"Umm...hi, yes...uhhh...sorry, I was told that the book that I...that I ordered came in? Can you check please, sorry," I stammered out while I tried to make eye contact but not too much eye contact.
"What's your name hunny?" the librarian said.
"Oh, Shauna," I softly said back.
"One sec hun, I'll get it for you," she replied as she got up from her chair and walked away.
I knew I shouldn't be so timid and awkward, especially around a librarian who was just trying to do their job, but I couldn't help it. I was pretty damn shy and my lack of confidence did not do me any favors. Ironically, that was the entire reason I was here to begin with. There was a book that could possibly change all that. A book that could make me beautiful, if the rumors and my research were correct.
I wasn't hot, pretty, cute, or even 'just ok'. The only thing I had going for me was that I wasn't outright ugly. I was considered plain, too plain. Even vanilla had more flavor than I did. I was a 5'1" short girl with the body of a sticky figure, literally. I practically had no boobs, no hips, no ass, and skinny legs.
The only two things I had going for me was that I was thin and had long, natural, red hair. The problem with that was I was almost too thin and my red hair was always dry and frizzy no matter what I did. Not just that, but I had these freckles all over my face and body that I desperately hated.
Some may think that was all fine and dandy, but they don't understand. When you were this plain, you were practically invisible. No one ever saw me, no one talked to me, and people forgot I was even there. Girls wouldn't recognize me to bring me into their circles and guys didn't find me attractive enough to talk to. I realized early on that if I could only make myself more attractive, it would solve almost all of my problems. To be beautiful meant that I would be noticed.
In my solitude, I turned to witchcraft. I dabbled in spells, crystals, and other enchanted items. All of it was in the hopes that I could stumble on something that could change my physical appearance into something more appealing. It wasn't like I had money for plastic surgery or anything.
Sadly, none of it worked and it drove me crazy. People would swear online that it worked for them, but maybe I was just cursed. I constantly scoured the internet for old books that I heard contained powerful spells and enchantments, but most were impossible to find or didn't actually exist as far as I could tell.
When I started to attend Wheaton College though, I visited the library and looked through their catalog. They partnered with colleges and universities across the world, so they had a massive selection. I searched for any of the books on my list, but my computer screen constantly read '0 results found'.
I felt a deep depression falling over me as I searched for the last book on my list and was dumbfounded when it showed a result. I almost cried tears of joy when I clicked on the order button, even if it would take weeks to arrive. Today was finally the day. I was notified that it arrived and I couldn't wait to take it back to my studio apartment and unlock its secrets.
Eventually, the librarian slowly walked back with a book in hand and I almost burst with excitement. She handed me the book and I cradled it like someone just handed me a newborn baby. I quickly thanked her and briskly walked out of the library. My apartment was only a block or so away from the campus, so it wasn't long before I was safely in the confines of my home.
I tossed my backpack against the wall and sat down at my desk, turned my lamp on, and gently placed the book down. The book had a black cover and honestly seemed like it came from the Middle Ages or something. I took a deep and shuddering breath as I flipped the book open to the first page. Damn, this book was old. The pages were handwritten and they felt frail to the touch.
My excitement came to an abrupt halt though. No...no no no. No! The book was written in some sort of language I had never seen before. I took out my phone to see if my translator app could identify it and even it had no idea. Dammit! I finally found one of these rare books, but I couldn't even read it. Just fan-freakin'-tastic. I slammed my elbows down on my desk and buried my face in my hands. I honestly felt like crying, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I rubbed my face and eyes with my hands before I once again stared at the book while I pulled my long red hair back behind my ears. Don't freak out Shauna, if it was this easy, then it would be suspicious. Of course, this was going to be a challenge. Focus, and maybe we can figure something out or even figure out how to translate it. While the words seemed like jibberish, they were fortunately made up of Latin characters. So maybe, just maybe, I could figure this out.
"Gpt yjpdr ejp eodj sm siformvr, dqrsl piy smf o djsaa aodyrm," I said haltingly and with a raised eyebrow.
I half-expected the lights to flicker or to feel a change in temperature, or something. But nope, nothing. I sighed to myself while I closed the book and lowered my head to rest on it.
"Why. Is. This. So. Hard," I said to myself while bouncing my head off the book after each word.
I looked at my clock and saw that I had a few hours until I was supposed to meet my science lab partner for a project. Seemed like it was just enough time to get a good nap in. I definitely didn't get enough sleep last night and maybe I could make a breakthrough later. I got up from my chair and switched out into some comfy pajamas. I turned off the lights in the room, closed the blinds, and crawled into my comfy bed. As I drifted off the sleep, I fantasized about learning some sort of spell from the book that could change every aspect of my body.
A loud noise startled me awake and I opened my eyes. I wasn't in my bed and I sure as hell wasn't in my apartment. I was standing in a huge stone room that was dimly lit by torches. There were massive pillars that went from the ground straight to the ceiling that must have been dozens of feet high. I felt my heart start to race out of fear, but I quickly reminded myself that this must be some sort of dream. An incredibly weird dream at that. I pinched myself in an attempt to wake myself, but I remained right where I was.
"Hello Shauna," I heard a deep voice rumble from behind me.
The voice made the hairs on my body stand on end and I froze in fear. It felt like every muscle in my body tightened as if to run, but I couldn't move at all. I eventually slowly turned myself to look for where that voice came from. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw an extremely large figure sitting on what looked to be a throne atop a high platform. I gulped at the sight as my entire body turned to face it.
Was he a...demon? At least I thought he was a 'he' anyway. He had long horns that stuck out of his head that were covered by black hair and his eyes had pupils that looked like they were on fire. His skin was a deep red and he was also almost completely naked except for a loincloth covering his lower body. Thankfully, he didn't look grotesque or scary, quite the opposite actually. He was incredibly attractive with a surprisingly handsome face. Other than the horn, the eyes, and the skin color, his body looked incredibly similar to that of a human male.
What really caught my eye was his physique. He was absolutely ripped. Giant muscles covered every inch of him, but they were well proportioned to his large frame. Each muscle was so defined and so distinct that I could easily count all of them if I wanted to. I had seen muscular guys in movies before, but this demon could put them all to shame. Even though he was just sitting there, it looked like every single muscle was being flexed. To be honest, I had a thing for big muscles, so I was getting weirdly turned on the longer I stared at him.
