(Thea) Into the Library

The only person Thea had ever really liked was Chase. Unlike his other admirers, she preferred his company because of his simplicity. Though she wouldn't deny he was attractive.

Before she had met him, her general opinion of people was eating dirt. It wasn't that the people she had met were bad people, they were just so complicated. They exhausted her. She didn't care enough for their words to hurt, and yet they still insisted on making what could have been a short conversation into a mental marathon just so that she could figure out what they were trying to say. And even then, whatever they asked of her was rarely what they really wanted. People didn't seem to understand that she would do exactly what they told her to do. Thea had never had any intention of "reading between the lines" and guess at what they wanted.

Chase was simple. She knew exactly what he was thinking, what meant, and what he wanted. In this case, he wanted her help with his mission report.

Despite their importance, mission reports were a pain in her ass. It wasn't just that she had to help Chase out when he filled them out. It was that, being on the weaker side as she was, she usually worked as an Archivist and had to sort and record every one that came through to the Beta offices.

Making her way through the familiar halls of bookcases of the Information Building of the Beta grounds, it didn't take long for Thea to get to the library. As she passed the front desk, Kaylee, who was currently stuck on desk duty, waved to her. It turned out that when one worked closely with another for long hours, they tended to be social even outside of work.

"Have fun on your date, sweetheart," Kaylee whispered across the space.

Thea studied her colleague's face for a second, trying to figure out if she meant what she said. Only half sure Kaylee was joking, Thea shook her head.

"Based on what I've heard, dates are supposed to be fun. Therefore, this isn't a date. It's overtime."

Kaylee clapped a hand over her mouth, stumbled, doubled over, and managed to slam her head against the hard wood of the desk before she rose once more, massaging her forehead. The pain having gotten rid of her laughter, she was able to respond semi sensibly.

"Have fun in your overtime, then."

She waved Thea off, and she obliged, making her way to the back desks, which were normally used for studying. Truthfully, they weren't used much at all, except during the spring and summer, when dozens of Hunters desperately crammed as much information into their heads as humanly possible in the hopes of advancing from the Beta ranks and into a brighter future.

They rarely made it.

The Beta Hunters were the most mediocre members of the organization, which wasn't necessarily bad, but not many were content to languish in said mediocrity. Thea had been trained to be an Archivist since she was eleven, taking the apprentice exams at thirteen and the entrance exams at sixteen. Thea had been a Beta hunter for her full twelve years after being admitted into the Hunter ranks, nor did she have any intentions of advancing. After all, she hadn't joined with and great motivations to be a hero or hold power. It was just where she had ended up.

Chase was right where he always waited, at the table beside the west facing window with a horrific mass of paper scattered over the wooden surface of the table. Seeing her approach, he looked up, smiling and waving her over.

"I got a little further that I did last time," he told her, voice low so as not to echo around the silent room. "I still need some advice on a couple parts, though."

She took a seat across from him and began sorting the mess of papers. He had gotten through more than usual, but considering the level of simplicity of the forms, he should be able to get at least this far anyway. Finding the papers that hadn't yet been filled out, Thea began to guide Chase through the work.

…

Waving Chase and his finished paperwork out of the library doors, Thea turned back into the library and began wandering through the tall wooden shelves. Most of the other Hunter buildings had been built to fit the times, made of metal and glass and filled with wires and screens, but somehow the Beta library had escaped unchanged.

She had seen pictures of the library from decades, even centuries ago, and save for some of the books lining its shelves, most of the library was the same. The walls had floor to ceiling shelves that reached twenty five stories high. If one stood at the center of the first floor and looked up, they could see the ceiling of the last floor, which was dominated majorly by a skylight. Each floor was a ring, at least thirty feet from the wall to the edge, with another fifteen feet of space in the center.

Two layers of brass plated steel bears extended from the ceiling of the twenty fifth floor to the floor of the first, holding between them a spiral of wooden stairs. The bars were far enough apart that most people could easily pass between them. Because of that, wooden handrails and brass embellishments that looked like the embossed designs on some of the older books of the library guarded the edges of the stairs while still allowing people through where they needed to be.

It was beautiful.

Thea liked taking the night shift because of how calm the library became. If what it was during the day was called quiet then at night it was silent. The outer walls of the library had been soundproofed because of its proximity to the training halls, and when no one was in the library and no sound from outside was allowed in, there was nothing to ring through the shelves. No matter what work she was given, she enjoyed doing it at night.

There were three kinds of people that worked in the library. Librarians, Archivists, and Caretakers. Librarians worked with people, Archivists with the library's material and knowledge, and the Caretakers with the library itself. Generally speaking, Librarians were fairly social and knowledgeable about the layout of the library, helping people find what they were looking for and keeping track of the library's resources. Archivists also helped with the second task, as well as researching and updating resources. Caretakers were exactly what their title implied. They looked after the library itself, cleaning, repairing and whatever else the library needed. While the Archivists were nicknamed Shadows for their reclusive nature, Caretakers were called Ghosts. Even Thea had been caught unaware by them, as even the youngest of them could move without sound, taking care of the library in silence.

In her curiosity, Thea had befriended and learned from one of the Caretakers, mastering their silence herself. She enjoyed being able to walk through the library, watching the way shadows moved across each surface. When she was completely silent, it was almost as though she wasn't there, and she was able to watch how the library would work without her.

Taking a last look at the waning crescent moon, Thea slid back between the shelves and began to work.