Show Continued

~*~

In the Public Library, about 15 miles where Crow was questioning the cowboy that held him, Natasha browsed through towers of fantasy and science fiction.
Behind the delicate glasses, her hazel eyes sparkled; with a book was the one time when she was truly happy. She didn’t have many friends so the characters she read about became her friends, the dinky little town that she lived in wasn’t really home so the worlds that were contained between pages became her home.
Why deal with reality when fantasy was just a page away?
The wintery light that flooded in through the enormous windows illuminated the entire library. Outside children the same age as Natasha ran back and forth, engaged in a furious snow ball fight that sent innocent passerby’s scurrying for the safety of the indoors.
Natasha paid the children no mind. They were, after all, just children and she felt mild disdain for them.
Those children outside, children she knew by name and face since they went to the same middle school that she did, would spend the entire holiday break playing games, visiting friends and eagerly awaiting Christmas morning when they would rip open new toys and video games.
Natasha sniffed delicately; she would do nothing of that sort. She was far to refined to play stupid little kid games. That was why she was at the Library; she needed a nice, long book to keep her occupied over the holiday break.
A pretty, blue and gold book on one of the higher shelves looked interesting to Natasha. She was very small, even for her age, and even with the stool that the Library provided to its small patrons, Natasha had to stand on her tiptoes and stretch her arms to its fullest extent to brush her fingers across the spine of her chosen book.
While perched on the stool, Natasha could see between the shelves and she watched, in growing horror as three, pretty girls walked into the library. The leader of the pack was the tallest, prettiest and slenderest of the three.
“Amber Wilkes,� Natasha breathed.
As if Amber had heard her, she looked over to where Natasha was stretched out, trying to reach a now forgotten book. Amber’s pretty face split into a malicious smile and she, trailed by the two other girls, walked over.
“Well, hello, Natasha!� Amber said cheerfully. She looked up at the book at Natasha was reaching towards and smiled sweetly. She lifted up onto her toes and plucked the book from the shelf.
“H-hi, Amber,� Natasha said warily, stepping down from the stool.
Sometimes Amber would be nice to Natasha, giving her a soda or helping her with her homework, but then other times she would spread rumors about Natasha and push her down in puddles.
“This looks interesting,� Amber said, and smiled down at Natasha like they were best friends.