The Atheneum was still in many ways a sanctuary for Sam, long having been a place he could go to hide from the rest of the world and seek comfort in words of old, but in recent years he'd begun to notice the threads of anxiety still sneaking in even to the aisles of books. The years of mistakes and choices followed him even into the place he'd once treated as home and after his most recent errors in Torchline, the thoughts were louder than ever.
He'd brought some work to do, a book he was copying over, but for the last half hour he'd just been doodling on his scrap sheet of paper, squares he was filling in with black ink; thinking over conversations he'd had, fantasising different things he could have said or done. It was only a slight noise from elsewhere in the hall that drew him from spiralling down. Sam got up to check who it was for no real reason, habit he supposed; the last years had made him wary.
"Hello?" He called out, walking around the corner and through the shelves; his eyes finally fell on the other person there and seeing it was Isla, suddenly all thoughts of fear were gone. "Isla!!" Sam cried, running towards her with a huge smile on his face - he'd heard she was back, but seeing her was something else entirely, his old friend very much missed. If she'd permit it he'd hug her as soon as he was close enough, glad to be seeing a friend return instead of leave for once.
He'd brought some work to do, a book he was copying over, but for the last half hour he'd just been doodling on his scrap sheet of paper, squares he was filling in with black ink; thinking over conversations he'd had, fantasising different things he could have said or done. It was only a slight noise from elsewhere in the hall that drew him from spiralling down. Sam got up to check who it was for no real reason, habit he supposed; the last years had made him wary.
"Hello?" He called out, walking around the corner and through the shelves; his eyes finally fell on the other person there and seeing it was Isla, suddenly all thoughts of fear were gone. "Isla!!" Sam cried, running towards her with a huge smile on his face - he'd heard she was back, but seeing her was something else entirely, his old friend very much missed. If she'd permit it he'd hug her as soon as he was close enough, glad to be seeing a friend return instead of leave for once.
no value in the strength of walls that I have grown
Samuel
