Ruby

Chapter 25

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him, burying his face in my shoulder. I wrap my arms around him, too. I know right then that no matter what he did, he was always trying to help me, even when he messed up. He deserves a second chance.

I hear a muffled "thank you" come from my shoulder. He holds on to me for a while. His arms are strong and comforting, and I feel safe, a feeling I haven't had in a while. He smells slightly of cinnamon.

He finally lets go of me. "See you around, Ron," then he turns and walks away. I watch as he goes. Then I turn on my heel and had in the opposite direction. I might as well get to know my new home. I have a feeling that I'm going to be here for a while. I wander through countless corridors, taking in each one. Then I find a room that catches my attention. It's a library. Regular citizens can't afford to have very many books. And books are getting rarer and rarer. Most people sell their books to the community managers for food, or they burn them for warmth. The book of fairy tales David read to me is especially rare. Storybooks aren't found very often. The time he read to me seems so long ago now; so much has happened since then. I close my eyes, and a memory of me reading with the help of my parents at a young age flashes past. I push the door to the library open. I'm shocked that it's unlocked.

Inside, I run my fingers along the spines of the books. There are so many of them, all of them different colors. I pull one off of its shelf. It's especially old and covered in dust. The pages are yellowed and fragile. It reminds me of David's book. The cover is a rich green color, like a pine forest. I open it and begin to read.

The book is called The Secret Garden. I read a few pages before I hear someone come into the library. I shut the book quickly and cautiously poke my head around the shelf. I see Chris standing. In the room. He turns and spots me.

"There you are, Ron! I've been looking for you. There are a lot of people, important people, who want to meet you. They've sent me to get you," He says. Before I can argue, he grabs my wrist and leads me out of the library and down another hallway. He opens a door and leads me inside. It's a huge auditorium, and it looks like almost every seat is filled. I swallow hard.

"You're supposed to go to the front," Chris whispers in my ear. I take a few hesitant steps forward, and Chris shoves me the rest of the way onto the stage. The room explodes into applause. My heart pounds against my chest. Why are they cheering for me? I wonder. I look out on the crowd, taking it in. I'm not sure what I should be doing, but then a woman comes onto the stage with me. I turn to see who's standing with me. I gasp, my eyes wide.

"Momma?"