Just the Maid

Chapter Two- Reader's Nook?

I head out, still wearing my disguise, to find a library in town. Glancing to my left, I sense an ominous presence coming from a little white haired boy carrying a yellow skateboard with a red arrow on it.

'What's he doing all alone? He's only about five or six. Is he an orphan?' I wonder. "No..." I say out loud. The boy sneaks a glance at me and I turn away, quickening my pace. 'He's too aware of his surroundings. And that smell...' I decide to ignore him for now and I continue on my way to the library.

A few minutes later, I find myself standing in front of a small library. I head inside. Looking around, there's only a few people milling around. The clerk jumps up from her desk and rushes over to me.

"Hello! Welcome to Reader's Nook! I know, the name sounds really cliché, but it's the best we could come up with." She giggles nervously. She must be new to the job.

"Is there anything I can help you find? Any specific topic you're looking for?" I shake my head at her and walk forward to the nonfiction aisle. I hear her climb up to her desk and she sighs heavily. Seeing how few people are here, this must not be a very popular place, so she was probably super bored. That must've been why she was so excited when I came in.

Being the nice person I am, I sigh and go up to her.

"Y-Yes? Do you need something?" She sits up straight, startled. I motion with my hand for a pencil and paper.

"Can you not speak?" she asks as she hands me my items. I write 'Kukuroo Mountain' on it and show it to her, ignoring her question.

"Oh! Of course! Right this way!" she says, ecstatic. I follow her long brown hair silently as she leads me down an isle of books.

"This is where we keep all of our geography books on mountains and people who live in, or on, them. Please, help yourself!" With that, she walks away happily. I stare as she skips away, and I smile a little.

But, it's time to get to work. I look up at my options. Kukuroo Mountain and People looked like my best option, so I pull it off the shelf and head to the front of the library where all the tables are. Setting it down with a THUD, I get a few heavily induced 'SHHHHHHHH's'. I shrug it off and sit down, wrapping my cloak around me. After blowing off some dust, I get to reading...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sir..." A voice called to me. "Excuse me... Sir?" It got louder as I opened my eyes.

"Excuse me sir, it's closing time so I'm going to have to ask you to leave please." The voice came from the clerk that helped me find the book I was reading. Wait a minute...!

I shot up and looked down at the book. It was open to about the middle, so I sighed, glad I was able to retain some information. I closed the book and handed it to the clerk.

"Um, th-thank you. Have a nice night!" she called as I left the library. I just nodded and left to find somewhere to sleep.

Upon leaving the library, I saw that it was almost the dead of night. That meant that many places would be closed, giving me the only option as to sleep in an inn. If I wanted a warm bed and a shower, that is. I reached into my cloak, all the way in the back, and found my change pouch. I felt its contents and knew that I didn't have enough to pay for an inn. I sighed heavily and went to the outskirts of town to find a tree or a bench to sleep on.

A few minutes later, I climb into a huge oak with thick branches that would be able to support my weight. Wrapping myself in my cloak, I fall into a deep sleep.