a man sprawled out on the ground, asleep on a vent in the concrete. She halted abruptly when she spotted him, bent down, and cradled his dirty face in her hands. Jonah watched as she bent down and kissed his forehead. The man turned his head up,opened his eyes for a second, then closed them again and returned to sleep.
“Bless you, my brother,” she said softly. “Elohim loves you deeply.”
Jonah saw the man smile and mutter something. Camilla held his face for a few more seconds, and then stood. Jonah silently wondered if he would have even noticed the man if she hadn’t stopped.
“Ah,” she said, almost as if she’d forgotten they were there. “Let’s keep going, shall we? Almost there.”
Their curiosity for where “there” was grew by the second. The quarterlings started whispering back and forth to each other.
“I think she’s crazy,” Jonah overheard Frederick say. “Why is she taking us out here in the dark? The streets of New York are the safest place for us to be? Really?”
“Oh, just trust her, okay?” Eliza shot back at him, looking disgusted. “I’m pretty sure she knows where she’s going.”
Finally, Camilla stopped in front of a set of white granite steps that led up to a large building with tall columns across the front.
“Here we are, students,” Camilla said.
Jonah looked at the sign by the street. It read:
N EW Y ORK P UBLIC L IBRARY
H OURS : 9 :00 A.M.–9:00 P.M. D AILY
He raised his hand slowly. “We’re going to have classes . . . at the library?”
“That’s right,” she said. “We’ll be using the side entrance, though. Even though they are closed, we don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves now, do we?”
Before anyone else could ask a question, she headed down a path that led to the side of the building. There was a single door there. Rupert went ahead of her and tugged on the handle.
“It’s open,” he said, turning the handle and pushing the door open slightly.
“Of course it is, dear,” she said with a sly smile. “We have friends in high places.”
“Right this way,” Camilla called out as she walked through the door. “Follow me. Quickly now.”
Jonah gazed up at the ceiling and the walls as they walked quietly through the hallway. It was the largest library he had ever seen. Everything seemed made out of marble, and large paintings of serious-looking people hung on the walls. The library in Peacefield was a small, one-floor building with old, tacky carpet and only a few shelves in the youth section.
They rounded the corner and saw that Camilla had stopped. Standing with her hand up in the air, she motioned for them to move over against the wall.
A security guard was coming down the stone steps with a security dog on a leash, clicking his flashlight against the railing and whistling a tune. They all sucked in a breath of air and held it, even though they all knew he couldn’t see or hear them.
In nervous silence they watched as he ambled down the hallway. He stopped to get a long drink of water at the fountain. Just as Jonah and the rest were breathing a sigh of relief, the German shepherd turned its head toward them and barked once. Its eyes narrowed as it seemed to look right at Jonah.
The dog pulled the guard over until they were right in front of Jonah. It began to sniff around excitedly at Jonah’s feet and barked again several times.
Jonah tried not to breathe as he looked down at the dog in front of him. His mind told him it couldn’t bite him in the hidden realm. But everything in him wanted to run.
“What’s gotten into you, Molly?” the guard said, looking down at his dog strangely. “There’s nothing here. Just an empty hallway.”
He tugged at her leash, pulling her down the hall after him. The dog continued to look backward but followed her master’s orders.
“That’s why we always stay in the hidden realm when we are here,” Camilla said after they had turned the corner.
She continued up a
“Bless you, my brother,” she said softly. “Elohim loves you deeply.”
Jonah saw the man smile and mutter something. Camilla held his face for a few more seconds, and then stood. Jonah silently wondered if he would have even noticed the man if she hadn’t stopped.
“Ah,” she said, almost as if she’d forgotten they were there. “Let’s keep going, shall we? Almost there.”
Their curiosity for where “there” was grew by the second. The quarterlings started whispering back and forth to each other.
“I think she’s crazy,” Jonah overheard Frederick say. “Why is she taking us out here in the dark? The streets of New York are the safest place for us to be? Really?”
“Oh, just trust her, okay?” Eliza shot back at him, looking disgusted. “I’m pretty sure she knows where she’s going.”
Finally, Camilla stopped in front of a set of white granite steps that led up to a large building with tall columns across the front.
“Here we are, students,” Camilla said.
Jonah looked at the sign by the street. It read:
N EW Y ORK P UBLIC L IBRARY
H OURS : 9 :00 A.M.–9:00 P.M. D AILY
He raised his hand slowly. “We’re going to have classes . . . at the library?”
“That’s right,” she said. “We’ll be using the side entrance, though. Even though they are closed, we don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves now, do we?”
Before anyone else could ask a question, she headed down a path that led to the side of the building. There was a single door there. Rupert went ahead of her and tugged on the handle.
“It’s open,” he said, turning the handle and pushing the door open slightly.
“Of course it is, dear,” she said with a sly smile. “We have friends in high places.”
“Right this way,” Camilla called out as she walked through the door. “Follow me. Quickly now.”
Jonah gazed up at the ceiling and the walls as they walked quietly through the hallway. It was the largest library he had ever seen. Everything seemed made out of marble, and large paintings of serious-looking people hung on the walls. The library in Peacefield was a small, one-floor building with old, tacky carpet and only a few shelves in the youth section.
They rounded the corner and saw that Camilla had stopped. Standing with her hand up in the air, she motioned for them to move over against the wall.
A security guard was coming down the stone steps with a security dog on a leash, clicking his flashlight against the railing and whistling a tune. They all sucked in a breath of air and held it, even though they all knew he couldn’t see or hear them.
In nervous silence they watched as he ambled down the hallway. He stopped to get a long drink of water at the fountain. Just as Jonah and the rest were breathing a sigh of relief, the German shepherd turned its head toward them and barked once. Its eyes narrowed as it seemed to look right at Jonah.
The dog pulled the guard over until they were right in front of Jonah. It began to sniff around excitedly at Jonah’s feet and barked again several times.
Jonah tried not to breathe as he looked down at the dog in front of him. His mind told him it couldn’t bite him in the hidden realm. But everything in him wanted to run.
“What’s gotten into you, Molly?” the guard said, looking down at his dog strangely. “There’s nothing here. Just an empty hallway.”
He tugged at her leash, pulling her down the hall after him. The dog continued to look backward but followed her master’s orders.
“That’s why we always stay in the hidden realm when we are here,” Camilla said after they had turned the corner.
She continued up a
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