Date: Yithi 9th, 1590 - Before The Long Stillness
The library was warm and quiet. I flipped through the pages of the book I was reading—the Lore and Legends of Celentra.
A board creaked behind me, and I turned; nothing.
My heart began to beat faster as I stood up. “Who is here?” I asked.
No answer.
“Come on, I am not in the mood,” I said, peering at the rows of books surrounding me.
“Cyrus,” a voice whispered, hollow and disconnected from the room. A shiver ran down my spine, but I forced myself to stay upright.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking. I began wandering through the shelves, trying to find the voice.
“Cyrus, you must read,” the voice said. “Who I am is not important. You must know as much as you can before you have to leave here.”
I searched the shadows, but the source remained invisible. My heart thudded violently against my ribs. I slid down against a stack of books, tears welling in my eyes.
I looked up to see a small blonde girl standing in front of me. Her checkered dress drowned her.
I jumped up.
“Was that you?” I asked.
“What? I just heard you crying and came over here,” she said, looking confused.
“Didn’t you hear that voice?” I asked, hoping she would say yes.
She shook her head. “No, just you crying.”
“Well, I am not crying anymore,” I said, rubbing my cheeks with my sleeve. My face felt hot.
Being seen crying made me embarrassed and made me want to leave.
She scanned me, seeming to pick up on more than most kids her age. “You still want to cry,” She finally said.
I glared at her. “I just want to read,” I grumbled, storming off toward my table.
How had she not heard the voice? Why did the voice tell me to read? I was already going to do that. I didn’t need to be told to.
I made it back to the table and plopped down in my seat. The book was soft-bound.
I opened it and sank deeper into my chair.