26

As the afternoon goes on and Robin gets more and more written, you start to see him lose a lot of the tension that was knotting him up earlier. A few times, you notice him glancing around at the other people in the archives, eyes lingering on anybody taking stuff out as if worried that those things might be packed away for good. But a little before the place is due to close, Robin sits back with a heavy sigh and stretches his arms.

"Okay. That's it. That's all my research. I think I'll need to work it over a little, but…"

Robin scrolls back through everything he's typed up, and you see a frown start to form on his face. He jumps back to the top of the document and starts to skim through it, eyes narrowing as he checks over his work.

"Wait…"

He stares at the screen, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Is that—is that it? Is this really everything?"

He scrolls up and down, looking more confused than ever. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, he starts tearing through the pile of books at his side.

"But I was sure—I thought—is this really all I have?"

After a few moments, he turns back to the screen with wide eyes.

"Oh my god. This is all I've done. I've been researching for weeks, and—I basically have nothing. Just a couple of pages of dates and some pictures, and—it's just—"

He sits there, arms limp, mouth fallen open. This time, you actually think you see his eyes glossing over with tears.

"This isn't enough," he murmurs. "This isn't an exhibition; it's barely a school report. It's—am I stupid? How did I think I was going to save the archives like this?"

He swallows and starts to gaze around at the enormous room. It's as if he's suddenly taking in just how huge it is.

"I can't show them this. They'd just laugh at me. But—from what they said, it sounded like the archives would start shutting down right after the vote, so I'd need to find something else before Thursday. And…it's Tuesday."

For a moment Robin seems frozen. The look on his face is utterly hopeless.