The Heinous Prodigies Book One: The Lost Dreamer

Prologue: Recurring Dreams

It had been a long time since Eden Paris had been in New York, especially in the New York Public Library. It was still just like as she had left the place. The noise of flipping pages made her feel quite at home again.

Eight years. Eight years had passed since she left the state. The first time she had been in the Public Library, she was five years old and she had been here with her whole family. They used to call her Lucy or Lucia, as her mother preferred her first name. Her gregarious older brother, Daren, ran around the place, making noise wherever he went. Her dad had chased after her brother and scolded him as soon as he caught Daren. Amelia, the eldest of the three children of the Parises, had gone over the Children’s section to hear the storyteller’s tale.

Eden snapped back to reality before it went any further. She did not want to think of it. She did not want to remember the past. No more thinking about that, E, she thought. Past is past. Stop thinking about her. As she scanned the library, she remembered the parts she loved about the place.

She knew there were larger libraries than the Public Library but this was the only one that had struck her so far. The building was enough to build a house for ten families. The lights gave the place an older yet comfortable aura. Row upon row of bookshelves stacked on every aisle but there were still enough places to read. The shelves were all filled of books  from tomes to pocketbooks.

This was her book paradise of long ago. She could’ve gotten lost in this place. She could’ve lived in here for all she cared. She wanted to stay and be with the books her father loved. Books she had once loved.

“Do you need something, miss?”

Eden smiled at the librarian beside her. The librarian wore a sweater and a long skirt. Her rimmed glasses hung on the edge of her nose. The librarian pushed them back. “Yeah,” she replied. “I was looking for this certain book.” Eden fetched the slip of paper from her pocket and gave it to the librarian.

The librarian pushed her glasses back again and looked from the paper to Eden and back again. “Shelf seventy-six,” answered the librarian sharply.

“Thanks, lady.” She ran a hand through her dark brown hair and went in search of said book.

She scanned the place as she passed between the tables and shelves. Some people looked up from their books to glance up at her, some ignoring her all the way. It pained her to be reminded of her mother. It pained her how early she was taken from her. Even after eight years, the pain was still raw. She didn’t know why but her death broke something inside her. Trust. She couldn’t trust anyone that much anymore. She felt like everyone she trusted and loved would slip away just as easily as her mother did.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her best friend’s name was on the screen.

Relief surged through her. She picked up the phone and cancelled the call. Knowing it wouldn’t be enough, she sent him a text, Alexander Wright, I thought I told you not to call me. I’m here in the Public Library, you know? Silence at all times.

Her phone buzzed before she could put it back in her pocket. I can sense that you miss me already. The vibes are ringing inside me. Isn’t that sweet, E? he replied.

She found the shelf and immediately started skimming through it. How can I miss someone that either calls or texts me every five minutes? It's not like you're giving me a chance to, she texted back. She didn’t want to admit it but she did miss her blond, green-eyed best friend. She hadn’t known why her father wanted them to move to New York with him on short notice. Usually, he’d go without them and move back to L.A. eventually after the place got boring or his work was finished. He had only announced on one of his free nights that everything had been prepared and that they were setting off for New York because of work. Her brother and sister couldn’t have been anymore happier which made the situation even more peculiar. New York was a place of painful memories, of long forgotten joy, of what made her family the way they were now. They shouldn't have been happy to be back here.