Chapter Text
Age 7
It’s Story Time in the public library. Laura Hollis sits patiently on the dark blue carpet. She’s in the first row and looks up at the lady sitting on a large wooden chair with a book in hand. The woman waits for the kids to get settled. Laura’s father sits in the back with the other moms and dads.
This book is called Big Al and there’s a giant fish on the cover. The smaller fish are scared of Al. Laura is paying attention, or is at least trying to.
There’s a girl on the other end of the row. Her long dark waves are in a half updo and she’s wearing a light blue dress.
She’s the prettiest girl Laura has ever seen.
Throughout the story, her gaze flickers between the storytelling lady and the girl she does not know. The other girl listens to the story in wonder and does not notice that she has Laura’s attention.
When the story is finished, the girl’s mother comes to pick her up and they leave.
Age 9
Laura is working her way through the Nancy Drew series. She scans the same bookshelf that she’s been going to for the past month, searching the yellow spines for Book 7.
Yes! It’s there, stuck between 11 and 14. Laura brings the book to a nearby table.
When Laura’s on page 10, there’s the sound of another wooden chair scraping lightly against the floor. Laura would usually glance up curiously and then resume her reading, but the other reader catches her eye. It’s her.
Laura’s 93% sure.
Across from her is the same girl she saw when she was younger, on the carpet. Her hair, though shorter, has the same waves and she is wearing darker colors, but it’s her. She unmistakably looks like an older version of the girl she saw during Story Time.
The girl looks up at Laura before glancing once at Laura’s book title. Laura looks back down at her book and chews her lip. She wants to say something. She wants to be brave.
She looks at the dark haired girl again and when she meets her eyes, Laura speaks this time.
“Hey,” Laura smiles, blushing a bit in embarrassment.
The girl is quiet for a moment, partly startled and in part to make sure Laura was speaking to her. After a moment, when no one else replies, she says, “Hey.”
Laura grins brightly.
“I’m Laura. What’s your name?”
Carmilla puts her own book down. “Carmilla.”
“What are you reading?”
"A Series of Unfortunate Events ,” Carmilla responds, looking down at the book fondly.
“Ohhh, I heard that’s good!” Laura buzzes with excitement. There’s a line in her class for those books. She was thinking about checking it out too, one day.
“It is,” Carmilla nods.
“What is it about?”
“There’s three orphans that have to keep living with different family members because there’s a bad guy who's after their fortune,” Carmilla explains. She looks at Laura’s curious eyes before continuing. “The kids outsmart him though. I like the baby the best. She’s strong and bites through lots of things like cans.”
Laura’s eyes widen at that. A baby!? A bad person after their fortune!? Carmilla smiles.
Carmilla answers all of Laura’s questions about the book and yeah, maybe she likes that there’s someone she can talk to about how awesome these books and who cares about her opinions.
They fall into a silence and Carmilla asks in turn about Nancy Drew and learns that Laura talks very fast when she’s excited about something.
Carmilla’s mother walks over, telling her that they will be leaving soon and Carmilla should check out the book she wants.
Carmilla becomes quiet. She looks at her new friend. “I don’t want to go.” She sticks out her bottom lip.
Laura giggles at her pout.
“Not funny. I want to talk to you again.”
She stops. Carmilla wants to keep talking to her. Happiness blossoms in her chest and she grins at the dark haired girl. “I go here on Saturday,” Laura assures her.
“Every Saturday?”
“Almost every one. I’ll be here next Saturday. 100%.”
“Okay,” Carmilla beams, checking her mother’s location and then back at Laura. “Bye!” She runs off to the checkout desk.
“Bye!” Laura says, giggling.
Age 11
Laura brings sour gummy worms to the library in a ziploc bag for her and Carmilla to share.
They laugh and make up stories about the candy being actual worms and take turns trying to freak each other out. Laura thinks Carmilla is her best friend.
Age 13
They’re reading the same book series and keep to the same volume. They like reading the same books so they can talk about what they think.
Carmilla pretends to admire the most unlikeable characters, praising them through mockery and Laura explodes in laughter.
Age 15
They go to coffee shops after meeting at the library, now that they’re older. They go as long as they can afford it. Carmilla likes that it’s quieter and that there’s coffee, of course. Laura, being a sweet tooth, orders a cupcake most of the time.
They’re sitting in a nook in the back. There are old Coca-Cola and baseball posters on the wall. The yellow lights are on since they’re sitting away from the windows.
“You’re not hungry, Carm?” Laura asks, furrowing her brows. Carmilla has been ordering coffee when they come here and barely any food.
“Nah, I’m fine. I have lunch last period so the lunch ladies give us bigger portions,” Carmilla says, flipping the tab on her coffee lid. She takes a sip and sighs in contentment.
“Is it really that good?” Laura scrunches her nose. Carmilla’s eyes bulge. “You never had coffee!?”
“Um....no?”
“Okay, here,” Carmilla pushes the cup towards her. “Try it.”
Laura eyes the cup cautiously.
“Coffee smells good,” Carmilla starts, “and taste is mostly smell. Smell it.”
Laura sniffs the drink. “It smells good.” Carmilla nods.
She takes a sip of the liquid and makes a face. “Ecck! It’s disgusting.”
“What?” Carmilla raises her eyebrows, surprised at her reaction.
“It’s so bitter.” Laura hands the drink back.
“It has milk and sugar!”
“Coffee’s gross,” Laura sticks her tongue out. “I’ll stick with cupcakes. Want half?”
“Sure, cupcake,” Carmilla agrees. “Hmm, Cupcake. That could be my nickname for you.”
Laura laughs and shakes her head while cutting the pastry. “If you want it to be.”
Age 16
“You’re moving!?” Laura asks, feeling a weight dropping to her stomach.
“Yes,” Carmilla looks down at her hands, a habit Laura’s noticed when the other girl feels overwhelmed. “It’s not too far , but not close.” She pauses. “I’ll still come to this library, but my mom says there’s another one...that’s closer to our new house.”
“You’ll still come here?” Laura asks as if she needs to hear Carmilla say it again, to hear her say ‘yes, I will,’ even if it’s not for her.
“You’re my best friend, Laura.” Carmilla bumps her shoulder lightly against Laura’s. “I don’t care that there is a closer one. I want to be here, with you.”
Laura feels her connection with Carmilla flutter into something she cannot place.
She bumps back before leaning her head against the Carmilla’s shoulder.
Age 16 cont.
As promised, Carmilla does continue coming to the library farther from her house. It’s about a forty minute train ride with a transfer, but this is Laura , and it’s all worth it. Besides, she always has something to read as she sits on the train.
They take turns meeting each other because Laura refuses to let Carmilla make, what she claims, “all the effort in their friendship.” They meet at libraries, parks, and coffee shops.
In the middle of The Picture of Dorian Gray , Laura stops in panic and asks Carmilla which colleges she’s thinking about applying to.
Carmilla starts listing a couple nonchalantly before Laura interrupts. “Wait, wait, wait.”
Carmilla is bemused, but smiles wryly while Laura searches her backpack. Seven years of friendship and Laura still manages to surprise her.
Laura pulls out a loose leaf paper and draws a line through the center, labelling the sides of the t-chart with their names. Laura looks up at her with determination in her eyes, pen ready, “Okay, go.”
Age 17
Carmilla doesn’t know what she wants to major in, but she wants to leave the city for sure. She selects universities with many majors and picks several of the same schools as Laura, who was looking at good journalism programs.
Carmilla knows she wants to be in the same school as Laura. Laura wants that too, of course, but she becomes insecure when a teacher tells the class that it’s a bad idea to go to the same college as your friends. Her teacher went to university with his friends and they grew to hate each other. He and his friends no longer talk.
She and Carmilla are best friends. College couldn’t possibly change that, could it?
She told Carmilla this one afternoon, stressed, and Carmilla strokes her honey hair, telling her they would be fine, that she couldn’t promise that they won’t butt heads, but says she couldn’t ever hate Laura.
After a month, they decide to go to Silas University.