Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1) by Christine Kersey Read Free Book Online Page B

eyebrows went up in surprise at the titles shown in the window. Losing Weight the Easy Way. Three Hundred Recipes Under Three Hundred Calories. All the books seemed to have similar subjects.
    Someone has an unhealthy obsession with weight, I thought, trying to see through the window what kind of people worked and shopped there. I couldn’t see very far into the store, so I decided to stop in and take a quick look around.
    The bookstore wasn’t very big, but as I glanced around I saw that most of the books were of the normal variety and I decided the bookstore must focus on a certain subject each month or something, and this month it was a healthy lifestyle.
    “Can I help you?” a woman asked.
    I turned around and saw a slender woman with straight blond hair.
    Curious if my assumption was correct, I said, “Actually I was wondering. Is this Healthy Living month or something?”
    She looked confused. “Pardon me?”
    I gestured to the window display. “I just noticed all the books on eating healthy and losing weight and just wondered if you were focusing on being healthy this month.”
    Her delicate brow creased. “Well, no. We always focus on taking care of our bodies. Many of our customers are looking for those kinds of books. That’s all.” Her brow smoothed out as she smiled at me, clearly expecting me to know what she was talking about.
    “Oh. Okay. Well thanks.”
    “Is there anything I can help you find?”
    “No. I was just browsing.”
    “All right. Well if you need anything, I’ll be over there.”
    I nodded, then turned and left the store. As I walked down the sidewalk I glanced down a side street. A sign caught my eye and I smiled. Library. I knew they would have computers that I could use. Feeling hopeful, I turned down the street and walked toward the library, a smile on my face.
    I’ve always loved to read and had visited this library a couple of times since we’d moved here—I’d even gotten a library card—and as I walked through the automatic doors, the familiar quiet soothed me. Like I said, I’d only been there a couple of times, but when I walked in, the layout seemed wrong somehow. As I approached the librarian sitting at the information desk, I could have sworn that desk had been in a completely different place before. Ignoring the sudden apprehension in my mind, I moved toward the woman. Glancing to my right, I saw a row of computers. Several were being used, but there were plenty available.
    “Excuse me,” I said, trying to project confidence I did not feel.
    “Yes? How may I help you?” She had a friendly smile on her face.
    “I’d like to use one of the computers.”
    “Certainly. Do you have your library card with you?”
    “Yeah, just a sec.” I dug through my backpack and pulled out my wallet, then handed her my library card. I watched as she scanned it in to her machine. A look of puzzlement crept onto her face and she scanned it again.
    “That’s odd,” she muttered.
    My heart began to pound and the feeling of disquiet grew. “Is something wrong?”
    She looked at me and smiled. “Your card number seems to be invalid, but I can’t see anything wrong with it.” She shrugged. “It’s just not in the system.” Holding the card out to me, she added, “I’m sorry.”
    Panic swept over me. “I don’t understand. I was just in here last week and it worked fine.” I paused, swallowing around the lump that had formed in my throat. “I really need to use the computer.”
    “Do you have some other identification?”
    I flipped through my wallet, searching for something to show her. Mom kept my learner’s permit with her—so I wouldn’t forget to take it when I drove with her, she said, although I think she just wanted to make sure I couldn’t drive with anyone else—and I hadn’t bothered getting my new student ID yet. Feeling my hopes slipping away, I felt tears push into my eyes. I kept my gaze away from the librarian’s, embarrassed to be such a baby,