The Bookstore

(5) The Lighthouse

Jack

It's a quiet morning in the bookstore. I've came here and I was surprised to see that Sophie wasn't here, but that wasn't going to stop me with helping Lily. In fact, it's better that she isn't here. God, I'm starting to think I talk like a stalker. I look around, the sun is filtering through the windows, casting soft shadows on the bookshelves. The smell of old books and the fresh coffee she's drinking right now fills the air.

She's behind the reception desk and I'm standing in front of her. We're actually looking pretty calm to be true. So calm I needed to ruin it, obviously.

"Any more heavy lifting needed today?" Maybe I'm too annoying with the damn heavy boxes but I believe she needs some strong arms to do what her delicate ones can't. Judging by the side eye she gave me right now, she isn't too happy.

"No, thanks. Everything is under control." She says coldly. But I'm obviously not going to give up just for that. She'll love me in a few days, I swear. Well, no, I mean, she'll think that I'm nice, not that I want her to love me or something like that, of course. I just opted for trying to make small talks and try to break her exterior.

"So... what kind of music do you enjoy?"

"Uh, I don't know. I don't have preferences." She simply says, with no excitement in her voice.

She returns to her own stuff, so I look around and remember she's attempting to make some renovations on the bookstore. I look at her grumpy face and smirk, thinking about trying to elicit a smile out of her. Some light flirting won't hurt anyone, right?

"If you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles."

"I'll take my chances."

"You know, I'm pretty handy with tools. If you ever need help, just say the word."

"I'll keep that in mind, but don't hold your breath." She says with a little smirk. Maybe I'm bringing her guard down, but I know it can't be this easy. But, at least I made her smirk.

Sophie

I didn't go to work this morning because I'm making my way to the local market to pick up some supplies for the bookstore. When I arrived and entered it, a few townspeople greeted me. It makes me happy to know my connection with the community.

While I stood in front of one of the shelves, thinking what I should grab, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw Mrs. Thompson, a local I'm very fond of with.

She was the one who gave me the information I told Lily in the café, of the mayor sneaking out to the library. Now, she mentioned seeing strange lights near the old lighthouse at night. She's wondering if someone is conducting secrets experiments there. She also hints at a possible connection to the mayor's late-night library visits.

I listened to it all intently, making myself mental notes to share this with Lily.

After a while buying all I needed, I returned to the bookstore l hoping to find Lily there. When I stepped inside, I saw her doing nothing in the desk, and that guy sitting in a a chair, looking down at his phone.

I walked to her and got her attention. When I told her about everything Mrs. Thompson told me, we started to investigate the journals and the ledger from the café.

We found a cryptic map in one of the journals that seemed to align with the old maps we found at the library with Mrs. Green help. The map points to a hidden location in the town, possibly under the lighthouse mentioned by Mrs. Thompson.

Tyler

Being in the café is the best thing ever after school, because you can find people you know, for example right now, I can see Anna standing in front of the pastries shelf. Actually, this town has always been a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else.

I call her name and she immediately turns around to look at me before smiling and sitting next to me. We chatted casually for a while and she told me she was willing to grab a coffee before going to the bookstore. I thought about telling her about the journal I found there, maybe she can join us in our investigation.

I know nothing about the investigation Sophie and Lily seem to be having, but judging by Sophie's face when I showed her the journal, I helped her much more than I thought. When I showed Anna the journal, she seemed to show genuine interest.

"That sounds fascinating, Tyler. Maybe it's connected to some of the other strange things happening around town."

"I'm sure it is! Sophie and Lily are going to look into it further. Maybe we can help them out."

We discussed the possible implications of the journal's entries and speculated about the hidden treasures and secret meetings. Anna and I decided to stop by at the bookstore, maybe they had more useful information.

When we arrived, we found Sophie, Lily and a guy I've never seen before, but his name is Jack. They told us we needed to go to the lighthouse together, because of some information Mrs. Thompson told them.

While we were walking there, I couldn't help but look behind me, just to see Anna and Sophie holding hands and the other two talking, well, Jack talking to her while she rolls her eyes. I guess I'm the only one here alone.

When we arrived, the lighthouse's door was locked, as expected. We all started investigating our surroundings to try and find an entrance. And I did, I was able to find an opened window. We all hoped inside the lighthouse.

We all investigated every corner. We found old equipment and strange documents suggesting someone has been using the lighthouse for secret experiments. We also found references to The founding families and their hidden agendas.

As we were about to leave, we heard footsteps that stopped us in our tracks, and voices approaching the lighthouse. I looked at the others with a dangerous look, and we immediately hid.

We started to overhear a conversation that hints at someone's plan to uncover a hidden treasure.

That was the moment we realized we weren't the only ones seeking answers.