The Library (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 1) by Casey White (surface ebook reader .TXT) 📕

It made sense, he told himself. They didn’t mean to distrust. He wasn’t even enrolled at their college, after all. They wouldn’t expect someone like him to be able to help, however smart they knew he was. In their eyes, he’d probably just slow them down.

There, yet again, the wall between them rose a little higher.

Lucas twisted toward the room, waving to the waitress. “Anyway. It’s going to be a shitshow, so...I should probably at least try and get some sleep.”

“What?” Nate said dryly. “You mean staying here drinking until after midnight isn’t a good plan?”

The pair laughed. Daniel joined in, more quietly. The waitress hurried over, depositing their checks, and suddenly everyone was reaching for their money. The night would be over, he realized. Just like that. They’d leave, and he’d go back to his house, and then he’d have to go back to Alexandria.

“Sure you don’t want me to trade places with you?” he said instead, raising an eyebrow at Lucas as they started shuffling out of the booth. “I’d make it cheap.”

“Tempting,” Lucas said, smothering a laugh. “Really tempting.” He sighed dramatically, wilting. “But I suppose this cross is mine to bear.”

“He says that now,” Nate said, shooting Daniel a sidelong grin. “Wait until he gets the test back next week. He’ll be crying then. And we’ll be right back here for another round, I think.”

“Shut up,” Lucas said, turning for the door. “Come on.”

Daniel stood alongside the table, and just raised his hand in a wave. “I’m going to chill a while longer,” he said, leaning back against the benches. “Not really tired yet. Good luck, guys.”

“Oh?” Lucas said, pausing. His blue eyes widened faintly. “Okay, then. Later, Dan.”

Nate just bobbed his head in a nod, already lost in thought as he and Lucas filed out.

And then, just like that, Daniel was alone.

He glanced around the bar, making a face before settling in at the counter. In that moment, part of him regretted the choice he’d made to skip college. He didn’t need it, he’d decided. It was a waste of money, but he had plenty of that to go around. More than the money, it was a waste of time.

That, he had precious little of.

With his only friends gone, his best-laid plans had just been thrown into chaos. Still nursing along his last drink, he sighed. Logically, he knew he should go home, get some rest, and make the most of his next visit. If he forced himself to stay up, his body would be a mess the next time he got to leave Alexandria.

But it’d been ages since he’d let in a batch of guests. He’d have to open the doors soon - and that meant his next shift would be long indeed. It’d probably be a year before he could wander freely as Dan again.

And so he fought against the Library’s tug. Caffeine pills were easy to come by. He’d tossed back a handful a few hours ago. Eventually, Alexandria would force him back in, he knew, but until then, he’d make the most of what he had.

Idly, he scanned the bar. Sitting at the counter and drinking alone was not his idea of a good night. There had to be something he could do. Some way to have a bit of fun, even with the clock steadily ticking toward midnight.

A group of girls burst into laughter, farther down the bar. Daniel glanced sidelong at them, a passing irritation washing over him, and then paused.

They were all clustered around one girl in the center, who was telling whatever story had prompted the outburst. Her arms waved with every passage, illustrating her point.

But one of their friends sat farther down, not quite so drawn in. She smiled from behind a brunette barrier, laughing along politely with each of the jokes cracked. Her eyes, however, kept flicking back to her phone, and she kept a bit of distance from the rest.

Not quite into things, huh? Daniel eyed her a long moment, taking another sip. She was pretty, in a quiet sort of way, and the smile she gave her friends seemed genuine and pleasant. He chuckled softly to himself. If she was bored, then he’d have to see what he could do to fix that.

He stood, straightening his jacket and taking his glass in hand.

The night might not be over just yet.

* * * * *

The key thudded into the lock. Owl turned it without a second thought, pulling it free and stashing it back in his pocket. The Library hummed in response, coming alive around him.

“See?” he said, lifting his eyes. “Told you I’d do it soon. Just be patient next time, okay?”

Somewhere outside the entryway’s windows, a bird chirped happily. Owl chuckled. Oh, now Alexandria was acting all cheerful and blithe. Not like she’d been slamming doors in his face for the whole last visit, unbalancing stacks of books to fall over on him as he passed.

He sighed, leaning back against the wall. His overcoat billowed around his legs, glass vials clinking from within its hundred pockets. “Sorry. You were patient. I’ll be faster next time.”

The candles overhead wobbled, the flames burning a little brighter. She’d accept his apology, then. At least this time.

His head rolled back to press into the stone. A year. He already knew it - two of the visitors were chemists, and their bios had been quite explicit. They wanted the proper time to let their projects age, to get the maximum validation of their theory before they departed. He wouldn’t be returning to Vanessa anytime soon.

A smile toyed at the corner of his lips. He’d have to write her name down in his journal, before he forgot it. He’d spent plenty of time waking up next to strange women. Sometimes strange men. If it was a short stint, well, he could usually cobble together their name before they got offended and threw him out. When it was a