This Reality

17: The Books

A/N
Hello! I am sorry I haven't uploaded for a few days but we have exams and... yeah.
Yes, I know I am uploading at midnight (don't judge). The ideas seem to flow better at night.
Thank you for reading and for your votes and lovely comments!
Enjoy,
Kori.

Her family are quitting their jobs in order to keep her safe. Astrid can't believe this.
"What? Are you sure?"
Milla sighs and smiles. "Of course. And with Xavier dead there's nothing to worry about. The law about no fiction won't be in action now that the Leaders will fall out of power. There isn't really any point on our job any more."
Her voice has hints of both sadness and relief. She will miss her job but she is also glad that it doesn't need to be done now.

Jax pokes his head around the door.
"You guys okay in there?" He asks with concern.
"Yeah we're okay," says Astrid quietly.
Milla smiles. "A bit shaken and tired, but we're okay."

That evening at dinner, Tiger whispers something to Astrid while Milla and Jax are talking.
"Hey, we've got a surprise for you," they say quietly.
"Really?" Astrid grins, "what?"
"You'll have to wait and see, but we'll show you tonight."
At about 8pm, the adults pay for the meal and they leave the hotel.
"Why are we leaving?" Asks Astrid with confusion. "Our stuff is still in our rooms and we haven't checked out ye-"
"We're coming back later," explains Tiger, "but we're taking you out to show you something."

They arrive at a storage centre. They enter a long corridor and Astrid just sees row after row of floor length cupboards lining the walls. Milla takes a set of keys out of her pocket and stops at one of the lockers, number 458. As she unlocks and opens it, dust arises to fill the air around them.
"What? What's in here?" Asks Astrid with confusion and curiosity.

Jax reaches in, pulls out a cardboard box, and hands it to Astrid.
Astrid just stares.

"Go on! Open it," urges Tiger, obviously excited. They all sit on the floor of the quiet warehouse and Astrid gently unfolds the cardboard flap and takes out a book. It is a paperback in brand new condition. The first thing that catches Astrid's attention is the title. Sea and Sky. The cover is simple; light blue at the top and dark blue at the bottom, with a small boat near the bottom right hand corner. She then notices the authors.

Golda & Clark Smithson.
The surname seems familiar.

"Th-this is my real last name..." mumbles Astrid, who is met with an encouraging smile from Milla.

"They are your parents' books," she says softly.

Hang on a minute. They are? Isn't there only one?

She looks down to the box on the floor and sees it is full with more, with different colours and illustrations and names and stories and whole worlds.

Astrid's mouth falls open. "There's so many," she whispers quietly in shock.

"That's not even half of it," says Jax, opening the locker door, which had swung shut, to reveal half a doze more boxes.

"Why are they all here?" Asks Astrid, dumbfounded.

"Your parents had a secret underground printing office," explains Milla. "They knew that keeping the printed books at their- your house would be unsafe. So they brought them here."

Astrid nods, but then furrows her brow is confusion. "How did you know where to find them?"

"Well, the company that owns the rental storage spaces phoned us a while ago to tell us that the contract had run out. They rang us because your parents had gone missing and you are their next of kin- their only kin, in fact, and we are your legal guardians. So we knew where to find them."

Tiger, who hasn't said anything in a while but has been sitting on the floor quietly and thoughtfully, opens their mouth.

"C-could we see your parents' old house? I-if that's okay, I mean," they stutter, afraid of saying something insensitive.

"Astrid?" Jax looks at her. "Would you like to go there?"
Astrid just nods.