The Library of Powers

Chapter 1 - Part 4

He appeared in a green room, on brown shag carpeting. After picking himself up, Jackson finally calmed down. Now that he was in the Library, he had plenty of time. Jackson tried to figure out where he was, ultimately deciding it was a wing of the Library he had either never been to or hadn't been to in a long time. The room had an overwhelming 70s vibe. Peeling mint wallpaper, egg chairs, and a wood-paneled record player gave Jackson the sense that this was retro, but maybe not authentic. It almost seemed too much, he could swear he had glanced a dreamcatcher in the window to his left. It was a shame that Jackson couldn't control where he appeared in the Library. He thought he knew his way around a large portion of the Library of powers, while he secretly feared he had only scratched the surface. If only he had a better view of his surroundings...

Jackson turned his head around and found the window he had spied earlier. The Library was filled with windows, yet none of them showed the outside of the Library. Despite this, Jackson held the hope that one of them someday would, so he rushed over, to maybe catch a glimpse of the Library's true location. Pulling the accordion shades, Jackson was instantly disappointed when he learned the window only looked over down on another section of the Library. It was a wing Jackson knew of, old and musty with an exposed timber roof. No wonder he hadn't spotted the window from below, that area was so dimly lit it would be almost impossible to spot. Jackson walked away from the window, deciding to start his search for the book. The Library had very little organization, due to the conflicting themes and labyrinthine halls, but Jackson knew there was an area that held only books pertaining to the ocean, and Jackson felt that would be a good place to start. Quickly finding the exit door, Jackson left the disco nightmare and stepping into a simple walkway with a crisp breeze billowing through it. Stopping to close the door behind him, Jackson read the sign on the door. "Bernard Harbour Public Library." The plaque stated. Now that was interesting. Jackson had been to Bernard Harbour before, a small ocean town off Highway 305, an hour or two from Vera City. He'd never been to their Library. But, assuming that this section of the Library was a copy of the one in Bernard Harbour, it probably ran on the Dewey Decimal System. Which meant it had cards somewhere, corresponding to every book in the Library. So Jackson could check and see if they had the Old Man and the Sea, skipping the digging he was prepared to go through. Making up his mind, Jackson re-entered Bernard Harbour Public Library, closing the door behind him. He had a test to prepare for.

Two hours and one surprisingly short book later, Jackson was ready to return to the real library. Before he did, however, Jackson decided to take a closer look at this supposed building recreation he was in. The Library of Powers had plenty of styles to choose from, from ancient times to what looked suspiciously like the future, but never had Jackson been in a section of the Library modeled after a real place. He had been in sections of the Library designed to look like second-hand bookstores or college reading rooms, but those didn't seem to have any earthly counterpart. Jackson walked past Formica desks and single pane glass windows (which he opened to see what was behind them). Jackson was just about to satisfy his curiosity when he can upon a large wooden door. The door had no markings, a silver handle, and looked thoroughly unimportant. When Jackson tried to open it, however, he found it was locked.

Wait, locked?

There were no locked doors in The Library of Powers. Everyone, not just Jackson, knew this. It would defeat the purpose of the Library if you woke up in a small room with no way of getting out. Jackson looked for a keyhole but found none. After wiggling the handle a bit more, then knocking on it a few times, Jackson gave up on trying to get through. It wasn't like he was going to break down the door, even if he could. Jackson needed to do one last thing before he was sure he wouldn't be getting through the door. Lying on the floor, Jackson tried to peer between the carpet and the door, to see what was past the door.

Unfortunately, Jackson couldn't see anything; the room must be dark. Giving up, Jackson exited the Library --- The Library of Powers, not Bernard Harbour Public Library --- in a huff. Fighting through the cold molasses of his exit, Jackson opened his eyes to find a series of books falling onto him. As he had not finished exiting the Library, the books were barely moving, falling slower than a feather. Partially re-entering just a bit more to slow the books down to a complete stop, Jackson instinctively grabbed each book and placed it on the desk he had until now been sleeping on, in a neat stack. Only after he had finished did he notice the girl who had dropped the books. It was Melanie Collins, a classmate of Jackson's and daughter of Suzanne and Bill Collins. The Collins were a nuclear family of supervillain ass-kicking, every single member having some crazy good superpower, and all of them professional superheroes. Everyone knew where the Collins lived, and yet no villains ever tried to get to them through their family. The Collins essentially had no secret identity, and they didn't need one. Melanie, their youngest child, went to Takeshi High simply because there were no private high schools in Vera City. If there were, Melanie would assuredly be going to whichever was the most prestigious. Her family wasn't Jackson's problem though, it was Melanie's personality that was.

Three years of classes with someone teaches you a lot about them if you're willing to observe from a distance. Jackson didn't think he was a creep, but the few students with powers they didn't hide fascinated Jackson. There was Selina, a teleporter who Jackson rarely saw because she just teleported from class to class. Connor, son of a career superhero (although he wouldn't say who), with his extremely fit physique which instantly betrayed his power set. And Melanie. Melanie had the power to perfectly assess any situation, in a Mind Palace that she said: "looked like the war-room from Dr.Strangelove". If only she ever used it. Melanie may know what to do in any situation, but it doesn't mean she does what her power tells her to. She was well known around the school for partying hard and making less than admiral decisions. Jackson wasn't sure of what her parents thought of Melanie's actions, it definitely didn't look well upon the Collins name. Melanie could almost always be found chatting with her friends in the lunchroom, about some form of gossip or another. Being incredibly perceptive gave Melanie great gossiping skills. Jackson just didn't know how she would use her power now.

Jackson fully exited the Library, deciding to no longer delay the inevitable. Melanie, suddenly learning her falling books were no longer falling, looked to Jackson, then to the books, then back to Jackson. He could almost swear he saw the gears turning in her head, using her mind palace powers. Jackson stood there, not wanting to leave before he knew how she would handle this. And in a complete turn of events, what Melanie told Jackson was, in a cool, monotone voice that he had never heard intoned behind her lips before,   "Thank you for helping me out there. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." While it should have been her, it was Jackson who did a double take.

He fumbled a quick "Thanks" and ran off, out of Takeshi High Public Library and into Ms.Salmon's English class right as the bell rang. Falling into his seat, Ms.Salmon got up from her desk in the back, glided up to the front whiteboard, and erased the notice of the test they were about to take. "Sorry, that's for my Juniors" she apologized, starting to write something new. "So today, we are going to---"