Penelope
Jay was 20, but was at least a few inches short for his age. His hazel eyes shone with kindness and his curly black hair outlined his face. He had dyed the ends honey brown. The boy was used to me coming here to get deals related to homework (We weren't allowed to borrow books from the school library after the 'Library Cataclysm'. Long story) and speeches done.
"I would like to issue this please." Aidene modified her voice to sound like a perfect angel.
"You need a library card if you are new." Jay replied, still having a smile on his face.
"You are a Hufflepuff aren't you?" Aidene asked, putting on an interrogative voice.
"Haven't read the Harry Potter series yet but saw the movies so I guess yeah, I am a Hufflepuff."
"You... you work in a library..." Aidene asked, sounding surprised.
"Yes?"
"You haven't read the books yet? What- ah forget it."
"Okay anyway, do you guys have any other reason for coming here besides criticizing my life choices?" He said with a gentle laugh.
"I wasn't criticizing your choices, just wondering how you work in a library and yet never-"
"Yeah we're here to..." I cut her off because I did have other stuff to do later this evening.
"I..I actually don't know they just wanted me to bring them here." I realised suddenly.
"So... You have been stumped?" Jay said raising an eyebrow, his smile becoming lopsided at that thought. I felt my eye twitch with the annoyance building up inside. I had already been stumped (I am never stumped when it comes to knowing things about people) twice in the past few minutes and Aidene being an irritating lil *&^&% was not helping.
"They just wanted to ask you guys something. I don't know what though."
Anne decided to continue "Look there's apparently this rumour about an old guy who used to live where Havenpoint Acad-"
"Oh are you talking about Greylight? Name please"
"What? Why? You just told his name?" Anne said, confused.
"Spongebob Squarepants. He was asking for the library card."
"Your real name"
"Anne Gray" I looked dubiously at Aidene quickly wondering if Aidene had stumped me again.
"HEY!" Anne exclaimed, knitting her eyebrows together and glaring ( she was showing the most amount of emotion since the first time I met her)at Rayner's for the theft of her identity.
"Fine. Aidene Rayners. A-I-D-E-N-E-R-A-Y-N-E-R-S"
He scribbled it down and pushed a little card towards Aidene.
"So what would you like to know about William Greylight? I have to admit this is the first time someone has asked me this question"
"Your handwriting is horrible, I can't even tell it's my name." Aidene with a frown, looking at her card.
"Just kidding it's actually pretty good." Aidene said with a sweet and innocent smile.
"Um... What?" Jay said, returning a somewhat puzzled smile. He was clearly confused with her 180 degree personality changes, from Sweet Angel to Critique to Jokester and back to Angelic.
"Ignore her..." Anne advised.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"
Spongebob Squarepants
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he?
Spongebob Squarepants." Aidene started singing under her breath.
"Scratch that it's a Survival of the Fittest case when you are with her." Anne sighed.
There was a moment of silence while Jay checked out Aidene's book. The question swirled in my mind. Why did they want to know about the legend of Greylight? Anne was standing behind us looking all depressed like she was kidnapped while Aidene stood there bouncing her foot as she waited for him to check out the book. I looked around for a trash can so I can stop chewing the huge tasteless blob that my chewing gum now was. Well I couldn't find a trash can. I tuned out their conversation as I mentally listed things I had to do.
1.Cheat sheet for the surprise (NOT) test on Geography after three days for the Senior students
2. A bunch of "prohibited" prank products
3. Dirt on the new chem teacher.
I had already gotten the payment.
I could hear Aidene asking Jay about how to prove that Greylight was a real person and Jay suggesting to search for his belongings.
"Didn't the guy burn everything?"
"That's just over exaggerated. If he did you guys wouldn't have all those books in the school library"
"WAIT! We have a library at the school?" Aidene said, almost jumping on to the table.
"Yeah, You are just not allowed to issue books from there after a certain series of events." Jay replied casually with a faraway look probably thinking of the 'certain series of events' that caused what I could assume was a perfectly good library to stop librarying (All words are made up ~Thor, Infinity war, circa 2018).
I was about to ask them to make it quick when one other person entered the library, ringing the little bell on the way in.
Mrs. Cavera, their mom. I recognised her even though I never knew her well. She came in carrying a way too over packed bag on her left shoulder while checking her phone.
Jay looked over and did a teensy-weensy-teeny-weeny-itsy-bitsy-teensy wave.
"Hi ma."
"Hola querido. Dónde está tu hermana, Amy?" She said facing the other way not bothering to look up.
"Ma, Estoy aquí."Jay chuckled as he realised his mother was probably thinking he was on the other side.
"Jay dear, have you seen your sister? her dance class is in 45 minutes"
"Yes ma I know and I think she is in the biology section replacing old books."
"Bueno, Amy querida?" She said checking her phone.
"Coming Ma." said Amy as she yanked a glittery pink bag behind her.
Mrs. Cavera bent down quickly, fixed her hair and was about to leave when 'guess who' interrupted.
"Ma'am, I am so sorry but do you know anything about Mr. Greylight? Of course, I wouldn't expect you to know him personally because I'm fairly sure he expired a long time ago but-" Aidene was about to continue but Mrs. Cavera decided she didn't need the rest of her question.
"Oh! A few Caveras claimed to know him like my great aunt, not a very pleasant woman if I may add. We believe that he was real."
"Aaaand we are back to the same question, how can we find evidence to prove he was real?"
"My grandmother says that her great grandfather's cousin's sister-in-law's half brother, Alexander had met Greylight, just like my great aunt and several other Caveras, and he had also mentioned of having seen some sort of journal."
"Your grandmother's great grandfather's cousin's sister-in-law's half brother? Huge family."
"Yes dear, our family and this town go way back, but most of us still speak Spanish because the abuelas were always determined to make sure no one in our family lost touch with their roots."
Anne sighed "Aidene, stick to the topic. We aren't doing a history project on the Cavera family."
"Imagine how huge that project would be?" Aidene said, throwing her head back and placing a finger on her chin.
"School gates close at 6:30 and it's six," Anne said in the most bland way possible.
"*&#$*" I muttered looking at my phone.
"Language!" Aidene said.
"Hey! Race you back to the school! Thanks for the info Jay and Jay's mom. Last one to the gates is a stinky rotten egg." You can guess who said that.
"Do we have to?"
"If we don't want detention for being late"
Anne was the stinky rotten egg.