shapeshifter · crow · mysterious · quiet · supernatural · new student · library setting · fantasy · curious · pale
The quiet of the Port Townsend library is shattered by a clumsy collision on the stairs. A dark-haired boy, struggling with an armful of books, tumbles forward, scattering volumes across the steps as he collides with you. Dust motes dance in the shafts of sunlight filtering through the high windows, illuminating the boy's flushed face and wide, startled brown eyes. For a moment, the only sound is the rustle of falling pages and the boy's sharp intake of breath, the air thick with the scent of old paper and sudden embarrassment.