I stood up and walked over to the part on the physiology and background of animals. I peruse the titles as my hands slide across the hundreds of volumes that are lined up. I took out every book I could find that discussed wolves.
Instead of bothering to carry the books to the table, I just sat down on the floor with them at my side. When my stomach started to grumble, I had not even finished half of the books I had gathered. It was already 1 o'clock in the afternoon when I looked down at my watch.
I shall starve to death before I learn even the most basic information about shifters. I placed the books neatly back on the shelves. When I was in college, I had experience working as a library assistant. And one of my responsibilities was returning borrowed books. After finishing, I grabbed my bag and made my way to the door while keeping an eye out for Mrs. Olga. I didn't find her, though.
When I went outside, the sun hit me right away. At this time when the sun is high, the sun rays are uncomfortable. I walked down the sidewalk, gazing around, and covering my eyes from the light. I eventually spotted a restaurant across the street after five minutes of walking. I easily made it over to the opposite side because no cars were driving past.
And as I walked inside the restaurant, everyone who was dining at the time turned to look at me, some of them with surprised faces. As soon as I was seated on the far side, away from the crowd, a waiter quickly came to my side.
A young man asked, his smile revealing his dimples, "What would you like to have, Ma'am?"
He is probably around the age of 19.
I took the menu in my hand and quickly skimmed it. I said, pointing to the item on the menu, "I like to have this one" as I turned to face him.
He happily nodded, made a note in her notepad, and then walked away. I noticed several gazing in my direction. I shrugged as I turned away from their glares and peered outside.
The memory of how my sister told me about something she wanted to tell me, along with the day Traian requested for a week to reveal a secret to me, comes to mind. What they want to discuss is completely beyond my grasp. And the only thing that comes to mind is the phrase ‘Shifters.’
The server brought my food shortly after. He placed the meal expertly and made sure to give me a smile while doing so.
I murmured, "Thank you," to him.
He stretched out his hand just as I was about to assume that he would walk away. I gave him a perplexed look.
He confidently introduced himself as "Nate."
I take his hand a bit confused. "Jaidyn"
He only gave me a simple nod before heading back into the kitchen, if I had to guess. When the other costumes started to openly gaze at me and mumble, which I hoped to be positive from their smiles and grins, I forced down the surprise and concentrated on my food.
When another waiter passed my table, I called him.
I politely said, "Excuse me, may I have my bill please."
However, the waiter shrugs his shoulders and says, "No, it's free ma'am"
I frowned and was, to put it mildly, stunned. I spoke in an unsure tone, "Free? I don't think it was supposed to be free?"
One because there was no promo outside for a free meal, secondly, I did absolutely nothing to deserve a free meal.
However, the server simply giggled and stated, "No, Ma'am, it's true. We contacted our owner and we informed her who you are, and as a welcoming present to you, your first dining here is free."
Now, I am asking cautiously, "What did you say to your owner about me?"
What exactly is going on here?
The waiter's eyes widened a little and he looked away from me while gulping as if he had just realized something. While keeping an eye on the entrance to the kitchen, he fidgeted with the notebook he was holding. Then someone emerged after a little while.
A woman in her middle forties offered the waiter a shoulder pat.
I wasn't blind to the waiter's weak, "I'm sorry," before he turned and left.
"Hello, I'm Cecelia, the manager of this diner."
I greeted her with a smile and said, "Hi. He mentioned that you called the owner talking about me. Can I ask what you said about me? I am just an outsider, I don't think I have anything exceptional," as calmly as I could to avoid seeming irritated.
“We just called our owner to let her know that you're a fresh face and possibly a tourist because we provided several strangers who arrived here yesterday with a complimentary supper. She then gave us the directive to handle you similarly to how we treated the other tourists yesterday”
It was a free lunch and I had already eaten it, so making a fuss over it wasn't the best course of action. I don't believe her, but I don't want to be a bitch, so I mustered a smile.
"Thank you. Please send my appreciation to the owner of this diner" I said and picked up my bag.
Cecelia nodded and stepped aside as I passed. I can feel the customer's stares on the back of my head as I stroll towards the door. And as soon as I was outside, I let out a sigh as I walked straight away without looking back.
"So much oddness" I whispered to myself.
I returned to the library, and there were few people around now and they were all huddled together with their books. With surprise clearly visible on their features, they all turned to face me.
I didn't pay attention to them and moved to the bookshelf where I had read before while holding onto my bag. I pull out the books I choose earlier before slouching back to the ground. I sat down on the bookshelves and leaned against them while mindlessly glancing in front.
Strangeness pervaded everything. the way I always catch people's eyes while I'm around. Their responses and phrases seemed to convey an entirely different sense from mine. I inhaled deeply as I closed my eyes, relaxing, and resisted the right-wing ideas that were racing through my head right now. I continued reading until I didn't realize I had fallen asleep.