Chapter Two: Now What?

Sitting on the floor with her against to the door Marie Voulez pulled out her cold almost stale-looking burger and motioned to her mouth to take the first bite. Something about this burger looked very peculiar, but Marie brushed it off. She had only had about 4 hamburgers, if that, within the perimeters of her entire life and figured she didn't have much insight into the regularity, or irregularity, of beef. Aside from her speculations the burger tasted like heaven, and upon finishing Marie lit a cigarette. Her usual eating routine.
Marie contemplated reading The Lord of the Flies but after looking at it's silhouette from across the room decided not to. Instead, Marie stood up from the floor and walked over to her vanity. Aside from the grungy and disturbing location of her life the apartment she occupied was actually quite nice. She had a large window from which a desk perched in front of. On it, rested a laptop, her pack of cigarettes, and black notebook/agenda. There was no clutter.
If anything the apartment resembled a studio flat, to which Marie was very fond of. As she sat at her vanity the decided to bring Lord of the Flies back to the library, she was never going to read it.
The next day Marie stepped out to a fairly blue sky. The air was not too warm or too cold, just the right temperature for the jacket her grandfather had given her. Her grandfather purchased it for her when he went to Germany for a ski trip. Marie remembered the way back to the library, one of the only places she knew the way to. Today Marie made sure to dress conservatively, hoping to avoid any remarks about payable sex.
A rather short library watched as Marie entered the library, Marie was being rather loud. The librarian hoped she would not have to tell her to be quiet, that was the one thing she hated most about working at the library. If it was at all possible this short librarian would get a different, better, louder job, but Wilshire didn't provide many prospets. Marie asked the librarian where the drop off box was, and the librarian explained that there was none. Homeless had been steeling books from it. Marie pondered the difficulty and worthwildness of stealing books from the drop off box, wouldn't it just be easier to steal from the inside of the library? Or, better yet, just go and read the book, inside? As Marie thought about this her face kind of went blank, and the librarian looked at her and waited for Marie to come to. As the librarian waited for Marie she took the book and typed on her computer, putting the book back into the system. She noticed that Ms. Marie Voulez had just taken the book out yesterday. There were only two reasons somone would return a book a day after the checked it out; either they loved it and read it in one day or she didn't like the book at all. By the looks of Marie the librarian theorized the latter of the two. Maybe she was drugs, the librarian thought. It wouldn't be the first time this had happened to the librarian.
Maire did not loo for a new book, like the librarian suggested. Instead she made the whole library ordeal last as short as possible. As she left she realized that she needed another pack of cigarettes as she lit her last one. On the way back to Wilshire Tower she stopped in at a liquar store called D&D. She got a pack of cigarettes, but instead of turning right to go home Marie took a left. The perfect chance to explore this bleek oasis. She walked all the way around to the other side of the block where there was a playground. As she walked past she saw two figures sitting on a bench chatting. Marie stopped to light another cigarette, giving her the change to pause and observe the two figures. It looked as though one was carrying a somewhat hefty instrument. The cigarette caught the flame and Marie resumed her walk.
Once arriving to Wilshire Tower she walked inside, greeting the man at the front desk and with a smile, entered her apartment and look a nap.

mmm, burgers.

Marie sat at her windowsill an looked out at the partly cloudy atmosphere. As she smoked her cigarette she wondered what the smoky smell was that slowly filled her apartment through her open windows. Marie's stomach began to churn from the heavy buzz of her cigarette the craving for a juicy hamburger. Marie's mother would never allow her to eat red meat due to it's calorie and fat percentage. Her mother's greatest fear was to have a fat child. Without putting out her cigarette she waltzed out the door toward the elevator. Before entering the elevator Marie thought about putting out her cigarette but didn't.
The pavement had that sort of smell it gets just after it's been raining. On the way to the kosher deli Marie lit another cigarette. The air must have had a lot of moister because each time Marie exhaled smoke, and partly steam, plunged from her lungs creating a momentary cloud with each drag. The Smorgaboard was a lot closer than expected and Marie lingered outside to finish her cigarette. Once finished, she entered and purchased her kosher hamburger. Since she was alone she didn't want to sit by herself even though on the walk most of the heat and freshness of her meal would diminish. This seemed, to Marie, a fair trade off.
Off in the distance was the library, and even though the burger was growing colder by the second Marie decided her need for a book was prevalent. The stale smell of the pavement made Marie question the class of her new city. Thoughts such a these filled her mind as she approached the library, surprisingly without lighting, yet again, another cigarette.
The library look grim. Just behind Marie another person entered the library. There was something peculiar about this person, but Marie turn around to see, all she noticed was the sound the door made as it opened and closed. The organization of this library was unfamiliar so Marie just walked to the first isle she saw, the magazine rack. There must have been something in her upbringing that gave her the innate ability to sense magazines wherever she was, it was embarrassing. She wanted to know what it felt like to be intellectual. The person who entered behind Marie b-lined right towards fiction and Marie followed. The smell of the hamburger trailing behind her. Through the rows Marie tried to observe the books this character was contemplating. Marie was never very good at sneaking about and after about 20 minutes the person she was stalking noticed.
Looking back at Marie through the shelf she heard, "Can I help you?," they said.
Marie was mortified, not only had she no idea what any of these books were, but now the person looking at them was looking at her. She had not idea what to say, and so, used the charm that her mother drilled into her head as a child, "Oh, hello," she said cranking up her french accent.
"...yes?" this person was very strange.
"I was just looking for a new book, I'm sorry."
"Well, I've always like this one," out thrusted was Lord of the Flies.
The book looked old and ragged, sort of like an old law book only much smaller. The person she had been talking to began to walk away. Marie was suddenly filled with sadness that this person was walking away, it was the most interaction she'd had in about a month.
"My name's Marie," she said stepping infront of them to make sure they wouldn't keep walking.
"I'm Osiris." Marie could tell that Osiris had no intention of furthering the interaction. So, Marie said the typical, "nice to meet you, thanks for the book, have a good day," and the two parted ways.
Marie checked out the book and began walking home, the burger now cold. Just before entering Wilshire a voice from the parking yell out, "HOW MUCH, BABY GIRL?" Marie was so completely terrified that she ran through the lobby, nearly had a heart attack whilst waiting for the elevator and crashed on the floor upon entering her apartment. This is no Saint-Nazaire.