Leave. I really need to find Astrid.

Emily isn’t surprised by your answer. Instead, it looks like she was expecting it. “Yeah, yeah. No one really goes to the library unless they’re looking for something,” she looks at you closer. “Or someone it seems.”

“Well,” you knit your brows. “You read people as well as books…”

She rolls her eyes, pushing away from the counter with the same book she moved from earlier. “Hopefully, we will talk again. Under the same conditions…”

You browse the aisles of books. Nameless titles and faceless authors rule these rows in different colors and sizes. You pluck some of the books out and look at their contents. There are pictures in some and different languages in others.

You took one of the books out and thumbed through the pages— you found it a little interesting at first but quickly placed it where you found it.

Eventually, however, in this empty place where you found no one, you stumbled over a place where you saw a small section with your name in the title. “Warren Visser: Tiny’s Tavern.”

You took that book and read through the first few pages. In great detail, it described your first interaction with Delilah and the last contract you completed as an independent contractor. The fight with Scarlet and the time you took Flora out to eat in Billings. You fingered passed a hundred more pages beyond your most reaction interaction with Flora but found that all the pages were blank.

“It’s not complete yet,” a voice came from no one suddenly. If it belonged to anyone else besides Astrid, you would have leaped, but the voice didn't harbor any fear. So you lazily looked over your shoulder and saw her.

She had a white blouse that was buttoned up and a long navy blue skirt that complimented her tight waist. She seemed taller, so you figured she had high heels on too.

Astrid’s hair draped down on her left shoulder, and her blue eyes ignited her pale, flawless complexion. She smiled sweetly at you and took the book from your hands to put it back where you found it before gesturing at the entire section. Without out turning to face you, she commented. “Everything is here, you know?”

You followed her gesture and sighed. “Everything?”

“From your first day at school to your last,” she clears her throat. “—time with Flora, which I'm sure you noticed."

An embarrassing smile formed on your mouth. “It’s always hard to— well, remember things when I’m left to my own devices.”

Astrid pouts slightly. “So I’m forgettable?”

You panicked. “NO!”

She jolted somewhat and reached for you. “Quiet!” She laughed. “I’m kidding. I understand.”

Astrid grabs your shoulders and makes you face her. You study her features. At first, she looks like she shouldn’t be there, and all her features are like revisiting a landmark after years of being away. But then, she gives a weak smile that doesn’t compliment her angelic appearance and draws you in for a tight embrace.

“I’m forgettable when I’m not physically with you. Your mind remembers me as a dream or a long-ago memory,” she can tell by looking at you that you don’t believe her, so she sighs. “Tell me. What does Flora look like?”

You scoff playfully but realize she is no different than you perceived Astrid only a few seconds ago. “She had brown hair and blue eyes, and she had almond skin— wait, I mean—“

She clicks her tongue, smirking somewhat. This is the nicest “I told you so” gesture you’ve ever received.

“Warren, I am not offended if you forget about me. Our worlds aren’t at all close to each other, and our minds hardly comprehend the differences,” she kisses you again and hugs you tightly. “It took me hundreds of years to keep my true self between here and earth.”

Astrid has your hands enveloped by hers as she giggles. Her flashy blues ignite your happiness with a single glance, and suddenly the world only has you two in it.

The problems that weighed on your shoulders dispersed. You can’t remember what bothered you or why you wanted to talk to Astrid. After a few seconds of admiring her, you realize there’s been mostly silence now.

She tilts her head down to look at you closer. “You need to talk to me, don’t you?”

Your cheeks feel hot enough to melt iron at first, but when Astrid becomes leveled with you, you nod, realizing there is no escaping your life on earth now. “Should I make arrangements to leave with that caravan group? Will I get Flora out if I do that?”

Astrid looks at where you are in the library and takes one of the books out. She reads the first few pages and then sees all the blank chapters. “That’s for you to decide. I cannot control your fight.”

“I’m not asking you to, Astrid. I’m simply asking you if that’s the right thing to do for Flora. The right thing to do for us…”

“And I am telling you that I can’t tell you the right and wrong answer. How your story ends is up to you. If it were up to me to finish your story, I would say to pursue me instead,” she tries to stop herself, but the words come out too soon.

“I pursue you? How? How can I do that instead?!”

Astrid places a warm hand on your chest. “Forget that. You’re not thinking clearly.”

You go to protest, but she covers your mouth with her palm. “Don’t. As much as I would love to have you for me, it just isn’t possible.”

“But why? Why isn’t that possible?”

“It’s just not,” she replies flatly. “But, let’s not get derailed. Flora. You. The others. What do you think the best choice is for you?”

“To leave,” you say, taking heed of her advice. “I just want to know if I’ll get us caught if I try to leave so suddenly.”

“Kenji won’t stop you,” she says. “And you sounded confident that neither Amara nor Alexandra could stop you. So why are you afraid now?”

You take the book from her hands and slide it back where she found it. “Because it isn’t just me I have to worry about. If Flora somehow dies, then everything is for nothing. And if I die, she’ll be worse off than before.”

Astrid takes your hand and leads you out of the aisle, eventually taking you to a massive window that shows the expansive view of the city. The lights push out the darkness of the night. The people below move around as life flourishes as you’ve never seen it before. There’s no danger. No worries. Nothing to fear.

“Do you have any idea where you are?” Her voice came out gently.

You had an idea but ultimately had no clue where you were. She squeezed your hands and stepped closer. “A place before Heaven. A stopgap that lets you wait for your soulmate, so you don’t have to pass alone. If you so desire, that is.”

“I—“

“Haven’t heard or read about it,” Astrid finishes for you. “No one has. There’s a lot of stuff people don’t typically know, but I won’t bore you with the details of the afterlife or what this place is.”

“Then why ask?”

Astrid rolls her eyes, her smile warm as she playfully tugs on your hands to follow her. “Whatever happens to you down there, you’ll be able to wait here for her. And she’ll be able to wait for you.”

She pauses for effect. “She loves you, Warren. She really loves you. So even if you are separated, it won’t be forever. You’ll see each other again no matter what choice you make. And don’t twist my words, please. I’m not saying you’re going to die soon.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” you lie. And she gives you a teasing, all-knowing smile.

“Sure,” she says. “Does that help you, though?”

You’re unsure at first, but then you suppose the best thing to do is leave with Flora as soon as possible. After all, if things go south and you end up just waiting for each other here, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to risk it all. So, you smile and nod. Astrid doesn’t become shy or cheeky. Instead, she smiles with you and knits her brows with a curious gaze. “So, with that out of the way, what should we do now?”

There’s no naughty intent or mischievous glaze behind her eyes or voice. On the contrary, it’s friendly and excellent.