The story is written from Mark's Point of View.
I didn't know what else to do.
So I ran.
I ran as fast and as far as my strong legs would take me. It was dark, but the stars were twinkling in the sky like a million diamonds, lighting and guiding my way. I remember them, those brilliant stars.
I was clutching a book, wrapped in a dark, heavy cloth and tied up with a thin bit of leather. The book felt heavy as I cradled it in my arm. The rain had stopped not too long ago, so the pavement was wet and full of puddles. I didn't care that my shoes were getting soaked, I just needed to get out of there.
I got into my car and sped off, having no intention of going home. Once I put enough distance between myself and the horrors I had justwitnessed, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Tom.
"Morpheus' Dream, this is Tom"...
"Tom! It's Mark! Dude, I have something you need to see. I am on my way, I will be there in about 20 minutes".
"Mark? What's wrong? You sound... out of breath. Everything OK?"
"For now, yeah. I was running. Just... please don't leave the store yet. I'm really glad you are still there actually."
"Why the hell were you running? Uh, I wasn't leaving any time soon anyway, we just got the shipment in this afternoon from Rome, looks like some of these are actually authentic! There's this one with the original binding and..."
"TOM! LISTEN! I am in some shit, I will be there in a bit! You can tell me all about the books later!"
"Shit. OK, sorry. You know how I get. See you when I see you. Bye."
"Bye!"
Tom is my brother, and he and I own Morpheus' Dream, a rare book store, specializing in the occult and various religions. I immediately knew if anyone could help me, it was my brother. No one knows more about the authenticity of rare books than Tom, and he could tell me what this book and I have just... done.
I got to the store and pulled into the back, away from the parking lot. For some reason I actually felt like I was in real danger and I needed to stay hidden. Little did I know, I had no need to hide. I could be found as long as that book was with me. It was like some kind of demonic GPS.
I walked into the store from the back door, then turned and locked it as soon as I was inside. I was immediately greeted with a lovely, familiar smell, one that comforted and soothed me, like a mother's embrace. Old leather. Old paper. Old glue. The smells of the store were musty and kind of sweet, a little damp,and very reassuring. I felt like I was home.
The book store was our dad's idea. Dad always loved old books. He was always examining them while wearing white cotton gloves, and a magnifying glass hanging down from some silly looking hat he seemed to have forever. He worked with old books our whole lives, and taught us everything we know about ancient tomes. He wanted to open and run an antique book store, but unfortunately he passed away shortly after he bought the building. Tom and I were fortunate enough to know enough about books and business to actually make dad's dream come true.
"Mark! I have been looking for you all day! You haven't answered my texts, and Tom said he has been messaging you since the Rome shipment came in! Where have you been?"
"Sorry, Lyric..." was all I could muster. I was still breathing heavily, my red locks falling into my eyes as I lowered my head. Lyric is my sister-in-law, but I consider her my sister. She is very warm and caring, and she has been married to Tom for 2 years, although they were high school sweethearts. It seems they have been in love forever, and what they share is something out of a fairy tale. Not that I would know what that is like. I have been through a string of very nasty break-ups and have a long line of really shitty ex-boyfriends. I can't seem to find anyone that understands me.
"Ok, ok, well anyway, now that you are here, you can finally meet the guy your brother hired to help us with the Rome workload and see what we got in."
"Lyric, I really need to talk to Tom..."
We started walking toward the middle of the large building, toward the enormous work station. Book shelves lined every wall in the place, and the burgundy carpets and cherry wood bookshelves complimented one another. A hint of yellow was thrown off of 4 tremendous chandeliers, giving the large room a soft, antique glow. Bright, modern work lamps lined the work station, along with magnifying glasses, piles of old, leather bound books, a few pair of gloves, and cabinets with drawers filled with tools and equipment needed for identifying, authenticating, and repairing old books. Four laptops were spread out across the workstation.
Something immediately caught my eye, something different. A person, sitting at one of the work stations. His head was down, looking closely at the engraving on the back of some book, his nose just inches away from the rich, brown leather, his hair a bright green, bright enough to counter the shock of red on top of my own head.
"Mark, I would like you to meet Jack" Lyric said with a huge, knowing smile on her face, as we walked closer to the work station. My heart started pounding... Why? I hadn't even seen his face, but I was close enough to smell a swirling and enchanting mix of soap, shampoo, clean laundry and... him. I felt my face redden and I turned my head just as Lyric said "Jack, this is Mark, your other boss".
Immediately I felt myself swoon a little and I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as soon as I heard a surprisingly loud, Irish brogue say "Really?! ANOTHER boss? Isn't two enough? Hahaha" He lifted his head, and I could see a giant smile on his face. That's when our eyes met.
His eyes. My god, I will never forget that moment.
His eyes were like sapphires, and because of the lighting at the work stations his pupils were like pin pricks, allowing an enormous amount of the blue in his eyes to sparkle. I could immediately see mischief in his eyes, and his laughter was like music floating about in the huge, open area. His eyes were crinkled at the corners from his laughter, and his smile never faded, even when his eyes locked with mine. In fact, I could swear his smile got bigger.