Chapter 28: The Library

14 November 2025

Ordinarily, Jenny wouldn’t drive such a short distance in the city, or risk trying to find parking. But this wasn’t any ordinary journey, and she couldn’t risk public transportation for this particular quarry. Accordingly, Jenny pre-booked a spot at the underground car park at Brunswick Centre, and walked the kilometre-plus distance to the main library on Gower Street.

The brisk walk allowed Jenny to scout the potential risks for this raid. The greatest advantage was that it was the Friday afternoon of Reading Week. Many of the students hadn’t returned yet from break. As a result, there were likely to be few people to witness what was about to happen, or the return to her car.

The UCL main campus featured several beautiful and historic buildings, especially around the Main Building, where the Main Library was located. The building was best known for the ornate dome capping the central hall of the library, known as the Octagon. Jenny remarked that she might have to return on another day to take in the sights.

But not today.

Between the three of them, Jenny, Rebecca and Sarah had scouted the campus, and particularly the favoured locations of Olivia Edwards. It had not been difficult though. Outside of her halls and her classes, there was one place she was likely to be more than any other. She regularly settled in at a desk near the Public Policy collection on the second floor, not far from a window overlooking the quad.

Jenny left her typical lab coat behind, opting for a stylish black leather jacket over a bright blue fitted blouse that shimmered in the last vestiges of the afternoon sun. Her dark blue skintight denim jeans and tall black leather boots capped off the outfit, and gave her comfort and an understated elegance as she climbed the stairs leading to the entrance of the Main Library.

Inside, the library was a surprising mix of silence and noise. The acoustic effects of the plaster and stone walls reflected and magnified sounds, despite the carpeted walkways and long stacks of books absorbing the sound waves. The open area beneath the Octagon further transmitted sounds across the levels of the library.

Ironically, the student silence zones made the ordinary sounds of a library - the scratching of pens, the rustle of turning pages, and the like - seem that much more amplified. Jenny took extra effort as she moved through the stacks to mute her own ambient sounds, so as not to startle her prey.

Jenny sought the nook where she expected to find Master’s daughter. And sure enough, she was right where Jenny expected to find her.

The girl was surrounded by a fortress of books, but she wasn't studying. She was staring out the window at the darkening sky. Olivia’s expression was unreadable to the older woman, but the symbolic isolation was unmistakeable. Despite the dozens of people studying or milling about in the library, Olivia was an island of loneliness.

To Jenny, Olivia looked vulnerable. She needed a connection which, up until now, she had clearly been lacking.

"It’s a heavy feeling, isn't it?" Jenny said softly.

Olivia jumped, her head snapping toward the sound. She blinked, looking up at the woman in the striking leather and blue silk. It took her a moment to process that this woman was speaking to her. "Who... who are you? What do you mean?"

Jenny smiled and slowly approached a little more closely, even though the expression didn't quite reach her sapphire-hued eyes.

"I'm a friend of your father's," Jenny said, trying to project trustworthiness and sympathy. She inched forward again, the tall black leather of her boots nearly silent on the library carpet. "And I mean that the weight you're feeling - that loneliness… it isn't who you are. That’s the feeling from a world that doesn't know what to do with you."

Olivia leaned back in her chair, attempting to process this woman and what she had said. She couldn’t remember hearing her father speak about any woman other than Ginny or her mum, which made this strange enough. But even stranger was how this woman was making her feel. Ordinarily any stranger would leave her wanting to retreat or hide. But this woman didn’t.

She felt a strange warmth from her, like she was connected somehow. And that was perhaps the scariest feeling of all.

"My father? You know him? Why would he send you here?"

"He didn’t send me here. But I am here for you. He’s doing something to make the world a better place. A place where you'll never have to feel alone again," Jenny replied. She reached the table where Olivia was sitting, and she knelt to the side of the young woman.

“I’m not alone,” Olivia protested.

“Of course not, love,” Jenny answered back. “But you’re still feeling drowned out by the noise of the world, aren’t you?”

“Um, I suppose. I don’t really know.”

Jenny took another chance at intimacy, and put her hand on Olivia’s forearm. “I know how hard it is to be young. To be a woman. To feel separated from your mum and dad. And that’s why I’m here. For you. And for him.”

Olivia’s head turned sharply at the final comment. “What do you mean, for him?”

“Your father has found a way to close the distance. He can reach you.”

Olivia looked at Jenny, her eyes wide with emotion.

"I... I don't understand," Olivia gasped, maintaining desperate eye contact with Jenny.

"You don't have to understand yet." Jenny reached out, her hand gently brushing a stray blue-green lock of hair away from Olivia’s face. "You just have to listen. Can you hear it? The song underneath the silence?"

Olivia’s breathing was continuing to accelerate, and her pupils dilated. "Hear what?"

This time, Jenny didn’t answer with words. Having won the girl’s attention, it was time.

She kept her hand on Olivia’s arm, and she got to her feet. But rather than backing off, she moved in like a cobra to strike.

"This is the sound of your world getting smaller," Jenny whispered, just before she took the girl’s face in her hands, followed immediately by pressing her lips firmly against Olivia’s in a targeted yet still sensual kiss.

***

Olivia felt her body go rigid the moment after the woman kissed her. The reaction wasn’t only from shock though. She was paralysed, as if the signals from her brain were cut off from reaching her extremities.

The next strange experience was a wave of blue light that flashed behind her eyelids. But unlike the lethargy, the flash was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“Olivia, it’s time for us to go.”

She blinked multiple times while trying to process what was going on. She had been approached by the attractive woman who said she knew her dad. Then the woman kissed her. And now…

“Where are we going?”

Olivia followed the other woman as she led her by her arm. They went through the corridors, and then to the central staircase as they were heading towards the main exit.

It dawned on her that she was moving on autopilot. The woman led her, sometimes verbally and sometimes just with a tug. But either way, she was following with very little resistance. Is this what being high feels like?

The temperature changed substantially when they transitioned to the damp evening air outside. The wave of cool combined with drizzle would have been tolerable. But it felt downright chilling for Olivia, and she shivered.

“We’re going to my car, Olivia. It’s at the car park not far from here. Just keep following me, and I’ll help you understand.”

Olivia nodded, and walked in stride with the woman. The proximity to her felt right, even as her face was pulsing with heat. Like they were both vibrating at the same frequency.

“Who are you?” Olivia managed to ask. It took far more effort than it should have to ask such a simple question.

She followed down the stairs, into the lower level of the car park. As they went deeper, the closeness of the stairway was oddly soothing. It made Olivia feel like she was headed somewhere.

“My name is Jenny Thorne, Olivia. I’m going to take you to see your father.”

Jenny helped Olivia into the passenger seat of the Nissan LEAF, before going around to the right side. Once Jenny got in, and sat next to her, Olivia felt comforted again.

“There’s something wrong with me, Jenny. I don’t feel right. My thoughts aren’t working right.”

Olivia leaned towards Jenny, almost clinging to her arm as she exited the car park and returned to the city streets.

“Olivia, tell me what you hear.”

At first the question didn’t make any sense. There wasn’t anything to hear. The radio wasn’t on, and the electric car was almost silent as it slowly worked through traffic.

Then, Olivia noticed it.

“It’s not what I hear. It’s what I don’t hear. I don’t hear the doubts. I don’t hear the fear. It’s just me.”

Jenny smiled, and she nodded. “That’s right, love. For now, it is just you. But soon you’ll be linked, just like I am.”

Olivia pulled back, her mouth slightly parted. Her muscles felt tight, and she needed to adjust. She sat up straight in the seat, and her head tipped slightly to the side.

“Better?” Jenny asked.

Olivia nodded. “Better.”

Jenny tapped the CarPlay display, and brought up the phone app. On the contacts menu, she selected a familiar name.

Virginia Kent.

The ringing was short, before there was an answer.

"Ginny Kent’s office, how may I help?" spoke the voice coming through the speakers.

"This is Jenny."

There was a momentary pause.

"Yes, ma’am. How may I help you?"

"Put me through to the Master."

"The Master has gone for the day, ma’am. He is currently at the David Lloyd club, finishing a private session. He is expected to return home shortly after," Ginny replied crisply.

"Thank you, Ginny," Jenny said. She looked over at Olivia, who was now leaning her head back against the seat, her eyes rolling slightly as the virus peaked. "Please text the address to my mobile."

Soon after, a text notification appeared on the screen. Jenny touched her screen, and opened the Maps application. A bright blue line traced the path to the athletic club in Fulham.

"Thank you, Ginny.”

“Of course, ma’am. Is there anything else I can do?”

Jenny flashed a slight grin, and made eye contact with Olivia while she continued to shudder.

“Before you return to your duties, Ginny... enjoy a silent orgasm. For him."

There was no verbal reply, only a sharp, sudden intake of breath that hissed through the car’s speakers. Olivia could hear the rhythmic, stifled gasps and the soft friction of fabric as Ginny’s biology was remotely hijacked by the command. After a few more moments, the sounds subsided into a shaky, quietened exhale.

“Th…thank you, ma’am.”

"Return to your office persona and resume your schedule. I’ll be sure to tell him how helpful you have been."

"Yes, ma’am," the voice replied, shifting back into its professional timbre. "Have a nice weekend." The call disconnected.

"Did you hear that, Olivia?" Jenny asked as she navigated through the city streets. "That is the sound of service. That’s what you will experience."

Olivia didn't turn her head, but a soft hum was vibrating in her chest, while a faint metallic flavour began to bloom in her mouth. The part of her mind that was still Olivia was shocked and scared. But another piece of her found the whole episode intensely arousing.