The Library On 4th Street (CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN)

1

"Apollo, leave Rei alone. All she wants to do is pass this test, and she can't do that if you're making her feel uncomfortable." Nyx sighed. 

"Oh come on, there's no way she even knows I'm here!" Apollo replied, while looming over my head. "Oooo, ouch. She's doing algebra" He said. 

"Exactly, which is why you need to leave her alone - and for the record," Nyx added. "Just because humans can't see us, doesn't mean they can't sense us. I've told you this." I could definitely hear and see them, but it was fun to make them think I was totally oblivious. I had been coming to this library for about five years since it was just up the road from my house. I knew it was abandoned and haunted, but I'd never seen any actual ghosts, up until about two years ago. I enjoyed the music that the musical ghost, Atlas, would play almost every night. Of course, he didn't know that. 

"Gosh, I wish Rei could see us. It would make it so much better to just have a friend." Apollo remarked. Atlas looked up from his piano across the room- "You do know that it's impossible for a living human to see or hear us, right?" Nyx interrupted. "Atlas, how many times do I have to tell you? It's not impossible. It's just highly unlikely." She said, frustrated. "Despite this library being abandoned for many many years, she still insist on doing her studies here." Atlas said with a little hint of pleasure and admiration. He might not say it out loud, but having me in the library was a refreshing sight to see, since everyone is tired of the same things over and over again.

I saw Apollo's face light up. "Wait," He said "So, it's NOT impossible for me to have a friend? I mean, she's the only one that comes here. We know her name and what she likes to listen to- we could make great friends!! This place has been abandoned for years!" Nyx now understood why Atlas didn't tell Apollo it wasn't impossible. He wouldn't stop talking about it, and flying around excitedly. 

"Oh you guys, do you know what this means?! We don't have to be lonely anymore! Haha!!"

Nyx rubbed the bridge of her nose in aggravation, and Atlas just continued playing the piano.  It wasn't unusual for Apollo to get this way. He was a naturally excited ghost, and he was tired of feeling alone. He was young at heart, and didn't seem to really understand that he was dead. There wasn't an ounce of mischief or evil in his eyes. It was like watching a child get a toy they've asked for. That kid-like innocence. I hadn't seen that in a while, and it calmed me.

Watching him get excited over the tiniest things, when he would understand something about my homework, when he'd dance around the room as Atlas played the piano, or when he would get scared of the rain. All these things made it harder and harder to not give into "just saying hi". I knew I couldn't. That would be a disaster, and there would be no going back. I had kept my composure around them for 5 years, and I intended on continuing that streak.

The three got along pretty well. Although Atlas and Nyx were more the serious types, I still loved seeing them smile when Apollo would try his best to make them laugh. 

"Apollo," Nyx started. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's gonna happen. As much as we all want it to."

Those crushing words didn't seem to have any effect on the young entity. He brushed them off just as easily as Nyx said them. There was nothing that was gonna bring him down today- He was certain that one day, he'd have a friend. 

"Maybe not today!" He exclaimed. "I will though! I will get her to see me." Atlas huffed and Nyx rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that, Apollo. I'm telling you now, the day Rei sees us is the day we leave the library." It went silent. The piano stopped, and there was tension in the air. It felt like the fun, light energy was suddenly spun into stressful, thick fog. The silence was loud, and Apollo slowly floated towards the ground, eyes locked on Nyx with a despondent expression. "What? What's that 'sposed to mean..?" The lights flickered and dimmed with a small buzz. "Doesn't matter. What matters is that you understand that people can't, and will not ever see us." Nyx said. I heard Atlas mutter something, and I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. Nyx seemed to catch on as well. 

"If you have something to say, I'd suggest you speak up."

"Five years, Nyx." 

Three words that held no meaning to me, but appeared to be Nyx's whole world. Again, silence. No words, only daggered stares between the two eldest spirits. There it was, that thick energy. Nyx looked like she wanted to respond, but knew it was best if she held her tongue. "Don't bring it up." With a sigh, she dropped her arms, and picked up a book to read to get her mind off of it. Apollo, still in his confused state, seemed too exhausted to ask. It was getting late, I could tell. Quiet engulfed the library just like it did every night around this time. Everyone started settling down, and getting ready to do the same exact thing tomorrow. 

It was a quaint library, and there wasn't much out of the ordinary if you didn't count the slew of spirits that occupied it's solid oak interior. Thousands of books lined the walls, and the building smelled of musk wood. There was a faint sound of rain against the old roof, and occasional lightning lit up the outside of the large windows on either side of me. 

I still had so much work to do. It was exam season, and there was no way I'd be able to pass my classes if I didn't come here as I did. It was my home. My parents barely ever saw me because I was there for hours on end. There wasn't anything I would rather do. I'd go there when I was stressed, happy, sad, or even too tired to do anything else. It was my safe place, and I never wanted to leave. I was trying hard not to fall asleep to Atlas's piano arrangements, while the soft audible noise of Nyx turning the pages in her book could be heard. Apollo wasn't able to stay awake for very long after calming down from all his excitement earlier. He fell asleep on the floor, leaning against the bookshelf. 

 The faint piano music was lulling me to sleep as I wrote down algebra functions for the thousandth time. I knew if I didn't leave now I would end up accidentally spending the night. I hung my head as I packed up my things to leave. I saw Nyx shoot her eyes up from over the top of her book through her glasses to glance at me. So badly I wanted to wave goodbye, and tell them to have a great night. 

'No, you can't. You can't.' I knew there was no way anything would ever be the same if I did. I needed to stay silent, or else it could make things a lot worse for myself. No one would understand. Apollo would follow me to school, and disrupt my day, Nyx wouldn't leave me alone about homework, and Atlas would overwork himself trying to explain piano chords to me. I was desperately trying to weigh my options. There were so many things that could go wrong. I proceeded as usual, packed up my books, and left. 

I knew I'd come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the days after that. That place never got old, and it would never. The library on 4th street had a special place in my heart, and so did the entities that inhabited it. They just didn't know it. I started for home, and as the raindrops hit my umbrella, I turned around and glanced at the outside of my second home.

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight, guys."