Charlie & Charles

Prologue

Truth be told, it had never occurred to me how distracting the noise of hundreds of lamps placed together could be. They let their light-bulbs buzz steadily - quietly and relentlessly - in a tactic understanding.

I was standing face to face with one and only "coffee" machine - though using the word "coffee" to describe this tasteless liquid was definitely an exaggeration. Being in the three-storied Academic Library, I tried to take out some loose change from the depths of my orange wallet. Without thinking much I pressed a few buttons, adding as much sweetener as possible. It was a bit late in the night you could say, and I badly needed the sugar.

Behind massive windows it was getting dark; the sky slowly turning to black shades of night, lit up by countless street lights, the headlights of wandering cars and that of shops' displays.
I spared a brief look for an abandoned room. Expensive wallpaper and countless bookcases were accompanied by only a few long tables for students, although there weren't any. Everybody, except me and Old Marley (a.k.a. security guy), had gone home a very long time ago.

The machine beeped and let go of an enormously hot paper cup and so I made my way towards the huge mess of notes. With a quick glance at the clock, I was sure that all the work I had wanted to do that day would not be done. It was already a quarter to ten.

I took a seat and tasted my drink, scalding my tongue slightly as I felt the liquid slipping down my throat. Putting the cup down on a table, I didn't think of ruining my mascara anymore, and I let my head rest in my hands.
Short, messy hair veiled my face and thankfully made me feel invisible.

'You were right all along, Mom' I thought suddenly, 'Maybe it was not such a good idea to come here in a first place.'

In all the honesty, I started to regret slacking off in class this semester - September was coming to an end and the pile of undone work on my desk seemed to enlarge at an alarming rate. Slowly turning into a disastrous student, I should probably consider taking coursebooks to work, a video rental shop that was empty most of the time anyway.

"If I were you, I certainly wouldn't fall asleep in here." Mint scented breath tickled my ear nicely as I shifted slightly in place.

Opening my eyes widely I croaked, "I am not."

"Of course," Deep green eyes, hidden behind a pair of brownish-framed glasses, caught mine as their owner sat, "You were just letting them rest, I suppose."

"Exactly," I said with a soft smile.