The Library of Powers

Chapter 14 - part 2

Ivory's Perspective

(five hours earlier)

Ivory sat on the floor of the Library of Powers, stacking books. Next to her were more books to stack on the sparse shelves they had cleared earlier. Remove the books, add in the new books. That was the pattern, and while it was monotonous, she had grown used to it. It was mechanical by this point, she was able to do it without thinking. It was much better than when they moved all the books into the room, and miles better than when they were looking for the books. She shuddered at the thought. It probably didn't help that she'd been in the damn library for about a week.

Melanie walked past, moving a cart of books down the aisle. Ivory still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let her in on "the secret", but it wasn't decision to make. Besides, preparations would have been even more hell without her. Plus, their plan would have probably been much worse.

"So, what do you power think we should do?" Jackson had asked her.

"Do you want to know what I would do, or what my power would do?" she replied.

"You choose."

Ivory remembered how Melanie had taken a moment, her eyes fluttering shut. It was only a moment, and then she was back to normal. "We carry in a few new bookshelves. Small ones, that we can fit through the doors. We then look for every book on clocks in a mile radius, and fill the shelves with them. Even the old shelves, we can move the books already here. We then push the large shelves in front of all the doors except the one to the workshop. That way we pretend your plane has two rooms. A workshop and a library. We'll post Ivory at the exit to the workshop, and call it the exit to your plane. It's closed because there's more than one person in the plane. You'll have to act surprised, you've already admitted to Ms.Forrester that you've never had someone else in your plane before. Ivory will hold the door shut, preventing the knob from being turned, since it doesn't have a lock."

"Couldn't I just jam it with a chair?" Ivory had asked.

"That doesn't work nearly as well as people think it does. Besides, if someone does somehow get through, we need you there to stop them from seeing anything."

 All that plan in a few heartbeats. It had been on Ivory's mind for a while now, just how quickly Melanie had made her plan. What would she be like if she was always using it? Just how powerful?

It scared her a little bit,

"Hey, Ivy." a voice said, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was Jackson, with even more books in his hands.

"Ivy?" She recoiled.

"It, uh. It just slipped out." he stammered.

It had been a while since anyone had called her that. She thought back to the last person to call her that, the only other person to call her that. Was it special? Was the name something to be withheld? She thought it would be easy to decide. She found no answers. Instead, she gave him a soft smile, which she just hoped wasn't a grimace.

Relief washed over his face. "These are the last of them. Homestretch."

"Oh," she said. She stretched her arms. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning."

"Heh, well thank god it only took one night."

He laughed. "Well, if you want to pack your things, I can handle this last bit."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Ivory stood up and started walking towards the workshop. She passed the clocks they set up, and left their stage altogether. Into the part her classmates wouldn't see. The real library.