00; Prologue

It was extremely quiet to the point that nothing but the sound of my breathing and footsteps could be heard in this long, empty hallway. It felt like it was just yesterday that I first walked through these hallways, and now, it was the last time I would be doing so.

I held onto my notebook tightly, my footsteps slowing down as I thought of what I was doing. Was it really necessary for me to do this? Why am I doing this in the first place? This notebook was supposed to be a way to read back on all my memories; to feel like I'm reliving each day of my final year of high school all over again. But for some reason, it feels like I don't need to. It's as though all the memories will always be there, with or without the notebook.

So the first thing that came to my mind was to just get rid of it. I don't think I could burn it though, because it held to much value to simply be taken away by fire. Burying it was another option though that would be too much work and the notebook did not deserve to be covered with dirt and soil as it was an expensive notebook. Beside, the black leather was my favourite feature of the notebook and dirt and soil should never touch it.

So there was only one last thing I could think of doing, and no matter how utterly unnecessary and kind of weird it may seem, it felt like the right thing to do.

I took a deep breath and stopped, staring at the glass doors in front of me.

I felt nervous but not because of what I was about to do, but it suddenly dawned on me that the doors might be locked and I may not be able to complete the task I had in mind ever since I thought of getting rid of my notebook.

Inhaling another big breath, I pressed my hand against the handle of the door and pushed with all the strength I had. I smiled in delight as the door swung widely open for me, my insides jumping around in joy and relief. I stepped through the doors and let it close gently behind me as I looked around at the amazing and large library in front of me.

The light shone in through the large glass windows around the room, landing on the books and making it seem as thought each one was shining like stars. The tables were all neatly lined with the chairs placed on top of them. The floors were free of dust and each book shelf was shining and spotless. It was an amazing and beautiful sight, and I couldn't have thought of a better place to leave my most precious possession.

I began to walk towards the back of the library, walking past every bookshelf with my eyes forward and my legs moving on their own as they have gotten familiar with every step that had to be taken in this library for the past 3 years of my life.

After what felt like forever, I stopped in front of the bookshelf where it all started. The bookshelf that began the most amazing year I could have ever experienced in my whole life. I looked up at one of the highest shelf and reached up as I went on my tiptoe, touching a calculus textbook. It was my most dreaded subject in school, but this textbook was the golden book that gave me nothing but happiness -but the subject was still dreadful-.

I moved away from the bookshelf and looked down at my notebook one last time, feeling the leather in my hand more clearly. My notebook felt smooth despite it being a rough leather, and heavy as thought it was filled with many things. It was an ugly notebook to me the first time I saw it but now, it seemed to be a beautiful object. I squeezed my notebook one last time and looked back up at the bookshelf, reaching for the calculus textbook once again.

I felt determined as I smiled and pushed against the textbook lightly, moving it to the side as I slid my notebook right beside it. Like magic, it fit perfectly.

I stepped back and stared up at my work, my smiling growing wider as a small chuckle came out.

My notebook completely stood out among the calculus and science textbooks, but to a stranger, it would just be a random book that was out of place. And it was a wonderful sight to me.

I sighed and put my hands in my pocket, my hands feeling empty. I never thought that a notebook could ever become important to me, but just like everything else that has happened to me in the last year, I learned to expect the unexpected and just let yourself feel and do whatever your heart and mind tells you to.

I looked at my notebook one last time before turning around. I began to walk forward but felt like I was forgetting something, so I looked over my shoulder at my notebook again.

The sun shone just as brightly on it as it did on all the other books, but to me, it was the brightest book.

I let out a sigh as a small smile formed on my lips.

"I hope my memories will live forever."

And with that, I turned back around, walking away and determined to live the rest of my life making more beautiful memories that I would have written in that simple, black leather book.