Chapter 35
Serenity Falls library is a solid, red-brick building on the corner of the town square.
The square itself is a bubble of activity, with people bustling around preparing things for the fiftieth-anniversary celebrations. As well as banners and balloons on every building, more stalls are being erected, as well as a stage.
Sadie meanders around the workmen, past the town hall and up the library steps. Inside, the library is large, cool and deserted, save for a sole librarian seated at the front desk.
Her long, mousey hair is pulled into a messy bun, and thick glasses hang on a chain around her neck. Her head is bowed, intent on a book.
As Sadie walks up to the desk, she looks up. ‘Can I help you?’
Sadie tries not to recoil. The left-hand side of the woman’s face and neck is a shiny, twisted mass of scar tissue. Burns, Sadie thinks, and immediately feels bad for her reaction. It was just a surprise.
The woman smiles. Only one side of her lips lifts. Even her voice is kind of tight and scratchy. Miss F. Green, her name badge reads.
‘Oh, erm, I just came to meet some friends to study.’
‘What a cute accent. British?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then you must be one of our new residents on Acacia Avenue?’
Christ, Sadie thinks. Not again. However, she manages a polite smile in return. ‘That’s right. I’m Sadie.’
‘And I’m Freya.’ The woman holds out a delicate, smooth hand. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Sadie. Your friends are just over in the geography section.’ The lopsided smile widens. ‘We don’t get many young people in here now. They’re all online. Who needs books, right?’
Sadie looks at her. ‘I still like books.’
Freya cocks her head slightly to one side. Like a bird. ‘Well, that’s so nice to hear. If you want to join, we’re always happy to welcome new members.’
‘Right.’ Sadie nods. ‘Well, I’ll think about it.’
‘You do that.’
‘Bye.’
Sadie turns and heads towards the back of the library, past rows of alphabetically ordered books.
The dim lighting and slight papery smell are always relaxing.
She turns the corner to the geography section and spots Ellis, Ramona and Dax sitting at a round table tucked in a corner.
No sign of anyone else. Ellis spots her and raises a hand. ‘Hey!’
‘Hey!’ Sadie pulls out a chair and sits down.
‘You managed to fight your way through all the anniversary shit outside?’ Ellis says.
‘Yeah, looks like they’re going all out.’
Ramona rolls her eyes. ‘My dad is frigging wetting himself over it.’
‘Celebrating fifty years of being seriously fucked up,’ Dax drawls.
‘Talking of which,’ Sadie says, ‘is she coming?’
Ellis makes a ‘so-so’ gesture with her hand. ‘We don’t know. Ro texted her last night but she didn’t reply.’
‘I can see she read it, though,’ Ramona says. ‘Could go either way. She didn’t say no.’
‘But she didn’t say yes either,’ Dax points out.
‘You really are a glass-half-empty person,’ Ellis says.
He shrugs. ‘Pessimists are never disappointed.’
‘Yeah, but optimists have a better time of it,’ Ellis retorts.
Ramona suddenly makes a yelping noise. ‘She’s here.’
Sadie turns. A familiar figure with bubble-gum-pink hair walks across the library. Lou. She’s not wearing her uniform, dressed down in shorts and a grey T-shirt, a backpack over her shoulders. She looks nervous, checking around her. Then she spots them and walks quickly over.
‘Thanks for coming,’ Dax says.
‘Don’t thank me. I’m not here for you. I’m here for Frankie.’ She yanks out a chair and sits in it stiffly.
‘Well, thanks anyway,’ Ramona says.
Lou glances at Sadie. ‘I see they dragged you into it, too.’
‘Actually,’ Sadie says, ‘I kind of dragged myself in. Frankie drowned in our pool. I’d like to know what happened.’
Lou stares at her for a moment, face softening. ‘Me too. Only it’s not that simple around here.’
‘Lou,’ Dax says. ‘Before he died, we think Frankie found something. Something about this town. Did he tell you what?’
Lou’s eyes flick around. ‘Frankie would often talk shit when he’d had too much weed.’
‘So, he never told you about anything – documents, perhaps?’ Ellis asks.
‘Okay, fine, Nancy Drew. Here.’ She unzips the backpack and pulls out a folder full of paper, secured with an elastic band. ‘This is what you want.’
They stare at the folder.
‘We’ll give it back,’ Ramona says.
‘Fuck no. Keep it. To be honest, I considered shredding or burning it, but I promised Frankie …’ She trails off.
‘Did you take a look?’
‘Nope. Frankie was a friend. That’s why I agreed to look after this stuff for him. But Frankie’s dead, and this is as far as I go. Do what you like, but leave me out. Understood?’
They all nod. ‘And don’t do anything stupid,’ Lou adds. ‘You’re all a pain in my ass, but I don’t want anything happening to you.’
Sadie stares at her. ‘Do you really think something happened to Frankie because of this?’
Lou looks at her. ‘Frankie’s dead; Chris and his whole family have disappeared. I don’t need this shit.’ She shakes her head. ‘You ever seen that movie – The Matrix?’
Sadie nods. ‘’Course. Although I didn’t think you could watch stuff like that here.’
‘I got a pirate copy. Anyway, you know when the Fishburne guy asks Neo whether he wants to take the blue pill or the red pill? Blue pill, just carry on living your life. It’s not perfect, but it’s safe and normal.
Red pill – wake up and realize you’re lying in a cocoon, wired up like a human battery to power mega robots who’ve destroyed the earth.
’ She stares at them. ‘I always think, Neo, you took the wrong pill, man.’
‘But what if you want to know the truth?’ Dax asks.
‘It’s overrated.’ Lou stands. ‘Take the blue pill. Every time.’