She frantically turned the pages, trying to find that infamous eighty-seventh page. No, she didn't see any recipe; this must not be the right book. She threw herself back into the search. And again. While eagerly expecting to come across a recipe, she saw a shadow on the page. She looked up and saw her friend. For some reason, her friend seemed dissatisfied.

"Hey, V! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What am I doing here?! You left me hanging alone in the pastry shop! What's gotten into you, K, all of a sudden?"

After remembering that hasty, blurry moment, a wave of shame covered her face.

"Well... let me explain once I find what I'm looking for, okay? Help me, please. You see, I'm looking for the book 'Devon,' specifically the eighty-seventh page. It's about a recipe..."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"What? A book? What recipe? You don't even know what it's about, and you reacted like that... You got me worried, girl. Okay, fine. I'm stupid for jumping in to help someone who left me high and dry for some book, but that's just who I am. Go get us some coffee, and I'll start searching."

Veronika clearly saw the words written in uneven white letters on the book - "Devon." Brown leather covers, a golden bookmark, she reached for the book, feeling its weight.

This must be it, she thought.

She sat at a reading table and looked for that eighty-seventh page.

Mhm... So, this is what it's about... But why on earth does she need this? What kind of trouble has she gotten herself into?

She heard a piercing sound in her head. She fell to her knees and dropped the book from her hands. With her face bowed towards the floor, she couldn't see, but she felt the darkness surrounding her, suffocating her. In a swirling vortex of crimson, dark energy sucked her in, and she vanished from the library.