Somnia Moon

Chapter 8: Rapunzel

The town had turned out to be a lot bigger than Evan had initially expected, equipped with a hospital, theatre, leisure centre, prison, police station and a variety of different shops; it had taken the entire day to explore, with Christina acting as their tour guide. He found this whole experience completely fascinating. He was exploring an entirely different dimension! This was the kind of thing he adored reading about, and now he was actually living it. It had taken him well over an hour to fall asleep that night, his body buzzing with excitement at the prospect of discovering more about this world, about its history, its inhabitants.

Before heading to the library that morning, he had consulted with Zoe, explaining that he was going to begin researching a way home, and she had agreed. There wasn't even a tiny fraction of him that wanted to help them with their forest investigation; people like Holly and Zoe got their adrenaline kicks from fighting, Alex got hers from helping people, but Evan? He got his from books. Whether he was learning about scientifical processes that explained in depth how the world around him functioned, or being transported into different realities to become a part of an intergalactic adventure, he was always happiest when hidden inside the faded words on tattered pages.

His fingers brushed lightly along the worn spines, searching for that one title that would leap out and practically beg to be read. His attention was captured by a large, shiny hardback with the words 'Illuminae: From Rags to Riches' emblazoned across it in a shade of yellow as bright as daffodils. Gently pulling it from the shelf, he smiled, eager to begin reading, to learn more about this town.

As he moved over to the table, he thought he heard Rowen shouting from the other room, but he ignored it; it was none of his business. He sat down at the table and opened the book. He inhaled that wonderful scent that books have, travelling back to his old home in his mind, when he would sit by the fire, mug of hot chocolate in one hand and book in the other. His mother would sit beside him, also absorbed inside a book, and although they never spoke to one another throughout those evenings, it was only during these times that he felt a true bond between them.

Less than five minutes after Evan began reading, he heard the door open, and he immediately felt his body tense, shoulders beginning to hunch over slightly as he involuntarily tried to make himself shrink so as not to be noticed. His eyes flicked anxiously over the book to the door, managing to catch sight of Christina walk inside before they shot back down again. He tried not to feel self conscious and failed.

"Hey. How's it going?"Christina was talking to him. She smiled and he smiled back, but as soon as the corners of his mouth lifted they dropped again.

"Um, good." he said, words rushed. He looked back at the book, but then realised that that maybe a little rude, and so he looked back up at her, but then he didn't know where to look, his eyes darting around as if he were a startled meerkat. Christina didn't seem to notice.

"Have you found anything?" She asked, seeming interested.

"Um, I've er, only just started looking."

"Ok." She moved over to the bookshelves and began searching. "I'll tell you what you should read..." she began as she swept her sight along the countless books, fingers running over the spines. She stopped and pulled out a slightly battered paperback, holding it up for him to see. "I don't know if it will help you find your way home, but it's an interesting read."

She placed it on the table in front of him and he read the title: "Top 100 Places in Eastern Somnia Moon."

"You could be here a while, so you may as well see what this place has to offer, right?"

Evan took hold of the book, instantly curious. "Um, thanks."

"No problem." Christina smiled, then began walking away. "Make sure to check out page one seventeen."