Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The shell version of me appeared. My consciousness climbed out into the universe, searching for a new vessel, and my body was left behind, hard and empty.
The shell went to my job and stood in my place.
It spoke, answered questions, and made decisions.
I had felt everything all at once for months. Now I felt nothing.
Mostly I don’t remember what happened while I was a shell.
But my shell did make two big declarations without me.
The first: My coworkers were chatting and doing things around my shell at the circulation desk.
Alyssa asked if I was still using the dating app.
My shell answered that I didn’t plan on dating anybody for a long time because I needed to figure myself out first. (Actually, my shell said, “I need to date myself first.” Which was a good sentiment, I guess, but kill me.)
Macon was standing right there when those words came out of my mouth.
The second: My fifth anniversary as a librarian arrived. Sue gave me a congratulations card and pointed out that it was also, coincidentally, the last day that I could apply to library school.
My shell thanked her for the card but announced that it had decided not to go.