I shook my head. I tried a few times to speak, but I simply had no words. “Let’s go see what happened.” I eventually managed to say. Jay gave me a scared look, but I was already moving. What if one of the researchers got hurt? With that horrible thought, I rushed forward in the direction of the sound. I was fairly sure it had originated by the stairs. We raced in that direction, the aisles passed by in a blur. Our running steps thundered through the usually hushed room. But I didn’t think anyone would blame us for our impertinence. After all, you had to have been deaf to have not heard that crash. And if you were deaf then it was unlikely one would have noticed us running in the first place.
It didn’t take us long to find the source of the sound. Though that didn’t alleviate our confusion. In the front of the Archives where Thistle’s Lunakihiem stood in pride of place was a bookshelf that had lost a single upper shelf of books. The shelf hadn’t fallen. And yet the books were on the floor. Like they had been slid out as one unit and allowed to fall. I stared at the pile of books in dismay.
“How could that have happened? I don’t see anyone around.” Jay said looking about.
I didn’t notice anyone either. No one had gotten caught under the books, which was good. But no one was around either to have knocked them off. “I have no idea what is going on at the moment, but we need to put this back in order.”
“Kel… You don’t think ghosts did it, do you?” Jay asked hesitantly when I knelt to start picking things up.
“Why would ghosts do it?” I asked making a pile of books to lift back to their designated shelf.
Jay shifted from foot to foot nervously. Eventually, he replied. “I don’t know… but what if they did?”
I shrugged lifting my pile to place on the shelf. “I honestly don’t know what happened here. I just know its weird.” I turned to pick up more books when I noticed Rosa coming toward me. Jay had started to pick up books at this point.
“Forgive my interruption, Kel, but you and Jay should go upstairs. You are needed.” I nodded before turning to Jay. I figured Uncle Lyrel had heard the ruckus and wanted an explanation. Though I wasn’t sure what to tell him. But punctuality was important to the man. “Come on, Jay. We’re needed upstairs.” I turned to Rosa and added, “We’ll come back to finish cleaning this up.” Rosa waved dismissively at me, shooing me away. I wasn’t quite sure why she did that, but Jay and I apparently had places to go.
I noted Jay looked confused as we went up the stairs. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but we were hurrying up the stairs. I’ll ask after we talk to Uncle Lyrel… if I remember.
No sooner had we gotten upstairs then we ran into yet another mystery. Our cousins; Lily, Mol, and Rowan were standing before Uncle Lyrel, Aunt Sage, and surprisingly, my father. The three cousins were covered in dust and pale with fear. Their eyes were wide and they were trembling.
“We had just gone down the stairs to set up a surprise for Kel and Jay.” Lily was saying, her voice thready and not at all its usual falsely sweet tone. “We hadn’t touched anything when suddenly an entire shelf of books came flying at us!”
“We were attacked!” Mol shouted.
My father caught sight of Jay and I. “Why did you attack your cousins?” He asked severely. I halted and blinked dumbly at him. Then I glanced at Jay to see if he was any wiser than I. He looked as confused as I felt. I turned back to my father. “We were in the History section of the Archives. We just heard a commotion near the stairs. We had been worried someone had been hurt and rushed over as quickly as possible.” I explained. Jay nodded as I talked. “When we got there, we just saw a pile of books on the floor. Nobody was around. We were just starting to clean it up when Rosa told us we were needed upstairs. What is going on?” I finished by asking. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Jay frowning at me. It wasn’t on his face long. But I wasn’t the only one to have seen it.
“Jay, why don’t you tell us what happened?” Uncle Lyrel asked.
Jay gulped but spoke steadily enough “It was just as Kel said. I just didn’t see anyone there telling us that we needed to come upstairs. Kel just seemed certain that we needed to go.” I was surprised by his words, but I kept quiet. I noticed my father, Uncle Lyrel, and Aunt Sage glancing between the two of us. Jay glanced toward our three still trembling cousins “so… what did happen?”
Uncle Lyrel crossed his arms. “You mean to tell us that neither of you knew about Lily, Mol, and Rowan being down there?”
“We didn’t know, sir,” Jay replied.
“This is the first time I’ve seen them since class,” I added. I didn’t add that that was how I preferred it. Now wasn’t exactly the time nor were the full mages the right audience.
“It had to have been a ghost,” Rowan muttered. Lily and Mol edged closer to him instinctively seeking safety in a group. “Everyone knows the Archives are haunted.”
“That’s enough. I do not believe the Archives to be haunted. There is a rational reason behind what happened.” My father told him. Rowan fell silent, but he didn’t look any bit less scared. For my part, I was just surprised that my father and I agreed on something. “Let us all go down and see what is to be seen.” My father added. He went first, followed by Jay and I. Aunt Sage came next. She was followed reluctantly by Mol, Lily, and Rowan. Last of all was Uncle Lyrel.
At the bottom, my father turned to me. “Where is the pile of books?”
“Its right over – what?” I stopped dead beside the Lunakihiem model. My father and the others came around as well.
Jay froze and turned to me, his skin a little paler. “How did the books get put away?! We didn’t have a chance to do it!” Jay’s shocked words echoed about the cavernous room.
My father turned to me. “You didn’t finish putting the books back?”
I shook my head staring at the neatly reordered shelf of books. “Use your words, Kel.” My father said with a slight edge of irritation.
“I told you that we didn’t!” I replied straightening. “I only had ten back on the shelf. I don’t know how the rest…” I trailed off catching sight of Rosa. She was standing at the end of the nearest aisle of bookshelves. She was smiling at me. Then she curtsied before walking away. I wanted to call after her, but Rowan started shouting that the Archives were haunted! Ghosts attacked them! Ghosts cleaned up the evidence. He then pointed at me, the whites of his eyes showing “And he talks to ghosts!”
Aunt Sage smacked his accusatory finger out of the air. Rowan turned, startled by her unexpected attack. Aunt Sage huffed, putting her hands on her hips “so now are you going to tell us that Kel told the ghosts to attack you? When it is obviously clear that he and Jay didn’t tell them to clean up the mess? Why would they make that mistake? And why didn’t they just stay down in this labyrinth while we tried to figure out what happened?” Rowan gaped at her, obviously having a hard time keeping up with her mental acrobatics. “Don’t speak nonsense, boy. It just proves you to be a fool.”
My father and Uncle Lyrel checked the shelf and apparently didn’t find anything incriminating one way or another. My father then turned to Uncle Lyrel. In a tone that all of us would know was directed to all of us he said “Well Uncle Lyrel, I do believe that the three came to play a nasty trick on the other two. But instead of succeeding in their plans, got scared themselves. Probably knocked into that shelf causing the books to fall. Because of the place’s reputation, they got spooked.”
In a similar tone, Uncle Lyrel said “I agree, Zien. And Jay and Kel are innocent of any wrongdoing. But what then should the three’s punishment be?”
“Punishment?!” Lily protested.
Uncle Lyrel turned to her and nodded. “Punishment. You have caused priceless books to possibly be damaged and you were plotting something I imagine would be unpleasant for two of your cousins. The question is what punishment is best? Perhaps dusting down here?”
The three were shaking their heads frantically. I joined them. “I don’t think that is a good id
ea,” I said. Uncle Lyrel raised a brow at me. “There are lots of delicate artifacts down here. What if they get spooked again?”
Uncle Lyrel frowned. “That is a good point. Then what to do with them?”
“I have an idea.” Aunt Sage said. When my father and Uncle Lyrel turned their attention to her, she continued “have them clean the Plavean and central part of the school for a week.”
The three looked relieved for a moment before realizing what they would be doing. They didn’t look very happy. My father nodded. “I think that is an excellent idea. For a week the three of you will report for after school cleaning duties. I’ll let the cleaning staff know of this change. They’ll make sure you do a thorough job.”
Aunt Sage smiled rather maliciously if I do say so myself. She gestured for the three to go up the stairs. She followed after them.
Uncle Lyrel turned to Jay and I. “Did the two of you happen to finish putting the return books away before this ruckus?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Uncle. Not yet.”
“Well then, the two of you had best hurry off and finish. I do not like disorder in my library!”
“Yes sir!” I snapped a salute before grabbing Jay’s hand and hurrying back to the History section.
“He’s a good lad, your son.” I heard Uncle Lyrel say to my father. I hurried my pace so I wouldn’t have to hear how my father replied to that.
***
“Those kids were scared, Zien. Could a bunch of falling books do that? Or do you think they saw something?” Lyrel asked Oakelen.
Oakelen watched after his retreating son. “Lyrel, look at this place. There is a creepy feeling in these halls.” He gestured about the room lit only by crystalized sunflowers. While it was enough light to see by. There were places of darker shadow. Some sections were darker than others. The only way one could reliably have enough light to find something was to use one of the handheld sunflower stones. The changes in lighting, the oldness of the place, and all the rumors made it understandable that some would be scared by the place. Oakelen nodded to himself “I think anything unexpected would scare the daylights out of someone down here. Especially if they have at least an ounce of imagination.”
Lyrel nodded, shivering. It was clear he didn’t like being down here much either. He frowned thoughtfully “What do you think of your son’s recount, though?”
“Where he said he was talking to a ‘Rosa’ that Jay didn’t see?” Oakelen inquired. At Lyrel’s nod, Oakelen turned to pace toward the mysterious shelf and back. “I don’t honestly know what to think of that.” He admitted. He needed to have a talk with Kel.
Chapter 9
For the first time, I was troubled in the depths of the library. For a while, Jay and I didn’t say much. I think he was just creeped out by the place more than he had ever been. I… I was too busy trying to understand what just happened. How did he not hear Rosa? She had been right there… I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. And why had she curtsied to me in the shadows? Had she somehow been responsible for the books falling in the first place? Why hadn’t she come forward to explain herself? Obviously, she had cleaned them up… but again, why hadn’t she said anything?
“Who is Rosa?” Jay asked returning from putting his last book away.
I shelved the last of mine and wished I had more books to occupy my hands. “She is a researcher. Along with her companions Mary and Carl-Jack. They came about five years ago and have been working nonstop on researching for a book they are jointly writing.” I replied.
Jay frowned in thought. “I don’t recognize the names… they’re not mages are they?”
I shook my head. “No, they come from the King’s Academy in Eldin City.”
“So, where then are they staying? I’ve heard nothing about a group of researchers in town. Especially not for five years.”
“I don’t know where they are staying.” I finally answered. “I had never thought to ask…”
“For five years?” Jay asked surprised.
I shrugged and started wiping at a spot of dust. “Apparently.”
“You never thought it was weird that no one else mentioned them or their project? Have you seen them anywhere else?”
I turned toward Jay, both frightened and angry “I haven’t and what are you getting at, Jay? That they are ghosts?” Saying it aloud made me feel foolish.
Jay’s eyes widened at my outburst, but he crossed his arms and held his ground. “It seems that they might be. After all, I didn’t see or hear Rosa earlier when you said we were needed upstairs. And I should have, right? She had been right there?”
“She had been. And she hadn’t been whispering.” I admitted rubbing my suddenly chill arms. “Maybe people are right in saying that this place is haunted… but she doesn’t look like a ghost.”
“What does she look like?”
I shrugged again. “Just like a normal person. No sign of how she might have died… you can’t see through her. I’ve seen her carry books around… I just thought she was normal. Same with Mary and Carl-Jack.” Great… I thought looking anywhere but at Jay. People have been treating me like a freak for my whole life, now they have a reason to… “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I said turning to leave.
“Okay,” Jay said falling into step beside me. Just before the stairs, he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I startled slightly and gazed at him sidelong. He leaned closer “And before you decide that I think you are a freak of some kind, I want you to know that I don’t. So you shove that thinking where the sun doesn’t shine.”
I blinked in surprise. “You don’t think it strange that I seem to be able to see people who don’t actually exist?”
“I resent that remark,” Carl-Jack called from somewhere nearby. “I might be dead, but I exist!”
I flinched, but Jay showed absolutely no sign that he had heard Carl-Jack at all. I felt a headache coming on.
“It's strange sure,” Jay admitted, “But I think its fascinating too. I want to know why you can.”
“I do too,” I said doing my best to stop the headache before it arrived full force. “But I thought you were afraid of ghosts?” I added.
It was Jay’s turn to shrug. “Who isn’t afraid of the unknown? But we’ve been good friends for five years now, and I know there is a reason for why you can see what you do. Just neither of us knows what that is yet.
“Young man, you will apologize to me for saying I don’t exist!” Carl-Jack said stomping around the bookcase to glower at me. His cane tapped in irritation on the floor.
“You better just do it, honey.” Rosa piped in from her perusal of the shelf that had started this mess.
“Please, before he works himself into a tizzy.” Mary added from a comfy chair that had better lighting to ease reading.
That headache came full on because Jay didn’t turn to look at any of them. He tilted his head curiously at me. “Are you okay?”
I smiled, but it was a tremulous thing. “Nope.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong! The boy claims I don’t exist!” Carl-Jack growled.
“Please, darling. That one can’t hear you. To him, you don’t exist.” Mary replied simply from her chair.
“If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it.”
“So sorry dear,” Mary replied in the same tone of voice as one might use to remark upon the weather.
“Don’t you have something to say to me, Kel-me-lad?” He asked tapping me with his cane.
“Excuse me.” I murmured to Jay before turning toward Carl-Jack. “I am truly sorry I said you don’t exist. I was very wrong to say so. Please forgive me?”
Carl-Jack folded his hands atop his cane and smiled. “Promise not to make the mistake again and I will.”
“I promise,” I replied with a slight bow of my head.
Carl-Jack grinned. “I forgive you then, Kel-me-lad-o.” And with that, he turned and walked back to where
he had been before. A definite bounce in his step. I noted Rosa roll her eyes but smile. Mary was completely unphased reading in her chair.
Jay was frowning at me. “Were… were you just talking to Rosa?”
I shook my head. “Not Rosa…” I hesitated for a moment but decided I might as well tell him all. See if he still thought I wasn’t freak after this… “Rosa is over there behind that bookcase. I can see her when she peeks over the books. No, I had been talking to Carl-Jack. He was quite upset that I had said he doesn’t exist. Obviously, I’m wrong because he does.” I said the last a little louder. A tap of the cane was the only response I got. I nodded toward Mary’s chair. “And Mary is sitting there.”
Jay followed where I indicated. He looked a little pale. “That’s so weird and a so fascinating at the same time… As far as I can tell its just us…” He shivered. “I’ll not be able to come down here without you. That way you could warn me if I’m about to sit in someone.” He shivered again.
I snorted and turned back to the stairs. “You don’t come down here anyway if I’m not with you.”
“You’re not wrong,” Jay replied with a smile.
“Still don’t think I’m a freak?”
“I still don’t think of you as a freak,” Jay confirmed. “But I don’t understand how you can see what you do. I wonder if it has anything to do with magic? We are almost of age.” He pointed out.
I nodded thoughtfully. “I just don’t remember anyone talking about seeing ghosts when they’re magic woke up.”
“It could be they didn’t want to be singled out. Or they hadn’t realized they were talking to ghosts, just like you. Maybe we should mention this to our parents.”
I shook my head. I really didn’t want this going any further that it was… though Mol, Lily, and Rowan may take that out of my hands any way… but I could point out they had been too scared to remember things clearly. That would tick them off, but what else was new? I didn’t need people to know about this. Not now. Not ever. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said. “I think if this is a normal thing, then you’ll find out when your gift wakes up and then you could talk to your parents about it. It might be some kind of coming of age secret that no one in their younger years are to know about.” It sounded silly, but traditions are like that sometimes, when you really thought about them.
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