Tabitha and Topaz | Library Escape

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Tabitha continues to traumatize everyone around her.



Beneath her wildly colored hair and deliberately bad attitude, Tabitha
had a secret. She loved information, more than anything she liked to
know the answer to any question that crossed her brain.

So she loved libraries.

She hadn't been to the one at Xavier's yet. She had a rep to maintain,
after all. So one lazy Saturday, she waited until everyone else was
busy before sneaking away to check it out. She really hadn't
anticipated anyone else being there.

Except there was. Of course there was. Because the library was still
Topaz's sanctuary in this god forsaken world, and on a Saturday
afternoon where else would she be really? She'd become a bit of a
hermit since that whole world-ending business.

Topaz didn't notice right away when someone else invaded her
sanctuary. She'd happily ensconced herself in the very back of the
library, exploring the shelves and trying to pick out a book she
hadn't already read - new world, but same book stocks.

But then the curious mind reached hers and she jerked, whirling
around. Oh damn it who was that? She made her way to the edge of the
aisle, peeking around the shelf. Her stomach dropped to her toes when
she saw Tabitha. No no no no no.

The blond teenager drifted to the first shelf and touched it almost
hesitantly. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smell. Some might
consider it musty, or some other word that didn't mean full of
possibilities. Tabs couldn't help the enormous smile that broke out on
her face. She looked at the book in front of her. Gardening. She
snorted.

There was something so horribly wrong about all of this. Topaz
tore her gaze away from the young girl, ducking back behind the shelf
and swallowing hard.

"Usually people only come here to hide. Or do homework. But mostly
to hide."

Topaz groaned silently, dropping her head back against the shelf
behind her and squeezing her eyes shut. God damn it Tabitha.
She took a deep breath and stepped out of her hiding place at last.

"Need help with something?"

Tabitha shrieked in surprise and whirled around. "Augh! Hi!" She shook
herself and realized just how loud she'd been. "Sorry," she said in a
whisper. "Yes, hi. Um, no?" she finished uncertainly. She pushed her
hair back from her face nervously.

Jesus. Topaz raised an eyebrow, taking a deep breath to try and
steady herself. This was weird. She couldn't let it get to her but it
was weird. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

She shook her head and looked down. "It was dumb of me to expect this
place to be empty. Even on a Saturday," Tabitha said. She tilted her
head to study the woman. "But are you okay? You seem a
little...shaky."

Once upon a time, Topaz had been skilled at hiding her emotions. At
appearing to be okay even when she really wasn't. But time had passed
and the ice had thawed and Topaz had gotten comfortable.

And she had lost a vital skill.

Still, she took a deep breath, trying to wave it off the best she
could. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. This place is usually pretty dead. Most
people have social lives, I suppose."

That caused her to cross her arms over her chest. "What are you
saying?" she asked, not sure if she should be insulted.

Topaz raised an eyebrow at that. Blimey teenagers were sensitive. "You
must be bored if you're here."

Well, that deflated her attitude. Tabs' shoulders dropped.
"I... um," her eyes flicked away. "Actually I kind of like libraries,"
she mumbled.

Wow. She sounded as if she were admitting to an order. "Well...so do
I. Guess we're in the right place."

Tabitha looked up in surprise. "You mean, you don't think it's weird?"
she said hopefully.

"'Course not," Topaz replied at once. "Been hidin' in the library
since I got here. Sleep here sometimes, even."

Tabs wrinkled her nose. "Why would you sleep in the library?"

"I lose track of time sometimes." Topaz shrugged. "S'just easier to
curl up in a corner and sleep for a few hours than try to make it back
to my room at three in the morning."

Tabitha couldn't really imagine being that tired. She eyed Topaz but
decided to move passed the weirdness inherent in this place. "So, you
know how this place is organized?" Subject change, subject change....

"Oh, yeah." Topaz cast a glance around the room. "I've been...takin'
care of the place for a friend so I've gotten to know it pretty well."

Tabs chewed her lip before she decided what she wanted? "Anything on
famous con jobs?" she asked curiously. Diving straight into bank
robbers probably wasn't all that on the up-and-up.

Topaz raised an eyebrow at that, understandably perplexed. "I feel
like I'm morally obligated not to direct you toward somethin' that
could lead you to a life of crime."

She snorted with a giggle. "What's that saying about the barn door?"

"There's no point in closin' it after the horse is already gone. Even
more of a reason not to encourage you, though." Blimey this was
weird. Being a responsible adult to Tabitha Smith of all people
was weird. Topaz shifted her weight between her feet.

"Aw, c'mon," Tabs wheedled. "I'm going to be cut loose to find my own
ends in a mere three years! I've gotta make a living."

Oh god. Topaz had to resist the urge to drop her head in her
hands. Blimey. "Three years is plenty of time to learn somethin' new
that doesn't involve breakin' the law."

"Flipping burgers isn't going to get me the kind of life I'd like to
become accustomed to," she said primly. "And hey, parting rich fools
from a fraction of their money seems like a comfortable living,
right?"

Topaz just stared at Tabitha for a long moment before disappearing
into the stacks, returning a moment later with an old, dog-eared copy
of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Please." She pushed the book into
Tabitha's hands. "Just read a book. I don't expect it to accomplish
anything but read a book."

Tabs took the book delicately, both eyes on Topaz. " Yes, ma'am, Ms.
Topaz, ma'am." She escaped off to a comfortable chair in the corner.

The look Topaz gave the young blonde could only be described as
horror. "Uh. Just Topaz." Yeah, no. That wasn't going to work at all.
"Yeah. Just Topaz."

Tabs smirked and waved over her shoulder. "Yes, ma'am."