The Moments I Recall

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"What were you guys gonna tell us earlier?" Harper asks.

"Oh yeah that, we broke into the library because turns out the open doorway behind the counter actually goes into the room from before so, you know, we snuck in." Willjay laughs nervously.

"What happened? Why didn't you tell us first?" Harper questions.

"Willjay makes it sound worse than it is." Theo laughs. "It led us to the room and we found things that could help." Harper begins scolding them, but the coincidence that the doorway happened to lead to the room occupies my mind.

"The map, where is it?" I ask Jessie placing my straw on the table.

"In my car, I'll go get it." He tells me.

"I'll go too." I say moving over Theo in the booth. When we are outside Jessie stops me, pulling me over to the back, away from all the windows.

"Why do you need the map?" He asks. There aren't as many cars in the parking lot, much less than usual. 

"I just want to see something." I tell him.

"Come on Lia, you are planning something, I just want to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid."

"Like you guys breaking into the library?" I ask. He lets out a light laugh and rubs the back of his neck.

"Willjay wanted us to bond or whatever, we got in and got out." I meet his gaze and give him the best smile I can muster, then move past him towards his car.

"Lia!" He calls.

"Keys." I call back turning to face him.

"Xylia." He says a little softer, sitting on the edge of the hood. I hold out my hand and with a sigh he hands me the keys. I open the drivers side and spot his bag in the passengers seat. Opening the bag, I pull out the black notebook and flip it open.

"What's this?" I ask pointing at a page filled with the same word over and over. 'HOLES'

"I don't know, I don't remember writing it." He replies when I pass him the book.

"Holes? Where?" I inquire but he just shrugs his shoulders. I flip through the book and find that there are six more pages of just this word before finding the map. My eyes hover over the library. "See, I knew it." On the drawing, it shows a corridor leading to three rooms. The contents of the rooms are not drawn, but they are here. Jessie stands up and grabs my hand, leading me back into Andy's.

"What's up Ly?" Willjay asks, his mouth stuffed with cheesy fries. I place the map up and show them the three rooms.

"Yeah, I was going to tell you about that before." Theo says. "What are you thinking exactly."

"Do you remember the office at camp?" I ask. "The last thing I remember about camp is us spying on that woman in the office, then nothing."

"No." Harper shakes her head. Theo looks at me and shrugs with his hands.

"Well there was a backroom in the office." I tell them. Confusion makes it seem patent on their faces. "There's a back room in the guidance counselor office."

"Oh right, isn't she the same woman?" Will swallows.

"Look." I point at the school. I show them the room where the guidance counselor office is then the corridor drawn coming from the room.

"We found a note from Coby that night that said doors lead to intended destinations, but backdoors are exits, back doors lead to escapes." Theo recites.