Maddox Academy: Grievous Beginnings - Wattys 2022 Shortlister

Chapter Four - Capturing A Moment With A Needle and Thread

We walked a little further down the hall until we reached a large wooden door marked with a gold plate. The plate read 'Library' and Katie twisted the door handle and we stepped inside.

The entire room was lined with bookshelves, each shelf was stacked with books and the labels on the side of the shelves said they contained everything. From archaeology to a few books on Zebra's, it contained everything a person could want. There were tables dotted around the room, some had students on them, and others were empty. It looked like the perfect place for some peace and quiet and to find a new book to read.

I stared at the rows of bookshelves as Katie walked over to a large, semi-circle desk and stood behind two other girls waiting. The Librarian leant forward over a desk and pressed a metal stamp against a book and handed it to the girl in front. She accepted the book and walked away. Beside me, Jo looked to the far corner of the room.

"I'll be back in a minute." She smiled and walked across the room to a teacher who peered over the work of another student.

Not really knowing what to do – and feeling a tad out of place by standing in the middle of the room – I walked up to the bookshelves and began to run my hand along the spines of the books. We had a Library at my last school but most of the books were held together with tape and I read almost all of them within a year of being there. It would certainly take me a while to read the number of books in the Maddox Library, and I considered that a challenge.

I walked along each of the shelves, running my hand along the spines as I went. Each book title appeared more exciting than the last and I couldn't wait for the chance to read them. When I reached the books on Ancient Rome, I pulled one off the shelf and started to flick through it. There were enough books here to get me through my independent study project and beyond.

"You look as though you're in heaven," Katie said, creeping up behind me.

"I've read my Roman book cover to cover five times since I got it before Christmas. I could live here."

"Go right ahead, no one will judge you." She laughed. "You can take out two books at a time and you have two weeks unless you ask for an extension. Though I doubt you'll need it."

"I'd probably renew them just to read them again."

Katie laughed just as the bell rang. I slipped the book on the shelf, vowing to myself to come back later in the day to take it out. Together, we walked out from amongst the shelves and collected Jo on our way. The two of them had their history lesson on the floor above whilst my sewing class took place on the ground floor, so we went our separate ways. Katie had to give me instructions on where to find the classroom.

I headed down the stairs to the first floor, down the main stairs and around the corner, through another door that opened onto a large hallway. There were no windows and the entire hall had been lit by the light bulbs on the wall, creating an eerie – almost gothic – feel. All it needed was a shadow skulking down it wearing a cloak to complete the feel.

A low babble of conversation came from the other rooms until I looked through one of the open doors and recognised some of the people from inside. I stepped in and took a seat beside one of the other girls at a large table covered in a white cloth and an assortment of coloured thread. At least a third of the cloth had detailed and intricate images on, each one depicting a different event.

The one that stood out the most was of the school being used as a makeshift hospital for soldiers during the Great War. I remember Dad had mentioned it when he first told me about the school and its scholarship program but seeing the Red Cross logo on the school alongside the image of a nurse made it real. I didn't think that was the type of thing someone could capture with a needle and thread.