Page 15

Within twenty minutes, Paige stared up at the dark facade of the Shadow Harbor Library. Two teens sat on the stairs leading to the now-closed front doors. Paige smiled at them as they shared the books they’d checked out, discussing which they’d begin to read first.

It reminded her of her own love for reading. She'd grown up in neighboring Grayburgh, but the library hadn’t been as grand as this one. But she had vivid memories of sitting on the cement floor in the basement, selecting which Nancy Drew book she’d read next.

At her first opportunity, she moved to the much larger town of Shadow Harbor. The harbor town not only boasted a big, beautiful library but far more for a young woman to experience. Though Paige did little experiencing, preferring to curl up with a good book or maybe a movie based on one.

After a last glance at the giggling teens, Paige circled around the library, finding a back entrance with a card reader. She dug through her tote and retrieved the keycard. She squeezed it between her thumb and forefinger, staring at it for a moment before she waved it in front of the black box.

She found herself somewhat surprised when the red light flicked to green. She tugged on the black steel door in front of her. It swung open freely.

Paige swallowed hard as she stared into a back hall of the darkened library.

“Hello?” she called in a meek voice that echoed off the walls.

She took a tentative step inside, her foot hovering over the threshold as though she were committing a crime by entering. She licked her lips and put her foot down on the floor. She brought her other foot inside and let the door swing shut behind her.

“I work here now,” she reminded herself under her breath.

The door clicked shut, and the hall darkened further. She took a few steps down it, soft lighting from the library’s main room glowing at the end of the hall. She traced her fingers along the wall as she inched toward the main room.

She recognized the HR office through a small window in the door as she passed. With each step, she grew braver. She strode into the large central room with its many bookcases and second-floor gallery, holding her chin high and rolling her shoulders back.

She stood for a moment, gaping at the dimly lit room. She stalked farther into the room, running her fingers over the spines of the books on the nearest bookshelf. She inhaled a deep breath, the smell of aging books filling her nostrils.

A grin filled her face as her eyes scanned every space and every detail in the gothic-style library. From the heavy wood bookcases to the spiral columns holding the ceiling at bay to the old, penny-tile floor, she loved every inch of it.

She worked here. She stressed the words to herself in her brain over and over. It didn’t feel real.

“I work here,” she repeated as she stepped under the domed skylight over the entryway and circulation desk.

She threw her head back to stare up at the starry night sky through the glass. The waxing crescent moon glowed overhead.

She flung her arms out to the sides and shouted, “I work here!”

Her voice echoed throughout the space, and she giggled at her own giddiness. Paige spun herself in a circle with her head thrown back, arms outstretched, and her ponytail flying. When the effect turned dizzying, she slowed to a stop and stumbled toward a bookcase.

She climbed two steps up onto a nearby ladder before she kicked the ground, sending the wheeled mechanism flying down the bookcase. Its wheels squealed along the brass rails as she sped along from one end to the other.

She leapt off the ladder as it smacked into the end of the rail, and then she dashed up the circular stairs leading to the gallery above. She grazed her fingers over the iron and brass railing, skipping along past the bookcases upstairs.

She stopped where she had a full view of the bottom floor and scanned the space. She spotted the hall she’d emerged from moments ago. Her gaze continued along, finding a hall marked with a restroom sign.

“Good to know,” she whispered, allowing her gaze to continue its journey across the space.

As she reached the last corner, her shoulders slumped.

“So much for that,” she said as she took a step toward the stairway leading down.

She froze, shifting her weight backward and pinching her eyebrows while she studied a dark spot in the corner.

“There you are,” she said with a grin, identifying a single red light glowing against the back wall.

She raced toward the spiral staircase and hurried down it, and then she spilled onto the tiled floor below.

With a determined stride, she headed for the light she’d spotted moments ago, threading through the bookcases and to the darkened back corner.

A dark door with a keycard reader next to it stood hidden in an alcove. Paige pulled the keycard from her tote bag and held it for a moment before she waved it in front of the security device. The light switched from red to green, and a beep sounded, along with a lock clicking.

Paige reached for the handle and tugged. The heavy door swung toward her. Her feet slid as the weight of the door pulled her forward. With a grunt, she shoved the door aside and disappeared through it.