Where The Library Hides: A Novel Novels & Stories

"I just... I can't sleep. I can't close my eyes without seeing it." "I know,” I said softly. Sparing another glance at the door, I began to chew on the inside of my cheek. “Would you be okay in here if I stepped out for a minute? I think I might have something that could help us.” Nova was only half listening though, already absorbed in the next book she plucked off the shelf. I backed out of the room slowly, and once out of sight, raced for the back of the library where the hidden room was. The air was thick with the oppressive stench of dark magic. My eyes darted around the second I stepped inside, cataloging the changes.

> “In the place where silence speaks, > Beneath the words, the answer leaks. > Among forgotten tales and lore, > The past unlocks the hidden door”. Juliette’s voice caught. “The library.” Damon’s eyes darkened. “She’s weaponizing our history.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The old city library had long been a fortress of quiet, forgotten knowledge. Sunlight bled through its tall windows like golden fog. Juliette moved with purpose through the aisles. She knew where Evelyn would hide it somewhere the ghosts of the past still whispered.

Remember how I said the library hook-up was a one-time thing? Yeah. That was a lie. After that first time, we were on a fast, downhill spiral with no brakes. Today, I wore a mid-length skirt, a cropped cardigan top, white socks, Mary Jane shoes, and my hair was tossed into a messy bun. I knew exactly what he wanted, every twisted bit of it. "Hey Mike, I’ll be back. Gotta pull books for Professor Hillard." He waved me off. “Take your time.” What he didn’t know? I pulled those books yesterday. And hid them. In our secret spot, Research Room 5, way in the back. Where no one came. Our new place. Our own little sin closet.

And if he did, did he still like hers more? You should confront her, Ruby snapped. Or him. Or someone. Don’t let this slide like the paper under your door. But my legs had already started moving, not toward confrontation, but escape. The only place that didn’t require masks. The library. It was mostly empty this time of night. Just a single steward shelving books at the far end. I made my way to the mezzanine level, to the alcove tucked beneath the stained-glass window—my hiding place. The place where lies didn’t echo as loud.

I would be able to stay in hiding there for a few hours, or maybe even the entire day until Victor returns. The library's stationed on the second floor behind a pair of heavy oak doors. It housed the smell of old books and leather, an assuaging scent that calmed me down a bit from my smothering feeling. I slumped in a giant chair and picked out a book from the shelf at random. I didn't even glance at the title. How little it takes to make a fool into an earnest man, I am not sure, but in my instance all that was required was something anything on which to concentrate so I would be spared from having constantly before me the sight of how completely empty my mind had been at that time.

After the way things went last night, and then early today with that girl, he was the last person I wanted to see. Thankfully, the library was large and with darkness filling the windows from outside, the dim lighting in the library couldn’t get rid of all the shadows that lurked within the building. Shadows that I could easily find myself hiding in until Nash left. Further and further towards the back of the library I went, until the shelves came to an end and the restricted section came into view. The book I had been reading was clutched to my chest, and as I tried to make myself as small as possible within the darkness, part of me wondered if it was even going to be worth it.

The library was Elies’ sanctuary, a quiet haven where she could escape the chaos of the school. Rows of neatly stacked books and the faint scent of paper created an atmosphere of peace. It was the one place she felt truly invisible, away from the prying eyes of her peers and, more importantly, Damien’s relentless antics.

I saw maps, symbols, and glimpses of Luna Solene’s eyes when she spoke of hybrids and secrets. Eventually, I gave up. The sheets whispered as I slipped from bed and wrapped one of Simon’s sweatshirts around me. The quiet hush of the spiral staircase welcomed me back into the library below. The fire was low but still alive, flickering softly in the hearth. Shadows danced up the walls and over the rows of books, each one filled with stories, knowledge… answers. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I just needed to breathe in a space that felt older than the questions I didn’t know how to ask.

Then last night, he had looked at her in the dark, and she had believed every word. Because his cartel made people disappear and made entire families suffer, and the men who stood against him didn't get graves, and everyone in this house knew it, and no one ever said it out loud. She shook the thought off, grabbed a worn paperback from her nightstand, and slipped out of her room. She kept her head down, navigating the massive, quiet corridors. She just wanted somewhere to hide before Vanessa woke up and the daily torment began. She slipped into the library. It was a massive, two-story room smelling of old paper and dark wood. Viola found a large, high-backed leather chair tucked into the far

I hated that he didn’t trust me enough to know that whatever that moment with Ryker had been, it wasn’t what they all thought. So I did what I always do when I feel trapped. I hid. The library has become my safe place these past few weeks. It was quiet here, and quiet was good. Quiet meant no judgmental stares, no venom-laced whispers. Just rows of books and the soft hum of peace. I’d just started to lose myself in one of the dusty old tomes when a shadow fell across my table. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. “Don’t tell me you’re hiding from me now, little wolf,” Ryker’s voice came, softer this time, stripped of its usual sarcasm.