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Chapter 9

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The Library

April 8th, 2019

The one-eyed viper. I remembered seeing that insignia on the shoulders of the soldiers that had attacked Kite’s End and taken Isaac. It was very little to go on, but it was the only lead I had. I was on my way to the Library of Congress in Washington DC, one of the biggest libraries in the world. I had searched the internet for any trace of the mysterious military force even going as far as the fifth page on the Google Search engine, but without luck. I was no wizard in the online world, never had been, never would be. Books, real ones with which you could flick your fingers through the pages, had always been my go-to source for information - call me old fashioned. No matter how long it would take me to find what I needed in a library that held over one hundred and fifty million documents, I wasn’t going to give up. Among the many books, photos, recordings, and much more, there was bound to be some trace of the one-eyed viper. 

I had never been to Washington DC before, nor the Library of Congress for that matter. Upon walking in the door of the Jefferson Building, one of three buildings making up the library, I was absolutely dazzled. Gilded Age architecture made its interior a visual masterpiece, a work of art worthy of housing the immense amount of knowledge that it held. I saw many tourists snapping photos for their social media profiles on my way in and for once I understood why they wanted to share their lives with the world. This was one of the rare sights in life worth sharing. I would pick nature over anything man-made without a second thought, but architecture like this, I could appreciate it nonetheless. Once I had taken it all in I realized the flaw in my plan. How in the world was I going to find anything in here? I spend ages sifting through the many books, taking several at the time back to the main reading room where I had claimed a small booth for myself. One after the other I put them back again as well - none the wiser. After a couple of hours, I found myself back at my booth once again having lost count of the sheer amount of books I had skimmed through. This time, though, something was different. I felt a pair of eyes burning on the back of my head. I had thought I was being watched before but not as clearly as I did then. I lifted my gaze from the paper and looked over my shoulders. I met no one’s gaze. However, the moment I turned around again, the feeling returned. It was an eerie feeling. You know something’s there, but can’t quite figure out what it is, where it is, and more importantly, what it wants. I closed the book I had in front of me, knowing nothing more about the one-eyed viper than when I came in and went to put it back where I’d found it. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted my stalker. She was watching from her seat a couple of booths down. Her expression was of one being forced to endure an unpleasant odor. Her gaze was unwavering and unabashed. Those grey eyes behind gunmetal spectacles did not travel up to my face or down to my shoes, but they followed me as if really focusing on something a couple of feet further away. Perhaps her introspective nature led her to be locked in thought as she observed, it was hard to know. I quickened my pace to the shelves. I could still feel her eyes following me around. By now I had learned my way around the shelves and quickly disappeared in the maze of books surrounding me. I waited for a moment until I saw a young woman clearly looking for someone.   

 

“Excuse me?” I said as I tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped in the air not expecting me to be behind her. 

“C-can I help you?” she asked trying real hard to act innocent. Normally, I’d roll with it and see how far she was willing to go with her lies, but I was in no mood for that. 

“I believe I should be asking you that.”

“What are you talking about?” the woman said, overdoing the surprise act. 

“Are you following me or am I just imagining things?”

“I don’t kn-”

“Don’t. What do you want?” She kept quiet for a moment as she moved her foot around anxiously and uneasily before speaking again.

“A picture?” she asked whilst wrapping her dark locks around her finger. “I’m just such a big fan, sir. It would mean the world to me. Pretty please?”

“What?” I asked flabbergasted. This was not at all what I was expecting. “You know who I am?”

“Of course!” Her hazel eyes lit up when I had unknowingly confirmed who I was. “I knew you’d show your face again with your sister missing. Never could have dreamed it would be here though.”

“Eight’s been missing for four years. Why would I show up now?”

“No no, not the Quantum Jewel. I mean the Whisper!” I hadn’t got a clue what she was talking about. As far as I was aware Five was still safe and sound at the Academy. 

“Wait..” she continued as her expression changed from excited to concerned. “You don’t know, do you?” She pulled out her phone, flicked through her apps, and opened a news related one. She was looking for a specific article and once she had found it, she showed it to me. Another gone missing. Where is Serena Abernathy a.k.a the Whisper? What bothered me most is that the article wasn’t on the front page, but in the entertainment section. That’s all we had been reduced to. The article was dated three days before. It spoke of Five having disappeared during a mission with her siblings. I didn’t believe in coincidences. First the attack on Kite’s End and now this. The two were related somehow. Until I could figure out how, I was in danger, but more importantly, my siblings were. 

“What else can you tell me, madam?” 

“Erm.. Not much to be honest,” she said disappointed in herself. “My name is Isabel Ramos by the way.”

As I said, I didn’t believe in coincidences. 

“You don’t have a certain relative in Kite’s End, do you?”

“Auntie Ana! You know her?” Her eyes lit up as she talked about her. “You know, she’s the reason I joined the force.”

“You’re a police officer?”

“I will be soon.” 

It was a long shot but I had to ask her about the one-eyed viper. Unfortunately, she knew as much as I did. I was just about to get her the picture she set out to get when she sparked a bit of hope in me.

“I know someone who can help.”

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