Different Kinds of Magic

The Library

Aidan drops her books onto the table next to the computer. It holds the contents of the entire school library and is the focus of her frustration. Digital is supposed to be easier than the ancient card catalog near the front desk. Theoretically, the right keyword or phrases will bring up all pertinent information.

She stares at the blinking cursor. What she is looking for probably wouldn’t be found here. For almost two weeks, she’s wasted her lunch hour on fiction. Entertaining as it is, she is after facts.

She flips through the pages of a small notebook until she finds the one where she and Celia brainstormed during yesterday’s study hall. Being telepathic has it benefits. They don’t have to be in the same room. They don’t even have to be in the same city.

Ten minutes later, she feels as if she’s been banging her head against a brick wall. She scratches out the last word with a ferocious stroke of her pen. Frustrated, she buries her head in her hands.

(Sure, I can put what she needs right in her hand, but the journey to enlightenment is never the easy path. The best I can do is…)

“Interested in the occult?”

She recognizes the voice, but cannot immediately place it. Raising her head, she finds Corey leaning over her shoulder close enough to whisper in her ear. Her heart jumps to her throat. If she leans forward, her lips would brush his cheeks. She can smell shampoo and a touch of musky cologne.

It is almost impossible to speak. “Just curious.”

"You're not a Satanist or anything, are you?" he asks with a twitch of his lips.

"Nope, just your typical paranormal freak.”

"You're not going to get anywhere with this." He waves at her notes.

"No kidding."

"Come on." He places his books beside hers and says, "I'll show you where you should be looking."

Aidan glances back the librarian at the front desk. Mrs. Glen peers over her glasses, watches them go, then turns to the papers the woman next to her slides on the desk. The woman flicks a long braid to her back and winks over the librarian's head at Aidan.

Aidan follows Corey on a winding path through the stacks to a room in the far corner. His brow furrows slightly. He runs his fingers lightly over the spines of the books with a proprietary touch. “Remember,” he says, “no good school librarian lets anything resembling the occult in the school library. But on the flip side, no good librarian will pass up anything with historical or cultural value.”

“How do you know this?”

“Everything is just stories. Different people telling them, different cultures creating them. Just go outside your homogeneous head.”

He pulls a book from a lower shelf and hands it to her. “Don’t ignore myths and legends. Nothing is truly new. Everything has a grain of truth. You just have to find it.”

He hands her another one. The cover is dotted with pictures of gemstones.

“What’s this?”

"This is another starting point. Did you know birthstones evolved from many different cultures?" She shakes her head. He hasn't even looked up. He keeps talking as he kneels to look at the bottom shelf. "That book tells what each stone means or what they were used for. They used to grind up some stones to make healing elixirs or poisons. When you get home, check your Bible. Even Christians believed some stones held certain powers, especially if worn close to your heart."

Already she envisions long hours with Corey comparing notes. She wonders if he likes coffee. She watches as he plucks two more books and places them into her hands. "I think that's enough for now,” she says.