Chapter Text
‘Hey, would you mind getting my sketchbook from upstairs?’ Holly asked.
Adam glanced up from his laptop, where he had actually been doing some writing for once. ‘What did your last servant die of?’
‘I stabbed him when he got mouthy.’ Holly replied.
‘Okay, you’ve made your point.’ He closed his laptop and got up.
‘You’re the best.’ She said, stretching out her legs on the couch. ‘It’s in my room, on my desk.’
Adam headed upstairs and into the second door on the left. The sketchbook was lying closed on Holly’s desk, just like she had said. He picked it up, tucked it under his arm and turned to leave.
Then he froze.
He had no idea how it was happening. To tell the truth, he wasn’t sure if there was anyone in the planet who could explain it. But no matter the logistics of it, there was no denying the fact that the notebook under his arm was positively glowing with warmth, and it certainly wasn’t from his own body heat. As he stood there he swore he even felt it pulse.
Moving carefully, he removed it from under his arm and held it in both hands. Holly had once threatened him with a painful death if he ever looked in there without her permission, but he had to be sure. So he quickly flipped through. Holly being Holly, about a third of the pages were already filled. Some were merely rough sketches, others were fully shaded drawings… and every single one of them was moving.
Two dragons spat scribbles of fire at each other. A familiar snake was busy menacing a couple of mice. He skipped ahead to the most recent drawing: a large wolf-like creature with six legs and a spiked mace-like tail which swung back and forth. Suddenly it noticed him. Its face split apart like the petals of a flower, revealing a cluster of snake-like tongues designed to reel in its prey–
Adam snapped the notebook shut. He had seen enough.
When he got back to the living room, Holly was watching TV.
‘Oh, hey.’ She said. ‘Did you get it?’
‘I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Arnold the Second?’ He held the sketchbook open on the drawing of the snake.
Holly looked at the sketchbook, then back at him, her face twisting into a scowl. ‘You asshole. I told you not to look in there!’
‘Well I’m sorry, but it’s hard to ignore when a sketchbook has a heartbeat!’ He snapped back, tossing it onto the coffee table. ‘Where is it?’
‘Where’s what?’
‘The pencil.’
She avoided eye contact. Hers was the face of a child who had been called into the headmaster’s office for the dozenth time that week. ‘It’s upstairs. Under my bed. I told you I was going to keep it.’
‘After what we saw it do? After what happened to your last sketchbook?’
‘Which wouldn’t have happened if someone hadn’t scribbled in it!’ Holly retorted.
Now it was Adam’s turn to feel sheepish. ‘Well, yeah.’ He admitted. ‘But you still saw how dangerous it could be!’
‘What else was I supposed to do with it?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ He said sarcastically. ‘Snap it. Burn it. Crush it. Put it through a wood chipper. Throw it in the ocean. I can go on.’
‘You seriously expect me to get rid of something like that?’
‘Yes.’ Adam replied shortly.
‘I barely even got a chance to try it out!’ She protested.
‘WELL, YOU SEEM TO HAVE PLENTY OF PRACTICE NOW!’ He yelled.
Holly looked taken aback, and Adam was too. He hadn’t realised that his voice had been rising. He took a moment to collect himself before speaking again:
‘If we’re going to keep it, then can you at least promise me that you won’t use it again?’ He asked. ‘Please? For me?’
Holly placed a hand on her chest. ‘I promise that pencil will never again touch paper.’
Adam eyed her with suspicion, but Holly’s face betrayed nothing. Either she was being sincere or she was a very talented liar. Knowing Holly, either was plausible. But he lacked the energy to argue further. He let out a long, hard sigh.
‘Fine.’ He said eventually. 'It's not like there are any more like it, anyway.'
Suddenly Holly went silent. Once again she averted her gaze.
Adam’s eyes narrowed in puzzlement, then widened with realisation. He resisted an urge to facepalm. ‘Okay. Where are they?’