The Girl Who Started the Revolution

3 | h i s t o r y

In the library, there was a single enormous light hanging from the vaulted ceiling. From the floor-to-ceiling bookcases to the sweeping staircase with marble balusters, the library was all that I imagined.

Or tried to imagine, at least. My fantasies didn't even compare to this magnificence before me.

The lush red carpet beneath my boots reminded me of home. I forced myself to ignore it as I walked across the floor to the staircase. This needed to be done.

There were no signs of another person being here, I noticed. Maybe they just left the door unlocked and the light on.

I was being too optimistic.

And everyone knows that optimism kills.

I kept to the shadows as I scaled the staircase, extracting my utility knife in case of robotic or human opposition. The library was eerily silent, with the only sounds being a strange scratching from far away. I supposed it was the branches of the artificial trees planted outside. Then again, I was on the third story of the building. Trees didn't reach that far.

Once my boot hit the top level of the staircase, I scanned the dark area. Rows upon rows of bookshelves lined the far wall, while reading tables and desks decorated the extra space to the left. I gaped at how far back the top level went.

How could they keep something like this from us? How could they keep us from all this knowledge?

I knew what I came here for, yet it still shocked me into silence. I couldn't believe what was in front of my own two eyes.

I shook myself. I needed to get the book and get out. That was all.

Now where was I supposed to find the most precious book in the entire library? That was one question I had avoided until now.

Gosh dang it with my avoiding problem.

The shelf nearest to me—one of the many that lined the midsection—had so many books that it hurt my eyes from looking at them. I clicked on my holowatch light to see the titles. When I did, my jaw dropped.

The titles were of countries and continents I had only heard in fables as a young child. Fables that Mother had told me. Fables of history.

Germany

England

Australia

The United States of America

The last one drew my attention. Supposedly, this was the country we were living in now, but I wouldn't know. They destroyed every record of this "America" when the last pandemic decimated the nation. Now we were the New United World. We were a unified people living in a peaceful nation destined for perfection.

That would be nice and dandy if it were true. But it wasn't.

I searched along the line of books, looking for the one that mattered.

It was known as the The Book of Knowledge. It held the world's entire history. In this world, the only history that common citizens knew was of the New United World. The history before that—before the unification of Eurasia and the Americas—was nonexistent. We had lain in ignorance all these years. And I was going to change that.

Because in my world, knowledge was power.

I scanned the shelves unsuccessfully for almost an hour until I started to panic. It was hard to keep quiet when your nation rested on one book—and hard to be aware that someone might be in the same room.

My mind went berserk trying to pinpoint ways to escape if this didn't work out. Why hadn't I planned this before? Was I actually an idiot?

I hadn't thought of that one yet. Which made me think I was one.

Thud.

I stiffened in the aisle. The sound was so soft, so indistinct that it would have been impossible to detect. That is, if the sound wasn't directly behind you.

I whirled, but at the same time, titanium arms wrapped around my waist and covered my mouth. It was only then that I realized the arms were actually metal. The hand in question tasted metallic against my mouth as I tried to yell.

"Robots don't scream," a gruff voice said in my ear. "What division are you from? Rejectors?"

Rejectors? Did this thing think I was a robot? It must have been a robot itself! I nodded my head frantically, but the thing didn't release me.

"Then it's a shame," it said, "to waste such precious metal." And with that, it flung me halfway across the room.

The last thing I saw before my vision went black was a boy with metal arms.

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A/N: Are you all excited to find out who that boy is? I know I am!

But what do you guys think so far? Was the library clear in your mind? :D

This dedication goes out to @kirjabug, who was one of the early supporters of my work! Thank you, Pippa!

Chapter Image of library, generated by me on Midjourney!