Depthless: Under The Library

Chapter Three// Alex

Alex's POV

She walks into the room with growing curiosity. She isn't the first one to admire the President's office. The main library usually satisfies the visitors to full extent---the sweeping ceilings, the endless books on the shelves, the woodsy theme.

But nothing out there could compare with my office. They are both contrasting.

"Whoa. So... your private quarters are the technological advancement... like you just built this building decades, centuries after the actual library?" She questions, taking in my 3D desk and CompactScreen.

I'm surprised by her deduction. Unexpectedly, this girl is different. I could tell that she is too bright for my liking. I quickly remove the wonder on my face and assume a stony expression.

I stride over to my armchair. "So. Stella Starre. I gather that your leader had sent you here." I hadn't meant it as a question. The answer is as obvious as her presence. Even so, the moment the words escaped my lips, I notice her face had clouded over. She mutters some dark words under her breath and then seemed to notice me staring. She shakes her head. "CO." She corrects.

I'm momentarily blank, before I realize that she refers her former leader as Commanding Officer. I clear my throat. Clearly, this topic is a sore subject at the moment for her. She nervously brushes her golden brown hair to the side and chews on her lower lip.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." I gesture to a chair.

She stares at it blankly. "Leather. Built in technology to enhance comfort." She looks up at me and flashes a grin. "Stylish for a librarian."

My upper lip curls. I ease myself into the seat at the head of the table. On the table, luminous blue grids zoom in and out and occasionally, three-dimensional projections pop up in different places. I wave my hand and issue a command. The movement stops and the table screen blanks out in a wave. Stella's gaze never leaves the table. Now that I've inactivated it, she turns her attention towards me.

I lean back into my chair, bracing myself for a long interrogation--- ah, talk.

"So, Stella. I gather your CO hasn't mentioned the real reason for sending you into our domain." I muse, picking up a random TIP and twirl it in the air. It is a pen, specialized for writing on screen surfaces.

She sets her bag down and clambers onto a chair with slow movements, as if executing a funeral rite. "Mmm... He won't mention it." Again, I detect a hint of remorse in her tone. She is resentful of her CO for sending her away. That I could understand. She jerks her head up sharply and bores her deep chocolate brown irises into my eyes. "You know, don't you?" She questions, her voice soft, her gaze intensive.

I tried to shift my gaze, but something in her intensifying dark blue eyes draws me to look into her. I stop spinning the TIP. Sighing, I lean back in my comfortable armchair, and reach out to push a button. Immediately, hundreds of tiny hard objects begin to massage my back.

"Stella." I say, warily. "I'm not allowed to discuss this matter before---at the moment. Not without your CO's approval. He denied answering your questions for a reason."

I watch as she sinks into her seat. Disappointment flashes across her face. She lowers her eyelids and draws her arms around herself, hugging her sides. "Well... what is it you want to see me about?" Her tone lacks interest. Or maybe she is just feeling hopeless that she would ever find the answers to her questions.

Under the table, I shuffle my feet. I feel uneasy at Stella's disappointment. Once again, I feel something else weigh down upon my shoulders--- another burden that I had helped create. I tried to shrug it off as stress, but the weight is too heavy for me to bear. I feel my shoulders sag.

"Stella. Someday," I hesitate. Should I tell her? Then I decide against it. "Look--- someday you will uncover the secrets, and find out the truth... why fate had brought you here."

She doesn't even respond with a cold laugh. I feel terrible for dampening her spirits. It's just... I'm not good around people. My colleagues tease me for holding the traits of a stereotypical Librarian. I hardly socialize. I only push myself into fulfilling my duties when the time calls for it.

I huff in exasperation. "Okay, so," I stare at her, and my mind doesn't seem to register what I had wanted to say previously. I reactivate the table screen, hoping that'd catch her attention. Sadly, she is unmoved.

We sit in silence for a couple of minutes. I tried to reach into my mind to grasp onto anything... but Stella doesn't seem to want to talk as much as before. I wince. Maybe I had come off as forbidding earlier on.

Absently, I tap a few icons on the screen, and I could hear a few beeping noises. Out pops a projection in three-dimension. It is so huge, it took up the entire space over the table. The projection shows a building--- the Library. It hovers over the smooth screen, rotating slowly. Suddenly, a voice booms out:

"Floor -39... Space down, over, left high, zoom in three times..."

Hastily, I reach out and swipe my hand through the projection, dissolving the image. I sink back down into my armchair with an apologetic smile on my face. "I'm sorry about... that." Actually, she wasn't supposed to look, or hear any of that. I mentally slap myself for my absent-mindedness.

She just blinks tiredly at the space where the projection had been.

I stood. "You must be tired, Stella." Hurriedly, I grabbed a couple of stuff from an adjoining table and hand them to her. "Here--- your schedule for the month. You're assigned to Group 9, your duty will begin the next day."

Her hand hovers over the folders. Then, she makes a move to grab them.

"Um..." I give my head a little shake. "So, you're the newest Librarian. You'll have to undergo a probation of two months. You'll be the only recruit. But don't worry too much about it--- you'll soon get accustomed to this place."

She nods, slightly bewildered.

I gently steer her towards the door. "You may take the day off... find your way around this place. For now... you can head over to your Domain--- it's in the ninth wing. You'll find directions on the map inside your folder."

"Thank you." She whispers softly. Her voice wavers just a little bit, and I could see that it's taking all of her nerves to just hold out any longer.

"Don't worry. We can continue this talk some other time." I drag the bolts across the door and fling it open. "For now... I suggest you get some rest. Feel free to ask any Librarian for any help, advice, tips...

Librarians are always there to help you navigate through confusion. Especially in our domain."

A/N: hello!!!!! Thank you all for reading this book! ^^ pls continue to support by voting and commenting on your thoughts!! Thankssss!!!

~Tiffany :)