Page 72 of The Library of Second Chances
The red-hooded girl sped off. Others mumbled something or glanced at each other, then everyone was walking in different directions, in search of glowing books. Some squeezed through the gap between the shelf and the doorway to the west wing. Gwen picked her way through scattered papers and tomes, too, and Harry and Chloe were suddenly alone together.
He held out his hand. ‘And what’s our job?’
She took it, liking the warmth of his hand around hers. ‘We’ve got some reading to do.’
Clementine was getting tired of all the noise.
When he had decided to live here, Mrs Cook had given him food and a place to sleep. The humans were usually kind to him, and he liked the quiet of this place. Now everywhere he ran, there was someone there, whether it was a human or a human-like creature or a mean, chattering animal that tried to grab his tail.
He hissed at a nasty-looking man and squeezed between some books on a shelf, sitting with his paws in front of him. This wasn’t ideal, but he would have to wait it out.
He meowed quietly, thinking of Chloe. With her curly hair and flowery scent and her long skirts and the way she scratched between his ears after giving him some extra treats. She would figure all this out, he knew it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
HARRY ANDCHLOEheld a book each, the piles of gold-rimmed novels on the desk between them getting steadily higher and more numerous.
‘Oh, good. This one is yours,’ said Chloe to the girl in leathers. She agreed with Gwen that telling the characters they were from books might lead to some kind of freak-out, but there wasn’t really any other way to do it. ‘I read you a line, and you’ll be home quick as a flash, okay?’ She flipped to the end of the book, her finger trailing down the paper until she found the character’s very last line. She read it aloud.
She glanced up, but the girl was gone. Chloe looked around, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. ‘Good,’ she said happily, closing the book. It was no longer glowing. ‘That worked.’
A terrific crash in the next room made her jump. The vampire and the werewolf must still have been fighting, or perhaps it was the witch and the lion. She knew it was imperative to get them all back first, but they just had to work with the books they had.
Gwen arrived, ashen-faced, with three more glowing books in her arms. ‘Chloe, what do we do if some of the characters don’t want to go back? Or if they’re too busy fighting to listen?’
Chloe swallowed. ‘One problem at a time, Gwen.’
‘And what about the lion?’ She pointed a shaking finger towards the west wing.
‘He’s a good lion, remember? He’s busy fighting the witch. Just let them get on with it until we find their book.’
‘Special discount if you need me to repair the library again,’ whispered Harry, and Chloe snorted a laugh.
‘What do you mean, it’smybook?’ demanded a character wearing a complicated Victorian gown. ‘I’m not in any book. Let me see it.’
‘I will, in a second. Hold on.’ Harry quickly flipped to the last page. He read a line out loud so quickly it was almost a babble. The woman’s gloved fingers had just reached out to snatch the book from him when she faded into nothing.
It was quick as an eyeblink. Collecting herself, Chloe said, ‘Well done, Harry.’
He blew out air from his pursed lips, snapping the book shut. ‘I learned from the best.’
Chloe shifted, hiding her smile.
Some characters were resistant. Harry had to chase the boy and his fairy all around the library before finally shouting their last line to them. The mischievous lad said ‘Aww,’ with disappointment before disappearing, the glow on the book in Harry’s hands fading. Mrs Cook and Eric appeared soon after, Gwen having told them of Chloe’s plan.
‘Isn’t he charming?’ whispered the librarian as Harry huffed out a breath, placing the book carefully on the pile.
‘Who?’ said Chloe vaguely, pretending to be going through the remaining pile of glowing books to hide her burning cheeks.
‘Is the lion still here?’ said Eric, looking nervous.
‘Yes. A-ha! And his book is here.’ Chloe retrieved the enormous tome – it was a collection of all the volumes in the book universe. She handed it to Eric. ‘Would you like to do the honours?’
Eric’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, nervously looking around at them all.
‘Aren’t you a fan of books?’ Gwen asked. ‘You know the lion is good, right? It’s the witch you have to watch out for. She might turn you to stone.’
Eric let out a yelp, violently shaking his head. ‘I can’t do this.’
