Recover This

Chapter 1

Artemis Finney walked up the concrete steps of the public library and pulled open the door. He was welcomed with a blast of cool air that ruffled his hair, and the still quiet that is often associated with libraries at any time, let alone eight in the morning.
Artemis rubbed his eyes as he walked across the room sleepily, he had slept very lightly the night before, and was a little sore on one side of his back. Artemis reached the bathroom and went in, entered the handicap stall, and set his bag on the floor.

He pulled out his toiletries bag, the the toothpaste's bright colors and childish designs seemed very out of place against the dim greenish fluorescent light above him. Artemis  brushed his teeth and stared at himself in the mirror.

His white hair has gotten a bit longer, it's past chin length now, flipping outwards at the bottom. His bangs were not yet in danger of growing over his eyes so he could delay a haircut for a while.
He didn't look his age, his pale face was too soft and almost femininely slim. He had been mistaken for a girl a lot of his life, and it has only happened more often now that his hair has grown, not that he really cared. He washed his face with cold water, still trying to wake up a bit.

Okay. Ready to start another day, you've got this, he thought to himself as he reached for his bag. It had gotten a little wet where he set it on the floor and he had to reassure himself that it was just water.
Artemis left the library bathroom and started up the isle, staring at the old faded carpet.

He wondered why the city didn't try harder to keep the library cleaner when so many people used it. It used to be a nice place when he was little, the carpet was newer and his mother would let him check out animal documentary tapes if he did his chores. Good times.

He would rent the same tape about the African Wilds over and over again, given that his mother would always fast forward the tape to omit any violence. Although Artemis did throw up one time while watching it because his mother had fallen asleep right before some lions were hunting an antelope.

The second he saw the blood Artemis spewed all over his kiddie chair and the carpet in front of the TV. He's pretty sure he cried until his mom woke up and cleaned him. He stopped watching the African Wilds tape after that. To this day he still feels sick when he sees blood, but fortunately his stomach has learned to settle itself a bit. Arti hasn't rented a tape in years, he wondered if the all the ones he used to get were still in circulation.

As Artemis took the next step, his eyes still slanted down at his worn orange sneakers and the carpet beneath them, he collided awkwardly with something soft.
"Huh?"
Artemis looked up at the girl in front of him, she had long platinum blonde hair, a short plump frame, and fair skin. At first she seemed familiar, something about her hair. It hung in two long strands along the sides of her face, her bangs were brushed to the side. She was pretty, Artemis thought. He hoped that she thought so too. The girl's surprised expression softened and uttered a laugh that was also sort of a sigh.  It was then that Artemis remembered that he had just walked straight into her chest.

Embarrassment flooded though him. "I-I'm so sorry," he choked the words out, spun on his heel, then rushed away. Artemis kept his head down, and heard murmuring from the girl as he walked away. Artemis glanced up slightly at the people sitting at the tables as he passed, hoping that they hadn't seen the unceremonious introduction that he had just participated in. Their heads were down. Reading in a library is pretty normal after all.

He continued on, waking quickly across the library until he reached the door where he came in a while earlier. Artemis took a moment to survey the damage he had done and found the blonde girl sitting next to a taller, darker skinned girl with short brown hair. They were sharing a book.

The taller girl turned to him and they locked eyes. Her expression was blank. She faced to her friend again, Artemis was sure they were talking about him and he didn't care to stay in case the girls were to confront him about being so rude.  He slipped out the door, faced the dessert heat full force, and carried on until he reached the end of the road. Oh well, Artemis thought to himself, my library card is probably expired anyway.