"This book better be worth all of the effort they put into finding it," he swallows hard and hesitates a moment before opening it. "I really really hope it was worth all of their effort." He exhales slowly to contain his anxiety and starts to peel back the hardcover.

"Hey, I saw you hanging out by yourself. Aren't you a bit young to be in college?" Elana asked walking up to the table.

"This library was the only place I could find this book. My family has been looking for it for as long as I can remember." X responded almost automatically without looking up.

"Really, oh I am Elana btw. What's your name?" She asked as she sat down opposite him.

"You can call me X," He said as he looked up. "Oh, you are that woman I almost ran into earlier. I really am sorry about that. I was so excited about finding the book that I forgot where I was for a second."

"What an interesting name, is that a nickname or-" She was suddenly cut off by someone talking over on the next row.

"Keep it down over there," a man says. "Some of us actually study in the library."

She lowers her voice a bit before responding again. "What's the book about? It must be pretty important since you said your family was looking for it."

"It's a really big deal in my family, my father told me stories about how he has been looking for it most of his life." He goes back to studying the cover.

"That's pretty cool, it is almost like a life's mission. Does that mean you've succeeded in your father's place? Is he gonna be excited that you found it?" Elana's excitement was rising again. This reminded her of some of the anime she would watch with Zack and Darius.

"I honestly don't know. I'll be sure to ask him when I finally find him again." X was still lost in the book.

This caused Elana to realize that something wasn't quite right. Growing up in a neighborhood as rough as her's allowed her to see some things. An often occurring one was kids without parents trying to make it on their own. She wondered if this book was what was driving him in life. For the first time, she took a detailed look at it.

An intricate painting of a red-leafed forest surrounds one tree. That tree is bearing a large mangled crystalline purple fruit with a crow on the edge of the branch pecking at it. The trim of this image was golden and the white gilded text once again pointed out the title, The Garden of the 5 Lords. Oddly enough there was no author on any part of the outer cover.

X finally opens the book and turns to the very first page. He notices some small text and reads it aloud "The pathways have become connected, the gateway is open? What does that mean?"

"That sounds ominous. What kind of book is this again?" Elana moves a bit closer to the book. She can see the stain of the page moving. "Are you seeing this?!"

"I said keep it down!" The man that yelled earlier came from around the bookshelf that was separating their tables. "I have almost no time to study between football and working with my frat brothers. I need peace and quiet." He gets closer to Elana and X. "Of course your loud mouth wouldn't know peace and quiet with where you come from. Do me a favor and drop out so I can study."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Just because you are some jockstrap wearing bigshot, you think you can boss us around? What are you a cop?" Elana sizes him up.

"What's going on? Is this loud guy bothering you, Elana?" Adriana said walking over to the incident.

"Who asked you to butt in? Go back to working landscape and stay out of my conversation." He replied with vitriol. "What is all this trash even doing at this college?"

*Back upstairs*

"Do you hear something Zack?" Darius looks over his shoulder towards the sounds of commotion coming from downstairs. "Is that Norman from the football team?"

Zack stands up and adjusts his glasses so he can see better. "Why does he look like he is arguing with .... Oh shit, it's Elana."

Zack and Darius quickly pack their stuff and rush downstairs. Upon making it to the confrontation they see Adriana and the boy from earlier trying to calm things down a step.

X butts into the conversation. "Don't you think this is a bit much? Can't we just go our separate ways and not argue in public?"

"You need to back up Norman", Zack exclaims with Darius backing him.

"Oh look another piece of trash steps up to be cleaned out."

"Okay idiot this isn't 1930," Adriana says matter of factly, "you are always causing issues for people that don't look like you. Parading around all high and mighty. How can you question why she is here when you are only here because you can chase a ball!"

"Who asked you, Adriana? Just because you aren't the same type of trash as the rest of them doesn't mean you aren't bad too." His tanned face turning visibly red from the growing altercation.

Suddenly a loud snapping sound could be heard coming from the direction of the book.

X turned towards the snapping sound and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that?"

Everyone turned and looked at the book. It was snapped closed, and it was floating.

Elana took a step behind him. "¡Qué chingados!"

From the book came a deep humming noise, and the area surrounding the book began to ripple like the surface of water when something drops into it.

Darius turned to Zack "I am not a fan of this, anyone have a clue whats happen"

Before he could finish his statement there was a thundering snap followed by a flash, then there was darkness.