By the next morning, the news had exploded. All talk around town were the possible ways to boil Liam Wayland in lava. Only a few rich snobs supported his decision, claiming it was for the 'better of the world', but then again, they weren't the ones forced to decide between paying for their children or their food.

On the way to school, even the students were getting involved, whispers following each level of transportation. But Rae didn't dare complain, not after seeing Asha's face. Asha Jones had 5 siblings, and even though her family situation had always been a little rickety, now it had gotten to the point where her parents' were considering a divorce.

"They be up arguing all night," were the first words out of her mouth when Rae climbed on, "They not be wanting us to know, but mama be wanting to keep us, and papa not be seeing the harm in sending Mya, Rocky and me to the camps. It be hard enough to get by without this fuss..."

"Yeah, I be knowing, Asha." Rae tried to be supportive, but her friend didn't smile once that whole day. They didn't dare try texting again, so class was even more bland than usual. Even worse, Rae had now been set up with a programming that was supposed to simplify things, but actually made it even harder to concentrate.

Who could take: Jus-tin Bie-ber —> pro-min-nant (be sounding it out!) or imp-ort-ant figure in pop culture (click for definition) in EARLY 2 000s! (and then a picture of a dopey looking dude) seriously?

Even at home, things weren't much better. Ethan seemed distant, and both her parent's were working overtime. The only times she saw her mother were in the middle of the night, and she often broke down at the sight of them. Rae found, that in those next two weeks, her only happiness came from an unlikely source.

Lin had said to come by anytime she pleased. So Rae came a few times a week and they talked. Lin talked about the past, the way she remembered, the way her family before had remembered. And Rae talked, and talked, until she was ready to face the world. And it was a day like this when Rae arrived at Lin's doorstep, with the promise of brewed tea, and a conversation.

"So.", she took another sip of the tea on the counter. It seemed Rae could never get enough of real food, "Why no one else be growing plants anymore?"

"Oh we do.", Lin nodded calmly, "In fact, I have family that owns a farm upstate."

"F-arm?"

"Yes. They grow thousands of plants there, and take care of them. Then, when the plants are ready, they saturate the juice and send it out for pills to be made."

"But why we not eat the plants raw? They be bad for us?"

"No, no actually they're very healthy. It's just, we wouldn't be able to use the rest then, would we? For example, they are reused for compost to grow new plants. All the natural dirt has already been contaminated. To put it simply, human kind has made it's mistakes and now they need to pay for them."

But Rae had stopped listening a while go, "Books? You be telling me about books?"

Lin smiled so that the tops of her eyes wrinkled, "Ahhh, you do seemed to be interested in them. Well, to begin with, there were many genres. Horror, to mystery, to fantasy... like the book I lent you. Speaking of that, did you finish it?"

Rae nodded, carefully pulling the spine out of her bag, "It be very good."

"Yes, it is one of my favourites."

"The people in the story, it be strange, like I be finding pieces of myself in them. The girl, Hermi-own?"

"Hermione"

"Yeah.", Rae scrunched up her nose, "I sort of be feeling like her— actually, I be wanting to be like her. She not be giving a baboon's behind what people think. But she be a genius and me, I be failing school."

"That means nothing, Rae. You are a genius too, you finished this book in two weeks, in a language not even your own. If that doesn't show a love for learning, I don't know what does."

"Actually, I be finding the colourful language easier, or at least be clearer to read.", Rae thought for a minute, "The people not be sounding like robots. I be wishing we could learn the colourful language. School be much better, at least."

"Oh I'm sure they could learn, but the question is, would they want to?"

Rae was quiet as she fiddled with the rim of the cup, "No, but I want to."

"You've already started, looks like to me. That was in colourful language."

"Yes," Rae smiled, "I be reading that from book. Do- do you be having any more books?"

Lin's eyes seemed to sparkle, like she had been waiting for that question her entire life. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Have you ever heard of a library, Rae?"

Her eyebrows shot upwards, "It be mentioned in the book I read, but I—".

"Didn't know what it meant? It was a public place with thousands of books in thousands of shelves. No one spoke, because they were all lost in their own stories. And the smell... one could acquire a full lunch on the smell of the books alone."

Rae found this a bit strange, but she leaned in closer, "And what they be doing with these books?"

"Well, people could check them out, read them, and bring them back for someone else to read."

"For free?"

"For free."

"Wow.", Rae gasped. Never before had she heard of something so beautiful, so purposeless yet so necessary. It made her world feel like a black and white painting on a flat canvas. "And now all our books be in museums, or auctions. And even e-books be costing too much. Why? Why did things change?"

"I don't think anyone knows. Libraries were probably taken down for using too much space, and the government probably decided books just weren't needed anymore. The wood used for the pages, the space used in the device, who's going to waste it? We are in a war, Rae. A war against time. Mankind started predicting the end centuries ago, and now, we are mere years from it."

"But the books be auctioned off! Why not give them—"

"Why make parents pay for their children? The government needs money, more than they let on. That is no longer a book, but an artifact."

"Well, I be wishing I could see a library.", she crossed her arms over her chest, as if it was some display of rebellion.

Lin smiled wider than ever. So wide, that Rae could see the fillers at the back of her mouth, "Really?"

"Well, that may be one wish I can make true."
_____________________________________________________________________
A.N: Yay, I hoped you liked it! Thank you so much for reading, make sure to vote and leave feedback!

Here are updates from Simon's funeral:

He lived a short, but happy life.

I just started a HARRY POTTER MARATHON leading up to the 31st, so updates might be slower.

Thanks you guys!