Caught In Time

Chapter 7: Breaking In

"Dude, you have to be joking. You can't be serious." Ethan stared at James as if he were a stranger.

James shook his head. "I'm serious man, Nole just disappeared from thin air. There was a sound, like thunder or something and tons of wind. Then nothing--he was gone."

Cassedee made a whistling sound and stared blankly at the two of them.

"And you're saying that this all happened because of a camera?" She asked suspiciously.

James knew that they didn't believe him. 

They were sitting at the library, their books out to pages that had been opened for hours.

Notebooks and pens lined the table too with their backpacks slung over the wooden chairs.

James looked around sneakily before he took out Nole's leather bound journal.

Cassedee tapped the pen on the notebooks surface, unsure whether to write or use it to think.

"This holds the key to finding out exactly what happened. To Nole, to the disappeared, to some woman named Emily and for finding out who exactly Mr. T. is."

"Oh and another thing, apparently all of us have powers of some sort." He mentioned it so casually it made both of them startle.

"Powers? Man, what are you talking about?"

James shrugged and tapped the journal with his finger, "it's all in here."

The library that they were in was old. It was built before the campus was built and had served as the town's mortuary before being turned into a public library. 

It was Sunday and they had been there since ten in the morning. The desks lined the rows across from where the bookshelves were and the librarian circular was right behind them. 

The high ceiling and gray carpet made it look like a church. There were carvings on the wooden archways of birds and cupids. 

James could feel the librarian's eyes bearing down on him--they were talking too loud.

"I'm telling you. Everything that we've been told about these disappearances have been an absolute lie. The police--"

A loud shushing sound came from behind him. He turned around and gave a meek wave and smile.

"The police are in on it. Everyone in this town isn't real. It's all an illusion--they are all dead. They just don't know it yet. Everyone is waiting for their time to be up. Every ten years. Why do you think everyone disappears and keeps disappearing?" he whispered as loud as he could possibly get away with.

Cassedee and Ethan both looked at each other, unable to speak.

Ethan flopped back in his chair, scratching his head.

"Man, this sounds absolutely crazy, you know that?"

James nodded.

"I know." he said quietly. 

"Nole told me that I have to tell you guys. Not need or want to tell you, but have to." He emphasized the words.

Cassedee glanced down at the journal which was resting in James's hands now.

"James, Can I see that? I wanna see something."

James made a face and reluctantly passed her the journal.

She gingerly took it in her hands analyzing every inch of its surface.

"This thing is kind of gross, to be honest. It's old and crusty." She picked it up and held it even closer to her face, "and it smells."