Chapter Text
It all started with a rumor that spread through Anya’s class like a wildfire.
«I heard that headmaster Henderson writes love letters to the librarian Ms. Whisper», Becky announced during lunch break. The statement came without warning and naturally, chaos broke loose afterwards. Every student around her sputtered around their mouthful of salad and stared at the 18-year-old in disbelief. Anya herself could hardly believe the words that had left her best friend’s mouth.
«What? No way!» Emile shouted, smashing his cutlery on the table which earned him an annoyed grunt from Ewen next to him. Becky grinned and reveled in the looks of pure shock and slight disgust her classmates were giving her before continuing her story.
«Oh, yes. I walked past the teacher’s room yesterday and overheard Ms. Whisper talking to Ms. Deleger about it. He’s been sending her letters for months and she keeps them hidden in her table to read through them during slow times.» Becky wiggled her dark eyebrows and whistled through her teeth, making the whole story sound even more scandalous.
Hectic discussions erupted and the whole table started wondering about the contents of those love letters. Anya listened to the arguments, even blinking into some of the minds of her classmates, only to be met with disgusting images of the headmaster and the librarian in all sorts of situations. She slightly gagged and let the voices fade out before turning her attention back to Becky who was laughing heartily along with the others.
«Becky, you’re not telling bullshit, right?» she whispered and fought the urge to look into her best friend’s mind. It always felt like some sort of intrusion and Becky didn’t deserve that. She’d stopped reading her mind years ago when Anya’d finally gained some sort of control over her ability.
«Of course not! I could never come up with something juicy like that!» Becky protested loudly.
Fair enough, Anya thought. I can just check Ms. Whisper’s mind next time I’m at the library.
«But how can we believe you without confirmation?» A loud voice suddenly arose that made all the other students shut their mouths. Anya and Becky blinked towards the end of the table where Damian Desmond sat. He was resting his face on his hand, a challenging look etched onto his face and pointing his fork at Becky.
«As honorable students, we should always have a reputable source to confirm nasty rumors», he continued and pointed at the six Stella Stars adorning his chest to underline his statement. Ewen and Emile immediately agreed with their boss man and other students reluctantly joined in. Anya shot him a glare which he quickly deflected by focusing on Becky who was getting red with anger.
«I’m just telling you what I heard!» she hissed.
«Without proof. Which makes it no better than a lie», the Desmond youngest immediately shot back and Anya could practically see the arrogance coming off him like waves. Gods forgive her, even though they’d become something like good friends through all these years, the boy sometimes still was unbearably annoying.
«Well, I can’t just walk to her table and get the letters myself, can I!» Becky suddenly got up and sent him the nastiest glare she could muster. Damian just smirked in response. Oh, he was enjoying humiliating her way too much. Anya wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Immediately.
So she did.
«I’m gonna do it», she blurted while standing up, putting her hands onto her hips confidently. Everyone’s jaws dropped to the floor and Anya wholeheartedly enjoyed the stupefied look Damian Desmond suddenly sported. He looked like a fish on land with his mouth hanging open like that. Haha!
What?!
She’s crazy!
Anya Forger, you’ve lost your goddamn mind!
She’ll get caught no doubt!
Damn, she’s lost all of her marbles for sure.
Her classmates’ thoughts filled her head and Anya was just now starting to realize what she had brought onto herself. They were right. If she was caught going through the librarian’s stuff she’d no doubt lose all of her five hard-earned Stella Stars. No, forget the Stars. She’d get expelled without hesitation just one year before graduating. Goodbye, Eden Academy.
With lips pressed together nervously, Anya glanced at Becky who was looking back at her with so much love and respect that she almost died then and there. Oh no, she couldn’t back out right now.
«You’re her best friend! How can we believe your words?» Emile suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed the whole table. Regaining her confidence, Anya harumphed, crossing her arms before her chest and throwing her long, pink hair behind her shoulder.
«I’m going to bring you one of the letters!»
Everyone gasped.
«But you could easily forge them, Anya Forger!» Ewan chimed in and some of her classmates broke out in silent giggles. Anya started to sweat. They were right. How could anyone believe her? How humiliating this whole situa–
«That’s why I’ll go with her.» Damian’s words cut through the air like a bullet, silencing everyone once again.
The whole class turned their heads towards the black-haired boy who had stood up too, leaning onto the table and looking Anya straight in the eyes. His face was slightly red but his eyes shone with determination which made Anya’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
«Everyone’s going to believe my word», he continued and sat down again. It was so eerily silent that one could hear a needle drop to the floor. The silence lasted for exactly three seconds before all hell broke loose once again.
«Boss man! Are you crazy?! If you get caught you’ll be expelled no doubt!» Emile and Ewen cried, shaking their friend’s shoulders but Damian ignored them. Meanwhile, the other students were starting to make bets and someone even pulled out an envelope so he could gather the price money in it.
While all the other students were rambling, Anya stood stiff as a statue, still starring at Damian in disbelief. He stared back. Anya tried to peek into his mind but before she could read him, she was interrupted.
«Oh Anya, I can’t believe you’re doing this for me! Are you really sure? You really don’t have to prove anything to these idiots!» Becky suddenly appeared in front of her and Anya tore her gaze away from Damian’s and focused on her best friend. Becky had tears in her eyes and her lips were quivering. The sight made Anya’s heart warm up. A smile curled her own lips upwards and she softly bonked her forehead against her best friend’s.
«Of course I do, you’re my best friend. And if I’m going down then at least I’m taking Sy-on boy with me», Anya answered and both broke out in a fit of laughter at her words.
«Thank you, Anya», Becky said sincerely and squeezed her friend’s shoulder before turning towards the class again.
«Alright guys! Anya and Damian will prove this rumor once and for all! We will have the answers tomorrow.» Her voice boomed across the table and Anya could see an annoyed teacher starting to walk towards them across the dining hall. Everyone sat down quickly and resumed eating. As Anya lifted her fork once again, she shot another glance towards Damian who was determinedly finishing his soup.
His mind was unusually calm today.
Damian was waiting for her in the hallway at the end of the last class.
The whole rest of the day had gone by like a flurry. Anya hadn’t been able to concentrate during science and math at all and the constant glances her classmates had given her now and then hadn’t made it better. She was nervous beyond all hell and cursing her blabbering mouth. With wobbly legs, she walked towards Damian who looked way calmer than she did. A quick glance into his mind confirmed it. He was still weirdly chill about all this.
«Hi», Anya croaked out as a greeting and waved Becky goodbye who gave her a pitiful look before turning towards the dormitory. She had already promised Anya to help her afterwards with her «undercover-look».
«Are you nervous?» Damian asked and Anya couldn’t help but snort at that.
«Oh no, how could you have guessed that?» she answered with slight irony in her voice. Damian didn’t react on it. Instead, he looked at her with the same determination as before. It somehow calmed Anya that he felt so confident about their «mission».
«How should we go about this?» he asked instead and Anya exhaled a deep breath.
«I was thinking that we could meet in front of the dormitories after curfew before sneaking into the library», Anya explained and Damian nodded with approval.
«What about the key?» he asked and a smirk crept onto Anya’s lips. Oh well, she just happened to know where a spare key for the library was hidden.
«There’s a spare key hidden in the old gas-lamp right next to the entrance.» Damian’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he crossed his arms in slight disbelief.
«How do you know that?»
It was fair of him to ask her that. She couldn’t of course tell him that she’d once read Ms. Whisper’s mind years ago. The old lady was constantly worried about losing the key and getting in trouble for it. As a solution, she’d come up with the plan to hide it in the old gas-lamp next to the entrance. Not a very safe spot but no one at Eden Academy would even dare to think that someone would so unsafely hide a key like that.
«I have my sources, Sy-on boy.» Anya answered mysteriously and the pet name didn’t fail to make Damian’s face go beet-red. He avoided her gaze and bent down to pick up his schoolbag.
«A-alright, Forger. I’ll meet you at 10.30 in front of your dormitory behind the old willow tree», he sputtered and hurriedly walked away.
«Don’t be late!» he shouted before turning the corner. Anya stuck her tongue out at him but he couldn’t see it anymore.
This is such a stupid idea, Anya could hear him think in the distance and a deep sigh escaped her.
She could only agree with him.
Think like dad, Anya thought to herself as she leaned against the willow tree.
The sky above her was littered with millions of stars and not one cloud obscured the view of the half-moon shining through the leaves of the old tree. The forest around the dormitory was alive with the voices of the night. An owl was singing in the distance, cicadas and crickets were enjoying one of the last summer nights and every now and then, Anya could hear rustling coming from one of the bushes around her. A chill breeze brushed trough her braid (she had learned how to make French braids with Becky’s help) and with a slight shiver she adjusted the black turtleneck that Becky had given her along with the black cape resting on her shoulders.
Think like dad, Anya once more recalled and she tried to go through the mission in her head as her father always did. First, get to the library. Then, get the key. Afterwards, sneak into the library. Watch out for the night guard, you should hear his thoughts when he gets too close. Then, get to the librarian’s desk, find the letters, copy one, put the original back and haul ass out of there again.
Easy enough.
For a trained spy like her dad. Not for an absolute rookie in a turtleneck.
Anya sighed and put her head into her neck. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest and she fiddled with the flashlight at her belt. All of this was so unbelievably stupid. Becky had tried to talk her out of it once more and even wanted to come with her but Anya had vehemently refused. No way were they both going to be expelled for sneaking into the library. And she couldn’t back out now, not when Damian Desmond himself had agreed to come with her. She still couldn’t believe that he was risking his whole scholar career just to prove her and Becky of all people right. From Anya, a stupid stunt like this was expected. But Damian Desmond? She had to ask him about his true motives later. His mind would hopefully tell her the truth.
«Forger?»
A silent voice startled Anya and she turned around to see Damian appear behind a bush. He was breathing a bit heavily and Anya noticed that he was wearing almost the same outfit as her. Which annoyed her. Because the black turtleneck almost kind of looked good on him.
Almost. Kind of.
His bright, golden eyes caught hers and they both stood there in complete silence for a moment. She noticed that he was scanning her as well and with each second that passed, she got more nervous about it. It almost never occurred that boys and girls at Eden Academy saw each other in clothing other than the school uniform or the gym attire. It felt too casual. Like they had agreed to meet up on a date or something. Damian’s eyes fell upon her braid and she could feel the voices in his head screaming to be read.
So she did.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Oh no.
Anya immediately tuned the screaming out again. She really couldn’t bear his new-found nervousness for this mission, too. She was shaky enough already.
«Yo», Anya answered after the silence between them became too unbearable and her voice sounded way too hoarse for her liking. She cleared her throat and fully turned towards the boy who stood a head taller than her. Which was another annoying fact about him.
«Your hair», he said and Anya raised an eyebrow.
«What about it?» she asked and reached up to hold the braid between her fingers.
Braid, his mind screamed and Anya – as usual – didn’t understand what he meant. Damian seemed to notice her fumbling and went rigid for a second, his cheeks heating up.
«N-nothing. Let’s not waste time», he mumbled and brushed past her. Anya looked at his back bewildered before shrugging her shoulders, putting the hood of her cape up and following behind him. Together, they brushed through the bushes, staying low and avoiding branches and piles of crunchy, old leaves. Anya walked closely behind Damian, bumping into his back occasionally when he stopped to listen for the night guards. There were two of them on duty each night but the one they had to worry the most about was the one that frequently checked the insides of the various buildings. Anya couldn’t hear their thoughts yet so they were still in their office getting ready for their shifts.
«They’re not here, let’s get to the library quickly», Anya whispered and Damian looked at her with confusion.
«And how do you know that?» he asked with challenge in his voice and Anya really wasn’t in the mood to get into a banter with him at this moment.
«I just know. Trust me», she hissed and to her surprise, he nodded before continuing on faster this time. As they left the bushes behind, they rushed towards the outside walls of the assembly hall and followed them to the left where the library was located. The moon in the sky cast enough light onto the abandoned campus that there was no need for Anya’s flashlight yet.
This is going stupidly well, Anya thought to herself surprised. Damian peeked around the corner and the smaller girl did the same, pressing herself against him to get a good look as well. As if on cue, she could feel his whole body go stiff next to her. Confused, she looked up at him only to see him stare down at her with wide eyes. She’d never admit it to him but his golden eyes were the best feature about him. They almost looked like liquid silver in the bright light the moon cast on them and Anya was sure that he knew that he had beautiful eyes.
«What?» Anya whispered and she could see Damian’s Adam’s apple bob as he gulped. He looked towards the library again before answering.
«N-nothing. Let’s go, this is our chance.»
His hand lightly pushed at her back to indicate to her to follow him and the touch made a shiver go up her spine. The last time she had touched Damian Desmond had been in gym class months ago when she had accidentally cartwheeled into him.
Damian rushed across campus, careful not to make too loud noises on the pavement underneath his feet. Anya did the same, following him quickly and running on her tiptoes. Her cape fluttered behind her and the nervousness she had felt before slowly faded into excitement. Was this how her father felt during every mission? The constant adrenaline was addicting.
When they reached the library’s entrance, both of them were slightly out of breath. Anya couldn’t help the smile spreading across her lips and when she glanced at Damian, she was surprised to see him smiling to himself as well. A real smile. Not that annoying smirk he usually sported. Together with the moonlight casting soft shadows on him, it almost kind of made him look handsome.
Almost. Kind of.
«Alright, Ms. Forger, we’re going to need the keys», Damian whispered playfully and looked at her, the smile still on his lips. Anya snorted in response, brushing past him towards the old, Victorian gas-lamp right next to the entry. It was a bit high up, so she had to get onto her tiptoes. She fumbled around for a bit, ignoring the dust and cobwebs that had accumulated over the years. Right were the bulb connected with the cool metal of the socket, she could feel a tiny level on which some kind of box had been placed. She grabbed it and with pride swelling up in her chest she turned towards Damian, pushing the wooden box triumphantly into his face.
«Et voilà, Sy-on boy!»
The look he gave her then was one she had never seen from him before.
He sighed defeatedly, curling his lips into an even wider smile before blinking slowly to look at her again. The muscles around his eyes had softened, the colour of his iris had melted into liquid gold. He looked proud. Proud of her. Anya’s heartbeat suddenly skyrocketed and for the first time in her life, she was afraid to look into someone’s mind. She feared that the images she was going to find in his head would bring drastic changes to her life. To distract herself from his piercing gaze, Anya started to nervously fumble with the wooden box herself. It had a little clasp on the side and with a silent click! the box opened to reveal the key to the library.
«W-well, let’s see what lovey-dovey stuff Henderson writes in his free-time.»
It was almost as bright in the library as it was outside.
The moon shone through the glass roof, casting the ginormous library hall in a silvery light. Anya could easily make out the many dust bunnies flying in the air and settling onto the various reading desks. The library had been neatly tidied up. No book laid open, every reading lamp was turned off and the chairs were all where they belonged – tucked behind their respective desks. No sound could be heard other than Anya’s and Damian’s labored breathing. The pair was standing right at the small stairway that led down into the main hall. The librarian’s desk was located right at the end of the hall, in front of a big built-in cabinet made from mahogany and beautifully decorated with artistic carvings. Anya glanced towards Damian who seemed to be collecting his courage. He took a deep breath before slowly heading into the hall and walking towards the desk. Anya once again fell into step behind him. The silence that followed them made her more nervous and she still didn’t want to investigate Damian’s mind after what had happened outside the library.
So, she tried small talk.
«Kinda creepy in here at night, right?», Anya whispered and studied the thousands of books around her that seemed to stare down at her disappointedly.
«Yeah, I feel like the books are judging us», Damian replied and Anya was surprised that he had been thinking the same thing as her. They both continued on, their footsteps creating a silent echo in the big hall. They got to the librarian’s desk and this was probably the only place at Eden that was allowed to be messy. Seriously, there were papers, books, pens and ink bottles strewn around haphazardly and it looked like someone had intentionally tried to make it as hard as possible for Anya and Damian to find the letters. The pair looked at the table with slight fear in their eyes and sighed simultaneously.
«Whew, alright. I take the drawers and you the desk?» Anya suggested and Damian nodded in approval. They got to work. Anya pulled out her flashlight and threw her braid behind her shoulder whereas Damian rolled up the sleeves of his turtleneck. To her horror, the drawers were even more of a mess than the desk. There were notes, notebooks, binders, paperclips, pin tacks (ouch!) and so much more lost in there that Anya suddenly had no more determination to find the stupid love letters. She whined silently and looked up at Damian who was going through every paper and notebook, looking at them quickly before casting them aside. His brows were furrowed in concentration, a lock of raven hair falling into his eyes. The rolled-up sleeves revealed his underarms and the muscles in them that strained ever so slightly when he shifted the papers around. It kind of entranced the pink-haired girl that he was still so focused on this stupid mission. Why was he doing this? Solely for his benefit? What could he possibly gain by confirming a stupid rumor concerning the headmaster and the library lady?
«Damian», Anya asked and her use of his first name made him stop in his movement. He turned towards the smaller girl who was slowly getting to her feet.
«What is it?» he asked curiously as he put down the piece of paper he was holding. Anya bit her lips nervously.
«Why are you helping me with this?» She pointed at the desk and then at herself, not once looking away from him. Even in the silverly light she could see Damian’s face turning red. He moved his lips as if to say something but nothing came out. Anya still didn’t dare to look into his mind. Not yet.
«I– uh–», Damian started but he shook his head and pressed his eyes shut as if he couldn’t decide on what to say.
«Do you want to prove something to me? That you’re better, as always?», Anya continued and stepped a bit closer to him. His eyes shot open at her question and he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
«What? No!» he said loudly and his voice echoed in the empty hall. Both of them froze and Anya could hear the blood pumping through her ears. There was still no stranger’s thought crossing her mind. The night guard was not near yet. She returned her focus to Damian who looked equally frightened and swerved around hectically, trying to make out if someone had heard him. He was catapulted back into the situation at hand when Anya grabbed him by the shoulder. The look she gave him was fierce, determined to get the truth out of him. She wanted to know. She needed to know why Damian Desmond was helping her out.
Anya leaned into him, her chest almost brushing against his as she brought her face closer.
«Please, are you just doing this to get the praise for yourself? Answer me.»
Damian shut his eyes once again, pressing his lips together tightly. He was trapped between the desk and Anya, his fingers curling into the loose papers underneath them.
When he spoke, it merely came out as a whisper.
«No, I just had to do this with you.»
Anya blinked in surprise. But before she could say anything, Damian continued, getting louder with every word.
«You stood up for your friend when I was being a little shit once again.» He gritted his teeth as he recalled the day.
«And then Ewen and Emile started to make fun of you because of my stupid, blabbering mouth.»
He straightened his back a bit as if he was getting bolder with each sentence that managed to get past his lips. Golden eyes met Anya’s green ones and once again, she was entranced. He was so close now that Anya could smell his scent. He had showered before and smelled like pine.
«I couldn’t be an asshole once again.» He struggled with the next sentence.
«Especially not to you, Anya.» He said her name with so much softness that Anya felt like she was melting into the floor.
They stood in complete silence for a moment, still pressed against together, still looking at each other.
«Oh», was all Anya could bring past her lips.
She felt like something needed to happen now but she wasn’t sure what. Her mind was racing with so many different thoughts and all of them involved the boy in front of her. She couldn't even concentrate on peeking into his mind. There was only her and Damian, nothing could–
The door to the library suddenly opened.
It creaked so loudly that Anya nearly screamed but thankfully, Damian’s brain kicked into gears faster than hers. In a matter of seconds, he grabbed her hand, pulled her towards the cabinet, opened it, threw the shocked girl into it and jumped right after her. He carefully closed the door just in time before the light of a flashlight fell onto it. Anya immediately searched for another voice and could easily make out the thoughts of the night guard.
Haven't I locked this door before? his mind read.
Oh shit. How could she have been so distracted?
The fear of getting caught washed over Anya like a wave and she looked up at Damian who was now pressed really closely against her in the tiny cabinet. It was a wonder they’d both fit into it. Damian looked at the cabinet door with furrowed brows. One of his hands was placed next to Anya’s head against the backwall of the cabinet, with the other one he tried to shush his breathing by clamping it over his mouth. A dribble of sweat trailed down his temple towards his chin and Anya’s gaze followed it.
The night guard made his round around the library hall. His steps were echoing loudly against the walls and Anya could see the cone of light shine through the small edges of the cabinet door. She chewed her lips nervously. Oh, this had been such a stupid idea! The stuffy cabinet in combination with the night guard literally being a few steps away from them losing their academic careers made Anya's stomach turn. Mom and Dad would be so disappointed if she flunked out of Eden for something so astonishingly stupid. Anya could feel her breath becoming more labored and her chin starting to shake as the panic in her grew bigger and bigger.
Oh no, she was about to cry.
The boy in front of her seemed to sense the sorry state she was in, for he leaned down towards her, pressing his left check against her right one which made the pink-haired girl go absolutely rigid with surprise.
«Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen», he whispered so quietly against her ear that Anya wondered if she had even heard him right.
«The night guard’s just making his usual round. My dad knows him well. He’s a total knob head», Damian continued silently, succeeding in calming Anya’s nerves a bit. She gulped and nodded slightly in response, releasing a shaky breath. Damian shifted once again, both of their clothes rustling against each other and it made Anya realize how freaking close they really were to each other now. Her chest was firmly pressed against his, her hands were placed on his shoulders and her head was tucked right underneath his chin. It felt like they were slow dancing with each other.
In this position, Anya could feel almost every contour of his body. Long gone was the lanky little boy she’d known since he’d been six. Damian’s shoulders had broadened, the soft face of his had sharpened with age. All dark hair, golden eyes and broody face. Just now Anya realized how good-looking Damian Desmond was when he wasn’t busy being a goddamn asshole. Or she had just effectively ignored it until now.
She wanted to get away so badly but at the same time, she didn’t.
As always when she felt uncomfortable, Anya tried to say something to distract herself from the situation, but she knew nothing but a croak would come out of her mouth. His scent was absolutely overwhelming her and she could swear he could hear her racing heartbeat against his chest. With every ragged breath she took, she rubbed against him and it made her mind go blank for a second.
Her heart is pounding so loudly, Anya heard him think. She couldn’t keep his thoughts out when he was so, so close.
«Don’t be scared», Damian whispered and suddenly leaned his forehead against hers. Anya exhaled sharply, cursing him inwardly for suddenly being so sweet towards her.
She looks so goddamn good with that braid, his thoughts continued and Anya felt her legs wobble at the sudden change of tone in his mind.
Damian’s free hand reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her even closer so that she didn’t fall. The touch made her gasp and it sounded grotesquely loud in the small space. Horrified, Anya clamped her mouth shut. How was he so good at reading her? Her fingers slightly curled into his shoulders and she dared to blink up at him.
He was looking at her with the same look that he had given her outside the library.
Molten gold.
AnyaAnyaAnyaAnya, his mind screamed so loudly, it almost deafened her.
She was the only thing on his mind.
It drove her crazy.
Because all she could think was
DamianDamianDamianDamian.
This cabinet was going to become her coffin.
Their breaths entangled with each other and Anya could feel Damian’s fingers on her waist slowly creeping towards the small of her back. Was he going to push her closer? Anya’s whole body was preparing fireworks for that moment.
Kiss? Damian thought and Anya’s mind screamed Yes! in return as she looked at his soft lips that were oh so close to hers.
Do it, do it, do it, she thought as her eyes fluttered close and her heart nearly jumped out of her ribcage. The last thing she saw was Damian's golden eyes slowly closing as well as he leaned in, the tip of his nose brushing against hers, making all the hair on the nape of her neck stand up in excitement.
Kiss.
And just then, the library door slammed close with such a huge bang that the pair hit their head on the top of the cabinet in surprise.
«Ow!» – «Ooff!»
Both of them moaned in pain, reaching up to furiously rub their heads which turned out to be difficult in the small space. The pair glanced at each other, still in a daze and not really realizing what was going on until it hit them like a train.
The night guard was gone.
Anya had completely forgotten about him. She could hear his thoughts silently in the distance but he was definitely moving away. The whole magic from before evaporated instantly and terror creeped into Anya instead as she realized what just almost had happened.
She’d almost kissed Sy-on boy. Damian. Damian Desmond.
Damian Desmond, the bane of her existence and the most annoying asshole she’d ever known.
Damian Desmond, who she was definitely, genuinely going to crush on now, hard.
Horrified, she blinked at the boy in question looking equally terrified – not to mention completely red in the face. A glance into his mind confirmed that he felt the same as her:
FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!!!
With a last panic-filled breath, Anya collected herself as well as she could and then grabbed Damian’s shoulder to shake him out of his pitiful state. He looked like her hand was burning him.
«We gotta continue, like right now», Anya croaked. She felt endlessly tired now that the adrenaline was leaving her body quickly. Damian blinked a few times, his face turning into a somewhat normal color once again. He exhaled the deepest sigh Anya had ever seen someone exhale and then turned around to open the cabinet.
They stumbled into the cool air of the library hall and Anya both praised and cursed the Gods for the newfound space between her and the second son. In complete silence, they both dusted their clothes off and then continued to silently search the desk. After a few seconds, Anya found a red binder with a little heart drawn on it. In it were at least fifty love letters, all addressed to Ms. Whisper and signed by none other than Henry Henderson. Anya and Damian picked out one of the letters, read it quickly, almost threw up at the contents and then got to copying it. When the deed was done, Anya put the binder back into its place and then pocketed the copy. They exchanged no words during this whole ordeal.
Like on autopilot, they rushed out of the library. Anya closed the door behind her, neatly placing the key back into place behind the gas-lamp. Then they made their way back to the girl’s dormitory. There was no night-guard in sight. Everything went smoothly. As they got to the old willow-tree, both of them finally stopped. Anya nervously scraped at some browned leaves underneath her shoes before looking up at Damian. He reluctantly returned her gaze, looking equally as flustered as her.
«Well then, that was –», Anya started but didn’t know how to finish. How was it exactly? She didn’t know. She’d put it somewhere between «catastrophe» and «best night of her life».
«Yeah», Damian replied hoarsely before facing her fully.
«Well! See you tomorrow. Good night!» He almost shouted the last part and turned on his heel to rush off towards his dormitory. As he was storming away, Anya peaked into his mind once more.
I’m so stupid stupid stupid, argh! How lame was that!
And for some reason, his awkwardness eased hers and she couldn’t help the fit of giggles taking over her.
«Thank you, Sy-on boy, for helping me. Sleep well, too», Anya gasped between laughter and Damian stopped for a moment to look back at her. His cheeks flushed once more, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight before he snorted with a slight hint of his usual smirk.
«Whatever, Forger.»
Anya was greeted by Becky who’d nervously waited for her in her dorm. The black-haired girl was putting her long hair in a braid when Anya stumbled into the room, trying to put on the best pokerface she could muster.
«And? How’d it go?» Becky asked excitedly, jumping from the bed and grabbing her best friend by the shoulder. Anya’s mind was still reeling, heart still pumping but most of all, she was dead tired and needed to sleep.
«You were right. It’s juicy as all hell», was all she could muster and handed Becky the copy of the letter. She hollered loudly in response.
«Oh, this is the best day of my life! Did Damian confirm it, too?», Becky asked as Anya fell into her bed, turning off the light beforehand.
«You bet he did.»
More cheering ensued and Becky crawled into bed next to her friend, hugging her in thankfulness and praising her to all the Gods she could name. Anya fell asleep to the sounds of her best friend nearly doubling over with laughter while reading the letter.
That night, she dreamt of liquid gold and soft lips.