Dead Inside

"Art of a Gentleman"

     I wake up in the shed later that night, I decide to get up and go to my room for the rest of the night. I get to the kitchen and stop in my tracks. As sure as day, there was my mom's boyfriend; sitting at our table. I stand unable to comprehend the audactiy my mom has to bring this man without asking if it was ok. They're both looking at me right now, and my mom is about to speak before I cut her off. "I don't want to hear it, and I don't want to meet him;" I simply state. Then I head up to my room and lock the door behind me.
     It's a rough night, troubles plague me and sleep won't happen. I'm not sure if it's this guy in our house, the drama i've been through, or just the overall hurt and anger I feel inside. Whatever it is, I can't seem to get a good night's rest. So I decide to get up and solve some more of my case. Mostly the part that this girl is giving me. I really don't know why she doesn't just come and talk to me herself. That would make this so much easier for me. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the challenge; but I would also like to know this girl. Whatever her reason, I know she won't talk to me until I get this puzzle solved.
     So I pick up the last clue she gave me: the puzzle pieces. What does "the art of a gentleman" mean? Is the next clue a piece of art, or a person, maybe a strip club....I don't know, I would guess anything right now. I go to sit at my little desk, which is cluttered with school stuff and other unimportant papers. Yet one thing catches my eye as I walk over. That is my library card, which I had lost months ago. It was sitting there on top of another note which read: "it's an art." A clue for a clue. I guess that means it's a book, which means I have to go to the library. Great, I have to go out and meet civilization.
     It's 10 minutes till my bus gets here, but I have done decided that I will skip school today. Instead of school, I make my way to the library which is about a 15 minute walk from my house. As I'm walking, a random thought just collides into my brain. The card and note were on my desk, they weren't there before..... How the hell did they get there? I have a window over my bed, but I usually keep that locked. If this person can get into my room, how much has she been stalking me. This may be getting a bit weird for me.
     I get to the library and walk in. I go up to the front desk and ask about a book called "The Art of a Gentleman." The librarian looks through her computer for a moment. She then looks at me and tells me that they don't have the book available to check out. I feel slightly discouraged at those words. I ask if maybe it was there somewhere, but wasn't logged or something. Of course she stuck with her statement, so I walked away. I decided to go and look for myself.
     I spend 3 hours looking at every book in the library, trying to find one with the same or similar title. I could find nothing. I am tired of this and obviously can't find the book, so I take a seat and stare into the distance trying to think. There is almost no one in the library due to the fact that it is a school day. Since I have nothing better to do, considering I took the day off, I decide to go throught the library one more time. Maybe I missed a spot while I was running through it the first time.
     After an hour of looking, I stop to take a breather. I'm in the nonfiction section looking, hoping it's here. But it's not, at least it's not in plain sight. As I'm standing there, I see that there is a book pushed to the back of the shelf. I pull out a few books and grab the one in the back. I look at the title, which is "The History of Deception." Nothing close to what I'm searching for. I flip through the pages, and much to my surprise, I come across a note. It simply states: "Why you looking on the shelf, thought you were smarter than that." For one that's true, and second that's an insult.I am smart, just slow.
     I start looking under the shelves, on top of shelves, between shelves. I look on the magazine racks, on the computer stands, under the desks and chairs. I'm ripping through the library, and the librarian just sits there watching me like I'm a maniac. I'm not surprised, it isn't the first time I've received crazy looks. The library has been flipped upside down and back again, yet I found nothing. I walk into the childrens reading section, the one place I had to search left. I look under the little chairs, on the shelves, on the desks, and under the little bean bag chairs they have. Nothing. I even check the vents; and not a single thing.
     With all hope lost, I start to walk out. In one last desperate reach for hope, I look under the trashcans. Of all places she could have hidden a book, she chose the trash. I guess it's a good place to keep people from stealing it. The title matches, and there is a lock on the book. Thank God she left the key attached, otherwise I would be screwed. The librarian has been watching me this whole time though. I look back at her and tell her the book isn't in records so it's mine. Then simply walk out the door.
     I begin the walk home wondering what is in the book that it be so important. I get back to my house and go to my room, ignoring the person laying on my couch. I grab some food and go to my room, locking the door. I unlock the book and slowly open it, as if scared a demon will pop out at me. No demon came out, but there was something else interesting. The book was hollowed out, with a cloth bundle inside. I pull out the bundle and open it up. As if to add to my mental torture, I realize she packed a puzzle in there. Why a puzzle, why couldn't it be something else. I really don't want to do a puzzle.
     Yet I have no choice. I clear off my desk and sit down with the pieces. It must be a 100 piece puzzle, not too much work for me in this case. I begin to put the border together, trying to form the shape and picture of it. It takes me a bit of time, considering I'm a little slow when it comes to puzzles and problem solving. I usually just run from my problems in life, pardon the cliche. I finally begin to form a picture though. It's a familiar picture, that of a little cafe I pass everyday on the way to and from school. I spark lights in my heart. I look down at the corner of the puzzle and it simply states: "Enter if you dare." I'm not sure what this means, but I am taking it as an end to my troubles. So I determine to stop at that cafe soon to get answers.