Take the book.
He told me to take the book, and I did.
The cover was faded leather; dark and cracked. The words etched into the cover were rough, like they had been carved by a knife. It looked like it had been through hell. My lips curled up dryly at the thought as I looked up to meet the gaze of my acquaintance, casting my eyes over his… physique – it probably had. It felt almost warm in my hands, and I traced the etched edgings with the tip of my finger. He told me there were rules; said I should read them. All of them. The previous owner hadn't, and he'd been a fool. Or so he told me. Sentimental. Full of morality.It had been his morality that got him in the end. His smile as he said this was sharp, cruel, and his eyes burned as they looked for a reaction. Of course, he assured me when my face remained impassive, you have none of these things.
It's why I chose you.
"So who are you going to pick first?" He asked it with a sense of easy familiarity, as if we had been friends forever and he was talking about choosing players for a sports team. "I could give you a few… suggestions." His voice changed, going soft and goading as he tried to bait me, "Unless you're afraid." It was said as a statement, and as I met him head on I couldn't help but feel as though he thought – for sure – that I would fall for it. How completely insane. Shivering in a way that I hoped went unnoticed, I bent my head; refusing to acknowledge his taunting and slightly unnerved at his casual mention of our current topic. He didn't whisper, or look around to see if anyone was watching or could overhear. He just looked at me, saying these things as easily as I breathed.
I looked to the book, trying to absorb the thought that something that appeared so weathered and beaten could be as powerful as he said. Could this actually be real? I met his gaze again after a moment, my own eyes shining with something dark, "Why give this away? Why not just keep it?"
He laughed; a grating horrible sound. "Well that's obvious," he replied, and his lips stretched even further, but it was more like he was baring his teeth than actually smiling. "to see what you'll do with it, of course."
I scoffed at the absolute certainty in his voice, unbelieving as I made a sweeping motion from my head to my toes, "You clearly can't expect anything extraordinary. I'm probably one of the worst choices you could have made." My own voice is steady as I say this, and I am utterly shocked as he laughs again.
"Oh, I don't think so," and in a strangely comforting gesture he reached out to place a hand against my shoulder, "I happen to find you absolutely fascinating."