Tara tore out of her room almost at a run, heart racing with panic and dread. It seemed impossible that she could have lost another of her mother's priceless treasures so carelessly in such a short time. But it would probably be fine. The book would be in the library. No one would have a reason to steal it. To most people, it would just look like an old book. Worthless. Not worth taking. Probably just another library book. It would be on a table or a chair and she would be able to safely retrieve it and then never let it out of her dorm room ever again.

She was the first person through the library doors when they opened. The sleepy circulation desk worker said that no one had turned in a book overnight, but that it could easily could have been camouflaged on a shelf or under a chair. Tara nodded and set off towards the table her study group had used the previous day. She walked several restless laps around the table and chairs, checking it from every angle. But she could already tell that it wasn't there.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar text out of the corner of her eye. Whipping around, she saw a stack of magical tomes sitting on a nearby cart, awaiting shelving. She immediately rummaged through them, but they were all library copies of simplistic texts, not her heirloom grimoire. For just a moment, she sat down at the table again, in the same seat from the day before. Tears were threatening behind her eyes, but she braced herself against the guilt and grief. She wasn't going to break down in public, and there was still every chance that someone had picked up the book without knowing its significance. Not everyone was a monster. Some good Samaritan could have picked it up and kept it overnight, with the plan to turn the book into the campus lost and found. It could still turn up unharmed.

Ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she stood back up and looked around. All around her were books, shelves, tables, chairs, and other little hiding places. She resolved to check them all before giving up. The book had been here, and it may still be here. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't at least look for it first.

Hours later, her resolve was wavering. She was sure that her eyes had scanned over every inch of the library, with no sign of A Compendium of Witchcraft anywhere. She was tired, and her mouth was dry, and she was pretty sure she was covered in dust and cobwebs from the shelves, and she was just about ready to give up and retreat to her room to wallow in mixed guilt and self-loathing.

She never should have brought the book with her in the first place, but she had been adding a note to one of the spells before she had to leave for study group, and she had wanted to finish it while she still remembered what she wanted to write. So she had slipped it into her bag like it was no big deal. Just another old book. And then she had left it behind. Just like her pen. Two of her most valued possessions, both gone in one fell swoop.

The irony of the situation was that the book itself contained a spell for finding lost things. She had been considering using that spell to help find her missing pen, which is what led her to discover that the book itself was also missing. It seemed crazy that she would not only get lost twice in one day, but would also manage to lose two of her most prized possessions. Either something magical really was at work or she was finally starting to go crazy…

Her inner tirade of self-flagellation was interrupted by a near-collision as she rounded a shelf at the exact time someone else was coming from the other direction. They were both staring at the ground, so they didn't see each other until they almost bonked heads. As Tara stumbled hastily back out of the way, she saw a familiar flash of red.

"W-W-Willow?" she hadn't meant for her voice to sound so shaky, but it had been one hell of a morning.

"Tara! Hey!" said Willow, her morose expression instantly replaced with a bright grin, as though seeing Tara was the best thing she could have hoped for. It wasn't a reaction she got very often. The smile was like seeing the sun after a long day of rain, and it did wonders for Tara's ragged nerves. She managed a weak but heartfelt smile in return, drinking in the sight of a friendly face after a very rough morning.

"L-long time no s-see," Tara tried to quip, but her voice hadn't quite recovered from the morning's trauma, and her misery bled into the lighthearted comment.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Willow's eyes— which Tara once again noted were a gorgeous green and practically sparkled with energy— searched her face curiously. "Hey, are you okay?"

Tara shrugged ambivalently, not sure how to respond. Willow's expression was concerned and sympathetic, which was a welcome change of pace from most of her peers' borderline bullying. But how could she explain to someone she just met that she felt like she was losing her mind? That in the past year, she had systematically lost everything that had ever been important to her? And that over the past week, she had been even losing all her reminders of better times?

"It's been, um… k-kind of rough morning… I guess," she said lamely. "I…" She hesitated, mouth working in silence, then cut herself off with a shake of her head. She didn't want to explain. She didn't want to sound careless and stupid in front of Willow. "I was j-just gonna… you know, head b-b-back to the dorms, I think."

Willow looked slightly disappointed at this news, but nodded.

"Okay. Well, it was nice seeing you again. I hope your day gets better." She gave another encouraging smile. Tara knew she should leave, but at the same time, she didn't want to walk away from Willow and her smile.

"W-Well, it can hardly get w-w-worse," Tara pointed out, stalling for a few extra seconds.

"Do you want to—" Willow hesitated, and in the brief space of her silence, Tara's stomach growled audibly. She blushed scarlet as Willow stifled a laugh.

"I skipped breakfast," Tara mumbled as an explanation, lowering her head to avoid Willow's eyes.

"And lunch, I assume," Willow added. Tara looked up, slightly surprised.

"Is it that late?" she asked. She hadn't been watching the time. She knew she had been searching for at least an hour or two…

"It's a little after one o'clock," Willow informed her.

"Oh. N-no wonder."

"I was going to head to the caf after this. Do you want to come to lunch with me?" the redhead offered, a little sheepishly. "I mean, you don't have to. If you just want to go back to your dorm, that's fine."

Tara hesitated. Her plan had been to retreat to her room and hide under the covers. That was still a tempting plan. On the other hand, Willow was here, offering her sympathy and smiles. And they would get to talk some more. And maybe it would distract her from her horrible situation. And she did really want something to eat and drink.

"Are you sure?" Tara asked. "I m-mean, you must have come to the library for a reason, right?"

Willow shrugged.

"Yeah, but the library isn't going anywhere. I can come back later. Right now, I'd rather go to lunch with a new friend."

Tara felt her whole body flush with unexpected pleasure. They were friends? Already? She had never befriended someone so fast. Especially not someone she liked as much as Willow. And Willow wanted to spend more time with her? This was unprecedented. She couldn't keep herself from cracking a smile at the thought.

"W-well I can hardly say n-no to an offer like that."