The Anthem of the Imperial Beasts

II

I halted at my favourite spot and brushed my fingers down the book's spine of the most horrifying tales ever written. There was a time when Mum used to read them to me. I was just a child then—a careless child living its best irresponsible life. More than anything, I longed to come back to that life and be irresponsible for a few more years to lose this weight upon my shoulders, but it would always remain as nothing more than a desire.

I reached the end of the aisle, but it wasn't empty. A figure was engulfed by the shadow. Reading a book with the help of a faint light filtering through the shuttered window, being so absorbed in it that he didn't notice me.

I plucked out a book from his hands, and the brunet boy flinched, round glasses sliding down his nose. He had to shift them with the push of his forefinger to get them back in place.

"Lynn," Kris whispered, respecting the silence in the library even if I'd stolen a book from him, and his tone wasn't exactly pleased. "Give it back."

"Why?" I gave a quick look at the pages he was reading and read something I wished I hadn't. "Is that why you left without me? To read this... unseemly thing?"

He flushed, rosiness crawling from his cheeks up to his ears. "I... I was not."

"Right." I plopped my bottom down beside him and offered him the book, which he snatched from me. "Rude."

"As if you didn't do the same thing."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think reading a cliché romance novel will help you get a..." I made a thoughtful face. "Never mind. Maybe it would help you get a girl, after all."

"Please, stop."

"Don't worry. You're young. You'll find someone who would be worthy of you. So far—"

"All right, I get it, Lynn."

A reflective smile touched the corner of my lip before I ruffled his neatly brushed hair.

He began fixing it right away, shooting me an annoyed look. "What's the matter with you today?"

I shrugged, resting my head against the wall while Kris adjusted his reading glasses once again. We couldn't afford the ones which would be a perfect fit for him. Luckily, these had been on discount since it had a little crack on a temple.

"Oh, um..." he began. "Don't tell Mum what I'm about to tell you, but Gen didn't go to summer school this morning."

I shut my eyes for a moment and let out a frustrated sigh before reopening them. "Where did she go now?"

"Didn't tell me."

Gen had become more and more distant these days. Uncharacteristically quiet, laughing less than usual, just like making her sarcastic puns. Not one of us talked about the forthcoming event in two weeks, but we were all aware of it. Ignoring it helped avoid the despair it'd bring upon us until we had no choice but to face it.

"We should head home." I rose and extended my hand to help Kris get up. "Mum must be already waiting for us with lunch."

Acting like a tough man, Kris ignored my hand and sprang to his feet by himself. I playfully rolled my eyes, pulling my hand away. Once he returned the book back to its place, we stopped by the librarian's desk. She gave me a book while Kris was taking off his glasses. We chirped our goodbyes to her before leaving.

Shouts of the vendors promoting their goods and people's chatters burst through as soon as we stepped outside. A group of giggling kids ran past us with the old lady behind them shouting to give her back her apple.

Now the market was buzzing with activity. Although we were strolling behind market stalls to avoid the persistent vendors, some of their helpers still managed to disturb us. Every time one introduced their product, Kristian shyly lowered his head while I waved them away, rejecting their offer, not even minding hearing half of it.