Immortal Souls (The Immortal Souls: Magic & Chaos)

Chapter 4

"Really?" Michelle asked as her face broke into the largest smile Sam had ever seen. "Because I've been working double shifts for a week now and I think I might die if I have to go on."

Sam laughed a little. "Yeah, I mean it. I need a summer job, you need the help. So I guess it works out okay for everyone?"

Michelle placed a hand on her chest and let a relieved sigh, giving Sam another overly large smile. "Thank you, I one hundred percent accept."

"Awesome. When do I start?"

Michelle's smile of joy quickly became tinted with guilt and apprehension. "Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to start right now?"

Sam smiled internally, glad that she would get her chance to investigate so soon and wouldn't have to have one or two sleepless nights obsessing over what was going on . . . that would have been especially annoying if it turned out there was nothing to find.

On the outside Sam shrugged and smiled her most polite smile. "I didn't have any other plans tonight, so now works fine for me."

Michelle practically jumped over the desk when she reached across and pulled Sam in for a hug. The desk between them making it awkward and slightly painful for both.

"Come on back here," Michelle said and ushered Sam behind the desk, watching her as though she were the bravest and shiniest of all the white knights.

With a smile, Sam obeyed.

"Okay," Michelle said, then began instructing Sam on all she needed to know. "The computer system is pretty basic. The only program you need opens automatically, but just in case you switch it off by accident I'll just write the password down here."

She held up a pink Post-It, then stuck it to the computer screen. "If anyone is taking books out you scan their card through first, then the books. If they don't have a card just type their name and details into the computer. And if they're returning books you just scan them through."

Michelle picked one of the books up off the return cart, and held it to the side so Sam could see the labels on its spine. "The books have specific places on the shelves. They're categorised by genre, and—"

Sam held up her hands to stop Michelle's speech before it went on much longer. "Michelle, I've read most of the books in this place, I know how they're organised and where they all go. You don't need to explain it."

Michelle smiled. "Right," she said. "Sorry." She opened one of the drawers in the desk and pulled out a set of keys. "These are Jessie's keys. You lock up at—"

"Midnight," Sam finished. "I know."

"You have to unplug the computer and switch off all the lights. Then just lock the doors. Any questions before I leave?"

"Yeah," Sam said and shrugged her jacket off, folding it over the back of the chair. "Does this mean I'm allowed to use the staff bathroom, because I need to pee and those other ones are kinda gross."

"Sure." Michelle laughed and pointed to the door behind the desk. "Staff bathroom is back there."

Sam walked past her, through the door behind the desk. Beyond it was a short narrow hallway with yellow walls. There were two doors, one to the left and one to the right. Sam spent perhaps a second looking at each one before she reached out and placed her hand on the doorknob of the door to the left.

She turned the handle, and tried to push it open but a hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her from moving forward.

Sam looked at Michelle curiously. Her expression seemed frightened. "Not that one," she said quickly, her voice panicked. "Never that one."

Sam raised an eyebrow in confusion. Slowly, she let her hand fall away from the doorknob; the moment her hand fell Michelle released her grasp on Sam's wrist.

Michelle let a breath as she relaxed a little. "Sorry," she said. "That's the basement. We've been having some . . . problems down there, so for safety we keep the door locked at all times."

Strange, Sam thought while she nodded her understanding.

"I'll wait until you're finished." Michelle stood in front of the basement door, almost if she were guarding it.

The thought that stuck with Sam as she walked into the bathroom was, why did Michelle feel the need to guard the door?

And more importantly, was she doing it to keep Sam out or was she trying to keep something in?