Chapter 7
Lilith looked up from the task of checking in returned books and studied the young woman who stood before the desk, but her head was thrown back and she turned in a slow circle to take in the surroundings. When she lowered her head to look at Lilith, the woman only shook hers.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, especially if you’re new to libraries.”
“I’m not new to libraries, I visit the one on campus almost every day. However, I’m here because they don’t have what I’m looking for.” Starr looked around and sighed heavily.
“Is there someone I can talk to about what I need?”
“Sure, let me get Sally to finish checking these books in, and I can help you.” Ten minutes later Lilith found Starr and slowly approached her. She had camped out at a table with several sketch books spread out before her.
“Hi, I’m the head librarian here. What can I help you with?”
“I’m Starr, and I’m about to graduate from the art program over at the university. That’s in the bag, I’ll have no problem with getting my degree.”
“What will it be in?”
“Art history. However, I’m here on a similarly related matter. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try me.”
“Okay, like I said, I’m about to graduate, oh, and it will be a Bachelor’s degree, in art history. This past January, over four months ago, a friend of mine encouraged me to take a course in something different.”
“Different how?”
“Makeup fabrication.”
“Is it anything like that TV show where they change you into monsters and stuff? Or old age you out?”
“Exactly,” Starr said with a laugh, then looked around at the other patrons, and leaned in with a grin. “In March, my professor gave us a project to come up with something with a Halloween theme. We have until Halloween to do it.”
“Do you need help coming up with something?”
“No, I have that in the bag, and the only thing I’m waiting for is to do a practice run on the makeup, but that won’t be for another month. Maybe I’m over thinking what I want here.”
“Tell me what you want, and we can figure this out together.”
“Okay, I have my designs drawn already. I have the prosthetics made, several sets, as well as, several different kinds of material.”
“Okay, it does sound like you have everything. So, why are you here?”
“I’m here to see if you have anything to make it real.”
“I don’t know if I understand.”
Starr withdrew her sketch book and flipped to the first page of her brother in his everyday life.
“This is my brother. He is the president of a local motorcycle club, and I have his permission to make him into this for Halloween.” She flipped the page and Lilith saw Lucifer staring back at her.
She actually grabbed the book and brought it closer.
“Oh my, this is wonderful. You drew this?”
“I did, and like I said, I have the impressions of his teeth, that I will be making into fangs, both upper and lower, the forehead implants, the cheek implants. I’m already.
I did a practice run on a mannequin and it took me six hours to get from this to this.
” She flipped the pages, from Luc to Lucifer.
“I have four of them to do.” She did the same with the next three people she had drawn, and watched as Lilith studied them.
“What do you want from me?”
“Am I depicting these characters as they really are in history, or am I basing these drawings off of what I believe they look like because of how Hollywood portrays them.”
“Ah, I see what you mean.” Lilith nodded and told her to bring her things with her.
It took five minutes to get to their destination in a different part of the library, and Lilith told Starr to leave her things on a nearby table.
When they went into the aisles with books on either side, Lilith stopped, looked, then nodded with a grin. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“This section,” Lilith began as she laid her hand over several books, and raised it to the shelves above and below from where she’d removed the first book.
“This section contain the oldest books this library has. They aren’t as old as the contents, but they are old, so please, be careful with them. ”
“What’s in them?”
“Images and depictions of Lucifer, and other fallen angels from the Mid-Evil times.” She took the book back and gingerly opened it so Starr could see.
“I don’t know if the sketch you showed me was everything you plan to do for your makeup, but did you know that Lucifer was actually an angel that God tossed out of Heaven? ”
“That was real?”
“Yes, and when he fell, he still had his angel wings. God didn’t take them away from him.
In these books you’ll see where he still has his wings when he took over the underworld.
I don’t know if you need to research your other characters, but if you do, everything would be in this section here, top to bottom. ”
“Thank you so much, what did you say your name was again?”
“I didn’t, but it’s Lilith.” She paused and grinned when Starr looked at her with wide eyes. “Correct, I was named for Adam’s first wife. I don’t know if you’re into meanings of names, but I am totally opposite of my meaning. My name means ‘night demon’, but I am totally opposite of that.”
Starr grinned and started to giggle. “The picture I showed you of my brother?”
“Yes? I don’t want to speak out of line, but he’s very handsome.”
“Thank you. Anyway, his real name is Lucius which means ‘bringer of light’. Totally opposite of what he is. He’s not evil, but he loves everything dark.
His favorite pastime is to visit haunted sites.
The only TV he watches is those paranormal shows on television.
I don’t know if I told you this or not, but he’s the president of the local motorcycle club.
The club name and the bar he owns have the same name. ”
“Which is?”
“Hell’s Coffin. In the club, his club name is Lucifer, and that means, ‘King of Darkness’. That’s who Luc is. He has a dark personality, but not evil.”
“I understand. What about your name?”
“Starr, with two r’s, means bright light.” She shook her head as she laughed. “I’m just like Luc, I love the dark arts, and everything that normal people shy away from.”
“Man, we could so be friends,” Lilith giggled, then sighed heavily. “I best get back to work.”
“What time do you close?”
“We close at six tonight.”
“Thank you, if you don’t see me check out, come look for me, I think I lost my way when I followed you.”
“Just follow the light,” Lilith laughed as she pointed toward the ceiling and there was a sign with an arrow, but it was light. They shared a laugh again, and Lilith left Starr to do her research.
Back at the front desk, Lilith didn’t have time to tell Sally what she had been doing, because she had forgotten that today was the day for pre-school reading, and she had volunteered to read to the children that day.
Two hours later, once the kids were done, she took her lunch break, then went back to work.
It was a hectic afternoon until around three o’clock when she looked up in surprise.
“What is it?”
“Did a young woman, the woman I took to the archives check-out?”
“Not that I’m aware of, why?”
“She told me not to forget her. I’m going to go back and see if she’s still here.” Lilith didn’t bother to explain any further as she hurried off. She smiled when she saw Starr sitting at the table with several books open, and she was busy with her sketch book.
“Excuse me, Starr?” Lilith said, and had to repeat her name several times before she looked up.
“Oh, hi.”
“Hi, it’s going on four. I don’t know if you ate, though there’s no eating or drinking in the library, but we close in two hours.”
“Thanks, Lilith.” She flipped her sketch pad around and grinned when she saw Lilith’s expression.
“Wow, not that I think demons are sexy, but that’s sexy. I love how you got that brow quirked just right.” She frowned when Starr bent over with a fit of giggles.
“That’s natural. My parents swear he developed that quirk in the womb, and was born with it. Luc is five years my senior, and he’s had it his entire life, or at least my entire life.”
“I know I don’t have a right to ask, but what does his wife or girlfriend think of it?”
“He’s single. He also doesn’t play the field.”
“What’s that mean? Well, I know what it means, but what does it mean?”
Starr grinned as she started to clean up. “Can I check out some of these books?”
“Yes, do you have a library card?”
“Not to this one, but I have one for the one on campus.”
“It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to get you a card.” They cleaned up, and Lilith helped her carry the books she wanted, after returning the others.
“Oh, you asked about Luc playing the field. He said that he doesn’t want to give anyone the impression that if he dated them, then he wanted more out of a relationship. I know it’s messed up, and I don’t know all the details, you’d have to talk to him.”
Lilith snorted a small laugh. “Like I would ever meet him.”
“Do you work tomorrow?”
“Until three, why? Then we’re closed the next day.”
Starr stopped before they entered the area where the front desk was, and dug through her bag for a smaller notebook.
She wrote something and ripped the page off to hand to her.
“This is my personal cell phone number, and name. Why don’t we get together tomorrow after work, and I can take you out to Hell’s Coffin for a drink?
You can meet Luc, and the others that I will be making over for their Halloween Bash. ”
“But you said Hell’s Coffin was a biker bar.”
“So... it’s still open to the public, you don’t have to be a biker to attend. I go there all the time. You also don’t need to wear leather. I wear jeans and a nice top.”
“Oh. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I know it’s not politically correct to ask, but how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-eight, single, but not looking for anything permanent at this time. However, I wouldn’t mind being in a committed relationship.”
“Good to know. I’ll call Luc when I get home to tell him I’ll be there tomorrow night, and bringing a friend. You can either meet me there, or we can ride together.”
“I think I’ll meet you there.”
“That sounds good. Oh, they also serve food there. Nothing fancy, burgers, fries, things like that, but I can guarantee you it will be the best burger you have ever eaten.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there at seven with my appetite.”
“Let’s,” Starr said as she took the paper back and made sure her phone number was clearly displayed. They were both grinning as they approached the front desk, and true to Lilith’s word, it took less than ten minutes for Starr to receive her library card, check out, and leave.
“What’s that smirk for?” Sally asked as they cleaned up for the night, and headed to the back to clock out.
“I might meet get the opportunity to meet someone Saturday night.” She saw the shock on Sally’s face and grinned. “I’ll fill in the details during Sunday’s brunch.”
“We’re going to brunch?”
“Yep.”