Deptheless: Under the Library

by Tiffany Tay

  I roll my eyes, but I can't help but giggle. "Starre. Although... it wouldn't hurt to be a star-born... it'd be really cool!"

  "Okay, Stella Starre. Let me take you to meet the President."

  "Whoa. You don't mean the one running the Country, and living in the White House, don't you?" I half joke.

  "Hmm... if you count running the library, and living in the Dark House... then, he's this way!" He takes off, waving for me to follow.

  I laugh. It had been so long since I'd met anyone remotely... interesting. Humour? They suck you off it in the Organization. Over there, the say humour kills. So they kill humour. Figures.

  I run to catch up. I'd love to understand the secret of the invisible doors. This place would be every architect's dream. And I've seen my share of impressive.

  "You haven't introduced yourself."

  "David Davis. Pleased to meet a star." He did a little bow.

  "One day, I shall find a better nickname for you, Davy. For now..." I mock ponder. "You shall be DeeDee."

  "Stick with Davy" He rolls his eyes and makes a face.

  "Pass the glue, please. I need to stick you." I joke.

  An unexpected gust of wind rustles the air. My light golden brown hair starts flying all over the place. I mean, flying all over my face. I'm not wearing a wig, you know.

  David's own midnight brown hair is ruffled by the wind. He tries unsuccessfully to smoothen it.

  "Let it pass, DeeDee. Your hair is better tousled."

  "Whatever you say, crazy star."

  Now, we arrive at the destined place. The doors remain invisible. I look at David, waiting for him to do the magic.

  He catches me staring and smirks. "Watch this, Star!" With that, he walks straight through the walls, which I now confirm are made from wood, however impossible that may be, it is true.

  "Very impressive, DD. Now can you let me pass?" I call at a wall.

  He sticks his face through the wooden walls, giving him a head in a wall look. "What are you waiting for, Starborn? This is the way!"

  "Am I going to be able to pass through, or will I crash into solid wall?" I'm skeptical.

  Still, I try, and sure enough, I pass easily through.

  "Wow. Okay, now I have to hear this." I tell David.

  "Visitors are allowed to see the door... but for protective measures, any threat the library senses will trigger the the outer layer of the doors to go into camouflage mode, disguising the door!"

  "I see. Then how is it that I--- this dangerous threat, is allowed to enter?"

  "A Librarian has to grant you permission to access, but in you case... you had the President's permission."

  "Then how come I could not see the doors in the first place?" I demand.

  "That is because we had to be sure you are who you are." Another voice booms out from behind me.

  I turn, and there stands a boy in his twenties. He has side-swept dark chocolate hair, and wide almond coloured irises. He held himself with an air of dignified control, and his eyes are blank. Either he doesn't exercise much expression, or he has something to cover up.

  "Alex." Next to me, David greets the guy. Turning to me, he introduces, "Star---I mean, Stella Starre, meet Alex--- the President."

  Alex moves his lips in a quick smile, then resumes his expressionless... well, expression.

  "You two are late." He fires that accusation at both of us, but I could tell he really means David.

  "We.. we were a little delayed at the entrance..." I pipe up, in my new friend's defence. David remains silent. Apparently, a guy like him is very much in awe of the President. I suppose I should be too?

  Alex frowns. "Well... your first lesson, Stella Starre."

  I can't shake off the feeling that he doesn't like me that much...

  "Librarians are not late for their duty. Now, come with me. We have matters to discus."

  A/N Hi people! So... a nice long chapter to begin this book! Please vote and comment... I'd like to know what you're thinking about the story so far. Thank you for reading, and do continue to support! ^^

  Chapter Two// Stella

  Stella's POV//

  I soon learned that libraries are built to impress on the outside. The interior? Infinitely impressive.

  "Is that... that, a real book?" My eyes wander over to a leather-bound, thick rectangular object on a nearby table.

  Alex barely glances that way. I stray over and held it up. I caress the leather cover, marvelling over its smoothness.

  "How old is this one?" I wonder, while gingerly turning the pages. Surprisingly, they are well preserved. They aren't moth-eaten, crumbling, or spotty... just the faintest yellow. A sign of ageing.

  "That was from back in the nineteenth century." Alex carelessly replies. "Hand it to me, please." He holds out his hand.

  Reluctantly, I passed the book over to him. I watch while he checks something on the book, then follow him as he strides over to a shelf.

  "Never leave a book on the table after reading." He slides the book in the open gap, which is just perfect fitting.

  "Got it." I muttered.

  "I'll have someone show you how to shelf books later. Now follow me."

  Had I given up my excitement filled life just to end up in a library... dusting shelves and stacking books?

  As if sensing my thoughts, Alex softens. "There is more to being a Librarian than you think."

  "Like...?" I question.

  He doesn't reply. I give up trying to make small talk. From the first glance, I could tell Alex is mysteriously quiet, but, he is not someone to mess with. 'President' suits him nicely. He is tall and regal, quiet-eyed and soft spoken. There is probably an underlying genius inside him.

  Instead, I turn my attention to my surroundings.

  From the very first step into the library, I am amazed at the vastness of the space. As far as I can see, there are at least five floors. Wooden panelled walls stretched all around the sides. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, from top to bottom. I can see actual staircases and landings built about every ten shelf spaces. Across the landing, there are bridges joining the reading spaces to the bookshelves, and the bridges criss-cross high over the ground floor, therefore, from level one to five, the reading spaces are roped off into a centre ring. To get to the bookshelves, one must cross the bridges.

  I could see tons of hard work for the librarians. Spring cleaning at the library mustn't be very enjoyable. As we walked, I had hundreds of questions. In the end, I ended up speaking to Alex sooner than I had wanted.

  "Where did you collect all of this?" I gaze in wonder at the leather-bound books, the coloured paperbacks, basically all of the books no one in the outside world will read. Not if they could just simply press a few buttons and download the story into their pocket gadgets.

  Alex turned to face me. His grey eyes shone with pride as he notices me admiring the books. "Over the years, librarians had travelled far over the world to salvage every last book we could lay hands on. Some wealthy people donated some of their unwanted books, others we managed to save in auctions. We went through great pains to retrieve the last few before the Great Burning."

  I raise my eyebrows. "You've done a wonderful job! There must be millions... billions? Of books here! How do you keep track of them all?"

  "We apply a simple Dewey system, an international system applied by many libraries before they shut down. We organize our books by category, an by author. Don't worry--- there are groups of librarians assigned to a portion of the racks. They each take in turn to organize their part of the shelves."

  I exhale in relief. So we needn't go through the whole library during yearly cleaning. I glance around the rooms, taking in the wooden tables, the study desks, the comfortable armchairs...

  "How did you manage to salvage so much wood?" I ask in interest. "I mean, this is about the most wood I've ever seen in one place!"

  Alex smiles, and suddenly, he doesn't seem so daunting anymore. He looks almost friendly. " Well,
we bought them from wood collectors from all over the world. We, ah, remodelled them. You are right. There isn't a place with this much wooden furniture except in here, and in museums. But museums don't allow you to sit on their chairs. Here--- well, you could read the books while sitting on a wooden chair at a mahogany table."

  I nod, looking over my shoulder, taking a last look at the place. We were exiting the reading area now, and entering a dimly-lighted tunnel. "Where are we going?" I question Alex.

  He answers curtly. "To my office." All hints of friendliness from Alex is gone now. It probably has something to do with entering the darkness, for which I guess I should be terrified. David had mentioned the President lives in the dark house... and this place is kind of creepy looking.

  I am not shaken though. As an Agent, I had become accustomed to small, dark spaces. It's all part and package of our missions. Especially small, slim young girls like me, we are often used to crawl into narrow spaces to retrieve stuff hidden in small niches. That's what makes us useful to the Organization---assuming you aren't afraid of the dark or fear of confined spaces, and what lurks beyond.

  The same could be applied at the moment. I move stealthily after Alex, applying all the training I had underwent back in the Organization. The trick is to creep slowly, and tread lightly enough to go unheard, but with just the right amount of stability to flee when the time comes.

  Over here, it is easy. The tunnel is constructed out of hard rocks, so treading softly is not much of a problem. It is only those cold, stone, or marble halls that are hard to navigate through, due to all the echoes and squeaky shoes sliding across polished floors.

  As we walk, I notice the tunnel sloping slightly downwards. We had passed through a few twists and turns, but all roads lead downwards.

  "Wow, you guys have underground spaces?" I marvel, ducking under a jutting-out rock that Alex had pointed out to me as he passed.

  "This is where we live." Was his short reply. I tried to shrug it off. I might as well ask David later on. He is way more talkative. I guess being the President, and staying cooped up in this underground home had caused him to become what he is now. His pale, translucent skin is an indication that he doesn’t spend very much time out-of -doors. Then again, I wonder how many librarians had ventured out into the sunshine if they could spend all eternity down here. Makes me wonder if Librarians have any days off from work.

  I shoulder my backpack, and slid my shades back into the bag. Alpha had been right after all. I have as much use for these as a blind man needed books.

  I had been so absorbed in my thoughts, I had failed to realize that Alex had stopped. I rounded a bend and almost bumped into him. He flashed me a look of annoyance and I returned it with an apologizing smile.

  What happened to you, Stella? I chastised myself. All my life, I had been trained to always be in tuned to my surroundings--- so I don't miss out on an opportunity. If I zone out on my surroundings for one minute, things could happen, and I might be noticed, or worse, captured from behind. That warning is always on the Mentor's lips.

  But then again, they had kicked me out of their little circle. They had sent me here, for purposes unknown to me, against my will. I had lived a very exciting life in the Organization, thank you very much, Alpha. I wonder what pushed you to remove me. Usually, they only eliminate someone from services upon request, or if they failed to fulfil a mission three times in a row. Hey---there are even some Agents in their golden years... true, most of them only serve to be a useful decoy, but still... I should think that if grandparents could still go on working with the Organization... I could've been kept. But they just had to send me packing for no reason.

  "Stella, follow me, please." Alex calls out from beyond. I mentally slap myself once more. There! I'd gone and done it again!

  Hastily, I scrambled after Alex, not caring about moving like a cat.

  I find him standing at a door, impatiently waiting for me. Again, the door is an antique. Wooden, with brass bolts and a lock. Huh. It's been a long time since I'd seen a lock. I had been taught how to pick old-fashioned locks, but I had never found the chance to. Nowadays, people just install technological, one touch lock-screen doors. With installed alarms. And face scanning devices. And Voice Overs.

  I start towards the door, then realize with a start that Alex is standing, arms crossed, with a frown on his face.

  "Second lesson, Stella: A Librarian is always fully alert on duty to attend to others."

  Geez, does that guy get annoyed easily.

  A/N: Hiya! Here's chapter two!! Just to give you a little insight on the interior of the library. What do you think about the story so far? New updates on the way! Just to let ya'll know... I'd be on a holiday next week, so I probably can't get in much updates then. In the meantime... enjoy your holidays!!!

  This book is dedicated to @CasHasThePhoneBoxxx... thank you for your enthusiasm!!! You made me update sooner!

  Chapter Three// Alex

  Alex's POV

  She walks into the room with growing curiosity. She isn't the first one to admire the President's office. The main library usually satisfies the visitors to full extent---the sweeping ceilings, the endless books on the shelves, the woodsy theme.

  But nothing out there could compare with my office. They are both contrasting.

  "Whoa. So... your private quarters are the technological advancement... like you just built this building decades, centuries after the actual library?" She questions, taking in my 3D desk and CompactScreen.

  I'm surprised by her deduction. Unexpectedly, this girl is different. I could tell that she is too bright for my liking. I quickly remove the wonder on my face and assume a stony expression.

  I stride over to my armchair. "So. Stella Starre. I gather that your leader had sent you here." I hadn't meant it as a question. The answer is as obvious as her presence. Even so, the moment the words escaped my lips, I notice her face had clouded over. She mutters some dark words under her breath and then seemed to notice me staring. She shakes her head. "Alpha." She corrects.

  I'm momentarily blank, before I realize that she refers her former leader as Alpha. I clear my throat. Clearly, this topic is a sore subject at the moment for her. She nervously brushes her golden brown hair to the side and chews on her lower lip.

  "Please, make yourself comfortable." I gesture to a chair.

  She stares at it blankly. "Leather. Built in technology to enhance comfort." She looks up at me and flashes a grin. "Stylish for a librarian."

  My upper lip curls. I ease myself into the seat at the head of the table. On the table, luminous blue grids zoom in and out and occasionally, three-dimensional projections pop up in different places. I wave my hand and issue a command. The movement stops and the table screen blanks out in a wave. Stella's gaze never leaves the table. Now that I've inactivated it, she turns her attention towards me.

  I lean back into my chair, bracing myself for a long interrogation--- ah, talk.

  "So, Stella. I gather your Alpha hasn't mentioned the real reason for sending you into our domain." I muse, picking up a random TIP and twirl it in the air. It is a pen, specialized for writing on screen surfaces.

  She sets her bag down and clambers onto a chair with slow movements, as if executing a funeral rite. "Mmm... He won't mention it." Again, I detect a hint of remorse in her tone. She is resentful of her Alpha for sending her away. That I could understand. She jerks her head up sharply and bores her deep blue-purple irises into my eyes. "You know, don't you?" She questions, her voice soft, her gaze intensive.

  I tried to shift my gaze, but something in her intensifying dark blue eyes draws me to look into her. I stop spinning the TIP. Sighing, I lean back in my comfortable armchair, and reach out to push a button. Immediately, hundreds of tiny hard objects begin to massage my back.

  "Stella." I say, warily. "I'm not allowed to discuss this matter before---at the moment. Not without your Alpha's approval. He denied answering your questions for a reason."


  I watch as she sinks into her seat. Disappointment flashes across her face. She lowers her eyelids and draws her arms around herself, hugging her sides. "Well... what is it you want to see me about?" Her tone lacks interest. Or maybe she is just feeling hopeless that she would ever find the answers to her questions.

  Under the table, I shuffle my feet. I feel uneasy at Stella's disappointment. Once again, I feel something else weigh down upon my shoulders--- another burden that I had helped create. I tried to shrug it off as stress, but the weight is too heavy for me to bear. I feel my shoulders sag.

  "Stella. Someday," I hesitate. Should I tell her? Then I decide against it. "Look--- someday you will uncover the secrets, and find out the truth... why fate had brought you here."

  She doesn't even respond with a cold laugh. I feel terrible for dampening her spirits. It's just... I'm not good around people. My colleagues tease me for holding the traits of a stereotypical Librarian. I hardly socialize. I only push myself into fulfilling my duties when the time calls for it.

  I huff in exasperation. "Okay, so," I stare at her, and my mind doesn't seem to register what I had wanted to say previously. I reactivate the table screen, hoping that'd catch her attention. Sadly, she is unmoved.

  We sit in silence for a couple of minutes. I tried to reach into my mind to grasp onto anything... but Stella doesn't seem to want to talk as much as before. I wince. Maybe I had come off as forbidding earlier on.

  Absently, I tap a few icons on the screen, and I could hear a few beeping noises. Out pops a projection in three-dimension. It is so huge, it took up the entire space over the table. The projection shows a building--- the Library. It hovers over the smooth screen, rotating slowly. Suddenly, a voice booms out:

  "Floor -39... Space down, over, left high, zoom in three times..."

  Hastily, I reach out and swipe my hand through the projection, dissolving the image. I sink back down into my armchair with an apologetic smile on my face. "I'm sorry about... that." Actually, she wasn't supposed to look, or hear any of that. I mentally slap myself for my absent-mindedness.

  She just blinks tiredly at the space where the projection had been.