16 :: Notes

Adam yawned into his book. He had returned to his quarters immediately following his conversation with Ryan, but despite his best efforts, sleep had evaded him. He had never really gotten along with Ryan and usually dismissed his words as nonsense, but these weren't his typical entitled drivel. He couldn't help but to admit that this time Ryan may have a point.

Adam had successfully banished almost all thoughts of his family from his mind. There was nothing he could do to return to them right now and any time thoughts of them crept into his mind, he would simply recite that mantra and continue on. In Adam’s mind, the best way to get back to his family was by focusing on the current situation. Now he was being forced to consider if, in doing so, he had compromised on his morals.

It had been three days since that conversation, but Adam still hadn't managed to sort his thoughts. Every day he missed his family more and more, but he was also learning about the people of this land they had come to. It was hard to paint Umbrian in a completely negative light, as Ryan had, when one understood that they were just as human as the people of Earth.

Was Umbrian evil? They were certainly desperate, but Adam didn't really consider their actions to be unjustified. From Umbrian’s perspective, the greatest evil was that demon they had imprisoned. In order to suppress the demon, it seemed that just about any action was justified. Cogitan clearly understood the implications of their abduction, but still deemed it necessary for their survival. Just how awful was this demon that it merited such an action?

Umbrian aside, there was also the issue of Nora to consider. Her parents were awful. That was a certainty. Adam still didn't think that she deserved to be blamed for their actions. He also didn't think she was crazy, but when it came down to it, did he really know her all that well? The only time they had spent together outside of class was at that dinner the day before the summoning.

As soon as she had landed in this world, she had abandoned the group and run off on her own. Adam didn't know her reasons for doing so, and it was true that her safety may have been in jeopardy had she stayed, but she had still left him without saying a word, even after she had claimed that they were friends.

The letters on the page of the book spun before his eyes. It took him a minute to even remember that the words written were not in English. Adam had been fortunate enough already that Umbriel used a close derivative of the Latin alphabet in its printed form. All he needed to do was sound the words out and try to match them up with the small vocabulary he had amassed, but his sleep deprivation was making this more difficult than it needed to be.

“Water?” a voice pulled him from his daze as a glass was placed before him. Minea looked down at him with a smile.

“Thanks,” he replied, setting down the geography book he had been studying. He leaned back in his chair and sipped eagerly from the cup.

“You look tired,” Minea stated with a frown. “Haven't you read enough?” Adam cast a glance at the stack of papers where he had been recording his notes. It was true that he had probably taken down enough information to write the section of his report on geography.

“Maybe,” he admitted.

“Take a break,” Minea suggested. “We can come back later if you need to.”

“Fine, fine,” he conceded with a sigh. It was only a little after noon, but he supposed he could work on the report for a bit after his break.

The people of Umbrian were strong proponents of the siesta. They usually dedicated a good three hours after lunch to sleeping. Adam liked to spend this time in the library because it was even quieter than usual without anyone else around, but it was practically sacrilege for Minea to forfeit her afternoon naps. He had told her previously that she could leave him to his work, but she had insisted upon keeping him company despite the inconvenience. He supposed it wouldn't be too awful to take a nap every once in awhile.

Adam sorted the books at his workstation before leaving the building together with Minea. They parted ways at the library entrance as Minea hurried off to her family house near the palace. Adam took his time, leisurely strolling along the vacant streets. It was so odd to him, seeing the entire city asleep in the middle of the day. Even the street venders had closed up their carts and stalls and retreated indoors. He felt that he would never get used to it.

As Adam pushed open the door to his room, a disaster greeted him. A thin layer of papers, covered every surface. In the corner of the room rested a looming pile of worn clothing. Adam wasn't sure where he was supposed to do laundry in this school. He wasn't even sure how to wash clothes in this world. He resolved to ask Minea about it later. For now, he decided that he would simply tidy things up a bit.

He gathered up the papers and sorted them into piles based on topic. It amazed him how many notes he had managed to take in the last three days. The piles each found homes on the small desk that had come with the room. Adam stared thoughtfully at the pile of clothes. There had to be a better place for them. He didn't want to put them back in the closet though.

Glancing around the wardrobe, Adam noticed a small panel in the back with a handle attached. He pulled back the cover to reveal a long chute disappearing into blackness. A laundry chute, he sighed in relief. He returned to the main room and began gathering up the clothing from the corner.

Suddenly his fingers brushed against a nostalgic texture. He pulled his hand out of the pile, bringing with it the jeans he had worn to this world. Denim was a material that did not exist in Umbrian. He wondered if this was the last piece of denim he would ever own. He was reluctant to send it down the chute. The academy had provided them with clothing for the past few days, but Adam wasn't sure if he would get the same clothing back or a different set. His clothes were the last relics he had from Earth. He didn't want to risk losing them.

He pulled the foreign articles of clothing out of the pile and set them aside. He would just keep them in his room until he knew how to wash them. He dumped the other clothes down the chute and set about folding his Earth clothes. As his fingers swept over the coarse ridges of his jeans, he felt an unusual crinkling sensation coming from one of the pockets. He didn't remember storing anything in that pocket.

His fingers probed inside and swiftly extracted a folded square of notebook paper. One side was decorated with a header and a couple of mathematical formulas before ending abruptly at a rip in the paper. It was a scrap of Nora’s destroyed homework. Adam wondered how it had ended up in his pocket as he flipped it over. His eyes widened.

The page held three things. The first was a short passage of text.

“Adam, I have left to look for help. I hope it will not take long, but I can't be sure. Please be careful in my absence. I do not trust the people who brought us here. If I fail to return within a reasonable period of time, you may be able to use these to contact me. Use the times on the door.” Underneath, it was signed, “Nora.”

Following the text was a sketch. The image was some sort of symbol consisting of a four-pointed star within a thin ring that made a single twist at the bottom. It seemed a little familiar, but Adam couldn't make heads or tails of it. Beneath that was a short list. Four times, each one followed by either ‘cw’ or ‘ccw’.

Adam was stymied. The first part made a bit of sense. She explained why she had left, although Adam wasn't sure where Nora thought she was going to find help in this world. The last part was what really confused him. The drawing was one thing, but the times were just cryptic. Was the sketch supposed to be some sort of clock? And what door was she talking about?

At least one thing was clear. Nora hadn't thoughtlessly abandoned him. These scrawls may not have been the best evidence towards proving her sanity, but at the very least, she had explained herself. She had cared about him enough to leave him with this warning.

Adam scanned the words once more. Ryan would probably die if he knew that he had inadvertently agreed with Nora. Neither of them trusted the Umbrians. Nora hadn't given any reasons for her distrust. It could just be paranoia. Neither she nor Ryan knew anything about the Umbrians. They couldn't possibly understand their motives. Even so, Adam couldn't deny that their opinions held weight with him.

He recalled the images of Mirea and Cogitan. Neither of them had any reason to lie to him. There wasn't any danger in trusting them for now. Furthermore, even if they couldn't be trusted, what did he have to gain by being openly hostile? Adam especially was in no position to be rude, as working for Cogitan was the only way he would be able to learn magic. He would keep a wary eye open, but for now, he would continue his research.

First, though, he wanted to take another look at Nora’s message. He felt confident that she wouldn't have left him with useless information. There had to be some sense in this. He hoped that she would be back soon. This situation was complicated enough without him having to worry about her wellbeing.

Adam climbed into his bed and shifted his pillows until he was propped up in a reclining position. Grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper, he began fiddling with the clues he had been given, scribbling out crude drawings of clocks, moving their hands to the positions of the listed times, adding the times, subtracting them to find the time elapsed between them. Before he knew it, his eyes began to close and for the first time in three days, Adam slept soundly.