Books have always been my escape from the rest of the world. As a young child, I could spend hours reading fairy tales and the children's books that my mother wrote. She was an author in addition to working long hours at the library. Even though she pushed herself to get up every morning to provide for our two-person family, she still received minimal pay. I was used to nothing like this library. I did a full turn to take every aspect of the room in. I sighed, losing myself to my ruminations.
"Roselle? Roselle? Rose? Elle?" Tanner said, in an attempt to snap me out of my thoughts.
My eyes widened in fear as he called me by the nickname that my mother used to use quite often for me. I shook my head, snapping out of my daze. "Hm?" I asked.
"I was just asking about how you can smell knowledge," he said teasingly.
"Oh. Books are knowledge. Right? And to me, books have a unique smell, so if you think about it, everyone can smell knowledge," I explain.
"I never thought about it like that before," Tanner says to me.
"Maybe it's just because you aren't stupid like me," I reply.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Nothing is stupid. You have a unique way of thinking. That's all. In fact, I happen to like how you think," he says with a smile towards the end of his statement. I return the smile.
It's crazy to me how the others seem so rude and standoffish, meanwhile, Tanner seems kind and encouraging. I wonder how he ended up here. I'd like to ask him, but I probably shouldn't invade his privacy. I also have to be careful. I can't say too much. Maybe him being nice to me is just an act. Maybe he reports everything I say and do to Caleb or one of the others. At this thought, I frown.
"Is something wrong?" he questions me. I realize the mistake I've made by frowning, so quickly, I smile again. "Nope! Nothing is wrong! I just can't wait to commence my reading," I answer with an obnoxiously large grin on my face. He chuckles a little bit. "Alright. I'm not stopping you. If you need help finding anything, just let me know!" he smiles.
"Okay! Thanks. I will," I reply, starting to walk down a long row of bookshelves. I traced my fingertips down the intricately decorate spines of books. As I pulled my hand away, I noticed a thick layer of dust now coating my fingertips. "Yikes. This place could use a cleaning," I muttered under my breath. I inhale and gently exhale, blowing the dust away. It floats down slowly, before settling onto the floor. I laugh slightly.
The dust reminded me of the shelf of cookbooks my mom had in our tiny apartment. She always talked about how she didn't need the cookbooks because she had all of the recipes she needed memorized and in her heart. However, she kept the books. She claimed it was just in case I ever showed interest in cooking, but she passed away before she could ever teach me how to cook, bake, or anything of the sort.
I heard a voice behind me. "Lost in your thoughts?" it questioned."As a matter of fact, I am," I answer. "And what might those thoughts be?" At this, I turn around. I sigh frustratedly. Caleb. The one who brought all of this on me and can't seem to leave me alone for a day. "None of your business," I reply sassily. He chuckles. "If you say so. I have answers though," he says to me. "Answers to what? My thoughts? That's not such a bright statement," I reply to him.
He narrows his eyebrows. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am," he says back to me. His eyes show the slightest glint of hurt to them. I don't think that I was meant to see that, because the emotion suddenly leaves his eyes, all memory of supposed to be stoic suddenly returning to him. "I never said you were dumb all the time," I say to him. "Whatever," he grunts. "If you want your answers, follow me."
I would like the answers to my questions, so I decide to follow him. He leads me over to a corner of the library which has two rather comfortable-looking leather chairs. We both have a seat. There is a small coffee table separating our chairs. He takes one look at it, before picking up the familiar notepad which holds the answers I need.
"Alright, Roselle. Let's begin," he says as I smile.
A/N: Hello everyone!! Thanks for nearly 100 reads! Love you all! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! What do you think the answers to Roselle's questions will be? See you guys next chapter. xx Chrissy
~Chapter 3~
Start from the beginning
