Adam awoke with a start and realized that he was still in the library. He glanced at his black sports wristwatch; 2:03am. Adam leaned back into his chair, sighed, and placed the back of his palm on his forehead; sickness was the only explanation for his delusions of the strange pale woman and the reception room. He really needed some sleep before classes began at 7:00 so Adam gathered his books, papers and backpack and stood up to leave the library. However, he noticed a small piece of rectangular card paper hanging out of his math book. Curious, Adam stopped to open the book and noted what page the card paper was wedged in; 276. He couldn't help but think of the woman with her long, pale blond hair and serene expression again. The card was reminiscent of the type he used to get from the dentist, reminding him of an appointment. The card was plain and had three lines of simple black text.
Adam H. T. Banks
Is scheduled for an appointment
January 26 at 2:03am.
All of the air rushed out of Adam's lungs and his knees were so weak that he leaned onto a wall for support. His 'appointment' was exactly a week from now and Adam could no longer deny that he had died and was going to die again. Thoughts of confusion swam through his consciousness and thought back to the woman and his appointment with her. The woman had said that she was sending him back to 'find what he was looking for.' Adam was perplexed as to what she meant. All of a sudden Adam felt extremely small in the scheme of the universe. What was Adam supposed to do with the time he had left? He didn't know. As Adam was about to step out of the exit of the library into the cold, dark night he stopped and thought the better of it. He had learned from the first time. Instead Adam sucked up his usual tough- guy pride, pulled out his cell phone and called campus security.
As Officer "Call-Me-Dan" escorted Adam back to his dorm building, Adam found himself taking the opportunity to pay attention to the scenery around him. The cold, crisp January air felt invigorating as it traveled through his lungs and Adam stared up into the clear, navy blue Minnesota sky where he could see hundreds of stars shining brightly. Adam smiled as they passed the bench where he and Tamsin first kissed, and the basketball court where he and the Ducks played street puck sometimes when they felt they needed toughening up. Adam still had a pretty vicious scar on his chin from one of the memorably intense games in the summer and just then Adam brought a hand up to feel it. Adam had worked with Goldberg over that summer to help enhance his skill as a skater and defensive specialist and Adam was filled with pride as he remembered being hit with a check that he had taught Goldberg. So many of Adam's important memories had been formed in this place in the past four years. Although Adam had publicly lamented his distaste for the school in the past, Adam was sad that he would not be leaving Eden Hall as he expected—a graduate. The school meant more to Adam than he ever realized.
Adam felt a moist, warm wetness at the tips of his fingers as he woke in his bed, the sun barely up in the sky. He looked around the dorm room with its Adam Oates poster and stand-up cardboard Sarah Michelle Gellar with dirty khakis and jerseys hanging on top of it, confused as his eyes finally focused on to Guy, his roommate. Who was holding a glass of warm water to Adam's fingers on his right hand—a ridiculously immature prank. But Adam could not help but burst out laughing as he rose out of bed and took Guy into a headlock. The two were playfully wrestling on the floor as Charlie, Dean and Fulton came to the doorway so they could all walk to homeroom together. The three joined in on the laughter as they witnessed the ridiculous scene. They dropped their books and bags and joined in on the lighthearted melee. Adam heard a crash as a stack of CDs hit the floor. Charlie had fashioned a pair of nunchucks out of old gym socks in the laundry basket. Fulton was waving a dollar store ninja sword in the air with threatening menace. Guy was brandishing a toy dagger, claiming that he was going to 'cut someone.' Dean was standing on top of Adam's bed, proclaiming himself the Grand Master of some-kingdom-or-another. They were going to be late for homeroom, but at the moment the five best of friends didn't care. As Adam laughed harder than he had laughed in years it seemed like, he experienced a joy that he thought was lost forever.
Adam walked down the main hallway at Eden Hall, feeling uncharacteristically light. He and his friends walked into homeroom, five minutes late—unable to hold back snorts of laughter as they were being scolded by Mr. Torres. The five of them had just avoided being assigned detention—Guy kept flirting with trouble by sneaking the toy dagger out of his book bag and brandishing it, mouthing "I'll cut ya!" at random intervals of class. Adam had just left English, where he felt invigorated enough to participate in a heated discussion about Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
He whistled a tune as Pilar Osorio joined him on his left side, matching his instep as they walked down the hallway for their Economics class.
Adam gave her a smile and a hug and she punched him in the arm playfully. "What's going on, Pilar?"
She looked at him slyly. "Nothing—but you're a ray of sunshine today. You're either drunk or 12 years old. I can't tell which quite yet."
Adam laughed. "I don't know, but I'm having a great day." He had been in a great mood ever since his walk from the library.
Pilar smiled. "That's good to hear." She looked around quickly. "Don't tell her, but Tom was really worried about you. She'll be glad to see you kicking your heels and smiling like a doofus—which is what you look like, of course." Adam gave Pilar a mock-push as they walked into Econ. He sure was going to miss Pilar.