Shifting Books Novels & Stories

—she gestured upward to the dozens of books flapping around near the ceiling like birds—“you can make yourself busy with those.” “What am I supposed to do with those?” Clara watched with interest as the books flew around. “Put them in their designated shelves, Your Highness. Those are stubborn books who keep on unleashing themselves from their binding spells. The librarians have given up on them so just let them be.” An hour later, Clara stood in the aisle with her back to Holly who was still peering over the thick books. She slotted yet another book into the shelf in front of her, only to have the one next to it get up and fly away.

He strode toward one of the massive bookshelves, ignoring her. Nia paused, her breath seized as she watched him reach for a specific tome on the second shelf. His fingers brushed over the aged spine, pausing for the briefest moment And then— With a sharp tug, the entire shelf shifted. A low mechanical click echoed through the study, followed by the deep groan of moving wood and stone. Nia’s eyes widened as she watched upside down on his back as the towering bookshelf slid aside, revealing a darkened passageway hidden behind it.

I stopped walking and walked towards the shelf on my left. I tilted my head sidewards to read the titles of the different books in front of me. They're too many I wanted to read something that's worth my time. I was looking at the books arranged on my eye level. A rainbow-colored spine of the book caught my attention. I pulled the book slowly. The nail of my pointing finger touched the top edge of the book as it easily popped in front of me. It created an inch of a space where the book was inserted. I almost had a heart attack when someone on the other side of the shelf grinned in front of me.

The way he explained it was basically me taking an oath to the pack. "Do you have any concerns about what will occur in the next two weeks?" he asked. "Only one. Will the shifting process be painful?" I asked. "Only the first few times. Afterwards, the transition will be painless. It will become a natural instinct, especially once you and your wolf establish a harmonious connection." He told me. "I'm feeling a bit nervous, to be honest. I usually struggle with pain," I sighed. "I'll be by your side, supporting you every step of the way," he reassured me.

But those words never followed me into the hallways, where laughter stuck to my back like something I couldn’t peel off. “Hey, move.” I shifted before I even looked up. I always did. It was easier that way—less eye contact, less chance of becoming the center of whatever joke they were about to make. My books slipped a little in my arms, but I held them tighter. “Did you hear me?” one of them said, stepping closer. “I moved,” I muttered. “Not fast enough.” The shove wasn’t hard enough to knock me down, just enough to remind me that it could’ve been worse. It was always like that—just enough.

In the end, they moved into Bianca's parents' rented two-bedroom. Seven people squeezed inside with barely room for luggage. Bianca and Lila started fighting almost immediately. Lila called Bianca useless; Bianca called Lila a freeloader. When Helen's migraines flared, Bianca's mother told her to wait at a public clinic. Without my doctors, Gregory's blood pressure sent him to the emergency room. Without my tuition payments, Lila was removed from private school. Ethan's company fired him too. Customs work runs on trust. No one wanted client accounts handled by a man whose wedding funding had been pulled at the altar while he owed his ex-fiancee a mountain of debt.

"Yes, yes. It's definitely just a mouse. Just relax." However, Raven felt drawn towards the sound. Cautiously, she stepped closer to a bookshelf that looked a little older than the rest. When her hand touched one of the books, she felt something strange-the book seemed to be attached to something. "Guys... look at this," Raven called softly. They all approached, looking at the book curiously. When Raven pulled it, there was a small click, and suddenly, the bookshelf moved slowly, as if opening a secret door.

“I’m looking for folktales, particularly about wolf shifters.” She gets to her feet and signals for me to follow her. We go up the stairs to the second floor of the library. She leads us to a particular section and starts pulling books off the shelves, handing them to me. Soon, I have a tall pile of books in my arms that I need to split with Nellie so I don’t drop them. “We have a limited collection when it comes to wolf shifters due to the enmity between our species and wolf shifters' aversion to documenting much about themselves.” Willow explains. “I’m not sure how much information you can glean from those books as they are mostly written for children.”

Ignoring her, Regan asked, “What have you been able to find?” He poured himself a cup of wine from a jug. “Well, this book is clearly wide and detailed, not that I'm complaining.” Ivorie said, flipping through the pages of the book. “But I now know that first shifting always happens on full moon nights. According to the explantation here, it is always painfully agonizing with a lot of bones breaking and haunting visions.” She looked disturbed while reading the last part. She faced Regan with a worried gaze. “Is that what I will also experience?” She asked.

I can still feel the maids eyeing me, but I didn't mind them anymore to not make them uncomfortable with me. And while looking around the shelf, I noticed something wrong so I went to check the other shelves as well with a creased forehead. I glanced at the maids who were back to doing their jobs and noticed that one of them is arranging the books in the same way. "Excuse me?" They stopped from moving just to face me. I frowned at them. "Why is it that all the books are arranged according to what year it's published instead of by titles?" I looked back at the book beside me. "This one, the Lycans History from the Vampires invasion, is two books away from book two of this title. Why is that?"