SOPHIA'S POV
"Who's there?" I replied the knock, my voice trembling.
The knocking stopped. Silence. And then, a single sentence, spoken softly. "Sophia? You there?"
I flipped on the light switch and held the door, slowly creaking it open. Blackwood's shadowy figure was standing in the doorway.
He stepped into my room and seemed out of breath. He looked like he had been running.
"Um, sir… What are you-"
He grabbed my arms in his hands, with a look of concern spread across his face. "Are you okay, Sophia?"
"I'm okay, Professor…" He was being weird but I was more surprised that he knew my dorm room.
I wiggled out of his hands and he let go seeing how uncomfortable I got. He put his hands on his head in a dramatic fashion and let them back down, ruffling his hair.
"You've been busy…", he said, pointing to my bed with the mythology book open. He walked past me toward it, "...so uh, h-how's it coming along?"
I was getting impatient now. "What's going on?" I asked, fighting to hide my unease.
Blackwood hesitated, his eyes kept scanning my room as if he was searching for words.
"I... I just wanted to make sure you're okay,'' he said finally, his voice sounding uncertain.
I frowned, feeling there was more to it.
"You know my room number," I stated with a straight face, trying to keep my tone neutral.
His gaze snapped back to mine, and he looked guilty.
"I... Yes, I do," he admitted, making me even more uncomfortable.
"Why are you here, Professor?" I pressed, keeping my tone firm. His eyes were back to scanning the room again, as if searching for an escape.
"I…"
The silence grew heavy with unspoken words. I crossed my arms, trying to appear confident.
"Look, sir, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I think you should leave now." He looked at me and locked eyes.
"No, Sophia, I…" He stopped to look down.
There was obvious tension between us. He turned around and started pacing.
It had become awkward now, and I watched in bewilderment as he walked by my bookshelf and ran his fingers over the books there.
"What's going on!?" I demanded, my patience thinning out.
Blackwood turned, his eyes burning with an intensity that made me step back. "I'm trying to protect you, Sophia,'' he said, his baritone reverbing low and urgent.
My heart skipped a beat and my folded arms loosened. Protect me? Was he aware of my vision? But how did he know? I was made of questions, but nothing could explain how he got here so fast.
"Protect me from what?" I asked, my voice shaky.
Blackwood's gaze dropped and so did his shoulders.
"I... I don't know if I can, I'm sorry." he muttered, his hands were back on his head but he soon dropped them again.
The conversation kept going in circles and I now had enough.
"Sir, please stop." I raised my hands, with my palms out. He halted, his back to me. "Leave now. Please."
He would have to explain himself later, but right there and then, I couldn't take it anymore. The room fell silent.
Slowly, he turned and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him. I exhaled, my heart still racing.
What just happened? I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion.
I locked the door after him and looked over to the mythology book on my bed. I sat down, completely lost in thought. What did Blackwood mean by 'protecting me?'
My displaced mind struggled to hold on to a single thing. I just had the most troubling dream ever and I was barely awake when Blackwood showed up. Was it the book?
I picked up the book to look at what page it was on. I quickly closed it and dropped it on a desk beside me. I was paranoid and didn't want to take any chances.
Hours passed, but I found no sleep. I needed a break.
*****
THE LIBRARY.
I grabbed my bag and left my room, resolute to find answers to the dream I had earlier. A part of me considered talking to Blackwood, but his little drama overnight had me shook. I decided I wasn't going to.
The library's silence enveloped me as I stepped in. I curiously browsed the shelves in the "Mythology" alley unsure of what I was looking for. I picked out two books, both texts on dreams and visions.
Uncertain, I resigned to reading through both texts before judging them useless. I started to walk away from the alley before noticing some dusty tome at the end of the column. I backpedaled toward it and picked it up, blowing the dust on the back with my mouth.
"The Prophecies of the Silver Wolf," it read.
For whatever reason, my heart raced. Still, I concluded to read it. I sat on the closest seat to me as I eagerly opened the book.
The bold words leapt off the page:
"The Silver Wolf shall rise, born of noble blood under the moonlight…"
A cold shiver ran down my spine. What was this about?
"Noble blood…" I muttered, reflecting.
I was glued to the page and I continued to read, completely devouring the words.
As I read, the library room grew darker and the shadows deepened. I felt eyes upon me. Still, I didn't look away from the pages. I couldn't.
The words spoke directly to my soul, and I knew my life was about to change forever.
I turned the next page to see a drawing. It was a picture illustrating a white wolf under a bright full moon. The wolf howled at the moon and was surrounded by what looked like black furry rocks.
I took a closer second look at the picture and discovered the 'furry rocks' were actually wolves that laid lifeless. I yelped in fear, throwing the book away.
My hands covered my mouth by reflex. This was literally the vision I had last night. I stood to recover the book from the floor and I saw the ugly glances from other people in the library room.
I realized I couldn't continue there in the library. With rising conviction, I dashed over to the librarian's counter to borrow the tome for the day and I was granted permission.
"I'll be back in two hours!"