Enchanted High Book I
Chapter Nine: The Library

They walked through the dark corridors to the library. Occasional lamps engraved on the wall, along with Dominic’s flame, lit the way for them. Their footsteps echoed eerily. Lexis was afraid, and decided not to join them.

‘This is the cafeteria,’ James whispered. ‘Up here.’

They walked up the staircase. At the top, was the double doors to the library. It was unlocked.

Nicole frowned. ‘That’s not right – why’s it –’

‘Shh,’ said Dominic, ‘just come on.’

‘No way am I going in there.’

‘Fine. Keep watch, then.’

They went in.

June had been to the library several times before, but never at night. The large window which let in heavenly sunlight during the day, now casted a series of shapes from the curtains onto the wall. The shelves, reaching to the ceiling, made June feel comforted with its thousands of books. Now, they looked like something looming over them. A reception desk stood at the front lonelily, and few study desks were randomly placed around.

‘Where do we start?’ Dominic asked.

June searched through the reception desk. ‘A little light, Dominic?’

He brought his finger, with a single flame dancing on it, to the desk. Dozens of papers were scattered across it.

‘Nothing here,’ Dominic whispered.

‘Of course it won’t be there,’ Nicole snapped from the doorway, ‘You have to search in that.’ She pointed across the room.

There was a large, black cube, reaching to the height of June’s waist. Jutting out from the top was yet another shrunken head. Its eyelids were closed in sleep.

June neared it, unsure of what to do. Nicole exhaled, agitated.

‘Let me do it,’ she mumbled. Expertly, she placed her forefinger on a spot before the head. For moments, nothing happened. Suddenly, the head awoke.

It spoke robotically. ‘I am Gilda. What are you looking for?’

‘Gustavo’s Magic for Beginners, by Shaun Albert,’ Nicole replied.

They watched Gilda think; her eyeballs rolled backwards in their sockets – the cube trembled slightly –

‘Shelf seven. Row twelve.’ Gilda said. She returned to sleep.

‘You’re welcome.’ Nicole crossed her arms.

With Gilda’s directions, June found the book in a matter of seconds. She flipped through the pages, the others huddled around her.

They stared at the writing on page one-twenty-eight.

‘It’s a relocation spell,’ June whispered.

Nicole hummed. ‘Charlie was right. It wasn’t a mistake. Somebody transported the tree.’

‘Where?’ June asked. ‘It could be anywhere in Comikaycrest – Treatonhaven, Oceantide –’

‘The Dark Woods –’ Dominic added.

‘Or the human world,’ said Nicole. ’But look here – the object would be transported to the destination the caster thinks of or desires it to be at the time of the casting.′

‘So we ask Lexis,’ said Dominic.

Nicole shook her head. ‘If he wasn’t in his right mind, he wouldn’t remember.’

‘It’s worth a try,’ June pitched in.

‘I tried to warn you.’

James was seated atop a table, his body rigid, his eyes staring straight ahead.

‘Dude?’ Dominic took careful steps towards him.

‘I tried to warn you,’ James repeated. ‘But you didn’t listen. You didn’t recognize me. I will find you.’

There was a pause. James turned to look at June in the eye; she saw no life in them, no trace of the boy she had History with. Instead, they were black and glassy. She went blind again – James’s image shifted – there was lightning – a laugh – an old man –

‘I want to marry your daughter.’ The king said. He loomed over the old man, no mercy in his expression.

‘Over my dead body!’

The king chuckled. In the corner, hidden in shadows, a frightened woman mumbled a series of words: ‘no, please, no – I’ll do it –’

The king raised his staff. A flash of lightning later, the old man fell to the floor. The light struck her face for a fraction of a second.

It was June.

‘I will find you again, Linasia, for every life I take,’ the king turned his back on her.

James whispered, ‘I will find you, June.’

He fell.

He was moving closer to his destination; for each step, energy charge through him like a live wire. Looking down at his feet; he saw that they were moving fast, carrying him swiftly to where he desperately needed to go – running towards the mountain ahead of him; burning red in the ink black sky.

The ground beneath him was rumbling; he tilted his head to the side to catch sight of something very unpleasant. A monster from behind the tall trees emerged, chasing after him, like a predator hunting down his prey.

The boy, distracted, tripped and fell flat on his stomach hitting the rocky ground, scraping the skin from his elbow. And the monster took advantage of his preys’ temporary vulnerability.

The boy watched giant, razor sharp claws cut through the air, swinging at him. Acting fast, he rolled over narrowly avoiding death. The second he got to his feet, he ran faster – hoping that the next leap he took would lead him to safety. He had not a single clue of what was happening, but all he was absolutely sure of was that he had to get to the mountain. Something deep within him instructed him to do so.

He turned his head again to glance at the monster ... but only too late had he caught sight of what was ahead of him.

And then the ground beneath him was slipping away, melting like ice in a heated oven. His feet lost contact, and he fell into the darkness.

‘James, mate?’

He opened his eyes. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt numb.

‘You okay?’ Dominic made him sit up.

‘No,’ James mumbled.

‘We shouldn’t have come here,’ Nicole spat at them. ‘This place must have jinxes for security. Look at him.’

James had no physical injuries, but his eyes drooped, and his skin was pale. A few drops of sweat glistened on his forehead.

‘We got what we needed,’ said Nicole, walking to the door, ‘now let’s get out of here.’

They assisted James to a standing position and, with their shoulders for support, they carried him out of the library. June glanced at the time on her wrist watch; eleven-forty-seven pm.

At the last second, June tilted her head to look behind her. She thought she saw someone, a cloaked shadow peering at her from beneath his hood.

Wonderful a person though she is, Miss Price is on the long list of things that frighten me. It’s her mind that frightens me, to be specific. She’s no murderer, like my boss, but the visions she had of me - to this day, I get the shivers thinking about it.

Love from every cold shiver that’s ever went down my spine,

-THUG.

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