Post by Free on Jun 2, 2021 15:04:17 GMT -5
Ember stared at the floor as Travis lead her on a tour of the least popular parts of the house, like where they kept the cleaning supplies. He probably figured the less crowded, the better.
“You can just ask,” she said after a prolonged silence, during which Travis’s thoughts had been moving in out like, they a radio intermittently bursting with static. Travis was right. He wasn’t as good at that as Leo.
“If they didn’t let you go to school, how come you’re not…you know. How did you learn stuff?” His face was red in the corner of Ember’s vision, but he was still looking at her.
“I like to read,” she said quietly, eyes only glancing at the places he pointed and carpet beneath her shoes, never his face. She wondered if that was enough of answer.
“So you what, read a bunch of history textbooks?”
“Something like that.” Was it rude to tell him that there was such a thing as “home school”? Though, from books, she’d gathered that most homeschool kids didn’t have to teach themselves. But it had been okay. Reading about history had allowed her to get lost in another time, a simpler one, from the sound of it. “You don’t have to do this. I am fine on my own.”
“But I’ve saved the best for last!” His smile was radiant.
She found herself smiling back, even though she couldn’t get from his thoughts where they were headed next.
He stopped in front of a large oak door, his grin pulled his lips even tighter across his face. He pushed the heavy door open with one hand and Ember’s mouth dropped open.
She stepped inside, eyes taking in every detail of the room. From floor to ceiling, everywhere she looked, there were books. She’d never seen anything like it. Dark wood was everywhere from the bookshelves to the stairs leading up to a level overlooking this one. The room had comfy couches and chairs, some with tables, some off in corners.
Beyond the second floor railing, private alcoves with more overstuffed chairs and floor-to-ceiling-books. It even had little ladders everywhere like in Beauty and the Beast. The only real break in the books were two enormous floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the far wall. It was heaven.
“I knew you’d like it.” Travis’s chest was puffed out, his smile curled into a smirk.
~
“Hey, just one thing?” Travis said, his eyes still on her, even as he set her stack of books on the nightstand. Seriously, did everyone here feel the need to make constant eye contact? Even when it was one-sided?
“What?” Ember braced herself, hoping he wasn’t about to tell her she could only stay the night in this magical place with that library.
“I don’t think you’re his usual type anyway so it’s probably nothing to worry about but…” Travis hesitated. “I just wanted to warn you to stay away from Logan.”
Ember shuddered as the image of the guy from her nightmares, the one she’d managed to forget for just a moment lived here too, ran through Travis’s head.
“That’s what he looks like.”
So that had been intentional. Ember closed her eyes as she tried to blot out the stream of images emanating from Travis. Closing her eyes only seemed to intensify the effect. She shuddered again. The barrage instantly stopped.
“Are you cold?”
“Yes.” it was easier than explaining the truth. She normally ran hotter than most people, so she was never cold, but she was trying to blot out the real reason.
Travis touched a panel beside the door Ember hadn’t noticed earlier.
“It’s the thermostat. Every room has them.”
He was finally looking at the floor and Ember’s shoulders relaxed, immediate relief.
“So…anyway…Logan’s…not always…the nicest. Not since... Well, anyway, that’s none of my business. Just be careful, okay?”
Ember crushed the curiosity threatening to bubble up. She did not care what his name was. She did not care what he was doing here. She did not care whatever minor inconvenience had bothered his royal highness. Seriously…every room had a thermostat? She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, growing up here…with Leo as a dad.
Her chest hurt at the though, so pushed that one aside too.
“Thanks,” she said, finally giving him what he so obviously wanted: one brief glance.
“You can just ask,” she said after a prolonged silence, during which Travis’s thoughts had been moving in out like, they a radio intermittently bursting with static. Travis was right. He wasn’t as good at that as Leo.
“If they didn’t let you go to school, how come you’re not…you know. How did you learn stuff?” His face was red in the corner of Ember’s vision, but he was still looking at her.
“I like to read,” she said quietly, eyes only glancing at the places he pointed and carpet beneath her shoes, never his face. She wondered if that was enough of answer.
“So you what, read a bunch of history textbooks?”
“Something like that.” Was it rude to tell him that there was such a thing as “home school”? Though, from books, she’d gathered that most homeschool kids didn’t have to teach themselves. But it had been okay. Reading about history had allowed her to get lost in another time, a simpler one, from the sound of it. “You don’t have to do this. I am fine on my own.”
“But I’ve saved the best for last!” His smile was radiant.
She found herself smiling back, even though she couldn’t get from his thoughts where they were headed next.
He stopped in front of a large oak door, his grin pulled his lips even tighter across his face. He pushed the heavy door open with one hand and Ember’s mouth dropped open.
She stepped inside, eyes taking in every detail of the room. From floor to ceiling, everywhere she looked, there were books. She’d never seen anything like it. Dark wood was everywhere from the bookshelves to the stairs leading up to a level overlooking this one. The room had comfy couches and chairs, some with tables, some off in corners.
Beyond the second floor railing, private alcoves with more overstuffed chairs and floor-to-ceiling-books. It even had little ladders everywhere like in Beauty and the Beast. The only real break in the books were two enormous floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the far wall. It was heaven.
“I knew you’d like it.” Travis’s chest was puffed out, his smile curled into a smirk.
~
“Hey, just one thing?” Travis said, his eyes still on her, even as he set her stack of books on the nightstand. Seriously, did everyone here feel the need to make constant eye contact? Even when it was one-sided?
“What?” Ember braced herself, hoping he wasn’t about to tell her she could only stay the night in this magical place with that library.
“I don’t think you’re his usual type anyway so it’s probably nothing to worry about but…” Travis hesitated. “I just wanted to warn you to stay away from Logan.”
Ember shuddered as the image of the guy from her nightmares, the one she’d managed to forget for just a moment lived here too, ran through Travis’s head.
“That’s what he looks like.”
So that had been intentional. Ember closed her eyes as she tried to blot out the stream of images emanating from Travis. Closing her eyes only seemed to intensify the effect. She shuddered again. The barrage instantly stopped.
“Are you cold?”
“Yes.” it was easier than explaining the truth. She normally ran hotter than most people, so she was never cold, but she was trying to blot out the real reason.
Travis touched a panel beside the door Ember hadn’t noticed earlier.
“It’s the thermostat. Every room has them.”
He was finally looking at the floor and Ember’s shoulders relaxed, immediate relief.
“So…anyway…Logan’s…not always…the nicest. Not since... Well, anyway, that’s none of my business. Just be careful, okay?”
Ember crushed the curiosity threatening to bubble up. She did not care what his name was. She did not care what he was doing here. She did not care whatever minor inconvenience had bothered his royal highness. Seriously…every room had a thermostat? She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, growing up here…with Leo as a dad.
Her chest hurt at the though, so pushed that one aside too.
“Thanks,” she said, finally giving him what he so obviously wanted: one brief glance.