Mortal

Chapter Eight: Kumiko

I run into the library and collapse onto one of the familiar chairs, rubbing my cheeks to stop from blushing. I hug my books to my chest and squeal silently, somehow. I take a deep breath and stand up. I walk straight to the fiction branch of our magnificent library.
"Hi, Mrs. Drew." I smile at Mrs. Drew, the librarian of twenty years.
"Good morning, Miss Kumiko. I saw you run in here with your cheeks on fire. Did you run into Serin again?" Me and Mrs. Drew have always been friends, ever since my first day as a frosh, I have always told her everything. I smile shyly and blush, just a little bit. "You know, I hear that that boy has had some...interest....in the girl who just enrolled, the Nephalem girl." I sigh. Of course he is interested in Charlotte; she is beautiful, smart and powerful. I'm just a bookworm with no real power.
"Yeah, I've heard some things like that too." Mrs. Drew nods, and eyes the books hugged tightly to my chest.
"Are you here to return those, Miss Kumiko?" I nod. She laughs. "Are these the ones from earlier today?" She looks at me, shocked.
"Yup. I'm, er, a bit of a fast reader." I laugh. Mrs. Drew breaks out in a full, erupting laugh, capturing the attention of everyone in the library. Graham Jacobs shoots us an angry glare. Me and Mrs. Drew giggle quietly as she returns my books to the system.

As I walk through the halls, on my way back to my dorm, I catch a glimpse of Serin taking Charlotte by the hand and running towards the roof. I sigh again. A few minutes later, I run into Xeraph. "Oh! Hi Xeraph, why are you out-" he just keeps walking, but then he stops and turns.
"Kumiko, have you seen Charlotte?" Oh, that's right. He is dating Charlotte.
"Uh, yeah. Serin was taking her up to roof, last I saw." Xeraph nods.
"Thanks, Kumiko." I nod. He stomps away, looking like a lion whose prey has been snagged by an enemy. I get halfway to my dorm, when I realize that I left my key card in the library. I head back to the library, to find it empty. I walk to the history stacks, only to find the library isn't empty.
"Haven?" Haven, Serin's best friend, stands, searching the history textbooks.
"Oh! Hi, Kumiko. What are you doing here?" I start to answer, when a woman runs into the library.
"Help! We need Mrs. Drew! There has been an accident!" Me and Haven run to the woman.
"She isn't here." I state. "What kind of accident?" She groans.
"She isn't here?? Ooh." She growls. "There were some students on the roof, and one went berserk. One has a major head wound, and the other has a possible broken arm." The roof.
"The roof?" I say. "Is there any chance that the two students are Serin and Charlotte?" The nurse nods. Me and Haven go pale. We look at each other and nod. We start running for the infirmary.
"Serin!" Haven yells when we finally get there. Xeraph sits in the corner, tied to a chair. I stomp over to him.
"What did you do?" He laughs at me.
"Wow. I'm so scared of the wittle book worm." He scoffs.
"Xeraph." I say, glaring down at him. "You and I both know that I'm capable of more than anyone would think." His grin fades, replaced by a scowl.
"I kicked her, and threw him on top of her." I glare at him, and continue up to their beds.
"Poor Serin." I say to Haven, who sits at the foot of his bed. She nods.
"Yeah, but she is in way worse shape than him." I look over at Charlotte, whose hair is drenched with blood, and her face is bruised. She looks ugly. Stop! This isn't you. You aren't jealous, and you don't hate Charlotte. I shake my head, and make my way over to Charlotte. "Kumiko, do you have a crush on Serin?" I gasp, inhaling my own spit, causing me to choke. I stand there, choking, as Haven laughs at me.
"Stop it!" I say, once I get my composure back. She stops, and looks down at Serin
"He doesn't love you, you know. He just thinks you're adorable. He's in love with her." Haven beckons to Charlotte. "And I don't blame him. I mean, it's not like she's evil. I just think he deserves better."
"What, like you?" I say, gaining a forewarning glance from Haven, confirming my theory. "I don't believe in love anyways. It is a thing saved solely to fiction." Haven nods. Serin shifts, scaring both of us. He doesn't gain consciousness, but I feel like he can hear us. "Hey, Haven?" She looks back at me. "Uh, we should go get some sleep."
"You can go. I'm gonna stay here." I nod, and leave the infirmary.