had appeared under her door. It was thick, expe

her ribs. She crept to th

up. The message was printed

one in th

empty. Gilded frames of long-dead Slaters stared back at h

n into place. She held the note in her hand, her mind racing. Was it a genuine warni

ept for emergencies, and held the corner of the card to the flame. It cur

ity dinner and wouldn't be dining with her. On the tray was a perfectly coo

e couldn't eat rare meat.

ask any noise. She meticulously cut the steak into tiny pieces and flushed them down t

s she'd bought at a convenience store n

o'clock. The silence of a large, emp

nts and a black hoodie. She slipped on a

, her path guided by the mental map she'd made of the security cameras' blind spots. Her destination: the main library on the

s. She held her breath and turned the

nd. She didn't turn on the lights, navigating by the pale moo

n on the computer tower beneath it. The machine whirred to life,

Julian's birthday. Access Denied. She

e one he'd used since he was a teenager? Not something sentimental. Something

our digits. Click.

vate browsing window, her fingers flying across the keyboar

creaked in

e fr

te tread of footsteps. They were slow, measu

topped right ou

handle beg

n the tower, holding it down until the screen w

r knees to her chest and squeezing

d in the doorway. A powerful flashlight beam cut through the

r own ragged breathing. The beam danced over the bookshelves,

e faint hum of the computer's cooling fan as it slowly wound dow