by Elle Adams
The Reading Corner occupied the centre of the ground floor. Estelle led me around to the right-hand side and up a staircase to the first floor. Like the ground floor, a maze of shelves greeted us.
I stopped walking, overwhelmed. “Is there a map? Or signposts?”
“Ah, that’s not really possible,” she said. “That’s why I wanted to give you this.” She handed me a piece of paper with several words written on it. The first line said, Exit.
“If you get lost, hit that one,” she said. “If you’ve been walking for more than an hour and haven’t found any stairs, it’ll take you back to the lobby.”
“An hour?”
Her finger moved to the next word. Help. “That’s the emergency alarm, but it’s only meant to be used if your life is in danger. Again, it’s best to call one of us by name if there’s anything you need help with. Those words contain powerful magic. And if you want to find a particular section but can’t find the way, you can ask one of us.”
If your life is in danger? I’d ask what could possibly be dangerous about working in a library, but considering what I’d seen of the magical world so far… I’ll deal with that one later.
I pocketed the paper, and a rustling noise behind me prompted me to turn around.
The staircase we’d come up was no longer there. Unfamiliar shelves stood on either side of us, forming a corridor with no way downstairs.
I turned to Estelle. “Did the shelves move?”
“The library does that,” she said. “It’s Grandma’s fault. She’s the one who created the place to be semi-sentient, after all.”
“Wow, really?”
She nodded. “Her death was sudden and unexpected. Her will said that Aunt Candace and my mum were to inherit the library. What she didn’t leave behind was a clear map or a set of directions as to everything she hid in here. Every few weeks, a visitor disappears in a hidden corridor or finds a room we’ve never found before. Keeps us on our toes, that’s for sure. But it’s home.”
I realised my mouth was hanging open and closed it. “Wow. This is… a lot to take in.”
“I bet it is,” she said. “I’ll take you back to your room and leave you in peace to unpack, okay? Ask me if you want to know anything more. I’ll do my best to answer.”
I had a list of questions as endless as the shelves, but I’d already overwhelmed myself enough times in one day.
Estelle led me on a different route back to my room. I tried to memorise the way, then told myself it was pointless if everything moved around. I’d just have to get used to being perpetually lost. Estelle kept glancing at me, perhaps wondering if I was going to faint again. I’d passed that point. I didn’t even want to sleep. The smell of the books and the light of the lanterns would make me tired under normal circumstances, but my mind was awake and my eyes wide open. More so than I could remember in a long time.
Unpacking didn’t take long. My aunts would fetch the rest of my possessions later, including the bookshelves, so I put away my clothes and unpacked the essentials.
Estelle was levitating paper birds down the corridor when I came out of my room.
“Ah, I was just practising,” she said, snapping her fingers. The birds shot back into her hands, unfolding themselves into pieces of paper. “I’m doing a PhD in practical magic.”
“Really?” I asked. Witches got PhDs? Whatever next?
She smiled. “Yes, I know it’s not necessary when I have the library, but it’s a fun project and it keeps me away from Cass’s grumbling. It’ll be nice to have a new witch around to brighten things up.”
I didn’t feel bright, even though I’d changed into jeans and T-shirt and hidden my former work clothes in the back of the wardrobe. The silver-lined black cloaks the others wore must be the library’s uniform.
She caught me looking at her cloak and said, “Oh, that reminds me. I’ll get you a cloak. Silver or blue lining?”
“Silver, please,” I said. I wasn’t keen on black, either, but they looked a thousand times more stylish than I had in my old work clothes. Not to mention the colour was appropriate to my new witchy existence. “No pointy hats?”
Estelle laughed. “No. Aunt Candace used to go through five hats a week. Things can go missing in here if you don’t pay attention.”
No kidding. Estelle bounded down the staircase—at least that one had stayed in the right place—into the corridor that led to the family’s living quarters. Through one door was a kitchen, another led to a dining room, and a general living area lay beyond, complete with sofas and a TV. No wonder they’d been stunned at the size of my tiny one-room studio flat.
Estelle pulled a notebook and pen from her pocket—up close, both bore a similar silvery design—and wrote something in the book. There was a flash, and a cloak appeared draped over the sofa in front of us.
“I can get it adjusted to your size,” she said. “Try it on.”
I slid my arms into the sleeves. It was massive, but Estelle appraised me, wrote something in the book, and the cloak shrank, inch by inch, until it fitted me perfectly. It swept to ankle-length, far enough off the ground not to trip over the edge, and bore a silver crest symbol on the front.
“That’s our family’s coat of arms,” she said, indicating the same symbol on her own cloak. The top of the coat of arms depicted two crossed wands—no, pens—and on the bottom, an owl sitting on top of an open book. “Grandma’s design.”
The same design was on her notebook and pen, too. I couldn’t help thinking of the noticeable absence of family photos in my childhood home. I’d assumed it was because Mum had died when I was young and Dad had since removed all the pictures. Not that he was hiding an entire family. I imagined him sitting in the Reading Corner and swallowed a lump in my throat. He’d have been happy I’d found my way into this world. Right?
Estelle pocketed her pencil and notebook. “OkWant to see more of the library, or have a look at the town before it gets dark?”
“I’d like to see the town.” Maybe I’d feel less disorientated if I knew what lay outside this giant maze of a library.
Estelle bounded out the door again. “Ivory Beach isn’t at its best in winter. It’s a coastal town, so we’re not in tourist season at the moment, but lots of people come here just to see the library.”
I followed her out of the family’s living quarters and out into the library proper. We walked through the shelves, into the open area at the very front where Aunt Adelaide stood behind a large curved desk covered in stacks of books.
“Ah, good, Estelle set you up with your cloak,” she said. “I was going to suggest you find something warm to wear if you’re going outside.”
“I’m just showing Rory the town square,” Estelle said. “Cass didn’t turn anyone into a frog while we were gone, did she?”
“Not this time,” said Aunt Adelaide. “Come and help with the returns when you get back, okay?”
“Don’t worry, we’re not running off to the beach,” said Estelle. “We won’t be long.”
She crossed to a set of oak wood doors and pushed them open. A sea breeze swept in, making me glad of the cloak, and the tinkling of a bell pursued us outside. The library sat on one side of a large town square, opposite a clock tower. Other, smaller shops filled the edges of the square.
“It looks a bit dull at this time of year,” said Estelle. “Give it a week and there’ll be Christmas trees everywhere.”
“You celebrate Christmas in the magical world, then?”
“Oh, a lot of us follow the same traditions as normals, but embellished with a few of our own.” She gestured to the row of shops on the left. “That’s the bakery—I’ll take you there tomorrow. Get you a late birthday cake if you want one.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again, suddenly hit hard by how much had happened in a short space of time. Had I really turned twenty-five just yesterday?
Estelle was still talking, pointing out the various shops. “If you walk directly past the clock t
ower, you’ll reach the sea. We have barbecues on the beach in summer if someone conjures up some nice weather. We have our own pier, too.”
“You can magic up nice weather?” I gestured at the low-hanging grey clouds.
“Not permanently,” she responded. “You might have trouble getting a tan, but my mum has a dozen spells for that.”
“I spend all my time indoors,” I said. “It’s not a priority.” I mean, I lived in England. I didn’t exactly expect beach weather, even in the magical world. “Anyway, is everyone who lives here… paranormal?”
She nodded. “It’s an isolated community. It’s much easier that way. A lot of us experience side effects from being around humans too much, and in places like this, we can be ourselves.”
I understood that. I imagined going back to tell Laney where I’d been for the last week without bringing up the impossibly magical library and drew a total blank.
“Side effects?” I asked. “I don’t remember any. Unless the real reason we didn’t get any customers is because I had a repelling spell on me.”
“Nah, your dad will have used a spell that prevented any side effects,” said Estelle. “He wanted you to have as normal a life as possible.”
“Well, I guess I did, until today,” I said. Normal? Absolutely. But there’d always been something missing, and now it rose within me—a wave of unexpected sadness. I’d had nobody after he died, and the others had all had each other.
“Are you okay?” Estelle asked.
“Oh, I’m fine,” I lied, pushing the feeling aside. “Is the library where Dad grew up, then?”
“Yes, like the rest of us,” she said. “Grandma more or less raised three kids single-handedly, since she lost her husband young. The library was her whole life.”
I turned around to get a proper look at the place from the front. The library towered above the rest of the square, overlooking the town like a majestic monarch on a throne. Red bricks formed the exterior, set with stained-glass windows reflecting the setting sun. No wonder people came here just to see the library.
“Impressive,” I said. “So I’ve met you all except Cass, right?”
“I’ll introduce you,” she said. “She tends to get a little… awkward around strangers.”
“Oh, me too,” I said. “As you might have gathered.”
She smiled. “Actually, I think you’re coping well, considering you’ve had your whole world upended. Don’t expect to get the hang of everything right away.”
“I’m a bit lost on how this biblio-witch thing works,” I admitted. “I get that I can—write things and make them real. But how is that different to waving a wand?”
“All witches and wizards have one main talent,” she said. “It’s like a specialist area. Some can conjure up storms, others see into the future. Our family, though, we’re special. We can all draw magic from words. Specialist talents tend to run in the family.”
“And it’s a rare thing?”
“We’re the only family who can do it,” she said. “That I know of, anyway.”
“Oh, wow.” That explained why they were so proud of their talents. And the library, too. “Is the library connected to our magic, then?”
“In a way,” she said. “Grandma’s magic created the place. That’s what my mum said, anyway.” She pulled out a small black book from her pocket. “This is the Biblio-Witch’s Inventory. It contains all the spells we can do. Mum will set you up with one when you begin your training.”
I glimpsed pages of handwritten words before she put it back into her pocket.
“As for wands,” she went on, “you’ll get one of those, too. Most people use wands to cast spells. We just have a second option. A better one, if I say so myself.” She smiled. “There’s no limit. With wands, you have to memorise movements and sometimes incantations. That’s more complex. Biblio-Witchery is in your blood. You stopped a fire with a single word. You’re a natural.”
I hoped she was right. I scanned the town square, trying to commit it to memory. My new home. I hadn’t had a fresh start in so long, but maybe it was for the best that I’d fallen headfirst into it. I tended to hover too long over making decisions and miss out. Not this time. Laney would be proud.
Speaking of… “Can I call my friends back home from here?”
“You might have trouble getting a signal, but once I get you hooked up to the paranormal network, you can call anyone outside the library,” she said. “Same with the internet connection, but it works okay in our living quarters. The library’s magic interferes everywhere else. To be honest, though, there’s more than enough entertainment inside the library.”
“The books, right?”
“Trust me, you’re going to have the time of your life.”
I hope you’re right. Yet already, I felt more alive than I had in a long time. “Let’s go back inside.”
When we re-entered, it was to find a new face at the wide desk dominating the entrance. The young woman looked a little like Estelle but had longer hair and a willowy figure like Aunt Candace. The sleeves of her matching cloak were rolled up.
“Hey, Cass,” said Estelle brightly.
Cass grunted. “Thanks for leaving me in charge. I had to chastise Samson over late fees again, and then a pixie got out of the Magical Creatures Division.”
“Sorry, but it was an emergency,” said Estelle. “Aurora—Rory—was being attacked by vampires.”
Cass’s gaze settled on me. “So you’re Aurora.”
“Yes.” Her less-than-enthusiastic tone made me wary, but I pushed on. “It’s great to meet you.”
She shrugged. “Sure it is. Mum waltzed off and left me on the desk, but apparently her beauty routine is more important than the patrons staying in one piece.”
“Cass!” Estelle said reproachfully. “Rory’s had a tiring day and doesn’t need to hear your complaining. She’s new to the paranormal world.”
“Really.” Cass eyed me. “Fair warning, this place will sink its claws in you. Once you’re here, you can never leave.”
“We just did,” I said. “Leave, I mean. Anyway, I hardly think being stuck here is a bad thing.”
She gave a short laugh. “You’ll see.”
Well, then. I didn’t need any of her negativity, so I walked past the desk, looking up at the stories of shelves. How could anyone live in a place like this and have a sour attitude like hers?
“Does she have a problem with me being here?” I asked Estelle, when we were out of earshot.
“It’s not you specifically,” said Estelle. “More like everyone. I’ll ask her to behave herself at dinner. Meanwhile, I thought you might want to see some of the regulars.”
She walked towards the Reading Corner we’d passed through before.
“That’s Dominic.” She pointed at an elegant-looking man standing on a ladder that looked far too tall to stand unsupported. At the sound of his name, he flashed us a smile, revealing pointed fangs.
My heart jumped. “He’s a vampire?”
“Oh, he’s harmless,” she said.
Those pointed fangs didn’t look harmless. I backed away from the ladder, wondering how in the world he expected to get down from such a high spot. Given how fast those vampires had moved, though, there was no doubt they had other tricks up their sleeves.
Estelle pointed to a younger man in the corner. He was maybe twenty or so with straw-like hair.
“That’s Samson,” she said in an undertone. “He comes here every day but never returns any of the books on time. It drives Cass out of her mind.”
She moved on, pointing out each visitor, and I did my best to memorise all the names.
Finally, she reached a hammock at the back of the Reading Corner and said, “And that’s Tad.”
“And he’s a wizard, right?” The man wore a bright green hat, which was positioned to cover his sleeping face.
She hesitated a moment. “Actually, as far as we know, he’s not paranormal at all.”
I glanced at the pointed hat. “But I thought the community was only for paranormals. No normals allowed.”
The man woke with a start. “May the nefarious rites be fulfilled,” he proclaimed.
“What does that mean?” I said blankly.
“He was put under a spell that addled his mind,” she said in an undertone. “I don’t know who did it, nobody does, but the town’s best healers haven’t been able to undo the damage. He’d be locked up in an asylum if he returned to the normal world, and it’s not like he’s in any fit state to give away our secrets.”
Tad mumbled something intelligible and then fell asleep again. The paranormal world was far weirder than I’d initially thought—and that was saying a lot.
“Right,” she said. “I have to take over from Cass, but we have an hour until dinner. Want to find something to read in the meantime? This is the fiction section.”
I looked past the people at the surrounding bookcases. A thousand tomes gleamed on the shelves, as inviting as a feast. I grinned. “I reckon I can do that.”
Cass might have been less than enthusiastic about my presence here, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I’d had the most bizarre day of my life. The vampires had been terrifying, but meeting my family, seeing the library, the magic? I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
4
I woke early the following morning, after the best night’s sleep I’d had in what felt like years. Aunt Adelaide had offered me a sleeping tonic at dinner and I’d accepted, certain that my mind would start spinning in circles the instant I lay down, reliving the rollercoaster of the day before. Instead, I’d passed out for nine hours straight.
Dinner had been fairly quiet. Cass had spurned all my attempts to make friendly conversation, so I’d settled for talking to Aunt Adelaide and Estelle about my life with Dad at the bookshop. It still hurt to imagine never seeing it again, but I wouldn’t end up on the streets. I had a job and a new home, and a family. Not to mention access to more books than I’d ever seen in my life. What more could I ask for?