Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader Novels & Stories

Valentina slid into the last stall, locked it, and set the briefcase on the narrow shelf above the toilet. Her hands moved fast, efficient. The key turned with a faint click, and the lid lifted. There it was. The ledger. Black leather, worn at the edges, its pages thick with ink. She flipped it open, her breath catching as names and numbers spilled across the paper: shipments, ports, bribes, politicians bought and paid for—routes carved in blood. It wasn’t just a ledger—it was an empire written in code and ink. Her chest tightened. If Dante wanted this, it wasn’t for leverage—it was for war.

The ladies all giggle and Julie stands, handing a new bookmark to each of us. "Yes. We figured we'd get you ones that suited you a little better." she says. The new one is dark blue with gold lettering that says 'Real men read dirty books'. I smile and look over at Ev who's showing Harper his excitedly. "These are great. Thank you." I say just as Bri nudges me. "Oh! Tell them your joke, love!" Harper says excitedly. Ev rolls his eyes before addressing the group.

Off to the side, a small desk with a computer stood neatly against the wall. The room was spotless, immaculately organized. The only odd thing was the clothing rack—there wasn't a single shirt or jacket hanging on it. Instead, it was lined with lingerie, plus black and white stockings draped side by side. I glanced twice before quickly looking away, feeling oddly embarrassed. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but… a single bed? No wonder Colin never came over. That bed was way too small for two people to get up to anything. Following the strange rustling sound, I looked toward the desk. Sitting on top were little plastic bags girls often used to keep their accessories, and under the fain

"You can't possibly do that. What about school?" "I don't care as long as you learn that your confessions are non-negotiable." "You're fucking crazy." I shoved his chest, but he didn't move an inch. He leaned into me. "Tell me the truth dorogoy. What are you really afraid of? Are you afraid that you don't like it or is it that you're afraid that you like it too much? That it makes you wet?" I gaped at him. "You're delusional." I tipped my chin and straightened my back. I didn't falter as I took determined steps towards his confession room.

There were books in French, German, Greek, Arabic, and even some incredibly old ones dating back to the 14th century. Faith enjoyed the muffled stillness in the library, away from her pestering sister who was going crazy begging for answers, only sometimes joined by Katherine or William. When William joined her, they sat for hours in silence or discussing the books they were reading. They were both great fans of Shakespeare's Hamlet, discussing their thoughts together. Twice now, Faith had fallen asleep as she lost herself in a book, only to wake up and be in her bed, the only possible culprit William, and a marker on her page. She never confronted William about it, but it made her heart soa

Leo looked at me threw the rearview mirror as I tilted my head back and closed my eyes willing the throbbing in my head away "What library are we going to?" I could still feel Leo looking at me, I wanted to tell him to keep his eyes on the road but thought better of it "Connor has given us access to his place, He has the most extensive supernatural book collection in the world" my eyes snapped open and I drilled holes in the back of his head but he refused to look at me again

beside me. I found this yesterday when I went out to get something ” she said and showed me front of the book which was written on it ” MAGIC AND POWERS ( how to control them ) “. ” I found something about a confessor inside ” she said and dropped the book on the bed. ” What about confessor ?” I asked. ” Well according to the book, they’re ancient order of women sworn to find the truth no matter how people may try to hide it ” she said. ” Does that mean I’m ancient? ” I asked and she burst into laughter. ” Alaina you’re funny ” she said and laughed again. I sighed and looked away from her. ” Apart from the ancient stuff what other things do confessor’s do, like what’s their ability and what

I cackled, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Rudolf! You're lying to me! You keep on lying to me! How long do you plan to keep lying to me?!" My hysteria left Rudolf stunned, his breath caught, frozen in place. He opened his mouth, but there were no words. It was as if he sensed something yet lacked the courage to confront it, choosing instead to feign ignorance. "Rudolf! Sean fainted! Come over and take a look right now!" Vivian suddenly screamed.

Then she picked up the flash drive, walked into the quiet data vault, and loaded it into the offline reader. It wasn’t dramatic. Just file after file: letters, raw recordings, personal directives. Mistakes. Moments where Lena had authorized something out of fear. Days when she’d almost stepped into Calix’s shadow. Notes on the Doctrine that never made it into the final publication too unsure, too intimate, too unresolved. It was, in every sense, Lena’s unspoken chapter. The part no one wanted to show. And yet, it was the most human version of Echo Kaya had ever seen.

“ It’s nothing. Just a library book I checked out. By accident. Just a silly mistake.“ Now that was the understatement of the century. “A silly mistake, my behind,” Edith cackled. “The Kama Sutra. The Joy of Sex. Dating for Dummies. The Multi-Orgasmic Couple. The Girlfriend's Guide to Great Sex.” Edith pointed to each of the books as she listed off the titles. Picking up the books, Mattie said, “This is my business. My personal, private business.” “Poppycock.” Edith stood, hands on her generous hips, blocking the door. “If you wanted this to be private, you wouldn’t have brought those books here.“