Every Second [COMPLETED]

Chapter 11 - "I believe in you and I'll wear ear plugs."

Amelia looked around the empty classroom. She had no students to tutor today. Most of them had already taken their final that day and left for Christmas break. She glanced at her watch and decided she would wait ten more minutes before leaving.

Perched on a rolling stool, she pushed hard on the ground and went sailing backwards. She turned and repeated the action. She was turning back around when a figure appeared out of nowhere. Amelia let out a surprised shriek and toppled off the seat. Sebastian and Jones moved quickly over to where she lay.

"Sorry to startle you. I thought you heard us," Sebastian said, helping her up.

To cover her burning cheeks, Amelia bent and brushed off imaginary dust from her pants.

"It's fine, I was lost in thought about my chances of making it completely to the other side of the room on the stool."

Sebastian nodded as if this was a normal thing to be thinking about.

"It's just me today then?" Sebastian asked, looking around the room.

"Appears so. Everyone else is probably finishing up their finals now. Some of them were moved up in case the blizzard shuts down the city," Amelia said. "It's supposedly said to hit tonight, so it makes sense. I decided to stick around just in case someone needed my help. Since it's just you, do you want to play on the actual drum set?"

"Sure, if you think I won't kill people's ears with my playing?"

"I believe in you and I'll wear ear plugs."

Sebastian smiled. He settled himself behind the full size drum set and hesitantly started playing. Amelia waved her hands after a few seconds.

"Sebastian, the drums aren't going to bite you. Hitting them lightly will change nothing. I know making that much noise is daunting but don't worry. Only Jones and I will really be able to hear you. So whack away," Amelia said, giving him a friendly smile.

Sebastian started playing again, the room thundering with the sound of beating drums and crashing cymbals.

A few minutes later Amelia was explaining a specific beat to him when the door to the drum room opened.

"Hey troublemaker."

Amelia spun around. Will stood right inside the room, smiling, a small black suitcase at his feet.

"Will!" Amelia said, racing over to him.

His strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her feet off the ground.   

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Your grandmother told me you wouldn't be in London until the day after New Years," he said. "I decided I didn't want to spend Christmas in a drafty castle with people who bore me to death. So I bought the first flight I could find and got on it. Which reminds me, I have nowhere to stay. You have any suggestions for a lonely traveler?"

"Duh, you're staying with us. You're family and being so, I'm sure Charlie will have no problem giving you his room," Amelia said.

"How kind of Charles."

Sebastian moved towards them.    

"Sorry," Amelia said. "Will this is Sebastian. Sebastian, Will."

"William Ashford the fifth," Will said, stretching out his hand.

Sebastian took it.

"Sebastian Colfax," he said.

A symphony of beeps echoed through the room, pulling everyone's attention away. Amelia dug out her phone from her pocket and read the alert on her front screen.