The Grimm Chronicles, Vol. 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

I set my purse under the checkout desk. She still had her house. Sam Grayle was sticking to his end of the deal. Fran and Mary both seemed to have a newfound zest for the library, and now whenever I arrived I was just as likely to stay at the checkout desk as I was to put away books. Fran and Mary both wanted the extra exercise of wandering around putting away books because, in their words, they were “drinking a lot of lattes and mochas lately.”
    “Fran, do we have any good books on Thomas Jefferson?” I asked.
    Fran wrinkled her little nose. “This is a library, young lady. I should hope we have at least a handful of good books on Thomas Jefferson.”
    “Right,” I said. “Of course. Do you want me to put away the returns?”
    Fran smiled and shook her head. “This stack is mine. You can have the next one.”
    And off she went, grabbing the stack of books and making her way upstairs. She was so much more full of life now that it was unreal.
    I spent an hour cleaning off the area around the checkout desk. Both Fran and Mary had a tendency to leave empty soda bottles and candy wrappers sitting around the computer, not to mention any paperwork that needed to be done whenever there was spare time. I stacked the paperwork and threw away all the garbage, then grabbed the bottle of glass cleaner from the cabinet in their office and wiped everything down, including the computer’s keyboard.
    “What’s up?”
    I glanced up, surprised to see both Seth and Briar standing on the other side of the counter. I glanced around—the only people in the library were either down by the computer table or tucked away between the tall shelves.
    “I’m cleaning the keyboard,” I said. “It’s a breeding ground for germs.”
    “That’s gross,” Seth said. He glanced at Briar. “Do you have germs?”
    The rabbit grabbed his vest in a defensive posture. “I think not. Even if I were—ahem!— real , I’m in pristine shape. Never been sick.”
    “So lucky,” Seth said. “I’ve got, like, a dozen allergies. Trees, grass, cockroaches …”
    I made a gagging noise. “OK, stop. What are you doing here? School’s not over yet.”
    Seth shrugged. “My last period is study hall. No one even takes attendance. I’m trying to get into the Work Release program, too. I’d rather work an hour vacuuming carpets than sit in study hall.”
    “A foolish choice,” Briar said in a concerned whisper. His eyes narrowed. “Your friend is no doubt insane to choose vacuums over anything .”
    “Carpets?” I asked.
    Seth smiled and nodded. “I got a part-time job cleaning up at a little software company downtown. It’s awesome. I don’t get to work on any projects, and I clean a lot of toilets, but it’s still really cool being around programmers. They’re nice. Incredibly weird, but nice.”
    “Well congrats to you, my friend.” I glanced to the stairs to make sure Fran was still out of sight, then turned to Briar with a curious eye. “Why are you here?”
    The rabbit’s mouth creased into a little smile. “Why, to say ‘hello.’ Of course.”
    “Hello to you, too.” I smiled. “Did you guys carpool?”
    The looked at each other. “Er, no,” said Briar. “I bumped into him outside the building and thought it would be polite to greet him.”
    “He was visible,” Seth said.
    The white fur on Briar’s cheeks puffed out. “It was intentional. I think. I hope .”
    “So what’s the plan?” Seth asked, rubbing his hands together. “Any Corrupted that need killing?”
    “OK, first off: lower your voice.” I leaned over the counter. “Secondly, you are not part of this insane secret battle for earth.”
    Seth’s eyes widened. “You just made it sound so cool.”
    “I must agree,” Briar added. “If I didn’t know any better, I would foolishly assume this ‘insane secret battle’ was actually fun.”
    “You get my point,” I snapped. “You know what you guys could do if you’re bored? Go start looking