"Hey Riana, I thought that you were going home? Why are you going to the library?"
Riana Reyes turned to her good friend April Genesis Lacson, whom most everyone in their class fondly called Genie or Jenny. "Have you forgotten that we need to do research for our report in English? Sure, we may have all the books we need, but I just want to scrounge up a little more information to be on the safe side."
April smiled, her dark brown eyes twinkling behind her glasses. "Good idea. But, would it be all right if I went downstairs first? Sister Aida needs to give me the schedule of activities for the MSC. I'll look for you when I'm done."
"Okay. I'll be in the reference section if you need me." Riana watched as April went off.
When her friend had disappeared around the corner, Riana proceeded to the school library. She sighed. Time for some heavy-duty research work. She flashed her library card to the librarian, and then proceeded to the air-conditioned reference section.
Riana sighed as she scanned the shelves of books. If she could have had her way, she would have stayed at home for the day, since her great-grandmother had died only recently. No one could understand why she had been so concerned about her great-grandmother. She didn't care what people thought; her great-grandmother had been the most influential person in her life, and she loved the woman dearly.
Suddenly, she realized that something was wrong. She looked around, and realized that the reference room was empty. That's strange. Normally this place is crammed with kids sitting on the floor while doing their research work. Okay, so maybe I've seen this place empty, but I'd expected Ana or at least Marie and Pauline to come down here to do research…
The hairs on the nape of her neck started to stand on end, and she knew that it had nothing to do with the cold air. Something feels wrong. She glanced from left to right, seeing nothing else but the tall shelves and stacks of books. But what exactly IS wrong?
Riana heard a soft thud from the back of the room. She tensed slightly, trying to sense if there was anyone in the room with her. For all I know, it could be Pauline playing another trick on me. But she could find nothing.
On silent feet, she walked to the back of the room, to the back shelves. There, she noticed a small, brown little book lying on the floor. What's this doing here? She knelt down on the cold tile, and picked it up. It felt so dry and brittle, like it could crumble in her hands at any moment. This book feels positively ancient!
She gazed at the title, which was written in Chinese characters. Luckily, she had studied how to read Chinese, and so she was able to make out the meaning of the characters after a few moments. "Book of the Four Gods Sky and Earth: Guardian of the Stars." What is this, some kind of legend or something? Filled with curiosity, she opened the book to the first page.
She barely had time to read it when a brilliant flash of red light consumed her completely. She whirled around. "Hey! What the…!"
The world became black, and she lost consciousness.
* * *
April entered the library, absently presenting her library card to the librarian. Where could Riana be? Since the library wasn't really a very big place, she looked out for her friend's familiar face sitting amongst the many tables within the room, but she could find none.
Oh yes, that's right. She told me that she'd be in the reference section. April walked over towards the reference section, sliding open the glass doors and closing them behind her as she stepped inside.
"Riana? Riana, are you here?" No response. Hmmm, maybe she's so absorbed in her work that she isn't paying attention to me anymore. April methodically walked along the aisles between the shelves, but she couldn't find Riana at all. Hmph, where did that girl go? Maybe she went home early and forgot all about our deal? She shook her head. Nah, she couldn't have. Riana doesn't set a date to something and forget about it in a heartbeat.
As she was walking along the back row, she noticed this little book lying on the floor. Huh? What's this? I haven't seen this here before. She picked it up, and gazed at the cover. It's in Chinese? "Book of the Four Gods Sky and Earth: Guardian of the Stars." April opened the book to the first page, and was greeted by a delicate line drawing of a girl who looked a lot like…
Her face paled suddenly, and her mouth fell open slightly. "Is that…Riana?" She shook her head, and closed her eyes tight. This is just a coincidence. She turned to the writing on the right side, and read it aloud. "This is the story of a young girl who was chosen by Suzako, the God of the South, to be the Guardian of the Stars. Whosoever finishes the book will experience great blessings and graces from the gods, just like the Guardian of the Stars and the Suzako no Miko. This story is an incantation, and the moment the page is turned, all that is written shall become truth, and the threshold shall be opened."
April shivered as the realization came to her. So my initial hunch was right. Riana IS inside this book, and she has been chosen as the Guardian of the Stars…whatever that is. She looked over her shoulder, making sure that no one was watching her as she slipped the book under her clothes. I guess that I'll just finish this at home. With that, she left the reference section, and exited the library, the little brown book pressed close to her stomach by her school skirt.