Page 49 of Monsters Within (The Creatures We Crave 1)
Alexandra
Ispent the entirety of our walk to the library lost in my thoughts, mulling over everything that had occurred with the testing. While it was amazing to see my powers surfacing and be able to start to use them, which would hopefully lead to me understanding how to master them, I wasn’t a fan of how I had begun to figure that out. Threats weren’t something I took lightly.
Helen was a real piece of work, and I was crossing my fingers and toes that there wouldn’t be any reason to see her or be in her sector in the future.
As we trailed down the path to the left after passing through the gate, I tried to shake off my unease at the threat she posed to me and my monsters. I wouldn’t let anyone take them from me or hurt them. But in order to defend us, I needed to know what I was. I needed to train and strengthen whatever power was inside of me.
I was so lost in my mind that it didn’t even fully register that we were in front of the library until Elwin elbowed me lightly. “Love, look at the building.”
Blinking rapidly, I nearly forgot to breathe as my mouth parted in awe. It was absolutely stunning, and it was definitely a building that could be on a Pinterest mood board. Picture an ivy league, old school brick building, but the brick was an array of dark stones with ivy vines crawling around it, contrasting beautifully against the dark walls.
I could practically smell the books already, and I squeaked, running down the path and up to the large black double doors that were accented with silver-brushed door handles. Yanking it open, my heart exploded as I got the first glimpse of just how massive the building was. Rows upon rows of books spanned as far back as I could see. Each end cap had a white marble statue situated in front of it, and I wanted to inspect them closer to see what they depicted. And that was just this level. When I lifted my head up I saw a black iron balcony, hinting at the wonders of a second level above.
To top it all off, there was soft classical music playing. I couldn’t have made this any more perfect than it was.
“Hello there,” a gentle yet brittle voice called out, drawing my focus to the front desk that greeted visitors upon entering. It was the same dark wood of the shelves, and behind it sat an older woman with perfectly curled gray hair that framed her face in a bob.
“Hi,” I answered, careful to keep my voice quiet as I walked up to the desk. “Do I need to check in, or how does the system here work if I want to take a book with me to my dorm?”
An immediate warmth and sense of peace ebbed through me as I approached, kicking out all traces of anxiety and trepidation that had been churning in my stomach.
“A fellow book lover?” she inquired with a knowing look. “Your eyes instantly filled with love when you entered the room. Not everyone has an appreciation for the knowledge and love a book can bring.”
Shaking my head enthusiastically, I quickly agreed. “Oh yes. Books have been my savior my entire life. I can truly say that I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
She nodded, and I could tell she understood exactly what I meant from the way she smiled at my words. Clicking a few buttons as she looked at her computer screen, she explained, “Well, usually all students are given an ID card that they scan up here with the barcode inside each book cover. So first we need to get you situated with that.”
I tapped my fingertips excitedly against the counter while I waited, looking behind me and finding my monsters back in their human forms, this time with the same clothes they had worn before. That was a relief, that it seemed they had learned to keep their shirts in the transition.
“Okay dear, step in front of the camera please,” she instructed, gesturing in front of her.
Seeing the black camera resting on top of her computer, I lined myself up with it and smiled as it blinked three times before flashing. I moved out of the way as she instructed each of the guys to do the same.
When that was done, I heard a whirring sound and watched in shock as a magical printer of sorts spit out four holographic cards. I knew magic existed, obviously, and that I was in the realm that was quite literally made of it, but I wasn’t sure if I would ever quite get over it happening in front of me.
It was fascinating and beautiful in every way it existed.
“Okay,” she started as she grabbed them and slipped them onto the countertop for us. “Please check to make sure your names and sector are printed accurately for me.”
Scanning over them, we nodded in affirmation, and I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know our names and what sector we are in already?”
As she took the cards back, she tapped them against the computer screen, and they disappeared. As if the computer absorbed them.
My jaw dropped, and she swiveled on her seat and chuckled at my reaction. Reaching out to pat my hand, she explained, “It’s magic, sweetheart. You’ll get used to it eventually. But this entire campus is spelled to know who comes in and out of every gate and territory. It’s a safety precaution set up to ensure no cross-fraternization of sectors occurs. So, when you came through the gate here, my desk pinged with your arrival in the sector.”
“But if no cross-fraternization is allowed, how do students from the different sectors get to the library to study?” Elwin piped up, asking an excellent question.
As she removed her hand, she sighed deeply before looking over at him. “As I said, not many people appreciate what this building holds. It’s very rare that students visit here at all, but if they need to, they get a hall pass of sorts to come over into this territory.”
My heart ached at the sadness in her voice and the way the previous light in her blue eyes dimmed. She must be so lonely out here all the time.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Perking up a bit, she answered, “You may call me Mrs. Felicity.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Felicity,” I offered with a genuine smile. “I’m sure we will be frequent visitors here—or at least I know I will. Do you ever need help around here?”
A soft laugh came from her as she shook her head. “Oh no, dear, but thank you. The books and shelves are spelled to know exactly where each belongs. So when a student returns a checked out book”—she stopped and pointed to the corner of her desk from which hung a sign marked ‘return books’—“the books will float from here and back to their homes until they are pulled out again.”
