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Ronnie raised her eyes to meet Paige’s. “When information on an object emerges, the libraries receive a notification. They’re classified by threat level. Green is the lowest. Red is the highest. Yellow is a medium-level priority.”

“Purple is a toss-up,” Dewey added.

“Okay, so I’ve gathered from the ticker-tape thingy that this is a red alert and we’re the closest facility. Does that mean we’re responsible?”

“Yes and no,” Ronnie explained. “We are the best to respond. However…”

“What?” Paige questioned.

“It’s your first day, Paige. If you don’t feel prepared, we’ll request assistance from another library.”

Dewey’s fists curled tighter.

Paige eyed him as his agitation grew. “I’ll do it.”

Dewey spun to face her, his paws shooting open and a surprised expression covering his teal features.

Ronnie glanced down at the folder, concern flitting across her face. “Paige, are you certain?”

“This is what you hired me for, right?”

Ronnie raised her eyebrows and drew her chin back to her chest. “Well, yes, but…no one expects you to dive into fieldwork on your first day.”

“It’s hardly diving, Ronnie,” Dewey argued. “We’ll have prep work to do. And I’ll help.”

“This is a red-level threat, Dewey!” Ronnie shot back.

Paige swallowed hard as she considered reaffirming her stance. Did she truly wish to toss herself into the job like this? It could be dangerous. But she wanted to prove herself. She wanted to make a contribution.

Paige bit her lower lip as she made her final decision. “Okay, what about this. I’d like to do the retrieval, but can we reach out to another library in case something goes wrong? Kind of have them on standby, if needed?”

Ronnie flicked the folder closed and pressed her lips together. “Excellent idea, Paige. It’s this type of thinking that will make you a fantastic librarian.”

Paige thrust her shoulders back at the compliment, determined to prove her value.

Dewey clapped his paws together and rubbed them. “Okay. We’ll need to begin with some basic research. Paige, you’ll read up on werewolves since you’re new to the game. I’ll pull the information we have on the Mirror of Duplication.”

“M.O.D.,” Paige said. “Mirror of Duplication.”

“Right,” Dewey answered. “Come on. Let’s go!”

Dewey darted away as Ronnie handed the manila folder to Paige. “I’ll contact the Misthollow Library and let them know we intend to pursue retrieval but that they should prepare to assist if needed.”

Paige accepted the proffered item with a nod. “I hope not to need them.” She adjusted her glasses. “But in the event that I may fail, I would prefer it does not spell disaster for the world.”

Dewey hovered at the end of a shelf, peering around it. “Come on!” he shouted.

“You’d better go,” Ronnie said.

Paige firmed her lower lip and nodded before spinning on her heel and darting toward the dragon.

“I’ll pull Benson’s Guide to Creatures for you. It’s a good introduction, then for follow-up, you can search the stacks for more information. While you read, I’ll use the BookTron to search the Mirror of Duplication and compile a summary of what I find.”

“Thanks, Dewey,” Paige said as she hurried behind him.

He flew to the shelves making up the side wall and hovered at a specific level, one finger stretched toward the books. He mumbled under his breath as he read off titles before he shouted, “Aha! Here it is!”

He tugged the thick volume from the shelf, dipping from the weight as he freed it. Paige relieved him of it.