Page 69 of The Library of Second Chances
‘Chloe, do you remember when Mum wanted to try a tester for that moisturiser?’ Gwen’s tear-filled giggles had led to hiccups, and her chest jumped every now and then.
‘Oh my goodness, I do.’ Chloe closed her eyes, remembering their mother, her greying blonde hair in a bun that day.
‘She squeezed way too much out.’ Gwen rearranged the flowers on Dad’s grave. ‘And was standing there with a big pile of goo in her hand, not knowing what to do.’
‘We were the most moisturised children in Derbyshire,’ Chloe said, and they both burst out laughing, clutching each other.
Chloe could feel the rift between her and her sister heal almost like a physical force, a bridge that had broken downslowly slotting back into place, brick by brick, a feat as wondrous as the magic of the library. Years of things left unsaid, of time wasted, of experiences missed. In this moment, surrounded by nature and close to their parents, Chloe wanted to stay in Wellbridge. Stay here with her sister. She wanted to catch up on everything that they had missed out on, spend time together and make new memories. She liked this town. The good memories were becoming more abundant than the bad. She had Gwen, their home, her wonderful job at the library, her friend Hannah and . . .
And Harry.
His dimpled smile materialised in her mind for a moment, bringing on a different sort of ache. His black eye, earned by defending her. She glanced around the graveyard. Harry had been here, too, and the thought was a comfort. He was leaving flowers, flowers he had researched the meanings of, for his late wife.
They left the graveyard behind, and Chloe’s heart felt lighter than it had in months. It was as if by shedding the tears and sharing the memories with Gwen, they had healed something between them and in her heart.
The sun rose and peeked out from behind the clouds, warming their skin. This really was a beautiful place. Sad, of course, but with the dried autumn leaves blowing around and the last of the frost glittering on the headstones and in the grass, it felt cold and peaceful. Sad and serene. Two clashing emotions that made her feel both romantic and melancholy.
They had almost reached the car when Chloe’s phone started ringing. Brow furrowing, she pulled it out. It took a moment for her to register that someone was calling her from the library phone.
For a moment, she felt alarmed. Todaywasher day off, right?
‘Hello?’
‘Chloe, is that you?’ Eric’s panicked voice reached her. There was a strange noise in the background. Banging and ripping and . . . was that a scream? ‘Um, where are you?’
‘It’s my day off. I’m at the graveyard,’ she said, then the concern caught up to her. Neither Eric nor Mrs Cook had rung her on her day off before, and those sounds definitely did not belong in the quiet library. ‘Eric, what’s going on? Are you all right?’
‘We . . . Um, there’s a problem. I’m really sorry, but we need you here right now.’ There was another crash in the background, making Chloe flinch. ‘It’s the characters. The book characters. A lot of them have escaped their books and we have no idea how. Dozens of them, more than Mrs Cook and I can handle. Please come and help us!’
Gwen watched her, eyebrows raising in expectation. ‘Who is it?’ she mouthed.
‘The characters have escaped their books?’ said Chloe, dazed. ‘What? How?’
‘We don’t know. None of them were glowing this morning and no one’s been reading them. I don’t think so, anyway. No, stop! Put that down!’ he screamed. There was a scuffle and his fast breaths rushed down the phone. ‘Chloe, please come. This is getting out of control.’
‘Right,’ Chloe said. ‘Hang on. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
‘What’s going on?’ asked her sister.
Chloe hesitated. She hadn’t told Gwen anything about the library’s magic. Where would she even start? And was Eric right? Were there love interests and purple monkeys causing havoc inside the library right this moment? It certainly sounded like it.
She was about to tell Gwen she’d drop her off at home, but an extra pair of hands might be just what they needed. And she felt a sudden fierce desire to tell Gwen everything.
‘I need your help with something. Here.’ She thrust her phone into Gwen’s hands and clambered into the car. ‘Ring Harry and ask him to join us. Then I’ve got something to tell you about the library.’
CHAPTER THIRTY
DURINGGWEN’S URGENTbut confused call, Harry promised to get there as soon as he could. And by the time they arrived at the library, his car was already parked next to Mrs Cook’s little Ford. Gwen was still firing questions at her as Chloe stopped beside Harry’s car and climbed out. From outside, the library looked normal. Quiet, even. That was good.
‘But what do youmean, characters come out of the books?’ Gwen demanded as Chloe strode towards the enormous double doors, her heart pounding. ‘Is this some weird book club thing? You aren’t making any sense.’
‘Trust me, I didn’t believe it either at first. But you’ll see what I mean in a minute.’
The blinds were drawn in the front windows, the sign in the nearest one readingCLOSED. That made sense. Chloe wondered if the main door had been locked, too, but it opened at her touch.
She pushed open the doors and stepped inside into the lobby area. Usually, it was quiet and welcoming, with not much going on except someone manning the front desk with its shelves of files behind it and the one computer, the children’s section to the left and the door to the lower archives to the right.
Now, it was unrecognisable. Bedlam.
