Sheska's fingers glided across the rough surfaces of the book spines as she glanced over each title. Read it. Read it. Read that one twice. She blew a piece of hair from her eyes and sighed. These days, it seemed like she has read every book. She had cleaned out most of the public libraries and now the book stores were the only places she could even hope to find a brand new book with new words to explore, new ideas and crisp unread pages.
Her heart beat fast in her chest just at the thought of it. All she could think of was the feeling of the weight of an unread novel in her hand and the hours and hours of reading her favorite lines over and over. She longed for the novelty of spilling over book after book. It didn't matter what kind of book it was as long as it had words on each page because as long as it had that, it meant it was something she had never seen before. And what could be more exciting than something new yet to be explored?
People made fun of her for her somewhat obsessive reading habits. Sure, sometimes their words would sting when they called her a bookworm or a homebody. Even the bookkeepers, who knew her face by heart, would give her strange looks now and then. But in the end it didn't matter because they didn't know what they were missing. How could they know when they've never been there themselves? In a way she almost pitied them.
She walked down another aisle her hands clasped behind her back. Maybe she would have better luck at the next shop. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it. A beautiful volume of Pre-18th Century Drachman Agriculture! What a treasure! She hadn't had a find like this in a while and she immediately started to plan where she was going to read it. Probably the window seat would be best, but it was getting cold out, so maybe she should stick to the couch. If she could find her couch that is. Her apartment was too small to hold all of her books.
As she reached for the book, another hand quickly snatched her book by the spine. For a moment Sheska just stood there, astonished that someone had taken her book. It was her book. Did they not see that she was obviously looking at it with the intention to buy it? She could feel a deep anger rise from within her. No, that was her book and she was determined to get it back. She turned around to face the man who had stolen her book as he started to round the corner to the next aisle.
"Hey!" she shouted as she stomped up to stand behind him. He was much taller than her. She gulped. No, Sheska, you need to win this fight. Don't chicken out now. "You jerk, I was going to get that book. Didn't you see me reaching for it?"
The man turned around to face her, revealing a familiar long face and recognizable mop of grey hair, "Sheska?"
"Oh, Second Lieutenant Falman!" Sheska exclaimed in surprise, as she felt heat cover her cheeks. Oh no, now she was going to get it. He was ranks above her and she had just called him a jerk.
"Please, just Vato is fine," he said waving his hand with a smile, "I'm sorry, I didn't even recognize you without your uniform."
"Oh uh, thank you?" She was completely at a loss for words.
"You were saying something about a book? Did you mean this one?" He held out her book on Drachman Agriculture and she almost reached out to snatch it from his hands. It was like he was taunting her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted it. You see, I was just so excited when it caught my eye, sitting on that shelf so I picked it up without even thinking." He laughed softly to himself, looking kind of embarrassed.
Sheska stared in disbelief, "You are interested in Pre-18th Century Drachman Agriculture."
Vato laid the book back on the stack of books cradled in his arms. "I suppose so. I guess I kind of have to be. I'm not sure if you've heard yet, but I am being transferred to Briggs, which as you know lies on the Drachman border. And since I am an information specialist, it is my job to be knowledgable of my surroundings." He looked around as if to check for any eavesdroppers and then whispered, "but to be honest I probably would have bought it anyway. It's written by Dr. Cornelius Banks and he is one of my favorite Drachman historians!"
Now this was getting to be a bit too much for Sheska. "Hold on. You mean to tell me that you know who Dr. Cornelius Banks is?" Sheska had almost every volume of Drachman history he had ever written. His work was unmatched in its accuracy and thoroughness.
"Of course! He's somewhat of an idol to me, the way he never leaves a detail out."
"I know!" Sheska said excitedly, "And the way he presents his findings is so captivating. It only makes you wonder how long it must have taken him to gather all that information in Drachma and the things he had to endure to get that information."
"Exactly!" Vato replied with matched enthusiasm, "I hear the men of Drachma are just as tough as the men of Briggs." His smile faded from his face and replaced with a somewhat seasick look. "Which reminds me that I'm going to be going there in a few days. I always seem to draw the short straw," he muttered.
"Sorry to here about that. But I bet Briggs has some great books about Drachma!" Sheska said, trying to sound cheerful.
"I suppose you're right." Vato sighed, "So if you want, I guess you can have this book back. I'll just have to learn about Drachma when I get there." He took the book from off the stack, handing it out to Sheska.
Sheska just stared at the volume, still lingering in the air where he offered it to her. She couldn't take it from him, especially when he was actually going to use the information, whereas she was just going to stuff it somewhere in her brain and then probably stuff it in between the couch cushions after she finished with it. "Ah, on second thought, I don't want it," she shook her head and waved her hands in front of her, "I just remembered that I was looking for..." her eyes frantically scanned the row of books at eye level, pulling one at random, "Perennial Flower Gardening Tips." She bit her lip. Why did she have to pull out that one?
"Er, alright then. If you really don't mind." Vato replied, replacing the book in his arms. Sheska glanced at the other titles in his arms. Drachman Art and Literature, Weather Patterns of Briggs, Love in the Blizzard... Love in the Blizzard? That was one of her favorite romance novels!
Her heart ached as she remembered the heroine Lazelle, a Briggs native, rescues a wayward Drachman soldier from a blizzard and hides him in her home, nursing him back to health. But their time together would not have its toll on their hearts and soon they fall in love, but their love cannot be as he is soon found out by the merciless Briggs soldiers. She begs them to save her love's life, but instead they accuse him of being a spy and sentence him to death. She manages to bravely rescue him from prison before they kill him, but they are caught in another blizzard. The novel ends tragically as they die in each other's arms.
Sheska sighed audibly and then blinked. What was Vato doing with a book like that? It must be something he was going to read for pleasure. She had always thought he was nice when she saw him in the office, but who knew he was this much of a gentleman.
"Uh, um," Sheska stuttered, "I'm sorry I called you a jerk. I shouldn't have done it even if I didn't know who you were."
Vato smiled and chuckled a little. "That's alright. I probably would have done the same thing if I saw someone grabbing the book I was looking for." He paused and put his thumb up to his chin, "Hey! I know, let me make it up to you. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe you would be doing me the favor."
"Huh?" Sheska raised an eyebrow. What in the world was he talking about?"
"You see, I have a book at home that you might find interesting. Since you let me keep Dr. Cornelius' book, I can give you this one. Equivalent exchange, as the alchemists like to call it."
Sheska gasped in pure joy. A new book! Maybe this was her lucky day. Oh, but maybe she has read it before.
"Well, what do you say? Want to make a trade?" He asked holding out his hand.
Sheska smiled and gave him a short nod, thrusting her hand into his. "Sure, why not?"
"Good. Let me just pay for these books. My apartment is just a couple blocks down the street."
"Okay!" Sheska agreed enthusiastically as she followed him to the checkout, discreetly placing the gardening book back on the shelf. It was strange to think that she would be leaving a bookstore without buying any books, but then again maybe that was a good thing. Her bank account was looking a little sparse these days.
They walked together down the street until they reached his apartment building. As they climbed the stairs, Sheska realized that it didn't really matter if she had read the book before. Vato was being so generous to her that she would take the book regardless. But at the same time, surely it couldn't help just to ask...
"So, what book is it?" she finally asked. Their footsteps echoed up the stairwell.
"It's a surprise, but I promise you'll like it. I am also safe in thinking that you've never read it before."
That made Sheska's anticipation only grow. A book she had never read? Maybe it was some rare first edition or an ancient book he discovered in an antique store. She resisted the urge to run up the stairs past him.
Finally they reached his door and he fumbled for his keys in his pocket. As he finally unlocked it, he swung open the door, Sheska's eyes widened.
Books. Books were everywhere, lining the walls, stacked up in boxes, crammed in the shelves. She felt as if she was stepping into her own apartment.
"Sorry for the mess. I'm still trying to pack up my stuff." He scratched the back of his head and put a hand on his hip. "Hmm, now where did I put that book?" Vato stepped over some boxes to a desk in the corner of his living room and shuffled through the books.
While he looked for the book, Sheska couldn't help but venture out from the little foyer over to the bookshelves. Her eyes browsed through the rows of various encyclopedias, manuals, and manifestos. Some of them she had never seen before. She was captivated by his impressive collection of novels and series. All around her were books she admired and had treasured. It was like seeing good friends again, but in the company of another.
"Found it!" Vato exclaimed, making her jump a little from her trance. He hoisted an average looking novel up in the air and hopped around the stacks of books to where she was standing.
"Oh, do you see anything you like?" he asked, "I know it's not much of a library, especially to you. I hear you have mountains of books in your collection, or at least that is what Brosh told me."
"No, no," Sheska said frantically shaking her head, "I think your library is fascinating. Truly one of a kind! I can tell you put a lot of heart into it."
"Thanks, Sheska. I'm only sad that I'm going to have to put most of these books into storage. I've kind of been putting off packing them, just to have them around a little longer. You see, the dorms in Briggs are a lot smaller and more confined, so I can't take more than a handful with me."
Sheska gasped in horror. "Only a handful? How are you going to survive without anything to read?" She couldn't even imagine going only a few hours without something to read.
Vato shrugged, "I guess I'll have to make it work. Maybe they will have a good library in the town. And I will have my new book on Pre-18th Century Drachman Agriculture to keep me company!" He held a finger in the air, "which reminds me! Here is the book I wanted to lend you."
He handed over the book he had looked so earnestly for. Sheska turned it over to look at the cover. The Librarian's Daughter by Vato Falman. Her eyes widened.
"You wrote this?" she asked incredulously.
"I suppose you could say I have a bit of a novelist in me," Vato laughed nervously, "I don't think it's very good, but maybe you'll like it. It's just a little romantic drama, but I enjoyed writing it."
"Vato, I don't think you realize how amazing this is! You wrote a book. A real book, with pages and words and a story that all came from your head. You created something." She opened the book to flip through the pages, the printed words flashing through her eyes.
"Really Sheska, it's nothing. It's just a little hobby of mine."
Sheska pursed her lips in a pout and pushed up her glasses on her face, "You can't convince me otherwise. This is remarkable." She looked down at the book again. For years she had been lost in worlds that were not her own, but never once did she think of making a world that was not her own.
"Well, it's my only copy, so be careful with it."
"Your only copy?" Sheska shook her head, "I can't possibly take it if it's your only copy!" She fumbled to give the book back to him, but he held up his hands to shoo it away.
"No, I want you to have it! The main character kind of reminds me of you."
"Me?" Sheska blinked as she felt her blush creep onto her cheeks.
"Yes, that's why I want you to read it. You read more than any person I know, so you're probably an expert on these things. I want you to tell me what you think about it."
"Well," Sheska hesitated, "alright. But I don't want to keep it. Maybe I can just borrow it."
"Hmm," Vato mused, "I'll tell you what. I know I'll be over in Briggs for the time being, but the next time we see each other we can switch. You give me back The Librarian's Daughter and I'll give you back Pre-18th Century Drachman Agriculture. Does it sound like a deal?"
Sheska sighed in relief. She was making a lot of deals today. "Yes, deal." She clutched her brand new, never before read book to her chest, "Well I really must be going. I want to start this book right away."
Vato smiled down at her. "Of course, I'm sorry to keep you so long." He ushered her to the door, opening it up. "Oh and one more thing!" he exclaimed taking a key from a little table by the door, "This is a spare key to my storage unit. I was wondering if maybe you could do me the biggest favor by looking after my books while I'm gone."
"Your... books?"
"Yeah, I think they will be lonely if I just leave them there without any company and it looks like you are just the friend they need.
A grin spread over Sheska's face. "It would be my honor." She took the key from between his fingers and stuffed it in her pocket.
She waved goodbye as she shuffled down the stairs.
Vato leaned over the railing, "Thank you again, Sheska, for the book."
Sheska looked up from the flight of stairs below. "No, thank you! I went out today looking for a book and I ended up finding a friend." She blushed again. She never said sentimental things like that. Mainly because she never really had friends.
"Until we meet again, Sheska!" Vato shouted back as he waved one last time before disappearing over the railing.
Sheska couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked home, still clasping the book close to her heart. The day had started off as a disappointment, but ended on a happy note. She felt as if she really did make a friend, someone who understanded her. She almost felt like skipping the rest of the way home.
When she finally reached her apartment she tread lightly around the towers of books lining her hallway to her bedroom. She flopped onto her bed without looking, only to immediately regret that decision. She winced as she tugged a large book of poetry that jabbed her side from under her. She positioned herself at the edge of her bed as she stared at Vato's book in front of her. Now comes her favorite part; the beginning. Taking the corner of the cover in between her fingers, she flipped it over to one side.
"While some people are lucky enough to spend their lives in the company of others, Anna had spent the majority of her young life in the company of books and characters which she preferred more than the real people who plagued her life. Perfectly content to live in her little apartment with her father and her books above the library, Anna could not yet foresee that the characters she thought only lived on the page, were now about to jump out of their words and crash into her life. This would happen in the form of a young man working as her father's assistant. This boy's name was Wes and although she had only met him in passing, she felt as though she had known him her whole life..."
(A/N) I hoped you liked it. I might write more Shesman, I don't know I really like how well they go together. But for now there is just this oneshot of them.