Words Unravelled

Chapter 3

After Grey had calmed down, he asked me if I was okay with coming down everyday and helping him work at the library. Apparently his grandmother left it to him in the will. I was totally okay with helping out, I'd get paid to do something I did everyday anyways.

I had been working at the library for a little under a week, when something strange began to occur. Every once in a while, I would walk past a shelf and I would be able to hear a whisper calling my name. It seemed though that every time I got close, the noise would stop.

One day, I was walking by with Grey when I heard this woman's voice saying, "Grey. Shae. Come here. Read me. Listen to my words. Come. Come." My mouth got very dry, that was the first time Grey name had been said too. I looked over at him and it seems he had paled. He tilted his head towards me.

"Please. Please tell me you heard that too." He had a pleading look in his eyes. I nodded. I knew if I tried to talk no words would come out. I opened my mouth and shut it. I didn't know if he would want to look for the book, or if he had been hearing the same thing lately.

"Is that the first time you've heard it?" I shook my head. I couldn't form a sentence in my brain for some reason. I knew fear and my curiosity had taken over. We made eye contact and shot over to the bookcase at the same time.

"Do you know what book is doing this, Grey?" He shook his head as an answer while he continued to frantically search.

"All I know is that it has been talking to me since my grandmother passed." I nodded to let him know it was the same for me.

"Children," the book whispered in a ghostly tone, "children, come closer. Read between the lines. Read between the lines." I was confused, but knew that that was a clue as to where to find the book. 'Read between the lines.' I had figured it out. I ran past Grey, who figured out I knew what it was talking about, and straight towards the shelf where we had sat when Grey was crying. I scurried over each title, until I saw it. 'Between the Lines' by Anonymous.

"It wasn't a riddle. It was a title." I looked up at Grey and smile, in which he returned. The book was very dusty and you couldn't see a word on the cover. I took a deep breath and blew off most the dust, right into Grey's face. He immediately began to cough. I held back a giggle and just smiled. He narrowed his eyes into slits, but I saw his lips twitch upwards for a moment.

As I looked at Grey and he returned my gaze, the book began to shiver. I opened the cover to find the first page nearly written on. I began to read aloud. "Ahh, children. You figured out my clue, but seeing this I must warn you. This book is not like others, for stories go untold. For when it smothers, it can get very cold. Be careful of its dangers and read very carefully. For if you miss a word, you may lose your key. This story is quite wonderful, if followed by the rules, for if one is broken the book itself shall close." With that the book had no more dust, it was no longer cold to the touch, nor was it shaking anymore. I look at Grey and he smiled.

"Well, let's begin this story tomorrow and see what all mystery is."