Elle looked around her new spacious apartment. The walls were the usual creamy white color with dark hard wood floors throughout the entire apartment. Brown boxes sat on the floor of almost every room now that she had finished unloading them from the moving van. Her best friend, Garrison, had taken back the van to the rental place. Leaving her alone to contemplate in which room to start working on.
Placing her hands on her hips, she walked over to the large windows in the living room and stared down at the busy street below. Elle's apartment was on the tenth floor of a large apartment complex in Calgary. Cars honked loudly as traffic seemed to grow more chaotic as people rushed out of work and onto the busy streets to try to make their way home.
"Well that will be me on Monday." Elle thought to herself as she turned and sat on the floor to begin opening box after box. "Hopefully the locals can't tell a new comer when they see one."
Originally being from a small town south of the large city, Elle was not accustomed to all the sounds and people who now surrounded her in her new home. She knew that in time that she would adjust and face her new life with optimism. As scary as it was, Elle knew in her heart that the new life she was starting would be better than her old life.
A chill went down her spine as she thought about her past. Pushing her past aside, she continued to make her way through each box. Some contained pots and pans, while others contained blankets and towels. The most important boxes sat in the corner of the room, waiting to be opened only when Garrison returned. Elle put dishes and other cooking equipment into the cupboards when she suddenly heard a soft yet loud ringing coming from down the hall.
It came from her intercom system, that sat by the front door. Pushing the red square button on the panel, she began to ask who it was only to be interrupted by the chuckling of her best friend.
"Oh yes, you order chinese chicken. Yes?" Garrison asked in a fake chinese voice as he then clucked like a chicken.
Elle laughed and pushed a large yellow button beside the red one to let Garrison inside the building. Unlocking the door, she walked back into the kitchen and looked through the drawers for two forks. Garrison walked into the apartment as she still searched for the utensils and kicked the door shut before strolling into the kitchen.
"Try two to your left." Garrison said as he kicked off his shoes in the kitchen and then sat cross-legged on the living room floor.
Pulling open the drawer second to her left, she finally located the utensils. Grabbing two forks, she sat down beside Garrison as he tore through the plastic bag to get to two take-out containers. Elle grabbed one and handed her best friend a fork.
Digging into their chinese food, they sat in comfortable silence while they started to fill their empty stomachs. Neither had eaten since the day before, and with night fall approaching neither wanted to make it a two-day event of not eating. Garrison chewed on his sesame seed chicken while Elle slurped down some Shanghai noodles.
Garrison began to speak with his mouth full, spitting food lightly on the polished floor. "So I suppose after this great home cooked meal you are going to force me to do manual labour."
Glaring down at her once clean floor, Elle finished her fork full of food before answering. "Well I would say so. Mostly after you just spit on my nice new clean floor." Garrison used a large white napkin to clean up his mess off the floor and tossed it into the ripped plastic bag he had brought the food in.
Sitting together bantering back and forth till both were done with their supper was nothing new for them. Growing up together since they were three years old had made the two of them not just the best of friends. They seemed to be connected by something more deeply than even friendship. Elle had always thought of Garrison more as family rather than a friend.
After supper, Garrison tossed their garbage into a large black garbage can that sat in the kitchen. Elle placed their forks in the sink to be washed later when she had more dishes. Both then begun to get to work on getting the apartment ready by collecting the empty packing boxes to begin breaking them apart for recycling.
"So how many of these damn things am I going to have to put together?" Garrison asked as he finished tearing apart the last empty box in the room.
Elle stared at the boxes still in the corner of the room, mentally calculating how many she had bought. "Well I'm pretty sure there is six in this room and then another four in my bedroom. So ten so far but there is more coming sometime this week, since they didn't have enough in stock at the store when I bought them. They said they will call me when they come in with my order."
From the corner of her eye, she could see Garrison's smile begin to waver at the prospect of putting so many together. Of course they all came with instructions and Elle would be helping him build each and every one, but at the same time it was a mighty task.
Taking a deep breath, Garrison pulled one of the large long boxes into the middle of the room and tore it open. Elle grabbed the screw driver and hammer they would need to put them all together. He pulled board after board from the box till he found the small white booklet and the tiny plastic bag with the screws and hinges needed to put it together.
"You owe me a home made meal for this. I love you Belle but not this much." The nickname pulled at Elle's heart strings as she took the book and began to read the instructions out loud to Garrison.
As they began the construction, Elle thought about the nickname only Garrison used for her. It was his and only his nickname for her since they were young. Elle had fallen in love with the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. It led her to her one true love in life. She smiled at the thought of her one true love. She loved how her one true love looked in the sun light and under a low lit room at night.
"Belle help me raise this will you? God damn it!" He yelled as he pushed the heavy set bookshelf into place against the white wall of the living room. "Are you even going to have room for a god damn couch in here?" He swore as he kicked the empty box across the room and begun to drag over another one.
"Nine more of these fuckers." Garrison thought as they tore through another box.
They worked late into the night, until each and every bookshelf was put together and placed steadily against the wall of the respected room it was to belong to. Putting the last bookshelf in place, Elle swiped at her forehead. Garrison put his arm lightly over her shoulders and smiled.
"Well it is done and it's only two in the morning." Garrison grinned at her as they stood admiring their work. Four large black bookshelves sat against the wall. They stood like soldiers by the door of the bedroom, as if they were to guard her from incoming intruders. A large mattress sat on the floor opposite of the door and the bookshelves.
A large yawn escaped Elle's lips as tiredness hit her. Garrison bent down and picked her up into his arms. "Lighter than a feather." Garrison thought as he walked over to the mattress.
Elle's mind seemed to be fading into darkness as exhaustion began to over take her. Her last thoughts as her head hit the pillow were only of how nice Garrison's arms felt around her. She yawned once more before completely passing out into a dreamless sleep.
"Night Belle." Garrison whispered as he placed a light kiss on the top of her head. Closing the door softly behind him as he left the bedroom, Garrison walked around the apartment making sure the windows and front door were locked securely.
Reassured that the apartment was secure, he went to work on cleaning up the mess they had made while putting together the bookshelves that would soon hold hundreds of books. He knew Elle loved her books and would want them in a certain order on each shelf. Garrison opened a door to a large storage room where boxes among boxes sat almost to the ceiling.
He rubbed the back of his neck as he read on all the boxes the word 'Books' in big bold letters. "Of course, they are all books." He thought as he closed the door. Elle didn't own a lot of other things. No vase to hold flowers, or even a television to watch. Every spare moment of free time was put towards reading and finding new books to explore.
Looking around, Garrison tried to find something to do to fight back the urge that was nagging his mind so fiercely. He went through the kitchen and began to reorganize it so Elle would be able to find everything easier. She seemed to never be able to find anything if Garrison didn't put it in place. He supposed this to be because her attention was more effectively put towards anything with a page or a binding to it.
An hour passed and he was running out of things to do. Sighing, Garrison sat on the kitchen floor and lightly banged his head against the cupboard doors. He wanted it gone or he knew he would go insane eventually. It had been almost ten years of these constant thoughts and feelings. His eyes fluttered shut as he let his mind go and began to drift into a sleep filled with dreams of her.
The next day, Elle woke as the sun bore into her bedroom window and filled the bedroom with bright morning light. Yawning away the last bit of sleep in her system, Elle rose and stretched her sore limbs. Moving all the boxes into the apartment had just been the beginning of her weekend long moving journey.
She mentally ran through her to do list for the day as she began to get ready. Stripping off her old clothes, she tossed them on the floor and began to go through a small suitcase to find a new pair of clothes. Hearing the door open, Elle turned her head towards the door and saw Garrison walk in with two bowls of cereal.
His jaw dropped as she stood, still bent over in only her bra and panties. Her light brown hair draped over her shoulder, playing the part of a curtain to conceal and reveal her full breasts. The tips of her hair that would usually graze the top of her breasts, now seemed to almost tickle the bottom of them as she remained bent over. Garrison felt his eyes roam over her body, mesmerizing every single spot on her pale skin. Her skin was almost flawless, except for a few birth marks and a small tattoo on the back of her neck. It was an old style quill used for writing. The feather was pure white with the tip being a bronze like color with three large ink blots coming out of it. He cleared his throat and sat down on the mattress behind her.
"Were you planning on putting on some clothes some time today?" Garrison asked as he placed the bowls on the floor.
"No I thought I'd just greet you this way this morning. Surprise!" She sarcastically said as she pulled a new pair of jeans and t-shirt out.
Garrison watched as she pulled her new set of clothes on then gracefully plopped herself down on the mattress beside him. Handing her a bowl, they both digged into their breakfast and began to discuss their plans for the day. Both decided to finish their breakfast and then head out to the nearest furniture store they could find. There they would purchase a couch and other furniture for the apartment.
Putting their bowls in the sink, they began their long day of shopping. They were half way to the furniture store when Elle realized that Garrison still had the same dark blue jeans and Star Wars shirt on from the day before. Looking into his dark green eyes, Elle began to wonder if he had went home at all last night.
Noticing her stare, Garrison looked down into her light brown eyes and smiled. "What? I got something on my face?" He ran his hand over his chin, feeling morning stubble on his skin.
Elle smiled and shook her head. She knew now that he had slept over to keep her safe, otherwise he would have shaved before coming. Elle looked around her new neighborhood as they continued down the street. Her apartment building was surrounded by little mom and pop, family owned, stores. Some were antique shops, others were cafe's, but only one had really caught her attention as they reached the end of the block.
The building was a bit run down looking on the outside and the windows were covered head to toe in large movie posters or advertisements for the latest novels. Elle knew right away that it would be the perfect place for her to go after a long day at work to relax and to meet new paper friends.
Garrison smiled and took her hand as he led her away from the small shop. They walked three more blocks before reaching the furniture store. Elle searched for hours trying to find the perfect reading chair while Garrison picked out the rest of her furniture. Garrison sat back on a large cream colored sofa as he watched Elle bounce back and forth between a newer recliner and a more antique rocking chair. He knew that neither were right for her and that the search for the perfect chair would take at least another hour or two, if he was lucky. Finally after three more hours of searching, Elle chose a dark blue chair with large arms for resting her back on as she read.
"I can't wait for it to be delivered!" Elle gushed as she skipped down the street like she was five years old again.
Rolling his eyes, Garrison stuck his hands in his pockets and listened to her talk about her new life and how excited she was for everything to be in place. He didn't mind that she didn't notice that he had picked everything else out. It didn't matter to him if he was praised for his hard work. Seeing Elle happy made his life glow with a kind of light it had never had before.
Elle stopped skipping to stare at the shop as they came up to it once more. Her fingers itched to rip open the door and explore every nook and cranny of the place. Garrison noticed the fire burning in her eyes. Her eyes burned with passion, love, and curiosity making them almost seem brighter to him. He loved seeing her come alive like that. It made his heart race and his skin prickle like something exciting was about to happen.
Nodding his head, Garrison placed his hand on top of Elle's and yanked the door open with her. Elle gasped as she held tightly onto Garrison's hand and wandered inside the old book store. The walls were covered from ceiling to floor with books. Tables were set up in the middle with boxes full to the brim with new places to explore. Elle felt her hand drift free of Garrison's as she stepped further and further into a new and exciting place.
She let her fingers slide over the spines of some of the books. "Not a single speck of dust. Someone must look after you all with such love." She thought. Garrison still stood outside the door as he watched her dive deeper and deeper into the place. Looking up he read the stores name for the first time.
"Mondes Magiques" He whispered.
"It means Magical Worlds." A voice boomed from a large stair case in the middle of the large room of books.
Garrison took a step inside at the sound of voice and looked up to see who had spoken. The lights on the top floor were off and covered the man in shadow. Elle also had looked up at the sound of the voice. Entranced by who could own such a splendid place, she began to step towards the voice when she felt Garrison's hand close around her upper arm.
"You're trespassing." The voice said as it began to descend the stairs towards them.
"The door wasn't locked. We assumed you were open then. Besides this is a store so technically we were just coming in to look around." Garrison said as he began to step back towards the door, dragging Elle with him. Something about the voice made him want to turn and run away with Elle. He felt her pull slightly away from him to try and go towards the voice. This made him hold on tighter and enhanced the instinct to get her out of the store, and away from whoever was coming towards them.
"You're not welcome here!"The voice boomed louder to almost a shout, as it stopped on the fifth step from the top of the spiral staircase. "Get out!"
With the voice growing louder and angrier, Garrison made the decision to keep Elle safe and pulled her out of the store and back onto the sidewalk. Her heels dragged as she felt torn about leaving, part of her knew it was safer to leave whoever was in that store behind, but another side of her battled with her common sense. The side of her that wanted to know who they were and more about the beautiful world of Mondes Magiques.
The street was oddly quiet as they made their way back to Elle's apartment. Garrison felt a chill run up his spine as they passed shop after shop. Each one eerily quiet and devoid of life. He began to wonder where everyone had gone. It was unusual to have not a single soul on the streets, mostly at such an odd hour of the day. It was only five o'clock and yet it was like everyone had abandoned the neighborhood in fear.
Elle felt a nagging sensation at the back of her mind about their experience at the shop. She had so many questions flooding her mind about the person in the shop and the shop itself as well. Garrison could see the curiosity still etched into her face and knew she would try to go back even if he pleaded her not to. Knowing that she would not listen did not change his mind about asking her not to go back.
"Elle." Garrison began but was swiftly interrupted by Elle.
"I know what you are going to say." She interrupted as she made they made their way into the elevator and headed up to her apartment. The elevator whirled to life and brought them up the tenth floor.
"Good then you should know to listen to it. I really don't want you going back there by yourself Elle."
Taking a deep breath, Elle opened her apartment door and pulled herself up to sit on the counter as Garrison shut and locked the door with his own set of keys. He then stepped in front of Elle and placed his hand on either side of her. Looking deep into her eyes he looked for any sign of her being untruthful to him about going back.
"Promise me Elle."
Biting her lip, Elle knew she couldn't lie to her best friend. He had always been able to tell when she was telling the truth or not. A lump began to form in her throat as his face came closer and closer to hers until the tip of their noses touched. Elle nodded in agreement.
"I promise." She whispered as she felt his hot breath on her lips.
His heart felt like it was about to explode with how close they were together. He didn't want to back away from her and felt the urge to lean in closer. Every fiber of his being wanted to lean in and feel her full red lips against his in an embrace that he knew would be full of love and magic, one that he knew she could never find in the pages of any book. It could only be found in reality and between them. Between two people who had been through so much and could trust one another with everything.
Taking a deep breath, Garrison pulled away from Elle. "Will you one day feel the same my beautiful Belle?" He asked himself as he walked towards the front door.
"I'll see you on Monday at work right?" Garrison asked as he opened the door.
Elle looked at Garrison's strong back, wondering why he was leaving so soon. They had planned to have dinner together. Was he mad about her curiosity? Was he worried about her? She had promised and meant to keep her promise to him. She jumped down from the counter and gave him a soft hug full of love. Nodding her head into his back, Garrison felt relief flood his heart.
"Okay. Don't be late Belle or as your boss I'll have to give you a lecture." Garrison turned and ruffled her hair before he headed down the hall and into the elevator.
Elle shut the door behind her and looked around her apartment. She hadn't been alone in it yet and it was a scary feeling knowing she was now on her own with no one to protect her but herself. She had never truly been alone before since Garrison had always been there for her. He had been her protector since they were three years old. Back when life was full of fear and wondering if she would be beaten again.
A shudder ran through her at the thought of her family life. She reminded herself that she was no longer a victim. Taking a deep breath, Elle headed to her bedroom and changed into a t-shirt with the four ninja turtles on the front and "Turtle Power" in large bright yellow print on the top and a pair of sweats. Heading into the storage room, Elle dragged box after box into the living room and began to sort through them one by one. Putting each book into different piles to sort them by genre and alphabetically.
As she worked, her thoughts drifted back to the bookstore and the man inside the shop. Who was he and why did he not want them there? Was there something he was hiding? What deep secrets could the bookstore hold? She shook her head and knew she would never know. Her promise to Garrison would always keep her away. She had never broken a promise to him and she wasn't going to start now. She worked through the night until exhaustion made her eye sight waver and blur. She crawled onto her mattress and couldn't help but dream of all the wonderful worlds she could visit in the bookstore and of the deep voice on the second floor.