sera carter and the lost library

chapter one.

FROM THE DAWN OF TIME, humanity has wondered how the world will end. Stories and poems and entire religions were built around the fundamental idea that some natural disaster or our sins or some other insane notion would be the end of us. And all of those things are completely, utterly flawed. No, the end of humanity came as soon as it began. The second that the first human came to be, whether it was from evolutionary purposes or through divine creation, our first breath was our last. Corruption and greed run through our veins. A never-ending war began when we took our first step. No matter how much we long for the simple idea of peace, we will be unable to ever achieve it. The planet was shaken to the core when we came to be, and it would never be the same.

So many people think that doing good things would bring us serenity. They're wrong. They're always wrong. It doesn't matter if you believe in a God with a big "G" or gods with a little "g", nothing at all or any combination thereof. There is no salvation. There is no peace. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn't matter how much you advocate for peace or promote mass genocide, nothing will ever change. At the end of the day, we are only furthering a war that we can never, ever end. We are on a path towards total annihilation and not even the largest comet in the sky can stop us from destroying ourselves.

People say I'm cynical. They're probably right about that. I just know that I've always thought this way. I don't know how it all began, if we're being honest. From the time I had my first coherent thought, I was always prepared for eternal damnation. As I grew older, I realized it was because of the fundamental flaws of mankind. We preach peace and promote war simultaneously. Never have we all been on the same page. Every person has their own agenda; it doesn't matter if they're aware of this or not. It's one of the most basic unspoken truths we hold.

Nothing would ever sway my beliefs. My mom always said that I stood as firm as a tree. I would always tell her that, that wasn't a very strong belief system. After all, trees die. Trees can be cut down. Trees can fall after a heavy rain. Everything will fall to ruins, but my thoughts are absolute. But there's always a problem that comes with being steadfast with your opinions: there will always be someone who's 100% prepared to argue with you.

Enter Jacob Ingram. He was easily the most irritating human to ever walk the earth. He was a firm believer that, by completing a substantial number of good deeds, you'd be able to achieve some sort of divine redemption or whatever. Needless to say, we always clashed. We hated everything the other stood for. I couldn't stand him. He was the epitome of pretentiousness. He said I was embodiment of pessimism. Every day we got into longwinded arguments about why one of us is right and the other is wrong. If I didn't start the fight, then he did. It was a cycle that never seemed to end. But, as much as I hated Jacob Ingram's opinions, I never hated him as a person. He, however, hated everything about me. I never understood why. No one had ever been able to provide me with an adequate answer. People said he hated me because I hated him. But the logic was flawed—I actually enjoyed his presence (when we weren't engaging in a screaming match, of course).

I should've let it drop. I shouldn't have dug as far into it as I had. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Everyone is allowed to have their own beliefs. Everyone can have their own secrets. I certainly had my fair share, but I just couldn't let it slide. Dad said I was a curious child—whether that's true or not, I don't know. I just know that I had to find the answer. I had to know what caused such a monumental rift between Jacob Ingram and me. I had to know, and I wouldn't stop until I had the answers I wanted.

Unfortunately, when I became dedicated to a task, it usually landed me in more trouble than any one person should have to handle. This time, however, the punishment seemed appropriate for the crime. Sure, I wouldn't have asked for an after-school detention, but it was with Jacob Ingram. What better way could I find the answers I wanted?