Rectification

Chapter 2

Eda raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Here." Amity pulled out the key and handed it to Eda. "I think... I think it's a key to a portal, and if we can find the portal, then... I can see Luz again. And I can tell her..." she trailed off. I can tell her I love her? "I can tell her a proper goodbye."

"A key to a portal, huh?" Eda mused. She turned the golden key over in her hands a few times, examining it closely. "If it's a key to a portal, then why does it have the Bonesbourough Public Library logo on it?" She handed it back to Amity and shrugged. "Sorry, kid. Just means there'll be a library security guard getting fired tonight."

Amity frowned and gave the key a closer inspection. She had noticed the large BPL emblazoned on the side, but she'd assumed it had stood for... Big Portal... something, or something. "Oh," was all she could get out.

As she was about to turn back around and head for the door- even without any notion of where she'd go once she was outside- Em appeared at Eda's side. "Hey, lemme see that."

Shrugging, Amity handed her sister the key. "Don't use it just so you can go sneaking around where you're not supposed to," she muttered.

"Says the girl who has a secret library hideout in the romance section," Em replied, giving the key a once-over. After a moment, her eyes lit up. "Hey, I recognize this. Ed, c'mere!"

Amity saw her older brother blink himself out of his stupor and join his twin. When he saw the hey, his face filled with recognition. "You're right. I've seen that before. The plating is very familiar. But as many times as I've spotted it lying around the library, I've never been able to get my hands on it."

"What is it?" asked Amity.

"It's a key," Em said, pausing for dramatic effect, "to the restricted section!"

"The restricted section? No, thanks. That's gross. I'll stay in my hideout."

Em laughed. "Silly, it's not that kind of restricted section. We're talking about stuff nobody's allowed to access, even old people like us. Like... really advanced magic. Covenless type stuff, even. Magic that messes with the very fabric of reality ."

Amity blinked. "You mean like... portal magic?"

"Bingo."

"How do you know all this?" Eda broke in tetichily. Amity had forgotten that she was even there.

Ed shrugged. "We've had our escapades. We've watched guards going in and out after hours. None of them ever stay for too long- they're probably just checking around for troublesome teenagers."

"And now's our chance to go!" Em explained. "Ed and I can explore, and you can find a portal spell that'll let you see Luz one more time."

"I've wanted to see what was back there for years," Ed agreed.

One more time. Even that suggestion made Amity's heart ache. How was she supposed to cope, knowing that she'd only get to see Luz once, and then Luz would practically be gone forever?

Unless they found a particularly powerful spell at the library...

"Fine," Amity huffed. She tried to put up an air of annoyance at her siblings' recklessness, but she still couldn't keep a smile from forming despite herself. After all, they were doing this to help her. Partially.

Ed grinned. "So whaddya say? Late-night sibling trip?"

"Late night sibling trip!" Em cheered.

Eda rolled her eyes. "Guess there's no stopping you now. Oh well, if you got caught I'm not going to rescue you, because then I'd get caught too."