by Eliza Taye
Shrugging Garrett stated, “Oh, Opal, don’t be so dramatic. Come on, let’s go!”
Before Opal could do anything to stop him, Garrett took off up the staircase toward the upper floors.
“Garrett, wait up!” Chasing after him, Opal climbed three flights of stairs. “Why are we on the fourth floor?”
“Well, if becoming a council representative isn’t something most people know about, then it has to be in a location of the library where people rarely go.” Garrett resisted glancing toward the staircase leading to the elusive fifth floor. He was certain the answers to everything he sought was hidden in that Special Collection Room. All he had to do was find a way to break in.
“Garrett, we really should just ask a librarian. It makes a lot more sense than walking around reading the different sections to find it.”
Peeved by his friend’s persistence, Garrett insisted, “No, Opal, come on, it’s gotta be down this aisle.”
Once again, Garrett took off before Opal could say anything.
Strolling past rows and rows of bookcases, Garrett’s head whipped this way and that reading the categories at the top of the shelves indicating the content below. Machinations of Engineering Science, Hydroculture, Physiology of the Common Man…nothing came close to anything he needed.
“Garrett.”
Opal’s tone caused Garrett to freeze and turn around slowly.
Opal stared at him with pinched lips and an intense gaze that Garrett had seen only a handful of times but knew exactly what it meant. Opal was furious and about to lay down the law.
“I will not spend all day running around on a stupid scavenger hunt. We’re asking for help, now!”
As if she were waiting nearby on cue, a woman with short cut ginger hair turned toward them, “Do you need any assistance? I’m one of the librarians here.”
Opal and Garrett turned their gazes to the central aisle of books beside them. The woman was carrying a small stack of books and kept looking between the two of them.
“Well?” The smile gracing her face indicated that she was waiting patiently, not annoyed.
“Yes, thank you. My friend and I are working on his Life Plan and he wants to learn how to become a member of The Council. More specifically, a representative for The Council.”
“Oh,” the woman resituated the glasses resting on the bridge of her nose with one hand, the pile of books almost falling from her clutches.
“Do you need any help with those?” offered Garrett, rushing over and grabbing the books before they toppled to the ground.
“I guess I could. I was just about to take these up to the fifth floor when I heard the two of you talking.”
“The fifth floor?” Garrett’s gaze flicked up to meet the librarians, wonderment, and excitement filling them.
“Uh, yes. I need to replace them, but it will only take a minute and then I can help the two of you find what you’re looking for.”
“Great, we’ll go with you. I can carry the books for you.”
“Oh, that’s all right.” The librarian reached for the books again.
“No, I insist, I love to help others.” Garrett grinned, hoping she wouldn’t protest further.
Outside of Garrett’s view, Opal made an incredulous face. Garrett liking to help others? He made it sound like he was the one who went to the Undecided shelter every week to volunteer. As far as she knew, Garrett had never volunteered to help a stranger in his entire life!
The librarian pondered the offer for a moment than acquiesced. “All right, follow me then.”
If Garrett weren’t carrying the pile of books, he would have pumped his fist in success. He’d finally be able to see the fifth floor and Special Collections Room.
The librarian led the two of them to the back wall and into an elevator. Pressing the up button, the door opened almost instantaneously. Walking inside, Opal and Garrett waited as the doors shut and they rose to the fifth floor.
Eager to see the sequestered room, Garrett peeked around the librarian’s poufy hair as soon as the doors began sliding aside. All that greeted him was a sleek gray floor and walls. The entire room was empty and not quite as expansive as the lower floors of the library. At the end of the room, another doorway with the same steel gray as the walls and floors stood waiting, almost taunting him.
The librarian proceeded forward, stepping onto the floor, her two-inch heeled shoes clacking against the surface. A few feet from the door, she stopped, “Thank you, young man, but I will take it from here.”
Garrett panicked but refused to let it show on his face. Instead, he put on his most charming smile and said, “Ah, it’s only a little further, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t continue carrying it all the way and stopped here?”
The librarian smiled a little sheepishly, “That’s very sweet of you, but I must insist. Only authorized personnel are allowed behind that door. The two of you must remain here while I carry these inside.”
To Garrett’s chagrin, the librarian took the books from him, tugging against his tight grip on the books. Annoyed, Garrett allowed her to take them.
“Now, if the two of you wouldn’t mind turning your backs, I need to use my security code.
Always the good kid, Opal dutifully turned around, picking a spot on the bland wall to focus on. Garrett turned slowly but glanced out his peripheral vision over his shoulder.
But the librarian was waiting for it. “Turn around all the way.” She spun her finger in a circle, eyes focused on Garrett.
Winking, Garrett made a you got me face and turned around.
Waiting for a few moments to ensure Garrett wasn’t going to turn around again, the librarian twisted around and began entering her passcode.
Twisting his head to the side, Garrett used a side-long glance to see the last four digits of the code. Based on the beeping sounds for every key entered, the code was only a five-digit passcode, he’d have to guess at the first number, but now he knew the way in. All he had to do was remember the numbers 4256 and correctly guess the first number—then he’d have a way into the secret room.
Chapter 12
“That was a complete waste of time! We didn’t find any information pertaining to the requirements to become a council representative!” Opal threw her hands up in frustration, but then her gaze softened. “I’m so sorry, Garrett.”
Feigning disappointment, Garrett shrugged meekly, his head down. “It’s okay, Opal, we tried.”
“No, Garrett. It’s not okay. You finally found something you’d like to do for the rest of your life and now I can’t even help you achieve it. I said I’d help you, but all I’ve done is fail you.”
“You didn’t fail me,” Garrett sincerely replied. “You tried your best. The library just doesn’t have what we need.”
Garrett and Opal sat in a mostly deserted section of the library combing through the various books the librarian helped them find. None of them had yielded any indications of what one needed to do in order to become a council representative.
“But that doesn’t make any sense. This library is supposed to have every book ever written!”
Furrowing his brow, Garrett corrected, “That’s not true. I was once told that Anaxia Library only maintained a collection of all the books written in the last 300 years.”
“That’s true,” frustrated, Opal slammed her hand on the open book in front of her, then glanced around to see if anyone had been annoyed by the loud sound. “Oops, sorry.”
“Opal, I’ve never seen you like this.” Garrett stared at her in confusion.
Eyes downcast, Garrett could have sworn he saw the shine of a tear drop from her eye. Glancing down at the page she was hanging her head over, he noticed a small wet circle on the page. “Opal, are you crying?”
“No,” Opal raised her head, but her pink eyes contradicted her statement.
Shocked, Garrett called her out on it. “You’re crying! You’re seriously crying over this…why?”
�
�It’s just. I know what I want to be. I always have…”
“You don’t need to rub it in,” grumbled Garrett.
“…but you’ve just figured out what you want to do…and just in time, I might add. Now, it seems like the entire city—including me—are failing you in helping you to formulate your Plan. It doesn’t seem right.”
Garrett wished he could tell her the answer to his question probably lay just behind the door in the Secret Collections Room, but he knew he couldn’t. If he expressed that to her, then she would guess his plan to break-in. He had to keep it a secret from her. Not just because she would probably try to talk him out of it, but because if he was caught, he didn’t want her implicated as an accomplice.
“I’m sure we could always ask our teacher tomorrow during class. She might know something. If she doesn’t, then maybe another teacher at the academy will,” offered Garrett.
Opal cocked her head to the side. “You know, Garrett, that’s a good idea. It also sounds like something I would say. Maybe my good wits and intellect are rubbing off on you after all.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t bet on that.” Garrett reached over and ruffled her hair.
Opal made an I’ll kill you for that glare, then started smiling and laughing while she fixed her hair.
The next day in class, all Garrett could think about was getting into the secret room in the library. While the other procrastinating students busied themselves with putting the finishing touches on their Life Plans, Garrett worked on his plan to infiltrate the library after hours.
As he scribbled down a new viable plan that would hopefully not wind up in the growing pile of discarded ones on the corner of his desk, Opal appeared. “Garrett, I have a wonderful idea!”
Jolted out of his concentration, Garrett started and looked at Opal with murky eyes of confusion. “What?”
Opal’s green eyes shone as she explained. “I think we should go to City Hall and see if we can speak with the council representative.”
Garrett’s eyes widened. “What? Are you serious?”
Nodding enthusiastically, Opal grinned. “Yes! I mean, there is a representative here right now looking at the pre-approvals for Life Plans and since we can’t find any information on what is needed to become a council representative, perhaps speaking with someone who is a council representative would be the next best thing.”
“How would we get in to see them, though? You told me there’s security at City Hall when a council representative is present.”
“True, I did, but we could still see if there’s a way to talk to them. We can always ask.”
Still unsure, Garrett wondered, “What about class?”
“I’ve already given permission for you and Opal to go, Garrett.” Mrs. Steinworth strode over with a big smile on her face. “I think this is a great opportunity for you. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever had a student wish to be a member of The Council in all my thirty years of teaching. To be honest, it intrigues me. I would like to know the requirements as well. Not to mention the type of people who approve our entire lives. I never thought of it before until you mentioned it.”
“Well, it’s settled then. Get your stuff. Let’s go, Garrett.” Opal gave him a single pat on the back and started walking towards the door.
Still stunned at Opal’s great idea, Garrett sat there dumbfounded, but then hurriedly gathered his papers and belongings to hurry after her.
Garrett’s shoes thudded against the white stone walkway leading to the transport station across from the academy. “Opal, wait up.”
“Well, hurry and get a move on, Garrett. This is your Life Plan, not mine, you should be even more excited to get to City Hall than I am.”
“Okay, okay…I’m coming.” Garrett ran over just as one of the transporters slid to a stop in front of the station.
Both Garrett and Opal got on, noticing that the destination would take them nearest to City Hall. Their academy was about a twenty-minute ride from City Hall, so they nestled in to wait, making plans.
“So, I’m thinking that we can go to the room where I picked up my pre-approved Life Plan yesterday and ask the lady there if the council representative is in. If she says yes, then we can ask her if we can have a visitation with him or her.”
Garrett allowed Opal to ramble on, not wishing to interrupt.
“I think if we can just get five minutes with him or her that could make all the difference. But we need to think about which questions we need to ask them now so we can be prepared when we get there. What do you think, Garrett?”
“First, I think you need to take a breath before you pass out from speaking so quickly, Opal. And second, I only want to know how to become a council representative. Why can’t I just ask that?”
Incredulous, Opal gaped at him. “You can’t just ask that because you need to have specific answers to specific questions. You need to know how to fill out your Life Plan with enough detail to be approved. You need to ask what they majored in, what sort of skills did they have to develop to become council representatives, and what steps did they have to take in their career to get where they are. It could be that you have to do other jobs for The Council before you can represent them.”
“Other jobs? Like what.”
Opal opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, wrinkling her brow as she thought. “Well…umm…”
“Why don’t you let me take the lead once we get in to see them.” Smirking, Garrett gazed out the window, watching the buildings pass by.
Opal playfully punched him in the shoulder. Garrett feigned pain, but then laughed.
It wasn’t much longer that they reached City Hall. Unlike the day before, it wasn’t as bustling, although people were walking in and out on a consistent basis.
Making their way through the doors and into the central room filled with mirrors, they found the security guard missing from the central desk.
Opal’s heart fell, but she didn’t say anything to Garrett.
She didn’t need to. He voiced her thoughts all the same. “Does this mean The Council representative is no longer here?”
Before Opal could answer, she noticed the same guard from yesterday walk from the hallway leading to the pre-submission room. Releasing a sigh of relief, she said, “Nope, he’s coming back to the desk. He must have just been speaking with the council rep.”
“Good news for us. Maybe that means we can speak with them too.”
Garrett moved to talk to the security guard, but Opal tugged at his arm. “No, let’s go straight to the pre-submission room. I have a feeling the guard is more likely to keep us from seeing the council representative rather than helping us.”
Following Opal down the same hall as yesterday, she led them to the small room with the four chairs and desk across from them.
Without pause, Opal walked up to the woman at the desk. “Is the council representative in today?”
The wavy brown-blonde ombre-haired woman focused her penetrating gaze on Opal; her hazel eyes suspicious. “Yes, the council representative is in…but that has nothing to do with your pre-approval. You can hand it to me and I’ll make sure they get it.”
“Well,” began Opal. “What I wanted to know was…”
“What we wanted to know is if we could meet with them in person,” interrupted Garrett, coming to stand beside Opal. Puffing out his chest, Garrett tried to appear serious and as if no was an impossible answer for the woman to give him.
With a curt chuckle, the woman smirked at them. “Are you two serious? You thought you would be able to actually meet the council representative?”
With a huff, she added, “What nerve. You think that just because you are pre-submitters that you have the right to…”
“No, that’s not it at all!” Opal quickly found her voice. “My friend, here, wants to be a council representative, but there’s no literature in the main library or in our academy about it. We need to talk to the council representative to understand what he needs to put
in his Life Plan.”
“This friend?” The woman’s eyebrows raised as she took in Garrett from head to toe. After two passes, she laughed. “You? Become a council representative?”
Garrett frowned at her disregard for him, but she kept on laughing, even doubling over and grabbing her stomach.
After composing herself enough to speak, she sputtered. “There’s no way you’d ever have that approved on your Life Plan.”
Opal’s eyes narrowed. She was the type of person who struggled to stand up for herself, but when it came to the ones she cared about, no one could mess with them. “Listen, lady. You’re not the council representative, nor do you work for The Council itself. You have no authority to decide whether or not my friend has the makings of being a council representative. Your own hubris is a bit much for a lowly clerk at City Hall who didn’t dream big enough before you turned seventeen to dream up a better job for yourself!”
By the time Opal was done giving the woman an earful, her lower lip was quivering and she strived to say something in retort, but Opal’s steely gaze prevented her.
Using the continued break in silence to speak again, Opal demanded. “Now how can we see the council representative? We only need a mere five minutes of their time.”
“That will not be at all possible,” stated a voice from behind.
Opal, Garrett, and the woman at the desk all turned to the open door. As recognition dawned, the woman began smirking again, now out of her stupor.
“You two need to come with me,” declared the security guard, his arms folded across his chest.
With a glare towards the still smirking woman, Opal figured she must have hit some silent alarm button that neither she nor Garrett had noticed her do. How cowardly to be afraid of two teenagers almost half her age.
“Let’s go.” The guard entered the room and grasped both Opal and Garrett firmly by the upper arm, guiding them out the room and through the building. Once at the entryway, he deposited them outside the entrance.