Hunted for her magic, Beth teams up with her enemy Clark to save herself. Can they resist the magic bringing them together to save their town?
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When Beth receives an assignme...
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It was four days before I felt like myself again. When I opened my eyes on Friday morning, the world was starting to become clearer than it had in the days that had passed. The fog started to lift from my vision, and the invisible weights that had kept me in bed were falling away.
My first stop would be the library to see if I could somehow get myself into the archives. The archives were mostly only open by a formal request filed with the mayor's office, because it had important documents and old files from the town's history. It was accessible to the public once a year for a historical celebration, but unfortunately it wasn't that time.
The library appeared like most of the buildings in Fallen Hills. The outside had old red brick and the roof was flat. Windows covered the front part of the building to my back, which faced the main street. Rows of books covered the one floor in front of me and were divided by age and by genre. Between some of the shelves sat large, wooden study tables. Oftentimes I would have found myself wandering between the rows after school, looking for the next title to grab my attention.
This place had a special spot in my heart. A thousand lives lived between each of the book's pages, waiting for someone to hear their stories.
I stood in front of the large wooden counter near the entrance. I cleared my throat as I stopped before the dark haired librarian who stood organizing a pile of books and placing them on various carts.
She was a short woman with thin curly, black hair and a wrinkly face. Small streaks of grey littered the top of her head. She smiled kindly and stopped her organizing. "How can I assist you, honey?"
I shivered at the word honey. I took the notebook from my bag and pointed to where I had written the assignment's requirements. "I've got a final assignment down at the high school, to research family," I said. "I was hoping you'd be able to help me get into the archives?"
She frowned and shook her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, you'd need paperwork from the mayor's office." She paused. "I can get you started on that if that will help?"
Sweetie. How sweet of her. "No, no it's fine." I waved my hand. "Thanks anyways." I could probably ask Tab if she could swing something with her parents, since her father was the Mayor. I took my notebook back, giving the librarian a small nod, then dismissed myself. I wandered between the shelves, not exactly looking for anything.
My fingers aimlessly pushed against the book's spines, feeling the engraved lettering beneath and the smooth surfaces of the book jackets. I crossed my arms when I finally reached the doorway to the archives. I scratched my arm as I stared at the door handle. I narrowed my eyes at the door as if I could will it open. I allowed myself one attempt to pull it open, but it was definitely locked. After a moment of useless glaring.
Asking for paperwork would be the first step, then. I walked through the aisles with a bit more speed, and I stopped at the edge of the shelf and stared wide eyed in front of me.
