Coming of Age by Timothy Zahn Read Free Book Online

find out things from them.” Gazing at the page, she looked for the handful of letters she knew. They were there, certainly—but in so many combinations!
    â€œCan I hold it?” Jessy asked, and Lisa felt a teekay tug on the book.
    Automatically, she countered with her own teekay. “No, Jessy,” she said, leafing through the pages in hopes of finding pictures that might give her a clue as to what the words might be.
    â€œI want it,” Jessy insisted.
    â€œMay I help you?”
    Startled, Lisa looked up as the tall woman who’d been behind the front counter came down the aisle toward them. Her lips held a pleasant smile, but there was something in her eyes that reminded Lisa of the storm cloud she’d had to pull a Nine out of a year ago. “N-no, not really, thank you,” she managed. “I was just showing Jessy what books are.”
    â€œI see. Hello, Jessy,” the adult said, and Lisa thought her smile a little more genuine this time. Stooping beside the girl, she deftly plucked the book from Lisa’s hand and held it open in front of her. “See, Jessy, this is writing. When you grow up you’ll learn how to understand what this says.”
    Jessy reached for the book, but the librarian held it back. “No, no, you mustn’t touch,” she said firmly. “These are very valuable—some of the last books made from the big spaceship’s records before the machines were destroyed in the Lost Generation. They’re very durable—much more so than the books printed today—but they can be damaged if they’re mishandled. That’s why we don’t allow children or kids to touch them. Do you understand?”
    Whether she understood or not, it was clear Jessy wasn’t about to buck such heavy adult pressure. “Uh-huh,” she muttered.
    â€œThat’s a good girl. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to look at the books all you want when you grow up.” She shifted her gaze to Lisa. “Was there anything else you wanted?”
    â€œUh …” Lisa’s tongue locked awkwardly against the automatic no that had tried to come out. “I … is it allowed for preteens to take books out of the library? I’d be very careful with it.”
    The smile slipped a bit. “I’m sorry, but we can’t allow that. But if you really want to look at them, you can do so here, out in the reading area.” She gestured in the direction of the lounge chairs they’d passed through on their way in.
    â€œOh. I—thank you.” Lisa swallowed hard, feeling a shiver run down her back. To actually sit there with all those disapproving adult stares on her …“I guess we’d better be getting back, Jessy,” she said, taking the little girl’s hand and mentally bracing herself to pass among the readers again. “Say thank you to the nice lady.”
    â€œThank you,” Jessy murmured.
    â€œI think you’ll find the library’s first two floors more interesting to you,” the librarian said as she walked them to the door. “In the future you’d probably do better to stay down there.”
    It wasn’t until they were flying above Barona again that Lisa was finally able to relax. One thing, at least, was clear: she was not going to be able to learn reading in the library. In fact, it was likely to be a long time before she even ventured into the building again.
    But she wasn’t yet prepared to give up. There had to be other places she could get books from, places that wouldn’t be so hostile toward her. The librarian had said that books were being made, possibly even in Barona … but Lisa had never seen any store that sold them. She could, of course, search the whole city in her spare time, but even if she found such a place, she probably wouldn’t be allowed to buy a book there. Preteens weren’t given actual bills but could buy things only at