All Rights Reserved.

Daphne waddled uncomfortably to the circulation desk by the entrance of the library with a hand to her bloated stomach. These peculiar hours were not foreign to her, but she had hoped to grow past these lonely night shifts and live an ordinary life in daylight. She'd only just gotten the colour back in her olive-tone skin and looked less like some scraggly vampire with dark hammocks for eye bags.

'Tsk.' They only hired me because of my experience as a night shift guard. Am I just a less expensive loss-prevention tool? 

She had little tidying up to do, most of the stock had been shelved after she did a round across all levels. All she had to do was lock up the little gallery on the second floor. Hook one end of a silk rope to the opposite wall with a sign dictating the opening hours. The only features that were open were the free wi-fi, the ground-level computers, and the adult fiction section.

In all seriousness, why bother having a library open twenty-four-seven?

Daphne leaned back into her chair ignoring the cold chill sweeping up under her cardigan, she was too consumed by the devasting blow she was taking from the pizza she'd eaten. She suspected it wasn't gluten-free. Her watch ticked to nine o'clock marking the real start of her shift. A long twelve hours lay ahead of her, and she had little to keep herself busy now. 

At least, she wasn't alone. She wasn't out in some old factory in the middle of nowhere keeping the homeless, and snarky teenagers out. All the anxious university students had congregated in different parts of the study areas on the ground floor. The clickety-clacking of their keyboards was a clear sign that they were trying to reach a word count before midnight. It was like listening to the erratic pitter-patter of rain.

'Better them than me, ha!' she mumbled to herself and patted her textbook worth studying for the evening--a novel about attractive dragon riders riddled with sexual tension. She was delighted to finally have access to a copy after her local bookshops were sold out for months. Her ear captured the strangled gasp from one of the students and Daphne shot out of her seat ready for trouble--unable to escape that instinct.

The young girl who had gasped smacked her hands against the table. 'It's nine pm, guys!'

Everyone quickly packed their laptops and notebooks as if their lives depended on it. As if something dangerous was about to happen. They bustled out in a clump of Kathmandu jackets and reusable Starbucks cups the height of their forearms barely acknowledging me. I can smell their fear.

'Maybe it's time to read the notes he left me,' she murmured to herself. Her head snapped up when she heard a fairy-like giggle. One of the students had fallen out with the others.

Daphne noticed that the woman was a purple-haired bombshell with striking eyes of blue fire. Daphne smiled and the woman shrugged just as confused before they both settled back into their books

The automatic door groaned open. Daphne peered up over the book to glare suspiciously at the man rushing into the reference collection. She forced her heart to calm down and reminded herself that a library didn't require this much adrenaline. This is a patron who needs help. How many people are going to cause trouble at a library? 

The purple-haired woman hadn't shifted from her seat or bothered looking up from her novel. It gave a chance for Daphne to respectfully admire her black alternative clothing before focusing back on the reference aisles. The clothing style made the woman look like she'd run out of a burning building.

'Alright, the first task of the night.' Daphne sauntered over with her smut in her arm and slithered into the aisles to meet the man in such a frenzy, but as she weaved through, she couldn't find him. Shadows blinked in and out as the light above the reference collection flickered. 'I'll have to report that.'

Perhaps he slipped upstairs to use the computers. Was it worth checking?

She scowled at herself. She wasn't a security guard anymore, she didn't need to be antsy and suspicious about every figure she came across. Besides he looked young enough to have an assignment due.

Daphne froze. Why is the door to the Local History Section open? Mister Berry had locked that up. It was the one room not freely available past six o'clock unless pre-approved with an appointment.

'I should check his notes,' she whispered to herself.

'Excuse me.' Daphne whipped around fast enough to set her hair clip loose.

The woman had her phone in hand with a crooked smile on her mauve lips. Daphne glanced back at the door and was about to excuse herself from the conversation only the door was now shut. 'What?'

'Um? Are you busy right now?'

'Uh, no, no. I just need to check the door.' Daphne did so and the woman followed distantly behind. 'What can I help you with?' Daphne grasped the handle, it was ice cold to the touch. She jangled it and found it securely locked. This was the only door locked by a regular eye and not a security pass.

I've never had a hallucination in my life, and I will not start now. I refuse.

'Have we met before?' the woman said.

'Possibly.' Daphne strutted past the woman straight back to the circulation desk, then past that to get to the back where returns were sent through next to the library staff's kitchenette. Daphne grabbed the key and came back out to meet the woman who acted like a shadow. Realising her rudeness she paused to take in the very pretty woman. 'I don't think so.'

'Well.' She flicked her purple hair back. 'I'll ask you this then. Did you work at the Australian Open like three years ago?'

Daphne set her smut down on the desk and planted her hands on her hips. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'Yeees.'

The woman smirked. 'It is you. Man, I guess I didn't leave much of an impression.'

'Oh?' Daphne spied the door over her shoulder.

'Yeah. You kicked me and my friends out because we smuggled in alcohol in the concert area.'

Many faces blurred into one, and lots of evictions came to mind. A lot happened in those two weeks at the Australian Tennis Games. How was she expected to remember a random eviction from three years ago?

'Did you have purple hair then?' Daphne felt compelled to ask. She really didn't recall this woman at all. Was she about to pick a fight for it? Did customers hold grudges that long?

'Nah, I was a brunette then.'

'Ah.'

The air grew stale at Daphne's awkwardness until the woman keeled over and showed her the phone. It showed a recording of a younger Daphne--an excited-for-life, Daphne--following the woman and her more confrontational friend out of the emergency exit gates. It didn't ring a bell, but Daphne did look very frumpy in that polo shirt. Gag.

As she analyzed the purple flame beside her, she realized the woman was excited by this meeting. That there was something funny about this coincidence... 

Maybe there was...

Daphne looked back at the door.

'I'm Tizzy,' said the woman.

Daphne blinked. 'Do you need to sit down?'

Purple flame for hair grinned a pearly white smile. She had crooked teeth in the bottom row. 'No. My name is Tizzy.'

'I'm Daphne.' They shook hands. They were both clammy and Daphne resisted wiping it on her skirt.

'Last time you just gave me your badge number.'

'Security guards don't have badges... Oh you mean my tag.'

'I'm guessing that's to keep creeps from finding you after hours.'

'Yeah.'

The air dried out again from the discomfort of a conversation dying without a proper end.  Daphne adjusted her long flowing skirt, which was redundant because she was dressed immaculately.

Tizzy's eyes spied the smut on the table. Daphne wasn't about to feel embarrassed about it until Tizzy picked it up to read the blurb. Her smirk made her feel the more bloated in her gut.

'Can I help you with anything else?' Daphne said. It was silly because she hadn't helped with anything. While did she feel so flustered?

'No, I guess not.' Tizzy kept up the knowing smirk that Daphne couldn't translate and walked out of the aisle. 

Daphne rolled back her shoulders and marched to the door.