Page 31 of The Library of Second Chances
Chloe told her of the three men she had pulled out, one by accident in the middle of the night, one on purpose, and the third who had helped them at the café. ‘Oh! But that day in the café, when that boy tried to rob it. Um, the reason nothing bad happened is because I pulled out someone who helped.’ She told Mrs Cook about the superhero dispatching the would-be robber before things could get out of hand, and about sending him back without anyone noticing. ‘I don’t think Hannah – that’s the café’s manager – knows. She was in the backroom when I sent him home.’ Chloe fidgeted. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘It sounds like the right book was with you at the perfect time, Chloe. I wouldn’t call that a problem.’
Nearby, the curtains fluttered as though in agreement.
‘So it only works for some people?’ Chloe asked. ‘I suppose the library would be quite famous if it happened to everyone who came here.’
‘As far as I know, it’s only for people who love books enough to work here,’ said Mrs Cook. ‘And even then, it hasn’t worked for everybody. Only a few employees like you have confessed it to me, and it doesn’t seem to have worked for Eric.’
‘What hasn’t worked?’ The younger boy reappeared behind them, carrying a tray of tea and custard creams.
‘Oh, you are a star.’ Mrs Cook plucked a biscuit from the plate. Chloe copied her. ‘We were talking about the magic in the library, and Chloe meeting some characters.’
Chloe almost choked on her biscuit. ‘Eric knows, too?’
‘He was there when I was on a stepladder, trying to get a book on a higher shelf. The library pushed the book closer to my hand so I could grab it. It was either tell him the truth or try to convince him he had hallucinated. And that would have been mean.’
‘I haven’t seen a book glow,’ said Eric sadly. ‘Nor pulled out any characters. I wish it would happen for me. I’m glad it’shappened for you, though, Chloe.’ Eric perked up. ‘Mrs Cook asked me not to say anything to you. She said you had to experience it for yourself.’
‘If you could pull a character out of any book, who would it be?’ Chloe asked him. She didn’t know if Eric actually liked to read books or he simply worked here for the money, though earlier he had said he liked reading. Eric seemed to think hard about it, nibbling at the corner of his biscuit like a child. ‘Maybe I’d like to meet Arwen or Galadriel fromThe Lord of the Rings. Or Storm.’
‘Storm?’ asked Mrs Cook.
‘You know, from the MarvelX-Mencomics.’
‘So, good-looking female characters.’ Chloe laughed, and the tips of Eric’s ears turned red.
‘Well, how about you?’ he asked. ‘What’s your type?’
Chloe dodged the question by asking, ‘Tell me more about yourself, Eric. What do you want to do after sixth form?’
She already knew he was finishing his A-Levels and came to work here on his days off, mostly Saturdays and the occasional morning or afternoon he didn’t have lessons. ‘I’d love to go to university and study English literature, though my dad thinks it’s a waste of time. He’d rather I went straight into a trade, like plumbing or electrical work. Says there’s no point in university these days, and most degrees are useless anyway.’ He held up a book, inspecting it. Satisfied it hadn’t been damaged, he placed it carefully on the pile of undamaged books, which was admittedly much larger than the collection of wet ones. ‘Though I’d like to experience university life, too. The degree is just a bonus, really.’
‘Speaking of trade work,’ Chloe murmured, glancing at the leak. ‘We should probably ring someone to come and fix the roof.’
Her heart felt lighter now she had shared her secret with the others, and relieved that they knew about it as well. WithMrs Cook’s agreement, Chloe googled the nearest construction companies and found one called Ashcroft Construction.
A crisp female voice answered, and Chloe explained the library roof needed fixing as soon as possible. The woman promised to send someone over that afternoon. Relieved, they finished separating the damaged books and decided to check the bookshelf wood tomorrow to see if there was any permanent damage. At least the rain had stopped, and now the worrying flow had reduced to a dribble.
As Chloe worked, her thoughts strayed to her sister. She wondered if she should call to check up on her, but Chloe, aside from being a bit harsh, hadn’t really done anything wrong. Gwen’s clumsy attempt at making dinner had only ended in them fighting. Gwen should be the one to apologise first for disturbing her evening, destroying her kitchen and ruining her book.
Chloe snorted. Likethatwould ever happen.
‘Bless you,’ said Mrs Cook.
The doors opened later, and Chloe called over her shoulder, ‘Sorry, the top floor is closed today, but you’re welcome to explore the ground floor.’
‘Chloe.’
She turned in surprise to see Harry. He held up a toolbox. ‘Someone told me you have a leaky roof?’
She stared at him. ‘You’re a construction worker?’
‘Aye, the last time I checked.’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I rang Ashcroft Construction.’
‘Yes, that’s me. Harry Ashcroft.’
