January 2nd, Monday
The Lone
12:13
Solaforma enjoys reading books, whether the book be a graphic novel, a fantasy or even her textbook she enjoys it all. This was another miniscule thing she cared for on her short list of things she showed any emotion to.
Rushing past the long trail of evergreen trees she halts in front of a pair of glass doors that are lines in brilliant shimmering golf. These two doors are the doors that lead to the schools desolate library.
The library is the oldest building on campus being nearly a hundred years old with endless rows of books that even she wouldn't finish within her four short years at Everton. She tenderly grabs the gold spiral handle of the manual doors and opens it with a sense of gentleness as she enters the large two story library. Just like everything else in the school, the library is elegant, prim and pristine. The soft, velvet seats are scattered across the navy blue carpets. Huge windows lined the walls of the first and the top floor, every single one covered with heavy red velvet curtains that match the seats. On the other hand the immaculate glass dome above her head is kept open revealing the depressing smog covered sky. Cherry wood desks stand lonely and empty under the light.
The library rarely receives any visitors. Solaforma knows it is because everything is no longer physical, any book or information ever needed is only a few clicks and swipes away. Why would anyone need old books that could not be updated with new information?
She glides across the glossy wooden floorboards and the blue carpets to a golden spiraling staircase that is just as old as the building. The first step onto the cold metal lets out a squeak that pierces the sacred silence. The sound makes the librarians head swivel in her direction. Solaforma awkwardly gives a calm nod before quickly skipping the steps while she holds onto the gold banister.
She releases a breath as both her feet touch upon the deep green carpet of the second floor.
The second story is dark, making it impossible to find a book if it were in one of the endless rows of identical wooden bookshelves.
She crosses one of the shelves that stand eight feet tall. Every inch of the wooden is filled to the brim with neat organized books. It is a strange puzzle that someone twisted enough tried to create, almost like they wanted you to make a mess out of the books. Or maybe they knew that these hundreds of books would never be looked at again. So many books that were of zero value now that everything was online.
Solaforma carefully glides down the long dark isles until the world around her becomes so dark that she almost collides with a chair. She grabs hold of its back cautiously reaching for the next chair as she inhales slow breaths of the dusty air and the stale smell of starchy paper. She reaches forward finally finding the smooth fabric of a velvet curtain.
The wood beneath her creaks as she clumsily leans forward to grab a fist full of the cold material. She stretches her hand into the vast darkness and finds. She clasp the fabric into her hand then pulls it back faster than she intended. Blinding light more brilliant than the library’s study lamps cascades into the third isle of the second floor. She blinks away the bright light while her eyes strain to adjust. As her eyes struggle to adjust she settles down upon a window seat that is wrapped in more red velvet and embroidered in gold thread.
She leans against the white window sill looking out the crystal clear window to the bare trees outside. They reminded her of skeletons, naked and rattling as they softly blew through the small winter breeze. She thoughtfully turns away to rummage through her satchel once again. She pulls her book out of her bag along with a notebook that she kept neatly organized with an array of yellow sticky notes. She kindly rubs the edge of one of the fluorescent papers before flipping to her English section that had pre-written notes from two weeks before when she first finished the story. Now she was rereading the book grasping a complete idea on everything down to nearly every comma and period.
This was her everyday life, school, library, school, home. A wonderful cycle that seemed to have no close end. A wonderful cycle that she refused to have any other way because she wasn't ever prepared for change.
Change was unpredictable, cruel, merciless but she knew it was also the essence of a better life. Although she was never prepared for change she would never ignore it. If it commanded her corporation she would obey.
She jerks her head up as a group of rambunctious boys suddenly enter the library. Noise wasn’t a problem for her, she typically just ignored the obnoxious pubescent teen boys that always made unnecessary noises but she was still human and held the instinct to take in her surroundings. She slowly lowers her book as she turns her head away from the window. A long shadow of her head stretches across the green carpet as she rises to her feet. She fondly places her book onto the smooth velvet before gliding away from the firm window seat to the golden balcony.
She leans a hand onto the cold steel as she stares down at the librarian who is impatiently snapping her fingers.
It takes two snaps before the boys notice. “Gentleman!” the old woman with starch white curly hair snarls.
A boy with black hair, fair skin and a crooked smile steps forward. “So sorry.” He smiles so genuinely no one would doubt his sincerity. “We'll be quieter now.” He says slowly pushing his black rimmed glasses higher.
The boys look back to one another lowering their voices only slightly as they continue shuffling across the carpet to the study tables. Solaforma watches for only a moment before the boy with black hair looks up to her while giving a kind smile.
The boy's name is Nabi Chang-Gyun. This boy is the Student Body President, most likely to be valedictorian (after her), soccer and swim captain of the varsity teams, Dizajners boyfriend and Ansidara Tore's best friend since who knew when.
She calmly stares at his welcoming smile without the slightest hint of expression. She knew the blank stare sent shivers down his spine yet his smile did not falter.
She barely nods her head in a small hello while he forces his charming smile even wider.
He then turns away giving his friends his full undivided attention.
This was her simple life, a continuous loop, a never ending cycle that she truly believed would ever end. Sadly she was wrong for this was only the beginning of her whole world turning inside out and flipping upside down.
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