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  “Thank you,” she murmured. “I’m sorry I dozed off.” Still unable to look at him, and hidden behind a curtain of her red hair, Aislin ducked her head and practically ran out of the library, the door closing shut behind her. Just in time, too. The bell rang for third period, and she couldn’t be late on the first day of school.

  Chapter 3

  The position of school librarian was not one that anyone would have thought of as prestigious nor was it one that held high chances of advancement. And yet the job was in the ideal place at the perfect time for one Alexander Bookman, a young man that had come highly recommended by the previous librarian. Tall and lithe in build, the twenty-four year old man looked more like the type to be on an athletic field than willingly at home within the book-filled bowels of a school library. Still the administration had been quite pleased by his apparent dedication to the position. He had come in during the summer to revamp and revitalize the library, changing the large space into a place that teenagers would feel welcome. When he wasn’t searching the internet for new books to add to the library, he was rifling through the shelves of second-hand stores for old and rare books. It had been a strenuous task that had taken most of the summer; but by the last day of summer, he had finished and the changes were astounding.

  When the morning bell rang on the first day of school, Alexander had been at the library for a few hours already, scoping out the premises and making any last minute adjustments. Flipping through a pile of papers on his desk near the back of the library, he had an optimal view of the doorway when the first visitor entered, a young auburn-haired girl that the previous librarian had mentioned during his orientation. Pale blue eyes discreetly swept over the girl, taking note of the way she was drawn to the section that contained the fantasy genre. A faint smile briefly twisted his lips as a book was chosen from the shelves, one of the newer ones he had purchased during the summer. Hm...I wonder why she chose that particular one... Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away and returned his attention to the paperwork he had been sorting through earlier. After filing away the latest invoice for books, he glanced briefly at the library’s sole visitor before walking away from the desk. He certainly wasn’t being paid to stand at the desk and look pretty. There were several things that he was responsible for, being the head librarian in a high school library, the most pressing and necessary duty being that of checking in the last two boxes of new library books.

  Meticulous and thorough, Alexander lost himself within the tasks at hand, taking his time in placing the books in their proper places throughout the massive library. Humming softly under his breath, he moved about with a predatory grace, pausing occasionally to move a book to its respective shelf or to help a student who had entered his domain. Periodically he would glance towards the girl who had ensconced herself in one of the more comfortable areas he had arranged with a few of the books. She seemed to be enthralled with the story each time he looked, and so he didn’t worry too much about what she was doing until he had put the last book away.

  A quick glance to his watch had shown that it was nearly time for the third period bell to ring, which was quite surprising when it felt as though only twenty minutes had passed. Well, as the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun... Returning to his desk, he frowned slightly and looked back to the girl, noting that she seemed to have fallen asleep in the chair. Perhaps he should awaken her and send her on her way to class, rather than allow her to drool on the pages of his books. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice just loud enough to rouse her. “Shouldn’t you be in class?” He found a perverse pleasure in the way she jumped in surprise and blushed fiercely in response to his question. Managing to hold back his laughter as she stammered her apologies, he went through the motions of checking out the books for her and making certain that the books had not been damaged by her little nap. When he was done, he slid the books across the counter and watched in amusement as the girl practically ran out of the library.

  Chapter 4

  Third period was English, usually one of Aislin’s favorite classes. She found a quiet solace in the only sounds that came from the classroom--the turning of the pages, the clearing of throats as they read. The teacher was always so understanding of the need to just...get away, and it was refreshing. This year, though...something was different.

  As she pushed into the room where her classmates were already assembled, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Something...didn’t feel right. The classroom was too quiet, and the teacher was all wrong. Of course, this was a new year and everything was different, but Aislin hadn’t expected it to be so...unfamiliar.

  “Come sit down, Ms. Oriole,” the teacher said gruffly. He was an elderly man, with steel-gray hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a three piece wool suit with a garish orange and yellow tie. Altogether, he seemed to not fit in at all with the high school picture. “Miss Oriole!” he barked again. “If you’re done staring at me like I have three heads, then sit down. Now.”

  Aislin practically jumped to attention and hurried through the rows of seats, keeping her head ducked low and a curtain of red hair over her face, too embarrassed to actually look at anyone as she moved. She slid into the seat, placing her books on top of the desk in front of her. God, she wanted to melt into the floor.

  “Now...” the teacher began, looking at Aislin in particular but scanning the rest of the class as well, “This year, in English, because you are seniors, we are focusing more on the nonfiction aspect of literature and the English language. You will need this knowledge to help you in writing college admission essays, papers in school, that kind of a thing. We will not be reading novels in class this year.” He looked pointedly at the books that Aislin had in front of her. She bit back the urge to roll her eyes. This year was going to be a long one already, she could tell.

  English dragged on, and throughout most of it Aislin spaced out, staring up at the ceiling and pretending to be listening to the drivel the professor was spouting. Theses, research, data and conclusions...those things had no place in writing, Aislin thought. They were for mathematicians and scholars, not for writers. Why would anyone want to write something so meaningless, anyway? She would rather write something that could bring pleasure to the people who read it, but apparently this year that was not going to happen.

  The bell didn’t ring soon enough. The moment it did, Aislin practically leapt from her seat, running into a number of people in her effort to escape. Her books were scattered onto the floor, and Aislin dove to grab them, but she didn’t make it in time. Her skirt was scattered behind her and caught on the leg of the desk as she watched the books she had just borrowed, the precious books, torn to shreds under the heels of the people as they moved from the classroom. A soft sob escaped her as she watched them be destroyed, her green eyes wide with helpless horror.

  The fake laughs of the people, the mock sympathy, was what she couldn’t stand. They all leered at her and pretended to be sincere...she hated them, all of them, as they ground their heels into the books they pretended to help her pick up. All of their sympathy and their expressions, they grated on her and made her want to grind her eyes out of her head.

  Desperate to get away, Aislin scooped up the remnants of the new books they had just ruined and fled to the only place she felt comfortable--the library. She waited until the librarian was off doing something else before she snuck in, hiding in the back of the library to see if she could fix any of the damage. God, how mad was this new librarian going to be? The first day of school, and she had already ruined his new merchandise. Trembling, her fingers touched the binding of the book lightly. She needed to calm down first.

  She froze, though, like a rabbit about to be jumped, when the library doors opened and she recognized the voices of the two girls who walked in. She couldn’t see them, hidden as she was in the back of the library, but she could hear everything they said.

  “Did you see her face?” a black-haired girl with brigh
t blue eyes laughed, holding her textbook like a talisman in front of her, her heels clicking on the floor as she moved.

  “Oh, Bonnie, it was too good,” her friend laughed, her blonde locks bouncing on her back. “I thought she was going to cry right there.”

  “And when the book got torn up? Did you see the way she acted, Lottie?” Bonnie laughed, her eyes glittering coldly. “What a baby...it’s just a stupid book.”

  Aislin looked out from her bookshelf, creeping up the aisle towards the center of the library, keeping close to the other shelves so no one could see her. She wanted to be able to hear them as they walked...but she still didn’t want to be seen.

  Alexander had been finishing with the latest shipment of new books when he heard the doors to the library open, and yet he didn’t bother to stop what he was doing. So far he was not very impressed with the caliber of students at this school, and he saw no reason to interrupt what he enjoyed to follow them around like a lost puppy. Still, upon hearing the shrill tones of two teenage girls, the man sighed in annoyance before something they said caused him to pause for a moment and listen to their ramblings about another girl and a book torn to pieces. A book? One of his books? Icy blue eyes narrowed in cold anger as he straightened to his full height, setting down the books he was cataloguing. His strides were swift and silent as he crossed the vast library to end up before the two girls, his voice deadly calm. “Did I just hear the two of you laughing about one of my books being ruined?”

  Bonnie was caught up short, her eyes widening as the librarian stopped in front of them. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest as she saw his features, but the look on his face stopped her cold. “Um....no, Mr....Librarian sir, you must have been mistaken. We didn’t say anything like that.” He was cute....but the expression on his face was something scary.

  Lottie chimed in, her eyes wide like a doe’s, “Yeah, you must have heard us wrong.”

  A malicious smirk twisted his lips, the cold look in his eyes only intensifying with each word the girls uttered. He crossed his arms over his muscled chest, glaring at the two girls, his voice deceptively calm and low. “Come now, children, I heard every word you uttered once you stepped through my library doors. It does you no good to lie about them now. You two were laughing about the willful destruction of school property. Whether it was on accident or on purpose, which, given your lies and gloating session, I am quite certain it was deliberate...however, I digress. Regardless of circumstances, you came into my library with the audacity to malign a person because they were upset that a book they borrowed from my library was destroyed. I will give you one chance to explain yourselves before I punish you...and make it good, girls.”

  Aislin heard the lashing that the girls were being given by the librarian, and she couldn’t help a small smile crossing her face. Maybe he was a good guy after all... She leaned forward a little more, so that she could actually see what was going on, her face peering out from behind the bookshelf.

  Bonnie stood up straighter, matching his gaze. Her father was on the school board, after all. She would not be bullied. “She’s a freak,” she answered. “She deserved to be put into her place.” Lottie made a sound in agreement. “We were only doing what was best for her in the long run. It does her no good to get her hopes up. Now, excuse me, Mr. Librarian....let us by before my father gives you a call and takes your job faster than you can blink.”

  Aislin’s eyes widened. She had the audacity to talk to a librarian, a teacher, that way? She trembled herself. She would be deathly afraid, if it was her.

  Alexander stared at the foolish girl for a moment before bursting into amused laughter. “Oh, little girl, you have absolutely no clue, do you? Did you know that one of the new safety features in this library involves recording every little sound that happens here? If you even think that you can use your father to get out of your justified punishment, you are surely mistaken. And before you start sputtering about your rights being violated, this library is recorded and monitored for student safety as agreed to by the school board. Oh...and for your information, your father is one of the ones who reviews the footage.”

  Aislin laughed silently, her shoulders shaking as she attempted to control the sounds from coming out of her mouth. She was laughing so hard against the structure she was leaning on a book fell from the top shelf and hit her in the head. She let out a yelp as it did, which gave the girls opportunity to flee the scene, hearing the sound and bolting before the librarian could say anything more to them. She winced and rubbed the top of her head. Ouch, that hurt. The book fell on the floor and landed on the white fabric of her skirt. She stared at it for a moment, fascinated. This was an...old looking book. Interesting.

  She stood, gingerly. The book was heavier than she had expected it to be, and she picked that one up, the ruined one still in her arms. The librarian knew she was here, now. She was sure of that. She may as well go meet her fate. Her head held down and her red hair falling over her face, she walked up to the counter and placed both books on it. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, seeing the tattered pages sticking out of the destroyed book. “I can pay for it if you need me to...and I’d like to check this one out...please.”

  The pained yelp had taken him by surprise, even if it hadn’t shown on his face. The moment he glanced away, he knew the two girls would flee, but they would still be punished. Shaking his head in annoyance, he moved behind the counter to find the appropriate paperwork. Those two girls would be properly disciplined, even if he had to take care of it outside of the school. Perhaps he would ban them from the wondrous world of books...or perhaps he would just scare them silly. Who in the world did they think they were to decide that someone needed to learn to have no hopes?

  The sound of movement pulled him out of his dark thoughts, his head lifting to catch sight of the girl from this morning, the ruined remains of a book in her arms along with a book that was supposed to be under lock and key. Fortunately the girl was not looking and so did not see his shocked expression before he quickly shook his head and cleared his face. “Do not worry about the book. I know it wasn’t your fault. Those two made that perfectly obvious, and as such, the cost of the book will be covered by them. As for that particular book, I’m afraid that it isn’t supposed to be out in circulation yet. I still need to catalogue it properly. Perhaps when I am done, you will be able to check it out.” Of course...Alexander didn’t really mean that. The book would never be truly ready, as it would be locked away again, hopefully never to be discovered by any of the students here.

  Aislin wasn’t quite able to completely cover her crestfallen look when he gave his answer. “Oh....all right,” she said softly. “It just looked like such a good book....would you please let me know when it is available to be checked out?” She looked up at him then, her green eyes curious and inquisitive.

  The look in her eyes made him feel badly for lying about the book, but it was a necessary evil. Too much havoc could be wrecked with the old tome, havoc that he couldn’t possibly hope to fix all by himself. He gave her a reassuring smile, nodding lightly. “Of course, I will. Now, I believe the bell will be ringing shortly.”

  Aislin smiled a little and ducked her head, running out of the library towards her next class. The rest of the day flew by uneventfully, thankfully. The last bell didn’t ring fast enough for her. All she could think about though was how nice the librarian had been to her over the book incident, when he could’ve been much more strict. She was grateful for that. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and then frowned. It felt heavier than it had an hour before. She stopped for a moment, opening the bag to see what the difference was, and her eyes widened. The book was there. How did it get there? She shook her head and stuffed it back in. She would return it, first thing in the morning. Now, though, she had to go to swim practice.

  Chapter 5

  In the locker room, Aislin was about to change into her bathing suit when she felt a compelling urge to pick up the book, and to read it. Afte
r all, it wouldn’t hurt to just look at the first few pages, right? She would return it, just as she had promised. But, she wanted to read it a little, first. She pulled it out and caressed the cover. It was leather, red with age, with creases beginning to appear on the binding it was so old. The pages felt like pages should, with a texture and a musty smell, beginning to yellow. She opened the cover, and perused the first page.

  In the rich open gardens of the Capital in Avaldiir, a small girl had wandered off from the nanny that was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. No more than three or four years old, she was a tiny girl with wide innocent eyes the color of the sea and shining black curls. Soft giggles escaped the child as she toddled through the gardens, chasing after a flying butterfly. Unaware of her surroundings, the child suddenly tripped over a rock on the ground. She blinked in confusion before bursting into tears, her knee bleeding and hurting. She wanted her mommy!

  Rahim Vaelyn had been walking in the gardens with his mother, the twelve-year old offering her his arm so she could walk on it. The queen had been sick, lately, a flu the physicians thought, but it didn’t help his peace of mind to see her ill. His messy black hair fell where it wanted to on his head, and his dark eyes watched her every move. A frown crossed his features as he heard a child’s cry in the distance. “Mother, sit,” he urged softly. “I need to see what the matter is.” He gently led her to a bench and sat her down on it, moving through the gardens on his doeskin boots and breeches. He found a little girl on the ground there lost within the bushes, no more than a few years old, crying over a skinned knee.

  “There, there,” he murmured, picking her up and sitting down with her on his lap. “Let’s take a look, hmm?” He lifted her skirts a little so he could see her knee. “Oh dear, you’ve got an owwie,” he said sympathetically. Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, he pressed it against her knee. “There...all better now, hmm?”