Spring Won't Come

Eleven: Kayla

She held the tears back long enough for her to clear the block where the Washingtons lived. Once she rounded that corner, she began to sob. Some people who walked by on the street gave her curious glances, but no one stopped to see if the crying girl was alright.

Kayla dropped Alice's book onto the sidewalk and took out her pack of cigarettes from her purse. She took a cigarette from the park, lit the smoke and inhaled deeply, stopping the flow of her tears.

She had told herself that this would be the last pack. Her aunt Lisa had died from lung cancer and had smoked half a pack every day. Cancer or not, Kayla needed a smoke, especially after her exchange with Manny.

She knew that there was something horribly wrong with Alice, something evil. She knew it, Isaiah had known it, and even Blake knew it on some level. Kayla also knew that this book held the key to understanding just what Alice was up to. She knew this, just like she had known that Isaiah had known it.

And he died trying to figure this out. What if she kills me too?

It didn't matter, Kayla told herself. If it meant protecting Manny and Blake, she would do whatever it took. Her next stop was the library. Alice's book seemed to be some kind of journal that covered the past several hundred years. Kayla thought she remembered Alice telling her that it had belonged to someone in her family. Maybe she could do some research and find out something about the weird hermit.

There were plenty of stares when Kayla entered the library. Some eyes were curious while others were hungry. Kayla knew she must be quite the novelty. The pretty blonde in a black dress, her makeup smeared. The leather book she carried only added to the novelty. If I was wearing heels they might think I'm a hooker, she thought.

People tended to be small minded, especially on account of her looks. This was a fact of life that Kayla had learned in the past year or two. Girls at school expected her to be stuck up and only interested in fashion. The boys at school expected her to be easy and an airhead. Sometimes, Kayla was tempted to give in to those expectations, to be someone else, someone who didn't want so much from life.

Kayla stopped at the bathroom to fix her makeup before going to one of the reading and study areas.

The center of the room was filled with rows of tables, a spherical light fixture above each table, giving the space a uniform feeling. Book shelves lined the sides of the room and there was a librarian desk at the front.

The girl working the desk was Kayla's cousins, April. Kayla wasn't sure how exactly they were related but there was definitely a family resemblance. Kayla's parents said that April had looked like her when she was younger, though she was only ten years older than Kayla, and that they expected their daughter to look like her cousin. April had the same slender features as Kayla, the same blonde hair, and the same penchant for all things education.

Kayla's father didn't approve of how much Kayla looked up to April. Her dad said that there was something wrong with April, that no girl that pretty should be single at the age of twenty-five, living alone in her apartment with two cats. Not unless she was a dyke, of course. Then again, her dad thought the Chinese were going to invade the country and that Elvis wasn't actually dead.

April's desk was comically large for someone of her size. It provided plenty of workspace but was also tall enough to hide most of her face. She joked that men were still learning how to design a world that was inclusive to women. The wood was dark and antique-looking, and seemed better suited for an aging professor of philosophy than a woman just beginning her career as a librarian.

Kayla plastered on a smile and leaned against the desk. "Excuse me, miss. Do you know where I could find a book on thermonuclear physics?"

April glanced up from the book she was reading and smiled when she saw it was Kayla. "Hey, you. What brings you here on a Sunday?" She took off her round, tortoise-colored glasses and folded them onto her desk.