Ghost: Books of the Dead - Fantasy Best Seller and Supernatural Teen Book: (Ghost, Occult, Supernatural, Occult and Supernatural) (7 page)

Emily kept quiet for some time.
Now who do I believe?
She remembered clearly what Grace told her the other day, that she didn’t get back to the dorm until they arrived together.
So was Keisha lying to me, but then why would she?
Keisha was nice to them all the time. She was nice to everybody for that matter, and didn’t seem like the type of person to arbitrarily lie. Then again, Emily knew Grace even better, and she would never take anything without telling her first. Grace even asked for a pen before borrowing it, so it was unlikely for her to take those books.
No, none of it made sense,
Emily thought to herself.

Emily excused herself and left her neighbor’s room. She went inside her own room and sat quietly on the chair. A number of questions crossed her mind from
why
to
when
. She tracked back her memory. On the days the books went missing, Grace was sitting by her side. Grace laughed and went outside with a friend. Then, Emily recalled that Grace was not in the class for some time and neither was Jesse.

Emily took out her phone and dialed Jesse's number. It rang a few times before she answered.

“Hello, Jesse. Is it a good time to call you?” Emily asked.

“Yeah,” she responded with the music blasting in the background. “Talk to me.”

“Two days ago, you and Grace went out of class at noon. Can you tell me if she went back to the dorm?”

“Yeah, I did go out with Grace, but she went towards the library, and when I asked her if she’ll be coming back, Grace said it will take her a while in the library. She said something about checking a few books, but I don’t remember that clearly.”

“She went to the library? But she was there when I looked back. Did she say anything about going to the dorm?”

“No, she never mentioned anything like that; she just went inside the library.”

Emily thanked Jesse and hung up. She couldn’t make an obvious connection between the times when Grace went to the library to when she went to the dorm. The most unsettling factor for Emily was why she lied about it. There was something about the books and Grace visiting the library that just didn’t seem right.

She could either wait for Grace to come back or find out herself by going to the library. It was too late now, so everything would have to wait until tomorrow. The rest of the night was uneventful, at least until Emily tried to get some sleep. In her mind, various images of the library and nameless faces crowded her brain. Now, if there was something strange about the library, Emily was determined to find out.

After four days, there was still no sign of Grace. Emily didn’t let her mind linger on that because she had her own demons to slay. After all, Grace left without giving her much to go on. Like Keisha, she could be visiting one of her cousins or relatives, too. At this point, there was nothing more Emily could do about it.

Time has a funny way of easing the pain, and after just one night Emily seemed to have relaxed a bit. Sure, she was still worried about the missing books, her friend’s terrible lies and the recurring nightmares, but Emily refused to let those things control her life.

Emily sat down for breakfast and tried to focus on just being a student. Then she remembered that in the midst of everything, she forgot to ask Keisha about her friend, Mia. She also wanted to know more about Denise’s new found interest in necromancy and witchcraft. But first things first, she wanted to head over to the library to see Mr. Mitchell. She wanted to ask the librarian about Grace and find out if she was really there a few days ago. Although he was old, he would surely remember an attractive girl like Grace.

If that didn’t work, then I could always ask the library regulars
, she thought.

Walking to her first classroom, Emily still felt slightly under the weather. That wasn’t so uncommon during the later months of the year. It seemed like the flu eventually dragged everyone on campus down for a few days. There was the usual hubbub all around, the known faces, the recognized gestures; they were all there. Soon, Emily reached the Fletcher building and made her way toward the elevator.

One of her classmates called out to her from the corner, “Hey, Emily, what is with you? Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

Emily cited her poor health for the absence and didn’t indulge her friend with any more of an answer. After sitting in her seat, Emily looked over to where her best friend used to sit. Then she sighed loudly and reluctantly waited for the teacher to arrive. Everyone in the lecture hall was getting a bit antsy. However, the students didn’t have to wait long; the criminology graduate assistant, Kirk came in and informed them all that Mr. Gallagher had taken leave for the day. There were complaints from the student body, but Emily held her peace. Emily knew it was the perfect opportunity for her to head over to the library and find some answers that would provide some solace to her own discomfort.

As she expected, there were indeed library regulars milling about, lost in between pages of the books that lay in front of them. A few people looked up when Emily pushed open the door and entered. She went straight away to where Mr. Mitchell was sitting. He was busy going through an old magazine, and he immediately looked up when Emily stepped in front of his desk. A faint smile appeared on his face, which reminded Emily that the librarian was indeed fond of her. She greeted him warmly and asked him how he was doing.

“A little cold, dear. Two days and I’ll be fine,” he said, and coughed a little after replying.

Emily wasn’t so surprised. This was the season when everyone caught the flu. However, she didn’t delay the conversation with meaningless chit-chat. She knew that she had answers to fetch and so she asked him the question directly. “Mr. Mitchell, sir, do you remember my friend, Grace?”

“Grace? Dear, you must have a lot of friends, which one do you mean?” he asked. “Oh! Wait ... I know who you’re talking about. You mean the girl from your class with specs and red curly hair, who always ties it up in a bun. Isn’t that her? I saw you talking to her a couple of times. It must be her.”

“Mr. Mitchell,” she balked, shaking her head. “That’s not my friend, Grace. That is Sarah, my classmate. I am referring to the tall, round-faced girl with long sleek hair. Wait; let me show you a picture.” Emily took out her phone to help Mr. Mitchell.

He took some time to look at the image on the phone, and then made a gesture which confirmed that he did indeed recognize the girl. “I remember her; she was with you here the other day. What about her?” he said.

“Mr. Mitchell, she was not only here with me the other day. She came alone, too, the day before yesterday and was supposed to borrow some books. Do you remember?”

“Emily, there are numerous students and teachers who come here every day. Do you suppose I remember each and every one when they come in? Sure, I keep the records, but some people read their books here while others borrow them. Do I need to look at everyone as if they are a criminal?” Mr. Mitchell sounded a bit irritated.

“Sir, I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said, before thinking that she hardly said anything to be offended about. “Sir, I really need to know. Do you remember anything? Any piece of information could help.’’

“Emily, what’s this all about? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on your work? You seem to have too much on your plate lately. Don’t take on more than you can’t handle,” he warned.

Emily didn’t look pleased by what Mr. Mitchell was saying. “I’m genuinely concerned about my friend. She’s been missing. I know what I’m asking for”, she said with determination, “so please tell me. I know that you know something, Sir, so please…just tell me.”

Mr. Mitchell nodded his head and Emily thought for a second that he was going to say something useful. However, he simply stared at her for a moment more. Then, he clicked on his computer and opened the register. Then, he told Emily without looking at her, “Yes, I can see she was here, two days ago. She came here at noon. It was exactly twelve noon. She asked me for a book on criminology and I informed her where it was on the shelf.” He paused and it seemed that he was thinking of something else. Then, he went on to say, “Grace, your friend, came up to me and asked, 'If there was a book or any source through which she could find someone who was a student at the university or possibly worked here in the past?'  I asked her to check a few books in Section D. Over there,” he motioned with his hand. “She remained there for some time and then came up again to tell me not to say that she was here, as she didn’t want to be disturbed.”

What did Grace get herself into?
Emily thought. She turned around to look for Section D and then she turned back toward Mr. Mitchell. “Did anyone ask about her?” The suspense was too much for Emily to bear.

“Yes, someone did ask for her,” he admitted, “but it’s not my responsibility to keep secrets. So, I told them where to find her,” he said.

“But she asked you not to,” Emily blurted out. “Then why did you do it? And who was looking for her?”

The tone of Emily’s voice elevated slightly higher than Mr. Mitchell would have preferred. He gave her a pained expression. Before she could get an answer from him, Sarah and Jesse came in to the library. They were looking for Emily.

“Here you are!” the red-haired girl exclaimed. “We searched all over for you. Professor Jacob sent us here to look for you, and he wants everyone in class today.” The two classmates looked at Emily skeptically. “You weren’t even picking up your phone.”

Professor Jacob taught her second class of the day, and he was well-known for his strict truancy policy. The girls waited for Emily to come immediately with them, and she was torn about what to do. She was just about to get some answers from Mr. Mitchell, but now she would have to wait for another opportunity to arise. She was already off to a bad start this semester and decided to rush over to her next class.

“I’ll come back and talk to you later, Mr. Mitchell, I promise,” Emily whispered, and without waiting for a reply, she left with Jesse and Sarah.

The class with Professor Jacob seemed to last an eternity. Emily found it hard to concentrate. She couldn’t wait to go back to the library and inquire about who was looking for Grace.

What was she looking for that was so important that she would lie to her best friend?
Can I trust Mr. Mitchell? Will he lie to me?
She mumbled under her breath.

As she waited for the class to be over, Mr. Jacob said something about an assignment. Emily didn’t hear it and barely managed to stay awake the whole time. As soon as he left the lecture hall, she excused herself from the class. On the way out, she asked Sarah to inform her if Mr. Paisley, their next teacher, was giving out any homework.

The walk to the library seemed to take forever, and it reminded Emily of her dreams. The mere thought of it made her shiver a little. She picked up the pace just to break the monotony of the moment. She pushed open the library door, but Mr. Mitchell was not there. Instead, there was someone new sitting at a chair beside his desk. To Emily’s surprise, Mr. Mitchell’s chair was empty.

“Where is Mr. Mitchell? I was supposed to meet him,” Emily told the younger attendant. She clearly looked distraught, and the person she was facing didn’t look familiar.

The man in question replied, “Mr. Mitchell was called out. I am just filling in for him. I am Mr. Kourim and will be assisting him more regularly from now on.”

Emily stood there like a statue and didn’t say a thing.

So to break the silence, Mr. Kourim said, “What is your name? And do you have a message for him?”

“Mr. Kourim, do you know who called him away?” Emily asked. She was reluctant to give away her name.

“What is your name?” he asked again, and then said, “Is there a book you need? I can help you out.”

“No, Mr. Kourim, I need to see him. It is important,” she replied and at that moment saw Mr. Mitchell walking in through the door.

He had the appearance of someone who was just interrogated and for a split second, Emily felt pity for him. Yet, Mr. Mitchell passed her without giving her a second glance. He actually looked right through her. Emily looked down because she didn’t know what to say. This was never how Mr. Mitchell behaved before. He was always eager to speak with her. He helped her out with finding books and giving information, but this time around, he looked ill at ease. It was clear that something was troubling him. A younger student walked past her to complete the formalities of borrowing a few books and Emily stepped aside. She waited for the process to be completed, but with every passing moment, she was getting more and more impatient.

She went up to Mr. Mitchell when the younger student left, but she wasn’t comfortable enough to question him in front of Mr. Kourim. She flipped through a magazine to bide her time. When Mr. Kourim went out to take a drink, it was the perfect opportunity for Emily to get the unfinished answer to her earlier question.

“Mr. Mitchell,” Emily called out and he looked up to her. “Oh! It’s you again.” Emily nodded.

“Mr. Mitchell, who was it that called Grace that day? You said someone called for her,” she asked.

“Of course, someone called for her and I showed him the way to where she was. It was your professor, Mr. Gallagher.”

“Mr. Gallagher?” Emily was taken aback; of all the people she had expected, she didn’t expect it to be Mr. Gallagher.

“Mr. Gallagher!” she exclaimed. “He came looking for her? But why would he do that? We just had our classes before that and he never even…” She left her thought unfinished and then mumbled, “There was no reason for him to call her.”

Grace was never inclined towards Mr. Gallagher lectures. She was much fonder of Mr. Paisley. Therefore, any interaction between them was highly unlikely and even more so if Mr. Gallagher was looking for Grace to ask her something. It just didn’t make much sense. Emily turned toward the door without even realizing it and slowly started to walk away.

“Emily!” Mr. Mitchell called out.