Intellectual Charm

Luckily for them, Tingting was still feeling drowsy and so she granted them two hours' worth of rest before taking them down to the library.

With a grumbling creak, the large mahogany doors slowly opened, revealing the inner contents of the room within.

Stacks upon stacks of books sat towering in the wide space. Creaky shelves packed with dust and other gloomy substances lined the room in neat rows. With windows so dirty and covered in grime, rays of sun were finding trouble permeating through it, leaving only a few rays which slipped through its defenses.

In the corner, a broom, some cloth and two buckets of soapy water stood ready for their use.

"..."

"No."

"Have fun boys~"

Tingting quickly shut the door as soon as the boys stepped foot into the room. A distinctively familiar jingling noise could be heard from the other side.

A chill went down Mike's spine.

"Tingting, what are you doing?"

Lukas attempted to open the door but something seemed to be preventing him to do so.

"She locked it."

Mike's eyes widened with horror.

"You can't lock us up in here! This is hard labour! Yu Jing would be disappointed if he knew you were like this!"

"Do a good job okay~"

"Sis!"

There was no use. They had no choice but to accept their fate. How bad could it possibly be?

...

…After an hour of sorting…

My back hurts. These books are heavy. I think the air is thinning. How long has it been? Can I escape through the window? This place is too gloomy. Will a shelf fall on me? Can a shelf fall on me? Pretty please? How much longer do we-

These are just a couple of thoughts that have been going through the boys' minds. Just an hour in the library and they couldn't take it any longer.

Deciding that it was time for a little break, they leaned against each other and sat down. Tears traced lines on Mike's dust-covered face and Lukas' hair shone no more. Every time he sneezed, it felt like he was sneezing plumes of dust.

Having nothing to eat or do, their eyes wandered aimlessly around the room. What they saw was books, books, and even more books.

"Books, they're hard aren't they?" Mike initiated a conversation after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"That's part of their charm right?" Lukas answered thoughtlessly, too exhausted to care.

"You can use it as a weapon, a coaster, a stand... So many uses."

"Indeed. You can use the pages as fuel for fire..."

"Fire..."

"Fire..."

Fire. Something that burned down half the mansion. Something powerful enough to break down half a house... It could probably burn down the entire library too right? Wait, wouldn't that lead to... freedom?!

"Shall we?" Lukas stood up abruptly, renewed energy coursing through his body.

"Can we?" Mike looked up dubiously. "Wouldn't sis get really angry?..."

"Does it matter?" Tempting words assaulted Mike again and again. Being free from this murky place would be absolute bliss.

"She won't know it was us."

That was all he needed to hear.

"Let's do it."

"Let's do what? What were you two planning a moment ago?"

A female voice came from the area behind them. More accurately, from the doorway.

"..."

"..."

"It was his idea." Lukas shamelessly shoved the blame onto Mike.

"Was not!"

"Whatever. I've brought you some fruit. Eat this and get back to work. No funny business, understand?"

"...Yes..."

"Fine..."

They needed more help. Cleaning everything would shave off years from their lifespan. Their current living conditions were already snipping off the ends of it anyway.

"Tingting, can I have my phone, I'll only use it for a few minutes."

Tingting tilted her head, deep in thought.

"Sure."

Once it was deemed harmless for Lukas to gain access to the electronic device, Tingting dug through her pockets and handed over his cellphone.

Lukas walked further away from Tingting and dragged Mike with him.

"Bro, what did you want that for?"

"Let's call Yu Jing."

"...! Good idea bro. Heh. If we suffer, he suffers."

Lukas signaled for him to be quiet and typed Yu Jing's number.

"Hello?" The line connected immediately.

"Can you come over right now? We need some assistance."

"l'm having tutoring. What do you need me for?"

"Tsk."

"...What?"

"Nothing. Are you sure you can't come?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Bye."

"Bye..."

The exchange was short but the impact was heavy.

No matter. They had an ace up their sleeves.

Lukas rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and nodded at Mike who had taken off his shirt, revealing his rippling six-packs that could make any girl drool at the sight of them.

Taking in a large breath, they turned to the door and...

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

"Let us out!!!"

They hammered on the door with all their might.

"Sis!!! We're dying in here!!!"

Their lungs were being used to their limits too.

"You can't do this to us!!!"

A few minutes later, after getting no response, Mike, a sweaty mess, slid to the floor miserably.

"What sin have we committed to deserve such heavy punishment as this?!"

His hands clasped tightly together, Mike raised his head at the ceiling and shouted,

"Oh Lord, if you are listening to me right now, please. Have mercy on us!!!"

*Squeak* *Squeak* *Squeak*

A black creature streaked past them, leaving a trail of sooty footprints behind it. More mess to clean up...

"Your Lord has abandoned you."

"Shut up!"

They were getting nowhere. There was only one way after all.

"Shall we light a fire?"

"Sounds good."

...

Moments later, using a lighter Mike always carried around and pages for fuel, a small blazing fire was set up in the middle of the library.

The boys sat huddled around their little campfire, mesmerized by the flickering flames and the burning paper.

"Red..."

Mike reached out one tentative finger and stuck it in the heat. He pulled back on reflex.

"It burns!"

...They were going crazy.

They pranced around the fire like a couple of little savages until Tingting, wanting to collect the cutlery, caught them red-handed, stomped out their little fire and lectured them to do their work properly.

The rest of their day followed in silence.