APRICITAS [ENG] || Johan Liebert || Monster

Chapter 16 - The Flame of Determination

The next three and a half weeks passed in a frenzy of tense waiting. Emiko even felt as if a storm was gathering around her; dark clouds gathered more and more... only to finally turn into an ominous roar and terror at the ceremony in the Munich library.

From the day Karl and Lotte tried to set her up with Johan, she never met him directly again. The week before, she'd only managed to pick the brown-haired girl into the pastry shop, but otherwise nothing else had happened; the young Tenma made sure that nothing like that would happen - although she would run into the blonde on the University campus several times during this time, she was so careful in all places there, that she deftly avoided any confrontation. Besides, her head was busy with something else.

Mainly the nearest ceremony of handing over Schuwald's book collection.

When the day she had been waiting for, she packed the pistol she had long kept hidden deep in the closet, in her backpack, feeling that this situation would be the first and the last in which she would use its capabilities. She also took a small portion of food with her, at the same time, taking nothing to drink.

She looked around the room and thought she wouldn't be able to spend the next night here... she sighed. After that, she made sure she had everything she needed with her, and then left the apartment, locking the door behind her.

****

Loudspeakers at the library began to signal that it would be closed soon. Emiko quickly went to the very back of the room and looked carefully around.

'Where would be the most perfect place for me to hide?' She didn't notice any good nook anywhere, but... she remembered something. 'When I was a child, I loved climbing trees... So maybe if...' A satisfied smile appeared on her face. 'Of course...' She didn't hesitate anymore and climbed the shelves to the top of the bookcase, then laid her body on it. In this position, she decided to wait out all night and then most of the day, until the time of ceremony.

****

That night she was awake restlessly. She was unable to get a good night's sleep for several reasons. First of all - every now and then a night bodyguard with a flashlight walked around the building and carefully watched the area patrolling by himself; second, the bookcase was cold and hard, which made it impossible for the girl to find a comfortable position that she had to change from time to time. And finally, thirdly - she felt an incredible rush of emotions, because the next day was to bring a big finale...

These thoughts tormented her all night, so even though she managed to doze off several times, she still felt incredibly tired and sleepy. In fact, it wasn't until around noon that she fully woke up from her lethargy when she heard the sound from the pluggable microphone by the people who were preparing this place for the ceremony.

Slowly, she rolled over on her stomach and took a small muffin out of her backpack, then began to eat the last of the provisions she had left after the night. As she ate her little breakfast slowly, she began to observe the whole situation.

'Tests with the sound... They're running with these chairs pretty much...' Her eyes following all the people below, at one point darkened greatly. 'When it all ends... What will I do then?'

The girl turned her head slightly to the side and saw something that made her almost choke on her last bite.

Far away from her, but also on top of the bookshelf, Kenzo was laying on his stomach with a huge sniper rifle at his side.

'Thanks God that my bookcase is almost against the wall! Due to the fact that it is darker here than in other parts of the library, my brother shouldn't notice me...' Young Tenma finished her meal, which on that day seemed barren and tasteless, as if she were chewing sawdust. She only really feed herself as much as she needed to avoid fainting at the least expected moment of the day. Never before had eating felt like such an unwanted activity in her life... She laid her head on the wooden planks and mentally began the slow countdown to the beginning of the ceremony.