1: Him

He seems to be becoming part of the library. With each passing second. his presence becomes less and less noticeable. His face, like usual, is hidden behind a book. He, unlike the rowdy group of freshmen nearby, is quiet. The only audible sound emitted from him is a whisper as he turns the pages of his book. His actions, not only quiet, seem graceful compared to the other inhabitants of the library. I turn back to face the book I hold within my hands. I haven't read any of it, but I've been noisily turning the pages occasionally. I'm standing in the Encyclopedia section, the section nearest to where he sits.

I can't quite explain why I'm so fascinated by him. Perhaps it is because he seems more like a ghost than a human... After all, wouldn't a human make a lot more noise than he does? Even the librarian, an elderly woman who frequently kicks people out of the library for being too loud, produces loud breathing sounds.

"What are ya reading, Lee?" One of the rowdy freshmen ask him. Seeming to be absorbed in his book, he fails to answer the freshman. Freshmen... To call the boy and his friends freshmen seems to be a bit of a stretch. The boy and is obnoxious friends look more like overgrown elementary schoolers than high schoolers. The boy who seems to be the leader of the baby faced group adds, "Answer me, China boy! Or do you not know English?" Seeming to grow more aggravated by the lack of a response with each passing second, King Baby Face snatches the book out of his hands.

For the first time ever, I am able to see his face. He has dark eyes that remind me of the night sky. His pale skin forms a flattering contrast between his dark eyes and hair. His skin reminds me of the first snow of the year. Additionally, there is not a single blemish to be seen on his skin. Letting my gaze fall, I can't help but notice how slender his nose is. Right below his delicate looking nose are his lips, which are neither too thick or thin. He could easily be mistaken for a celebrity; that's how good he looks.

Lazily flipping through a few pages, King Baby Face soon throws his book to the ground. "Can you even understand that book? There are a lot of big words in there..." King Baby face says, waiting for a response that is not likely to come. Silently, he reaches for his book, his book that rests upon the floor right by King Baby Face's feet.

It all happens in a blur. King Baby Face's foot swiftly rises and lowers his leg, stomping on his hand. He lets out a yelp, but manages to pick up his book all the same. My book falls to the ground with a thud that is drowned out by the sound of even louder footsteps. Before I know it I am looming over the shockingly short King Baby Face and his group of toddlers. Before I even get a chance to utter a single sound, they scurry away. Why are they running away? I haven't even said anything yet! Do they find me scary because of my stocky build? Is it because I'm taller than them? Or is it because my skin is the color of chocolate, and theirs is the color of sand?

Laughter forces me to focus on the present. He is laughing... Why is he laughing? "I'm sorry..." he says in between giggles, "The facial expression your making reminds me of my cat." Huh? Is he trying to say that his cat glares at people? His cat sounds like a grumpy individual. Trying to stop himself laughing from further, he clamps one of his hands over his mouth. To my surprise, the hand he uses has splotches of violet. Did King Baby Face do that to his hand? It would make sense, he looked quite heavy... "Anyways... Thank you for helping me." He has managed to stop laughing, and currently wears a small smile upon his face.

"You might want to get ice for that," I say, motioning to his hand. His smile fades. It feels as though the whole room just got darker.

"It'll be fine... I don't want to make a big deal out of it..." He responds, soon sliding his arm under the table and resting it upon his lap.

"You should make a big deal, they attacked you!" I holler, trying to drive the point home. Why is he trying to brush the whole situation off? Shouldn't he want King Baby Face to get punished for what he did?

"So he said a few mean things... People say stuff all the time. For some reason many people like to assume I'm Chinese. Then there are people who are able to recognize the fact that I'm Japanese, but ask me if I know english. People say a lot of things... If I got hung up on every little thing someone said to me, I'd never be able to move live my life." He responds, his small smile changing ever so slightly. The smile he now wears upon his face his a sad one. The corners of his mouth are barely tilting upwards, in fact, they seem as though they could point downwards at any second.

"If it makes you feel any better..." I say, having the sudden urge to cheer him up as soon as possible, "If I fast walk out of a convience store, people ask me if I stole something."

"T-That's," he says with a shaky voice, "that's f-funny and t-terrible, all at the s-same time!" His laughter once again echoes throughout the library. His laughter is soon drowned out by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

The school librarian stands before us, with a look of pure disappointment. "I'm afraid that I must ask you two to leave," she says, pausing to emit a brief cough, "You are being too loud." We're too loud? Did she hear King Baby Face earlier? He's louder than the two of us combined!

"I never thought I would kick you out for being too loud, Kenji," the librarian adds as we exit the library." Unexpectedly, she flashes us a smile.

"I've never seen the old lady smile before... I didn't think she could... Heck, I didn't even think she had teeth left," I say, merely sharing my thoughts with him... With the boy the librarian called Kenji.

"She may be old, but she's not THAT old!" Kenji exclaims. He begins to laugh so hard that it takes him a while for him to regain his composure. "Ummm... I am actually going to walk home now. It was nice meeting you! Thanks for the help!" As he walks away from me, he pushes up his sweatshirt sleeve to reveal a shiny watch. Even though he is a few yards away from me, I can here him mutter, "Shoot, I told her I'd by home by four," as he than begins to sprint down the hallway. His sneaker clad feet make quiet thudding sounds as his feet connect with the checkered tile, and emit a soft squeak as he dashes around a corner. His fleeting figure causes me to shiver as I get a feeling of déjà vu.