Daily Writing Challenge, Day 8

Celia leaned against the bookstore cash register as she glanced at the cellphone in her hands. It wasn’t Celia’s—devices like it were rare in Huerto Viejo, given the Western region’s preference for magia over tech. The phone belonged to Gloriángel, who as Celia understood had stolen it from the magia investigation center when she and her brother Yandiel escaped. In a moment of frustration with Celia’s worrying, Glori had shoved the cellphone toward her before they left together.

How is everything?

Celia had typed that five minutes ago.

“They’ve got him,” she said under her breath. “And now they’re coming for me.”

But no, no. If Don Saúl knew about the expired library books under her bed, he’d mentioned nothing about it yet. Yandiel would hand those in, and that would be the end of it.

She tried to imagine the worst which might happen, even though Doña Zenaida the bookstore owner had counseled her many times not to. Celia believed she could blunt the edges of the worst-case scenario and avoid several less-bad scenarios, if she only prepared adequately.

Glori and Yandiel had gone to a place of magia, which always created some uncertainty. And, of course, Glori had gone with her older brother to protect him, which meant that whatever happened, it would probably be violent. Celia wished so much Yandiel had gone alone—little Glori was a tornado of death when she wanted to be, and that was most of the time.

That left Don Saúl. He was the administrator of the library, by virtue of the fact that he was the library. His body existed in two, each form in constant communication with the other, a human and a dragon, and those brave enough to venture into the maw of the dragon, would find Biblioteca Casa de la Luna—Library House of the Moon—inside, a far vaster collection of texts than even existed in the departmental capital.

All with the condition that, to keep a book longer than allowed, risked Don Saúl’s suspecting you had stolen part of his hoard.

“Ah, fuck,” said Celia. She and Yandiel were going to be eaten, she absolutely knew it. Glori was absolutely going to taunt Don Saúl into a rage. And that, in turn, would call other magia spirits in Huerto Viejo

As the thoughts swirled in her mind, faster and more intense until she imagined the world itself in a ball of flame from the combined battle of the magia spirits, she heard a soft tinkle from the door.

“Done,” said Yandiel.

Celia breathed out and collapsed on the desk that supported the register.

“Glori’s not, though.” Yandiel gave her an apologetic smirk. “And we might need your magia to intervene between her and Don Saúl.”

“See!” said Celia. “I. Fucking. Knew. It!”

Originally written 4.11.2024