Roots of Insight (Dusk Gate Chronicles -- Book Two) Read online

  Quinn’s right arm was curled around the two envelopes and the carved horse and the stones were clasped in her hand.

  “Oh, just some stuff for a class…” she trailed off, pulling her backpack off her shoulder so she could tuck them inside the first folder she touched, out of sight. She didn’t like lying to Zander, but it wasn’t as if she could explain it to him, either, though the idea of how that conversation would go did make her grin a little.

  “Since when do you talk to William Rose?”

  “Um, I ran into him on Saturday, and we talked a little.” That wasn’t completely untrue – it had technically been Saturday here in Bristlecone when she’d been spending time with William.

  “Huh. I’ve never seen him talking to anybody before. He’s kind of strange, isn’t he?”

  She didn’t know why the question irritated her. Up until this weekend, she’d felt exactly the same way about William. And, really, by the standards of Bristlecone High School, he was strange – more so than Zander could possibly guess. It still rankled, now that she considered William her friend. “He’s just quiet,” she said. “He’s actually a nice guy.”

  “Okay.” Zander shrugged. She could see from his expression that he hadn’t meant to offend her. “Maybe I’ll have to get to know him.”

  * * *

  School was a disorienting experience from the moment she stepped into World History. Quinn hadn’t been thinking about her classes at all for almost two weeks.

  As she stared at her notes, trying to remember even writing them, she wondered again how William managed to do this all the time. Knowing William, he probably usually spent his last couple of days in Eirentheos completing schoolwork and trying to get his mind back to Bristlecone. Actually, she thought, knowing William, he was just used to it and could make the transition without thinking about it.

  Once, she actually had to check the schedule on the inside of her notebook to remember which class she had next. It probably didn’t help that Zander had shown up outside of her English class when it ended, asking if he could walk her to her next class. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed the way she’d stammered, asking him about his last class to distract him. But then, he’d seemed a bit flustered himself.

  She supposed that the lack of sleep wasn’t helping, either. She was grateful that her best friend, Abigail, was too preoccupied with the return of her new crush, Adam, from a football retreat, to notice Quinn’s abstraction today.

  Then there was lunch. The cafeteria was like an entirely different world today, and it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Quinn had spent her weekend actually away from this one.

  The football players were all back from their week-long ski trip, but very few of them were sitting at the group of tables on the side of the room that they normally occupied.

  She saw Adam right away, sitting at a table slightly to the side, an empty seat next to him, clearly waiting for Abigail to arrive. A second later, she saw Zander approach the same table, pulling another empty chair closer to his. Then he turned and scanned the cafeteria until his eyes met hers. He waved her over. Quinn gulped. When had this happened? Around the room, she could see several couples, newly eating lunch together.

  Abigail looked at her in wonder as they crossed the room. “You and Cunningham are getting serious now, too?”

  Quinn’s face felt red-hot. Was that what this was? “I don’t know. Is sitting together at lunch serious?” she asked pointedly, tipping her head toward Adam.

  Abigail was unfazed. “Serious enough to go public.”

  Quinn saw the appraising look in her friend’s eyes as Zander held out the chair for her, and tucked the perpetually disobedient strand of hair back behind her ear. Abigail smiled in obvious satisfaction when pink spread from Quinn’s neck to her forehead.

  They hadn’t been sitting for long when Quinn caught sight of William, sitting a few tables away. He was alone, as always, surrounded by tall stacks of books, getting far more notes written in his notebook than bites taken of his sandwich. It was as if nothing had changed for him. Of course, nothing had changed for him. Quinn’s weekend adventure had changed nothing for anyone – except for herself.

  She wondered what he was researching now. Studying for a test in one of his high-school or college courses? Or trying to figure out how to manufacture a medication that was common here in Quinn’s world with the more-limited resources of Eirentheos?

  She didn’t realize that she was staring until William looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. Just last week, such an occurrence would have turned her face beet-red and she would have wanted to hide. Now, she grinned sheepishly at him. He smiled back, and then his eyes wandered to the side of her. She followed his gaze. Zander was watching the exchange between William and Quinn with interest.

  She looked quickly away from William. “You totally saved my life in trig today, Zander. I actually understood what Mr. Bradley was talking about.”

  Zander’s smile reached up past his eyes, and Quinn saw Abigail shoot her an approving look from across the table. By the time she had a chance to glance back over at William, he was absorbed in a thick book.

  * * *

  It wasn’t until Quinn was at home that evening, pulling her English folder out of her backpack, that she remembered the letters and the small gifts from William. Re-adjusting to her surroundings and acclimating for the first time to the attentions of Zander had preoccupied her for most of the day. Zander had even followed her all the way to his house after school, where she was picking up Annie, keeping an eye on her on the slippery roads as it had continued to snow for the rest of the day.

  She had ended up staying at the Cunninghams’ for far longer than usual on a pick-up run, making small talk with Maggie and Zander. He had helped her with her trig homework again, before carrying Annie to the car. Quinn was glad there were plenty of leftovers from the meal Maggie had sent over the night before so she didn’t have to feel guilty about not starting dinner.

  Now, alone in her room, she curled up against her pillows and pulled out the two envelopes. They were both made of the same thick, heavy paper that felt almost like cloth. Quinn was glad to discover that neither one was sealed; she would have hated to rip the Eirenthean paper. She started with Linnea’s, written in clear, elegant script.

  Dearest Quinn,

  Your absence has placed me back in the lone company of my brothers, who, wonderful siblings though they are, have absolutely no appreciation for anything other than crumple, their sword training and the intrigues of kingdom politics. I’m surrounded by boys again! Rebecca is usually away with Howard or droning on about his latest gesture of romance (it’s enough to turn your stomach, really), and the only one I can discuss clothes and makeup with is Emma while we are dressing her dolls. How could you leave me to endure such boredom without you?

  I can’t believe that you discovered what was really going on with the children, or that Thomas would be so stupid as to try to hide his symptoms. Thank you for saving them, especially my idiot twin. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there. Mother says to let you know that she is grateful as well. Mostly, I miss your fun company and hope that things are going well for you in your own world. William has agreed to carry a letter back to me, if you’d ever like to write one (hint, hint).

  Love Always,

  Linnea Rose

  Quinn’s heart ached to spend time with Linnea. She had said good-bye to William’s sweet, energetic sister back at the castle, over a week before she had actually left Eirentheos. Although she had only had a few days to get to know Linnea, their connection had been almost instant – already she regarded William’s sister as one of her closest friends, and it felt strange to know that she might never see her again. She sighed, and reached for Thomas’ letter.

  To the lovely Quinn,

  It is my sincerest wish that this letter reaches you well and that William manages not to fall in the river trying to deliver it. I am sure that he won’t c
onvey the hug that I asked him to bring you for me, but then again, I think I’ll reserve that for giving to you myself. My hands are no longer red and splotchy, thanks to Nathaniel’s magic medicine. Little Miss Alyia was quite right when she told me I wouldn’t like it, but she was a very sweet companion while I was sick. I followed all of my doctors’ orders, and I am completely well, just as I promised I would be, so please don’t let me hear of you worrying about anything.

  I truly do feel much better and am wanting for the company of the fairest of maidens (I do mean you). I have to thank you for saving me from my own stubborn-headedness, and I am truly sorry if I ever made you feel badly. I hope you are enjoying yourself at home; none of us are the same without you. I miss you Quinn.

  Your Own Prince Charming,

  (There’s a story about that in your world, isn’t there?)

  Thomas

  Quinn had to giggle at Thomas’ closing. Children of the royal bloodline in his world were given certain gifts at birth. Thomas’ gift translated to charm, which he used to his every advantage. It was difficult for her to wrap her mind around the fact that in Thomas’ view, he hadn’t seen her for nearly three weeks. On Quinn’s end, she had only been separated from him for two days. She found herself longing for them, these people who had become such dear friends in such a short time.

  A strange temptation gripped her right then; she wanted to call William. She had actually picked up her phone and was about to start dialing, but then she realized she didn’t have any idea what she would say. Instead, she set the phone down, put the stones and the little horse carving into her pocket, and went to find Owen.

  He was in his room, as usual, curled up on his bed with a book, some kind of non-fiction with a fortress on the front. She sighed, that theme seemed to be coming up a lot lately.

  “Hey, buddy.”

  Owen didn’t look up right away. Used to this, she waited patiently while he finished the section he was reading, and carefully marked his page before he closed the book and looked up at her. “Hi.”

  “I have something for you.”

  “What is it?” He sat up straight and looked at her expectantly.

  Quinn reached into her pocket and withdrew the three small stones. She dropped them into her brother’s hand, and he stared at them for several minutes before he looked back up at her.

  “Did you get these wherever you went this weekend?” His voice was so quiet that she almost wondered if she’d heard him right. Almost.

  Briefly, she entertained the thought of denying it, of pretending she had no idea what he was talking about, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that to him. Instead, she nodded. “Yes.”

  “They’re very pretty. I’ve never seen rocks like these before. Do you know what they are?”

  “No.”

  She was afraid he might ask more questions as he rolled the stones around in his hands, rubbing his fingers over the smooth surfaces, but he didn’t. After a moment, he lined them up carefully along the edge of his nightstand.

  “Thank you, Quinn.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Did you give Annie whatever you brought for her yet?”

  Frowning deeply now, she studied her brother’s face. “How do you know so much, Owen?”

  Owen looked straight at her, something he sometimes had trouble with. “You wouldn’t go somewhere and bring me something and not her.” He looked away from her, at the door. “Annie! Come here! Quinn has something for you.”

  Annie was enchanted by the little carving. Unlike Owen, she didn’t ask where Quinn had gotten it; at not-quite four, she just accepted gifts as they came. Within minutes, the horse was being ridden by a teddy bear several times its size, while Annie provided the sound effects.

  Quinn was on her way back to her pile of homework when her mom stopped her in the hallway.

  “Come here a minute, sweetie. I have something for you.”

  She followed her mom into the master bedroom. “Ooh! What is it?”

  Megan smiled, and pointed to the bed. A garment bag stretched across the quilt.

  “Mom! What did you do?”

  “Oh, just open it.”

  She slowly unzipped the bag. The dress inside was beautiful, a deep green, cut simply from a heavy fabric, with long sleeves and flowers embroidered on the skirt. It was beautiful – and perfect for a winter evening in Bristlecone. “Wow! Thanks, mom. I love it!”

  “I figured even if you didn’t come to Denver and go shopping with me, that you still needed a dress for the dance.”

  The dance. Quinn hadn’t given any thought to what she would wear to the Valentine Dance with Zander on Saturday. “I guess I do. Thanks.” She was grateful for her mom’s thoughtfulness, and hugged her tightly.

  “Want to try it on? I might have had a little too much fun shopping – I bought you some shoes and a necklace, too.”

  “Mom! You didn’t have to do all of that!”

  “Of course I did. It’s your first real dance with a boy – and it’s with Zander.”

  Suddenly, she felt a little nervous, just thinking about going to the dance with Zander.

  ~ 3 ~

  Adjusting

  BY TUESDAY, QUINN WAS finally feeling a little more like herself again. She had been so exhausted on Monday night that she’d actually slept, and she was mostly caught up on her homework. She even remembered what classes she was supposed to go to and when.

  On Tuesdays, she worked after school at Bristlecone Public Library. She loved her job, and it felt good to be back among the stacks of books. The library was small, and usually not very busy. She started to work right away re-shelving several carts of books that had accrued during her days off.

  She was in the middle of her second cart when she heard the main door of the library open, and as she looked up, William walked in. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the last time he had come in while she was working, and she had followed him around, feeling like a stalker as she tried to figure out what he was researching. Tonight, she felt glad to see him and walked right over to the table where he was unloading his backpack.

  “William!”

  He smiled as she approached. It was going to take her a while to get used to his being pleased at seeing her, rather than irritated.

  “Hey, Quinn. How are you?”

  “Good. Working.” She smiled.

  “Do you always work here on Tuesday nights?”

  “Yeah. On Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every so often, I pick up an extra shift on a Saturday, if it’s been really busy, but there isn’t a budget to have me come in all the time.”

  “It seems like a pleasant place to work, especially if you like being surrounded by books.”

  “Who can complain about being surrounded by books?”

  William grinned. “Thomas. He would probably be thrilled to spend as much time as I do in a world with video game systems.”

  “Somehow, I can see that,” she said, laughing as she pictured it. “Hey, speaking of siblings, I wanted to thank you again for bringing those stones, and that horse. Annie loved it. She hasn’t stopped playing with it since I gave it to her.”

  “You’re very welcome. I like to find little things here sometimes to take back to my family, too. Linnea, as you know, is quite fond of makeup, and Emma enjoys plastic dolls with ‘real hair’ as she calls it.”

  Underneath William’s grin, she could see the longing in his eyes as he talked about his sisters. For the thousandth time, she wondered how he did it – come to her world for five days at a time while he missed close to two months of his life at home.

  “That reminds me, I’m going to send a couple of things back with you on Friday. Linnea thinks you could have better taste in my world’s makeup department.”

  He narrowed his eyes, though the twinkle in them belied his expression. “She’s an ungrateful little thing, isn’t she?”

  Quinn giggled.

  “What does she expect?” he asked, shrugging. “I�
�m a guy. She’d be lucky if I noticed whether her hair was brushed or not.”

  “She says she should send Thomas.”

  He let out a guffaw. “She probably should.”

  “So what is all this?” she asked, surveying the thick binder and stack of books William had pulled out of his backpack.

  “Um, Calculus II – though most of that’s finished, and Organic Chemistry. Once that’s done, I was planning to do some more research to see how I might be able to improve the treatment for shadeweed poisoning.”

  “Organic Chemistry? Is that even an option at Bristlecone High?”

  “No. I’m taking it as an independent study through Mountain State. Bristlecone doesn’t technically offer Calculus II, either. It’s just me, sitting in the library with my own book, completing assignments. They used to make me actually sit in a lower-level class, but Nathaniel finally convinced Mr. Bradley to let me do it this way.”

  “Ugh. Calculus II? I don’t think I’ll be making it that far. Trig is giving me enough of a headache.”

  William smiled. “It’s okay. You’re not a doctor in your other life.”

  “No, definitely not.”

  Out of habit, she turned at the whooshing sound of the door opening behind them.

  William’s eyes followed hers. “Your boyfriend seems to have great timing.”

  Quinn flushed scarlet. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  He raised an eyebrow, and held up a hand. “Whatever you say. I have enough sisters to know to stay out of that.”

  William sat down at the table and tried to look like he was already engrossed in his work, but Zander reached them before he had the chance.

  “Hey!” Zander placed his hand on her shoulder, brushing her hair back slightly. Even from the corner of her eye, William’s “I-told-you-so” expression was obvious.

  “Hi. What are you doing here?” Quinn asked.

  “I knew you were working tonight, and I thought I’d just drop by to see how you were doing.”