The reader and the talker.
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the rights to the characters from Carmilla.
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Chapter 1:
Laura unlocked the bookstore and pushed the door open with a huff, making the doorbell cling. It was the third day this week she had to open the shop, even though her boss had told her that she would be getting more afternoons shifts to make it equal for all the employers she really didn't mind the early morning opening. It was quite cold outside, but as soon as Laura stepped into the bookstore she felt the warmth spread through her body. The smell of books filling her nostrils soothed her and she always felt like she belonged with all these books of love, adventure and fairy tale. She couldn't be happier that her friend, LaFontaine, had helped her get that interview a couple of months ago when she moved to the city.
She took a quick look around the shop before she decided that it was time to open the store.
The day passed on quickly, she had sold some few books, helped some customers and mostly walked around rearranging the bookshelf's.
"And that will be 10.99" Laura said with a smile on her face, the costumer gave a polite smile back, payed, put the book down in their bag then exited the shop.
Laura had noticed a couple days ago that there was this one woman who seemed to come by every single day, but never buying anything and there she stood again, in the vampire section reading Twilight. The brunette had a look of confusion and irritation on her face as she turned the page.
The woman was probably a couple of years older than her, with long raven hair, always wearing black clothes and always stood in the vampire section. It couldn't go unnoticed, even though her friends might call her unfocused it was not hard to spot the tall raven haired woman, who seemed to have an obsession with vampires.
Laura had never understood the trend with vampires, she was more the love/drama kind of book reader. Suddenly she noticed something that struck her irritation. The black clothed woman seemed to have read over half the book. It's one thing to read one chapter and then from there decide if you want to buy the book or not. But reading the entire book without buying it? That was not okay in her book, this was a book STORE not a library. Laura decided to walk over to the woman and ask if she maybe needed some assistance.
"Hi, can I help you with something?" She asked as politely as she could.
To her irritation the woman didn't even look up from the book and before answering a simple "No"
"Well" she said before clearing her throat, hoping to gain some attention from the woman. "Tell me if you need anything."
"Sure" The woman said in a flat tone without raising her eyes from the book.
Defeated, Laura went back to rearranging the books in a shelf nearby, now being worried that the woman might be stealing the books instead. However, this seemed to not be the case as the woman quickly after put the book back down and left the shop.
"Odd…" She thought, but her mind quickly drifted to the other costumers who had just entered the shop.
The next day she saw the woman again, yet again reading Twilight. She let out a sign of irritation, it was such a frustrating situation. Of course she was happy to have an enthusiastic reader coming in every day, but at the same time this was a store and the books had to be sold. It would be as weird as going in a supermarket, eating the food and then leaving without paying. She pondered over the thought of walking up to the woman and tell her off, but she was more focused on her other clients she had at the time and when they had recived the help they needed the woman was already gone.
The next day, again, the woman stood in the vampire section. But this time she was holding another book and Laura realised that she had actually finished the last one. That was the last straw. She had to act, this was a business after all.
She walked up to the woman with determined steps. The woman wasn't even acknowledging the fact that she was standing right next to her and looking straight at her. Or if she was, she simply didn't care.
"Excuse me?" Laura said politely.
"Yea?" The woman answered, yet again not looking up from her book.
"Well, I've been noticing that you've been here the last couple of days reading our books. And as happy as I am to have a client who seems so passionate about books, you can't just read the whole book without buying them. We aren't a library but I could happily point you to the direction of the library." She said with a smile on her face, she had learned that working in a shop you always have to be polite even thought you want to show them that you are clearly irritated.
"No, I'm good here." The woman answered casually as she turned the page.
"I don't think you understand" The blond haired woman answered with a huff "As I said, this ISN'T a library, if you're gonna read it you'll have to buy it!" The woman finally looked up and Laura was stunned by her beautiful brown eyes.
"Hey, chillax cupcake. I'm just taking a test ride, just like people do with cars. You've got to test it first before you buy it." She answered with a slight smirk on her lips.
"No, a test ride is one ride. As in one chapter and not as in ONE book! And wait, what did you just call me?"
"Whatever." The woman says slightly annoyed. She put the book back, left the store and that was that.