Since then, I’d sworn off men, and I’d never been happier.
With Max processing the books and getting them into our system and ready to circulate, I made my way back to the front of the library only to find a younger boy waiting at the counter. His clothes were ratty, and he’d tracked a trail of puddles from the late-season snow outside.
He looked to be about nine or ten years old. I didn’t recognize him, and I thought for sure I knew all the kids at the settlement by now since they all had one hour a week at the library as part of their schooling.
“Hello, how can I help you?” I asked, putting on my friendliest face.
The boy fidgeted. “I would like to get a library card.”
That was strange. I was pretty sure that most of the school-age children in the settlement already had one.
“What’s your name?
“Jason.”
“What’s your last name, Jason? And what’s your address?”
Addresses were pretty simple here in New Franklin, at least for now. Instead of street names, we used building names and room numbers. Eventually, when the settlement grew large enough, we’d probably have to use street names again, but until then our system worked well.
Jason frowned. “Jason Woo,” he said. “And I don’t remember my address.”
Okay, that was even stranger still.
Max, who’d been listening to the conversation, came to the rescue. “Oh! You must be part of that group they took in yesterday!”
“Yes, sir,” Jason said.
Max turned to me. “There were a bunch of boys in that group. Remember those boys who came to trade with us last year?”
“The private school ones!” I exclaimed, realizing who he was. I’d heard about the group of boys from a private boarding school who had survived the bugpocalypse by working together, but I’d never actually met them. It was wild to me that a bunch of kids could survive on their own for so long.
“Yup, those ones. They showed up again and wanted to join up.”
I looked down at the boy. He was a scrawny thing. “How old are you?” I asked, curious.
“Don’t know. But I was in grade one when the bugs came.”
“That was about six years ago, so you should be around twelve,” Max said.
Twelve! He looked so much younger, probably because he’d been malnourished during part of his growth. That was okay—a few years with us and he’d be back to normal, hopefully.
The kid shrugged. “I don’t remember it. The older boys took care of us.”
“Well, since you aren’t a New Franklin citizen yet, I can’t get you set up with a library card. But you can always stay here and read whatever books you like. I’m sure they’ll get you all processed very soon, and you’ll get a library card then,” I said.
The kid looked disappointed, but let Max lead him into the library.
Logging into a computer at the front, I got to work sending a message out to Kurt, the cat breeder who lived on one of the islands where the Xarc’n warriors had made their food production facility. Technically, we were already on a wait list for two kittens in an upcoming litter, but it never hurt to ask again.
If there was one thing I’d learned in life, it was that the squeaky wheel always got the grease first. Who would have thought cats would be in such high demand during the bugpocalypse?
Kiera stepped out of the office, a confused look on her face, and carrying her open laptop with her.
“Say, Dottie, have you seen this book? It’s the same one I was trying to digitize last week, but it’s still out.”
I didn’t need to look at her screen to know exactly which book she was talking about: Nuts, Bolts, and Caffeine: A Mechanic’s Guide to Keeping It Together.
“Kevin still has it. I called the garage two days ago, and he swore up and down that he’s going to bring it back. I think it’s time I paid him a little visit.” I slid off my chair.
