Socially Awkward

Chapter 12:

I wake up without any memory of falling asleep.

I blink twice and find myself in a gigantic library. It's filled with books left and right.

The room is kept in a peaceful silence. Voices can still be heard but for some reason it doesn't bother the librarian. She is a quiet old lady sitting behind a desk smiling as she does inventory-also very strange.

"He's looking for you." She tells me.

I look at her as if she's crazy but she doesn't seem to mind. "Excuse me?"

She doesn't reply. Instead, she smiles at me and moves along with her cart.

I feel someone tug on my sundress that I don't remember putting on.

I look down to find a young boy with red hair and freckled cheeks. "He's looking for you."

The boy runs off and disappears into one of the aisles surrounded by bookshelves. I chase after him, but lose him as soon as I follow behind him into an aisle. As I turn back around, I nearly trip over a dark haired, pale-skinned, frail looking guy.

"Oscar?"

He excitedly stands to his feet and hugs me with joy. "Luna! I've been looking for you!"

"Oscar I'm so sorry..." Tears well up in my eyes.

He pulls away and smiles his same boyish smile, "It's okay. I'm okay. I just wanted to tell you that you have to be careful. Don't trust him."

"What? Don't trust who?" I ask him, confused.

"Don't trust--"

The alarm on my phone goes off.

I quickly sit up in my bed, panting in quick, heavy breaths. I reach for my phone on my nightstand and shut the alarm off. I run my fingers through my hair as I try to calm my breathing and shake off the paranoid part of me that's trying to persuade me into faking sick.

Rosie opens my door without knocking, "Can I borrow some conditioner? Mine is running out."

I look over at her and nod my head.

She raises a brow at me, "What's up with you?"

"Just take the conditioner and get out." I rudely dismiss her.

She gives me a dirty look and mumbles insults under her breath before as she leaves the room.

After wasting five more minutes staring at the floor, I finally get up from bed and quickly get ready.

When I finish showering and brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I'm suddenly in the mood to actually put effort into my appearance today.

I apply just a little more makeup today and fix my hair into loose curls. After I'm finished, I head downstairs and into the kitchen.

Rosie is seated next to my father with her eyes glued to her phone. My father is drinking his usual black coffee as he speaks to someone through his blue tooth. My mother has her back to both of them as she cooks while quietly humming to herself.

I can't tell if this is a pretty picture or not.

My mother looks at me twice and smiles, "You look pretty today."

"So she wasn't pretty yesterday?" My dad tries to poke fun.

I don't even so much as smile at him.

The kitchen is silent.

Suddenly, I'm not feeling up to breakfast.

I walk over to my mother and quietly whisper, "Does he know?", referring to her recently losing her job.