Apprentice (Into the After Book 1)

by Patricia Thomas

  It was a concept I’d been in love with since I’d first started to dig deeper into what made the After work as it did, an impossible world beyond reason whose people and places varied as much as the stars in the sky.

  But no amount of research could have prepared me for the feeling of stepping inside the practically hallowed doors of the Archive, and experiencing all it for myself.

  We were walking through a massive lobby, with plush red carpeting lining the floor. Off to the left was an information desk, while several sets of chairs surrounding tables or freestanding fireplaces dotted the lobby floor. The lobby itself was the size of a soccer field, and it was clear where the entryway ended and the library began.

  Rows and rows of bookcases stretched out in the distance, and not just on the first floor. Grayson led us up three stories of a large glass stairwell, surrounded by equally translucent walls, giving me a glimpse of all the books that lay beyond. The stairwell continued up another few flights beyond where we stopped climbing and I tried to guess how many books this branch of Archive held, a number my brain couldn’t begin to comprehend.

  Effortlessly, our guide led us through the stacks, as the four of us remained silent. I tried to take in all the details, but was sure that today would simply be a blur in my memory for years to come.

  We heard the voices of a few dozen people speaking before we exited one row of bookcases into a large clearing. Several long tables around the edge of the carpeted area were laid out with snacks and drinks decorating the surfaces. People milled about, talking in small groups, or standing off in corners looking lost. I assumed these were my fellow apprentices, the people I would be with for my next four years of study before becoming a full librarian.

  Only a handful of people appeared to be close to Vincent's age and there seemed to be an even split of men and women. Skin tones ranged from white to brown to black, and one woman with flowing silver hair had a complexion of sky blue. I couldn't wait to learn about the lives all these people had lived, and the corners of the After that they called home. There was still so much of the world I hadn't seen, and since I would be in Sanctum until I graduated, getting to know these people would be the fastest way to learn more about the world while I was in one place.

  Deep down, I'd always been an explorer. It was what had led me to join up with the intergalactic space fleet in the book I had come from before my arrival in the After. But the main thing I remembered from my life Before was war. War and death and destruction. After starting my new life here, I spent years just enjoying finding a new normal. One that didn't involve any large-scale conflicts or life-and-death decisions. Hopefully, once I was a librarian, I would get a chance to see more of the varied landscapes that existed in the After. Places that for all intents and purposes, should never have been able to coexist.

  But, one step at a time. I had a long way to go before I could even start to think about where I might end up on graduation. Many librarians stayed in the city, working for the Archive itself. Others went out into the world to gather information or to see how the books that came into the After affected the world around us.

  Vincent pushed past me and made his way toward the nearest punch bowl while the rest of us stood back, taking it all in. Protectorate Avos had left us to join a group of similarly robed men and women standing at the back of the cluster of people, watching us all.

  Having slept through dinner on the train I was happy to grab a sandwich from a nearby platter, smiling politely at a handsome, black man who reached for the platter at the same time I did. He stuttered something I didn’t catch, grabbed his food, then retreated into the crowd, leaving me to wonder if I should have done more to try and make a connection. But I was too nervous to really commit to starting up a conversation, and instead took my own dinner and made my way back to a corner where I could see as much of what was going on around me as possible.

  There would be plenty of time later for getting to know my classmates and getting comfortable within the four walls of the Archive. But in that moment, my brain simply needed time to adjust to everything that was happening around me. No matter how much I had seen in my time since arriving in the After sometimes it was still hard to believe just how much of this was happening. How much of it was possible.

  We only had ten minutes or so to eat and mingle before a sharp whistle caught everyone's attention, killing every conversation in the room at once.

  "Attention, attention," a voice called out from across the group of apprentices. A moment later, a woman stepped forward. She couldn't have been much taller than five feet and had long silver hair, pulled back into a loose bun at the top of her head. Green eyes sparkled with anticipation as she clapped her hands together excitedly. "May I be the first to officially welcome all you to the Archive of Ink and Soul. We had several hundred applicants this year, all looking to pledge themselves to the Archive. But we chose only forty-two . Some of you may have even applied several times before, and we are thrilled to finally have you here with us now. Working with the Archive is the most important role anyone can take in the After, and it is not something we expect people to take on lightly."

  I looked around me as the woman spoke, taking in all the faces that reflected just how I was feeling.

  "I am Keeper Dorset," the woman continued. "I am one of the councilors of the Archive of Ink and Soul, and lead the order of Keepers as Heart of the Archive. Behind me, you see the three other leaders of the orders that make up our ranks. At the time of your graduation, you will be called upon to choose an order yourself, so I hope you will take these next four years to learn as much as possible both about what we do here, and about the many ways that librarians around the world serve the Archive to find out how you may be best suited to do the same.

  "If past years have taught us anything, it is that not everyone we select will end up being an ideal fit to join the Archive as permanent members. And there is no shame in that. Some of you may choose to return to your homes and families. Some of you may find other ways to serve the After and better our world. But while we have you here, you are most welcome. On Monday, your studies will begin in earnest. But for now, we invite you to spend a little time getting to know one another and the Archive itself. At eleven, we will have two buses leaving from in front of the Archive to take you to your dormitories. I know many of you have had long journeys, so should you wish to leave earlier, please speak to one of the keepers who are here with us tonight, but we do encourage you to stay."

  I wondered just how strong this woman's encouragements really were. I wasn't exactly getting the impression that staying for cocktail hour, or whatever this was, was exactly optional. But I was happy to stay among the books for a while longer if I could.

  "Now," she said, clapping her hands together once more. "Please, enjoy yourselves. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other a little later."

  And as simply as that, Keeper Dorset stepped back to rejoin her fellow librarians, and conversations slowly started up again around me. And while most of the people I heard sounded nervous and unsure, there was also an undeniable ripple of excitement running like a current of electricity through our group.

  Not sure what else to do with myself, I took a few steps toward the one place I knew I would be comfortable. With the books. I wasn't willing to go so far as to leave the gathering completely, but bookcases surrounded every side of the space we were in and Keeper Dorset had told us to get comfortable within the Archive as much as with each other.

  I let my fingers trail over the delicate paper spines of the first shelf I reached, selecting a title at random before I pulled it from its place. The cover was abstract, mostly consisting of dark blues and greens but with bold yellow letters declaring the book's title, one word, Peace. As far as branding went, it left a lot to be desired as I had no idea what kind of book it was I was holding in my hands. I supposed it didn't really matter. I put the book back, and immediately plucked out the one sitting beside it. The only imag
e on this book's cover was the hilt of a sword while metallic silver text declared the title and author. Not for the first time, I wondered how the Archive went about organizing the books it cared for. No matter how much I researched, that was one answer I'd never been able to find. Still, I suppose I'd have the answers to all those questions and more soon enough. Along with plenty of time to read my fair share of the stories.

  "What you got there?" someone asked from behind me, startling me out of reading the back-cover copy of the book I'd been holding.

  I turned to find Vince watching me, waiting for a response. "Just a random book. I tend to get a little sidetracked whenever there are books around." Once again, I could feel a blush overwhelming my features, and I would be forever grateful that my dark skin usually masked my frequent embarrassment. But to my surprise, I found Vince nodding back at me enthusiastically.

  "I know what you mean. I've been reading for as long as I can remember, no matter how many stories I get into or how many books I finish, even when familiar plots and characters seem to come back again and again, I can't get enough.” I found myself grinning at the guy who only an hour or so ago I had written off as a little too pompous and arrogant for someone I might consider being friends with. I hadn't even considered that I had one fundamental thing in common with every single person I'd be studying with during my time as an apprentice. A deep love of books.

  While the many applications I’d filled out to apply to become an apprentice at the Archive had never directly asked me if I was a book lover, the questions they’d asked covered that same ground repeatedly. It was clear, almost from the very beginning that a deep love of reading was one of the fundamental traits they were looking for. There had still been several tests to get through along with personality profiles and any other number of assessments. The process had taken well over a year. But when it came down to it, every test, every segment, always prioritized a love of books. And for very good reason.

  "Do you know yet which order you want to pledge?" Vince asked, causing me to shake my head in a negative response.

  "I know they're actively recruiting for the Protectorate since it's only been around for a few years," Vince said, almost talking to himself more than to me. "But I joined the Archive because I wanted to be around books, not act as some sort of police force, you know? I always thought I'd want to be a scholar, reading and compiling data. Way more fun than it sounds."

  I laughed, agreeing with him. "Honestly, I'm going to wait and see. Every order sounds interesting to me depending on the day. Even the Protectorate. I figure, they're still here, around books as often as not, but you also get more of a chance to see the world."

  "I'm perfectly happy seeing the world through books." Vince leaned over and picked up a paperback from the shelf above the one where I'd been perusing. "I wonder how soon we’ll be able to start taking out titles. I'm kind of wondering what the record is for most books read by a librarian, and how long it will take me to top it."

  "Actually," I said, frowning little, "the books in the Archive aren't supposed to leave the building. They probably don't want to lose the original copies." I shrugged, trying to keep my voice nonchalant. "There are a few other branches in the city that have copies of some of the titles they have here, which are available to take home."

  Vince’s friendly expression had already fallen away, and I tried to keep talking to get back to the sense of budding camaraderie we had only a moment before. "There's a great one on Church Street that is supposed to have a massive collection of thrillers."

  Vince didn't respond, and already I recognized his expression. It was one I knew all too well. It was the face of a man who didn't like to be corrected or one-upped. Nobody liked a know-it-all, and once I'd left the Soaring City, I had started to suspect that people liked female, black, know-it-alls even less than most. But it wasn't like I could apologize for pointing out something that I was surprised Vince hadn’t known already. If anything, I'd probably saved him from a potential faux pas down the road, but I doubted he was going to see it that way.

  "Whatever," Vince said, putting back the book he'd been holding. "We'll probably be too busy with textbooks to do any real reading anyway."

  I tried to smile sympathetically, to show him I was still on his side. But Vince left before I could get another word out, joining a nearby group of librarians. I couldn’t hear what he said, but I didn't miss the way he stuck his hand out, forcing a handshake with everyone he spoke to.

  I could probably stand to be a little more assertive, to make a good first impression. But I was still nervous about the idea of making an impression at all. The sooner my future teachers started to notice me, the more I risked someone catching on to the fact that I shouldn't be there at all. It was a secret I'd already given everything to protect, and now I was going to have to keep fighting to stay hidden, maybe for the rest of my life.

  But as I stood, my back to a bookcase lined from floor to ceiling with titles I'd probably never even heard of, taking in what would be essentially my new home, it wasn't hard to convince myself that all this was very much worth the risk.

  Chapter 3

  Not nearly as exhausted as I expected to be, I clambered out, along with half my class, of the bus that the Archive had provided. The other bus had parked right behind us, and had just as many apprentice librarians taking to the streets as ours did. They had stopped in between two large brick buildings, Porter House on the right side of the street, and James House on the left. There were twenty women in my class, and each of us were going to be assigned to a small two-bedroom apartment, for the remainder of our time in the apprenticeship program.

  Following the rest of the group, I made my way inside to the lobby. A large cork board just inside the door held a list of the room assignments. From the looks of it, our assigned residences spread out throughout the building, since we were sharing the building with apprentices in their second through fourth years as well.

  I found my name, Tari Maiz, and trailed my finger along the paper until I saw the number 224. I wanted to take a little longer to find the name of whoever my new roommate would be, but there were already more people waiting behind me to get their own assignments and so I departed as quickly as I could, following the sign that led me to the stairwell rather than waiting for the elevator with everybody else.

  At least I'd never have to deal with moving furniture or all my belongings in and out of the building on some massive, shared moving day. Not that I owned much. I had taken two suitcases worth of clothing and essentials with me from where I'd lived in Summerset, but had sold everything else from the small ground floor apartment I'd had when I lived there. Just as I'd sold everything I’d owned back when I lived in the Soaring City. Everywhere I went, I gave myself a fresh start with each new move. Which was fine by me.

  It didn't take long at all to find my room, and once I got there the door was ajar, letting me inside without any hassle.

  "Hello," I called out, not sure if my roommate had arrived before I had. Nobody answered so I stepped further inside and was immediately relieved to see the two suitcases I did have already in the living room, waiting for me, beside three others I didn’t recognize.

  The living area itself was small, but cozy looking. An island counter separated the kitchen area from the living room, while a third section near the front door housed a kitchen table big enough to seat four.

  Two house keys sat on the marble countertop, and I pocketed one before taking off to explore the rest of my new home.

  There were two doors to my left, one leading to a bathroom that was bigger than I'd been expecting, and the other to a windowless bedroom. It was a bigger space than the dorm I'd had when I'd gone back to university in the Soaring City, looking almost barren with only a bed, dresser and desk filling the space.

  Heading back across the living room, I opened the one remaining door to find a nearly identical bedroom, this one with a window that looked out toward the city.

  T
here was still no sign of my roommate, which left me with the decision of which room to take. All I had to do was roll my suitcases into a room and it would be mine. First come first served. But I wasn't sure that was how I wanted to start off with whoever it was I was going to live with, potentially for the next four years. On the bus ride, the Keeper who'd been escorting us had mentioned that we were welcome to apply for housing changes, and sometimes the librarians would step in and mix things up anyway, but for the most part there would be less of a headache by us adapting to our new living arrangements and making the most of it.

  A little nervous, I wished I'd taken the time to at least find out the name of who I would be living with when I’d had the chance. Not that knowing what they called themselves would tell me all that much in terms of who they were.

  So, did I want the bedroom closest to the bathroom or the one that would give me a little natural sunlight?

  With a huff, I plopped myself down on the couch, happy to put off the decision at least a little longer. Only a moment later, the front door swung open again and the silver-haired girl I’d seen back at the Archive stepped through the threshold.

  I sprang up from my spot at once, feeling a little dizzy with how quickly I’d dethroned myself from the couch. "Hi," I said, sounding freakishly perky in my attempt to seem friendly. "Is this your room assignment too?" I regretted the question as soon as I asked it, certain that whoever this girl was, she was smart enough not to wander into someone else's apartment. She was probably more than capable of reading numbers on a wall.

  But my new roommate didn't seem offended. "You bet. I'm Steph."

  "Tari," I said with a grin.