Mother of Darkwaters: Book one of the Vessel series by Tony C. Skye Page B

above her left arm, Julianna examines the white tag books on the right end of each row.
      
       Of course not. That'd be too damn easy.
       After recognizing the last tag in the set to be a perfect match color for the door where her mother's diary had been kept, the girl climbs back down the ladder. At least, she is now somewhat assured as to the books' orderings. If the final color is at the bottom right, then it only makes sense that the first book in the set will be found to the top left of the shelves. She places her right hand on the ladder and pushes.
       Crap.
       The ladder stubbornly rejects the girl's authority. She examines the ladder's wheels. They do not touch the floor. Julianna spots a handle towards the bottom of the ladder. She walks behind the ladder and presses the handle down with her bare right foot.
      
       Click. Click. Click. Swoosh.
       The hydraulics take over – dropping the wheels to the floor and releasing the brake. Julianna shakes her head and talks to her new stubborn friend,
       “Shall we try this again?”
       The teen nearly falls as she over-eagerly pushes the compliant ladder. She looks around the empty room like there is a possibility a small crowd has gathered to witness her clumsiness. Recomposing herself, Julianna walks the willing ladder to the other end of the horseshoe bookshelf.
      
       Click. Click. Click. Swoosh.
       The ladder's wheels rise back up while locking the brake back into position. Julianna pushes and pulls to test the ladder's obedience against her victorious conquering. With her new experience, the teen climbs the ladder with a little more confidence in each step. Once she reaches the top row of white tag books, Julianna no longer feels the need to place a death grip around the ladder. The look down, however, she still believes is a good enough reason to harbor some anxiety, and reason enough to avoid the situation as much as possible.
       The girl gently nibbles on her lower lip while she scans the four rows. She grins after she verifies her calculations about the shelving system.
       “One, two, she finds a key,” Julianna recites as she plucks the first two white books from the shelf. She climbs back down the ladder, and places the two books on the floor next to the diary she decided not to carry a second time. Carefully tracing the diary's cover as she kneels, the girl sighs. Her eyes water while she stares at her mother's past.
       “Thanks mom,” she whispers before placing her first two fingers of her right hand to her lips. She makes a quiet kissing sound. Touching the diary's cover with her kissed fingers, Julianna forces a smile.
     
       She places the diary on top of the two white tag books and stands upright. The girl turns and reexamines the towering ladder before her. Julianna shakes her head at any notion of moving the ladder back into its original position. After all, there is no need. The library now belongs to Julianna Cora Atwood – daughter of Theresa and granddaughter to Martha, the mother of her mother.
     
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       Julianna sits the empty glass of chocolate milk into the kitchen's empty dishwasher. She returns to her new bedroom, opens her personal fridge, and grabs a bottle of vitamin water. After opening it, the girl takes a long drink to wash down the thick film left behind from the milk. She places the cap back on and sits the water bottle on her nightstand.
       The teen reclaims her spot upon her bed. With her covers pulled into their rightful position, Julianna reaches for the two white books lying next to her water and Doritos. Leaning against her two pillows, she reads the book's titles.
       The first one reads: Family History and Records . The girl raises the left corner of her lip in protest. She puts it on the bed to her left and picks up the next one in the series.
       She quietly reads the title to herself, “ Woman: An Autobiography .”
     
       Visioning what her