The Way Back Home: A 1917 Fanfic

Chapter 23: You Dream

*In this chapter and other chapters after, you will see these German words Liebling, kleines Fräulein, Prinzessin, and Fräulein. If you don't know what these words mean, I'll go ahead and let you know the meaning of them in English. Liebling means Darling, kleines Fräulein means little Miss, Prinzessin means princess, and Fräulein just basically means Miss.

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March 18th, 2024

Richmond, Virginia

"Attention, everyone. The library will be closing in ten minutes. Please make your way to the exit." The recorded voice on the intercom resonated in a monotone throughout the building, breaking the relative murmur of the people's voices in low volume.

Amelia looked up from the shelf she had been focusing on, still standing on the step ladder to reach the top section where she was organizing some volumes in the Historical Fiction section.

She had one earbud from her AirPods in her ear as she listened to an audiobook of "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell. Although she had read the book itself countless times, the story never failed to move her for an animal's suffering to be described without restraint.

Amelia was so engrossed in the Audiobook that she was startled when she felt a tickling sensation at her ankle, thanks to a rip in her hosiery earlier that morning which she took off and place it in her purse to avoid attention to the rip, causing her legs to be bare from her knees down. She was wearing a pair of flats, a pink blouse and a black skirt that came to her knees due to the dress code.

Amelia almost fell off the step ladder until she quickly grabbed onto the shelf, holding back a gasp as she regained her balance then looked down to see the last person she wanted to interact with during the library closing hours when all the occupants had left.

"How's it feel to finally be an employee of the month, Schatzi?" A haughty, arrogant male voice spoke to her with a chilling German accent that made her flesh crawl with loathing every time she heard it. Goosebumps of discomfort formed on the skin of her ankle as the owner of that voice stroked along the soft joint near her foot.

"Take your fucking hand off my ankle before I kick you right in the face, Kurt Jäger." Her normally quiet voice held back a snarl of warning as the man removed his hand from her foot, ceasing in his mock gesture of soothing affection. Just saying his name made her taste bile in the back of her throat. "And don't call me 'Schatzi'.

"Surely you're done enough burying your nose in these books for one day. If you need help getting down I'll catch you, be your knight in shining armor to sweep you off your feet." The young German man continued to bother her, not taking the hint that she didn't want to keep speaking with him. His buttery German accent spoke in a soft tone, with the intent of distracting Amelia from her concentration as she placed her earbud back in her Airpod charger. "

Amelia at last found the mental tolerance to look down at the man continuing to pester her. Her huffing breaths only served to increase her growing annoyance and anger directed at this entitled patron of her place of work. Placing the last of her books in their appropriate positions on the shelf, she stepped down from the ladder and faced the unwanted pursuer of her attention.

She looked right into his light-blue eyes which seemed to be devoid of any empathy or acknowledgment of her not wanting to be within his proximity. His smile was nearly shark-like in his focus on her, the odorous musk of strong cologne making her nose wrinkle in an unreleased sneeze. Amelia removed the glasses from her eyes, allowing them to hang against her bosom on a chain around her neck.

She noticed how his predatory gaze went to her neckline, her black blouse thankfully covering her skin from her collarbone and downwards. Amelia glanced to both sides around them, realizing that he had her trapped in the most secluded area of the library.