Once every shelf was spotless, thus began the daunting task of removing the books from the boxes. To establish a semblance of order, the books were first separated by topic. Breed history books went in one pile, memoirs in another, and then I had my work cut out for me when I discovered Relic journals.
Relics possessed innate knowledge passed down through their DNA. Each generation would study and learn new information specific to their family’s expertise, then fuse anything worth retaining to their DNA to pass on to future offspring. They were careful not to hastily infuse knowledge, because there was no undoing it. If they didn’t research for accuracy, they could sabotage their descendants with false information.
To combat that issue, many kept journals to document uncertainties. But some putalltheir knowledge into books. My father had pointed out that not all Relics had children, and others lost them. To keep their knowledge from dying with them, they made a record of what mattered. Relics were genetically closest to humans, so they lived a human life span. Unlike other Breeds, they were susceptible to the same diseases and viruses as humans, making them that much more valuable.
I pondered over the conundrum of how I was going to sell these books when I didn’t have any friends.
A knock at the door startled me. Through the glass, I recognized Mercy.
She waved and held up a plastic sack.
For an instant, I hesitated. Noah had cautioned me not to let anyone in, but I knew Mercy. She wasn’t a threat.
I opened the door. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
She jutted her hip. “Bear told me about this nice couple hehelped today, and when he gave me the description, I knew it had to be you.”
“Bear?”
She flashed a bright smile. “That tall hunk with the sexy beard and soft eyes that makes me melt like butter on a hot roll.”
I chuckled. “Bear. I remember him now. We weren’t introduced.”
She peered around me. “Mind if I come in and see what y’all are doing in here? I can’t help myself. We don’t have that many shops in town except hardware, so anything new is exciting.”
Mercy was delightful, and I couldn’t say no. “Come in. I’m just cleaning and sorting at the moment.”
She stepped inside, fanning her blouse against her. “I feel like a hot coal in a dryer. Don’t you have air-conditioning?”
“Not yet. Noah’s working on it.” I closed the door and locked it.
She gazed at the row of empty shelves and the boxes stacked everywhere. Her eyes rounded at the enormity of the endless piles. “Holy mackerel! It’s gonna be a bookstore. What kinds of books are these?” She gingerly lifted the cover of one sitting on the clean counter.
“It’s all Breed. There’s also fiction and poetry in here that only circulated in our community. Most of it’s nonfiction. History, medicine, memoirs, geography, and Breed-specific books. Some on clans, others documenting anatomy and unusual abilities. It’s just… It’s a mixture of everything.”
“Wow.” She perused an aisle, admiring the books with a light touch. “I’ve never been much of a reader, but we have a big library that could use some filling. A couple of my packmates are avid readers, one in particular who would love some of the medical stuff. Did you invite Milly?”
I shook my head.
Though I knew Milly as a local Relic, we didn’t have a closerelationship. I’d visited her on a few occasions, but Noah always did all the talking.
Mercy wiped her forehead. “Maybe I’ll give her a call. Do you have a fan or something in here? You can open the door and blow some of this hot air out.”
I sat on a box and raised my skirt a little higher. “I’m only working until eight, so?—”
“Eight?” she exclaimed, pulling out her phone. “That won’t do.” After a few seconds, she said, “Bear, can you bring that swamp cooler up to the bookstore you were just at?”
Swamp cooler?
“No,” I cut in, jumping to my feet.
Mercy flicked her eyes up, then put the phone on mute. “What’s wrong? This place is an oven.”
“I’m not supposed to let anyone in.”
“It’s fine. You know us, and your boyfriend knows Bear.”
“A swamp cooler is bad for books. The moisture will ruin the paper.”
