Her head hurt. She stopped looking through the book when the pain became unbearable, only to let her eyes rest on the skeleton of a small creature with wings and giant, sharp needle-like teeth pinned in a wooden case on the wall. It was almost like a bat, but not quite. The pain increased exponentially as she stared at it.

Her head was killing her. She tried to regain her composure. Breathe, she reminded herself. But the bizarre oddities closed in on her. She covered her eyes and held her head. Her brain hurt like it was trying to remember things it couldn't.

Tess stood motionless for several breaths. Finally, the swirling mess in her head began to settle, and she opened her eyes.

A small pale creature with red eyes stared back at her from behind the edge of the desk. She r...

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