Overwritten

14 ; pages lie

Walking into the library entrance, there was a sense of familiarity clinging to the air.

Through the sliding doors, I noted that it was mostly empty, except for a few people milling around bookshelves. It was as any Tuesday afternoon might be. For a brief yet pure moment, I found myself back in the body of who I once was. Walking into the library as I might any Tuesday afternoon after school.

Maybe I would've been borrowing another book to give to Lillian, maybe one for myself. Before she disappeared, Marie and I would go here together. Trying to find the strangest books to show each other. Finding books with information we probably shouldn't know.

I remember reading old science fiction novels. It was always interesting seeing how the old times would imagine our world being. My favorite one being The Hunger Games.

It is one of the classic books. Often times people praise themselves on reading classic books, but I always found it intriguing. I wondered what it would be like if I was Katniss, and I had a little sister. I couldn't help but imagine Lillian as Prim, despite her being older than me.

Marie once found a book, something like shades of black or grey. There were scenes in there, which for a 12-year-old little girl, appeared to be the funniest things imaginable. Marie would put on a deep voice and say, "I'm Christian grey, mwah mwah mwah"

A strict librarian, who everybody seemed to hate, was shocked at what we found. Quickly grabbing the book, she made us leave the library. I didn't understand half of what the words were, but I laughed because Marie laughed.

Marie seemed to understand a lot more than me. She decided about a year before she disappeared that she wanted to cut her hair. I assumed this meant a trim, maybe even shorter. But after she said that, she leaned across my desk in History, picked up scissors, and hacked away.

It was seventh grade when that happened, and then she disappeared in 8th grade. I could still see the picture of the teacher sobbing as she thought she was going to be punished, something I didn't quite understand the gravity off at the time. Marie sat there, 15 inches of blonde hair cut off, leaving her hair cut a few inches above her shoulders.

Apparently, her parents lost it at her, and the school was forced to make her see a child psychologist. She started changing after that, growing more open. Before, she was bold and brave. But she had become softer, nicer. And then, she was gone.

I brought myself back to the current situation at hand. Scott and Jake either side of me, we began to walk up to the second set of glass doors at the library.

"Hi there! Welcome to the Library!" the cheery robotic censor at the front desk said. It was a screen with a sensor and a small speaker. The same awful nauseating voice that appeared to be everywhere, "Please scan your watches for entry!"

I scanned my watch, Jake and Scott doing the same. The sliding doors opened, the city emblem which was printed in the center, split in half. I walked inside, the scent continuing to send me back into a sense of memory.

Despite it attempting to keep a historic façade, the interior was anything but. It had been completely redone, the plastic, metal and carbon blend had become the most popular thing as it was cheapest. Thus, it was what made every bookshelf and staircase. A white shimmer, contrasting old books which were, despite laminated pages, a contrast in appearance.

"Welcome to-," a voice began to say from my right, a human one this time. I turned to see the head librarian, Amanda Honey, beaming, "Oh Rebecca! I almost didn't recognize you in your uniform! Oh, are these your friends?"

"Yeah hi, sorry I didn't come in earlier," she shook her head, shushing me, a smile still wide across her face.

"Don't apologize, I just assumed you were all caught up!" she seemed extremely gleeful, and I already wanted out of the conversation, "Now please, introduce me to your friends,"