Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1), Eliza Taye [great novels .TXT] 📗

over an hour, Garrett and April silently scanned through the books they’d assembled, but they couldn’t find one instance describing an incident where an Undecided had been offered the chance to live part of their Life Plan post-declaration or a Decided’s Plan being interrupted.

“This is useless,” complained Garrett, leaning back in his chair.

April didn’t pause for a second while responding, “We can’t give up, Garrett, we need to keep searching.”

“But we’ve already searched through over five books each.”

“Yes, and there are still ten more a piece for us to go through.”

Garrett examined the piles of books in front of him. Each held old records, but so far, none of them had mentioned anything out of the ordinary. It just outlined regular old boring details no one would care to read about.

Leaning forward and pulling another book from the pile, Garrett began to read, when he stopped and asked April, “Why are you so determined to figure out what’s going on? Isn’t this a good thing for your mom?”

April paused her reading to look at Garrett. “Yes, this is a good thing for my mom…except that it could go wrong at any time. What happens if one day she goes in for work and they tell her they don’t need her anymore or they won’t train her to be a nurse anymore? That would crush her, Garrett.” April returned to scanning the book. “If I can save her from that, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Garrett reasoned that her explanation made sense. Seeing April’s determination, he resumed with a new vigor, thinking of Mrs. Carneth and how she deserved to have her job back.

They resumed going through the books, wordlessly searching though they became ever frustrated at the lack of information regarding Life Plans going awry. Page after turned page, they didn’t give up and kept trying to find a semblance of an explanation for the deviations.

A bang followed by a shudder through the library shattered both their concentration.

Garrett looked toward April with a shocked expression. “What was that?”

April checked the time, it was almost 8pm. “I don’t know. Hardly anyone comes to this library and it’s almost closing time. No one should be coming in here now.”

“Garrett?” called Opal’s voice from downstairs.

Garrett flashed a look at April before jumping from his seat and bounding down the stairs, April hot at his heels. The quavering in Opal’s voice worried him. He had to find out why she was upset.

“Opal?” asked Garrett, his brown eyes wide in worry. “What’s wrong?”

Opal was shaking, her eyes wide as she nervously tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. “It’s Brian Lavarr. He’s…he’s…dead.”

Garrett’s blood turned to ice. Frozen, he stood there on the last step, gripping the railing for support. “How? How can that be? Wasn’t he only 19?”

Opal nodded; her eyes still widened in fear. “Yes, he’s been living his Life Plan for the last two years, but today…today, he just…he drowned.”

Garrett slumped to the bottom step, cradling his head in his hands.

“Who is Brian Lavarr?” wondered April, stepping around Garrett to stand off to the side of the staircase.

“He’s my ex-girlfriend’s older brother. He used to go to our academy with us. He was one of the most popular boys in academy. Smart and athletic.” Garrett glanced at April then focused his gaze across the foyer at Opal. “How could he die? Didn’t his Life Plan include becoming an architect?”

“Yes, it did. He was studying at the same college I’m going to. Apparently, he went to the river to go swimming with some friends and a current dragged him under. No one was able to save him.”

April glanced from Opal to Garrett. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought someone couldn’t die until they’d fulfilled their Life Plan.”

“You’re right, April. It’s supposed to be impossible to die before your Life Plan has been accomplished,” affirmed Opal.

Garrett, still frozen in shock, ran his fingers through his hair trying to think. Brian Lavarr was dead. Holly Carneth had lost her teaching job and had yet to find a new one. Zayna Selendery had recently obtained a position training to become a nurse. All three things should have been impossible occurrences.

“Garrett, what are you thinking?” wondered Opal, recognizing the pondering face of her friend.

Garrett shook his head, wide-eyed, smoothing his hair down. “I don’t know. This just doesn’t make any sense.”

“I agree. First my mom’s job and now this.” Opal took a step further into the library.

“What happened to your mother’s job?” wondered April, fixing her caramel eyes on Opal.

“She lost her teaching job.”

April’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? And my mother just received an apprenticeship to become a nurse.”

This time, Opal frowned. “That makes it three different impossibilities.”

Garrett reached into his pocket but didn’t find his interwave there. Turning around, he charged up the stairs without a word.

“Garrett, where are you going?” questioned Opal.

Without waiting for a response, April fled up the stairs after him, followed by Opal.

When they reached the room where April and he had been reading through the various books, they found Garrett rifling through the books, searching for something.

“Garrett, what are you looking for?” April watched him search with a maniacal fervor.

“Ah-ha found it!” Garrett grasped his interwave in his hands. Before saying anything else, he called a number and raised the interwave to his ear. After a few moments, someone answered on the other line. “Hi, Simon, Garrett Gibbons here.”

Simon sighed. “Yes, Garrett, I know it’s you. Your name comes up when you call. What do you want? And no favors again since you were late delivering on your end of the bargain last time.”

“Fine, I understand that,” hastily replied Garrett. “I assume you’ve heard about Brian Lavarr.”

“Yes…and?”

April and Opal glanced at each other. April had