That’s a lie, but it means she can quickly leave the library with me in tow.
“How do you feel?” I ask
She still looks pale and drained. But I can also see a hint of determination in her face.
“I’m sure it has something to do with my clairvoyance. I guess I just need some rest.” But she doesn’t sound convinced.
I take Kate to her room and wait with her until she falls asleep. My thoughts are racing, and I feel restless. I need fresh air – maybe that’ll clear my head and calm my fears.
I look down at Yoru walking beside me. “Let’s go outside for a bit. It might help me sleep better.”
I bend down and ruffle his soft warm fur, and my little fox nuzzles up to me. We’re a great team now, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
We leave the school premises and take a walk. The air is cold – it’s fall – and I wrap my arms tighter around myself. But the cold actually helps calm my turbulent emotions a little. A light breeze carries the salty smell of the sea air. It smells of freedom, of the vastness of the ocean. I inhale deeply, let go, and try to think of nothing – to just be in the here and now.
Yoru pads alongside me and keeps pricking up his ears to listen out into the night. Calmness envelops me, and a feeling of safety. I think of Kate and wonder what was up with her. Right now, I’m just glad that she seems to be okay again. But then my thoughts inevitably wander to the destiny test. Whatever it throws at me, I’m not weak. I can pass it. I may not be able to control my gift, but I have other strengths, and I’m sure I’ll be able to use those in the test. Giving up hope is no option. And I’ll gradually make progress in the areas that need improvement.
I put my hand in my jeans pocket and feel the comb that I found in Alessandro’s house, which I carry everywhere with me. I’m now pretty certain this is what Kate’s vision was about. Now I just need to discover its secret.
I take it out of my pocket, turn it over in my hands, and then hold it up in the air. There are small holes punched in the metal that remind me of twinkling stars. And there’s a larger hole, which at first glance looks unintentional, like a piece was broken out of it. I look at it closely, run my finger over it, and then look up at the sky. I gaze at the dark clouds scudding across the night sky and try to make out the stars, which is impossible with the city’s light pollution. I don’t know much about the positions of the stars, but I’ve always found it incredibly soothing to look at them.
A hot shiver runs through me as I suddenly have an idea. I look down at the comb again, run my fingers over the holes, and murmur to myself, “Constellations.” Then I hold the comb up again and turn in a circle until I find a star between the clouds. I hold the comb so that the star shines through the large hole. And suddenly, I’m sure that I’m on the right track.
Excited, I examine the comb again. Then I take out my phone and message Noah. “I just had an idea about the comb. Could the pattern of holes be a constellation that we’re supposed to find?”
I send the message and wait a few minutes for a reply, but my phone remains silent. I look up at the sky again anxiously. I’m excited, but at the same time, I’m a little afraid of the day when we’ll finally uncover the secret of the library. Because I still don’t know what awaits me. I recall Patricia’s words. She mentioned a terrible destiny. But I refuse to let that get me down.
Yoru and I turn around and head back to school, and I feel more determined than ever.
I open the entrance door and step into the foyer. A few students hurry past me, presumably on their way to their rooms or the common rooms. Suddenly, I could swear I feel a pair of eyes on me, and I lift my head. Sure enough, there’s someone on the stairs. He seems to be in a hurry to get home. Mr. Brian doesn’t once look in my direction, but I can’t shake the feeling that he was just watching me.
When another person steps out of the corridor at the top of the stairs, Mr. Brian raises his hand. His eyes dart around the foyer, and then he calls out to the principal, who’s carrying a stack of files under his arm and also seems to be in a hurry to leave. I don’t want to run into either of them, so I stop just before the foot of the staircase where they can’t see me.
“Mr. Collins! Finally calling it a day?” Mr. Brian asks. “It’s been a long day for me too. I got caught up in my work. I just came from the library, where I was going through some new articles.”
“Yes, I wind up being here quite late some days. But what can you do? I suppose it all evens out in the end,” Mr. Collins replies in a bland tone.
“True,” Mr. Brian agrees. “I’ll go home and look for those books you wanted. It’ll take me a while to get everything together. There are only a few excerpts discussing the destiny test, but I should be able to bring you the first of them tomorrow.”
My heart starts pounding when I hear this. There’s actually information that could help me?! And it’s so close. But it won’t be easy to get my hands on it. I briefly consider breaking into Mr. Brian’s house again. But I quickly dismiss the idea. That would be insane, especially since Mr. Brian has just made it clear that he’s going to be home all evening.
“Oh, that’s good to hear. I have to admit, I know practically nothing about this test. I mean, it’s a very old method that’s only been used on very rare occasions. Still, I’d like to learn more about it so that I can prepare myself.”
Mr. Brian nods sympathetically. “I’ll bring you the books in person tomorrow.”
“You can just leave them on my desk. I have a couple of meetings tomorrow morning and won’t be in until later.”
Mr. Brian seems displeased by this and strokes his chin thoughtfully. “Then I’ll come by at lunchtime. The books are very valuable. No doubt they’d be safe on your desk, but you never know. Especially after that painting was stolen from the secretary’s office…” He leaves the rest of the sentence hanging, and I can’t believe he’s actually using the theft that he committed himself as an argument.
But Mr. Collins seems to accept his reasoning. “Sure, if you prefer.” He raises his hand in a wave. “Have a nice evening then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With those words, the principal continues down the stairs. He passes me but only glances at me briefly before continuing on his way.
Mr. Brian has noticed me too and walks toward me. “Miss Franklin. Out so late? You seem to have a very busy life.” The accusatory tone in his voice is unmistakable, but I ignore it.
“Well, that’s one thing we have in common. I guess you’re pretty busy too if you’re still in school this late.”
His expression darkens and his lips narrow. “Nobody would seriously compare your work and mine,” he snarls. “Well, I have things to do. Have a nice evening.” He shoots me a cold look before heading for the exit. I watch him until he’s out of sight.
