by Mia Castile
“School is school. My brother is going to graduate soon too, and I just got a new job at a bookstore. It’s close.”
“Be careful. You’re on your own now, and with The Noctem growing stronger, I want you to be safe. That’s the main reason I came to you tonight. You’re my angel, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I smiled at him, but he kept looking at Mr. Bearingston. I could tell he was really worried.
“Hey,” I whispered as I placed my hand on his arm. “I thought you were my angel.” He reached over to brush wisps of hair away from my eyes. And suddenly he was holding my face in his hand as his eyes locked into mine.
He nervously, slowly leaned into me like he was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes dreamily, hoping he would finally kiss me, but we froze as we both heard a key in the front door. He pulled away as he looked toward my bedroom door and listened. “My brother’s home,” I whispered, still feeling the heat from his fingers as if they were burning my face. He looked back at me, frustration in his eyes now.
“Yeah, I’ve got to go. Close your eyes.” I obeyed and closed my eyes.
“Ellie, I’m home.” I opened my eyes, and I was lying in my bed back under my covers. My journal and pen in hand.
“In here,” I called, trying not to let my voice shake.
“Hey, I’m home, you all right?” He poked his head inside my door. He looked concerned.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. Your cheeks are pink.”
“Um. Just—a—you startled me when you opened the front door. The acoustics in this apartment are unreal!” I avoided his eye contact.
“Sure, they are. So what did you do this evening?” He leaned against the door jam.
“One thing: I got a new job.” I clapped my hands with excitement.
“The bookstore?”
“Yeah, I start tomorrow.”
“Really? Tomorrow?” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I told Moriah at work tonight that she and Selah could come over and see the new apartment. It won’t be weird if it’s just me and her—err, them right?”
“No, they are your friends anyway.” I laughed at him.
“No! They are your friends too. Don’t forget that. And, sorry I woke you from your dream with tall, dark, and handsome.” He took me by surprise.
“What are you talking about?” I could feel my face getting redder and redder.
“You talk in your sleep. For you to be flushed like you were when I came in, you had to be having one of your dreams.” Gideon winked at me and turned off the light.
“‘Night kid, love you.”
“Love you too, I think.” He laughed and I heard the TV come on. I soon drifted off to sleep, but I didn’t dream of my angel. I don’t remember what I dreamed.
Chapter 4
The next day at school, the boy who sat beside me in my first class spent the whole period trying to explain to me the concept of the fifth dimension in the graphic novel he was reading. All I said was “hello.” I should have known better.
I looked forward to my highlight of the day, lunch and hanging out with Gideon, Moriah, and Selah. Today was different somehow. As I came up with my lunch tray, the three of them were having a hushed conversation. I assumed it was about college, but as I sat down, they were quiet and looked at me.
“Whaddup with the weirdness, guys?” I asked, looking from Gideon to Moriah to Selah. No one said anything. They all began to eat. “Really? Are you guys already forming a secret society that only college students can join?” They looked at each other and began to smile.
“No, we’re just talking about grown up stuff,” Selah stated. I stared blankly at her, waiting for the punch line. They continued eating.
“I’m practically eighteen,” I whined. Gideon furrowed his brows and looked at me.
“Yeah, in like nine months. Slow down there, speed racer.”
“It’s not something we can discuss in mixed company,” Moriah chimed in, looking from me to the other kids sitting around us.
“Really? You’re not going to tell me, even though I know you’re hiding something from me?”
“Yep,” they all said in unison and then burst into laughter.
“I’m going to go eat lunch in the bathroom.” I stood up and reached for my tray.
“Wait!” Selah reached for my arm and pulled me back into the seat beside her. “We weren’t talking about a secret. We were talking about college, and you startled us when you came over to the table. But you’re really edgy these days, huh?” She looked at Gideon and Moriah for confirmation of her explanation.
“Yeah, we just know we’re bumming you out with all of our planning and excitement,” Gideon stated.
“Guys, I’m not bummed. I’m happy you guys are going to school. Hey, I’ll be there the year after next, so it will be like old times. Don’t worry about me.”
“How can we not worry? You are one of us!” Moriah smiled.
“Like the little sister we never had,” Selah chimed in.
“Well, like the little sister I’ll always have,” Gideon smiled.
“Guys, besides, this summer is going to be great. When we aren’t working, we can hang out,” I added to get the conversation off me. “You’re still coming over even though I have to work tonight, right?” I turned to Selah and asked.
“Yes, we are,” Moriah answered. Selah smiled and nodded.
“Good, and we’ll make plans for this weekend, maybe cook out or something,” I added.
“Definitely.” With that, Selah hugged me sideways.
That afternoon I made my way to the bookstore. I stopped at the sub shop and bought a sandwich and soda for my dinner. I made it to the store at 3:30 and went on in. Sonny was behind the counter looking through a stack of books.
“Hey there, little lady,” he smiled, as he looked up from his stack.
“Hey, Sonny. How’s your day going?” I smiled back.
“Better now that you’re here.” He reached for something under the counter. He came around from behind it with a limp and the cane he had reached for. I hadn’t noticed the cane before, but then again, he hadn’t walked around when I was there the day before. I didn’t realize he was injured. “Are you hurt?” I asked, as I reached out a hand to help steady him.
“Yes, sweetie, this is an old war wound. I served in desert storm.” I didn’t know what to say; I just stood there.
“Come on, I’ll show you around. Let’s start in the back.” He took me through a beaded doorway down the short hallway. At the end was a door.
“This is the back door.” He opened it and revealed a bright light from outside. The daylight found every crevice of the hallway. There was another stairway that went up to an alley. He went up the stairs halfway and pointed to the end of the alley. “And that’s our dumpster.”
I followed him until I could see. There at the end of alley was the dumpster. He continued.
“Trash is taken out daily at or just before close.” We walked back inside. The door slammed behind us, creating instant darkness after the bright daylight. My eyes began playing tricks on me, and I began to see all kinds of shapes and even faces. They were ugly faces. Evil smoky faces right in front of me bouncing off the walls and flying toward me. I closed my eyes tight. I re-opened them as Sonny looked at me strangely.
“Are you OK?” he asked, concerned. I nodded yes, and he continued the tour. There was a door to the left and a door to the right. He opened the left door. “This is the back room, stock room, supply room, employee lounge all in one. Funny how that works,” he smiled and walked to the other door that was closed. “This is my office. Never, under any circumstance, are you to come into this room. There are a lot of priceless treasures in here, not to mention my personal possessions. I trust this will not be an issue.” He was serious this time.
“Of course.” I nodded in agreement.
“Ellie, I will take care of the trades, check all the books, and make the price for
them. Your job will be to make sure the store is clean, ring up customers, and stock the shelves. I must say I am in need of an organization method. I’ve been here eleven years, and my system has taken over.” He paused as he looked around the stacks. “So if you have any ideas, by all means, let me know. Now you can make yourself acquainted with the stacks. When a customer comes in, I will show you how the register works.” By the end of the evening, I was ringing up customers. This bookstore was busy for its hidden location, but I guessed for being there so long and providing great service, word had spread. I walked through the stacks. It looked like books were just put in places where other sold books had rested. It was like he had just filled in the holes. With his handicap, I couldn’t imagine it had been easy. I wondered how much help he’d had over the years. At the end of the evening, I gathered the trash from the counter and the back room. Sonny was at the table clearing off some books people had been looking at.
“Will you be emptying the trash in your office?” I asked, not knowing how to approach the subject. He looked at the old clock that hung above the beaded doorway.
“I hadn’t realized it was so late. I will usually leave it in the hall for you to take out.” He grabbed his cane leaning against a chair and went to his office. When he opened the door, I smelled an odor I had never smelled before. It was a smell of old, if that makes sense. There was the old book smell, leather, and a scent of natural fragrances mixed in, but also of dust. I stepped back. It startled him, and he looked back at me. The front doorbell chimed, and I took another step back. He hovered in the doorway and just stared at me. I turned and went through the beads. There, standing just inside the doorway, were Gideon, Selah, and Moriah.
“Hey, guys,” I smiled, relieved as I approached them.
“Hey, we decided to meet you. I thought we could walk the girls to the bus stop,” Gideon answered.
“Just in time. I just have to take the trash out, and then I can go. I’ll be right back.” They nodded, and I went back into the hallway. Sonny stood there with his bag of trash.
“My brother and friends are here to walk me home.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Just take out the trash, and I’ll see you on Thursday.” I took the bag from him and picked up the two bags I’d left by the back door already. “Good work tonight, Ellie.” I took out the trash, came in, gathered my things, and met my brother and friends by the front door. Sonny was behind the counter making small talk with them. We said our goodbyes and found ourselves on the sidewalk in front.
“That’s a quaint little shop, and your boss is very nice. He’s something else,” Moriah chimed in as we rounded the top step of the sidewalk.
“Something else. . .” Gideon trailed off under his breath.
“I thought he seemed nice, too, so what’s that supposed to mean?” Selah asked.
“I didn’t care for him is all I’m saying.”
“He is nice, and he’s a war vet. He’s an honest businessman.” Why was I defending him so strongly? “He’s personable.”
“Just my opinion. Everyone has one, right?”
“Among other things.” Selah never missed a beat with Gideon. We were at the bus stop.
“Are you guys going to be fine?” Gideon was concerned.
“Yes, we’ve taken the bus. You should try it sometime.” Moriah leaned in to hug him and then realized she did and awkwardly hugged me too.
“We can’t afford rich people’s transportation.” Gideon face darkened as he shyly said, “Besides, walking’s good for the glutes. See you tomorrow,” he added lightheartedly.
Chapter 5
I sat in free period, my homework done, as Selah painted her nails. The teacher, Miss Watson, was not paying attention to the conversations and notes flying across the room. She was too busy texting someone, and by the smile on her face, he must have been pretty charming. I watched her giggle and blush every time she looked at her screen. I wondered what that felt like, to be like that with someone.
“She likes Mr. Roark.” Selah leaned into me smiling.
“How do you know?” I was in awe.
“Moriah, she saw—err—heard that they were going out on Friday.” She watched her too, for a minute, and then went back to painting her nails.
“Ah, they make a good match,” I said, thinking about how they both seemed easy-going.
“I don’t know, maybe. Who do you like these days?”
“Who do I like any day, no one really?” I shrugged and looked down at my own broken nails.
“Maybe I could hook you up with Bobby, Todd’s friend. He’s decent.” She watched my response almost like she was looking for something.
“Na, I’m not his type.”
“You are. He likes witty girls, and you’re perfect. You should date, if not him, at least someone,” she sighed.
“I’m not ready for that. I don’t want to be tied down,” I half joked.
“Well, let me know when you are. I’m sure I can find someone who will think you’re a catch. Because, Ellie,” she said, moving so that she held my eye contact, “you should get your first kiss before you’re twenty-one.” I nodded, holding her serious eyes, and then we both burst into quiet giggles. Miss Watson looked up, a little annoyed, but returned to her cell phone.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were just like every other day. I decided my life was boring. Saturday I worked all day. When Sonny said it was busy, he didn’t joke. I couldn’t believe how many books he bought and sold.
“Sonny, what determines which books make it into the stacks and which books stay in the back room?” I asked, as I picked up a pile of books no longer on hold from behind the counter.
“If I have more than one copy of a book, I will only put one out at a time. If I have a popular book, one I’ve bought and sold often, I will make sure it’s out. I guess it’s hit or miss really. Maybe that’s why I have so many regulars. You never know where you’re going to find something,” he smiled, as he thought about it.
“Is there a particular way you want to organize the books?” My mind was already formulating a plan for the re-organization.
“Sweetie, if I had a way I wanted to do it, I think I would do it. I’m not much of an organizer.”
“I have some ideas. When can we discuss them? The sooner we get started, the sooner we get done and the sooner we feel better.” I smiled as I went around the corner.
“I think this will be a summer-long project. I want to discuss it in the next few weeks. I have some commitments next week, maybe the week after,” he smiled.
“Sounds good.” I was already filing the books away.
By six-thirty I was ready to crash. I dusted the stacks, swept, mopped the floor, and took out the trash. When the clock struck seven, I was ready to go. “Good night, Sonny. I’ll see ya next Tuesday.” He was in his office and didn’t answer me. I locked the front door and began my three-block walk home. It was brisk for a spring evening. I wrapped my sweater tighter around me and tied the strap. I held on tight to my shoulder purse. My hair was pulled up in a ponytail. I almost wished I’d let it down before I stepped out. The hair on the back of my neck began to stand up. It was very quiet to be so early in the evening. There were no cars on the street or people walking on the sidewalks like there usually were at this time of day. I walked a block in silence. Then I heard the patter of feet behind me. I turned to see who was there and I froze. What looked like mangy grey wolves were following me. There were three of them. They must have realized they had scared me because the one in the middle stepped forward. His eyes glowed red. He began to growl, “Grrreeelllliii.” My eyes widened with fear. Did this creature just say my name? I took a step backward but held eye contact with the wolf in the middle. Was there really no one around? He took two steps forward. “Grrreeellliii.”