Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1)

by Eliza Taye

  In no time, she’d bathed, dressed, and went downstairs. By then her parents were awake and her dad was cooking breakfast in a bathrobe over his pajamas.

  “Hi, Opal,” tiredly grumbled her mother, sighing and then yawning.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Oh, dear, are you sure you’re done with your Life Plan? The older I get, the more I’m starting to regret choosing a career path that forces me to wake up early in the morning.”

  Opal smiled, holding back a laugh. Her mother was a teacher, which required her to rise each day much earlier than what her body would have preferred. She loved kids and teaching, but early mornings were too much for her.

  “You should have done like me, my love, and chosen astronomy.” Opal’s dad winked over his shoulder as he flipped purple pancakes made of a vegetable patty that both Opal and Gabby liked.

  “But that was no guarantee! You got lucky that your job is one at night. We can see the stars at any time day or not. It doesn’t matter when.”

  “Ah, yes, but the celestial bodies that I study can best be seen when Eris and Maytenar are not blocking them.”

  “Whatever,” grumbled Holly, breathing deeply with her right hand clutching her forehead.

  “Is Gabrielle up yet?” wondered Opal, glancing back toward the staircase.

  “No, she isn’t. Do you mind going upstairs and waking her? I don’t want to be late for work again.”

  “Sure, Mom.”

  Opal went back upstairs to wake her sister so she could get ready and eat. By the time that breakfast was done and Gabrielle had gotten ready, they were all pressed for time, rushing out the door like the house was on fire. Opal caught the last transporter that would get her to class on time. She found Garrett sitting on one of the rows of seats.

  “Hey, Opal, I can’t remember the last time we rode together to academy without you pre-planning it.”

  Opal gave him a wry glance and then explained, “Gabby was late waking up today.”

  “Again?” Garrett’s eyebrows rose. “She’s about as bad as I am.”

  “Not quite, but she’s getting there.” Looking at Garrett’s lack of a backpack, she inquired, “So, did you decide on which occupation you wanted to shadow today?”

  “I have a couple in mind. Did you receive your results from your Life Plan pre-approval?”

  Opal’s eyes widened in shock. The pre-approval! How’d she forgotten about it? Nervously fumbling for her sciorb inside her satchel, she wrenched it out, unfolding it and typing in her login as fast as her shaking fingers would allow. She entered her information into the City Hall’s website and waited impatiently as it loaded.

  “Did you get it?” wondered Garrett.

  Opal ignored him as the spiraling loading insignia disappeared and the results took its place.

  “Come on, don’t leave me wondering.”

  “I got it! I was pre-approved!” she shouted, her face brightening twice that of the collective shine of the two moons. “Garrett, I got it!”

  Opal turned her face to her best friend to see his smug approving smile. “I knew you would. Actually, everyone did. You were the only one who doubted it.”

  Opal returned her gaze to the holographic screen. She was approved! No more worrying about if there was anything in her Life Plan that could cause trouble. No more stressing over her future life. The future was set…and it was exactly what she desired.

  “So, does that mean you don’t have to do anything on Submission Day?” inquired Garrett.

  Opal caught herself before shaking her head in impatience. “No, Garrett, I still have to submit the same plan on Submission Day like everyone else…including you. Which reminds me, which occupation did you want to shadow today?”

  “Oh.” Garrett sucked his lips in and pressed them together. “I…uh…was thinking about….”

  “Come on, Garrett. You were supposed to think of something yesterday.”

  Suddenly, April popped into his mind and he blurted, “Well, I was thinking about a librarian or a…artist?”

  “An artist?” Opal raised one quizzical eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you draw anything in your life.”

  “True, but maybe I have a talent for it.”

  Opal continued to stare at him with a quizzical look until the transporter stopped and the doors flung open. “If you’re certain those are the two different occupations you’d like to shadow today, I can ask our homeroom teacher if she’ll let me go along with you since I have nothing else to do.”

  The transporter stayed in place longer than usual to allow all the students to exit and make their way toward the secondary education academy. The pale gray stone exterior of the building went on for two stories and extended out to the size of half a city block. White square windows dotted the structure in uniform rows with two sets on every level. Centered precisely in the middle of the first floor was a double door. The double-wide glass pane windows of the door propped open to allow the influx of students inside.

  Following the throng of other students, Opal and Garrett made their way inside the academy. Once inside, they headed straight for their homeroom class. Mrs. Steinworth stood at the front of the class with a marker in her hand, her elbow bent as she readied to write something on the board. The rest of the students already in class stood scattered about, helping each other work on their Life Plans. Some were missing, which meant they had already begun their shadowing for the day.

  “Mrs. Steinworth,” called Opal when she neared the front of the class.

  “Ah, hi, Opal, what do you need?” Mrs. Steinworth beamed at her favorite student.

  “Garrett decided that he wants to do some additional shadowing today in preparation for finalizing his Life Plan. I was wondering if I’d be allowed to go with him.”

  Both Mrs. Steinworth’s eyebrows raised as she glanced from Opal to Garrett, then back to Opal. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. I’m grateful Mr. Gibbons is interested in taking another occupational shadow.”

  “Well, I just want to make sure that I’m prepared for next week,” interjected Garrett, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with a grin on his face.

  Garrett’s response didn’t fool Mrs. Steinworth one bit, but she wasn’t going to be rude to a student. “Very well, then. You have my permission.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Steinworth.”

  Their teacher nodded, but then leaned forward and whispered to Opal in confidence, “Maybe you can keep him on track and focused on finding his life’s passion. I truly hate to see a student lost to the Undecided.”

  Opal looked at one of her favorite teachers as she leaned back. The woman’s face had turned into a solemn mask of regret like perhaps she had lost a student to the Undecided sector before. The expression on her face saddened Opal, but she brushed it off. “I will. Is there anything special we need?”

  “Yes, on the back table there are the pamphlets with the directions and contact information for the people who are available for shadows today. Find the ones pertaining to the occupation you two wish to shadow and you may set off for it. Don’t worry about attendance, I’ll let the office know why you aren’t here.”

  “Thank you again, Mrs. Steinworth.” Opal turned and went to the back of the classroom with Garrett at her heels.

  Scattered along the back table were a litter of pamphlets with what seemed like every occupation in the city represented. Realizing they were in alphabetical order, Opal and Garrett quickly found the ones for artist and librarian.

  “Which one do you want to go to first?”

  “Librarian,” stated Garrett, matter-of-factly.

  Exiting the academy and going to the nearest transporter, they rode towards the center of the city where an enormous five-story library—one of the tallest structures in the city—rose into the black sky dotted with stars. As usual, it was fairly crowded, but Opal knew her way around well. She’d been there countless times.

  A grand entryway spanning three of the five stories gave en
trance to the library. Wide gilded doorways led into a massive elliptical chamber with wood everywhere. Three tiers of bookshelves surrounded and covered every inch of the wall to the point where it appeared as if the walls themselves were made up of bookshelves.

  A group of eight stairs led down into the center of the expansive room, where the space opened up to allow for a circulation and checkout desk. Opal grabbed the awed Garrett’s forearm and led him towards the desk.

  Garrett kept watching in astonishment. He’d been to the library near his home, but never the central library in the middle of the city. This was the library. The main branch that was rumored to have held a copy of every single book ever written throughout history. Now, it only held every book written for the past three hundred years, but still—that was a lot. It made the Darrington Library in the Undecided sector pale in comparison.

  “Hi, we’re looking for a Miss Lyons,” said Opal to the man at the front desk.

  “Ah, are you here for the shadowing?” asked the man with striking green eyes and black hair as dark as the night sky.

  “Yes, we are looking to shadow a librarian for part of the day,” affirmed Opal, offering the pamphlet to the man.

  “All right. I’ll call her to come to the front desk. It shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Thank you.” Opal turned and leaned against the desk, watching Garrett still spinning around in amazement. “It’s impressive, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is!” exclaimed Garrett, then clamped his hands over his mouth, his eyes swinging back and forth in shock at his outburst, hoping he hadn’t disturbed anyone.

  Opal shook her head and stifled a laugh. Seeing a set of two chairs near the circulation desk, she gestured toward them and they both sat.

  “Opal, why didn’t you ever tell me how amazing this library is?” wondered Garrett. Instead of trekking all the way to the Undecided sector, maybe he could have found what he needed here.

  “I feel like I have told you once or twice before. You’ve just never been interested.” Opal gave her friend a wry smirk and nudged him in the ribs, “Stick with me and you’ll see lots more cool stuff while we’re here.”

  Garrett chuckled and shook his head disbelievingly at his friend. When they were younger, he would have ruffled her hair, but now, he knew she’d kill him for messing it up, so he left it alone.

  “Hi, you called for me to meet with some pre-submitters?”

  “Yes, they’re sitting over there.”

  Both Garrett and Opal quieted as a tall middle-aged woman turned in their direction and began walking their way. With caramel-colored eyes and black hair tinted in highlights of a deep red when the light touched it, the woman had an almost exotic beauty to her. “Hi, I’m Miss Sarua Lyons and I’m the head librarian here. You may call me Sarua or Miss Lyons, whichever you prefer.”

  “I’m Garrett and this is my friend Opal. She’s joining me on the shadowing today.”

  “Oh,” Miss Lyons’s gaze turned to Opal. “You didn’t want to do your own shadowing for today? Or have you already decided?”

  “Actually, I’ve been pre-approved. I just got the results today,” announced Opal proudly.

  Miss Lyons’s smile widened as she nodded, “Congratulations, you must be quite intelligent and organized.”

  Blushing a bit at the compliment, Opal gazed down at the floor until the woman looked away.

  “If you two would follow me, I will take you on a short tour of the library and show you what I do here.”

  Opal and Garrett followed wordlessly, feeling like this woman deserved the utmost respect. She gave an air about her as if she were someone highly important. Once she began talking, neither one wanted to interrupt her.

  Miss Lyons led them through the rows of shelves until they reached the staircase that curved upward to the second floor. While walking, she gestured to the different sections of the library and explained, “As the head librarian, I oversee all the other librarians and ensure the smooth functioning of the library. Since Anaxia Library is the largest library in the city and also one of the largest in the world, we have quite a collection to maintain. Any library in the city may ask to borrow a book or tome from this one. It must be returned eventually, but it is part of the connectivity of our city.”

  Garrett listened to her talk and wondered if every library in the city included the Darrington Library or any other one in the Undecided sector. Were they allowed to have access to these books?

  “As librarians, we are in charge of recording each book that goes in and out of the library as well as adding new ones to our collection. In this particular library, we accept all new books written and are therefore continually busy cataloging. Do you have any questions so far?”

  “I do.” Opal instinctively raised her hand, so used to doing it in class. “How do you compensate for the increasing space needed to house all of the new books? If a book comes in that belongs in a section of the library that is already full, how do you accommodate it?”

  “That’s a very good question, Opal.” Miss Lyons led them up another staircase to the third floor as she spoke. “Sometimes, if the volume of books in a particular genre exceeds the capacity of its current location, we will switch it with another one that isn’t growing as fast. If possible, we may add more bookshelves in the space or relocate the entire collection to a different part of the library that is yet unused. Most of the fifth floor still has empty space and the rear section of it is reserved for essential books not open to the public. You must have special permission to go in and view those books. They are also not allowed to be checked out or loaned to a different library in the city.

  “What sort of books are those?” wondered Garrett, suspicious.

  “They are books of such complexity that you would have to possess a high level of understanding to comprehend them.”

  Garrett perked up. “Are they related to The Council?”

  Miss Lyons’s gaze fixed on him, her eyes emitting a sense of suspicion rimmed with anger. “I am not at liberty to say what is in that collection.”

  “If you’re not allowed to say what’s in the collection, how do people know to ask about them?”

  “Garrett,” Opal hissed, nudging him to try to make him shut up.

  “As I said, only a select few have access to those books. One of the reasons is that they are old and brittle. If they were not to be handled with care, they could be damaged beyond readability.”

  “What kind of profession do you have to have in order to have access to it?” pressed Garrett, not willing to let the matter go.

  Her eyes widening, Opal gave Garrett her signature you’re going too far look, but he ignored it. He was going to continue pushing until he got the answers he needed.

  With a gruff sigh, Miss Lyons responded, “Some of them are the esteemed members of City Hall, others are professors, researchers and the like. Now, we have arrived at a section that I would like to further elucidate you on. It houses one of my favorite collections and I’m sure you’ll be intrigued by it. There will be no more discussion on the Special Collections Room.”

  Garrett wanted to press the issue forward, but Miss Lyons wouldn’t even look at him or acknowledge his presence in the room. Her voice had elevated to the point where it was clear that she wanted to be listened to, not do the listening herself.

  The rest of the tour and shadowing continued uneventfully. Garrett didn’t get any more of his questions answered, nor were they even allowed to visit the fifth floor, which was conveniently closed off for renovating. Miss Lyons had returned to her kind self and bid them farewell at the circulation desk when the tour was over.

  Once outside the library, Opal grabbed Garret’s elbow and whisked him around to face her. “What was that all about?”

  “I just wanted to learn more about that mysterious room. Why are they hiding it? What does she have in there that is so secretive she couldn’t tell me about it?”

  “Maybe she herself doesn’t know what is in
there.”

  “Opal, come on! She’s the head librarian, she has to know!”

  “Not necessarily. If it is so secretive, perhaps even she isn’t allowed in there.”

  Garrett gave Opal an incredulous stare. He knew his friend was smarter than that. “I highly doubt it.”

  “Anyway, we still have one more tour to go on. It looks like we’re headed to the art museum next.”

  Garrett rolled his eyes outside of Opal’s view since she was staring down at the pamphlet. “Fine, lead the way.

  Chapter 9

  The day couldn’t have gone slower for Garrett. The shadowing of the artist was about as boring as could be and he discovered he truly had no talent for art. All he could think of throughout the rest of the day was how something in the Special Collections Room had to hold the secrets about The Council. If Anaxia Library held every book ever written, then surely a book on The Council would be there.

  Running home to change clothes, he chose the one pair of pants he owned with eight pockets and stuffed them full of what he’d need for a long afternoon at the library. This time, he remembered to pack his sciorb and a small notebook for any interesting notes he wished to take. Checking to ensure he had everything and that his pockets weren’t too abnormally poochie, he closed the door to his room and snuck out of the house.

  The ride to the transport station near the Undecided sector wasn’t as intriguing to him as it had been last time. Neither was the walk to the sector. All the while his thoughts were consumed with what he might find in the library once he got there. Not to mention that the librarian April entered his mind periodically as well. He couldn’t get her enthusiasm for knowledge, yet the disappointment of not being able to fulfill the Life Plan she’d chosen for herself out of his head.

  Entering the sector, his eyes darted around watching for the old woman from yesterday. Garrett knew it was foolish, chances were that the old lady wasn’t even looking for him. The old woman was nowhere to be seen and his nerves eased a bit. He didn’t know what the consequences of slumming the Undecided sector were and he didn’t want to find out.