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"I can tell what you're thinking." Thomas brushes a thumb against my cheek.
My traitorous eyes flutter close, loving his touch and the comfort it's bringing despite the circumstances. I snap them back open, determined not to be seduced into this.
"I'm not thinking anything," I counter.
"You are. You're wondering what you've got yourself into, how you let your friends take this risk, and if it's all worth it."
"Well, ah...yes. Okay." I pull back from him and drop the silk onto one of the chairs.
"It's not hard to work out, Mona. You're understandably worried. But all of us know what's on the line. You're not forcing us into doing something we don't want to..."
His words are interrupted by the shriek of the stone. We exchange worried looks. Is someone coming in?
I pull my phone from my pocket, and shake my head when I don't see a text from Daphne. She'd warn us if she's coming, mostly to avoid the panic we're both now feeling.
Thomas grabs the goblets and sticks them back into the box, while I gather up the silk. He gestures to a little alcove, but I know it's best if we don't bring the things with us. I shove the bag under the table
, hoping whoever is coming doesn't notice it's there.
He does the same with his box and pulls me in the direction of the alcove. Luckily, there's a curtain to the side that we can pull across to hide once we're inside.
Thomas pushes me against the wall, making me even more aware of the proximity of his body than before. His heart beats as fast as mine, the adrenaline of the situation building up within us. He draws the curtain close, sealing us off from immediate sight. So long as we don't make a noise, or the person on the other side isn't averse to closed drapes, we should remain undiscovered.
I don't know what will happen if someone catches us here. In theory, just being here doesn't break any rules because it's not in there. Though I imagine there is something about a teaching assistant spending alone time with a student in a very crowded space.
Yes. Probably best if we don't get caught. Thomas has a lot at risk if we do, especially when we both know I won't get more than a slap on the wrist.
"Where are the books?" Thomas whispers.
"In my room," I respond, just as quietly.
He nods. "Can you ask Daphne to make sure they're still there?"
"She's still in class." But even so, I'm pulling out my phone to text her, glad that we've moved past the era of loud keys that announce when someone is sending a text. Touch screens are much better for stealthy communication.
"We need to know no one's found them."
"You think that's why they're here?" Dread curls in the pit of my stomach. Without thinking about it, I grasp hold of Thomas' shirt and twist it into a little ball from my nerves.
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence."
He's only saying it to help keep me calm, but I appreciate it all the same.
"Are you sure about what you saw, Agatha?" Miss Feathertop's voice comes into the library.
Oh no. That's not good. We're not nameless faces to her.
Thomas slips his arm around me, pulling me closer. He's peeking through the gap between the curtain and the entrance to our little alcove, but I'm not so sure I can be that brave.
"Absolutely. I'm not sure what she's up to, but that girl is trouble," a second woman, probably Agatha, replies.
My eyes widen. Are they talking about me?
"I tried to tell the dean that we shouldn't be letting someone like that into Grimalkin in the first place, but he was having none of it. He said her test scores were more than high enough, and he couldn't say yes to the brother if he said no to her." Feathertop sounds agitated, like she's taking it as a personal affront that the dean said no to her.
It probably isn't. I imagine he says no to a lot of people.
"There might be more of them here," Agatha points out. "You can't tell them apart from anything else."
