I set the books in front of her and she looked up at me questioningly. I smiled and nodded in what I hoped was an encouraging manner. She took a shaky breath and picked up the first. She held it gingerly as if it would burst into flames at any moment. I allowed her to stare a moment longer before becoming impatient.
"Read the back!" I whispered excitedly.
She glanced up at me nervously before tuning the book over and reading.
She gasped, and my smile widened.
She stared for a moment more before gently placing the book aside and swiftly scooping up the next.
She read the back, only glancing at the cover. She then moved onto the third and after that the fourth.
She slowly looked up at my smile with a million questions in her eyes.
"How…?" she began, but stopped.
"I'm not sure," I said. "But I do have a theory."
I took another book from the shelf, and laughed when I saw her expression.
"Don't worry Bella," I assured her. "This one's not about you." I looked down at the copy of Inkheart in my hands. "It's about a young girl named Meggie and her father, Mo." I met her confused stare and smiled gently. "They both have a very strange gift."
She leaned closer to me. "Are they vampires?" she whispered.
My lip twitched and I said, "No… It's complicated, but I'll try to explain."
I frowned as I searched for words that wouldn't confuse her further. "Um, when Meggie and Mo read aloud," I began, "the story comes to life." Pausing, I looked up and met her gaze. "Literally."
She scowled. "I don't understand."
I smiled, but then the frown reappeared. "Uh," I picked up the first book and opened it to a random page. "If they read, 'I put down the apple and took a bite of the pizza.' Then there's a chance that apple or that bite of pizza would appear in front of them, maybe even the person speaking." I smiled a crooked grin. "You, Bella. I think I read you out of your story."