The Color of Knowledge

Chapter Thirteen (pt. 5)

"Close your eyes."

"This is so cheesy," said Ivy, though she complied.

She heard him utter incomprehensible words and felt the earth move around her. To keep her balance she clung to him, eyes still closed, as a child would out of fear. Almost instantly, she felt as though she were in a different capacity. The air was heavier and smelled ancient, as if she had moved into another space in time.

"You can open now."

Ivy opened her eyes and began to take in a large, open room filled with rows of dusty shelves and books.

"A library?"

"The library," said Keegan. "This is the only library left in the world, as far as I know. Do they have one in The Society?"

Ivy shook her head while stepping forward. The light flooding into the room came from holes in the dirt ceiling high above. As she moved, dust and smut particles rose in her wake, disturbed by her presence. She halted at the first bookshelf and pulled the first book that caught her eye. It was titled The Alchemist.

"I've read that one," said Keegan.

"What's it about?" Ivy asked, turning the small book over in her hands, her fingertips leaving trails along the cover.

"Life, the pursuit of happiness and finding your purpose. It's very interesting. Do you read?"

"I used to. When I was younger. I would sit and read with my grandmother." Guilt was starting to push into Ivy's heart. Still holding the novel in both hands, she moved forward once again, followed by Keegan.

"It doesn't seem like a lot of people know about this place. Why is that?"

"I don't know. My mother brought me here a few days before she died. She said only one person is allowed to hold the power of this place at a time. I think she somehow knew something was going to happen to her."

"How'd she die?" Ivy asked. She stopped to turn and look Keegan in his eye. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if don't want to. I know we just met."

Keegan looked away and picked up a book from a nearby shelf titled Bambi, A Life in The Woods. He flipped through the pages and a wave of old air washed over them.

"You know, you can learn a lot from books. I think my mother said this place was powerful because of the knowledge one can get from within all these pages. Knowledge is powerful, but can also be dangerous." Keegan place the title back where it belonged. "Last year when I discovered how to curve the creatures' appetite, we had to test to see if it worked. My mother was the first to try to get them to eat it. She was killed in the process."

"I'm so sorry," said Ivy.

"I don't understand why people say that."

Ivy paused. "Me neither. It's just something people say because others have said it and the people they grew up around said it too. It would probably be a little awkward if I hadn't said anything at all."

"It's fine. It's done and there's no way to go back in time to stop her."

They stood in silence for a while, letting the dust settle around them.

"No one else knows about this place," said Keegan.

It was easy for Ivy to make eye contact with him. "I won't tell anyone," she said.

His eyes were colored a dark umber-brown, she noticed. They held something in them that made her question things. She could not explain it to herself, what she felt.

"Have you ever wondered why we're here?" she asked.

Keegan shrugged. "Why?"

"Because there's a lot we don't know, you know? I mean, we're here for some purpose, but I can't figure out what it is."

"Maybe we're here just to pass time. To wait for something bigger."

"What could be bigger than life itself?"

"Death."

Although the dust was thick, Ivy was able to tolerate the feeling of uneasiness. She was getting close to something big. She could feel it.

"Think about the sun for a minute," said Keegan.

They looked up to the light streaming through the holes in the ceiling.

"When it rises you picture it being born and when it sets, it dies. But it's never really born and never really dies. It just goes away for some time. It's still there, just out of sight, out of mind. We are probably never born and never die, we only feel that way."

"I think I understand."

Ivy pondered Keegan's explanation. If they were not really born and never really died, what did that mean for her? Was she living one continuous life? Ivy, still staring into the light, moved closer to Keegan so that their hands were almost touching.

"We should get back," he said, walking away.

He led her back to the entrance of the library, muttered something that made the earth under their feet move, and they were soon in the dead end passageway once more.

A little embarrassed, Ivy pretended not to notice her rejection as they wound their way back towards civilization. She had to remind herself that, despite what she had been taught, not all boys wanted one thing. They could be friends. Did Keegan perhaps think all girls wanted one thing? After a minute, Ivy could see Zari and Milo sprinting towards Keegan and herself.

"Where did you two go?" asked Milo with a frantic expression.

"What's wrong?"

"We got a message from Nadia," Milo whispered, violently out of breath. He led them to the chamber in which Ivy and Zari had eaten breakfast just a few hours previously. When they entered, Linus and Yani seemed to have been waiting for them.