“There are so many places to go!” Glory chirped. Orion barked his excitement right along with her. “It says it right here.”
They both touched the book between them. The cover was dull and worn now, but Danny traced his finger where he’d seen the golden letters come alive. He had realized that the star he’d seen wasn’t an ordinary star. It was a compass rose that pointed in different directions.
“The book is a map,” Danny said. Every nerve in his body felt lit up like Christmas. He was afraid to even say the words, especially after convincing himself that nothing like this could be real.
Glory let out a sharp excited sound. “A map to Rio Luna. If your sister didn’t return with the book, then I’d bet my entire library that she’s stuck over there.”
“PILI IS IN RIO LUNA?” he asked. Each word was spoken so carefully it was as if they were made of glass. He reached for the book and flipped to the checkout card again. He wished that Pili’s name would light up like the title had. “How do I get her back? How does the book work?”
Glory’s eyes brightened, as if she’d been waiting for him to ask. He could tell she liked knowing things. “Remember when I told you archeologists were investigating the Ella St. Clay book?”
Danny nodded.
“My auntie North is one of them. Well, the one. There were others, but they gave up trying to get the arrows to reveal themselves.”
Danny thought of the way the golden light had materialized beneath his feet. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t wait for the next time they’d reappear. “But that’s changed now, right? How do I get them to come back?”
Glory bit the inside of her lip and made a thinking sound before answering. “That part I’m not sure of. We’ve never gotten close enough to the whole map.”
“When can we get started?” His entire being was ready to get moving. “If the book revealed itself to me, then that means I can read the map, right?”
“You see this?” She parted the book open and flipped to the end of the first story. There was a rip along the seam where a page had been torn out. “Each story is missing a page. That page is a clue that will piece the map together.”
Danny nodded his head. “Like a treasure hunt?”
Glory grinned. “Exactly. When all the pages are returned to the book, we’ll be able to enter Rio Luna and look for your sister. That’s the heart of this world, and from there you can travel to all the other places, like the Red Woods.”
Could this really be happening? He asked, “And the Forever Gardens?”
She nodded emphatically, then sighed. “It’s a pity the other archeologists didn’t stick around for this. But Auntie North will help us.”
“There are adults who believe in magic?” Danny asked. He imagined telling Mrs. Contreras about everything he’d learned that day. Maybe there were some people who couldn’t believe, no matter how much proof they had.
Glory seemed surprised. “Why wouldn’t they? My auntie North always says she’s seen it all and that includes magic. She travels all over the world. Sometimes she takes me with her. Though most of the time she’s busy digging up old pottery and weapons—stuff left behind by ancient civilizations.”
“You do that?” he asked. He hadn’t even thought that was a job someone could have. Well, except for Indiana Jones.
“Auntie North digs. I do my homework.”
“But, Glory,” Danny said. “You saw the golden arrows, too. Don’t you already know what the map is?”
Glory shook her head and cast her gaze down. For the first time since he’d known her that day, she looked truly disappointed. “Yes, I could see the arrows. But only for a few days. That’s why my name never appeared on the check-out card. I didn’t complete my quest.”
“What happened?” Danny thought about what it would be like to see magic in front of him and then have it gone. He’d be devastated.
“I’m not sure. One day, we were trying to piece together the first clue. I was the only one who could see the enchantment, so everyone working on the project asked me a lot of questions. Auntie North said that I got so overwhelmed it must have affected my ability to see the arrows. I believe. I know I do. But at that time, I was still thinking about the accident that killed my parents. I had only been living with Auntie North for a year, and discovering that the book had chosen me was the best thing that could have happened. But even with magic around me, I was sad. And then it was gone, and I didn’t know how to get it back. Anyway, Auntie North has kept working.”
“I lost my parents, too,” Danny said. He knew how difficult it must have been for Glory to share that with him. He didn’t remember his parents. He’d been too small when he and Pili were put in the System. The only family he’d ever needed was Pili. “My sister was all I had. That’s why I have to find her.”
“We will.” Glory sounded so sure. He wished he could borrow some of her confidence for himself. “My auntie North will know what to do.”
They shared smiles of understanding. Maybe Danny was not as alone and lost as he thought he’d been. Not anymore.
Just then his stomach growled painfully with hunger. In fact, it growled so loudly the entire room seemed to echo. The last thing he’d eaten was the brown bag lunch, and he didn’t even get to finish it because of the twins.
“But first, we eat.” Glory giggled, and he could feel his cheeks burn red.
“I don’t have much of an allowance. None, actually. I saved up a few dollars from helping the neighbor cut the grass.”
“I can share mine with you.”
Danny’s cheeks felt like the time he accidentally ate a blob of spicy wasabi thinking it was a piece of avocado. He didn’t want to be an imposition, but he also couldn’t deny that he was still hungry.
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely,” she said. “Auntie North is in a meeting, so I’ll order in, and you can tell me more about you and your sister. Especially if we’re going to work together to figure out the map.”
“We can eat in the library?”
“As long as we stay here.”
For a moment, Danny was overcome with too many feelings. He was relieved. He didn’t want to go hungry. Running away wasn’t exactly a planned decision. But here, in this secret room, he didn’t feel so lost. If everything happening was a puzzle piece, they were slowly clicking into place. There was something about Glory. She was a stranger, and yet, he trusted her more than he did anyone else with the exception of Pili.
“Have you ever had ramen?” Glory asked.
“No, but I’ll try anything. Today was supposed to be broccoli casserole night.”
They both wrinkled their noses.
Glory busied herself on her phone app and because Danny had no idea what ramen was, he let her pick something out for him. The only takeout the Garners liked was Pizza Hut because it was Teddy and Freddy’s favorite.
“What is this room, anyway?” Danny asked. “It doesn’t look like the rest of the exhibit rooms in the library.”
“It’s Auntie North’s office. She lets me do my homework here. Lately she’s been so busy, I spend all night here until she’s done with work. Things have been quiet. There isn’t a lot of information about Ella St. Clay. Who she was or why she wrote this book. Sometimes it helps finding things out about the author to search for clues. You must see magical things all the time if you were deemed worthy by the book.”