Page 18 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
He nodded.
“I guess I can hope this person was an amateur or a screw-up.”
Grant winced and inclined his head to one side.
“No?”
“No, not really. This was the same person who predicted that Ferdinand’s assassination would spark World War I.”
“Oh, great!”
“The likelihood that what he wrote will come to pass is high, but that still doesn’t mean it refers to you. Why don’t you go back to your old room and visit with Jenna? I’ll send someone to replace her at the door. You can then read the prophecy, sleep on it, and decide what to do in the morning. I will make a reservation for you right away though, to ensure you don’t experience any further delays getting back home. Sounds good?”
No, it didn’t sound good. It felt like I’d been handed over a ticking bomb. I figured if I didn’t read the prophecy and just left in the morning, it would account for exercising my free will and proving that it wasn’t about me.
“All right.” I nodded and stood, tucking the book under my arm.
Grant opened his mouth as if he wanted to say more, but then he shut it, his perfect teeth clicking with finality.
I left his office, my feet dragging, my mind reeling, thinking about the sudden way my life had turned on its head. Just a few hours ago, I’d been on the path to a completely different life, and now the future I’d turned my back on was staring me right in the face again.
Witchlights!
Why was I presented with this decision again? And was there a way to figure out the right thing to do?
7
AfterleavingGrant’soffice,I passed through the deserted corridors, fondly remembering the short period I’d spent between these walls. When I got to the common room, I stopped in front of the fireplace and stared up at Konrad Striker’s portrait.
“What would you do?”
The jovial-looking man stared back at me. He wore 1700s attire and had powdered hair like George Washington. I laughed to myself after I listened to the silence for a long moment. He was entirely the wrong person to ask. Even if he could answer, I knew what he would do. He was the greatest demon hunter of all time. He wouldn’t cower. He wouldn’t hesitate. He would jump into action, holding the Queller high above his head.
Turning away from the portrait, I glanced over at the large sofa that lay in front of the fireplace. Memories of Drevan kissing me and lying on top of me assaulted my mind. A flush raked over me just at the thought of his hands roaming over my body.
Disgusted, I marched out of the common room and headed for the dormitory area. A few students seemed to be up judging by the light under their door, probably burning the midnight oil for some test or another. When I reached the door to my old room, I felt a pang of longing for that hectic life of roommates, common showers, cafeteria meals, and hope for a brighter future. I hadn’t really had a chance to have that college experience everyone kept talking about. I had squandered it and missed out on so much.
If I had a chance to do it over again, I would do so many things differently.
You do have another chance, you idiot, my smartass self piped in.
I knocked lightly on the door, not expecting an answer since I doubted Jenna had made it upstairs yet. When no one answered, I turned the knob and found the door unlocked. I walked into the small space, my eyes roving over the small closet, narrow bed, bookshelf, and desk on one side, and their mirror image on the other.
The left side, which had been mine, was bare: no sheets on the bed, no books on the shelf, no mess on the desk, just the ghost of the life I’d renounced. Jenna’s side, on the other hand, was decorated to the hilt. The Halloween theme had been replaced with a fall and Thanksgiving one, full with the image of a turkey dressed like a pilgrim and orange and red leaves hanging from the ceiling from thin threads. I smiled to myself, finding the quirk that I had once thought annoying endearing instead.
Placing the thick tome on the bare desk, I read its title for the first time.
Prognostication Encyclopedia.
I opened the thick lid and turned a few pages until I found the table of contents. The pages were thick like parchment and printed in an old-fashioned font. I ran my finger down the different topics, reading each one carefully, as if afraid to find the one that related to me.
The door opened abruptly, and Jenna stormed in and wrapped me in another tight hug. As quickly as her arms wrapped around me, they retreated, leaving me a bit off balance.
“Sorry,” she said apologetically, “that was… dunno… I guess I just missed you more than I’d realized.”
My smile felt awkward. “I… I missed you too. I thought about you a lot and wondered what you were doing.”
“It’s been… crazy. I’ve spent almost every single minute studying and trying to get better in Quelling class.”
