“Hey, why aren’t you looking at me? Do I have something on my face?”
My eyes fell on the screen, a small grin tugging at a corner of my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you better be,” she growled.
I noticed she was lying in bed, with her golden-brown hair disheveled. “Where are you, and why’s your hair such a mess?”
She flashed me a mocking smirk. “Wouldn’tyoulike to know?”
I laughed.
Yet I couldn’t stop looking around every now and then.
“You should be in class by now.”
She yawned. “Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but not everyone’s a bookworm.”
I stopped in my tracks when I saw the same figure across the street. It was as if time slowed down as a van came into view. When it finally passed between us, he was gone—vanished as if he was never there.
What the hell?
“Celine, are you okay?” Keira asked on the other line. “You look tense.”
I blinked back to the present. “I’m fine. I just thought I saw someone.”
“Who? A crush?” She giggled, oblivious to my fear and anxiety.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please.”
The last thing I wanted was to bother Kiera Jane with my personal problems, even though she was like a sister to me. One thing we both had in common was our curiosity. However, I wished I had her kind of bravery and fearlessness.
Nothing on earth ever scared that girl. Nothing at all. Once, she stood up to two boys who were trying to pick on me. They were both nearly twice her size, but that didn’t stop her from standing her ground.
Long story short, she left one with a black eye and the other with a broken nose. She had a temper. Yes.
However, beneath all that boldness was a deep empathy that not everyone ever saw.
After the call ended, I shoved the phone back in my pocket. I had barely taken two more steps when I saw the library in the distance. I paused, narrowing my eyes as a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
You should check it.
Then came my ever-present voice of reason:You never learn, do you? We’re in this mess because of your stupid curiosity. Go home.
I knew that voice was right. However, I just wanted to check if the book was still there. Or if someone had come to collect it.
What’re you gonna do with that knowledge? How does whether or not the book is there affect you as a person?
If it’s still there, it would mean that the situation might not be as bad as I made it out to be,I thought.
Are you kidding me? We’re already screwed. The situation is bad, and this is yet another terrible idea.
I drew a deep breath and began marching toward the library.
Lord, have mercy!the voice grumbled within me.
I rushed up the long steps at the entrance and pushed the doors open. My shoes scuffed quietly against the polished floor as I made my way through the aisle.
“Hey, Celine,” the librarian greeted me with a curt smile.