Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from any characters or stories written within the Secret Circle universe.
Wind: Part 1
The Hunters had rented the apartment above the theater for his stay in Odina, it was the tallest building and it offered him a clear view of both Main Street and a crow's nest look out over the surrounding prairie. There were very few buildings in Odina, main street was a two way with one light and roughly five shops on each side. Homes were the main buildings here; lush trees hid many from view. A river cut through the town and Jake had wondered about getting a fishing license during his stay. He wasn't sure how far his alias would protect his identity, so he had put off getting it out of fear of exposure. There didn't appear to be anyone aware of his presence, and certainly no Witch was sniffing his trail. He would have felt or seen some evidence if someone was close to him or his activity. He had placed several cantrips around the theater that would have triggered had a Witch walked near or over them. Nothing had come from them so far. So if there were Witches in town they hadn't been to the movies recently.
Jake sat watching the flow of traffic from the top of the five story buidling. The sky was beginning to darken with the smell and promise of rain, with it a cool wind fought through the humidity and the summer heat of a Midwestern July. Tornado weather. Jake had been here now for two months, it seemed the small town of Odina, Minnesota had very little Witch activity. Not enough to warrant the presence or surveillance of a Witch Hunter.
Isaac wanted him here. Three cars had passed beneath his gaze in the last hour, Sunday traffic on Odina's main street. Why Isaac wanted him here he wasn't completely sure. The man who had ushered Jake into the Hunters usually offered Jake the interesting jobs first. This one didn't seem to fit the bill. Jake had posted updates of his surveillance and his daily routine into his journal, and couldn't wait for Isaac to read his Odina exploits upon his return to the group.
Most businesses were closed on Sunday, which meant the little town with a population of 3000 was the definition of "sleepy". The only things to do were head over to the library or catch a movie at the single screen Highlight Theatre, upon whose roof he now stood. Jake zipped up his dark jacket, took one more look beyond the unlit neon swept sign of the theaters marquee and down to the empty street. The library it is.
o0o
"Licentia Vacuus Admonitio."
At the exit that opened into the alley on the north side of the theatre Jake whispered the spell that would warn him if anyone entered while he was gone. The alley took him to Main Street and he turned left, a few blocks down was the county library. Jake guessed that the library and county courthouse were built at the same time, both seemed to be constructed of the same gray granite and the architecture, Athenian and Greco, was similar.
"Mr. Liten." Jake was walking slowly up the steps that led into the main section of the library when he heard his name...or at least the alias he was using.
"Hi, Mrs...,' he acted as though he couldn't place her name. Of course he knew it he however was supposed to be playing the part of a college student on summer vacation. He shifted the weight of the backpack he wore over to his left shoulder.
"Erickson." The elderly librarian offered.
Jake smiled, "Sorry, I'm not good with names." He made to continue up the stairs toward the main floor.
"I've got a book you may find helpful for your research."
"Oh, that's great. I'll stop by your desk when I'm finished. Unless it's on the shelf?"
"No, I kept it for you. I'll be running around for awhile. I should be at my desk in about fifteen minutes. We may be closing early today due to the storm coming. Looks like a tornado maybe."
He thanked her and threw her another smile before continuing toward the main floor.
o0o
Jake kept his head down. After gathering a few books in the finance and economic section, selections that pertained to his fake research topic, Local Renaissance Monetary Systems, he sat down near the wall of windows and stayed quiet. The windows rose from floor to ceiling and gave him a view of the many trees planted between Main Street and the libraries steep steps. His gaze went to the street where a car passed, and Chance Harbor came to mind. It was perpetually cloudy in the small harbor community, and the heavy deep blue clouds reminded him of his wet home that always smelled like rain. Studying was never his strong suit, but a few hours in the Harbors library was a mandatory student requirement. He and Nick sometimes went together.
He hoped Nick wasn't following in his brothers footsteps, or living in the shadows of his actions at home. Perhaps one of these days he'd be able to get home and see how Nick was doing. And if he had realized his power.
Jake got up. He left his backpack and the books behind. Taking a walk through the library was his way of looking like a student, and he liked to see who else was there. More so he wanted to keep an eye on the Occult and Religious sections. He never walked into them, but merely walked by to see if anyone sat in or near the section. He had also marked a few of the books; a few of the advanced and hard to get tomes with an electronic stamp that would allow him to track who had taken them.
He stepped down the small three step rise that led to the sunken reading section of the Humanities collection of books. Computers lined the left wall and about ten book shelves took up the area. In the center of the shelves, splitting them, were two couches, flat and simple out of the sixties and a table.
Before he passed the table he could see that one of the books he had tagged was there, open. He didn't glance at it. A paper coffee cup lay near it as well. Jake thought maybe whoever was reading was still interested in doing more and he didn't want to appear nosey. Jake decided to walk to the rear of the shelves and past the line of computers. He came to the wall and turned, looking at the bit of paper he had in his hand, wanting to look like he was looking for the right order of numbers and letters. Coming to the Occult section, he didn't see anyone. At the drinking fountain he stopped and ran it a few moments. Odina had notoriously bad water, so he leaned over and made sure to keep his lips a few centimeters from the off-color stream.
Walking a bit further he moved toward the right side of the section, looking down each row as he went along then to his blank piece of paper. Someone was sitting on one of the couches. A girl. Brunette wearing an orange striped sweater. He took a deep breath as he reached the right side wall. Moving slowly along the last of the shelves, between it and the wall, he wondered if he should look at her, say hello, or just keep his head down. He chose to look, and when she looked up and gave him a half smile, he couldn't help but reply with his own.
He didn't sense anything from her, but power, a Witches power, was sometimes masked or could be to weak to grasp, or just unnoticeable. When he got back to his backpack he gathered two of the books, then slung the bag over his left shoulder. Jake noticed that outside the trees were really moving. The leafy tops were whipping and shaking, it nearly made him dizzy looking down at them, the ground seemed to be undulating. The sky was black, and the few white clouds beneath the dark sky seemed close enough to touch, they moved in an odd and fast way. Maybe that tornado was coming.
o0o
"Do you have that book?" Jake asked when he reached the main desk that couldn't be avoided before taking the steps down toward the libraries entrance.
"Right here. You want to get those two?" Mrs. Erickson looked to the books he set on the counter.
Jake nodded. As though in response he heard a large crack of thunder. The lights immediately went out. At two in the afternoon the library went dark. Jake guessed that the sun must be completely blotted out. The only source of light once Jake's eyes adjusted to the darkness was the blue purple glow coming from the windows. Beyond the shaking glass he could see a swirling mass of heavy clouds that Jake had no doubt couldn't stay afloat any longer.
