The Librarian

Isabella sat quietly at her desk. The large oak structure almost completely encircled her. The library was dimly lit with rows upon rows of books, all collected by her guardian, Darius LaCorde. She had been his librarian ever since he saved her from that research lab almost 75 years ago. But Isabella didn't look a day over 16. She never would. Darius saved her from her torture, the biological experiments of Doctor Wolfe. His twisted goal to create a perfect soldier, one who could take immense physical abuse and rebuild the body by consuming the flesh of the enemy. But only she remained in control of her mind. She watched so many other subjects devolve into brainless eating machines. Darius was part of the U.S. Military then, a covert branch dedicated to fighting the war on supernatural fronts. Isabella knew a detailed history of Darius. She had been cataloging his journals since she came to this large house overlooking Bayou St. John. Darius' military service went back further than world war 2. In fact the first enlistment on record is when he was 16, in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Isabella closed her eyes and accessed a part of her brain that was no longer biologic. In her advanced condition she had been having trouble with losing herself to her hunger. Darius had a member of The Order of the Rope, a secret society designed to protect Darius and his research, install a device to keep Isabella grounded. This, however, also gave Isabella a unique grasp over the library. Every book she read was instantly scanned into a data base via WiFi. She could cross search and correlate anything she could think of. Some could argue that Isabella was the true library in that building and not just the librarian. Tonight she was alone again. Darius was in some far corner of the world. Seeing as she did not need sleep the night often left blank as New Orleans settled down to sleep.

The good part about her modifications is she could recall any book, word for word, from memory. Something she did often. Tonight it was the poems of William Blake. But Isabella wasn't satisfied to simply read these poems to herself. Instead she called up an audio file she had created. Here she listened as the poems were read by Darius. He often would sit in the library and read poetry out loud. His slow southern drawl making the words seem more like colors in the night. He didn't read to Isabella but to a girl only he could see, Anna.

Anna died when Darius was young, and has been his primary cause for hunting since then. Somehow Anna's spirit lingered on here. Darius could see her plan as day. But Isabella only noticed when she would haunt the house. Sometimes if Anna seemed particularly restless Isabella would recite poetry out loud. It always seemed to calm her.

Tonight Anna was very quiet. A fact Isabella wasn't exactly pleased with. A little company, even in the form of an invisible spirit, would be most welcomed. Isabella never learned to be careful for what she wished for. The silence of the old house was broken as a demanding knock came from the door. Isabella made her way there to find a familiar face, Detective Jason Liccardi. Jason was a legacy member of the Order of the Rope and acted as NOPD liaison when things got strange in town.

"I'm sorry to bother you Miss Isabella, is he home", Jason asked very shyly.

"No, I'm sorry he's still abroad. Is this urgent", Isabella replied.

"I'm afraid it is ma'me, something we haven't seen before."

Jason held up an evidence bag, inside was a large tuft of hair.

 "Not again", said Isabella.