The Deceiver | The Magicians

Chapter 2

Two | A New Adventure

Quentin and Lilly strolled, arms linked together, down the busy streets towards the library. Lilly could tell that Quentin was quite the awkward fellow but he was sweet. With a good amount of coaxing, Lilly was able to bring him out of his shell. It helped that the two had their love for Fillory in common. Something about the book caused a spark to ignite in Quentin's eyes and Lilly had no doubt that she was in the presence of the biggest super fan in existence. 

Quentin told her about the collection of first edition books he had gathered throughout the years, voicing his indignation that he had found one at a garage sale, thrown into a box with a bunch of junk. Lilly had shared in his horror, stating that the books should be in a museum not someone's trash. The two could barely contain their excitement at the possibility that the manuscript Quentin had just acquired was, in fact, genuine. They decided to stop for coffee on the way, sensing that it would be a long day of research.

"It doesn't make sense though," Quentin said while pulling open the shop's door, "Why would he leave this for me? I never even met the guy!" He had a point and Lilly herself had trouble putting the pieces together as to why a total stranger would give Quentin an extremely valuable lost manuscript. 

"Maybe he stalked you on social media?" Lilly suggested only half joking. She had come up blank with explanations.

"I wrote my admissions essay on Fillory. Maybe he knew I would like it?" 

"Why would he give it to a random guy he had never met before? That's not the kind of thing you give someone as a welcome gift to Yale." They walked up the counter ready to place their orders. Quentin ordered straight black coffee, something that didn't surprise her in the slightest. Lilly settled on a cappuccino, deciding against the fancy drinks they offered in favor of something simpler. 

They both paid for their drinks, shuffling off to the side to wait for their orders. "I just don't get it." Lilly continued, picking up where they left off, "If it isn't authentic, then he gave you a random manuscript for some unknown reason. If it is, then why the hell would he give it to you of all people?" 

"I don't know, maybe there is some sort of explanation in the manuscript itself." 

"Maybe, we will have to take a closer look once we get to the library." Quentin nodded in agreement lost in thought. 

"Lilly! Quentin!" The Barista called out to the occupants of the shop, placing their orders on the counter. They both grabbed their cups and rushed out the door, not wanting to waste any time. 

"So," Lilly said making conversation as they continued their trek to the library "Where did you go to college?" 

"Columbia, you?" 

"Same actually. I'm surprised we never met."

"Oh well, I was never really a social butterfly. I only went to a few parties the whole time I was there and Julia had to drag me." Lilly laughed, not at all surprised by this bit of information. 

The trip to the library went by fast with the two bonding over their common interests and love for literature. When they arrived they quickly claimed a table for their research. The building reminded Lilly of an old church. The walls were made of stone and ornate stained-glass windows cast a glow of blue light to stream through. The thick shelves filled the building, barely leaving room for the assorted tables. 

Lilly went to grab any books that might have mentioned a potential sixth book, while Quentin took a closer look at the manuscript. The two worked vigorously trying to gain any information that might authenticate the text in front of them to no avail. There was no mention of a sixth book anywhere and nothing in the manuscript itself to suggest its legitimacy.

"I might be able to contact my literature professor from Columbia, he might have an idea as to how we can validate this." Quentin nodded, still flipping through the pages, he paused to look up at her between his page turning.

"I'm surprised you are so interested in this," he said in his monotone voice, "Julia is

always yelling at me to leave this all behind and move on with my life and no offence, but you don't really seem the type." Lilly looked up from the book she was reading, studying him for a moment before going to answer.

"These books were a big part of my childhood and I think they are for all ages not just kids. The writing is absolutely magnificent. There is a balance you need to find between leaving it all behind and keeping the child in you alive at the same time." She smiled at him as he listened to her answer. "In my opinion, if you throw the things you love away, just because you are getting older, it takes all the magic out of life, don't you think? Find that balance Quentin, and no one can ever tell you you're wrong."

The afternoon passed in a flash, the sun disappearing behind the sea of tall buildings. Quentin had left a minute before, after exchanging numbers and promising to meet again tomorrow to continue their mission. The events of the day all seemed to blur in Lilly's mind and despite finding a dead body, she would consider it a good day because of the monumental discovery she and Quentin had made. 

Lilly had decided to stay a little longer in order to continue her research. Quentin had taken the manuscript with him, seeing that the dead man had left it to him and not her, but from what she knew of him, she had no doubt in her mind that he would protect that pile of papers with his life if it came to it. The two hadn't found any real evidence as to the validity of the manuscript, but through reading some of the text, all signs pointed towards it being authentic. 

Slamming what seemed like the thousandth book she had looked at tonight shut on the table, she stood up to continue combing the library for any mention of Fillory or its author. Her fingertips brushed along the varying books as she looked, tapping her leg with the other hand impatiently. She finally turned the corner into another isle spotting an autobiography on the author that she couldn't believe she missed in her earlier search. Grasping the book, she pulled it from the shelf before turning to head back to her work station. 

She gasped when she turned to see the line of shelves had disappeared from behind her and were replaced by a sitting area and a roaring fire. Through further inspection she could tell that this was a completely different library that the one she had pulled the book from. Her heart beat in her chest and her mind worked to find some logical explanation for all this. She was definitely not in Kansas anymore.

"Hello?" she called, hoping for a response and simultaneously dreading one.

"Lilly Cole, right?" Lilly whipped around to face the previously empty sitting area, seeing that one of the large armchairs was now occupied by a tan, Brunette girl, wearing a magenta top and black studded shorts. The unnamed girl grinned mischievously at Lilly making her slightly worried.

"Uh...Yes." Lilly scanned the room for any other surprise guests but came up short. 

"Where am I? And who are you?" The girl stood from the chair walking towards her.

"My name is Margo and you are at Brakebills University sweetie. Now follow me we don't want you to be late, do we?" She flashed a quick smile that promised trouble and began to walk towards what Lilly assumed was the exit, Margo's heels clicked loudly on the wood floors, echoing throughout the old library. 

"Sorry, but where are we going?"

"You, my dear, have been offered a preliminary exam for entry into the graduate program."

"What graduate program? I didn't even apply, I've never heard of this school!" Margo just kept walking, and Lilly followed, not wanting to be left alone in this unfamiliar place. She was lead across a pristinely cut lawn, into another building. This structure was much newer than the library with modern furniture and floor to ceiling windows. Margo's sky-high heels clicked loudly against the tile floors as they made their way past the many windows. Margo's shoe choice in no way hindered her speed as Lilly found it difficult to keep up with the dark-haired girl. 

They finally reached a set of large double doors and Margo silently pushed them open, motioning for Lilly to enter. She moved hesitantly towards the room, uncertain of the situation. She didn't get a chance to back up because Margo gave her a firm shove into the room, crowded with people all around her age. The room was set up with rows of long tables, seemingly for the supposed test she was to take. A large banner with Brakebills University printed in bold letters hung behind an African American man who stood on a stage at the front of the room. 

She looked around, still confused at how she actually got there, everyone else looked like they knew what was happening. Am I going insane? She thought, scanning her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. It looked like a regular old testing room. Lilly's head spun in confusion at the situation as she slowly inched further into the crowded space. People were beginning to take their seats in the test room and Lilly quickly shuffled over to the nearest desk in order to blend in with the rest of the room. She was extremely freaked out by the fact that no one else was freaking out. The safest thing to do was to keep a low profile until she could figure out what was going on. 

She sat next to a girl with curly magenta hair and perfect caramel colored skin that practically glowed. She was wearing all black which made the color of her hair stand out even more. The girl turned upon hearing Lilly sit next to her, smiling politely.

"Hi," the girl greeted "I'm Dani" she held out her hand and Lilly happily shook it. Relieved at the opportunity to ask her burning questions to someone other than Margo, who was less than forthcoming with information.

"Lilly," glancing around the room at the many other test takers she noticed that they seemed to be the only people interacting. "Do you know what's going on?" Lilly whispered to her companion.

"We're taking the entrance exam for Brakebills" Dani told her with a confused expression on her face like she didn't understand the question. Maybe Lilly was going crazy, after all, she seemed to be the only one that didn't know how she had gotten here. Dani's face had changed from confusion, to realization.

"Oh! Sorry, you must be one of the muggle bo--" she was suddenly cut off by a booming, authoritative voice.

"No talking please!" The man Lilly had seen standing at the front of the room was looking straight at them with narrowed eyes. Her cheeks turned red and Dani shrank back into her chair. After a moment the man continued to gaze around the room, as if her was searching for someone in particular. Dani turned in her seat once again to face her, mouthing 'Talk later' before facing the front again. It was a few more moments of sitting in silence before the sound of the door in the far back corner of the testing room was flung open and the sound of the same man who had yelled and her and Dani moments before barked out,

"Late!" Lilly craned her neck to see the newcomer but there were too many heads in the way so she was forced to give up. "Be seated." The last few stragglers quickly found their spots, too afraid of the man to risk being apprehended. "Welcome. You may address me as Dean." The Dean began to stroll across the stage with his hands tucked into the pockets of his grey dress pants. "I know you have questions..." Lilly's small hand shot up with the opportunity to finally know what was going on. "And they will be answered in time..." The Dean looked directly at her, raising his brow, his eyes seemed to bore into her. Lilly, slowly and embarrassingly, let her raised hand fall to her side. He turned away to continue his walk across the raised platform. "Now your only job is to pass the examination before you." 

Lilly glanced down at the light blue packet in front of her. The paper was adorned with the Brakebills crest, beneath it the words, 'Examination,' and beneath that, 'Blue Book'. The Dean reached towards a large hourglass readily available on a table beside him and flipped it over, announcing the start of the exam. Lilly flipped open her test, knowing the only way out of this, was through. 

The first page showed a complicated math problem and asked her to explain why it was true or false. She was only half way through the problem when the ink itself seemed to dissolve into the paper and a new problem replaced it. Lilly let out a small gasp, looking around at the other test takers only to see that they were all deep in thought. She really was crazy. Glancing back at her paper she read the next question. Name the following hand positions, it said, above a group of drawings, all displaying various painful looking hand positions that she had never seen before. She had taken a few classes in American sign language and was actually quite good, so the positions should have come to her in an instant, but these were completely foreign to her. She began to write down whatever words the positions most resembled. She ended up with the most random mix of words imaginable but before she could take a second look, the question changed again, materializing another math problem. 

Math had always been her worst subject, but somehow, she managed to solve the jumble of numbers before the page changed again. She was able to answer the literature questions with little to no problem, making her feel slightly more confident in the outcome of the exam. The rest of the test passed by rather quickly, mostly absurd questions like, How many windows are in New York? she had just barely finished the last question when the Dean announced,

"Pencils down everyone! Please bring your tests to the front of the room where you will be given your next instructions." Lilly stood from her chair, letting out a sigh of relief that the torture that she had just gone through was over. Dani turned, giving her a wink and a small smile before moving towards the front of the room. Lilly gathered up her test and had begun to follow but suddenly slammed into a hard chest. Her booklet was knocked from her grasp, landing with a thud on the floor. Luckily only a few people took notice, she already had enough embarrassment today.

"I am so sorry." Lilly said to whoever she had bumped into, not yet seeing who it was.

"Watch where you're going Barbie." a deep voice said from above her, moving on almost as quickly as he had come. Lilly stood seeing a guy of most likely Indian decent swiftly making his way towards the front of the room. She would have found him attractive if he didn't have such a terrible personality. Letting out a huff of annoyance, Lilly moved to the front of the room along with everyone else. 

She approached a long row of tables, holding boxes for them to place their exams in. She stood in front of a middle-aged woman with straight blonde hair, who handed her a slip of paper that resembled a tarot card.

"Please report to this next room for your final examination." Lilly quickly shuffled off to the side to read her card. Building A, Room 104, it read making her wonder how she would find the place.

"Jules." Lilly turned at the sound of a familiar voice to see a guy rush across the room to embrace a girl. Once they pulled apart Lilly felt a wave of relief to see her new-found friends. Julia and Quentin stood close together whispering to each other frantically. Lilly quickly made her way over to them and once Quentin saw her, he uncharacteristically wrapped her in tight hug. "Thank god you're here too."

"Do you guys know what's going on? I have no idea how I even got here!" Lilly whisper yelled to the two, glad there was finally someone who would listen to her.

"No, I-" Julia began but was cut off by the scary voice of Dean.

"Stop talking please. Stay focused." Lilly sent an S.O.S signal with her eyes and the others reciprocated before splitting off to find their next rooms.