The doorway Finn walked through is the arched entrance to the Royal Academy library, so says an engraved sign carved into the pillar above the archway. The place is quiet, but that’s not surprising—it’s a library after all.
The librarian, who’s perched behind the counter, is around forty or so with chin-length black hair. She scrutinizes me as I rush by her.
“Can I help you?” she calls after me.
“Don’t worry, Miss Mapltefied,” Lily tells her. “She attends the school.”
Ignoring the exchange, I powerwalk to the center of the room where a cluster of long, wooden tables are located. The ceiling is high-arched and layered with crisscrossing beams, the lights are woven with metal and glittery crystals, and encircling the entire room are towering bookshelves.
“Wow,” I breathe out as I take the area in. “This is seriously like straight out ofBeauty and the Beastor something. This place is crazy.”
“You run way too fast for me,” Lily sputters as she shuffles up to me. She’s out of breath, and her face is red.
“Sorry,” I apologize as I scan the tables for Finn.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who’s out of shape.” She’s still holding her bowl of ice cream, and it’s starting to melt.
“Do you see him anywhere?” I ask. “Finn, I mean?”
Lily’s gaze sweeps across the room. “No. Are you sure he came in here? Hanging out in the library isn’t really Finn’s thing.”
“No, he for sure came in here.” I start toward the row of books and begin peering down each aisle, looking for Finn and Eli.
Lily trudges after me, grimacing at her melted ice cream. When I reach the final aisle and still don’t spot Finn, confusion webs through me.
“I know he came in here,” I mumble while scratching my head.
“It’s okay if we don’t find him. The next time I see him, I can just ask him why he’s hanging out with Eli. Not that he’ll for sure tell me the truth, but I can attempt to get it out of him.” Lily stuffs a spoonful of melted ice cream into her mouth then pulls face. “And I’m done with that.”
I’m half-listening to her. This makes no sense unless another exit exists somewhere.
“Hold on,” I murmur as I wander off toward the back of the room. I look around, searching for another door, but nope. Nothing.
“You’re really stuck on this, aren’t you?” Lily remarks as she steps up beside me.
“Not stuck. I just … I don’t get where they went.”
“Maybe you miscalculated the room they went into. Or maybe you didn’t see them, but someone else.”
“Maybe.” I don’t believe it, though. I know what I saw.
The only other alternative I can think of is that the library has a secret room.
My overactive imagination starts conjuring up all sorts of ideas, the biggest one being that if I pulled on the right book, one of the shelves would move and reveal a hidden room. But that’s crazy, right?
I don’t know because this world, this life, this building is all foreign to me.
After Lily and I leave the library, Lily has to head to a class, leaving me alone in the dorm. I should take a nap—that was my main goal today—but I can’t get over how Finn seemingly vanished into thin air.
As my curiosity gets the best of me, I dig my laptop out of my bag, get situated on my bed, and start searching around online about the history of Royal Academy, particularly the building itself. But I can’t access the website the info is on due to the fact that it’s password encrypted.
I’m in no way, shape, or form a computer expert, so hacking into it isn’t happening.
As I’m attempting to figure out a solution to this, an article in the search engine snags my attention.
Hazing Rituals? Secret Societies? Cover-Ups? Learn the Dark Side of The Royal Academy, a School Known for Its High Academics Also has the Highest Injury and Disappearance Rate Among Its Students.
“What the actual hell?” I click on the article and read through it.
