I dodged into the classroom. I'd remembered seeing a map on the wall (though I hadn't paid much attention to it at the time), so I looked around first.

There was no mention of a third floor.

I was sure Contri'd mentioned it though. Scrawled in the margins of the book that had appeared under her bed. I tiptoed into her room. It was in full display, having likely fallen out of her hands onto the floor as she fell asleep, so I picked it up. I got out to the hallway and leafed through it, using my phone as a flashlight.

There it was, on page 172. Third floor (library), in messy handwriting, like they'd rushed though it.

The only library I could think of was in the training room.

After quickly peeking in and checking the time (3:49), I headed over to the library, and hopefully the third floor too. It wasn't in plain sight, I saw as I quickly looked around.

Maybe it was like one of those movies, or TV shows, or books, where they pull a book back and something happens. Either the bookshelf flipped around (I'd always wanted one of those) or a trapdoor opened, or something.

But maybe that was what I needed to do.

I started with the shelf against the wall. That way it could actually turn.

Wait, I wanted to go up. Most likely a ladder would pop down from above. It didn't really matter which one I started with. Well, the right one, of course, but I wouldn't be able to tell that unless I pulled a book out.

The suspicion began to creep into my mind that you didn't actually need to pull a book out to get up.

I tilted all the books on the first bookshelf out in half an hour. The next one, with both sides, took an hour, and it was the same with the last one.

That idea went down the drain.

I looked at the clock, just as it turned to 6:25. Fish, I needed to get back to bed. Terra could not know that I knew she had left her room, and since most people woke up around seven, she'd want to be getting home soon.

I dashed back through the hall, slipping into bed and falling asleep from my three hour escapade like that.

I woke up two-ish hours later and rolled over. Terra wasn't there, but I could hear the rain of the shower, so she was back.

I kind of doubted that someone else would use our shower when they had their own. Also, it would be weird. And awkward. She got out a couple minutes later, proving my suspicions right. Terra sat down on her bed and glanced at the door before saying, "Sorry for ignoring you, it's just... Emerald."

"She doesn't like us subs," I guessed. Well, I kind of already knew, because of Contri. More like I half-guessed.

Terra nodded. "She thinks you shouldn't be here and that you're a waste of space, because your powers are junky. All that jazz. I don't agree, believe me on that, but I'm going to be working with her." I smile, wondering how I ever thought that she actually hated me.

"I'll try to pretend like I'm annoyed with you," I say. "I get what you mean." I get up and hug her before reaching under my bed. I grabbed my change of clothes and went into the bathroom to get changed. I headed out the door a few minutes later after scrolling through a million books, trying to find a new one to read in my spare time. Games never really did it for me.

Breakfast was a quick bagel, and class was just like yesterday. Running laps, fighting, grilled cheeses, science, and The Start of the School. After classes ended I lied down on my bed, filling out the homework. I was going to be too busy finding the third floor later (it stuck me that Terra might not actually have snuck off there halfway through lunch) so I wanted to get some early sleep. Wouldn't want to be too exhausted the next day.

After dinner (hamburgers) I lied down and closed my eyes. Two minutes later I peeked through my eyelids and groaned. It had felt like I'd been asleep for a couple hours, not a couple minutes.

I kept trying to sleep, but I ended up starting a new book. And falling asleep at my usual time.