Heaven Gilded Zarcroft Hybrid

Ten

I looked at the map in the lobby. For some reason, I really wanted to see the library, if they had one. Of course, I couldn't read any of it.

I looked behind me. People walked into six elevators that disappeared as they flew up into glass tubes. Crouching by the first door was a boy in a pale turquoise hoodie and black sweatpants. As I got closer, I noticed their burnt auburn hair, and that they looked around my age.

He looked up at me, with dull green eyes marked with shadow.

"Hey!" I stuttered. "Is there a library anywhere?"

A tired smile fell on his face. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh, sure," he said. His voice was sleepy and light. "Follow me."

He rose to his feet, drifting. After pressing a button, the doors opened. He led me inside.

In seconds, we made it to the second floor. The doors opened to a sunlit hall, with reflective black tiles and steel gray walls.

"Are you new around here?" he asked. "I can help you get around."

"I got it," I said. "Thanks."

At the end of the hall was a large arched entrance, white light spilling out of it

I looked at the millions of books in the shelves. All in Zarcrotian. Wow! Desks of old computers were in every corner. They all had clear, different-colored plastic and bulky keyboards. I liked the look, but they didn't seem as futuristic as the other things we saw before.

Only a few people walked around. A pair of kids and about five adults. Very sparse, but maybe it was a Sunday—if they had Sundays.

In front of me was the side of a shelf. On it was a book-size screen, with black text in Zarcrotion. I went to see if it was a touchscreen. It had to be right?

Once I pressed it, the language changed to another one that looked like a mix of Korean and Norse. Then again and again, until it appeared in English.

I wandered through the desks and across to the other space. I walked by a giant arched window. Silver light poured on the carpet. And outside was a vibrant green field, so bright against a gray sky. A spouting fountain sat in the center half a mile away.

It looked just like my dream...

"Weird..." I whispered.

"What's weird about it?" someone behind me asked.

Cynaline leaned on a short bookshelf with a soda can in his hand. Dark circles marked his eyes, like he hadn't slept in days. His hair looked more feathery. He took another giant swig from his drink.

"When'd you get here?" I asked.

"A second ago. I had to help Dorothy and Jamie with a drink dispenser. Then I was talking to someone. Getting off track—what's wrong, again?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that this field out here looks so familiar. I saw it in a dream I had a few days ago."

Cynaline walked up to the window.

"What was the dream?"

I hesitated at first, but then I explained everything in grueling detail. I just had to. Because everything in the dream was raising questions in my head.

"Wow," Cynaline said. "I heard of things similar to that, but not with your kind of situation. Good thing we're in a library. There has to be something here."

He flew over to a tall shelf a few feet away.

A glimmer of light caught my eye. Embedded in the wall was a giant glass cage, with black pedestals. On each one was a floating weapon. A sleek, golden sword, a ruby arrow, and an emerald chain. Underneath the glass cage was a black plaque with white letters.