Tales & Time (Lost Time Academy #1)(8)

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Dormiens,” the face in the book says, and I scream, dropping it and jumping off my chair. A talking bloody book.

“That never gets old. It is always so funny,” Miss Ona states, laughing, and I look up to see Miss Noa’s lip twitch a little.

“That was mean, and it hurt,” the book says, drawing my attention back to the book on the floor. The actual book is talking and being almost sarcastic. A sarcastic talking book. This just gets better and better.

“This is your family book. It will guide you to your classes, living quarters, and will answer any questions you may have about your powers and new school,” Miss Ona tells me as I stare at the book on the floor like it is about to attack me or something.

“It talks,” I respond in shock. “The book talks.”

“Yes, Miss Dormiens. Do pick it up now. The poor book is alive and does not like being left on the floor like a non-magical object,” Miss Noa says in an unimpressed tone. I briefly look up, meeting her dark purple eyes, which are darker than her sisters, before walking over and picking up the book. The face in the book just glares at me like I wasn’t meant to be shocked it talked.

“You may leave now, and your book will guide you to your room,” Miss Ona says in a final tone.

“Fine. Thanks for your help, I suppose,” I respond, smiling at them before walking away.

“One other thing, Miss Dormiens,” Miss Noa’s voice stops me as I get to the door.

“Yes?” I ask, pulling my gaze away from the weird book and the head staring at me still.

“Communication with anyone outside Lost Time Island is forbidden. We allow you to speak only to your parents once a week with our communications that are not human made. So do you have a phone or anything you wish to hand over now?” she asks me.

“No,” I answer straightaway, feeling like the phone in my bag is burning a hole through my clothes, but I know it’s not. I won’t give up my only chance to talk to Quinton, even if he hates me for leaving him. I can’t just stop all contact with him, no matter what I told my parents.

“If you are caught contacting anyone in the outside world, the repercussions would not be favourable,” Miss Noa warns. I don’t look back as I open the door and walk out without saying a word. I don’t care what the repercussions are, I won’t lose my only way to contact Quinton.





Chapter 4





“Now take a right here,” the head says, and I look up from the book to see where I’m walking. The book has led me up the stairs to what can only be described as a corridor-filled maze awaiting me. It’s just dark corridor after other dark corridor, full of dead ends, and the book does not know its way. I know it is just as lost as I am. I can’t believe I haven’t seen one person on all these trips, so I can’t ask for directions or how to get a better book tour guide. The lights are so dim as we get to another dead end, and I glare at the head in the book.

“Sorry, go back and walk down the corridor again. I am sure I know the way this time!” he exclaims with excited eyes. I do as he asks, even though I can’t really see where I’m walking anyway. I’m trusting a talking book to show me the way. A talking book.

“What’s your name?” I ask the head floating in the book as we get back to the stairs where we started from in the first place. The head is shaved of all hair, but I can tell he is a guy from his male features and voice. The man has strange, grey, big, bright eyes and a small face which is kinda cute. I can see a sort of neck attached to the head, but then it’s just blue clouds around everything else.

“Your ancestor used to call me Lane,” Lane says, and I nod.

“You knew my ancestor?” I ask him.

“Yes. Each book belongs to a family, and only when a descendant gets their powers do I wake up. Let me tell you now, being asleep for a thousand years is not what I consider fun,” he says, with almost a pout that’s hard not to laugh at. “I’m sure the world has changed over time. For example, your hair is almost wild. Is that normal?”

“Kinda normal these days. So, Lane, how do you know where to go now?” I ask, wondering if he is just leading me around in circles, because it sure feels that way.

“Magic, little one. I’m a little rusty, but it’s all coming back to me now!” he says with a grin. “In no time, we will be best friends, and I will find this room for you!”

“I’m not little by the way,” I respond as I keep walking down the long corridor he promises my room is in.

“No, you’re right, you do have unusually shaped big eyes and a large head,” he nods in agreement, while I feel kind of insulted by that statement.

“I do not have a big head or eyes!” I exclaim as I stop walking to glare down at Lane.

“Maybe it’s just my angle,” he says nervously, coughing. If I could see his shoulders, then I would imagine him shrugging right now as well.

“Your room is three doors down,” Lane says. “You nearly found it on your own. See? Teamwork!” I laugh at his idea of teamwork. It was more luck than anything else. I keep walking past the doors on the right before getting to the third one like he suggested. I open the door knob and push the door open to a dark room. Thank god it wasn’t locked.