Chapter One:
Libraries freak me out.
I'm the kind of girl who does nothing but read in her spare time. But I don't go to libraries anymore.
Not after the Linden Library.
Books were always crying out to me to be read. Books are meant to be read. Every book on planet Earth. But I hated libraries after being at Linden's.
I absently tapped my finger against the car door. I flexed my ankles. The drive was over an hour long and I was getting restless. The car was silent except for the sound of texting. Jason was glued to his phone and my parents were playing some word game on their phones. Amber was asleep, drooling on Jason's shoulder. Her copper-colored hair glowed in the sun's rays.
I sighed. My stomach was in knots. We were going back to that place. The GPS robotically announced:
"Destination on the right."
Our chauffer, Grant, pulled into the long driveway. I brushed strand of my black hair behind my ear and gripped the car door handle. Mr. Linden's library came into view. It was an enormous red brick mansion. Jasmine crept up the walls, in full bloom, perfuming the air. The house itself was sprawling and irregular, filled with twisty hallways and giant rooms full of books. The whole place smells like old books. So I remembered, among other things. Things that needed to stay forgotten.
We got out and Jason started waving his phone around, searching for a signal. Amber ended up face-planting into the seat, as his shoulder was no longer there for her to lean on.
"It's a Verizon dead zone. Go ahead and put your phone in your pocket, son." Dad commanded with a twinkle in his eye. Jason huffed and shoved his phone in his pocket. I fiddled with my pearl necklace. Amber yawned and stretched. Grant pulled out our suitcases and stood by the car while Amber woke up.
"Are we there yet?" She mumbled, stumbling out of the car.
"Yes, dear." Mom replied, straightening Amber's pink dress and smoothing her red hair.
We walked up the path to the door. The polished cherry wood gleamed in the sunset. I sniffed the air. All around me, the azaleas bloomed bright white. A few roses were starting to bloom. I felt the corners of my mouth prick into a small smile for the first time that day.
"Jane! Get over here!" Jason yelled. My smile dropped. I dreaded the moment the door opened. It didn't just open, it flew open and Mr. Linden hopped out and bowed.
"Welcome, honored guests!" He declared. I chuckled mentally. Mr. Linden always a flair for the dramatic and quirky.
Once inside, Mr. Linden and Dad shook hands, exchanging polite greetings.
"Lovely as ever, Elaine." Mr. Linden complimented Mom. I craned my neck to look around. The foyer was much the same as it had been when I left. Shelves lined the twenty foot high walls, and climbed up to the ceiling. Jason glanced furtively around the room.
"Come along now, dinner's waiting for us." Mr. Linden waved everyone on to the dining room. I was the last to enter.
"Good to see you again, Jane." Mr. Linden said.
"The same to you, Mr. Linden." I replied as I walked through the door. The dining room was white, from the perfect walls to the bleached carpet floor. A few paintings hung on the walls. A dark and gleaming walnut table stood in the center, at contrast with the rest of the room.
The cook bustled out with the first course; soup. It was broccoli and cheese. Amber loved it so much, she got it on her pink dress, much to Mom's dismay.
The main course was a giant roasted deer. Amber's eyes popped when she saw it. Mr. Linden carved it up. The meat was savory and spicy. I chewed each bite carefully.
"I do hope you all enjoy your stay here." Mr. Linden said.
"I think we will. Thank you so much for letting us stay the summer here, Sam." Dad thanked. Jason scowled at his plate. A month and a half of little to no texting or internet would probably be torture for him. I smirked at my plate.
"Well, I do hope so! The estate is rather large and my collection is extensive. I hope you'll be perfectly comfortable here." Mr. Linden raised his glass. "A toast to friends, eh?" The three adults raised their wine glasses.
"To Friends!" They all drank and set down their glasses.
"Well, I suppose the children," Mr. Linden said, "won't be very interested in our boring grown-up sort of talk. You may all go about the library, if you like. Or unpack. I left a list of who's where in the foyer."
Jason rolled his eyes at being called a child and nearly followed suit. He'd been like that ever since he turned sixteen. I got up.
"Thank you for the meal, Mr. Linden."
"You're most welcome, Jane."
I smiled and left. Grant had placed our suitcases in the foyer. I grabbed mine and checked the list. I frowned. Mr. Linden had put me in the same room as when I had boarded here originally. Not I can change it.
The staircases creaked under my weight as I dragged my suitcase behind me. I arrived at the second floor and went to my room. The hallway was floored and walled with polished cherry wood. It had a warm, reddish tint to it. Mr. Linden had always loved putting quality woods into his large and strange house. A shiver went through my spine as I entered my room. The floor to my room was made from a light bamboo. The walls were painted lavender, a small diffuser hummed and scented the room with lavender. I unpacked my suitcase robotically, keeping an eye on my bookshelf in the corner.
I could feel something staring at me. I shook the feeling away. This library has always been creepy. Don't put too much thought into it. I chided myself.
Nervously, I put my clothes in the closet and drawers. My hands shook. Too much coffee before we left. This place was giving me the creeps. Or maybe it was the coffee. But all libraries did that to me, but only after I had been to this particular library. Mr. Linden's library was out in the middle of nowhere for a reason, and it wasn't country living. No. Don't go there. I warned myself.
Amber opened my door with creak.
"Janey?" She whimpered. My hands froze above my suitcase.
"Yeah?" I turned to her.
"The books have lightning." Her seven-year old voice sounded especially pathetic. Panic welled in my chest. No. No. No. You leave her alone. Both of you. You don't do this to her.
"I'm sure it was nothing, Amber. What book were you looking at?" I tried to smile reassuringly.
"In my room." She dashed off down the hall, her small footsteps pattering like a scared rabbit. I followed her. Amber dashed into a large room with oak floors and king size bed. The room was complete with a huge cedar dresser and vanity. Amber opened a door and slipped in. I followed her. Her room (which was attached to the large one) was small and only had a twin-sized bed, dresser, and bookshelf. The evening sunset came in through the windows. A book lay open, face down on the floor. Amber pointed to it.
"That one." She whispered. I knelt down and picked it up. A strange jolt went through my body. I gritted my teeth and placed it on the shelf. Turning to Amber, I reassured her;
"See? The books won't hurt you. They're just old and want someone to read them." My smile felt even more forced. Mr. Linden had said those exact words to me when I had first come here. Amber smiled back and picked up a book. She squealed and dropped it. She tentatively picked it back up and after examining it, she flipped onto her bed and apparently decided to ignore me, like any other kid with something more interesting than me. I chuckled and left.
Jason was hauling his suitcase to his room. He looked like a cat that had been dragged through a sewer: miserable.
"Need help?" I offered.
"Yeah. Go away." He snapped.
"Well, someone's a bit grumpy." I muttered.
I walked toward my room again. I heard a yell and a crash from behind me. Whirling around, I saw Jason on the floor, rubbing his head as he got up and stormed off to his own room. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
She must not like him.
I blinked. She? An image flashed in my head.
No. She's not real. She's not real. She's not real.
I wrenched my mind away from it and thought of other things.
What Amber said kept sticking in my head. I changed into my pajamas. The covers scratched against my skin. I didn't sleep that night. Trying to reconcile Amber's experience and my own memories was maddening.
Was it all a dream?
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