Page 10 of Liberty

Chapter 5

ELLIS

“You thinkhe’s hidden his secrets in books?” I asked Oak, who was scorching around the library. Out of all of us, Oak probably spent the most time with James, doing and learning who knows what. If he thought it, I would believe him; I just didn’t know why.

“He liked books,” was the only explanation he offered.

We’d been alive for what seemed like an eternity. At some point in our lives, we all grew to like books. What else were we going to do with our time? Picnics? Nah, that could be interpreted as romance, and we didn’t do that here. Not when the last solid time we tried, we ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time and became, well, vampires. I picked up a dusty copy of Gone with the Wind. Apparently, James had no problem with romance, though.

I flipped it open, shaking it to see if any loose papers were tucked into the pages. “What did you two do together all the time?”

Oak looked up and raised an eyebrow. “You jealous?”

Well, sort of. But I wouldn’t admit that to him. “Just curious.”

“Shortly after he turned us, James used his time to hone in on the magic that was keeping him alive. He was teaching me to do so as well.” He paused, a weird look crossing his face, and he swallowed hard before continuing, “I haven’t nearly perfected the craft as he has.”

“So, you’re saying you’re a witch.” I laughed.

“I’m saying I’m in tune with the elements that surround me.” He tilted his head. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Sterling and I both asked together.

“Like I’m about to hurl.”

His hand went to his stomach, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think he might. But being dead had its advantages. Not many, but a few. One being that sickness didn’t attach itself to us. Flu? Nope. Smallpox? Dodged that bullet. Stomachaches? Not in two hundred years.

“Maybe you drank a bad batch of blood bank sludge,” Sterling teased.

It’s true. Blood bank blood is disgusting. It’s hard to stomach. But it’s better than having no scruples at all when it comes to tearing into a person’s flesh and drinking them down. I opened my mouth, about to defend Oak just to spite Sterling, when the most intense wave of nausea swept through me. I leaned against the small table next to me, putting my weight on it.

“Whoa.” What the fuck was that?

“Did you pansies drink from the same . . . fuck.” Sterling held his stomach like a wave had suddenly hit him as well.

I breathed through my mouth until the wave passed, then looked up. “What the hell was that?”

“Yeah, what the hell was that?” Sterling and I were both looking at Oak like this was somehow his fault, when in reality, he was just as confused as us.

“I don’t know.” When we didn’t stop glaring, he shouted, “I said I don’t fucking know.”

“Maybe it’s this room? Or this house. We need to leave this house,” Sterling proclaimed, and I thought that was actually clever of him. Using the excuse of a curse to get the house to let him leave.

I started feeling queasy again, so I walked to the window and pulled it open, letting in a burst of fresh air. “I doubt James would curse us.”

The queasiness grew in intensity. I fucking did not miss this part of being human. Oak’s grip on the book in his hand was iron, his fingers denting the hard antique cover, leaving imprints that I knew would never go away.

“I need to go,” he announced, sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Where? I’m coming.” Sterling was already heading to the door even before Oak moved.

“I-I don’t know. I have to leave. That’s all I know.” He blinked a few times as if he himself was trying to process the information. “Something is wrong with the girl.”

“What girl?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

Sterling paused in the doorway. “You’re not making any sense.”