The Protagonists

Chapter Fourteen - Maya

Maya Rhodes-wearing nothing but an ivory-colored dress in the cold, January wind-stood at the entrance to Greengrass Library, looking both ways frequently; every now and then, she would look down at her golden watch, but she made sure to focus most her attention on her left and right. People passed by, on their ways to work and such, and gave her strange, perplexed looks as they moved by the waiting, seemingly-cold girl. Maya ignored those looks, however; she just remained silent-her rose-colored lips remained in a tight line-and continued to wait in the brisk, winter night.

A lady, bundled up in two coats and three scarves, offered one of her coats-it was a long, peach-colored one-to Maya, but she declined, claiming she was absolutely fine; told the kind-hearted woman that the intense, wintry weather did not affect her at all.

In total, Maya waited for three hours, just standing in front of the Greengrass Library. By the time her visitor arrived, Maya's blonde hair was frozen, Maya's nose was bright red, and her lips were an unhealthy shade of blue. "You took long enough," she grumbled, folding her frozen arms over her chest.

"Whatever." The other girl-she was seemingly the same age as Maya-rolled her eyes and pulled out a chain, holding three different keys. She pulled out one of the keys, the silver one, and placed it inside the keyhole, unlocking the entrance to the library. "Tell me again why I'm agreeing to this," Maya's friend muttered, pushing the wooden door wide open.

"It's because of cousin-trust," Maya replied, leading the way inside the main room of the library. "We're family, so we trust each other." Her friend rolled her eyes at the cliché saying. "Besides, it'll be fun, Iris, I promise."

"Oh, yes, because absolutely everything is fun with you, Maya," the cousin, Iris, sarcastically said, folding her arms over her chest as well. "This entire thing is pointless," she continued, following Maya to the back room. "I'm not going to enjoy this at all, no matter what you say. I don't care about your stupid journal."

"Please, Iris," Maya opened the back room's door, "just read it."

Iris, closing the door behind them, rolled her eyes yet again. Maya, desperately wanting her cousin to read her journal, quickly handed her the book-the cover was brown leather. "What does this even mean?" Iris took the book and glanced over the cover.

"'The Fairytales'," Maya read, admiring the golden letters written in script font: Die Märchen. "It's more than just a journal, Iris. It's way more than just a little diary I write in daily. It's a transportation device."

"A transportation device?" Iris laughed at her cousin, shaking her head. "Man, that asylum really did absolutely nothing to your brain, did it? You're still as schizophrenic as you were before."

"I'm not schizophrenic!" Maya yelled, causing Iris to flinch back in fright. "Everyone says that I'm crazy, but I'm not! I'm telling the truth, Iris! Read that book and you'll be sent there! Please, Iris, I need someone to trust me. I need someone to believe me, Iris."

Iris's laughter subsided as she realized how truthful Maya had become; ever since she had come back from the mental hospital she was placed in, Maya remained closed and quiet, only speaking when she absolutely needed to. "So what happens when I read this?" Iris questioned, considering reading it.

"You'll see," Maya teased, her mood changing again. Iris tried not to roll her eyes, failed, and then opened the leather book to the first page. "Is it called 'The Fairytales' because the first chapter is called 'Cinderella'?" Iris asked, brushing her hair back out of her face so she could read.

"That's part of it," Maya admitted, looking over Iris's shoulders to read her own writing. "Now read it. Make sure you read it out loud as well, or else it won't work like it's supposed to." Iris looked behind her to see her cousin's face. Maya definitely did not seem like she was telling the truth, and in all honesty, Iris didn't believe her at all; she just wanted to read the journal to make Maya happy. Iris took a deep, lengthy breath and began to read the articulate writing:

Cinderella

Once upon a time,in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom, peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here, in a stately chateau, there lived a widowed gentleman and his little daughter, Cinderella. Although he was a kind and devoted father, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still, he felt she needed a mother's care. And so, he married again, choosing for his second wife a woman of good family, with two daughters just Cinderella's age, by name, Anastasia and Drizella. It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed. Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charmed beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters.Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair. For the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters, while Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house. And yet, through it all, Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind. For with each dawn, she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.

Have faith in dreams.

Have faith in dreams.

Your rainbow will come smiling through.

No matter how your heart is grieving.

If you keep on believing.

The dream that you wish.

Will come true.

Maya smiled as the reading began to work; all her effort began to pay off as the two girls-one had a large, toothy grin on her face, whereas the other was fearing for her life-saw the scene in front of them change. The comforting library, made of mainly wood, transformed into a seemingly-endless, grassy field. "Welcome to Cinderella," Maya spread her arms out and could not stop smiling; her plan had indeed worked.

Maya Rhodes had finally introduced Iris Rhodes to the Intellectuals.