Black Sheep (discontinued)

His Stories

Until Monday. I had until Monday to prove Miss Windsor wrong. But right now, I didn't have the motivation to even get lunch.

Madison peered down at my pathetic self laying on the memory foam bed once more, "Girl, don't let that dumbo get to you. There must be some archives somewhere. In that National Library. It's just outside Haversham, but if we time it, we could be back in time for dinner."

"When you say just outside, is just like a few minutes, or a few hours?"

"Hours, if we walk. But minutes, if we use my secret weapon. C'mon, get dressed already."

"But I'm already wearing my uniform."

Madison shook her pale head and sighed, "You don't wear school uniform on the weekend. It just can't be scandalous."

I eyed her outfit ; a oversized flannel shirt with a denim jacket and jeans. With the first 3 buttons undone.

"It can't be scandalous, huh?" I joked as I went into the bathroom to change. 

I came out wearing a orange jumper, a black skirt which went down to my ankles and some matching boots. My normal black hijab was swapped out for a brown one with white floral print.

"Sweet," Madison commented, "So, you ready to avenge your father, Luke?"

"He's dead, Madison. And Luke's father was Darth Vader. And no Star Wars references, ok? Those movies are like, 60 years old. We're not in 2010 or anything. So, what's this secret weapon you were talking about?"

*

"Madison!" I screeched as she made a sharp turn on her motorbike and I clung to her for the life of me, "Do you even have a drivers license?"

"Sorry, can't hear you over the amazing sound of my bike." My grip on Madison strengthened as the bike reached illegal speeds. A streak of blue read, "Welcome to Somers Town, the home of the National Library of Albion." Sparrows flew above in a v formation. One of the sparrows bit the neck of the sparrow at the front, and the 2 fought, whilst the rest whirled around them, as if they were trying to hide the fight from the human eye. After 3 shortcuts and breaking an innumerable amount of speed limits, we reached the ancient building. 

Piles of brick, one on top of the other, towered over the more modern sushi huts and internet cafés. Its age didn't make it seem weak, instead, it emitted a quiet, yet confident strength. The strength of knowledge and truth. The strength that I was seeking. 

My foreign boots sounded against floors built with patriotism. A stranger walking through history itself. My eyes narrowed as I tried to find the dates I was looking for. 2000. 2010. 2020 - Coronavirus Pandemic. 2021 - Coronavirus Pandemic. 1 NE? What happened to the rest of the 20s? 1 NE would've been 2030, if it wasn't for the whole war thing. Sighing with discontent, I picked up a book about the Middle East in 1 NE, hoping that it could gift me truth, and the evidence I needed to shatter Miss Windsor's Eurocentric view of the world. 

Attention is a fleeting thing, especially in the possession of teenagers. Before I knew it, I was a witness to a scuffle at the café within the library.

"Look at you, she's so short!" One girl called out.

"Yeah, go run to your friends! Oh wait, you don't have any!" The small girls laughed at a crouching figure.

Madison muttered angrily, "Hypocrites. Most of them aren't even 5 foot."

"So they're in year 8?" I asked.

"Year 7. Think that just because they're in secondary school that they're soo gangsta." Without warning, Madison dragged me by the arm and towards the café, to then only make a detour to the New Era section. At first, I didn't understand why Madison chose this route, but once we reached the balcony, I realised we were right above the year 7s. Madison perched herself effortlessly on the rails.