“Nonsense,” Ella yelled across the room. “You didn’t do anything to help.” She tightened her lips as I sat on the couch watching them.
“Nonsense yourself,” he rebutted leaning towards her, but not stepping any closer to Ella who glared at him as she mopped the floor. “I’m the director which is the most important job. Otherwise where would you be?”
“Back home,” Ella sighed with regret, “taking a walk in Roan’s garden.”
“Nonsense,” Roan said bringing a tray that had several mugs on it with steaming tea. “You think most of my herbs stink like Lou’s feet, so I don’t think you’d be there.”
Ella grasped the end of the mop and shoved it in the bucket, glared between Roan and Jack and stomped off to the kitchen.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Sore loser. I can’t help it if she drew the shortest straw and got floor duty.”
I tried to hide my smile as I took a sip of the sweet tea.
“This is really good,” I said looking at Roan.
“Thank you,” he said wiping the glitter-sweat left by the fairies.
I watched everyone either dusting, moping or straightening things up. I couldn’t take it any longer.
“Here Roan, let me help.” I stood up and put my mug on the table.
“No, you’re supposed to be resting. Kelan said.” Roan looked at me sideways and pointed towards the couch.
“My dear do listen, because I don’t want to have to race through traffic again taking you back to the guardians.” Jack came up behind me and firmly guided me back to the couch. “Stay here and watch the worker bees’ work.” He motioned with his arms as Lou came in with a plateful of sandwiches. “Ah, my dear perfect timing, the librarian was getting restless and…oh, grilled cheese…hungry,” Jack said taking a sandwich as Lou handed him a plate.
“You’d better take a plate and don’t drop crumbs on the floor or Ella just may burn her initials in your floor.” Lou then sat by me. “How are you feeling Abi?”
“Better, now that Victoria’s gone and…” I looked away thinking I knew what I wanted to say, but didn’t.
“And what?” Lou asked.
I looked back at her. “I don’t know Lou. I don’t know what’s next.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what might be next,” Jack said between bites and sitting in the lime green chair across from me.
“The guardians are holding a meeting on possibly holding another meeting,” he shook his head. “They’re good at that—a meeting to see if they should have a meeting.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Anyhow, they have the scepter now and the book and also you to decide what to do with.”
“What to do with me? What would they do with me?” I leaned forward.
“Calm down my little librarian. You have magic in you now—thanks to your mother and with magic comes responsibility, though you’re not like me or any other entity of the magical community, you do have the ability to do a mighty fine job of ramming the bad doers into books—especially Victoria, most others are tiny ants compared to her.” Jack licked each of his fingers. “And,” he pointed at me with crumbs all over his mouth. “You lived to tell about it.”
“So when will I know about this meeting?”
“Who knows,” Beannca said standing in front of us holding a toilet brush. “Guardians take their time like we can just wait forever.” I looked at Lou who tried to comfort me with a smile.
“Oh, and by the way Green Man, you can clean the other bathroom; I’m tired of doing bathrooms all the time!” Beannca shoved the enclosed toilet brush in his chest.
“Honestly, you have no idea how many would love the chance to clean my house! And better yet even be here…the parties I throw…the galas I have…exotic food…drinks…” Jack spun off following Beannca with his voice echoing in the enormous room.
I looked back at Lou. “Really, what’s going to happen?” I felt everything couldn’t be simply solved by a meeting of the guardians.
“There will be a trial,” she said bluntly. “We are benefactors Abi, and that means we acted outside our rights. No matter what we did, it was wrong in their eyes.”
“But that isn’t right.” I sounded like a child protesting something unjust as if someone important was listening.
Lou only smiled and handed me a plate with a grilled cheese on it. “Better eat, you’ll need every bit of strength.”
The day wore on and all of the benefactors after helping Jack most of the day, gathered in the large living room that felt small when Jack had his party, but now felt almost overwhelmingly enormous. I wondered what had happened to Grace and I was going to ask when I was interrupted.
A knock came to the door and Jack got up to answer it. “Ah, come in.” He stepped aside to let Barnabus, Donavan, Nate and Kelan in. He began to shut the door when two other men all dressed in black suits stopped the door from going shut with one of their hands and a cool stare. “Oh, please come in,” Jack said sarcastically with a huff as he slightly slammed the door.
“I would be the good host and offer you a drink, but I know sylph guardians don’t drink anything worthwhile of drinking. Well to put it plainly, I don’t know what you like.”
“We are not here to be amused Mr. Green,” said the one that entered the room first.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. They both were clean cut with dark hair and had rigid, stone-like features of their chiseled faces. Their movements were forced and almost robotic. They sat down across from me without removing their sunglass, but did take off their hats, both at the same time as if they were one of the same. They planted their unnerving gaze on me. I wanted to run away when Kelan leaned over my shoulder.
“They’re just here to ask questions. So don’t look so scared, they don’t bite.” I looked up at him with uncertainly. He smiled back and let his blue eyes twinkle like stars. I couldn’t help but to smile back.
Everyone stood or sat beside me with the two sylph guardians along with Donavan and Sage standing behind them. It was as if we were to opposing groups trying to reach a truce that I really didn’t know about.
“Miss VanHaven, we are representatives of the guardianship and wish to ask you a few questions in person. Since you are still recovering, we opted to come to you instead of you to us.” The one to my right spoke first. “Do you understand everything so far and consent to our questioning?”
“Yes,” I replied timidly.
“Your mother was Emma VanHaven?”
“Yes,”
“And you had no prior knowledge of the scepter?”
“No,”
They looked at me for a moment through their sunglasses. I couldn’t see their eyes, but I could feel them penetrate through me searching my eyes that I couldn’t take off of them. They felt like two magnets to me and if I didn’t hang onto the couch I think I would’ve flew through the air and stuck to them like a wimpy paperclip.
“You have magic in you now that I’m sure you’re aware of.” The one on the left was now asking the questions. “And that is a threat to us if not monitored and understood. It isn’t normal for a librarian to have such a strong ability such as yours. It isn’t naturally derived, but more artificial instead. It was put there by your mother and we have decided to overlook that since you were a young child.”
“It goes against the regulations and when summoned, you need to come to this address,” the one on the right said and handed me a blank business card. “Placement for you will be decided.”
Both of them looked at Jack at the same time, stood and put on their hats. “We are done here and thank you for your hospitality.” Their words were mechanical.
“Oh, please come back when you can stay for tea and crumpets…we can talk about the glory days when I lived in a forest with real trees.” Jack turned away and went over to the door and opened it motioning for them to exit.
The two men left without a word to Jack and a nod of their head.
> The room started to feel warm again and I leaned back on the couch looking at the blank business card. “Hey, there’s nothing on this.” I held it up.
“It will when they decide where they want you to go.” Barnabus sat beside me when another knock came to the door.
I stiffened and gasped at the thought of the two men returning. Barnabus noticed my reaction and smiled. “It isn’t them. They won’t come back unless ordered to and that I can tell you takes paperwork.”
“Now I don’t mind opening my door to you.” Jack wrapped his arms around Grace. “My favorite librarian,” he said shutting the door.
“Grace,” I jumped up and went over to her wrapping my arms around her as well.
“I’m glad to see you better, Abi.” She squeezed me tight.
“So what did council have to say?” Beannca asked stepping forward.
Grace took off what looked like a felt covered derby hat with a short curved rim, rounded top and wide ribbon encircling its base. It was black along with the rest of her clothing which consisted of a long ruffled coat with lots of buttons and knee high leather boots peeking out from under her knee length skirt. Her clothes were almost like a uniform crossed with a costume.
“Let’s sit down, there’s a lot I want to say to you Abi.” She gently touched me on the shoulder and smiled.
Grace told us that the librarian’s held a special meeting in light of everything. She told them everything about me, how the benefactors help in the capture and containment of Victoria and how everyone worked together.
“It’s new to them. Their ways are old and held that way because of tradition.” Grace went on. “They were impressed with you Abi and with the rest of you. I think it gave them something new to think about.”
“So what will happen to us now?” Lou asked with Roan, Beannca and Ella all huddled together like they were displaced refugees.
Grace met with each of their eyes. “I’m not sure, but I did put a good word in for you—all of you.”
“I hope it made an impression, because I don’t want to return to book 02251972.” Ella wrung her hands together looking at Lou.
“You won’t…I’ll make sure of it.” Grace held her gaze on Ella. Her voice was firmly reassuring.