a dozen students sitting in a study area and a few more were moving about in between the shelves and cabinets where the maps were kept. There was a desk next to the door and an elderly woman was sitting in front of it typing on a keyboard and looking at a computer screen. When Emma walked in, she waved and smiled at the woman. The woman cocked an eyebrow in response and then went back to her typing.
Emma had been to the Map Library before. At one point she’d had an obsession with maps and her father had indulged it by taking her there and showing her how to find the ones that were interesting. The maps Emma liked the most were the old ones that were sometimes incorrect about certain details.
Today she was looking for an accurate map. Local maps were on a shelf in the middle of the room and Emma made her way to it. There was a crowd gathered around it as two students poked through the map collection. One of them, a boy who was wearing thick glasses, found what he was looking for and removed a book from the shelf. He walked past the crowd and sat at one of the tables. Another student, from those who were waiting, took the boy’s place at the shelf.
Emma approached the boy with the glasses and asked him what was happening. He informed her that they were all first year geography students and that they were working on an assignment. She decided to try to squeeze through the crowd rather than wait for them to finish. Her size proved an advantage in this as most of the students got out of the way of the small girl.
It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for. She slid a big binder out of the shelf and went to a table and spread it open. In the binder there a number maps of the area surrounding the university. She paged through it until she found a map that consisted of stitched-together aerial photographs. The map showed the entirety of Glenridge Forest. She took the map out of the binder, walked to one of the photocopiers at the back of the room, put in a quarter, and copied it onto two pages.
She put page back into the binder, and the binder back on the shelf, before she left the Map Library. The woman behind the front desk cocked her eyebrow at her again.
Out in the hallway, she turned to go back to the stairs but then she heard someone call her name. She turned left and right and saw that halfway down the hall, coming toward her, was Lucy Leroux.
“Hey, Emma!” Lucy said when she reached her. She leaned down to look at her at eye level. Her pink headphones were hanging around her neck. Emma could see now that they had stickers of black skulls on them.
“Hello, snitch,” Emma said.
“What?”
“You told on me.”
They were in the middle of the hallway and they were blocking the flow of traffic so Lucy motioned for them to go sit on one of the benches next to the wall. They did so and Emma put her backpack on the ground, still holding onto the new map.
“What do you mean I told on you?”
“You told my dad that I was at the mall. I got in trouble.”
“I didn’t realize you’d get in trouble. I’m really sorry. I thought he knew.”
Emma studied her face and decided that she was telling the truth. She nodded.
“What’d you got there?” Lucy said.
“A map,” Emma said.
“Oh? A map for what?”
“The forest. We’re looking for someone.”
Lucy asked to see the map and Emma handed the pages to her.
“Are these photocopies? Where did you get these?”
Emma pointed back to the Map Library. “From there,” she said. “Didn’t you know about it?”
Lucy shook her head. “I’m in biology,” she said. “Who are you looking for? Why do you need a map?”
“You have lots of questions, you know?”
“Yeah,” Lucy said, seeming a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay. I’m just saying.” Emma took the pages back and put them into her backpack. “My friend’s dad is missing and he disappeared in the forest. We’re searching for him. I’m going to plan it all
Emma had been to the Map Library before. At one point she’d had an obsession with maps and her father had indulged it by taking her there and showing her how to find the ones that were interesting. The maps Emma liked the most were the old ones that were sometimes incorrect about certain details.
Today she was looking for an accurate map. Local maps were on a shelf in the middle of the room and Emma made her way to it. There was a crowd gathered around it as two students poked through the map collection. One of them, a boy who was wearing thick glasses, found what he was looking for and removed a book from the shelf. He walked past the crowd and sat at one of the tables. Another student, from those who were waiting, took the boy’s place at the shelf.
Emma approached the boy with the glasses and asked him what was happening. He informed her that they were all first year geography students and that they were working on an assignment. She decided to try to squeeze through the crowd rather than wait for them to finish. Her size proved an advantage in this as most of the students got out of the way of the small girl.
It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for. She slid a big binder out of the shelf and went to a table and spread it open. In the binder there a number maps of the area surrounding the university. She paged through it until she found a map that consisted of stitched-together aerial photographs. The map showed the entirety of Glenridge Forest. She took the map out of the binder, walked to one of the photocopiers at the back of the room, put in a quarter, and copied it onto two pages.
She put page back into the binder, and the binder back on the shelf, before she left the Map Library. The woman behind the front desk cocked her eyebrow at her again.
Out in the hallway, she turned to go back to the stairs but then she heard someone call her name. She turned left and right and saw that halfway down the hall, coming toward her, was Lucy Leroux.
“Hey, Emma!” Lucy said when she reached her. She leaned down to look at her at eye level. Her pink headphones were hanging around her neck. Emma could see now that they had stickers of black skulls on them.
“Hello, snitch,” Emma said.
“What?”
“You told on me.”
They were in the middle of the hallway and they were blocking the flow of traffic so Lucy motioned for them to go sit on one of the benches next to the wall. They did so and Emma put her backpack on the ground, still holding onto the new map.
“What do you mean I told on you?”
“You told my dad that I was at the mall. I got in trouble.”
“I didn’t realize you’d get in trouble. I’m really sorry. I thought he knew.”
Emma studied her face and decided that she was telling the truth. She nodded.
“What’d you got there?” Lucy said.
“A map,” Emma said.
“Oh? A map for what?”
“The forest. We’re looking for someone.”
Lucy asked to see the map and Emma handed the pages to her.
“Are these photocopies? Where did you get these?”
Emma pointed back to the Map Library. “From there,” she said. “Didn’t you know about it?”
Lucy shook her head. “I’m in biology,” she said. “Who are you looking for? Why do you need a map?”
“You have lots of questions, you know?”
“Yeah,” Lucy said, seeming a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay. I’m just saying.” Emma took the pages back and put them into her backpack. “My friend’s dad is missing and he disappeared in the forest. We’re searching for him. I’m going to plan it all
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