Where Monsters Hide (The Monster Within 1)
He’s already pulled half the library off the shelves and stacked it up on the tables inside. I’m barely able to wedge myself through the door to get in, it’s so packed.
“I didn’t take you for a heavy reader,” I say, after letting out my gut I had to suck in to squeeze inside. I’d thought that after all these weeks training in PW, there wouldn’t be anything left to suck in … but such is life. Love handles bow to no man, or monster.
Piers glances at one of the stacks of books. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he says. “Like, for one, how I don’t plan on half-assing this project.”
The tone of his voice makes me look at him sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he says, but then adds, “Only that you’re late. I’ve come up with a list of monsters, if all the good ones haven’t already been taken.”
I throw my backpack in the corner with a small explosion of dust. I bat the dust away, coughing, and throw myself into a seat.
“Hold your horses, prettyboy. I don’t think anyone else has even started. We’ve got plenty of time to figure this out.” I grab the book closest to me and open to a random spot. “See? Look at this. I bet you’ve never heard of a …” I trail off and squint my eyes at the creature featured on the page. It looks something like a monkey, but it’s hanging upside-down like a bat. “This thing. I can’t read what it’s called, but it looks weird.”
“That’s because you have the book upside down,” Piers says, cooly. He reaches over and turns the book over in my hands. It’s still written in Romanian, but at least I can make out what the creature’s called.
“Agropelter,” I say, quietly, but Piers is already shaking his head.
“It’s not on the approved list,” he says. He picks up another notebook and slams it down on the desk in front of me. “Unless you weren’t paying attention,” and here he eyes me again, “We have to pick from here. The agropelter isn’t on it.”
I snatch the paper away and give it a quick glance. He’s right. I wasn’t paying any attention when Helsing gave us this little detail, but I’m not about to admit it.
Without all the books, this study room would be tidy, but a little bare. There’s one rectangular table pushed up against the wall with two rickety chairs and a computer that looks like it was installed in the 80s. One of those chairs groans under my weight, threatening to collapse at any wrong movement. The only thing adorning the beige walls is a faded poster depicting a kitten reading a book. I bet Erin would like that.
Piers takes looks down at his notebook as he takes it back and I study his face. Unlike Sawyer, Piers never allows his dark hair to leave a stubble shadow. His skin is smooth and perfect, like porcelain.
It’s been a while since I looked at Piers—really, looked at him.
For the last few months Piers has been nothing but a bully to me. Now, here, in the library, I have to force myself to look away. He’s really quite good-looking when he isn’t putting tar in my sneakers or smacking me in the face with squirrel dung.
“So,” I say, my voice dragging out as I flip through several more pages, “how does it feel to be on the losing end of our little bet?”
Piers makes a sound like a growl in the back of his throat. “Just focus on the project, Black. I’m not here to make friends.”
I snort. “No, you’re not.”
He’s supposed to mutter about how I’m an idiot and ignore me or something, but he stops what he’s doing and lays his book out on the table before him.
“Alright, Avery, let’s have it out,” he says.
I glance over my shoulder. Through the window, I can see the librarian at her desk near the front. Several students are outside, perusing the aisles or slumped against bookshelves turning the pages of more leather-bound books.
I drop my voice down a bit, but that doesn’t make my words sound any less harsh.
“What am I supposed to say?” I ask. “You and Bennett and Owen have been harassing me for weeks. I know it’s supposed to be my fault you’re at the bottom of the list, but come on.”
“Come on, what?” Piers asks, his whisper just as harsh. “Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get into this school? I was doing fine until you came out of nowhere and wrecked everything.” He throws himself back in his seat and folds his arms across his chest. “You shouldn’t have even been allowed to compete. You didn’t even take the written test.”
“And yet I still got in,” I say.
Now Piers does roll his eyes. He grabs the book and makes a big show of going back to reading. “Yeah, Black, no need to remind me.”
I open my mouth to say something scathing, but I have to stop. There’s no excuse for how he and the others have treated me these past weeks, but he does kind of have a point. If I were in his position … I’d probably hate me too.
This new realization puts me in a bad mood, and I start turning the pages of my own book with more ferocity. I don’t want to empathize with my bully, no matter how much I think I understand why he’s doing it.
I’m so engrossed in my violent page-turning, that I almost forget I’m not alone.
“Here, how about this?”