He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late.

He ran. He ran and ran and ran through the black void of the night, lighted only by the illuminating distant stars in the sky, feeling the cold rain over his skin. Trying to keep on course with the path that she took before him, he kept his footing, even with his long tattered laces catching underneath him. He felt his heart beat harder with every leap he took. Looking forward he felt like he could see her, even though he knew she was not there. He could feel her presence in the distance, the smell of roses she wore, the glowing sapphire aura that was always around her, he needed to get to her before something drastic happened.

Somewhere down the road he began to lose his way. “Shes too far.”, he thought. A panic attack rose inside of him. He clutched his chest, falling to the damp pavement. The thought of it getting her scared the s*** out of him. She was so sweet, no one ever cared to ask him how he was, but she did. She swiftly moved her long auburn hair out of her face as she listened to him recommend novels to her, resting her elbow on the counter while holding her head high. He felt so lucky, so lucky to meet someone like her, so genuine and interested in what he had to say. He had never felt important or wanted at all in his life, except in that instant with her.

And in that moment there he was, a random boy who worked in a bookshop, holding the weight of a million ancient secrets on his shoulders, slumped on the cold wet ground. And there she was, a random girl who claimed fate brought her to the small unkempt store, drifting further and further to her potentially unstoppable last night.

He barely knew this girl. He didn't know her name, her birthday, how she liked her coffee in the morning, what side of the bed she slept on, or even what her favorite color was. But he found himself wanting to know all of these things about her, and slowly falling in love with her entire being. Because for once someone payed attention to him. He knew if he wasted any more time in his thoughts there would be no chance of her living at all. He didnt even know if there was anything he could do, but he knew nothing would happen if he didn't try. Feeling the panic attack fading away from him, he picked himself up off of the wet pavement, staring forward. He had to try to find her again, he knew hed be able to, it would just take effort and time. Starting to run again, he felt like his life finally had a purpose, to save this girl he met by chance. 

He finally found himself outside her first floor bedroom window. He took note of the old decrepit window, paint chipping, broken wood, a dead yellow bee in the corner frame, thinking about the possible past of her home, who she wanted to be, the life she could live. He could feel the nights mist on the back of his neck, sending a wave of chills down his spine as the rain above him began to fade. He needed to know if she would make it, if she would be alright, if she would live through this.

The frail pages of the  centuries old novel were left open next to the girls perfectly elegant sleeping body, filled with its ivory paper, water marked corners, and smudged ink. He knew what was to come. He slowly opened the window, climbing inside her room. He sat on the bed, staring into the book through the vines, he could see her sleeping body as if the book took her whole room and consumed it.

The green started to sprout from the binding spine of the novel that lay beside her, a replica of the one in his shaking hands. It was happening, and he was watching all of it, knowing he could do nothing. Nonsense began to run through his mind. He couldn't think of a clear thought except for making sure she would live. Then, soon after he observed the novel beside her, the green started, the green grew, and the green would not stop coming. Thin weaving vines, tiny tinted brown green leaves, and little purple flowers emerged from the page. Within minutes there were huge branches, thicker vines, and bigger flowers. It began to consume the sleeping girls room. Somehow she was asleep through it all, though he knew it must've been from the lavender flowers.

He couldn't stay, he didn't want to, but he knew he must. As the green grew around the room, consuming the carpet, table, mirror, television, and chairs, it slowly started to consume the sleeping girl.

“No!” he screamed, it was his fault, he should've been watching her more closely. He was to blame. Tears fell from his swollen eyes onto the old pages in his hand.  What would happen to her, he thought. The green never continued on this far before, he thought that she would be okay. As he stared into the book, mortified, he could now only watch the scene in front of him. There was no point, no time, in doing anything, even if there was anything he could do. And he would do anything. He continued to peer in, he made out the girl on her bed, asleep, now made up of vines, almost fully consumed as he began to be covered in them too. A few seconds passed, he needed to make a decision. Would he climb through the vines after this girl he barely knew, risking his life, or get out while he could and live with the guilt of losing her everyday?

Without thinking twice, he climbed into the vines, inside the book, going after the girl that fate had brought him.