She nods as she jiggles one of the toys in front of Hophalix, who coos happily. It hits me again how much responsibility Oz must be feeling. There are only a few morts against the entire force of Earth II, which is formidable. Their totalitarian rule over its citizens is horrific and absolute because their priority when they left Earth was ensuring the survival not only of the elite of the human race, but of its military. If Oz’s weapon doesn’t work, the morts will, quite simply, be exterminated.
“He can’t keep going like this, though. He’s going to hurt himself if he doesn’t make himself sick from exhaustion. Calix said he found him asleep standing up yesterday.” She says the last on a whisper.
I sigh. “I don’t know what to do. He won’t listen to anything I say. He works all day and night on the weapon, and when I manage to convince him to come to bed, he doesn’t sleep there because he says he doesn’t want to waste a moment with me.”
Emery’s shoulders slump and she sighs. “Well, dammit, he doesn’t have to be so sweet about it. I guess that means the two of you…”
My skin is so pale I just know I’m blushing a bright red. I know it’s a small community here and everyone knows pretty much everything about one another, but I’ve always been a little socially anxious and introverted—at least when it comes to anything other than books. The only person I’ve ever been myself with is Oz. The boyfriends I had on Earth II were few and far between, so unimportant they barely even factor into the equation. Definitely no heroes in the bunch. The morts would describe them as Kevins, that’s for sure.
“There hasn’t really been time for too much. The most we’ve done is sleep together. Well, I sleep, and he doesn’t.”
“I don’t mean to push you or anything. I was just curious…and nosey.”
We share a giggle. I can’t remember ever giggling with another person in my life. “I don’t mind. Honestly it’s nice to have a friend.” I say the last part with a bit of a question and a huge helping of hesitation. I don’t think I’ve ever really had a friend who wasn’t a character in a book.
She reaches for me over the cooing Hophalix and squeezes my hand. “We’re so happy to have you here, Quinn. We’re all your friends. And the best thing about it is we’ve all been exactly where you are, so there’s no judgement and I’m always here if you have any questions. I know how confusing and insane it can all be.”
“You can say that again. I feel like I went to sleep, and my life changed. Sometimes it feels a bit like a dream.” Or a fairy tale, but I don’t say that out loud.
“It can take some getting used to, that’s for sure. You’re doing well, though.”
“Well, I didn’t have much of a life on Earth II outside of the library, at least not one where I felt I belonged. Does that make sense?”
“You have no idea,” she answers. “You didn’t have a family?”
I shake my head. “Mine died when I was young. They got sick and couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. There was no one else.” She nods in sympathy and, feeling a burst of bravery, I continue. “This place feels more like home to me than Earth II ever did. I wasn’t upset when I woke up here…I was happy. Does that make me crazy?”
Emery smiles. “No more than any of the rest of us.”
After Emery leaves, I finish binding the thick cardboard I’d found and planned to use to make board books for the babies once they were a little older. There were some children’s stories I remembered by heart and I thought it would be fun to make their own little library. I make a mental note to ask around to see if anyone in the facility is an okay artist, because drawing isn’t my strong suit.
I look around the library one last time before I close it down for the evening. The shelves aren’t full and probably won’t be for a while. There are a couple of them in a neat row. One day they’ll have hundreds of books on their shelves. They’re situated on the left side of the room. To the back in the middle is the little desk I use to keep myself organized. To the right is the window and the children’s area. Next on my list is to make a desk of the tablets to be used to check out with all the books loaded on them. I’d already loaned one to Molly while she rests in bed for the rest of her pregnancy. She’d nearly cried when I’d given it to her.