☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

I wait in the queue for my hot chocolate. There are not many patrons in the coffee shop, but they all stare at me anyway. I guess nothing new or exciting must happen in this place, they all seem amazed at the prospect of seeing someone from the outside world. They must not get visitors often. It's so weird, why would a whole town cut themselves off from the rest of the world so fully?

The creamy, dreamy taste of the easter egg hot chocolate makes me forget everything about feeling like an outsider. I nurse the warm cup in both of my hands as I continue my exploration down main street. Across another junction and towards the end of the road, I find the town's library.

An ornamental building, it stands out amongst the others. The double door entrance is marked with large columns and the date of its opening is chiselled into the stonework above the front doors, '1809'. It's pretty cool that it's been here for over two hundred years. It seems a little out of keeping with the rest of the town, I was under the impression this is a fairly new, modern place.

I step inside and I'm immediately greeted with the ever-comforting smell of books, dust, and oak wood. The promise of a good read hangs in the air. I pause for a moment to take in the atmosphere before walking further in.

There is no one in the library from what I can tell. The aisles are empty as far as I can see and there is no one behind the reception desk. Instead, there is a sign pinned to the front of the desk.

'We work on an honour system. Please scan your ID card and the book(s) you would like to check out, return them within 14 days. All enquiries can be sent to the library email.'

Satisfied with what I've read, I decide to look for any books on the town's history. I'm obviously going to be spending some time here and I'd like to know more about the mysterious citadel in the woods.

History is signposted as being up the stairs. It is quiet enough that I can hear my breathing as I reach the first floor and walk along the bookshelves.

I nearly jump out of my skin when I look down an aisle and there is a man standing with a book in his hands. I can only see his side-profile at first as he reads intently.

His jawline is the first thing I notice. So square-shaped and perfectly cut. It is covered with a half-shadow stubble, and I can see a smattering of facial hair on his top lip, too.

As if feeling my eyes on him, he suddenly looks up and straight at me. I feel frozen under his gaze. His pupils are pure black, and he has mono-lid eyes that make me instantly jealous. His eyebrows raise in surprise and the corners of his mouth ever so slightly turn up in the hint of a smile.

He closes the book, places it back on the shelf and walks towards me. I can't process much more than that, because my mind is trying wrap itself around the fact that this is the second man from my dream. Not only have I been dreaming about a forest I had never been to before today, but I also dreamt of two men I'd never met and now, I have seen both of them.

I'm beginning to think I should have never left the house.

The man stops directly in front of me. I remain still as his eyes scan over my face and my body. Everywhere his gaze lands, my body heats up. It's like a burning trail of warmth spreads through me as he looks me up and down.

In a moment of panic, I find my voice. "Can you help me, please? I'm looking for any books on the history of the town."

This time, he smiles properly. There is no way his expression can be taken as anything other than happy. I don't know why hearing my voice has made him smile so much, or why I'm so eager to hear his.

"Of course, I can help you," he replies in warm voice that has a deep timbre. "The best books are probably going to be one aisle over. There are some autobiographies and data records."

There is a hint of an accent that I don't quite recognise, something that causes there to be a lilt in his tone in the middle of words and a softness on the end syllables.

"That's great, thank you so much."

His phone starts buzzing in his pocket and a look of irritation comes over his face. He pulls it out of his jeans and scowls as he sees the caller ID.

"Anytime," he tells me. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

I wave my hand in a 'it's not a big deal' way and smile. "No worries, thanks again."

I turn on my heel and move one aisle along to try and track down these books. As I go, I hear him answer the phone.

"Asper."

Is that his name?

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

Asper answers the phone in the library. It is unmanned because the residents of Arcis do not use it enough to require a full-time librarian. Many of them enjoy stopping by occasionally.

"Have you spoken to him?" The woman demands without saying any form of greeting.

Asper keeps walking along the platform and down the stairs. He doesn't want the human to hear his conversation.

"I stopped by last night."

"And?" She prompts impatiently.

"He wasn't pleased to see me, he demanded to know why I came back now."

"Did you ask him whether he had been having the dreams, too?"

"Didn't have to, it was all over his face."

She sighs and Asper can practically feel the stress coming off her through the phone. "What are we going to do? Who is she? Also, I've heard from Pax that a strange woman has been spotted in the supermarket...wait, it isn't her, is it?"

His hand tightens around the phone at the mention of her, the 'strange woman' who has randomly appeared in their isolated community.

"It's her."

Those simple words change everything for the both of them...and the whole town.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

I'm seated on the biggest sofa in the living room, a blanket over my legs which are pulled up to my chest. My mother's diaries are stacked on the coffee table and the one from eleven years before I was born is in my hands. Concentrating and curious, I read the first entry.

Elder Hayden Warren died yesterday. He left his son a bunch of letters to read when he gets to important milestones in his life. It's made me realise that there is nothing written for my family to read if I die. I've decided to start writing a diary. My friend did this at school, and it seemed silly at the time, but I think I can get used to the idea of putting my thoughts into written words.

I wonder if my sister will read this. I hope not. Stella, if you're reading this, stop! I better be dead because if I'm not, I'm gonna kill you for snooping. You're so nosy.

I know. You wouldn't think we're in our sixties, but that's what ageing slowly will do to you, slows your maturity too I guess!

My face screws up in confusion as I wonder what on Earth I've just read. It doesn't make any sense. The date on this book is exactly eleven years before the year I was born, but my mother has just written about being sixty years old. She was thirty-one when she had me.

I put the book down and reach for the one dated the year I was born. It even says 'pregnancy diary' on the first page. This is the one I'm most curious about, maybe it will have some interesting things about my father, I'm sure he'd love to know what my mother wrote about him after their night together.

Satura is so mad at me, but she'll get over it. I don't blame her for being angry, I should never have slept with that human. It was a silly decision and I'm paying the price for my recklessness.

The casual use of the word 'human' is a little unusual, but I guess some people like to use it because it is a genderless term and relatively unoffensive.

I never thought it would be this easy to get pregnant with a human. Satura says what's meant to be will be. The elders quoted one of the laws to me: Dea doesn't believe in accidents, and neither should we. They think there's a reason I'm having this baby.

I skip ahead to part way through the book, they're only thin notebooks.

I've found out that I'm having a girl. I have been thinking of names. It would be easier if I had someone to bounce ideas off of but —- isn't taking to me. She's ignoring my calls and I'm not allowed back on the territory until I've had the baby.

I'm thinking of 'Felicitas' it means happiness in Latin. This baby will be my happiness.

The book falls out of my hands.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆