19
Julia refused to go to sleep, even after the characters had disappeared back into their books at dawn.
“I have too many questions, Aunt Aurelia! And besides, what if I go to sleep and wake up and it really was all a dream?”
Julia’s presence, which at first had doubled the unrest in the shop, eventually helped to ease the tension so that the characters stopped clamoring to leave.
Julia’s occupation of Kitty’s time and attention had seemed to defuse Blanche and Mrs. Jamieson enough for Aurelia to have an actual conversation with them.
In fact, she was surprised when first light appeared, since it meant that the women had spent an entire night in the shop in spite of their earlier demands to be sent back into their books.
She’d warned Julia that the characters would be leaving soon, not wanting her to be startled when they disappeared, but she nonetheless saw Julia give a start when they began dissolving into mists.
Aurelia remembered how jarring it had been when she’d first seen it herself: to watch someone who had seemed very real one moment become an amorphous collection of words on the air in the next.
At Julia’s refusal to sleep, Aurelia suggested an early breakfast, and they trooped upstairs to set to work making eggs, toast, and tea.
“When was the first time you saw them?”
“It was just after I moved into the flat. I heard voices downstairs and thought someone had broken into the shop.”
“Weren’t you scared?”
“I was terrified. I called the police, but when they arrived the characters disappeared.”
“Because it was dawn?”
“No, because no one else can see them but us.”
“What about Oliver?”
“Nope. They disappear as soon as he walks into the shop.”
“But Biscuit can see them. What about Fezz?”
“Fezz, too, though he never gets as excited about them as Biscuit does.”
“No one gets as excited as Biscuit about anything,” Julia deadpanned. “Does Oliver mind you visiting them?”
“I don’t know, actually,” Aurelia said, her holiday mood slightly deflating. “I haven’t told him about them yet.”
Julia dropped her jaw dramatically, as though it had suddenly become unhinged.
“Wait, seriously?”
“I’m going to tell him soon. I just… haven’t done it yet.”
“Then who else knows? Mum? Granddad?”
“No one but you and me. If I ran around telling people I could see and talk to fictional characters at night, people would think something was wrong with me. That’s why I lied to you, before. And I need to apologize for that. I’m sorry.”
“I knew it seemed too real to be a dream,” Julia said triumphantly. Then her brow furrowed before she added, “But now I can see them, too. We can tell people.”
“We can’t tell anyone.”
“Why not?”
They carried their plates and mugs to the table and Aurelia sighed, trying to muster up the many reasons why not, and deciding on one she thought would be the most compelling for a teenager who probably had some experience with how quickly stories could spread.
“The more people you tell, the more people they’ll tell, and then it gets too big to control.
If people heard there’s a shop where characters come alive at night, they’d want to see it for themselves.
Then, when they couldn’t see anything, they’d probably get annoyed and upset with us, thinking we were putting them on or having a laugh at their expense. ”
“But Mum and Dad, and Oliver, we could tell them. They know us. They’d have to trust us.”
“I’m going to tell Oliver—soon. But that’s it.
” At a pleading look from her niece, she added, “This is a pretty incredible story, Julia. If you hadn’t seen it for yourself, would you really believe me?
You’d worry something was wrong with me and that I was seeing things.
And that’s exactly what people would think about you if you told them. ”
“Then it’s sort of like we’re wizards and we can’t tell people about our magical powers?”
Aurelia laughed. “Something like that.”
“Oh! Speaking of magic, let’s put Shadow and Bone on the table!”
“You know Ben Barnes won’t appear, right?”
“I know,” Julia said, though she looked a little disappointed.
“There are lots of villains and dark magic in that book,” Aurelia added.
“I’ll never put The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on there, or Frankenstein.
Characters can’t touch us or hurt us, but they could hurt the other characters that appear with them.
Besides, there are loads of other great characters for you to meet. Like… I met Marmee a few years ago.”
“Oohhh! What was she like?”
“Just like she is in Little Women. Warm, smart—challenging. I hope you can meet her too, one day.”
“One day? Let’s put her book out now and I can meet her tonight.”
“Well, it doesn’t really work that way. You don’t always get the characters you want.” Aurelia narrowed her eyes at Julia. “Do you think I would have chosen Blanche, Mrs. Jamieson, and Kitty?”
“Probably not,” Julia laughed. “But Kitty’s alright. I like her.”
Aurelia nodded absently, her mind stuck on what she’d just told Julia. She wondered again if the switch from lovely Lizzy, Darcy, and the others to Blanche, Mrs. Jamieson, and Kitty had something to do with Julia. But what?
“It’s hard to remember they’re characters and not real people,” Julia observed, interrupting Aurelia’s thoughts. “And it’s sort of strange that they know they come from books.”
“You get used to it. They seem like ‘real’ people the more you get to know them.”
Aurelia’s phone rang, and she startled for a second before answering it.
“How’re things this morning? Am I too early?” Antonia asked.
“No, we’re up. We’re just having some breakfast.”
“How’s it going?”
“We’re good,” Aurelia said, smiling at Julia and mouthing Your mum. “Do you want to talk to Julia?”
Antonia did, and Aurelia handed her phone to Julia, this time mouthing Not a word, and shaking her head to remind Julia to keep their secret.
Aurelia listened in as she washed up their breakfast things, but Julia didn’t mention their late-night adventure in the shop. When she hung up, Aurelia felt her body relax, not realizing how tense she’d been over what Julia might let slip.
“Can we watch Pride and Prejudice?” Julia asked as she joined Aurelia in the kitchen. “I’ll never be able to read it in time to talk to Kitty tonight, and I promised her I’d report back on how she looks.”
“Actually, I was going to put their books away today and pick a few different ones. They haven’t exactly been the friendliest visitors.”
“No! I promised Kitty,” Julia said, her face falling. “Can’t we keep them around for a few more nights? She was going to show me one of the dances she knows.”
Aurelia groaned.
“That leaves me with Blanche and Mrs. Jamieson, and they’re unpleasant, to say the least.”
Julia gave Aurelia a desperate, imploring look, somehow knowing she would give in eventually.
“Fine, one more night. I’ll suffer for your sake,” Aurelia said with a drawn-out sigh.
“Thank you! And the movie?”
“I own two different versions—you can take your pick.”
“Of course you do.”
“Careful. Remember who’s doing you a favor.”
“Right! Cool—two versions,” Julia said teasingly. “Can we watch it now?”
Aurelia looked up at the clock: it was nearly ten and she should be opening the shop, but she was enjoying her time with Julia and finally being able to share her secret with someone.
“Alright, let’s do it. You get it cued up and I’ll take Biscuit out for a quick walk.”
“Really? Can we make popcorn? And hot chocolate! No, it’s too hot for that. Okay, but popcorn?”
“Sure. But don’t think you’re getting out of anything. You still need to actually read Pride and Prejudice.”
Aurelia was ready for one of Julia’s patented teen ‘are you serious’ looks, so she was surprised when Julia said, “I’m definitely going to read it! I’m going to read all of them now.”
“Good. They’re three excellent books. I’ll pick a few more for you to take home with you.”
“No, Aunt Aurelia—I mean I’m going to read them all. Every book in the shop.”