Adam slowed just a step past the entrance, the quiet of the library settling over him like a thin, invisible weight. It was always like this in here, the kind of silence that wasn't empty but full, layered with the faint rustle of pages, the distant tapping of keys, the soft hum of the ventilation system threading through everything. Cool air brushed against his skin, carrying the dry, papery scent of old books mixed with something cleaner, sharper, like polished wood and dust that had been disturbed too many times to ever fully settle again.
Bryce walked a few steps ahead before turning back, his hands shoved loosely into his pockets, his expression casual but not entirely unobservant. "So," he said, glancing at Adam's face for a beat longer than usual, "you coming, or you just gonna stand there looking like you're about to file a lawsuit?"
Adam huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head slightly as he stepped forward. "Nah," he said, his voice low enough to blend into the quiet around them. "There's something I gotta check first."
Bryce slowed, just a fraction. Not enough to make it obvious, but enough for Adam to catch it. His eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity flickering there before he shrugged it off like it wasn't worth digging into right now. "Aight," he said, nodding toward the lower section of the library. "I'll be at the tables near the windows. Don't run away now."
Adam nodded. "Yeah. I'll be there."
Bryce held his gaze for half a second longer, like he was trying to read something Adam wasn't saying, then turned and headed down toward the study terraces, his figure gradually swallowed by the open space beyond the railing.
Adam watched him go, just long enough to make sure he wasn't looking back.
Then he turned.
And stepped into the shelves.
The shift was immediate.
The openness of the library disappeared behind him, replaced by narrow aisles and towering shelves that seemed to stretch higher the deeper he went. The light dimmed slightly here, softened by the rows of books that blocked the overhead fixtures, leaving everything in a muted glow that made it feel like time moved slower between these walls.
He passed the librarian's desk.
She looked up.
Not fully, not in a way that would draw attention, but enough for him to feel it. That same look as before. Curious. Measuring. Like she wasn't just seeing him, but noticing something about him.
Adam glanced at her, just for a second, then looked away and kept walking.
Why does she keep doing that?
The thought lingered, but didn't stay long.
Because something else took its place.
Anissa.
The memory of her standing here, pulling that book out like it was nothing, like she hadn't just navigated an entire shelf of unlabeled, ancient texts without even hesitating.
i wonder where they are?
He hadn't seen the triplets all weekend. Not once. Not in the halls, not outside, not anywhere they'd normally be.
It sat wrong with him.
But not wrong enough to stop what he was doing now.
The shelf came into view slowly, like something he recognized before he fully saw it. Tucked slightly off from the main flow of the aisles, older than the others, heavier somehow. The books lining it looked… different. Some worn down to the spine, others completely blank, no titles, no markings, nothing to tell you what they held inside.
Adam stepped closer, his fingers brushing lightly against the edge of one book, then another.
He pulled one out.
Blank.
Another.
Nothing.
He moved along the shelf, scanning, checking, pulling books at random and flipping them open just enough to see if anything stood out. Some were filled with text he couldn't read, symbols and scripts that made no sense to him. Others looked like they hadn't been touched in years, the pages stiff, the smell of aged paper stronger the deeper he went.
Most of them made him wonder what books like that were doing in a school library in the first place, but he digressed
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The quiet started to press in on him, the monotony of it grinding against his patience as he moved from one section to another, finding nothing, learning nothing.
"This is gonna take forever," he muttered under his breath, sliding another book back into place.
His shoulders tensed slightly as he stepped back, looking along the length of the shelf. It stretched on, longer than he remembered, like it had grown since the last time he was here.
I don't even know what I'm looking for.
The frustration built slowly, creeping up on him in a way he couldn't quite shake.
Until—
A memory cut through it.
Clear and sharp.
Anissa's voice.
"If you got your brain out of the gutter, you'd realize you can smell what you're looking for."
Adam blinked.
Right.
He exhaled slowly, running a hand over the back of his neck as he glanced around the empty aisle.
"Smell a book…" he muttered, almost scoffing at himself.
It sounded ridiculous. Matter of fact, it was ridiculous.
But then again…
So was everything else that had happened to him lately.
His jaw tightened slightly as he turned back to the shelf.
"…Alright."
He closed his eyes.
At first, nothing changed.
Just the same mix of scents, paper, dust, wood, faint traces of people who had passed through earlier in the day. It all blurred together into something useless, too much information without any way to separate it.
Adam frowned slightly.
Focus.
He took a slow breath in.
Then out.
Again.
In.
Out.
He forced himself to slow down, to stop trying to find something and instead just… let it come to him.
The noise started to thin.
Layer by layer.
The sharper scents faded first.
Then the background ones.
Until—
Something stayed.
Faint. And most importantly, familiar.
His brow furrowed slightly as he leaned into it, not physically, but mentally, like he was trying to reach toward it without moving.
What is that…?
He couldn't name it.
Couldn't describe it.
But it felt known.
Warm.
Soft.
Like something that lingered in memory more than in reality.
And then it clicked.
The moment he focused on it, it sharpened.
Not stronger, but clearer, like it had been there the whole time and he just hadn't been paying attention.
Adam's eyes opened slowly.
"…Okay."
He turned his head slightly.
Then his body.
Following it.
Each step felt more certain than the last, like something deep inside him already knew where to go and he was just catching up to it. The scent guided him, subtle but consistent, pulling him through the maze of shelves without hesitation.
It was almost too easy.
Like walking into a kitchen where cookies had just been baked, the smell leading you straight to them even if you were blindfolded.
Adam's lips pressed together, a small, almost disbelieving smile tugging at the edge.
No way this is actually working…
He slowed as the scent concentrated.
Stronger and closer.
A hotspot.
He stopped in front of a cluster of books, his hand hovering for a moment before reaching out. Instinct took over as he pulled one out and brought it closer. He sniffed it lightly and and there it was.
That same scent.
Certain.
"…Found you."
He opened the book, flipping through the pages quickly as he remembered which book this was. The very same one Anissa had pulled out that day, he was happy he remembered its scent. It served to reassure him that this scent thing was possible.
He skimmed through the pages: werewolves, history, illustrations.
Not what he was looking for, but close enough to confirm he was in the right place.
He glanced back toward the front of the library.
The librarian was still there.
But she wasn't watching him anymore.
If anything, she looked… satisfied.
Like something had been confirmed.
Adam frowned slightly, but didn't dwell on it.
Not now.
He turned back to the shelf, moving faster this time, pulling books, skimming through them, searching for anything that stood out. His focus narrowed, everything else fading into the background as he worked through the section with a precision he didn't even realize he had.
One book.
Then another.
Then—
He stopped.
A word.
Faint, but there.
Blood Right.
His breath caught slightly as his fingers tightened around the page.
"…No way…"
He leaned in closer, eyes scanning the text, barely processing the words as the significance of it settled in.
This is it.
A quiet sense of satisfaction spread through him, small but real, like something had finally gone right for once.
Anissa would've said something slick right now…
The thought made him shake his head lightly as he closed the book.
Still…
She'd be impressed.
Adam stepped out from the shelves, the open space of the library coming back into view as he headed toward the study area.
He didn't get far.
Bryce was already walking toward him.
Fast.
"Yo," Bryce said, slightly out of breath, his phone in his hand. "I gotta take this. It's… important. Might have to step out."
Adam raised a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Important, huh? What, you closing deals now?"
Bryce laughed. "Man, don't start."
Adam nudged the book slightly. "Guess it runs in the family. True capitalist in the making."
Bryce shook his head, still smiling, then glanced down at the book in Adam's hand.
"What you got there?"
Adam didn't hesitate this time.
"Just some old history stuff," he said, casual, almost dismissive.
Bryce studied him for a second.
Too sharp.
Too aware.
Then he exhaled and nodded. "Alright. I'll catch you later."
"Yeah."
Bryce turned and headed out, already answering his phone as he walked.
Adam watched him go, the smile fading slightly.
I need to lie better.
Bryce wasn't the kind of person you could keep things from for long.
And Adam wasn't ready for that conversation.
Not yet.
He turned and took a step toward the study area.
And froze.
It hit him all at once.
A feeling.
Heavy.
Cold.
Not physical, but real enough to make his skin tighten, the hairs on the back of his neck rising instantly.
Adam's breath slowed.
"…What is that…?"
He looked around.
Nothing.
No one reacted.
Students sat at their tables, focused on their work, completely unaware.
But he felt it.
Clear as day.
Undeniable.
Something was there.
He turned slowly toward the shelves on the left side of the library.
The wall. That same spot.
Again.
This isn't the first time i'm sensing this…
His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at it, his chest tightening in a way he couldn't explain.
Every time I'm here… it's from there.
The feeling pulsed faintly, like a distant echo of something stronger, something hidden just out of reach. But...
Why is this feeling familiar? Like I've felt it not too long ago and not in the library either?
He wondered trying to piece together pieces that didn't want to stick or come together. He just couldn't place it.
Not fully at the very least.
Not consciously.
But his body remembered.
His instincts remembered.
And they didn't like it.
Adam took a slow step closer to the wall.
The shelves looked normal.
Books like any other.
Nothing out of place.
But behind them…
Something wasn't right.
He could feel it.
Like something was on the other side.
Waiting.
Watching.
Calling to him in a way that made his chest tighten.
"…What are you…?"
The question barely left his lips.
But it lingered.
Because whatever was behind that wall…
Wasn't just a feeling.
And for the first time since he stepped into the library—
Adam wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.