Despite the time that Lee had spent at the mansion in the past, she had never actually ventured to the library there. When she had actually read any time that she had spent at the mansion before, it had always been from books she had brought with her.

She had already run out of things to read at home and the one shopping trip for books they had made since she had come home from the hospital had shown Lee that she and Tarin were very different in terms of books; while she loved wandering around just looking at the books, sometimes for hours, Tarin had been extremely bored after just 15 minutes. Which meant that, as long as Tarin insisted on going with her each and every time that she stepped foot outside the apartment, she wasn't really going to be able to go looking for new books any time soon.

The good thing was that Tarin relaxed enough when they were at the mansion that he didn't actually follow her everywhere. That wasn't to say he wasn't there, he insisted on coming each and every time that she had to go visit DocProf, but at least she was able to go for short walks around the mansion without him being right there with her.

As she first walked in to the library, Lee was a little shocked. She hadn't thought that there was a library this big at the mansion. If she had known, she probably wouldn't have waited this long before coming to check it out.

Lee only made it just over 10 feet into the library before she came to a stop, simply standing there as she was glad that she had worn jeans over her growing stomach that day. Hopefully Tarin would let her wander around for a while before coming to look for her.

Kate had desired the second she got up that this was going to be one of her famous marathon reading days. She was going to spend the entire day in a corner of the library reading book after book until she couldn’t stay awake anymore or the librarian kicked her out. Then she would just have to move the books upstairs and keep reading in her room.

She has started by finishing the book she had already been reading and was now picking out some new ones. She figured she could finish about 7 or 8 if she was lucky and didn’t get too distracted. She actually had a pretty good pile going and was actually starting to realize she may have to continue this tomorrow as well. She had been practicing the piano furiously lately and it wouldn’t’ hurt to take a few days off. Her audition wasn’t for a few months so she had plenty of time and classes were on hold till next month. It was the perfect time to take a few days to catch up on some much needed fiction.

Kate was currently on the later trying to reach for a copy of Ten Years Later, she hadn’t quite moved the thing over far enough and refused to climb back down and move it. She got it by the tips of her fingers and pulled hoping to catch it was it started to topple off of the shelf, but had no such luck. Kate watched as the book fell to the ground with a loud thud. Thankfully there wasn’t anyone else in the library. It seemed many of the students had chosen to avoid the library now that there was no research and homework to be done.

“Oh Bugger!” Kate climbed down the latter and picked up the book, checking that it wasn’t damaged from the fall. Thank goodness it seemed fine, she really didn’t want to have to explain to the librarian how she had ruined it because she was too lazy to climb down and move the later. She gave a relived sigh and returned to the large chair she had claimed as her own and placed the book on the coffee table with the rest of the pile.

“Alright where to start?” Kate scanned each title, weighing each one and ranking them by importance.

This could take much longer than she had thought it would, Lee thought as she slowly started to walk forward into the library once more. She had not expected the library to be even half this size. Glancing around as she finally made her way in between the shelves.

Days... Lee thought as she gazed at the books on the multitude of shelves around her. She could wander around here for days and not see everything in the room.

That meant that Lee was going to have to work fast to find something to read so she could spend the rest of the time while she was waiting for Tarin just wandering.

The problem was, what did she want to read? Some simple, light fiction to simply pass time? Or did she want to read something that might be useful, practical, that could actually teach her something? But if she went that way, she also didn't know what sort of thing she would want to learn.

Then Lee heard a banging sound, muffled by the surrounding books, coming from a wall. Frowning, Lee made her way in that direction, only to see an empty ladder and no one there.

Oh well, she wasn't here to look for whoever made the noise, she was here to find something to read. So Lee turned, and continued walking, glancing at the books on the shelves as she passed. Simple entertainment, Lee decided as she went, that would probably be best. She and Tarin did still have to get the baby's room ready, so it would probably be better to have something to relax into when she did read.

Then Lee heard a voice that sounded like it was quite close to her. Maybe she could ask whoever that was she'd heard for help finding that section. Stepping around the row of shelves she was walking down, Lee saw a chair with a girl sitting in it. But Lee wasn't sure whether she was a student or simply a mansion resident. Not that it would really matter, by the pile of books in front of her, she had to have had an idea of where the section Lee wanted would be.

"Hi," Lee said, keeping her voice low to try not to startle. "Would you be able to help me out? This place is a bit bigger than I was expecting..."

Kate chose to go with what appeared to be the oldest book in the bunch. She had determined in the short time at the mansion she missed her old books. There was something about the smell of her library back home that was missing here. There wasn’t that sudden whiff of old ink and faded pages.

She closed her eyes and listened to the crack of the spine as she opened the book. As her old literature professor would say, this book was defiantly well loved. She took a deep breath and could smell the ink. There really was nothing like the smell of an old book. Books in general had a very distinct smell but an old book was a aroma all it’s own. It was one of those smells that people say could bring back memories. And for Kate it did. She was reminded of hours of sitting in her library back home escaping to far off places. She thought of days spent out in the sun, under a tree, ducking out of lessons to finish her latest find. She could be anywhere and escape from her prison thanks to some well chosen words formed into a story.

>>Hi, Would you be able to help me out? This place is a bit bigger than I was expecting...

Kate looked up to see a rather pretty looking brunet, “Hello…um…I suppose I can try.”

At least the girl she had spoken to hadn't been too engrossed in her book to have been actually startled by her arrival. She didn't seem sure how much she would be able to help, but said that she could try to help.

Lee smiled down at the younger woman. Since she had no clue how long that she really had to wander the library, even an attempt at helping would be good.

"I really appreciate it," Lee said with a smile. "I'd love to just look around on my own, but unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to do that and find something to read.

"I'm Lee, by the way."

>>I really appreciate it, I'd love to just look around on my own, but unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to do that and find something to read. I'm Lee, by the way.

“I’m Kate and to tell you the truth you could spend weeks wondering around in here if you like books that much. I know I have.” Kate smiled at the woman and wondered why she was here. She looked to old to be a new student. Maybe she was a teacher, “What kind of book are you looking for?”

Of all the people Lee had met at the mansion before this, Kate seemed to be one of the best people she could have run into to ask to help her find something in the library. At least if her mention of spending weeks in here looking for books was any indication.

Lee smiled at the younger woman as she was asked what kind of books she was looking for. "I was thinking probably science fiction," Lee replied with a slight shrug. "Other than my appointments with DocProf, I haven't been able to really get out of the apartment much, and I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy without something even half decent to read."

>>I was thinking probably science fiction. Other than my appointments with DocProf, I haven't been able to really get out of the apartment much, and I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy without something even half decent to read.

“That is quite understandable. I don’t know what I would have done in my isolation if it weren’t for my books.” Kate looked around the library trying to determine where one might find science fiction. It had never been her cup of tea to read such things so she was at a serious loss, “In all honesty I have no idea where to find science fiction. I would assume in fiction but other than that I have no idea. I’m a classics kind of girl. Ask me where Emily Bronte or Tolstoy or Dumas, anything from before the 1900s really. I have a huge library full of old dusty books that have been there for forever. I have never been one for modern literature. Sorry. I can however help you look if you would like.”

Kate smiled at the woman and wondered why she would be coming to see the school doctor on a regular basis and made a note to go see him at some point herself. He was supposed to check her out sometime this week to make sure that her recovery was going well.

Kate didn't know where to find science-fiction in the library. Lee nodded. That was alright, understandable, she knew quite well that science-fiction was not everyone's cup of tea. Especially since the girl said that she preferred 'Classics' such as Emily Bronte. Those kind of readers didn't venture into speculative fiction very often, from what Lee had been able to tell.

But then Kate went on to say something about anything before 1900, and Lee smiled at her. "Who's to say that science-fiction has to be modern? How about Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, then?" She asked. "Though, I think Wells might be just after the turn of the century, there, but Verne should give us a good starting point, if you know where we could find them."

>>Who's to say that science-fiction has to be modern? How about Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, then? Though, I think Wells might be just after the turn of the century, there, but Verne should give us a good starting point, if you know where we could find them.

“That is quite true I didn’t think of him. I do love Jules Verne in all honesty. I think he is…” Kate looked around the room trying to remember where she had pulled one of his books only an hour earlier, “Over here.”

Kate started off in the direction of the expansive fiction section looking back to make sure that Lee was following her.