Rockin' robin, tweet, tweedle-lee-dee...

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CHAPTER 13:

THE GENTLEMAN STORK

I was staring at the ceiling. Ursa had insisted I shouldn't miss dinner, but I couldn't find the strength to leave the room, let alone eat. Everywhere I looked, I saw Mira's face, her last words echoing in my ears. I would never forget the desperate cries of her friend, who broke down after she was gone, nor my own helplessness as I stood on the sidelines, unable to do anything, unable to fix anything...

"What's done is done," Diego had said with tearful eyes. "We can't help her anymore."

Because Mira had thrown herself into the Void—the forbidden topic everyone skirted around, the one they dodged or diverted attention from entirely. I was right about the feelings I had when looking at the statue. The Void was a realm of nothingness, where souls faced absolute annihilation, an endless abyss. Once caught in its grip, there was no return to life, no passage to the afterlife. The Void reserved its depths for the condemned, its justice the harshest in this existence. It was a territory the Dorm's inhabitants should have steered clear of. Mira must have known this, yet... she still chose to leap.

I turned over and hugged my pillow tightly. Even though I had stopped crying a while ago, tears still lingered on the tip of my nose. Maybe it was crazy to be so broken up over someone I barely knew. But it wasn't just Mira I was crying for. What I had gone through was like a slap to my own awareness. Who was I? What was I? Where was I? What had happened to me?

Since arriving at the Dorm, I had been living in a dream world. The train, the Principal, the other souls, the delicious food, the crazy classes, the amazing mansion... I had accepted everything so quickly that I hadn't been able to digest what it all meant. But now... Now I knew what kind of chance I had been given. That accident could have ended my entire existence. I could have forgotten my life forever. I could have been lost in nothingness.

But none of that had happened.

I was still me. Somehow, I existed. I remembered. I felt. I wanted. Just as Mira chose to jump off that cliff, I could choose to stay, to try, to live. I had a chance. Yes, I had made an unfortunate start to my life at the Dorm. Being paired with Mars was definitely awful. But who dropped out of school just because they got a bad project group? When had I, Olive, ever given up when faced with a challenge? Why would I quit now and leave the game?

I had been stuck with bad partners in classes before. Just as I had carried all the weight on my own back then, just as I had succeeded alone, I could do the same at the Dorm. I didn't need Mars. I didn't need a soul mate. I would attend the classes myself, be better than everyone, and take back my life. I can do it, I repeated to myself. Then I said it a few times out loud.

"I can do it. I can do it. I can do it!"

I sat up suddenly. There was no way I could sleep while my heart was in turmoil. It felt like if I didn't take action immediately, this hard-won motivation would slip away. Judging by the sky turning purple, it was already close to dawn. By starting the day before everyone else, I could take the first step toward success.

I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I didn't bother drying my hair or trying to braid it, knowing it wouldn't hold. When I got to the closet, I picked out the pants and frilly shirt I found without arguing with the Dorm this time. I didn't have time to waste looking for clothes. Finally, with my Tamagotchi in my pocket and my bag on my back, I stood in front of the door feeling more energized than I had since I died. Witnessing an end certainly made one hold on to life more tightly. Even if they were a soul stuck in limbo...

I stepped into the corridor. It was dark, silent, empty. I hadn't yet deciphered how time flowed in this realm, but I doubted anyone would stir from their slumber to cross my path anytime soon. This meant the library was entirely mine to explore. I wasn't quite certain of what I sought, nor was I confident of stumbling upon any useful information. But it was a start.

When I went downstairs, the sounds coming from the right wing startled me for a moment. But after a little thought, I concluded that they were preparing breakfast in the dining hall. They might even start working the night before to prepare all that food. The staff were probably souls stuck in limbo, too. I once again thanked my luck for dying young and headed to the left wing.

The library was just as it had been the first time. Regardless of the hour or the absence of people, pink-flamed fires burned among the seating areas, giving the room a fairytale-like atmosphere. I dove into one of the circular rooms. But what exactly was I looking for? 10 Ways to Escape Limbo would be a good start. The Art of Succeeding at the Dorm could work too. I definitely needed to check out the history section where records of former students were kept.

I moved from room to room, reading the brass plaques on the marble shelves. But I soon realized something was off. In this library, books weren't categorized by topic, year, author, or alphabetically. The sections were labeled by emotions. Yes, actual emotions. There were multiple rooms dedicated to Joy, for instance. Longing was there. Envy was next. I quickly passed by the Disgust section. Anxiety, Terror, Amusement, Boredom... The emotions changed, but the rooms seemed endless.

I couldn't stop my excitement from being overshadowed by frustration. I felt like I had hit a wall again. Which emotion was I supposed to look at? What would lead me to my goal? And which blasted book should I tackle first? Ugh! Why couldn't anything be easy in this realm? As if the Dorm wanted to respond to my feelings, the brass plaque in the room I stepped into read Impatience.

"Smart ass!" I grumbled as if someone was actually arguing with me.

There probably wasn't, since no lightning struck my head, and the ground didn't open up to swallow me. I moved on a bit further. Despair, Anxiety, Pleasure, Fear... More emotions, more frustration. No, no, no to this one, no to that one, no, no, no, no! I was about to give up again. Clearly, the library wasn't going to help me. Maybe this was a planned setup to make us attend classes. I sighed. At the same moment, my eyes caught the theme of the room I hesitated to enter.

"Victory," I read excitedly.

Yes, this was the emotion I wanted. This was the end I deserved. This was the future written in my destiny. In a few steps, I was in front of the shelves that reached the ceiling. I felt it; the information that would lead me to success was in one of these books. Starting from the row within my reach, I ran my fingers over the leather covers. But... once again, there was a problem.

"These are fairy tales!" I said in disappointment.

My eyes scanned down, looked up, went right, went left. In the whole vast bookshelf, there wasn't a single educational book. Stubbornly, I pulled one out.

"No way!" I said, almost in tears. "How can they all be fairy tales? Is this a daycare?"

"What did you expect?"

I screamed. At the same moment, I threw the book to the floor and jumped back. I looked toward the source of the voice, expecting to see a ghost materialize, but there was no one there. Not until a black, four-pawed, furry bundle emerged from behind the shelves.

"You..." I said, breathless. I knew this cat, those yellow eyes, but right now, something much more important was happening. "You... you can talk!" I groaned in horror. The cat tilted its head to the right as if trying to understand what I was saying.

"Unfortunately, she can't do that yet," said a voice. "But we're working on it."

Before I could figure out what was happening, a head peeked from the adjacent room. No, no, no! This couldn't be happening. It shouldn't be happening. 

I took a few steps to the right, hoping to deny what I was seeing. But there it was, plain as day. Just as I couldn't mistake the cat for another, I couldn't mistake that blond hair for anyone else's. Mars was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of the next room. This time, he had a book in his lap instead of a girl. The smug smile on his face was the same as that night.

"Why are you here?" I blurted out. I probably should have chosen my first words more wisely, but in my panic, they just spilled out.

He looked at me like he didn't understand. "I'm reading a book. What else would you use this place for?"

The cunning jerk. He was trying to attack me with my own words. I couldn't control my angry. 

"Just so you know," I said, pointing my finger at him. "I didn't follow you. I'm here because I'm still looking for a book."

"Yes, you mentioned that," he said, his eyes back on the book in his lap as if he was bored of me already. He wasn't even going to bother talking to me to start a fight. How arrogant. I turned back to the shelves, fuming, but he surprised me by speaking again.

"The book you're searching for must be a big deal if you're here at this hour."

"None of your business!" I snapped. "Mind your own!"

He shrugged. "I mean, sure, you won't die from lack of sleep, but believe it or not, even in this realm, sleep deprivation causes a terrible headache."

"Will you stop talking to me!"

He laughed. "Girls usually ask for the opposite..."

I was sure I was blushing. Why was I blushing? The only person who should be blushing was Mars. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and turned back to the shelves. I wouldn't stoop to this shameless boy's level, no. I had a goal. I had set my sights. Starting tomorrow...

"You won't find a book that way, though."

To hell with maturity! I was going to kill him. I opened my mouth to let loose a torrent of words. But I couldn't get them out, nor could I close my mouth again. Because as soon as I turned around, Mars was right in front of me. His sweet scent filled my lungs instead of oxygen. Once again, I froze under his shadow. I swear he was doing it on purpose.

"What do you think you're..."

"Alfie," he interrupted, shouting. "Can you come here for a sec, please?"

Huh?

There was an explosion right next to my ear. Then, a cloud of dusty pink smoke blinded me. For the second time today, I screamed and threw myself into the shelves. As the mist cleared, the first thing I saw was Mars, grinning in front of me. Then, I made out the shape next to him. It was... it was a stork. A stork with glasses.

"At your service, young soul," said the stork. Yes, a stork! It bowed its head respectfully and didn't forget to serenade.

"Ho... how... are you..." I stuttered.

The only thing I could think was that I was high. Mars had done something to me. Maybe he had poisoned me. Or the thing he was smoking was so strong that even its scent was enough to drive me mad. The satisfaction he felt from my confusion was written all over his face.

"Alfie, this is Oliver," he said, as if introducing me to the stork. I repeat once more, he was talking to a stork. Then he turned to me. "He's new at the Dorm. Apparently, she's looking for some books. You can help her out, right?"

As I watched the absurdity unfolding before me, the stork nodded its head. "Please, young lady, tell me how I can assist you?"

"Uh..."

I couldn't find an answer. Because a stork didn't ask questions, and you didn't answer them. My eyes wandered to Mars, hoping for some help, but clearly, he was done with me. He tucked his book under his arm and headed to the other room. Before disappearing, he didn't forget to give me one last condescending smile over his shoulder.

"Good luck, Oliver."

***

Looks like the Dorm (and the author) will do everything possible to ensure the soulmates cross paths again and again :) And will this situation benefit Olive? Well, as you can guess, not really :D 

Get ready to meet the final member of our main cast in the next chapter. He will have a lead role in our story. 

Until then, take care of your soul, EC 

:*