The library was racks and racks of books filed in military fashion across three entire floors. It was like a whole other world separated by a pair of menacing looking doors that had the scent of iron even though they were hard wood. The doors were always closed, and opened almost too easily when pushed. The hinges were smooth and soundless. And when the doors closed, they did so with a soft thud that was like a fluffy ball falling onto a cotton bed from a height of not more than ten feet. Inside was a sparkling world of silence, strange but intoxicating scents of paper and leather and binding and glue, all things plastic both soft and hard, and an endless coolness that was ever unchanging.
There were always students in the library. Books were constantly moving between the shelves that were home and the hard plastic tables that were offices. The faint sound of rustling paper was constant.
Walking in, a smile bloomed on Yiyi's face automatically. She was overcome by the desire to give a long tour of the beautiful library to her two new friends. And the twins complied without offering resistance. The tour of the three floors took over twenty minutes, ending at classical literature. There was a different and noticeable gleam in Yiyi's eyes as she reached for a brown bound book. The title didn't matter. She flipped pages until she arrived at a well hidden tiny note, which she laid open on the front of the closed book. It was this note that was important. She read the few lines written in pretty cursive on the creased but neat paper, alongside the twins.
The purple blossom lends the land colour
The yellow rains from the sunny sky
And where the green of leaves draws safe circles
I see you bathed like an angel envoy of heaven
And I am taken, for I see nothing else.
Yiyi was gushing. Sara was watery eyed. Celia's eyes were glinting evilly.
'Who is this for?' Celia asked.
'Gara,' Yiyi answered too quickly. Clearing her throat, she continued much more balanced. 'He's the dark prince of the library.'
That was an understatement. Gara was the son of an English teacher of the school and a civil servant in a senior position in the state government. He was soft voiced, cheery even though quiet, and possessed the most beautiful vocabulary. When he was ten his poetry was published in the local magazine. He won a national award at eleven. Famous poets across the country were all praise for the young poet, who they called the future of the country's poetry. At thirteen, his first collection of poems was published. At fourteen, his very first short story was published. A year later, a collection of short stories was published. At sixteen, his first novel was published. It didn't receive the same acclaim as his poetry, but it was successful. At seventeen years old, he was already well settled in a career. On top of that, he had handsome looks that were magnetic enough to freeze any young girl or woman and open the doors to her heart. Still, he wasn't as popular as he should have been because he was a private person who shied away from the limelight, and was mostly buried in the library. He was the prince of the library, and his admirers were the loyal citizens of the shadow kingdom. As such, notes like the one in Yiyi's hands could be found buried all over the library. It was the citizens' way of expressing their love for their prince.
Because Yiyi was a good girl who was often in the library for her studies, she had stumbled upon a note entirely by accident. Her curiosity ignited, she searched for more notes, eventually stumbling upon the great secret kingdom. At first she felt foolish for being so completely uneducated about Gara's legacy. After coming to terms with it, she became one of the many observers of the shadow kingdom from beyond the boundaries.
'This is it,' Celia exclaimed excitedly. But her excitement was darker than it was bright, making her two friends slightly squirmy.
'What?' Yiyi asked hesitantly.
'This is how we start the war. Soil the notes. Ignite the fury of the loyal citizens. But leave no clue about the heretic's identity.' Completely ignoring the expressions on Yiyi and Sara's faces, Celia began ordering.
The note was tainted with two additional lines that should never have at all been there.
The purple blossom lends the land colour
The yellow rains from the sunny sky
And where the green of leaves draws safe circles
I see you bathed like an angel envoy of heaven
And I am taken, for I see nothing else.
I feel sorrow for the ignorant,
Because they cannot see a true prince.
Under Celia's orders, Yiyi tainted several more notes, before quietly disappearing from the kingdom.