Cleaning Supplies

Ah, the library. Haven of safety.

Lilly entered the school library freshly showered. She’d changed back into her choice of school uniform; a calf-length plaid skirt, navy blue stockings, matching loafers, matching blazer with gold buttons, white blouse, and a green bow. As always, her uniform looked like dry cleaner fresh. Nothing was out of place. The green bow held snugly with two loose loops below her neck.

A well-worn firm blue carpet covered Harrison High School’s library floor. Rain pattered against wide windows. On a sunny day, it was really bright, but even on dark days the overhead lights made everything easy to see. Quietness prevailed. Lilly’s senses could take a breather and absorb the aura of rainfall. Rows upon rows of neatly lined books offered countless excuses to loiter.

Factoring was the order of the day. Lilly felt like she could sit and practice the weakest link of her math skills. She didn’t even realize that she had pulled the pre-calculus book out of her school bag. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the spine as she hugged it against her chest.

Two classmates sat at a table behind the social studies and history shelves that held the big atlases. Their discussion ruined the ambience of the library. Lilly pursed her lips into a firm ‘tsk.’ She turned around with every intention of politely confronting them. Chairs shuffled as they were pushed back.

“So, what do you think of Zen running for student council?”

Lilly stopped and hid inside the aisle when she heard Zen mentioned.

“Zen works kind of hard

“No, she’s a total pain. She thinks she can boss everyone around just because she has a bunch of people eating out of her hand. She flatters all the teachers. It’s so gross. You should hear the tone of her voice change whenever she talks to one. ‘Yes sir, I’m perfect, let me dooooo it for you.’”

The other laughed, “She’s super popular with everybody though.”

“Okay, so when she’s with the nerds. She’s suddenly all nerdy. And when she’s with the jocks, she’s all athletic. And when she’s with the fashionable girls, she’s all about fashion but oh so humble about it. Zen is a mop. She just soaks everyone else’s aura to blend in and be popular. One hundred percent fake person.”

Lilly stood tense behind the shelves. Knuckles whitened against her advanced algebra book as she listened. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to come out of hiding. The scene of Zen flirting with Zak after the dodgeball game replayed. A foot went forward.

“She’s going to be student council president for sure. I don’t think you can beat her.”

“Yeah, thanks to her lackey.”

The foot went back. Lilly looked at the book pushed closed under the pressure of her hands. What did she mean by lackey? Lips thinned, even paled, as they pursed more tightly. Her gaze shifted down to the spine of her algebra book.

“Who do you mean? Lilly?”

“Yes, her,” the other groaned, “If I had someone who followed me around like a lost puppy every day and did all my homework, I’d probably be good at everything too.”

“I don’t think Zen would ever not do her own work. Lilly is more like her own personal math tutor. You can bet that’s the main reason Zen even puts up with Lilly.”

Lilly brushed her heels against the carpet. None of that was true. Zen and her had been friends since the fourth grade. Nobody was being used. Zen helped her learn to get over her fears of talking to people. Zen insisted she train and stop sitting out of gym class. Zen told her to start a chess club. None of this was right. She wasn’t being used by her best friend, if anything it was the other way around.

Pale lips barely moved as she whispered, “I put up with her.”

No wait, that didn’t sound right. The conversation across the aisles continued.

“Yeah, and now she’s stealing Zak right out from under Lilly’s nose. It’s really too bad she’s too quiet and shy to assert herself. Zak obviously likes her more than Zen.”

It felt like her heart stopped beating for a moment. Something watched her. She turned around, yet saw nothing down the aisle. It must be her imagination. Her heart beat too quickly. Lilly gulped. They thought Zak liked her more?

“Well, Lilly is kind of cute I guess, but she’s too shy to come out of Zen’s shadow. I mean, it was entirely obvious that today Zen showed Lilly who the real boss is.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably be like that forever.”

“Why can’t you be more like Lilly for me?”

“As if I would ever be a slave to your ego. Well, I got the notes for the social studies project saved so let’s go get a burger. I’m starving.”

Chairs shifted. They walked from the work desks. Lilly clutched the textbook to her chest. She wanted to run out and confront them for saying that. But when she heard them dump their research books on the rack she retreated deep into the aisle.

“I still haven’t gotten an invite to Shirley’s birthday party.”

“You’re still holding out for that?”

Lilly reached for a book, any book, and let the weight of her hand pull it off the shelf. It dropped next to her foot. A large eye stared from behind the shelves. She blinked and it wasn’t there. She heard shuffling, followed by a high-pitched voice.

“Blarrrrffff! I forgot how exhausting mana compression can be.”

A toy dropped on the carpet. It looked like some weird mascot creature she’d seen. Tiny purple wings rested over its back. It had a giant eye for a head. Big purple eyelids refused to fully close. Its eye slowly craned as the little thing stared up at her once it caught her attention. Without acknowledging Lilly’s existence, it stood and brushed off the white collared shirt. Then it straightened its black tie.

“Okay, now to find cleaning supplies,”

It clicked its nails together as it looked Lilly up and down, “Hmmm, flat chested, long hair, strong frame, shy, willing to eat dirt, analytical. Oh, you’ll do nicely. You’ll make a fine cleaning device. An auto vacuum would sell for big time doubloons.”

Lilly walked over to the creature. Sweat drops formed on its violet eye lids as she approached. She bent her knees in a crouch. The weird toy was as big as a toddler. She poked the top of its eyelid with her index finger. It didn’t feel plastic. It felt warm and squishy.

“What are you?”

It straightened. More sweat formed across the upper lid. Beads of water flicked off lashes as it blinked, “You can see me! You won’t do after all!”

“Where’s your voice box? Where’s your mouth?”

Lilly reached for the creature, but it ran sideways into the other aisle. She fell forward on her hands and knees.

Zen stood over her with arms akimbo, “What are you doing crawling on the floor?”

“I wasn’t crawling on the floor. There was some weird creature with a big eye for a head. C’mon, it went this way!”

Lilly rushed past Zenobia. She looked down one empty aisle after another but there was nothing to be seen. She looked over the desks. She checked under the desks. There was nothing like a one-eyed mascot doll.

“It wasn’t that fast and nobody is here to grab it,”

Zen touched Lilly’s shoulder, “Are you on something?”

“No, it felt too warm and squishy to be a toy but it’s way too big to just disappear like that. Did you see anything that looked like an eye-ball monster in jeans and a collared shirt?”

“Mr. Salutsky? Don’t tell anyone I said that. Anyway, I was having some trouble with factoring so I was wondering if you’d go over it with me for half an hour or so.”

Lilly handed her book to Zen, “The best explanation of factoring starts on page one twenty-seven. Make sure to do the sample problems and check your answers at the back.”

Zen caught the book, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Wrong with me? There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just busy.”

The book wedged under Zen’s arm. She grabbed Lilly by the wrist, “You’re not busy. You came here to study like you always do and I came to join you. You can’t just brush me off.”

Her slender wrist forced itself free of Zen’s grip, “I can do what I want. I’m not your shadow puppet. I’m going home. I’m tired of being your fake friend. Why don’t you just study by yourself for a change and leave me alone?”

“Lilly?”

Her best friend trembled with effort to suppress tears. Never once had Lilly seen Zen cry. Zen always held it together. She led classes, led teachers, led the school. Everyone who talked to her saw one of two sides, bubbly and lively or polite and serious. Zen never used her tears. But now, right here, her face reddened and her eyes watered.

“What’s this, a new strategy for social manipulation?”

“I’m not! What did I even do to make you this mad!?”

“I’m not mad. Mad is insane. I’m angry. I don’t want to talk about it. You’ll just manipulate me the same way you manipulate everyone.”

The room itself split into an atmospheric haze behind Zen. Something peeled a hole in the atmosphere that opened into a neon violet void. That eye opened. Only now it was huge. It nearly towered over Zen with its watery gaze. It stared through Lilly until she froze. Large hands with clawed fingers emerged. They clamped against Zen’s shoulders.

Zen gasped as she watched Lilly go pale. The hands pulled her off her feet and into the void. The algebra book dropped away into the neon light as Zen kicked.

Lilly jumped forward and grabbed Zen’s left ankle just above the loafer. Her feet drug across the carpet as she pulled against the creature.

“Two for one on cleaning supplies. Fine with me.”

Lilly flew into the portal while clutching Zen’s leg. Once her foot passed the threshold, it closed. Nobody remained in the library.