Two: The Library
Monday found Bella staring at the top drawer in her nightstand. Ever since the accident, the anxiety she had about anxiety was sometimes enough to send her over the edge. Her doctor told her once that after the first one, a panic attack can be brought on by the fear of having another one. She understood that often present fear of something just around the corner waiting for her to stumble upon it. Really, she could make it sound as deep as she wanted, but when she got down to it, Bella wanted a pill. Instead, she went downstairs and took a Flintstones vitamin. She picked them up on a grocery trip the day before.
Her father was at work already and had been for at least an hour. The chief's got to be the first one in, last one out, he told her. She couldn't help but admire the dedication, but she wondered just how much work there was to do. The only thing he'd mentioned so far was catching some taggers spray painting the side of an old warehouse. He said he was more worried about their safety than anything; the building was about to be razed if it didn't fall on its own first.
The only telltale signs of his absence was the missing holster in the foyer. Bella had noticed over the last couple of days that Charlie was very low maintenance. Living alone for so long taught him how to do so quietly and efficiently. It left Bella with very little to do. She found that being in the same house as her father was more like having a roommate you never saw.
Before that thought could go to the place in the pit of her stomach, she saw a note on the kitchen table in Charlie's familiar scrawl.
Good luck on your first day.
It was simple enough, but she was struck by the thoughtful gesture nonetheless. Acting on impulse, she put the note in her pocket.
Charlie was letting Bella drive his truck since he was most often in his police cruiser. It was a big red monster with a stick shift and no power steering, but she was glad for the freedom it represented. Not that she knew where she might go besides the grocery store and the library. She stalled once backing out of the gravel drive and once more at the stop sign on the corner.
The rain pattered on the windshield and rather than being depressed by what she considered its eternal grey, she tried to be calmed by the steady sound. She pulled into the library's parking lot after less than five minutes of driving. She thought she'd try walking someday soon, weather permitting.
Bella didn't bother covering her head to cross the parking lot; she was only four spaces from the front doors. She went inside and fought the urge to shake her hair out.
The library was small, one floor, with the circulation desk dead center. But it was clean and brightly lit and there appeared to be many quiet places to read. Despite the three other cars in the lot, Bella only saw one other human. She was lovely with a serene face and very pale skin. As she got closer, Bella noted the woman only got more attractive.
"Hi, I'll be with you in one – second." She said, raising her face and typing quickly at the same time. When she finished, she smiled. "Are you Bella?"
She nodded, trying to find her voice. She had never been intimidated by another woman's looks before, but found there was a first time for everything. She cleared her throat. "It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Charlotte, my husband and I sort of run things around here." She stood and extended a hand. "He's in the back; I'll introduce you in a minute."
Charlotte's hand was icy to the touch and Bella wondered if the heat was off.
"Poor circulation," Charlotte said. "I think I've been sitting in one place for too long."
Her husband appeared after a second, pushing a cart of books. "You must be Bella Swan; I'm Peter."
His hand was just as cold as his wife's. "Good to meet you, Peter, and thanks to both of you for the job. Kind of perfect timing for me."
"Likewise, you're really doing us the favor." Peter smiled, pushing a curl off his forehead. "Well, is it too soon to put you to work? I can give you the tour on the way."
Charlotte had Bella put her things behind the desk before she followed Peter to the back. In one far corner, she noticed someone working on a laptop. At a different table was an elderly man reading a newspaper.
"Fortunately, or unfortunately, this place happens to have more books than it can hold out front, so we keep the lesser used ones back here." He led her along a few industrial shelving units. "There's also some storage in here, cleaning supplies, a couple extra carts, paper for the copier, things like that. And a really small break room through that door, if you consider a mini fridge and a coffee maker a break room." He grinned.
He told her she would be doing a little of everything and that if she had extra time, there was always something to clean. "You're welcome to bring a laptop or something though. It really doesn't get that busy here."
The pair went back to the main library and he showed her the layout. Everything current, he said, was on one side: newspapers, periodicals, computers, and audiovisual materials which were closed off to the rest of the room. On the other side were the books, including archives and reference materials. It was the side Bella gravitated toward.
After a while, Peter gave her a cartload of books to shelve and disappeared somewhere down an aisle. Bella did her work quietly, learning through trial and error the placement of all the books. A few people came and went, a couple asked her questions, but Charlotte was always around to answer them if Bella couldn't.
Near the end of her four hours, Bella stopped to find a restroom, which was the only thing Peter hadn't shown her the location of. Figuring her best bet was somewhere near the back, she headed in that direction. On her way, she saw that the door to the store room was open and she changed course to close it. Nearing it, she heard the voices of Peter and Charlotte.
"She's good, you think?"
They were talking about her and Bella couldn't help the pride she felt at Charlotte's compliment.
"Yeah, I think her being here will -,"
"Help us fit in."
"Exactly."
There was a pause in the conversation and Bella frowned, at a loss.
"We just have to remember to be careful…oh, and you're moving too fast, when you got up to help her that first time."
"I know," Charlotte said. "It's just been a long time since -,"
Without warning, the door opened fully, revealing Peter in the small space. He smiled. "Do you need something?"
Bella forgot all about the bathroom. "I just – wanted to let you know I was headed out."
"Okay," he paused. "You did a nice job today, Bella. We'll see you tomorrow." He smiled again and then shut the door.
…
On the way back to Charlie's, Bella made a turn too early. Despite the ease of the small town's navigation, she was still getting used to it. She drove down a street with small, starter style homes on either side. At the top, a woman was carrying a large plastic tub up the driveway. Must be moving in, Bella thought. She wouldn't have noticed her had it not been for the woman's hair; it was so blonde it was nearly white.
Once Bella was on the right street again, she saw a couple unloading cardboard boxes from a car. As she passed, the woman turned toward the red truck, smiling wide. Bella waved back. It was all very Stepford and she wondered if it was just a small town thing.
…
That night tree branches tapped on her windows and wind rattled the chimes on the back porch. But Bella didn't hear any of it because she was dreaming of that night with Ethan. She was either making things up or remembering, and in the morning she wouldn't be able to decide which.
There was power in her body that wasn't there before. It moved through her and pushed outward and for a second she was more afraid of it than she was of the man on top of her. In that same second, she realized that it wasn't the first time it had happened, it was only the first time she was hurting someone with it. She remembered the cool cotton of Ethan's t-shirt turned hot and then he wasn't on top of her anymore.
…
Friday morning dawned sunny and somewhere around 50 degrees. By the time she was out of the shower, Bella had forgotten her dream. In her bedroom, she picked a soft green sweater, lamenting her lack of happier looking clothes. She pulled her hair up and looked at the lip gloss on top of her dresser, but grabbed the balm instead.
Downstairs, The Lone Gunmen was open to a large, yelling headline: Mass Exodus, Vampires Leaving the…Bella didn't bother to read the rest.
The walk to work took barely fifteen minutes and the crystal clear air did wonders for her mood, which always hovered near melancholy. By the time she walked into the library, she had flushed cheeks and high spirits.
Charlotte was at the front desk and the elderly man with the newspaper was at his usual table. She smiled at Bella as the door opened. "Oh," Charlotte said, surprised at something.
"Morning," Bella said, pulling off one of the straps of her backpack. She swung it off her other shoulder and went around the circulation desk to set it underneath. The two women exchanged polite conversation and then Bella asked if she should find Peter in the back room. Her first week had been spent doing quiet work, stacking, cleaning, and the like.
"No, actually I thought you'd work with me today." She indicated the chair next to her.
As she sat down next to Charlotte, something prickled at the back of her neck.
…
Charlotte trained Bella on the computer system, which was a little out of date, but got the job done. There was only one computer, so Bella had to pull her chair awkwardly to see. In doing so, she noted that Charlotte had the nicest perfume she'd ever smelled on another person. She wanted to ask what it was, but didn't think it was an appropriate question.
When Bella turned to ask a work related question, she found Charlotte already looking at her. The closeness made Bella flinch, breaking whatever it was that passed between them. She opened her mouth though she felt the question already fading, when Charlotte spoke first.
"Excuse me a second."
She was gone for a while. Bella couldn't decide if she should take her place at the computer, or pull out a book. She chose the latter since there weren't any new people showing up. At 11:30, Peter came out from the store room.
"Hey," he said. "Sorry to leave you out here, but Charlotte isn't feeling well. I can take over for her out here, if you want to leave early."
"Oh, I don't mind staying if you need the help."
"No, that's okay. It's Friday, you should be out having fun or something." He handed Bella her backpack. "I'll see you Monday."
…
Had Bella been paying attention, she would have seen the clouds gathering all that morning. Less than five minutes into her walk, it started pouring. It only took a few seconds before she was soaked through and shivering. She crossed her arms, kept her eyes down, and walked faster. A few blocks from her father's house, a car whipped around a corner behind her. The silver blur hit a pothole nearby, causing the cold water to splash an already dripping Bella.
"Ass-hat," she said.
The car braked a few yards in front of her. Bella tensed, thinking absurdly that the driver heard her expletive even over the pounding rain. The car reversed until it was parallel to her spot on the sidewalk. She stepped back, thinking of every horror movie she'd ever seen.
The passenger window rolled down. Leaning toward it was the most handsome man Bella had ever seen in real life. "Do you need a ride?"
Bella opened her mouth, and then cleared her throat and tried again. "No thanks, I'm fine."
The man smirked. "Yes, my sister tells me the drowned rat thing is really in this time of year. Get in," he said. Realizing his demand, he added, "Please?"
Bella was still stuck on the phrase "drowned rat" when she reached for the door handle. At the last second, she stopped. "No, it's fine. I'm almost home."
"Please?" He said again, looking more tempting this time. "I feel guilty."
"You don't have to, really." She rubbed her arms and tried to keep her teeth from chattering.
"I could have probably had you home by now, you know."
She bristled at his persistence. "I could have had myself home by now."
The too handsome man rolled his eyes. "I can't leave you out here to drown."
"I can take care of myself."
"Then why don't you have an umbrella?"
Bella smiled without humor. "Thanks for the offer, but no." She nodded, signaling the end of their conversation. After taking a few steps away from his car, she heard the engine rev. He drove past her, this time much more slowly.
The exchange was short and left Bella more annoyed than anything else, but that night she dreamed of him. And the next morning, Bella wondered if she'd ever see the handsome stranger again.
Author's Note: Hi everyone, thanks for reading.
A few pictures are posted on my homepage, two are a little bit of a teaser since I haven't gotten there in the story quite yet.
And to be nice, for this chapter, reviews get teasers :)
