Chrysoprase (The Chalcedony Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF Page B

a drink. What would happen if I got drunk? Could I end up time traveling somewhere I didn’t know? Could I get stuck in the past, or maybe the future? It was scary enough to chase after Seth into the unknown when I was going straight to him, but now it was even scarier, thinking that I could end up anywhere in any time.
    Fortunately, Amy and Steph didn’t see my hesitation as we made it back to some empty seats. This time it wasn’t with a view of the pool table in case Logan and Becca were still there. I still didn’t have feelings for Logan, and really my opinion of him wasn’t that high, but even he didn’t deserve to end up with Becca. She had been chasing Logan since before I met him my sophomore year, and even us being together didn’t stop her. He had made it very clear to me that he didn’t appreciate anything about Becca, but now he seemed to not mind. That was guys for you.
    Amy and Steph took a few sips, and I pretended to as well. There was no way I could tell them about my new lack of interest in drinking. It would be one more thing for them to tease me about in regards to Morton. It wasn’t even college that did it to me, but they would blame it on my school again. And I surely couldn’t tell them the truth. They would send me to a shrink; probably someone’s father right here in the room, or it was likely that someone here had one on speed dial.
    It didn’t take long before the party was in full swing. Amy’s words were a bit slurred as she and Steph stood to go join the game of beer pong. Amy was always a lightweight. She kind of reminded me of Sim. I missed my roomie a bit more now. At least she wouldn’t take every opportunity to throw in a jab about Morton like my two friends had all evening.
    “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I told Steph, the more sober of the two. I was planning to walk by the bathroom at least, so I technically wasn’t lying to my half-sober friend. Not that it would matter anyway.
    “We can come with,” Steph offered, spilling her latest filled drink a little.
    “Nah, I’ll be right back,” I replied, and hurried away from them before either could follow.
    It took a little maneuvering to make it out of the party without anyone stopping me, but soon I was in the quieter hallway. People were still coming and going, but no one would pay attention to me turning further into the house. Mostly everyone had a little, if not a lot, to drink by now. The Jones house was huge, but at least I knew my way around. I figured I had at least an hour or two to waste before Amy would be too drunk to protest us leaving early. That much hadn’t seemed to change. Lucky for me Amy was still Amy.
    I wandered down the hallway to the library. No one from the party was bound to walk this way. I could wait until everyone was really drunk before I returned, and no one would notice that I hadn’t been drinking while I was whisking Amy away. I opened the door slowly. Just because I didn’t see anyone else in the house, that didn’t mean they weren’t there. The Jones family had people working everywhere in the house. I poked my head in and smiled. The library was lit dimly, but no one was inside. It was quiet and empty, just how I wanted to find it.
    I closed the door behind me and let the silence settle. I’ve always liked libraries, and the Jones library was no exception. It was as beautiful as the rest of the house, with books that lined the walls two stories high in beautiful wooden bookcases that were always polished, though I rarely found anyone working in the room in the two years I dated Logan. The books were not modern books, and I had yet to find something published in the last three or four decades. It was a magical room, just like the rest of the house. Everything in the room was ancient. The books were of dark hues of red, blue, and green with ornate gold and silver writing on the spines that lined the walls from floor to ceiling. The antique ladders that dotted the walls