Miracles

The next day, Susan and I talk about how she should not tell anyone about the library. "But if I can't tell anybody, what's the use of writing the books?" I think about that question. She is right. "Because if you don't write, the library will... dissapear." "Dissapear?" "Dissapear." Then Susan takes the book out and flips through it. "Okay," she says "I won't tell anyone." "Hey, you still have the book?" She hands me the book, and I flip through it, just out of boredom. I yawn. Then, I notice something. In the place of all the scribbles and doodles, are somewhat pretty illistrations. "Wow.", I say. "What did you do to it? It's... pretty. I mean, it was pretty before, but now it's prettier." " I swear, I didn't do anything to it. I kept it hidden in my back pack all night, 'cause I didn't want my mom to think I was vandalizing school property or something like that." "Oh. So... do you want to go put it in the library?" "Well, I was kinda' thinking about showing the class before we took it back. I mean... I did write it, right?" I pretend like I don't hear her, but I still think about it. "Susan... I don't want to show anyone the library, or even just one book of the books. Why can't it be our little secret?" "Because I don't like keeping secrets, okay?! I want to tell my friends." Just then, the bell rings, and Susan hurries to show the book to her friends, which apparently I'm no longer one of.

Secrets to be Kept

Lunch after that is pretty normal. We eat. We work. We work some more. Math after science and before social studies. Add a bit of whisperring, a few giggles, and that's pretty much the rest of the school day. After school, I walk over to my locker. I get my stuff, just like everybody else. Then, Susan walks over to me, along with three other girls, and says "Hey Rachel! Let's show them the uh... secret." Then, as if I couldn't already have figured it out, she walks over to me and whispers "You know, about the library." "Actually Susan," I say "I don't have any extra time after school today." "Oh" she says, sounding dissapointed. Then, Susan, and Ashley, and Sabrina, and Mark, all walk away. I take out my notepad entitled "Friendship Sails", and write out one sentence. "If they cannot conceal their own secrets, do not trust them with yours."

The Rough, Rough, Really Rough Draft

The next day, Susan shows me the book. It's already half written! What a disaster! The cover, in the same gold embroidering, says not "Princess and the Pea", but "Princess and the Carrot"! "Princess and the Carrot"! I peek through the book, and I find beautiful gold text all throughout it. Among the text, in red and blue crayon, are these horrible doodles and scribbles. Some of the American flag, some of two people making "Kissy Faces", and some of which you couldn't tell what they were! I sigh a long, miserable sigh. "Do you like it?" Susan asks. "What do you mean?" I say. "I love it!"

Weirded Out

Susan just stands there, staring at all the books. I haven't even told her about... about being the author. "Susan," I say "I need to show you something!". "What?" she says. "Come on, Susan!" We walk over to the aisle closest to the door, and I show Susan the title page of "Princess and the Pea". "That's weird!" she says. "Susan, calm down." "I'm not upset! I'm excited. This could be fun!" Then, Susan grabs the book off the shelf, and walks away. "By the way," I say to her "you're not gonna mention this to anyone... right?" No answer.

Revealing the Secret

I tell my parents I will probably be late getting home today. When they ask why, I just tell them I would like to try to catch up on homework after school. Sure, it's a lie, but I have to tell them something. They don't know about the libarary, because I don't want them to tell me I can't go. After school, Susan and I meet by the locker. I've decided maybe I should tell her about the library. "So," she says "what's this about?". "I want to show you something." "What?" "I want to-" "I heard you!" "Shh! Follow me." "Okay." We walk down the secret passage. "What the... I guess this makes up for the library."

Questions

"Susan Rozero?" I rack my brains for any memory of the name. Then, I remember! "Princess and the Pea!" How could I forget? So, at lunch time, I make sure to order the same thing as Susan, that way we can sit next to each other and talk. Eww! Big mistake! Not only were there five people in between us, she ordered a corndog! Yuck! So, lunch was a failure. At least we had a conversation at recess. I learned that Emily Oakor is Susan's sister. Now Susan and I are sort of friends. I still didn't tell her about the library, though. I still feel like it's supposed to be mine.

Feeling Blank

So, here I am, staring at the blank book that is "Beauty and the Beast". I take out another book entitled "Princess and the Pea". I flip through it, and discover that it is blank as well. Then, I have an idea! I look at the title page. "Written by Susan Rozero. Illistrations by Emily Oakor." Okay, now I'm just irritated. Those two get credit for writing a book nobody can read! I make a small mark on the top left corner. It stays on the top left corner. It isn't a magical absorbant-of-ink book! Why did they have such a hard time writing it? Then, I look up at the clock, and discover there is no clock. So I decide that maybe I should go back to school. I have nearly forgotten the experience in the library, when my teacher calls attendance. "Ernie Hill?" "Here!" "Robert Cruso?" "Here!" "Susan Rozero?" "Here!"

The Secret Within the Secret

I look around, and it seems nobody's noticed a thing. I step through the secret passage's doorway, shifting my bookbag to hide the source of my dissapearance. The hallway isn't very long, but what it leads to? That's unbelievable! Rows upon rows next to rows books! "Is this a library?" I wonder. "Maybe... Oh, it has to be a library! Or maybe it's a book collection!" I start to walk in between aisles. I notice a thick book on the shelf. The title reads "Beauty and the Beast". Immediately after being removed from the shelf, it falls open. Then, I notice something strange. The pages in the book. They're all... blank.

The Secret Locker

Summer is over. I walk into the new school building for the first time. Everything about this school is big! From the lockers, to the doors, to the floor tile. I meet my new teacher. She's nice, but her rules are strict. Very strict! We walk into the library. I can't believe my eyes! This room is smaller than the bathroom! I'd be surpised if there were even five shelves of books. Besides, their all boring topics like "The History of the Southwest"by Emily Emm, or "Who Invented the Ice Cream Cone? The True Story!". So, anyway, we leave the library. We finish our tour after being lectured on how "You should never bring gum to school!" Then, we get to see our lockers. I open the door to my locker, and you'd never guess what was there! A combination! Then, I see something else that amazes me. A keypad! At first, I think it's a calculator. But then I mess around with it a little. One... I can't find a plus sign! Two, enter. "Beep". Then, I have an idea! I press the numbers on the combination. 5,3,8,2. "Click!". "That's it?", I wonder. I press on the opposite side of the locker. Slowly,quietly, the blue passage creaks open.