“So,” Charlie clapped his hands to grab our attention, a confident grin lighting up his face. “We’re heading to the back of the last shelf to access the Neutral Zone’s records of its residents and track down this specific person’s location. Stick close, ladies and gents.” He took the lead, walking ahead with Luke by his side, while Ghram and I followed behind, also walking side by side.

As we navigated through the maze of shelves, passing countless books and absorbed readers, I couldn’t help but take in the vastness of the library.

At first, I’d felt a spark of motivation to read, but that enthusiasm had quickly faded, replaced by a creeping sense of discouragement. The sheer number of books surrounding me was overwhelming, almost dizzying.

How could anyone even begin to read all of this? I didn’t think I could finish even one book in half a day, let alone read through multiple like Charlie.

It looked like to me he seemed completely at home here. Maybe my brother could keep up with him in a reading contest, but me? Not a chance.

As we walked, Ghram turned to me, her sharp eyes brimming with curiosity, and began peppering me with questions, “So, Aria, who’s your patron?”

I froze mid-step. Ghram stopped too, raising an eyebrow as she waited for my answer.

Patron? I understood the word, but I had no clue what she meant by it in this context. I resumed walking, trying to buy myself some time.

Taking a bite of my lollipop, I crunched it deliberately before slipping the stick into my jacket’s side pocket, mimicking what I’d seen her do earlier. Ghram began walking again, falling into step beside me.

“My patron? My patron is…” I started, hesitating as my voice trailed off. I glanced at Charlie’s back ahead of me, silently pleading for help.

Thankfully, Charlie seemed to pick up on my distress. He stopped, turning back to face us, and answered smoothly, “My grandma is her patron. That’s why she's here with me.”

“Oh~?” Ghram drawled, her gaze narrowing as she stared at Charlie. The four of us came to a halt, but it felt like the room itself held its breath. Ghram’s intense gaze remained locked on Charlie, and he stared back with equal calm. What’s going on here? I wondered, feeling like I was missing something important.

Without breaking eye contact with Charlie, Ghram addressed me, her voice deceptively light. “If Granny’s your patron, you must know her full name, right? Care to share it? I seem to have forgotten.”

Granny’s full name? Panic bubbled up in my chest. Did Granny ever tell me her full name? On the boat, she’d simply told us to call her Granny Chan. My mind raced, but no answer came. How am I supposed to respond to this?

“What’s the matter, Aria? Have you forgotten too?” Ghram asked, tilting her head slightly, her gaze sharp and scrutinizing as it flicked between me and Charlie.

Charlie, standing there silently, seemed as unyielding as ever, his face a mask of indifference. The tension crackled between them, and I couldn’t help but wonder—are they really friends? Maybe I’d misunderstood their dynamic entirely.

Stolen story; please report.

But then, a wave of relief washed over me as the answer clicked into place. I straightened, summoning as much confidence as I could. “Of course, I remember,” I said, my voice steady. “Her full name is Chan Tzi.”

Granny hadn’t mentioned her full name directly, but I recalled Charlie introducing her, along with Bill and himself, by their family names just last night. That memory was enough to anchor my response, and for the moment, I felt like I’d passed Ghram’s unspoken test.

There was a tense pause, the silence stretching between us before Ghram finally spoke.

“Ah, right. Chan Tzi. That sounds about right,” she said casually, but then her sharp gaze shifted to me, her intensity unrelenting. “But tell me, Aria, how did you even get invited here?”

Her tone carried a weight that made my chest tighten. She was studying me, dissecting every move, every word. Charlie didn’t step in this time; he couldn’t. Ghram had locked her focus on me, and I was on my own.

I drew in a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I could feel the weight of her scrutiny, and it felt like I was being grilled alive under her questions. “How did you become a visitor?” she pressed, her tone razor-sharp.

Just as I was about to stammer out something—anything—Charlie cut in, his voice calm but deliberate, as if to defuse the tension. “Why are you asking her all this, Ghram? Let it go. She’s not from here.”

Ghram turned her attention to Charlie for a moment, her grin spreading wider—not playful, but chillingly deliberate. “You’re right, Charlie. Thanks for pointing that out.” Then her eyes snapped back to me, pinning me in place. “So, Aria, where exactly are you from?”

Charlie’s interruption had only bought me a fleeting moment of reprieve. Instead of derailing Ghram’s interrogation, it seemed to have only fueled her curiosity, sharpening her questions.

“I’m from the city,” I began, keeping my voice steady, though my nerves buzzed beneath the surface. “I met Granny at the port. It was raining, and she was struggling with some crates. I offered to help, and I guess she appreciated it because she gave me a ticket to board Billy’s boat.” I kept my tone as casual as I could, remembering that half-truths often make the best lies.

Ghram narrowed her eyes, her expression unreadable. “I don’t think that’s enough to earn you a pass, Aria,” she said coolly.

My heart thundered in my chest, her words setting off alarm bells.

Granny’s warning popped in my mind, sharp and urgent. “If any islander finds out about this, Bill and I will have to pay a great price.”

Charlie’s voice echoed, too: “That’s why, Aria, I’m asking you to be really careful. If you mess up, it won’t just be you who faces the consequences—it’ll be Granny, Pops, and me too.”

I couldn’t afford to slip up. Not now, not when I hadn’t even found Aunt Marie yet. The thought of Granny, Bill, and Charlie paying for my mistakes was unbearable.

Charlie stepped in, his tone calm but firm. “It’s just Grandma. She’s always doing things like that.” He seemed to be trying to redirect Ghram, but she wasn’t letting up.

“Hmm…” Ghram tapped her chin, her eyes still fixed on me like a hawk. “Then what was on the ticket, Aria? Care to tell me more?”

Her question hit me like a punch. She wasn’t backing down, and the space felt like it was closing in, despite the library’s vast size.

"The ticket was... well, unusual," I began, forcing myself to stay calm. “It was about a quarter of the usual size, plain white with bold, large text across the top that read Billy’s Boat. The date was printed in black in the middle, and there was a small note below that said: Strictly no luggage.”

I chose my words carefully and silently prayed I’d gotten the details right. My heart pounded as I avoided mentioning the red ink Granny had specifically warned me about.

“How long are you planning to stay here, Aria?” Ghram asked, her eyes bore into me like she was searching for cracks in my story. My stomach churned. Grandma hadn’t given me any details about how long I was supposed to stay, and I had no idea how to respond without raising suspicion.

Before I could say anything, Charlie stepped in with perfect timing to rescue me. “Grandma didn’t give her an exact time frame,” he said smoothly. “She mentioned she’d be back in three days, so I figure Aria will stick around until then.” His tone was calm, almost as if he always had the perfect excuse, and I silently thanked him for the save.

Ghram didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Charlie, her expression unreadable. It felt like she was sizing him up, looking for any sign of weakness in his words. Charlie didn’t flinch, standing firm and confident, his poker face unshakable.

After a tense pause, Ghram finally nodded. “Alright, Charlie. Lead the way,” she said, her smile returning, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. The weight of her scrutiny lessened, but only just.

As we continued walking, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about their dynamic. One minute they seemed like close friends, and the next, it felt like they were testing each other, their interactions loaded with unspoken challenges.

And Ghram… she was sharp. Too sharp. She reminded me of a security officer meticulously checking everything before letting it pass. The way she probed into every detail made it clear she wasn’t going to let anything slip by her. I couldn’t afford to lower my guard—not when so much depended on me staying under the radar. One wrong move, and everything could fall apart.