Game with unknown Rules

Chapter 2: Strange be Brave

     The next four lessons scraped by like scraping a two year old gum from the floor. Finally, the last ten minutes of the last lesson arrived like a magical serum to clean the entire pavement. Everything seemed set and done and I was feeling good, since this teacher was one of those rare gems that if everything was done in the lesson itself, you had no more homework. She was unsurprisingly very popular and had the entire class in check, but sadly, this time she broke the status quo.

   "Next week we will start reading a book together." She announced to the whole class.

   I would have loved to slam my head into the desk and scream for a few seconds, but I restrained myself. After all, I wasn't Kuro who had managed to annoy another teacher and had her second break revoked by having the teacher chew her ears bloody and dry. Speaking of the four girls, they often had complained about having to read really boring books in school with roughly 500 pages. The thought alone made my stomach churn.

   "This book you'll find in our school library." The teacher continued, ignoring the half-hearted annoyed groans from around her. "Please pick out the book 'Momo' for seven weeks. Until next week I would like you to read the first chapter."

   That title sounded familiar. I was sure that there was a TV series with roughly the same name out there. A few of my fellow students pointed out the same thing, trying to persuade our teacher to watch it instead. But of course our teacher didn't give in and left us to our own devises five minutes before the school bell rung. Quickly I gathered all my stuff and was out of the door, not wanting to be one of the last two and having to clean the classroom – as it was our rule.

   Clouds wandered over the sky, as the wind danced with the few snow hills on the few trees, creating a path to the school library. Following the stream of chatting students, I entered the building. With the sound of the school bell soon other students soon gathered and I was lucky that I had found the book I was looking for on the location map in the reception room first before being trampled by the masses. Why do we even have to read books from some author? It's not like we're learning anything from that for our later lives...

   With a sigh I entered the actual library. The smell of books smacked me right in my face as I took a look around. Just like the smell, the sight of this library was a strong one to behold. The first time I had set foot in it was when I had just enrolled and I had been just as gobsmacked as I was now. It was a giant hall with dark bookcases on the walls and in the middle, reaching until the ceiling with lights here and there. Dark wooden stairs, railings and platforms with carved in patterns hovered in between them to reach the upper shelves, they were that big.

   Rose had mentioned once that there was a similar library in Great Britain somewhere, which was probably the inspiration for this thing. I wasn't much of an aesthetics guy, but this library was gorgeous. It was definitely out of place next to this white block of school building and its own exterior.

   Regaining my thoughts and purpose I walked up one of the stairs following the path the map had shown me. Stopping here and there to make sure I really had gone the right way with other maps hanging around in between, before I finally found the spot. There was an entire row dedicated for every book, since it should be able to cover at least one class to make sure everyone had the same book.

   Now, let me tell you something. I was not necessarily small for my age... okay, maybe around a centimetre or two under average height...but the point is, my pride wasn't. So, what does a twelve year old boy with the height of 155 centimetre do when he cannot reach a book, that's approximately forty centimetres across the railing, over which he can barely put his chin? Right, he climbs on said railing to get the book he needs instead of asking for help.