The Books
971 Words
Inside the technical wing of the mansion, giant holographic screens floated across the room while defense systems rotated slowly in the air.
Several experts sat around a glowing table studying projections.
T.L stood before them calmly.
“…and from the west wing alone,” she explained confidently, “I can enter your defense system in twenty-five different ways.”
The room became silent.
One of the men stared at her in disbelief.
Another quickly looked back at the holographic blueprint she had completely broken down within minutes.
The head of the technical wing slowly looked toward Madam Seraphine.
“What do you think?” Madam Seraphine asked calmly.
The man shook his head slowly.
“I think…”
He looked back at T.L.
“…I think we need someone like this here.”
Another expert nodded immediately.
“She has extremely high intelligence.”
“She noticed flaws we never even saw,” another muttered.
The head of the department folded his arms.
“With proper training, she could become one of the best minds in this mansion.”
Madam Seraphine kept staring at T.L thoughtfully.
The man beside her noticed.
“You’re relentless on this one.”
Madam Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“There’s just something special about her…”
She paused softly.
“…that I cannot figure out yet.”
T.L looked between all of them awkwardly.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Madam Seraphine suddenly smiled faintly.
“No.”
She stood up slowly.
“This is where you will work.”
T.L’s eyes widened slightly.
“Really?”
Madam Seraphine nodded.
“But for now… you can go and join the others.”
T.L smiled.
“Okay.”
She turned and walked out of the technical wing.
Madam Seraphine watched her leave silently.
The head of the department followed her gaze.
“You suspect something about her.”
Madam Seraphine stayed quiet for a moment.
Then she spoke softly.
“I don’t know what it is yet…”
Her expression became thoughtful.
“But that girl is not ordinary.”
—
T.L walked into the sitting room and looked around.
“Bianca?”
“Sophie?”
“Gabriel?”
“Where are you guys?”
Sophie’s voice echoed from another room.
“We are in our study room!”
T.L blinked.
“What…”
She muttered to herself.
“You guys have a study room?”
Suddenly Sophie appeared from the hallway and grabbed T.L’s wrist.
“Come on, let’s go.”
T.L laughed while following her.
“You guys actually have a study room?”
“Yes!” Sophie said proudly.
Both of them entered the room while the others waited inside.
T.L immediately looked around.
Shelves filled with books covered almost every wall.
A large sitting table stood at the center for studying.
T.L’s eyes widened.
“Woah…”
She slowly turned around.
“This is a library.”
Bianca, who was already sitting down, smirked.
“Yeah… we know.”
Gabriel laughed.
“We just like calling it a study room.”
“Because we read books here,” Sophie added proudly.
Nonke suddenly looked offended.
“Wait.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Why didn’t you shout my name?”
T.L blinked in confusion.
“Excuse me?”
Nonke pointed at himself dramatically.
“You shouted Bianca’s name. You shouted Gabriel’s name. You shouted Sophie’s name…”
He folded his arms.
“But me? Nothing.”
T.L burst into laughter.
Gwen calmly raised her hand.
“I too, Nonke.”
Everyone looked at her.
“She didn’t shout my name either.”
Gwen shrugged casually.
“And heaven did not fall.”
The room exploded with laughter.
Gabriel pointed at Nonke while laughing loudly.
“Man… you are down, bro.”
“Shut up,” Nonke muttered.
Even T.L laughed harder.
Then she slowly looked around the shelves again.
“So what books are here?”
Sophie answered immediately.
“Well… some books are about learning how to master our powers.”
T.L nodded slowly.
“And some?”
Bianca replied,
“Are just ordinary books Madam Seraphine likes to keep.”
T.L’s eyes moved across the shelves until she noticed two old books sitting separately.
They looked ancient.
Dust covered them.
T.L pointed.
“What about these ones?”
Immediately she reached out and touched them.
ZZZZZT!
T.L suddenly gasped sharply.
Her body jerked slightly as though electricity had rushed through her.
She immediately pulled her hand back.
Everyone noticed.
Bianca stood up slightly.
“T.L… are you okay?”
T.L quickly turned back to them.
“Yeah… yeah I’m fine.”
She forced a laugh.
“Are your books enchanted or something?”
Sophie laughed loudly.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Enchanted books? Really?” Gabriel added.
Everyone laughed.
Including T.L.
Then as T.L started walking—
She suddenly staggered slightly like she was about to fall.
Nonke immediately frowned.
“T.L… are you sure you’re okay?”
T.L steadied herself.
“I’m fine.”
She blinked slowly.
“Where were we?”
Bianca leaned back in her chair.
“Okay… so we each are going to read one book from the shelf.”
She pointed around.
“And tomorrow we explain the concept to Madam Seraphine.”
T.L rubbed her eyes slowly.
Her vision started blurring slightly.
“Funny…” she muttered quietly.
Bianca frowned immediately.
“It is not funny, T.L.”
She pointed seriously at the shelves.
“Madam Seraphine is very serious on us.”
Suddenly—
THUD!
T.L collapsed hard onto the floor.
Bianca immediately stopped talking.
Everyone panicked instantly.
“T.L?!”
Nonke and Sophie rushed toward her immediately.
They knelt beside her quickly.
“T.L!”
Sophie gently slapped her cheek.
“T.L… wake up…”
Nonke panicked beside her.
“T.L!”
- Writer
