Kira looked out the window of her new house; her family had just moved in a few days ago, she was starting school next week, and she was not excited. She loved to learn, but not when others pushed her to do so. She was sitting in a small study reading a book her parents had assigned, she was not interested.
She looked down at the book, it was about math, the worst book to give her right now. Her brain was fried, she had been up studying the history of this house, it was really old. She had read about a curse that many people said was on the house. She didn’t believe in curses. She had also had gone around the town asking people what they thought, most of them had just said that the house was old and they didn’t know much about it. While the older people said that some spirit had come from another world to rest there. She had secretly laughed at them.
On the second day, yesterday, of her family being in the house, her brother, Matt, had snuck into a room that was forbidden. They had been told never to go in there. She had obeyed. When her brother had burst into her room telling her of the library with a ghost in it, and how he had gone into her favorite book. She had told on him for going in there and he was now not allowed out of his room and Larina, their maid and her dear friend, had been taking him food.
Kira looks back out the window, tonight she was going to a birthday sleepover party. It was for the first girl that she had met here, the girl was one of the ‘bravest’, or so she claimed. She would go anywhere, and she claimed that Kira might top her if she went near the library, the main point of the house, where the ‘curse’ was said to have started.
She had laughed and said “I might just do that,” But she had not yet, she had stayed clear away from the library, it had a strange air about it that made her hair stand on end.
Kira had made friends easily around the neighborhood, she already had more than she could remember. She shuts the book not able to concentrate; she stands up and walks down the hall to the kitchen. Larina was in there, cooking, she turns at the sound of the door opening and smiles “Hello Kira, what can I do for you?” Kira smiles back and says “I started a diet today, I would like it if you could prepare a different meal for me than my family.” She sits down at the island and picks up a list out of her pocket, “here is a list of what I will not be eating.” She hands it to Larina whose eyes widen and she looks at Kira and says “and what will you be eating?” Kira laughs “I also have,” she pulls another list of things, a lot shorter, from her pocket “a list of things I will be eating.” She hands this also to Larina who frowns “This looks like very little, won’t you be a little, oh I don’t know, bored of eating this food, over and over and over again?” Kira smiles and shakes her head. “I’ve gone on this diet before, it was hard at first, partly because I was only doing it to support my mother. This time I am doing it only for myself. Oh,” she jumps down from the stool “I will also be eating only as much as my fist” she holds up her hand, bundled in a fist “every meal.” Larina sighs. “I guess that it is your meals, and you who is going to starve yourself.” She looks at the two list and then pins them to a board with many other lists.
Kira nods and leaves the room. She walks up the stairs, passing the hall to the main door to the library, and heads straight to her room. She sits down at her desk and flips open her laptop, it dings and starts loading. She sits back in her chair and looks at the clock on the wall, it was 4:30. The party started at 6. She had that much time to write her book. The computer screen turns to the log on and she does so. She clicks on the chrome icon and opens up her drive. She opens the document labeled ‘A Unicorns Love’ she was writing this for her friend who was in love with unicorns, she had promised that she would send it to her. It was not nearly finished.
<><><>
Kira looks out the window of her car, they were pulling into the driveway of her friends house, it was two minutes to six. The car stops and she steps out, she waves to her dad, who was driving away, and then turns to the door. She was always a little nervous before parties, she never knew if she was doing, or wearing was ‘right.’
She sighs and steps up to the door, she knocks. The was a sound behind the door and then a little head peeks through the window pressing it’s nose against it. then the door swung open, the girl, Lilly, was standing there smiling “Hiah Kira!” She says bringing her into a hug, “I was thinking that you would be the first to arrive,” She releases her and looks her up and down and says “I like your clothes.” Kira smiles, she had spent a half an hour picking them out. Lilly gestures for her to come in, she does so.
Kira sits on a couch and looks around the living room, it was a nice room, it had a piano, and a bird cage with a parakeet in it. She walks over to it and puts her finger up to the bar, the bird flies over and bites it softly. It twitters then flutters to rest on the bars next to her, she leans over and says “hello, my name is Kira.” The bird chirps and sticks it’s head out. Kira giggles and pets it with her finger.
“That is Angelo, she is not usually nice to strangers.” Kira turns to see Lilly walking in with a tray full of food. “Can I let him out?” Kira says looking back at the bird. Lilly smiles and says “actually, Angelo is a girl, that is why I said she is not usually nice to strangers. We named her before we knew her gender.” Kira laughs “Okay then, can I let her out?” Lilly nods.
Kira opens the cage and the bird flutters to her shoulder, it pecks at her dangly earrings then at her hair. She laughs and then walks over to the food seeing what was there, like she thought, a lot of stuff that she could not eat.
She smiles slightly and says “Could I just have some carrots to munch on?” Lilly looks quizzically at her and says “Why? Do you not like this food?” Kira shakes her head and says “No, I love this food, I love crackers and cheese, but I am on a diet that does not allow me to eat that except on rare occasions, and I just started so I can’t break the rules now.” Lilly nods and says “I've’ve done diets before, never really suited me, I like to eat what I want when I want it, good thing I don't really care for sugar.” Kira laughs and nods.
The doorbell rings and Lilly leaves to see who it was.
<><><>
About an hour later all the guest had arrived, they were all sitting on the couches and floor eating something. They were just finishing a game of mafia, Kira was dead, and so she now knew who it was, it was a boy with blond hair and a rough build, he had killed her off first, there were only three people left including him. They were a little on edge, they were now on the part where they would accuse people. They didn’t get it right, now he killed the last person and the game ended.
Lilly now stood up and said “Okay guys, what should we play now?” Many people blurted out a few well known games but the boy who had been mafia stood out the most when he said “Truth or dare, it is getting late and us boys will need to leave soon, we should have some real fun before we leave.” The other boys in the room nodded their agreement and Lilly said “Okay, who should start?”
Everyone looked around the room till one girl said “How about Jake, he was the one who suggested it, he should start.” Murmurs of agreement went around the room and Lilly said “okay, Jake, would you like to start?” Jake smiles and looks around the room, “Lilly,” he says looking at her “Truth or dare?” Lilly smiles and says “Dare.”
“Okay, I dare you to,” he looks around the room at the guys and says “kiss Steven on the cheek.” Lilly blushes as she stand to do it and she leans over and kisses him. A succession of squeals went around the room and she sits back down red in the face. She waits for the room to quiet down before saying “Okay, now it is my turn,” she looks around the room with a glint in her eye then looks straight at Kira “Kira, truth or dare?” Kira looks up from her lap where she was looking, she had never liked this game, if she chose truth then they would ask her who she had a crush on, and if she chose dare it was never something that she wanted to do. She gulps and says “Um... dare.” She regretted this as soon as she had said it.
“I dare you to go back to your house and go into the library.” A hush went around the room, everyone looked at Lilly, she didn’t smile, she just stared at Kira looking shocked by her own words. Kira nods and stands, she goes towards the door and Lilly stands “I think that you should have us go to your yard with you though.” Kira smiles slightly and looks at the people in the room, they had all started to stand. They would be going with her to her yard.
<><><>
Now Kira crept down the hall towards the double doors that lead to a library in the back of Kira's house. Her parents had told her never to set foot in there, and, at first, she did not plan on going into there and she kept clear away from even the door.
She started feeling a knot forming in her stomach, her parents would be even more furious with her than they had been with Matt, she was the well behaved child that every parent wished that they could have. The kind that if they told a secret, they could trust that it would never reach anyone else from their lips.
She crept forward carefully placing her feet so as not to step on the really creaky boards.
The door was getting closer and closer and the knot in her stomach continued to grow. She considered just turning back and saying that she had seen the library and that there was nothing that interesting, just another library that everyone was warned about.
She shook her head, no, she had to do this and she could not be called a chicken. She was one of the braver of her group of friends, she had taken to defending the others, she had even wrestled a few guys. She always won but she knew that she had only done so because they were guys not brutes.
There was only one guy that had actually tried against her, his name was Liam, he was a little mentally challenged but really strong. She had challenged him when he started teasing her best friend. He had accepted and had almost beat her, the only reason that he had not was because she was good at dodging him trying to keep her in one spot, he had become frustrated and started trying harder until she was sure that if the others had not intervened he would have crushed her.
She did not like that fact, she liked that she could fight most of the boys, the only ones that she had not really fought were the ones that had not insulted her or her friends.
She was a foot away from the door to the library and, with all of the thoughts swirling her mind about excuses, she had forgotten that some of the boards squeaked rather loudly when she neared most of the doors in the house. Her muscles froze, she could not move, the most she could do was to turn her head to see if there happened to be anyone who was not deep asleep, disturbed by the sound her feet had made.
No one had awakened.
She lets out her breath and starts forward again, this time treading a little more carefully.
The door was right in front of her, waiting to be opened. She hesitated, she was never a rule breaker even though she did like to be around them. She always advised them against it and then told on them. Now she was doing the very thing that she had warned many people against. She sighs thinking of how many people would be calling her a coward for backing out of it. She takes a step back.
"You might as well go in, you came so far, so close." Kira whirls around looking around the empty hall, looking for the source for the voice.
Nothing. Where had the voice come from? Was it right? Should she enter the forbidden library?
Kira takes a big breath then opens the doors, she slips inside and shuts the door behind her. She sighs and looks around, it looked like a normal library.
She looks around at the many books on the shelves, there were many books that she had been planning to read. She smiles and looks back at the door, nothing was wrong with this library. Why had everyone warned her so mysteriously against this room?
She walks farther into the room looking at the books, they were dusty. She drags her finger down the spine of one, Fablehaven, one of her favorite books. She picks it up and looks it over, it did not have a speck of dust like she had thought. She tilts her head and says in a whisper "now thats strange," She then starts to open the book.
"Kira!"
Kira turns around putting the book on a table by her. She looks around the room, no one was there. She sighs thinking that she was just tired and her mind was playing tricks on her.
She turns back to the book and picks up Fablehaven again, she looked at the front this time, it had some words encrypted on it, "All those who enter this world will become part of it, beware." She had never seen that before when reading other copies.
She sets the book down and looks at the others, she picks up a Harry Potter book, number three, with the title on the front the same message was encrypted. She looks around at the books sitting on the chairs and tables, they all had the message on the front.
She smiled, was this some type of joke? She looks back at the Harry Potter book in her hand, what would happen if she opened the book? Would she enter the world of Harry Potter? That would be cool.
She sets the book down and starts back towards the door, "Kira," She turns again at the same voice that she had heard before. "Who are you?" she whispers looking around.
"I am the guardian of this library." The voice was female, it sounded like a young woman with a mature voice.
"Would you show yourself?" Kira looks around her for the owner for the voice, it sounded like she was right next to her.
"What would I do that for? I have no obligation to you except to warn you and to keep this world safe." The voice came from behind Kira, she turns to see nothing there.
"Where are you?"
A laugh resounds around the library "you are scared? You were not scared when you heard myths of this place, you were not scared when that boy, Liam, almost crushed you. Why would you feel so to me? Just pretend that I am on speaker-phone, talking to you from a distant place, you can imagine that right?"
"I guess that sort of makes me feel a little more safe, except that I know that you are still in here." Kira sits down on a chair, moving the first book of Harry Potter off of it.
"You like adventures?"
Kira looks up and says "Yeah, they make it so that I can't put the book down. Do you have many adventures in here? I would love to read them."
The voice chuckles and says "I doubt that you will enjoy the most dangerous ones."
"Actually they are my favorite. Why do you say that I would not enjoy them?"
The voice sighs, "I will show myself to you as to get my point through to you, I haven't done this in years..." A small wind smelling like flowers and christmas flows through the room. There was a sense of peace, and yet at the same time caution. Kira looks around for the fan or an open window. Nothing.
She looked back to the bookshelves and sees a woman dressed in a short blue dress, she was barefoot and had a necklace that came down almost to the low neck of the dress. She was leaning against the bookshelf nearest her. "You happy?" She asked looking into Kira's eyes "I haven't shown myself for years, it feels good. What do you think?" She stops leaning against the bookshelf and twist to see herself. She smiles and looks over at Kira.
Kira looks over in shock and says "How did you get there?" She starts backing away from her.
"I won't hurt you, and I was here before, you just couldn't see me." She smiles "My name is Ann. I guard here and would very much like to let you go, however there is one catch, if you leave this room you will not remember anything except the first few seconds. I know why you are here and you would find it rather strange to come running out of here without any reason. If I let you stay you must do something that you will most likely regret. It is your choice but I don't think that it will be hard since you'll come back in wondering why you were out." Kira smiles slightly "What could I do in here that I would regret? I only have to scream and I am safe"
Ann smiles and walks over to the table were Fablehaven was sitting "I liked this book."
"What do you mean 'liked?' It is still there and even if that copy was gone there are a hundred others."
Ann laughs and says "I would love to read any book, I still love the story in here, but I would not read anything in here. Not unless I could find my book." a sad look comes to her eyes and she inhales "Now, since you will inevitable come back here anyway I will show you a book that I found most intriguing. She sets Fablehaven down and walks over to where Kira had taken it from the shelf, she picks one right next to the gap where Fablehaven had been. She holds it out to Kira. She takes it and reads the title "Fablehaven, secrets of the dragon sanctuary." She looks over at Ann and says "Why not the first book?"
Ann smiles and says "That threat it not as intriguing, plus you already know what has happened in that one, you have not yet read this one."
Kira takes a step back "How did you know that? I wasn't even talking to my friends about it."
Ann smiles and says "Don't be afraid of others knowing that you are fun as well as strict. You have many people who would love to see your fun side. Now, I have let myself be seen for long enough. Open that book and you will know why others have warned you about this place, when you come out you will be able to remember everything about me that I have told you. You will also be changed, the warning on the front does not say what I believe it should, you will not only become part of the story, you will become one of the main people, with the special abilities and everything. And if you should choose that this is too great of a risk, and you leave, when you enter this room again you will remember what I have said when you lay eyes on the book again, I have no doubt that you will enter again tonight if you exit. I should just stop wasting time here and enter in. You will not alter the book, you will just enter in and make a new one. I will be able to help you all of three times, don't waste that." She smiles again and disappears.
Kira looks on in awe, had she really seen someone? Or was it just her imagination?
She sighs and looks down at the book in her hands. She had been wanting to read this for a few days, she did not own a copy. She looks around her, no one was there to see that she was reading it.
She takes a deep breath and opens the book.
